I spot a lone nerd with headphones on! No doubt this person will be kind enough to allow me to sit on the same table and not talk to her at all while I eat a timbit in awkward silence.
“Hello? Do you need something?”Social contact had been initiated. Preparing to initiate phase one of plan, get the hell outta dodge.
"Name's Henderson. Would either of you youngsters happen to know where I can find someone who deals in...lawn gnomes?"
"Have you tried canadian tire?" I ask him, kind of not really caring. I had a place I would have liked to be at! And it's a place where I get into sweaty, shirtless fights with other sweaty, shirtless men!
Henderson sighs, "I'm not looking to buy any," he says, "I'm lookin' for the namblies that stole my only gnome after I asked where they took the rest of 'em. The yellow sods sic'd their poodle on me, and, before I know it the whole place is burning and some of 'em namblies were runnin'. Ya couldn' 'ave missed it."
Henderson considers this, "Actually, you migh' 'ave missed it, as it be a pile of matchsticks now...used matchsticks..."
Then she spoke out, her head throbbing while trying to figure out this man (THIS IS NOT A MAN NO FUCKING PERSON CAN THINK LIKE THIS!), “G-garden gnomes… y-yea there… there is a spec...specialty shop… over that way.” She lied though her grit teeth, her voice breaking multiple times as she fought the pain, and she pointed in a random direction down the street, desperately hoping this man would leave.
Then she spoke out, her head throbbing while trying to figure out this man (THIS IS NOT A MAN NO FUCKING PERSON CAN THINK LIKE THIS!), “G-garden gnomes… y-yea there… there is a spec...specialty shop… over that way.” She lied though her teeth, her voice breaking multiple times as she fought the pain, and she pointed in a random direction down the street, desperately hoping this man would leave.
There comes a time in every man's life where he needs to decide whether he wants to become friends with the insane, or dodge them completely and make them someone else's problem.
That time had come.
And so did I.
"You know, I don't know about gnomes, but I did see some yellow-looking bastards training poodles for combat down by..." Oh god, I had no idea what I was about to say. "The riverside, you know, near the..." Had to something up, you fag. "Yellow seven-eleven close to the bridge, you know, the one that sells rocket, uh, sauce."
Yes, frawress victory, I had declined a shamefur dispray the opportunity to show its ugry, shamefur face.
Wow that was bad, how about I never think again.
Sakura continued her brisk walk, glancing at many seemingly random objects as she moved forward, barely even paying attention to her route. Every once in a while, she would stop to investigate something, a bush, an alleyway, a dumpster; she would quickly tear them apart; after she confirmed she hadn't found what she was looking for, she returned to her walk, an eerie and obsessive look in her eyes.
"Senpai..." She muttered.
The bespectacled man then approached her carefully, until he was around 15 feet near her. He then called her out, "Good afternoon, young woman. Do you need any help?"She looked up, noticing a well dressed and short young man standing about fifteen feet away from her. She glowered at him and slowly stood up, her hand clenched in a fist.
Sakura was searching a patch of hedges when she heard a man speak.
She looked up, noticing a well dressed and short young man standing about fifteen feet away from her. She glowered at him and slowly stood up, her hand clenched in a fist.
She responded in a guarded, deadpan tone. "No, I don't. Do I happen to know you, by any chance?"
Rattus noticed the hostility of the girl in her manner, tone and words. It seemed as if she was wanting to be left alone. And so, he answered, in the same droning, pedantic and monotonic tone he always had used whatever the situation might be, which was thought to be soulless-sounding even by Yukina and Neo.Sakura continued to glower at the man, and opened her mouth to speak, when she heard:
This, compounded with his strong Teutonic accent, tended to make him noticeable whenever he spoke. "If I knew you by any chance, I would have instead called your name and greeted you like an acquaintance. But you I could see that you are hostile to anyone, as observed by your reactions to strangers wanting to lend you a hand."
Neo, seeing that the girl was hostile, then expressed his opinion. "Ratt, that bitch is totally cray. Let's bug the fuck outta' here and leave 'er alone, she might bite yo' ass off, man. Just leave 'er alone."
Sakura continued to glower at the man, and opened her mouth to speak, when she heard:QuoteNeo, seeing that the girl was hostile, then expressed his opinion. "Ratt, that bitch is totally cray. Let's bug the fuck outta' here and leave 'er alone, she might bite yo' ass off, man. Just leave 'er alone."
He face cleared up completely, and then she assumed an ominous expression, with an evil looking smirk. Her hands clenched even more, and she emenated a dark, almost palpable aura.
"Excuse me, are you insinuating that I am not mentally sound? I really hope you aren't, because that would be quite unfortunate for you if you are."
As she spoke, if one where to look closely at her shadow, one would notice that it seemed to be writhing, subtlely growing and shrinking in size.
Sakura continued smirking, while chuckling to herself.
"Well, I see you've revealed your true colors, drawing your weapons upon an unarmed young girl like myself. How cruel! How villianous!"
Sakura sighed.
"Very well, what are your conditions?"
"Self-defense isn't villainy at all, young woman." Rattus sternly said. "We know that you are hiding something from us, and it is in the shadows. Mister Langraad here is a trained magus and an alchemist, so he knows that you aren't unarmed at all. And so, we draw weapons." He was referring to Neo as a trained magus.Sakura looked at the three carefully from head to toe. She stopped and stood still for a while, pondering her decision. Finally, she changed her posture, evidently having finished her deliberations.
He then pushed back his glasses by the bridge with his right hand, as he was holding his gun with his left. He then continued, "But you are right, we do have conditions for helping someone. To us, you are a client. We will help you, but for a price. But quite honestly, we don't know what price we give you yet. So consider this as a trade in which you get help from us, and you could worry about what you will pay for later. Is that a deal?"
Grenth – MinionsLawrence squirmed, batting the things away. The dead man wasn't what was scaring him, or the corpse things; what was really capturing his attention was the Shadow. To most eyes, it'd look just like a shadow.
Location: Near Lawrence
A nearby sewer lid started to jiggle, before being pushed away. Out from the hole climbed four small creatures, made of bone and flesh, they bodies almost like small children. They had sharp claws and their heads were skulls.
Following the four creatures, a living shadow floated out. It had six glowing eyes and no true form other than the mass of shadow that was apparent. It somehow gestured over to a box by the side of the road, a box riddled with shrapnel. Two of the beast moved over to it, cutting the box open with their claws before dragging out a body. A poor hobo caught by the shrapnel of the explosion.
The last two creatures followed the shadow as it moved towards Law, the creatures moving to him and pocking and prodding him with their razor sharp claws, making small puncture wounds equivalent to a needle. They made clicking noises as the shadow thumped.
And then they started to move back to the sewer hole, the other corpse having already been dropped down by the other two.
"...Butler. Your master calls you."
His burning eyes shone from his throne, as he focused upon his servant.
"There are intruders at our gates. I leave the situation to your discretion."
Reclining further, the lord contemplated for a moment before speaking again.
"...It is cold outside. I desire a spot of 'hot chocolate', as they call it," His voice was quiet, as befitting a nobleman of his stature - even though it was shown that his savage streak was stell resting within. "...The Parisian, I think, will do nicely."
"Listen buddy. You have no business being here, and I do not appreciate you talking over an officer like that, so I suggest you go spout your crap at someone who cares. Preferrably elsewhere." Henry said, bodily placing himself over the man's field of vision. The detective shot him an authoritary glare, which relented a second after into a gruff expression before he continued. "I don't look favorably on people who dispense careless vigilante justice, so by all hells, you better watch yourself."
"This is a police matter. I kindly ask you to step back," Saber said, her voice low but soft, "If you do not, we will drag you back, with force if necessary."
Sakura looked at the three carefully from head to toe. She stopped and stood still for a while, pondering her decision. Finally, she changed her posture, evidently having finished her deliberations.
"I'm sorry to say, but I don't think I am going to accept your offer. This is my personal search, and I don't appriciate you trying to but into my affairs. Now, are you going to allow me to continue on my way?"
Sakura responded, with just a hint of sarcasm.
As Forest was hauling ass to find out who had - or probably lacked- the stones to try to shoot her in the back, she just happened to look up. Something red was shooting her way, moving impossibly fast. So fast it was just a crimson blur rushing towards her. A dull roar filled her ears and she pivoted to the side to avoid its path but . . .
It followed.
She tried weaving back and forth, but it kept giving chase until her vision exploded into bright red.
Pain seemed to explode from her stomach, firing almost all of her nerves at once. Her vision blurred and her knees shook as she fought to stay upright. A trembling hand went to her stomach to be suddenly soaked in her cold blood. She looked down at the sword/arrow thing currently imbedded in her stomach and wrapped her hands around it.
The blades cut into her palms, drawing more blood, and a cry escaped her lips as she pulled the sword out. Supernovas of white light exploded behind her eyes as she stumbled forward, gasping needlessly in agony. The blade clattered to the ground and a hand went on the healing wound.
Red was filling her vision as she reached the skyscraper her sniper was on. She charged through the glass door feeling it shattering around her as she made it to the steps.
Neo sniggered once more and told Rattus, "Hey man, she said it already. She ain't needing any fuckin' help no more. Let's leave that cray bitch on her Dora the Explorer moment and get the fuck outta here."Sakura twitched ever soslightly as she heard this.
"I see." Rattus said. He then turned to the girl. "Indeed, it can't be helped at all. We cannot help those people who don't help themselves. That is their own decision, might it be that it is like digging their grave."
"However," the German continued as he finally kept his pistol back to his coat and pulled out a wallet instead. From it, he produced a business card, bearing only a phone number and nothing else. He then walked closer towards the girl and handed it to her before saying, "We are always looking for clientele. So, if by any chance you want our services, I strongly suggest that you call this telephone number right here. Bear in mind that I have lots of associates and resources on my disposal that can make your search easier and more efficient. And again, it's your own decision if you want to keep this calling card. But otherwise, I highly recommend taking this."
Sakura snatched the card from Rattus and shoved it in her pocket.
"Yes, yes, thank you so very much for your kind offer, I'll never forget it. Now, can you kindly get out of my way so I can continue on my way?"
Sakura responded, her voice laced with sarcasm and annoyance.
"Sure thing, bitch." Neo interjected. "You gotta be so nuts not to get help finding your shitty senpai or somethin', ya' kno'? I mean, what's with the pride, huh?" He then scoffed. "What's wrong, you fuckin' whore? Too stupid to find someone to fuck ya'?"Sakura turned to face Neo, quivering with rage.
"Neo, please." Rattus tried to interrupt him to no avail.
"I mean, look at this paranoid bitch, Ratt." The blonde pressed on, as if he was trying to greatly anger the girl. He then spoke in a mocking falsetto to imitate her voice. "'Oh senpai, please notice muh huge tits and ass! I'm pretty sure that senpai will only notice me because I think I'm the sexiest bitch in the world and nobody else!'"
"Neo-san, please stop." Yukina also tried saying.
"I nevah seen no bitch like this, man! Thinks she's the baddest and edgiest whore in the whole fuckin' universe since the Big Fuckin' Bang! Bitch, ah'm pretty sure you ain't even have the balls to kill somebody. I do and I've been doing that shit since I was 7 years old, so fuck your senpai and fuck you too!" He then began to walk away, saying "Let's get outta' here, boss. I'm pretty sure that stupid wannabe edgy bitch will just throw yo' fuckin' card away."
And as a result of his actions, Rattus and Yukina found themselves stumped by his vulgar display of his personality, creating another awkward silence as the blonde magus casually starts to walk away. Rattus then took out a hip flask from his coat and drank from it, as drinking was the only reaction he could muster during that time. Yukina just deflated herself and covered her mouth in horror and shame.
Sakura's body suddenly relaxed; her sholders sagged, she unclenced her fists, and her body stopped trembling. However, in her eyes, one could see nothing but rage.
Die
Suddenly, three large demonic dogs lanched themselves from her shadow, sailing towards the throats of the three.
The dogs all landed on the ground standing up, seemingly oblivious to the factthey had been shot. They growled and charged again, intent on the slaugter of their targets.
"Tsk." Fine, have some more!
She launched two more from her shadow, one at each of the two men.
Rattus saw that the girl produced more shadow hounds. By that time, he knew what he had to do. "Neo!" he yelled to the magus, before shooting a hound twice. "She's a minion producer! I need her to be suppressed!"Completely oblivious to being shot, the dog continued charging. It ran up to Rattus and clamped down on his leg.
"You got it, man!" Neo answered back as he shot the dog approaching at him. He then hastily produced a potion flask, and threw it at the ground near where the girl was standing, causing it to shatter. An air of vapor surrounded her when the flask broke.Four dogs surronded Neo, growling menacingly. They slowly converged on him, allowing no escape.
The flask Neo threw contained a vaporized form of diethyl ether which, when inhaled, can cause intoxication similar to that produced by excess alcohol consumption, but more potent.
Completely oblivious to being shot, the dog continued charging. It ran up to Rattus and clamped down on his leg.
Four dogs surronded Neo, growling menacingly. They slowly converged on him, allowing no escape.
Sakura however, immediately began feeling the effects of the poison. She began swaying heavily, and after a short time, passed out.
"Rattus-san!" Yukina called him loudly, seeing that his leg was being bitten by a shadow hound. Rattus, however, reacted by pulling out his combat knife and stabbing it at the neck.The dog squealed, and released its deathgrip on Rattus' leg. It fell over, dead. However, as soon as it hit the ground, it began rapidly expanding.
Neo, on the other hand, produced another flask and threw it at his feet. It was a smoke bomb, and he hoped that it would blind the dogs as he charges on one direction the dogs aren't occupying.The four hounds backed up, smelling the air confusedly. They began barking and howling, furious that they didn't know where their prey was.
The dog squealed, and released its deathgrip on Rattus' leg. It fell over, dead. However, as soon as it hit the ground, it began rapidly expanding.
The four hounds backed up, smelling the air confusedly. They began barking and howling, furious that they didn't know where their prey was.
Neo successfully escaped from his encirclement by the dogs as he walked out of the smoke. Rattus, still sitting on the floor, then yelled out to him, "Neo, firearms are ineffective. Use cold weapons!"As Rattus sat on the ground, the dog he had killed finally reached its apex, and exploded. His entire left side was shredded by black shrapnel.
"Goddamn it!" Neo replied. He then drew out his butterfly knife. From there, he began finding the dogs and stealthily stabbed them fatally, one by one.As the first dog was stabbed, it screamed out a shrill death cry, alerting the other three to danger. They quickly converged on the noise, and charged at Neo. They were oblivious to Yukina's warning, and simply were
As Rattus sat on the ground, the dog he had killed finally reached its apex, and exploded. His entire left side was shredded by black shrapnel.
As the first dog was stabbed, it screamed out a shrill death cry, alerting the other three to danger. They quickly converged on the noise, and charged at Neo. They were oblivious to Yukina's warning, and simply were
Attempting to complete the last order their master had issued.
Neo, on the other hand, saw that the dogs have been alerted by the sound of one of their pack being killed. As they all charged at him, Neo dodged it, since they were all charging at a single direction. Neo then saw an opening and stabbed one of them fatally.As Neo killed the second dog, the first on finished its expansion and exploded, sending black shadowy shrapnel hurtling towards his back.
As Neo killed the second dog, the first on finished its expansion and exploded, sending black shadowy shrapnel hurtling towards his back.
Neo felt the shrapnel go through his back as the first dog exploded. "Neo, the dogs explode after death!" Rattus yelled out. But he, being a veteran of the World Wars and Vietnam War, didn't mind the pain from the shrapnel.The dog Neo threw exploded in midair, sending its shrapnel flying towards both Neo and the two remaining dogs, which died instantly with pitiful yelps.
Instead, he came up with a plan. He then picked out the corpse of the second dog, which he had fatally stabbed, and threw it hard on the two other dogs, hoping to kill them with the blast.
The dog Neo threw exploded in midair, sending its shrapnel flying towards both Neo and the two remaining dogs, which died instantly with pitiful yelps.
"Exceptional, as always," Drăculea voiced his thoughts on the day a moment later. "I believe we shall try some recruitment, today. It was disgraceful to me that intruders could get within the castle to such an extent. The situation should, therefore, be resolved... shall we be off?"
Neo covered himself with his arms as the dog exploded and sent shrapnel towards him and the last two dogs. They were injured heavily, but it seems as if everything is now over.As they began walking away, they heard a deep voice call out to them. "Where do you think you're going, after doing such harm to my master?" Suddenly, a large wall of fire rose up, blocking their path.
Yukina then approached Rattus as he tried his best to stand up from the ground. She assisted him with this task, as it became difficult for him to do so after being incapacitated. Neo also tried helping Rattus up, even if he himself was injured from the explosions.
When Rattus got off from the ground and stood up, Yukina took his left hand and slung it over her shoulders. They were about to leave when Neo said "Wait a fuckin' second." He then approached Sakura's unconscious body and rifled through her pockets, trying to find the calling card Rattus gave her.
When Neo found it, he pocketed the card and went back to his comrades. Rattus asked him, "Why did you take the card off her?"
"Fucking bitch doesn't want help, so we take it back. 'Sides, she doesn't deserve it." Neo answered, seemingly frustrated at the girl. "Let's get the fuck outta here." As they were about to walk away, Neo interrupted "And oh, one more thing." He then walked back to her body and flipped it over, making her lie down in a prone position. He then went to a dumpster near them, just beside the girl's body and tried to search something from it. He found himself a few yards of rope, which he then used to tightly tie up her arms and legs, effectively immobilizing her even after she wakes up.
After that, Neo walked back to Rattus and Yukina and finally began walking away from her. If was obvious from the gait of the two men that they were heavily injured, but they somehow managed to begin walking away.
As they began walking away, they heard a deep voice call out to them. "Where do you think you're going, after doing such harm to my master?" Suddenly, a large wall of fire rose up, blocking their path.
"I don't understand the question." He answered with a slightly askew eyebow, simply, with less emotion that he realized he should have put into it. But nonetheless, as far as Henry Barthow showed, those were his genuine thoughts. "Now quit insulting my partner, and get out."
"From my observations I detect that you are a blighted wanker," she said, her voice raising about conversational level to get the attention of others here. She noticed some of the uniformed officers standing meekly and staring at the pale man as if they were spellbound by him.
She folded her arms across her chest and her voice rang out, as clear as a bell, "You are the police of Nexus City. It is your duty to protect the innocent. He is hindering you from your task. Are you going to let that stand?"
As they saw a wall of fire conjure in front of them, Neo got frustrated and began to complain to the voice, "Okay. Show yo' fucking self, take a look at our asses and see who's actually the one got owned bad by yo' fuckin' master."
"Neo, please. This is the reason why we got into this situation. Just let us take care of it." Rattus told him off, making the blonde magus shut up.
"Um...Please do not harm us, stranger. Neo-san and Rattus-san are heavily injured, we were just defending ourselves." Yukina pleaded.
"Yeah, that's right. We're just trying to help her, and she gave us this nasty-ass attitude instead!" Neo explained, still frustrated.
"And before that, she even threatened us with the use of force, while still trying to give aid." Rattus added.
"So yeah, she attacked first and sent out her dawgs, man." Neo continued. "It's all self-defense, damn it!"
Faust let loose a hearty laugh.
"I find it quite amusing that you think I care what your 'reasons' were for fighting my master. The only thing I care about is what I see. And what I see is my master passed out, tied up on the concrete, while you three jokesters are scampering away. Now, I'll ask you. why should I treat you with mercy?"
Faust tapped his foot, waiting for their answer.
"Because we tried to help her." Rattus said. "But she gave us sardony."Faust clicked his tongue.
"Yeah, and if you don't care about that reason, you will be an asshole." Neo added. "I mean, really, if you don't fuckin' care about our 'reasons', you might as well as ice e'erybody in this fuckin' city!" He spitted out his saliva aside in disgust. "We're here, badly fucked up and bleeding like a bunch of bitches and yo' complaining about yo' master being tied up and passed out? She isn't even wounded! Give me a fuckin' break, dipshit! You might as well as attack for no reason at all!""Well, people tend to fail time and time again."
As Hamara left the room he noticed odd warmth in the air, warmth that was not present when he arrived.
However he paid it no mind, instead his attention was brought to a group of his siblings. However there was one thing out.
Among them was an abomination. Her appearance was unimportant, her weapons were unimportant, and her location was unimportant.
She has fallen too far to be an acceptable existence to overlook, like that woman inside was. This one was no longer something that can be considered human, even calling her one of his sisters would be more than any insult.
“My brothers, step away from that one.” He instructed, making the policemen look at him. And with that the police officers moved away from her without questioning him in the slightest.
And then he addressed her, “Thou are fallen, no longer human thou remain in the world. Such a thing is a crime in of itself. However, in memory of what thou once were I shall hear thine final words and commit them to memory.”
The light around him flicked, motes of pure white light hovered all around him. White light, as if they were stars that have descended to the earth itself, its beauty enraptured all the men that saw it.
Unmatchable, unparalleled, it was the light of creation itself.
“Speak, for even if thou do not thy will feel the might of creation.”
The smoke from the explosion was only just clearing as his hand punctured a book, cracking its spine. In less then a second the book was drawn back and thrown at Caedia with enough force to embed itself in the stone wall.
"This is how humans eat food. Do you want to try some?"
Forest cried out the moment her leg was nearly sheared off at the kneecap. Cold blood ran down her leg and onto the roof top as her vision blurred. Numbness and ice was starting to fill her veins and her limbs were starting to feel as if they were made of lead.
She had taken too much damage too fast and was too low on blood.
Red was clouding her vision as her fangs lengthened, throbbing as they sharpened to fine points. Her attacker, between her hit to his jewels and the sword he got hit with in the shoulder, fell flat on the roof. Grimacing, she pressed her hand against her leg, holding it together and hobbled towards the fallen calico man.
Still holding her leg with her left hand, she frowned as she realized that pulling him to his feet to feed wasn't going to be an option. She needed to get through to him; she couldn't explain it, but she had to know why he was so persistent in killing her. Plus he pissed her off and injured her rather badly. It wasn't an insult she was going to take, and if she had to badger him over the head that she wasn't some evil monster until he realized it then she was going to do that.
So, the best thing she could do, and keep pressure on her bad leg, was straddle him. Taking her free hand, she gently turned his head so the pulse of the artery in his throat was visible before bowing her head. His scent, like steel and forge smoke, filled her nostrils and almost made her dizzy as she lightly flicked her tongue over the thundering pulse. He tasted metallic. Exotic almost, and before she realized it she gently sank her fangs into this throat.
Faust clicked his tongue.
"Well, people tend to fail time and time again."
Faust muttered a word in a strange language with a quick movement of his hand. As he completed his incantation, a large magical sphere instantly formed with the three at the epicenter; heavily increasing the gravity, forcing them to their knees.
"However, in my experience, people will often make the correct choice after thinking their actions over. So I will ask a second time, why should I give you mercy?" Faust asked, his brow furrowing.
She was plainly confused right now. This girl that looked like her shot out from the building, holding something invisible in her hand. But before she realized that she made some gross miscalculation to assume that person was someone mundane, she got... snatched by some old man. If that trick he pulled off was not a mere coincidence, she faced probably even better driver than her. Than the man asked her a weird question.
"Gnomes? What do you mean by gnomes?" That was the only response she blurted out in whole confusion. She was probably more in the position to ask questions here.
Henderson, still busy with driving, turns to Mordred, "My Lawn Gnomes. They were very precious to me. They were stolen from me, and I've been looking for them ever since," Henderson takes one last puff of the blunt before opening a window and spitting the ashy stub out. Closing it, Henderson turns back to the young girl in the passenger seat.
"I had 40 thousand dollars of Lawn Gnomes stolen from me. I'm not saying cultists, but I'm pretty sure it was cultists, as there don't seem to be aliens 'round here. If you want, I can handle the problem of the gnomes. All I really want to make sure of is that you don't have any great love for religious loonies, and you don't mind shooting an ugly ass poodle or two. If you're good at finding things, that's a bonus."
This man felt off-kilter even compared to some Changelings Mordred knew, but she got to admire his righteous spirit. If those lawn gnomes were so precious to him, no wonder he was bent on reclaiming them. "Cultists you say? I'm not unfamiliar with them, my previous... hood had to bolt stuff down when some blokes from Greece spouted some bullshit about 'reclaiming relics'. Seemed a cult to me. And about aliens..." Mordred felt like feeding him certain information because she was just curious about like he would react to that "I'm an alien abductee, and I have a hell of a grudge. If I can stab some cunt like that, sure, I will help you out. Just let me loot their lairs, gotta save for a sports car"
Henderson takes this in, rounding a turn with an ungodly screech of tires against asphalt as he follows directions so helpfully offered by Rupert.
"See, you've know how these namblies are! They're not going to stop trying to steal things from us, so we've got to show them they can't just do shit like this. As for the aliens, we migh' not see any, but tell you what; If we can find any and manage to catch them, I'll hold 'em down while you kill the bastards. Do what you want with their shit, just make sure to burn the place down afterwards. Ya got t' send a message to these namblies, and talk won't cut it."
In his wallet, the innocuous page continues repairing itself as it speaks directly to Henderson through the parrot on his shoulder.
Meanwhile, Henderson becomes aware of some more pulsing light light coming from another alleyway. Intrigued, he executes yet another perfect handbrake turn, to find...some strange cultist lookin' nambly in robes floating above the air with three kids kneeling before him. Making the decision even before he's pulled to a stop, Henderson gets out of the car, Betty in hand as he unloads Betty and reloads her with a slugs before marching in to find one of the kids trying to drag over a tied-up girl. Firing a warning shot into the air, Henderson levels the shotgun at the kid.
"Shit like this is why we just can't let these namblies do what they want," Henderson calls to the girl before turning to the kid, shotgun still leveled, "Son, cultist or not, that is no way to treat a lady."
The three were soon struggling to even stand up. Rattus then muttered to his companions, "He's trying to press us down with gravitational force. Don't try to go against it." Upon that, they all lied down on the ground supine.Faust clicked his tongue, shaking his head.
The man in glasses then insisted his point to the voice, "I am telling you right now. That's because we tried to help her and she gave us sardony and threats of harm instead. We just defended ourselves. That's the truth and nothing but the whole truth. And we would not tell you anything else because our lives are in the line here, as we are too injured to fight you right now."
"Neo," Rattus said to him. "Try to crawl towards the girl and bring her near us."
"Yeah." Neo replied. He then began to crawl towards the girl he tied up and dragged her near the three.
Henderson takes this in, rounding a turn with an ungodly screech of tires against asphalt as he follows directions so helpfully offered by Rupert.Faust turned quickly, and saw a crazy old man with a shotgun walking towards Neo.
"See, you've know how these namblies are! They're not going to stop trying to steal things from us, so we've got to show them they can't just do shit like this. As for the aliens, we migh' not see any, but tell you what; If we can find any and manage to catch them, I'll hold 'em down while you kill the bastards. Do what you want with their shit, just make sure to burn the place down afterwards. Ya got t' send a message to these namblies, and talk won't cut it."
In his wallet, the innocuous page continues repairing itself as it speaks directly to Henderson through the parrot on his shoulder.
Meanwhile, Henderson becomes aware of some more pulsing light light coming from another alleyway. Intrigued, he executes yet another perfect handbrake turn, to find...some strange cultist lookin' nambly in robes floating above the air with three kids kneeling before him. Making the decision even before he's pulled to a stop, Henderson gets out of the car, Betty in hand as he unloads Betty and reloads her with a slugs before marching in to find one of the kids trying to drag over a tied-up girl. Firing a warning shot into the air, Henderson levels the shotgun at the kid.
"Shit like this is why we just can't let these namblies do what they want," Henderson calls to the girl before turning to the kid, shotgun still leveled, "Son, cultist or not, that is no way to treat a lady."
Faust clicked his tongue, shaking his head.
"Again, wrong decision."
Ice suddenly formed on Neo's wrists and legs, imprisoning him. Faust lowered himself to the ground, and slung Sakura over his sholder.
Faust turned quickly, and saw a crazy old man with a shotgun walking towards him.
"Think carefully what you do, old man. It would be better for you not to get involved."
Mordred did not like what she saw. The cultist to her eyes obviously was about to kidnap someone. And abducting people for a Changeling like her was one of worst sins imaginable.
"Enough, sorceror. Leave this person be, or I will skewer your" she glared at the cultist, her spear readied for combat. She seemed to be pretty serious about her threat.
Mordred did not like what she saw. The cultist to her eyes obviously was about to kidnap someone. And abducting people for a Changeling like her was one of worst sins imaginable.Faust looked over at the short blond woman, in slight surprise.
"Enough, sorceror. Leave this person be, or I will skewer your" she glared at the cultist, her spear readied for combat. She seemed to be pretty serious about her threat.
QuoteMordred did not like what she saw. The cultist to her eyes obviously was about to kidnap someone. And abducting people for a Changeling like her was one of worst sins imaginable.Faust looked over at the short blond woman, in slight surprise.
"Enough, sorceror. Leave this person be, or I will skewer your" she glared at the cultist, her spear readied for combat. She seemed to be pretty serious about her threat.
"Abduction? No, you seem to have misunderstood greatly. This woman is my master, and I have come to rescue her."
"She fucked us up!" Neo said. "It's all self-defense on our part, girl! Get him!"Faust looked down at Neo.
Quote"She fucked us up!" Neo said. "It's all self-defense on our part, girl! Get him!"Faust looked down at Neo.
"And I don't think she would have attacked you without ample provocation, so your arguement of 'self defence' holds very little meaning to me."
"I have no proof that you are telling the truth. Put her on the ground or fight, sorceror. Choose wisely" Mordred continued threathening the cultist. He would have to give her good reason to convince her that he is not trying to deceive her.
"I have no proof that you are telling the truth. Put her on the ground or fight, sorceror. Choose wisely" Mordred continued threathening the cultist. He would have to give her good reason to convince her that he is not trying to deceive her."I would not like to make an enemy out of you over a petty misunderstanding. Would you be willing to wait until after she wakes up to start a fight, madam?"
"I would not like to make an enemy out of you over a petty misunderstanding. Would you be willing to wait until after she wakes up to start a fight, madam?"
"Only if you pledge not to leave this place until that girl wakes up. If you break it, I swear I will not hold back against an oathbreaker. And if I break it, my honor as a knight of the Summer will be stained and nobody will trust my word. If the girl proves she is not a victim, only then you may convince me" Since her enemy insisted he does not want to fight right now, Mordred reluctantly agreed to his proposition, provided the sorceror would keep to her condition. But that would be an oath between them two only.
"Only if you pledge not to leave this place until that girl wakes up. If you break it, I swear I will not hold back against an oathbreaker. And if I break it, my honor as a knight of the Summer will be stained and nobody will trust my word. If the girl proves she is not a victim, only then you may convince me" Since her enemy insisted he does not want to fight right now, Mordred reluctantly agreed to his proposition, provided the sorceror would keep to her condition. But that would be an oath between them two only."That's fine with me, fair maiden. As soon as she wakes up, she will prove my innocence."
"Only if you pledge not to leave this place until that girl wakes up. If you break it, I swear I will not hold back against an oathbreaker. And if I break it, my honor as a knight of the Summer will be stained and nobody will trust my word. If the girl proves she is not a victim, only then you may convince me" Since her enemy insisted he does not want to fight right now, Mordred reluctantly agreed to his proposition, provided the sorceror would keep to her condition. But that would be an oath between them two only.Quote"I have no proof that you are telling the truth. Put her on the ground or fight, sorceror. Choose wisely" Mordred continued threathening the cultist. He would have to give her good reason to convince her that he is not trying to deceive her."I would not like to make an enemy out of you over a petty misunderstanding. Would you be willing to wait until after she wakes up to start a fight, madam?"
Quote"She fucked us up!" Neo said. "It's all self-defense on our part, girl! Get him!"Faust looked down at Neo.
"And I don't think she would have attacked you without ample provocation, so your argument of 'self defence' holds very little meaning to me."
"Well, she was trying hard to be fuckin' edgy and I called her out of it, dipshit! And the two asshats with me just tried to stop me from shit-talking to her! They didn't do nothin', asshole!" Neo retorted. "We were about to leave, then she suddenly went apeshit on us and called out her shadow doggies to maul our asses! I just called her out of her bullshit attitude, and she attacked us for it!"
"Do as you like. There is nothing in the oath whether you wake up her on yourself or not" Mordred answered. Certainly, she did not fancy waiting for the girl to wake up on her own."Thank you. I shall do so at once." He glared at Neo. "I will be interested to hear her side of the story, as well."
Quote"Do as you like. There is nothing in the oath whether you wake up her on yourself or not" Mordred answered. Certainly, she did not fancy waiting for the girl to wake up on her own."Thank you. I shall do so at once." He glared at Neo. "I will be interested to hear her side of the story, as well."
Faust removed a small vial from his coat, and poured its contents into Sakura's mouth. After a few minutes, she woke up with a gasp.
------------------------------
"What in the world!" Sakura gasped out. "Faust, when did you get here? Where are those three!" She asked, confusedly.
------------------------------
"I arrived shortly after you passed out, and I have immobilized the three I assume you are talking about. However, before that this young lady believes I was attempting to kidnap you, and requires proof I am indeed meerly a loyal servant who was simply trying to protect his master."
------------------------------
Sakura stared confusedly at Faust for a second as she took in the information. She looked over at Neo, Rattus, and Yukina, then at Henderson, and finally rested her gaze on Mordred. She blinked once, and said "I am the master of Faust, what proof do you need?"
Henderson, in the meanwhile, has rolled a small blunt, lit up, and smoked it, time slowing down to that warm-honey pace common to all decent weed as the voices whirl around him like a maelstrom of noise. In a moment of clarity, Henderson raises Betty straight up, moving slowly as to clearly signal his non-hostile intent, and fires off a shot into the air to give himself room to speak.
Thinking with a clarity that would be impossible without the weed, Henderson, evaluates the situation before making a very important observation.
Nobody was wearing yellow. These weren't the cultists he was looking for.
"..." At this point, Henderson realizes that he still doesn't know the girl's name, "He's not a cultist," he states simply, "No yellow. Can you kids wait for a bit? Or should I get you to a hospital now?"
At this point, Henderson notes a certain tightness in his pants, reaches back, and pulls out his wallet, only for the page of the Necronomicon to fall out, pulsing with an eldritch glow as it continues to regenerate, with another page growing out of it as the magical circle and the ice both disappear without a trace as they are consumed by the pages. The pulsing increases in frequency, then hold steady as it exerts an invisible pressure, preventing any further magecraft from being cast. Ignoring it, Henderson makes his way over to the kids and crouches down, waiting for them to sit up so they're level with him before speaking to Neo.
"Son, according to what I've heard, you took it upon yourself to get someone worked up because you didn't like how they acted. I'll admit, they're still at fault for attacking you in the first place, but you're hardly blameless yourself."
Taking another hit of the blunt, he stands up and turns to Faust, "However, as nobody has been killed as a result of this mess, the proper course of action would be to discipline these kids."
Henderson takes another puff before breaking out into a full-on Old Man rant, "Back in my day, discipline didn't mean watching a young 'un bleeding out! Discipline was a belt! And it was effective! You belt the unruly brat who gets himself beat up because he runs his mouth, and he knows not to do it again! You belt the person who beat up the unruly kid because they couldn't contain themselves, they know not to do it again! The belt was all that was great and good when it came to setting a kid straight!"
Finally, he takes another deep puff before releasing it long and slow, the delicious weed smoke billowing around him, "If you are in fact this girl's keeper, I will leave showing her the way to simply walk away from situations like these to you, however you do it. I'm getting these kids to a hospital before they bleed out. Discipline will have to wait until they've been patched up."
He then turns to the three, "None of you are old enough to be sitting in the passenger seat, I'm not fooling with any o' them fancy celery phones, and I've only got two seatbelts in the back. So you," he points at Neo, "Are going to be sitting on his lap," he points at Rattus.
With that, Henderson walks back to the pages of the Necronomicon, snatches them out of the air, and stuffs them back in his pocket, snuffing the eldritch glow.
"She attacked us, old man!" Neo complained some more. His voice was now getting hoarse from the constant yelling. "She was being a wannabe edgy and cray bitch, I called her out of it and she got so mad that she sent out her dogs!"Faust stood up, and addressed the two, annoyance in his tone.
"Neo-san is telling the truth, oji-san!" Yukina addressed the old man. "We tried to stop Neo from insulting her, but she got angry!"
Faust stood up, and addressed the two, annoyance in his tone.
"I have heard you the last hundred times you said it. And I believe I told you I don't care. I'm going to sort out things with the young lady over there, and then ask my master what happened. So will you please stop telling me that you're innocent?"
"You don't seem to lie, but to be honest, I cannot determine if you are under some spell of his or not. But I have no proof you are under his thrall either." said Mordred "So I have no other choice but to give you a benefit of doubt. But, if you are his master, then you are a Mage too? I hardly can imagine a sorceror following someone who is a mortal."
Also, Mordred felt a bit embarrassed about that acquittance of hers giving such a speech, but there was nothing she could do about that. "Old man, if they need a help from a doctor, I know vaguely where the nearest hospital is. Let me drive if you are not familiar with the city"."I will need to insist on us coming along, I have some questions that need answering."
"I don't what kind of tattoo it is, but I guess I have to believe you" Command Spells were something that did not exist in Mordred's world and she did not have broad knowledge about the occult anyway. "What kind of questions? If it is about about your kind here, don't ask me, I'm not a magician. Nor I know any Mage here."
"I don't what kind of tattoo it is, but I guess I have to believe you" Command Spells were something that did not exist in Mordred's world and she did not have broad knowledge about the occult anyway. "What kind of questions? If it is about about your kind here, don't ask me, I'm not a magician. Nor I know any Mage here.""I'm sorry my dear lady, there seems to be a misunderstanding. I have questions for the two men here, and if you take them to a hospital I need to come along."
"I'm sorry my dear lady, there seems to be a misunderstanding. I have questions for the two men here, and if you take them to a hospital I need to come along."
"I'm a magi. I could answer your fuckin' questions, girl." Neo boasted to himself, still injured.
"Aw goddamn it, why do I have to be fuckin' lectured by someone practically fucking younger than me?!" Neo said has he stood from the ground, now that the spells are gone. He did stand up, but his gait is still affected by the injures. "Dude, I served at 'Nam from '62 to '66!"
Yukina also stood up, but quickly came to aid Rattus, who is still lying supine in the ground. However, he began to speak, back to his monotonic accented voice. "That's irrelevant now at this point, Neo. I'm very glad we will now be heard, from our side of the story." With Yukina's assist, Rattus tried to stand up, but his right arm is slung over her shoulders. "And we don't have to ride your car, thank you. I have a personal vehicle, Yukina can drive."
"I'm sorry my dear lady, there seems to be a misunderstanding. I have questions for the two men here, and if you take them to a hospital I need to come along."
"You see, but there is a problem. I don't know the full picture about what happened, but I have this feeling that this bloke heated up the argument between you. If he starts aggro again, I'll do something about that myself"
"In that case," Henderson says, "Yukina, drive these two to a hospital. I'll follow with,""Very well, this is agreeable with me."
"In that case, you can ride with me and my friend" Henderson says.
"You see, but there is a problem. I don't know the full picture about what happened, but I have this feeling that this bloke heated up the argument between you. If he starts aggro again, I'll do something about that myself"
"Yer also bleedin' out," Henderson points out.
"In that case," Henderson says, "Yukina, drive these two to a hospital. I'll follow with," he pauses...
"I could confirm that." Rattus said. "Neo did insult the girl."
"Y-yes." Yukina agreed, nodding. "He disrespected her and her senpai, because she refused help."
"Yeah, I fuckin' did." Neo confessed. "She was acting cray and like an edgy bitch, so I just said what I thought of her bullshit."
"Aren't you acting 'cray' yourself? You got beaten up by them, yet your attitude does not change"
Then, Mordred realized one thing, that she did not introduce herself to any of people there:
"My name might be odd, but call me Mordred. It's not my birth name, but I don't remember it" Mordred said it with a tint of regret at knowing much about her life prior to being abducted by her Keeper "Where I came from I went under many other identities, but in Nexus I don't have to hide that."
"Yes!" Yukina earnestly answered. She then began to assist Rattus out of the alleyway and onto the nearest parking lot, where Rattus' Kubelwagen can be found. Neo followed suit.
As soon as they got there, Yukina laid down Rattus to the backseat, while Neo took the passenger seat in the front. When she finally got to sit on the driver's place, Rattus took the keys of the car from his bloodied coat and gave it to her, which she then used to start the car.
She then drove it to where they last were, in front of the alleyway. Neo, on the other hand, took out his last glass flask, which had a green-colored liquid and drank half of the contents. He gave the rest away to Rattus, in which he drank the rest of it.
"Aren'tt you acting 'cray' yourself? You got beaten up by them, yet your attitude does not change""It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, miss Mordred. My name is Faust."
Then, Mordred realized one thing, that she did not introduce herself to any of them:
"My name might be odd, but call me Mordred. It's not my birth name, but I don't remember it" Mordred said it with a tint of regret at knowing much about her life prior to being abducted by her Keeper "Where I came from I went under many other identities, but in Nexus I don't have to hide that."
Too friendly. Too friendly for somebody whom a while ago she threathened to skewer with her spear. She reluctantly greeted him though, even if his attitude bothered her in different way than Neo's: "Uhh, don't call me 'miss', Mordred just will do" Also, she was not used to being called in such way as the Mage did call her. It was tad too polite for her."I apologize, shall I just call you Mordred, in that case?"
As Sakura got in the car, she wrinkled her nose.
What is that smell!
She coughed, but didn't say anything about it.
Yukina, intending to be lead to the hospital, then stepped out of the car for a while and bowed down respectfully towards the old man's car, saying "Oji-san, please lead me be." She then went back in the car, waiting for his lead.
Henderson shrugs, then turns to Mordred, "Can you tell me where to go?"
QuoteHenderson shrugs, then turns to Mordred, "Can you tell me where to go?"
"Alright, I will be your co-pilot. Just heed my instructions" Applying her knowledge of the layout of the city, she gave the old man tips how to reach the hospital
Henderson peels out with the usual disregard for traffic laws as he follows Mordred's directions, speeding through the city as he makes his way to the hospital. Before long, Henderson drifts to a stop in at the ER entrance, just barely avoiding crashing through the doors as he screeches to a stop.
"Name's Henderson, by the way," Henderson says, having just now realized that he never introduced himself.
Sakura sat trembling, clutching her seatbelt tightly.
"Oh, we've arrived. Your driving is extremely... Interesting, Mr. Henderson."
With that, Sakura jumped out of the car, faust following close behind.
"Uh, Henderson, while your driving skills are awesome, I'm worried we will catch attention of those cops whom that crazy holier-than-thou monster brainwashed." Certainly, she was amazed by his skill as a stunt driver, but that being bothered her mind. She recognized disposing off Hamara, with whatever means possible as the thing that should be done for the good of the city but knew the way she was she had low chances of taking him down.
Henderson considers this for a moment, then shrugs as he opens the door. "If they come looking for me, it certainly makes asking them about any leads they may have on my Lawn Gnomes easier," he says, as if this sort of thing happens to him all the time.
ForestLawrence didn't put away the .45, instead gesturing with his head at the Asian man holding a pair of swords. Really, he had half a mind (and half his soul) telling him to snap a shot off in his leg, or chest. The man was hurt but he'd likely been the cause of the explosion. He seemed to also be able to call the blades out of thin air. Magic maybe?
Instead of getting an actual response, Forest got a whole lot of blushing from her would be killer and him averting his eyes. That made her tilt her head as she studied him. Part of her wanted to look into his mind. Find out his motives that way, and find out who he was.
Maybe even get a name, she thought before brushing it off. She didn't want to go poking into his mind. Well, she did but she was more concerned with getting him to not think she was some horrible monster who had to die and maybe even trust her.
Still, the blushing and the lack of eye contact made her feel slightly guilty when she remembered that most Asians were almost as repressed as she was. I'd probably avoid making eye contact if someone punched me in the tits and forced me to orgasm before asking me why I tried to kill them, she thought.
Borrowed blood painted her cheeks a faint pink as she was about to try to do something else to get him to just answer her bloody question when the roof door opened. Standing there was an injured man covered in blood, holding a gun. Frowning, she managed to stand, her injured leg not completely healed yet.
Her Calico on the other hand unsteadily got on his feet and looked like he was about to rabbit. Sighing, she reached out and grabbed his arm. "No, you're not going anywhere," she told him in first English, then repeated herself in Japanese, Koren, Cantonese and Mandarin. "I just want to talk."
Then to the new comer she shouted, "You should really sit down. I'll come over and tend to your wounds as best as I can, but running about isn't going to help that hole in your gut."
"Too slow."
The Japanese woman in yukata was still trembling when they arrived at the hospital. She was scared and she showed it. But nevertheless, she still assisted Rattus out of the car, while Neo stood up like nothing happened, as his posture finally improved. Still, they have injuries that are in need of medical attention.
"Onii-chan, are you alright?" Yukina asked her German employer.
"Yes, I just need minimal assistance, thank you." He answered, as Yukina helped him step out of the car towards the emergency room.
"Alright, motha'fuckers!" Neo yelled to the emergency staff. "This ain't serious, it be over in a damn flash, assholes!"
The three of them then went on and entered the emergency room, in order to get medical attention. At this point, Neo and Rattus' conditions have significantly improved because of the potion.
They come in to find Henderson leaning back in a chair, taking a quick swallow from a small hip flask, "Took ya long enough," he says, "I'd think you'd be hurrying a bit more, what with how badly you were torn up."
"Don't worry about us." Rattus assured. "This is something we are already used to, being a common occurrence in our missions, sometimes a necessity." He then tried to pull out his hip flask from his coat, until he realized he left in in the alleyway. "Ah, I dropped it." Yukina then pulled out from her sleeve the after mentioned flask and gave it to him. "Thank you," he said to her as he takes it and drinks from it.
"Thank you for saving them, oji-san." Yukina said to the old man. "They would not have made it without you."
A look of horror crossed Sakura's face.The Japanese woman in yukata was still trembling when they arrived at the hospital. She was scared and she showed it. But nevertheless, she still assisted Rattus out of the car, while Neo stood up like nothing happened, as his posture finally improved. Still, they have injuries that are in need of medical attention.
"Onii-chan, are you alright?" Yukina asked her German employer.
"Yes, I just need minimal assistance, thank you." He answered, as Yukina helped him step out of the car towards the emergency room.
"Alright, motha'fuckers!" Neo yelled to the emergency staff. "This ain't serious, it be over in a damn flash, assholes!"
The three of them then went on and entered the emergency room, in order to get medical attention. At this point, Neo and Rattus' conditions have significantly improved because of the potion.
They come in to find Henderson leaning back in a chair, taking a quick swallow from a small hip flask, "Took ya long enough," he says, "I'd think you'd be hurrying a bit more, what with how badly you were torn up."
With that, he turns to Faust and Sakura, "If you need a ride home, I suppose I can help you out there."
Henderson simply shrugs, "I'm just looking for my lawn gnomes."
With that, he gets up with a nod to Sakura and Faust and heads back to his car, still parked just inches from the doors, sliding in the door and shutting it as he considers where to go next.
"So, Mordred," he says, noting that it's getting rather late at this point, "Do you have anywhere to stay?"
"I have something here I can call home, but I don't know, maybe I'm better off camping elsewhere so that asshole doesn't visit my hood if he tracks me down. I shouldn't involve innocents in that mess. Especially as I have witnessed what effect he has on mundane people..."
"I have something here I can call home, but I don't know, maybe I'm better off camping elsewhere so that asshole doesn't visit my hood if he tracks me down. I shouldn't involve innocents in that mess. Especially as I have witnessed what effect he has on mundane people..."
Considering this problem, Henderson starts the car and pulls out of the Hospital, not moving quite so fast now that there aren't two formerly mortally wounded kids to worry about.
"D'ya have any particular place in mind?" Henderson asks as he rounds a curb, having something else in mind if she doesn't. It's getting a bit late to keep looking for Lawn Gnomes, and Henderson didn't quite have the stamina of his younger days anymore. At least, not normally.
"Onii-chan, we don't know their names." Yukina noted to Rattus, concerned that the people who helped them were not given any kind of thanks.
"Indeed, Yukina." Rattus affirmed, agreeing. He then told Neo, "Get their identification. These people will not be forgotten for the service they have done to the Order.
"A'righty, then." He then walked towards the blonde woman and the old man. "Hey, you two. Come ovah 'ere. My boss wants to tell ya' somethin'!"
"..." he considers this, foot still right above the accelerator, then turns to Mordred, "I suppose we can listen to the kid one more time before we head home."
With that, he turns the car off and follows Neo into the Hospital.
"What now this time?" Mordred was kinda cranky, as she did not took a liking to Neo. She walked to Neo, hoping it was not something bothersome.
"Wait, a moment" Mordred noticed something suspicious about the fact that Neo was already in better shape "Are you
a shifter? You recovered faster than a mortal would after such injury..."
"Mah boss wants to say something, so you dipshits listen, m'kay?" Neo reminded them, as if it was nothing of it.
Rattus then looked at Yukina, as if he was trying to say something. She nodded, then carefully let go of him. He then carefully walked towards the two, maintaining good posture despite his injuries. When he was near them, he offered a handshake to each of them and introduced himself.
"Please to meet you, I'm Rattus von Engels. I would like to thank you for saving us from the incident earlier, we are sorry it ended up taking some of your time." He then looked at Yukina.
She then knew what to do, as she introduced herself, bowing down in respect. "I am Yukina Aikawa. I am very honored to meet you for saving my two friends. Forgive us for causing you bother."
"Y'all. Neo here." He did not waste anytime after Yukina was done with her introduction. "You assholes bettah remember mah name, because I kick ass!" He boasted.
"I am sorry for Neo's behavior right now. Such is his default behavior, even to us." Rattus apologized. He finally succumbed to the pain he was feeling as he flinched down and held a spot under his left armpit. Yukina then walked quickly towards her to assist him again, and slung his entire left arm over her shoulder. "I'm sorry." he said to the two of them.
"Name's Henderson," he says after taking the handshake and listening as each of them introduces themselves.
"You should probably head in and have that checked out," Henderson says as Rattus shows signs of his injuries still effecting him. As bad of an influence as he was, damned if he didn't have the best intentions. Except in the matter of gnome-stealing bastards, but that's a tale for another time.
"And it wasn't any trouble," he says, "I'm just looking for that last yellow cultist who probably stole the one Lawn Gnome I got back. I was a little busy after they busted out that ugly ass poodle, and I only managed to tag him."
"You should put him on leash and muffle him" Mordred commented on Neo's behavior "More insults like that and I won't hold back myself against him..." Baiting her would not be the best idea on the part of Neo.
"I am sorry about your lawn ornaments, Mister Henderson." Rattus told him. "Don't worry, for what you did to us, I could provide such in massive amounts, created by the finest craftsmen of this city. You can also have them custom made too. Or animatronic." He then tightened his slightly bloodied tie. "But anyway, thank you again, Mister Henderson."
"No, no. Whatever insults he hurl at you right now, it is only a sign of familiarity and friendliness. You have saved his life too, so he considers you a friend, despite his vulgarity." Rattus looked back at him.
"G'yeah, girl. You da' fuckin' man, baby." Neo directed these words towards her, with an approving nod.
"But I didn't get your name, by the way." Rattus remarked. "Would you kindly tell me yours, then?"
"I appreciate the offer," Henderson says, "But it wouldn't be the same. Besides, someone has to teach those gnome-stealing bastards a lesson. And if there aren't enough left to learn the lesson when I find my gnomes...Then everyone else knows not to steal them anyway."
"Alright, I'll overlook his insults. For now." Mordred promised to keep her emotions in check for now. Now it was time to formally introduce herself "I'm Mordred, a knight of the Summer Court in service of the Legion of Iron Wall. Probably that doesn't sound familiar to you, but never mind."
"Ah, Sir Mordred." Rattus said her name, unaware of her gender.
"W-w-what?!" Neo commented. "That's a man? Damn, you da man all alone, dude!"
"To be honest, I have never heard of the Summer Court, neither of the Legion of Iron Wall. But, I guess you deserve this..." He then stood up again straight, took out his wallet and pulled out two black calling cards, with a phone number and a home address embossed into them in golden letters.
He then handed out a card each to Henderson and Mordred, saying "In those business cards are our telephone number and the location of our Manor. You can give us a call or visit us directly if you need any help. Take these tokens, as a sign of our undying respect and gratefulness. What you did to us should not go unrewarded."
"Rattus-san is an arms dealer and a businessman, and Neo and I are two of his employees!" Yukina said to them with a cheerful smile.
"Yes. We can provide you weapons, ammunition or equipment." Rattus added. "If you can't find a weapon to your liking, we can try to make one for you. Miss Yukina here is an engineer and a blacksmith. She can create custom weapons, from blades to small arms. She could even modify your weapons, as long as they are not enchanted by any magic."
"And I'm a damn alchemist." Neo boasted to them. "I can create potions or turn shitty metal into gold, if ya' like. That's mah fuckin' job and I do it damn well."
"So, I expect that you will come to us someday for help. If not, then give those cards to those who need it the most." Rattus reminded them.
"Our house is made from red brick and mortar, with a black clay-tiled roof." Yukina said. "It is surrounded by a fence of red brick and wrought iron."
"So yeah, come ovah sometime." Neo invited them. "Especially you, sir Knight. I want some fun wit' you, pretty boy!" He then winked at Mordred suggestively.
"Neo-san! Do not be like that to Mordred-san!" The Japanese lady coyly complained at the blonde man. "I am sure that he has a girl back home, does not he?"
"I dun care. He's a yummy boy." Neo's voice was suggestive, as he wiggled his eyebrows at Mordred.
"I'm a woman, you bloody bender." Neo's advances offended her, and if he continued that she would certainly snap, that annoying he was. Hopefully saying she was a girl would discourage that lecherous homo from doing something he would regret.
Mordred
Lovely. He swings BOTH ways. "I'll break it to you. I'm not interested in you, and never going to be. So stay away from me or you will regret it. Am I clear?"
Mordred
"I need a brain bleach, perhaps" Mordred quipped at Neo and walked away.
She was relieved that Neo was gone, as she preferably did not want to deal with him anymore.
"I am Butler, and I attend to this castle. As you have shown far more politeness than our previous guests in venturing here and none of their foolish inclinations, I would ask you what your business here is, sir...?"
"Alright, old man. This time I'm driving. First, I want to get there without attracting too much attention. Second, I want to see for myself what I can do with this baby. Seldom I get to drive American cars"
Henderson looks somewhat hesitant, but soon relents, "Fine," he says, "Just don't raise your left knee while you're driving. Don't want to activate the anti-hijacker system."
"Ohh, that's interesting stuff you installed it here" Mordred examined the car just in case. She had some knowledge of how cars worked, and even could repair them if there was such need "Flamethrowers, systems that can dump passengers..." The girl entered the car and sat behind the wheel "I think I got it more or less, don't worry old man. As for how far the garden is, it should be quite close".
Henderson considers the challenge, "That would actually compensate me handily for having to keep a low profile until he's gone, then. Do you have anyone particular in mind?"
"I don't have any particular details in mind, but we could stage a street race across the city. Not only driving skills will count, but how well one can navigate through it" she explained "If people with special talents participate, I won't consider using them a cheating. I won't hold back myself either."
“Do you not want me to play? Are you going to try and hurt me like that man did?"
“Rejection of Matter.”
"It is a pleasure to meet you in person, Lord Drăculea. I am Wiseman, Grand Sorcerer and Adviser to the city-state of Cujam. Considering the skill and experience of your butler I have no doubt that he has already informed you of my intentions here. In that case all that is left for the both of us is to know if you will accept me into your service."
Uh, is this some Star Trek nerd? Speaking Klingon Mordred was dumbfounded by the behavior of the man who just approached them. Of course she did not know Klingon, and her knowledge of 'nerd culture' was not deep enough to differentiate such gibberish from what a real Star Trek fan would say. Okay, I will be nice and just roll with it
"Prosper long and live!" she greeted him back, not only getting the phrase wrong but failing utterly at the salute. For Grendel probably it looked like some tribal greeting of local humans.
"My name is Inquisitor Castus Grendel. Where may I find the local Arbites station?"
Quote"My name is Inquisitor Castus Grendel. Where may I find the local Arbites station?"
The man continued speaking in a tongue incomprehensible for her, though she caught some words Grendel? If that's his name, I guess I should not be surprised at someone naming himself after a figure of legends. It would be like the pot calling the kettle black. And... Arbiter? Fuck if I know, he doesn't look like a lawyer Suspecting he introduced himself, she reciprocated. In slow manner:
"The name's Mordred"
"I have not seen what you could provide to warrant payment, magi. Prove to me that you are not wasting my time, and I will consider it."
“I-I’m fine Donnel.”
In the real world, away from the realm of thoughts, Rebeca Sylven opened her mouth.
And the scream she relased was the most terrifying thing any human there had ever heard.
Meanwhile, Henderson having taken learned some Latin on the side during that year of college spent in ship-building courses, has had slightly better luck with understanding Grendel, which is to say next to none, and has moved over to the driver seat.
"Come on," he says from the driver's seat waving this 'Grendel' person over, "I think we kin get you to some lawmen."
"That's stupid idea, old man. He is most likely lurking there along with his followers. I'm not taking chances" Mordred was pretty adamant about not going there where Hamara could be. "If you want to take him there, good luck. I'll reach my destination on my own"
She started to get annoyed by the fact another person could have followed her back to Hedge if she fucked up. She needed to find an excuse to leave badly. "You can drop him off tonight, I have something urgent to do alone. Good night" She started to walk away, intent on taking another path in order to mislead them if they wanted to shadow her.
"If the Fate makes us cross paths again, then maybe. I have my own personal matters to deal with" Mordred replied and left the old man to his own devices.
As Rider approached the building, she felt the presence of a nearby servant. Instinctively, she tensed up and looked in the direction of the potential threat.
Sakura? she thought as she saw a girl with familiar purple hair by the hospital door.
Rider was confused. Why was Sakura here? And where was Shirou? She had to make sure she was OK. Rider turned towards the hospital, walking somewhat faster than before, but not currently beyond normal human speed.
However, before she could get close, the girl who appeared to be her master talked to the servant she had detected, before turning and running back into the hospital.
What's going on? What's that servant doing with Sakura?
Rider broke into a run, although still just about within normal human speed. After all, Sakura would not appreciate it if she gave away the existence of magic to the mundane population of wherever-she-was. Indeed, doing so would likely result in Sakura being killed or, worse, tortured in the name of "magecraft" by Clock Tower researchers.
However, before she could even get a few metres, the servant started to act. Rider noticed a large, black, evil-looking magic circle appear on the ground.
What the hell is that idiot doing? she thought.
Her horror increased as the light grew brighter and brighter. He was clearly summoning something, and it did not look like it would be friendly.
Sakura might be in danger! she thought.
Quickly, Rider changed into her battle outfit, and charged in the direction of the hospital. As she approached closer, she sensed three new, powerful demonic creatures, seemingly some sort of weird cross between a dog and a pony.
Doesn't seem like they can fly, though...
As the dogs charged in Rider's direction, she brought her nail to her neck and sliced her own throat. As soon as she did so, there was a bright white flash, and a white winged horse appeared next to her. Rider jumped on the back of the horse just as the first dog approached. As she did so, one of the beams of light hit her. To her surprise, she felt pain from the impact. Not much, true, but for an instant attack like that to bypass her Magic Resistance, this servant had to be very powerful indeed.
I need to be careful here, he's a very powerful servant. I have to get Sakura out of here now. But, I can't alert him to my true goal until she is safe, otherwise he might attack her or use her as a hostage.
Rider took to the air just as one of the dogs leaped towards her back. She threw her nail towards it to fend it off and dodged in the opposite direction, before flying up and out of their reach.
He's obviously stronger than me, and if I attack him Sakura might get caught up in it, plus he'll probably have a counter to my attack. I need to get to Sakura as soon as possible, and get her away from this madman.
Once she had gained enough height to be safely out of range of the dogs and any other non-airbourne enemies, she used Bellerophon to order Pegasus to dive towards the front of the hospital, intending to smash through the doors and rescue her master.
As the beam of light approached the diving Pegasus, Rider pulled up on the reins, causing Pegasus to level off from the diving position, presenting its stomach to the incoming beam and, therefore, protecting its more-vulnerable master.Faust watched in shock as his beam slammed into the horse and dissipated with no effect. It can shrug off that level of damage!?How powerful is that thing? He watched in anger as the mangenta woman lept off the horse and phased through the building. He broke off into a sprint; a mad dash towards the hospital lobby.
Pegasus is pretty much immune to magic, it can take this hit, but I'm not sure that I can, she thought.
Realising that she couldn't risk letting any part of the beam hit her, Rider leapt off the horse in the direction of the hospital just as the beam approached. The beam smashed into the flying Pesasus to no effect as Rider headed for the side of the building. Its purpose served, Pegasus de-materialised, whilst Rider changed into spiritual form just before hitting the side of the building, intending to pass straight through the wall.
“Hey there, ojou-san. You don’t have to worry about the meanies, Forest has it taken care of.” Not that he actually trusted the vampire, but it seemed like the best thing to say to placate her. “Can you tell me your name? Do you know where your parents are?”
Rider rushed down into the lobby, placing herself close to the doorway, preventing him reaching her master without making it obvious who she was protecting.
I can't let him know that Sakura is my master, otherwise he might kill her after I'm defeated. Or worse....
"Run, everyone! There's a lunatic summoning demons outside!" she shouted, hoping Sakura would get the hint.
I'm sorry, Sakura, but it looks like I'm going to die here, she thought, sadly.
But, if she was going to die, she wasn't going down without a fight, and she certainly wasn't going to allow a Sakura to share that fate, even if it might not be her own Sakura.
Rider stood in between Sakura and the attacker, poised and ready to attack or throw her body in the way if he made any kind of offensive movement. Instead, though, he summoned up a shield spell.
Why is he not attacking? Does he know I can defeat him at this range?
"R-rider?" she heard Sakura's confused voice say behind her.
She desperately wanted to turn around and acknowledge the girl as her master, but to do so would put her in danger of attack, so she remained silent, although she couldn't help but smile slightly on hearing her master's voice.
"I won't let you harm these people!" she shouted at the assailant.
"Everyone else, RUN, this man s dangerous. I'll hold him off whilst you escape."
Once more, she desperately hoped Sakura would get the message.
Wandering around the city aimlessly, Henderson finds himself being drawn back to the Hospital, the Necronomicon once more detecting a large outpouring of prana and guiding Henderson towards it. Pulling up to the thing, Henderson quickly notices something out of place. Specifically that the entrance seemed to have been destroyed, the doors blown inwards as if struck by an explosive, and that not-quite-a-cultist guy standing just outside.
"And those brats are still in there..." Henderson mutters to himself, remembering the card and realizing that they could be a ready source of information about any new information about either his gnomes or that muckle-darmed cult.
Make a quick decision, Henderson pops open what used to be the sunglasses holder and pulls out a flare gun, already loaded, before driving to the back of the hospital and firing the flare up into the sky, hoping to catch their attention, before getting out of the Buick, opening the trunk, and opening up the floor panels, looking for something very specific.
Meanwhile, the pages of the Necronomicon have begun pulsing once more, drawing upon the prana in the air as it continues to regenerate itself, now freed from the confines of Henderson's wallet as he simply stuffed it in his pocket earlier.
"Neo, this wasn't the first time this has happened to us." Rattus scolded the alchemist, still resting on a bed in the emergency room on a nearby window. "If you want to show your vulgar personality like that, then at least do it in moderation."
"Fuck you, Ratt." Neo quipped as leaned beside his bed. "If she doesn't change that shit, I'm not the only one who she will piss off, man. I mean, think for one fuckin' second. There are other people in this backwater bullshit of a city that can kick her ass eighteen ways 'til Sunday next fucking week. I'm just doing her a fuckin' favor."
"And a disservice to us." Rattus interpolated. "Fortunately, you and I were the only ones injured by the encounter. If it so happens that Yukina was hurt too, I don't think we can make it to the hospital."
"We could, onii-chan." Yukina argued. "But...Neo-san will have to sit on your lap, then."
"Yeah, yeah." Neo just nodded. "But I dunno what's on that little bitch's mind. Refusing fucking help? I mean, c'mon, you have to be some kind of a fucking idiot to refu-"
And then, a loud crash interrupts them. Neo already felt a surge of prana from the hospital, but it didn't really matter to him until he heard the crash. "What the fuck was that?!"
Yukina looked outside the window and noticed two figures battling outside the emergency room. "Look, onii-chan!" she pointed out the Servant they met earlier, as well as this new Servant who was a female figure with a long lavender hair.
"Damn, she's hot." Neo commented to the female Servant, as if it was the only thing he could say right now. Soon enough, the entrance of the hospital was wrecked, but not enough for it to be unstable and cause collapse of the hospital.
Rattus, seeing this as an ill sign of things yet to come, decidedly said. "Alright, let's get out of here." He then stood up from the bed, his posture now infinitely better than when he was first brought to the hospital. "To the fire exit! Now!"
Aside from the three, other people hear them and quickly followed suit. Once they were out of the hospital, Neo noticed something in the air. "What the fuck...?"
It didn't take long before Rattus noticed it too and again decided, "I have a feeling about that flare. Yukina, go get the car and drive towards where the flare came from! We are leaving!"
"Yes!" she nodded, heading out to get the Kubelwagen. Rattus and Neo then started their walk towards
Soon enough, they reached where the flare came from. It was from Henderson. Yukina got there first since she went to drive the car. Upon arriving there, Yukina asked Henderson. "What do you want from us, oji-san?"
"Nothing yet," Henderson admits, closing the trunk and making his way back into his car, "But I was just wandering by and figured I should make sure you all got out okay."
Henderson takes another drag of the blunt, letting it go and allowing the weed smoke to drift about him as further sounds of conflict are heard.
"Do you have a place to go? I've got nothing better to do right now, so I might as well see that you get there in one piece."
Meanwhile, the Necronomicon continues pulsing, lapping up the prana in the air, regenerating page after page as it went.
"The only location we want to get to right now is the Manor." Rattus said, pondering. "So far, we have no planned engagements yet and my latest appointment will be next week, so our current course of action right now would be to just rest and recreate ourselves. Why did you ask, Mister Henderson?"
"Eh, I really want to buy the latest volume of that BL manga I am still following right now." Yukina coyly said. "Yukito-san is so cute!" She squealed out enthusiastically.
"I dunno, I think I need a fuckin' drink." Neo complained. "So much shit happenin' right now, but I'm being pissed off. I'ma get myself some pussy to fuck right now."
"So, I guess that settles it." Rattus decisively said. "We need head back to the Manor right now."
"Because you kids can't even go to a hospital without getting involved in some kind of trouble, if this is anything to go by," Henderson notes, "And I've nothing better to do right now."
Henderson shrugs, "Your choices, not mine."
"Again, I've got nothing better to do right now."
Rider stood in front of Sakura defensively, waiting for her to get the hint and start running.
Instead, though, she spoke up once more.
"Rider, what are you doing here? How are you in the Nexus? Where's... Where is Shirou?", she said.
Rider had intended to ignore her. It was important that her enemy not know of their connection. But, the final sentence, and the clear sense of longing in Sakura's words, broke Rider's heart.
Poor Sakura, she really needs a friend right now....
"I'm not entirely sure how I got here. One of your sister's experiments backfired, I think. I saw you, and thought you might need help.
As for Shirou... I...."
Rider stalled for a moment, unsure what to say to the obviously-distraught girl. Rider knew that Shirou was a large part of Sakura's life, and that losing him would hurt her. And, worse, from what she had seen and heard, this version of Sakura was somewhat younger. Whilst her Sakura could probably bounce back from losing Shirou, she knew that her younger self likely could not have.
As she did, she noticed a new person run through the door.
Saber?
It undoubtedly looked like her. Rider could only vaguely remember Shirou's former servant from their few battles, but she definitely looked very similar. There were, however, a few differences, most noticeably the height, and the spear she carried rather than her usual invisible sword.
"You know, I don't know what you are scheming, weird woman, but it looks suspicious. I'm a knight, I know, but it has been a while since I got to rescue a lady from distress. I hope I have not become rusty at saving them." Mordred snarked "Now, better explain yourself", she said.
Rider stared at her angrily.
How dare she accuse me of intending to kidnap my own master.
Before she could respond, though, her adversary made his move. He clapped his hands, and the air surrounding Rider suddenly became much thicker. It was as if she was moving through treacle. As fast as she was able, Rider started to move backwards, trying to get out of the area covered by the spell. But, as she did so, he clapped his hands once more. Suddenly, her entire body felt much heavier. In this state, even a normal human could probably outpace her.
And, then, he charged towards the wall, before turning into spirit mode and heading straight for Sakura.
No!
"I will NOT let you hurt her!" Rider shouted, enraged, as her monstrous strength activated.
Then, with that, she turned herself into spirit form, and headed to intercept the maniac going for her master. But, with the added gravitational force still weighing her down, she didn't think she could make it in time.
"Sakura! Watch out!" she shouted as the maniac approached her master, hoping Sakura could hold him off for long enough for her to intervene.
As Faust re-materialised and grabbed hold of Sakura, Rider also re-materialised, throwing her nail at him before dashing to also grab hold of Sakura, and prevent her enemy escaping with his captive.Rider’s nail slammed into an invisible shield, deflecting off it and embedding into a chair. As Rider charged at Sakura, she too slammed into the shield, bouncing off it as well. I’ll die if she gets through my shield. Faust looked over at Mordred, who was currently caught up in a fight for her life with a mad black monster. She’s not going to be able to aid me after all. Looks like I need to take matters into my own hands.
"Get away from my master!" Rider shouted, angrily.
As she did so, though, the enemy turned to face Saber.
“Mordred, can you stop the enemy!? She’s trying to harm Sakura, I’ll pay you good money!” he said.
Mordred? Really? She doesn't seem like she'd fit Shirou's personality....
Rider practically growled.
"I am not! I would never harm Sakura! He's the one trying to harm her!" she shouted.
Meanwhile, she heard Sakura muttering.
“Where’s senpai, Rider? Where is he?”
"I... I don't know....
Last time I saw him, he was heading off for a holiday with you. I don't think I'm from your universe, though, you're a lot younger than the Sakura I know".
"She was not edible, PARIAH. If you had tried, your mind would have become unstable."
Under any other circumstances, Adjutor might have been angered. There were two obstinate fools who completely ignored the very air being incinerated around them in favor of some banter passed between them, followed by...shadow tentacles? No matter, those were familiar enough to Xarrest to block and/or dodge what few might have hit him.Faust cleared his throat, highly on guard after the previous show of power. It’s no mean feat to force a servant to move like that. Faust cleared his throat. “This young woman and I were just leaving the hospital when I detected an enemy approaching. So I sent this woman, who happens to be my master, back inside the hospital, where I hoped that she would be safe while I dealt with the situation. Sadly, this was not the case. She summoned a brilliant winged horse, possibly a pegasus, and seemed to want to hit the building with it, presumably to kill my master. So I fired a powerful beam at it, after which she jumped off and phased through the hospital to try to, again, reach my master. So I tried to reach her to rescue her, but this magenta-haired woman blocked my path, forcing me to take drastic measures. This led to the... current situation, with her and I fighting for supremacy inside the hospital. I’m extremely sorry, and will help pay for the damages to the building.” Faust paused, waiting for his response.
"If that is the case," Adjutor says, focusing completely on the task at hand: protecting the patients still in this hospital, "Then explain to me why there is a connection between those two, not dissimilar to a contract? I've been here for a while, and she doesn't seem to be under duress."
Protect. Protect. Protect. Protect.
"I am truly sorry for whatever misunderstanding may have occurred, but you cannot deny that all of this happened after you came here. Regardless of who may be at fault here, my task is clear, and my task is to protect."
With that, Adjutor mutters a single word, "Moeskarne."
The Shield Concept materializes in front of Adjutor before slamming into the lavender-haired woman as if it hadn't passed through the intermediate space and shoving her out of the building altogether.
"Now then, Sorcerer," Xarrest says, taking over as Adjutor prepares another Shield still wary of the screaming, black-armored warrior and the not-human, "Explain yourself. You shall have ample time to do so. Alternatively, help me keep the peace within. Either way, I want answers, and I feel I have earned them."
Faust cleared his throat, highly on guard after the previous show of power. It’s no mean feat to force a servant to move like that. Faust cleared his throat. “This young woman and I were just leaving the hospital when I detected an enemy approaching. So I sent this woman, who happens to be my master, back inside the hospital, where I hoped that she would be safe while I dealt with the situation. Sadly, this was not the case. She summoned a brilliant winged horse, possibly a pegasus, and seemed to want to hit the building with it, presumably to kill my master. So I fired a powerful beam at it, after which she jumped off and phased through the hospital to try to, again, reach my master. So I tried to reach her to rescue her, but this magenta-haired woman blocked my path, forcing me to take drastic measures. This led to the... current situation, with her and I fighting for supremacy inside the hospital. I’m extremely sorry, and will help pay for the damages to the building.” Faust paused, waiting for his response.
"..." Xarrest takes all of this in as Adjutor kneels down on the floor, removing a glove to place a black-tattooed hand upon the ground, "Moeskarne," he says, firmly this time.Faust returned his bow. “It’s the very least I can do after causing all this trouble.” Faust placed Sakura on one of the few remaining chairs, and looked closely at her. “Sakura.”
Protect (this hospital). Protect (this man). Protect (his master). Protect (Every last patient within).
With each iteration, a haze starts to build up around the building, the amount of mana, while significant, not betraying even a close estimate of how powerful the shield was.
Strange. It isn't that powerful normally...Eh, why am I complaining?!
His work completed, with the Concept Applied to the building, Adjutor stands up and turns to face the sorcerer. Considering the information passed to him by Xarrest, he nods, "That would explain that massive flash of mana from earlier, the impacts, the shouting...You seem to be a fairly powerful...And yet..." Adjutor considers this for a moment, "A Familiar...no, that would be an insult. A Spirit?"
Adjutor shakes his head, "No matter. Considering the current situation, I feel it would be best to hear every side of this story. Your master, next, when she can. I'm not in any hurry right now. Regardless, don't apologize. Help me figure this out so we can all be on our way and not fighting near this hospital."
After a short moment, Adjutor offers the Spirit a slight bow, "My gratitude for your offer. We'll need it," he then takes another look at the walls, "Repainting the walls is going to be a bitch, though..."
Faust returned his bow. “It’s the very least I can do after causing all this trouble.” Faust placed Sakura on one of the few remaining chairs, and looked closely at her. “Sakura.”
“Where’s senpai?” Sakura asked with a blank expression.
“I don’t know where Shirou is, but he’s not here right now.”
“Caster? Shirou isn’t here?” A look of deep sadness crossed her face, but was quickly replaced with panic. “ What about Rider? I know I saw her! Faustus, where is she!”
“Rider? I’m not sure I know who you’re talking about, Sakura. The only other servant here is the enemy who tried to kidnap you...”
“No! That was Rider!” A look of fear crossed her face. “You didn’t kill her, did you?”
Faust shook his head. “No, I didn’t kill her. This man pushed her outside so he could figure out what was going on.” Faust gestured at Adjutor.
Sakura turned to look at Adjutor. “You didn’t hurt her, did you?”
"Okay, I'm getting outta here. Go home if you guys want to, but I need some Hennessy and pussy right now, on the fuckin' rocks." Neo threw his hands up as he began walk away from them. "Don't got fuckin' lookin' for me, and I don't wanna see yo' nasty-ass faces. See y'all later, bitches."
Rattus and Yukina just looked at Neo as he walked away to get himself some private recreation. Rattus then looked back at Yukina and said, "Just give me the keys to the car, Schwesterchen. I think I'm at optimal condition to drive now."
"Are you sure, onii-chan?" Yukina asked, even as she handed the keys to him.
"Yes." he replied. "Don't worry anymore, alright?"
"Alright." she nodded cheerfully.
"We will head off the Manor, Mister Henderson." The German said to the old man. "Please join us and follow our vehicle, so you will know where to go if you need us."
Then the two of them headed off to the Kubelwagen, in order to ride it and lead Henderson to the Manor.
Henderson evaluates his current situation and decides that he can afford to spend the night in someone else's place if it comes down to it.
"Sure," he says from inside his Buick before getting into gear and following the strange, boat-shaped car to a strange building of red brick.
Henderson takes a look with a low whistle, "That seems like a pretty nice place, eh Rupes?"
The parrot, of course, doesn't respond. Henderson figures that Rupert is simply too excited.
"Yeah, this is a new experience for me too..." he says, continuing to follow the Kubelwagen.
The mad warrior crashed into the changeling with all the power of a speeding locomotive. He slashed at her with his makeshift weapons, two mundane glass shards turned supernatural by his Noble Phantasm, the Knight of Honor. However, even with this empowerment the shards were little better than knives, far from ideal weapons for a knight. The reach was too small, and their miniscule weight did nothing to assist the berserker’s blows, powered by animalistic fury.
BLOOD DIE MURDER VIOLENCE KILL HER MALIGNANCE
He slashed at the woman once, twice, thrice… 12 times in the time span of a second, such was the monstrous speed of the former Servant. Yet it was not enough, the strikes were failing to deal his target any truly significant damage. Lancelot was incapable of strategy, of thinking two steps ahead, while under the influence of the Mad Enhancement, but with his skill in the art of combat so thoroughly ingrained, even pure instinct could avail him. Making a sudden pivot, he whirled around behind Mordred to slash at her from the back in a motion so fast that a bystander would have thought him capable of teleportation.
KILL HER HATRED CRIMES KILL HER TREASON SELFISH CORRUPTION
Even as the battle between two Servants raged just behind him, Lancelot focused only his chosen enemy, pushing her back, closer and closer to the street just outside with a constant barrage of slashes and stabs when he felt a sudden heat at his back. He didn’t know what it was, but he could sense the danger.
DANGER KILL HER HOT DIE DANGER SUFFER HOT DANGER
Using both super empowered glass shards to push the blond woman’s spear, the dark knight launched into her without even taking the time to bring his arms back for a stab. His shoulder plate caught her in the chest, and the mad warrior charged out of the hospital, just in time to avoid immolation as the the air itself in the lobby was suddenly set ablaze. His crazed blitz carried both himself and his opponent out into the street before skidding to a halt, the changeling’s momentum carrying her a few meters further before she crashed to the ground in a heap.
MALIGNANCE BLOOD CORRUPTION HATRED DIE KILL HER
Lancelot discarded his current weapons, tossing the shards to the side in favor of a nearby triangular crosswalk sign. With a swift tug, he pulled the sign out of its emplacement and held it aloft as though it were a battle-axe, red lines of prana invading the object and providing it the same magical power that had been granted to the glass that preceded it.
KILL HER TRAITOR VICTIM ATONEMENT DEATH KILL HER ACCIDENT
He was about to advance on the girl again when one of the Servants flew from the hospital, landing close to his position. The mad warrior turned to her, the distorted red glow of his visor staring straight at the woman. He gave a low growl in her direction, she was not his target, but as a former Servant, and having been attacked from the rear, the berserker was ready to attack at the slightest perceived provocation.
“Vampire, is Saber on the Nexus police force?”
The blond bristled at that and her indigo eyes narrowed at Calico Archer. Then she smiled, a bit lopsided that didn't quite reach her eyes. "My name isn't 'Vampire'. It's Forest. For-est. I don't go around calling you 'Cosmic Wanker' even though you are one."
Of course he's excited to see Saber. Because Saber is wonderful and pure and bloody hell I'm being petty again, the vampire thought before sighing, her eyes closing. She answered, "Yes, she's their 'Glowing Holy Sword Wielding Monster Killer'."
Law on the other hand, looked as if he wanted to start bashing heads in. He said, "Well, she said Saber and 'Help with investigation' so yeah, I'd assume she's on the police force Calico. Why don't we go. Like right now. Mia will be fine inside, I'm sure there's some kindly old grandma who'll watch her for an hour or so."
The vampire sighed and said, "Even if there isn't a 'kindly grandmother' sort, we can make sure that she at least has a roof over her head and warm food to eat. I know where Saber's located. You said you have a car right, Law? Do you mind ferrying Calico Archer here because I'm an evil vampire that's planning to turn him and enslave him because I'm just that evil." She winked at Mia and did some spooky finger wiggles in a very Wynn-like fashion before turning to Calico and raising an eyebrow.
Do not let her in the compound. Do not invite her to stay.
"If that is the case, then explain to me why there is a connection between those two, not dissimilar to a contract? I've been here for a while, and she doesn't seem to be under duress", said Adjutor.
Eh, what?
He can't be her servant, surely? Right...?
Rider was confused. The guy had tried to kill her, and was seemingly attempting to kidnap Sakura.
Well that would explain why she wasn't running away from him....
Before Rider could consider things further, though, Adjutor spoke again.
"I am truly sorry for whatever misunderstanding may have occurred, but you cannot deny that all of this happened after you came here. Regardless of who may be at fault here, my task is clear, and my task is to protect."
"Moeskarne."
As he did so, Rider felt a sudden impact, violently throwing her out of the building, causing her to land right next to the battling Berserker-class servant.
What the fuck? she thought, angrily.
I didn't do a damn thing, that servant attacked me.
The Berserker turned towards her and growled.
Damn it, now I have to fight him as well.
Fortunately, though, before he could make any move, Saber fired a beam out of her spear, drawing its attention back to her, and away from Rider.
Rider moved as close to the door as she could, avoiding the two people fighting outside. As she approached, she could hear the tail end of the conversation.
“You didn’t hurt her, did you?”
Rider smiled at Sakura's concern. Whilst Sakura's well-being was always Rider's priority, it was nice to know that Sakura genuinely cared for her.
"She might be a bit dizzy. Sorry about that. Everything was fine when I went into that broom closet, and when I come out...I suppose it couldn't be helped given what I knew at the time, but I still messed up, and for that I am truly sorry."
Idiot.
Rider prepared to speak up to reassure her master that she was unharmed but, before she could, Adjutor approached the barrier.
"Rider. If you're still willing to talk at this point, then can you come in and share your side of the story?", he said.
Rider looked at him with an annoyed expression.
"I just want to make sure Sakura is safe", she said, the annoyance in her voice clear. "I will not fight unless that sorcerer tries to take her away for his sick occult experiments, or whatever it is that he intended to do with her one I was safely disposed of."
"And, Sakura, I am fine. Don't worry about me, worry about that guy who captured you. He was summoning demons, I dread to think what he wants to do with you."
Rider's face fell on hearing Sakura's withering words.Sakura’s expression softened, but that softness was quickly replaced by a pout. “I don’t want you to leave, no. I don’t think I said that... I just wanted you to stop insulting Faust, is all.” Sakura put her left hand in her pocket and fidgeted with a coin she found in there.
"Sorry master.... I just wanted to make sure you were safe. I had no idea who he was or what he wanted with you, and he attacked me with no warning and for no obvious reason", she said, sadly.
Obviously she'd been replaced in Sakura's mind with another servant and friend, seemingly a better one judging from their fight.
"Sakura, I just want you to be happy. If you want me to leave, then I'll leave...", she said, her sadness at being replaced by a seemingly better servant obvious.
Rider smiled at Sakura's pouting.
"Don't worry, I won't go anywhere. I can't even really blame Faust for his actions in the fight. He was clearly just trying to protect you, I'd have done the same in his position. Well, aside from attacking a servant for walking slowly in your vague direction, I guess...", Rider said, a little cheekily.
"But, then, his abilities are different from mine. I can protect you in an instant and can fight perfectly well at close range, whereas he cannot. So, I suppose it makes sense for him to be more proactive about it", she added with a smile.
Then, she turned to Adjutor.
"Yes, my situation with Sakura is... complicated. I'll explain later, honestly even I'm not totally sure just yet. But, Sakura was my master just like she is Faust's, and I still feel the same loyalty and affection for her that I always have felt. I would defend her with my life.
As for Caster, no, he's not responsible for the modifications. Those were done before even I met her, and the person who did so is now long dead, fortunately. I didn't know what he might do with Sakura. But, he was summoning demons, hence all the "occult" stuff. That isn't something you usually associate with good people and, whilst I of all people know it is wrong to judge someone based on such a superficial thing, when it comes to Sakura's safety I could not take the risk. Plus, he attacked me seemingly out of nowhere, and continued to attack even when I was acting purely defensively, and merely protecting Sakura from him. I wasn't inclined to trust his motives, and I was certainly not going to risk Sakura's life on the assumption that they were good.
In hindsight, yes, I should have noticed that she was not attempting to run from him, although he should have noticed the same on my part, and we both should have similarly noticed that neither of us seemed to have any ill-intent towards her. But, once again, it was simply too much of a risk to assume he was not hostile, and I could see no other reason why he would be going after her. I never considered that she might have found another servant to contract with.
Anyway, are you going to let me in now? I'd rather get away from this Berserker, before he turns on me...."
Faust turned to Adjutor. “I need you to let me outside, my ally is currently fighting a losing battle. She needs aid badly, let me through the shield. I expect you to be capable of protecting my master for this short time, right?”
"We humbly welcome you to the von Engels Manor, oji-san." Yukina bowed down. "Please take a seat, I will get tea." She then headed off to the kitchen.
"Mister Henderson, please take a seat and feel at home." Rattus presented him to the leather couch. "By the way, this room is strictly a non-smoking area, so please refrain from doing such."
Aside from the leather couch, there were two leather chairs flanking it, and in front of it was a dark wooden coffee table, which was fronted in turn by a entertainment set comprising of a large flat screen television, two large speaker, various audio-video playing devices and game consoles, sound components and racks of media CDs. This whole living room set is resting on top of a black carpet, and overhanging it is a large chandelier made from wrought iron and incandescent light bulbs.
"So," Rattus began to speak as he sit on a chair beside the couch. "You say that you are looking for your stolen lawn ornaments. Can you tell the exact reasons for doing such?" He asked to the old man.
Henderson takes a moment to decide where to sit, eventually deciding on the side of the couch closet to Rattus, clearing his throat, he prepares himself for a long story.
"Well, if you want the short version," he starts, "I'm looking for them because those gnomes are my retirement plan. See, I did some work in Thailand some time ago, and after a ride not meant for the ocean blue, I wanted my retirement plan in lawn gnomes. So I got them. 215 antique Lawn Gnomes, totaling up to a market price of about $40,000. Then those yellow namblies nabbed them while I was enjoying some damn fine weed, and I've been looking for them since."
Henderson sits back, "If you'd like the full story behind my search, we might be here for a while."
"I believe your summary of events will suffice already." Rattus said flatly. "Indeed, antiques could fetch a considerable raise in value just after a few years. I could understand now why you wanted those lawn gnomes so eagerly." Yukina then arrived with a Japanese tea set in a tray after a moment of disappearance. "So, I take it that you want to invest in more antiques after you have sold off your lawn gnomes?"
"Rattus-san, why are you talking about lawn gnomes?" Yukina asked him while she was pouring tea in the cups.
"Yukina, it turns out that Mister Henderson here apparently wants to invest in antiques. He bought lawn gnomes as a part of his retirement plan, before it was stolen by this group of so-called 'namblies' according to him." Rattus then takes a cup of tea and blows it to cool the contents a bit, before taking a sip.
"Oh, that is sad." Yukina commented with worry. She then turned towards Henderson and asked, "Are they thieves, oji-san, these namblies?"
The shrouded dark knight was still staring at the pink-haired Servant when something flashed from the downed changeling. He reflexively tried to shift to the right to avoid the incoming attack, but it was already too late. His speed may be the stuff of legends, but even he could not outrun light itself.
It burned. Skin reddened, then began to peel and turn black as the shining light tried to roast him alive. The armored chestplate rapidly heated, causing it to steam against the chilly night air. Lancelot roared in pain and animalistic fury. He staggered about, trying to escape the agony while barely managing to keep hold of his improvised weapon. The heat subsided, but the pain lingered.
With an enraged shout, the berserker shot at Mordred again, making a powerful sweep from the right with his makeshift battle axe.
"Are you sure you won't be needing help, Sorcerer?" Adjutor asks, quickly factoring in his remaining mana stocks (not looking good, but not too bad either), Caster's demonstrated abilities (summoning, beams, those shadow-thingies, shields. Likely has further abilities not yet demonstrated.), the black warrior (seems to be focused entirely on the non-human person, berserk, ridiculously strong), the non-human (out-ranges the black warrior, capable of seemingly effective beam attacks, agile enough to keep up), and Rider (Ridiculously fast, but those nails might have a tough time with that armor, and her mana stocks might not be able to sustain her for long if she has to summon another Pegasus, blindfold indicates further abilities).
"If you require assistance, Sorcerer, I might be able to help you there," Adjutor says, opening up a hole in the shield for Faust, "And I'll still be protecting the hospital by keeping that black warrior away."
It was a good thing Henry's emotions didn't leak out and that he barely had to try if he wanted to contain them. Because why the hell did people keep walking into his crime scene? He was going to chew out the guys for it this time, he swore.
He turned away from examining the scene to face the man, who was apparently some kind of authority, based on the way he had introduced himself and how he dressed. The Demon had never heard the terms before, so he jumped to the likely conclusion that the newcomer was from yet another universe and had ended in the Nexus by chance. Still, he was barging in on their job, and Henry would've had him leave immediately, if not for the insight he offered on the incident they were currently trying to wrap their heads around. And Tar would not turn down likely options for the who, why, and how of this gruesome scene.
"One, sorry to say whatever authority you belong to does not technically exist here, and in any other case I would've kicked you out and heard you out later. Which brings me to Two: what the hell is a genestealer and how do they usually operate?" Henry asked, folding his arms in front of his chest.
Rider entered through the barrier as soon as it was opened, and turned to address Adjutor.
"As some massive mana flash blinded me before the fight really got started, I can't really judge, and considering that I kinda jumped to conclusions about you, I can't really call you out for not thinking of the other possibilities...But...I'm guessing that your existence is fueled by mana, and that the massive mana flash that blinded me was from your Pegasus. In that case...How are you doing on your stores? I can easily provide enough to recompense you for this battle", said Adjutor.
"Erm, well, I don't think this is the place for that....
I'm fine for now, anyway, although I will need a source of prana at some point. My reserves were full when I arrived, and whilst the last battle did use a substantial amount, I can still last for a few days yet."
Rider listened as Faust and Adjutor conversed about going outside.
Well, he did say they were allies before. Not sure why he didn't ask me to protect Sakura, though....
Then, Adjutor turned to her.
"That is, of course, if you'd be willing to stay here," he said.
Rider couldn't help but notice that he was avoiding looking at her, presumably because of her outfit. So, with the battle over, she changed back into her usual casual clothing.
"Of course, I would be glad to protect Sakura. I promise I will not allow her to come to any harm."
"Sold them off?!" had Henderson been drinking any tea at that point, he might have spit it out. As it is, it is fortunate he isn't drinking any.
"Rattus, I have no intention of selling them," he says, "That's actually part of the reason I wanted my retirement payment in Lawn Gnomes, so I always have something interesting to look at. As for the namblies," he turns to Yukina, "Thieves, certainly. They call themselves, 'Disciples of the Yellow King'. Something about some guy named...what was it...'Hastur' I think. The Detective mentioned something about something he called an 'Outer God'. Of course, then he went all crazy and I ended up running him over with a Tanker... And they've got the ugliest poodles. They're so ugly, if you didn't know they were poodles, you'd think they were some beast from what Fink called 'That which man as never meant to know'...Well, at least, until the Detective got him while he was acting all crazy. And that dapper fellow, Breckinridge, mentioned something about being them enemies of some...Cthulu cult, I think. Well, if they weren't before, they certainly are after we dropped that one nambly's yacht on that dinner party. Hah!" Henderson sits back as he revels in the memory.
LANCELOT
The Berserker roared in impotent fury at the blinding light. He continued his charge, smashing his street sign through the space where his instincts best judged her last location to be. Instead of flailing around aimlessly however, Lancelot spread his legs and held his ground, holding his weapon in front of him in a defensive posture, waiting until he heard the scuffle of feet on the ground or the swish of his enemy’s spear.
Disciples of the Yellow King. Hastur. The Detective. Outer God. Fink. That Which Man was Never Meant To Know. Breckenridge. Cthulhu. Ugly poodles. Hearing these terms disturbed the couple after Henderson discussed some more details regarding the thievery of his antique lawn gnomes. It seemed to them as if there was something really wrong about this simple incident of stealing, and it was not just because cultists stole his antiques. There was an awkward silence that emanated in the living room, as Rattus and Yukina pondered if they should delve deeper into his story.
But, being a curious woman, Yukina decided to press on. "But why would cultists steal your gnomes, oji-san?"
"I assume that this cult had taken it upon themselves to do burglary in order to fund their operations." Rattus said. "Since the stolen items were antiques that value of $40,000 in total, it is more likely that they stole them, sold them off and then use the money as assets for their group."
"Then where would the gnomes be found?" The Japanese lady asked after she drank her cup of tea.
"If I am right about what I said, I suppose we can still get them back, since the only establishments that would accept sales of such ornamental items would be pawnshops." The bespectacled man postulated. " But if the cult hasn't sold off all of their stolen items yet, it's more possible that they are still in store, since there is nothing much a person can do with ornaments but as beautifying displays."
"But then," Yukina then turned to Henderson. "Does this mean that oji-san could still find his prized gnomes?"
"As for why they'd steal the gnomes," Henderson says, leaning forwards again, "I honestly don't know. And that's not the only thing they've done to me. They also killed two of my friends, James Fink and the Detective. Really, it's more than property rights. It's revenge."
Henderson takes a moment to sip his cup, then nods, "Good stuff, all things considered. The Detective mentioned that these Yellow Cult people were involved in...what was it...trafficking? Whatever it was, he wasn't surprised that they were involved in something related to stealing gnomes. Who knows, maybe they wanted to use them in a sacrifice or something? A nice young man at a Tim 'Ortons earlier told me that they were planning to put them in space, but I've no clue why they would...No..." With that, Henderson pulls the page of the Necronomicon, surprised that it's now a dozen pages, out of his pocket, laying them flat on the table as he turns the pages of eldritch lore around until it fits a certain pattern.
"They wouldn't! They're going to make a...whatever this thing is, using this whole..." Henderson gets up, "Sorry, kids, but I have another muckle-darmed cult to take care of."
With that, he leaves the room with all possible haste, hoping that they'll understand his need for haste.
"Tea was great, considering it wasn't booze!" he calls over his shoulder, hoping to smooth things over ahead of time.
Forest
Forest's indigo eyes flashed before she returned Calico's smile. So, he doesn't like to be called Archer.
"Well, I could do something original and radical and, I don't know, call you by your bloody name. If you weren't such a get and give it, Calico Cosmic Wanker," she said as he swung Mia into his shoulder. The not-girl looked pleased and giggled at Forest. Forest winked at her but stiffened as she saw the girl's eyes flash as she looked at Law.
Calico made some comment about getting off the roof and headed towards the steps. She said, "Finally, no more crazy talk."
As they walked down the steps, Law turned and looked at her. "If I have to take the guy who nearly blew me up by mistake, you're taking the kid. Just saying."
And separating them is going to be a bad thing, she thought with a sigh.
She said, "Hey, Mia, you want to ride with me? I have a really neat car and it goes wicked fast."
She sent to Calico, in Japanese, Law's not too happy with you almost blowing him up, so you might want to ride with me. I promise not to bite you again. Unless you asked for it.
As she went down she felt something off. As if she was being watched. Scowling, she sent to Law and Calico, Stop and stay behind me. We're not alone.
She jogged in front of the menfolk and said, "Okay, you blighted wanker, if you're watching us, show yourself."
"I felt something really old and powerful resonate from this direction. I was going to investigate when my pace was awkwardly broken by our acquaintment just now. Any idea what it was?"
“Thanks for that.” He said while stretching his arms. “Names Crest, mind helping me up? I’m a bit sore.”
Forest
The blond canted her head at the other woman and raised her right eyebrow.
No heartbeat and she's not breathing. Possibly some other sort of vampire . . . Bloody hell.
Forest thought the worse part about coming to the Nexus was the different versions of other beings from other dimensions. Like there was this pigtailed Japanese school girl vampire who's abilities were utterly terrifying. She had the ability to unleash a reality of her own making that started to weaken Saber somewhat before the two of them had finished her off.
The worse part was that the poor girl had been in pain the entire time. Starving, no amount of blood able to sate her thirst and crying for someone named Shiki even as Forest held her hand while Saber delivered the killing blow. Saber had mentioned something about Dead Apostles and then apologized to Fore for not being able to tell her anymore, other than Archer had "experience" with them.
She also, after a major geek-out moment, had to dust Darla from Buffy the Vampire Slayer last week.
"I guess I owe you explanation why I ended up observing you?"
Forest eyed the mostly unremarkable woman. Dark hair, brown eyes, and sturdy traveling clothing. She was the sort of woman who could walk amongst a crowd without a second glance, almost plain even.
"I bloody think you do," the blond drawled in a sardonic voice as she stared down the other woman.
Faust continued walking up his stairs, the circle following behind him as he ascended, beginning to pulse more and more rapidly. As the pulsing reached a crescendo, he said a few words, and snapped his fingers. The circle pulled back, and a large beam soared out, sailing its way towards the black knight.QuoteLANCELOT
The Berserker roared in impotent fury at the blinding light. He continued his charge, smashing his street sign through the space where his instincts best judged her last location to be. Instead of flailing around aimlessly however, Lancelot spread his legs and held his ground, holding his weapon in front of him in a defensive posture, waiting until he heard the scuffle of feet on the ground or the swish of his enemy’s spear.
"?" The raging madman suddenly calmed down. Mordred had a bad feeling about this, and suspected that one wrong move would made him detect her. She was not most stealthy person, so she decided to supernaturally augment her luck in order to sneak away into more favorable position. She had a last ditch plan, but born out of desperation, To make it work Lancelot would have to regain sight and Mordred to be in safer location.
(She used Contract of Beneficent Fate)
She then noticed where they were. “Uhh, are we in a dumpster or something?"
"Nah," I told her from maybe a foot away, sprawled on my back over an uncomfortable, hole-ridden and somewhat bloody mattress. "We're in a miniature detritus quarantine box. Calling it a dumpster is so last week."
I looked up at the sky, realized I was dizzy and my heart was beating hard enough to shake my body, and decided it was time for a break. Yeah, I was going to stay on this real nice mattress for another like, five minutes.
I don't even know what the fuck just happened. It felt like I just got dragged into a powerthirst commercial as one of the extras, like, a poorly-edited dog piloting an f-16 into Las Vegas before someone screams the magic word:
MENERGY
I started giggling. Those commercials were always so... Yeah.
“Could you focus for one minute? What happened? What’s going on? All I heard was the noise and…” She trailed off.
"Yeah, you got discovered," Forest said, frowning at the female vampire's words. Wait, Kindred . . . Vampire the Masquerade! I watched that show, it was bloody horrific . . .
She struggled to remember about the show, different Clans having different abilities and the guy who played the Judge on Buffy was some ugly Nosferatu or something. There was also a bunch of Anne Rice twaddle too.
However, there was something else too. She might be some Vampire Scientist or some such. Better than that cult that worships that punk Frost on 11th . . .
"This is the Nexus. There might be other Clans from your world, but this place holds vampires from a variety of different worlds with different temperaments and abilities. I mean, my friend Saber and I had to bring down a poor Japanese school girl a couple of weeks ago because she was just a mindless monster in pain. Me? I fight the forces of evil because I'm a bit bent like that."
“So, do you know where we are? Don’t tell me it’s the demon lands. That’s the last thing I need today.”
Saber
More than half of the words that this Grendel spoke made little to no sense to Saber. He was speaking of fantastical things like other worlds, emperors, emperor's light, and then he proceeded to question Saber for eating. The former king felt heat spread across her cheeks as she glared at Grendel.
"What you are speaking is utter nonsense," the tiny blond said in a steel laden voice, "Also, we have no Emperor or king of Nexus. If there was, they would be over thrown within moments of their coronation."
She shook her head and said, "As for my eating at the crime scene I quite careful and know not to contaminate it."
Her emerald eyes met Grendel's as she remembered what Forest suggested to say to once someone questioned her eating habits. "I have a condition where my metabolism burns at an incredibly high rate. If I do not have proper nutrition my glucose levels will drop dangerously low and I will become weak, dizzy, and ill-tempered. And I am not one that is pleasant to be around when I am ill-tempered. I am not a barbarian slob spraying crumbs and drool everywhere. If I thought I would contaminate the scene, I would eat elsewhere."
Costin Andrei
In the deepest of the night, a lone silhouette stood alone enveloped by the darkness, and in annoyance, clicked his tongue.
This strange place, Nexus City, he had no memory of how he got there, but all he knew was that the city felt unwelcoming to his kind in the first place.
Feeding was for the first time in his life a chore. The taste of blood was nothing but dry, putrid and void of the thick richness he used to find. At this point, he could barely recall the fresh and sultry flavour of one's very life essence... And it displeased him to no end.
He longed to feel something again, to feel the joy of battle and bloodshed, to destroy and be destroyed, to feel the warmth of blood and the coldness of death.
He wished to truly feel alive again, but alas, as he reflected on it, al he could form was a twisted rictus, it was foolish, he wasn't alive in the first place.
In the darkness, a chuckle echoed, as the heretic dug his nails into yet another cadaver, trying to take the little nourishment he could, for the sin of inhumanity had to be paid in blood, no matter how vile.
Thus he ate once more, pondering on the next action to take. After all, until then, all he did was observe, never directly involving himself with any of the conflicts that took place so far.
There was this woman, a beautiful tall woman with golden hair and a presence that smelled of blood and death as well. He took great interest in her, perhaps he could find in her the fading spark of life he wished to witness once again...
She would be exquisite, he was sure of it.
The figure rose, and in the blink of an eye the body contorted, twisted, bent and snapped itself as ebony fur grew until the dead apostle took the shape of a great hound.
He decided: her flesh would be his for the taking.
Time
It was truly a cold night as Time's ears grew red from the biting frost. The lingering smell of booze stuck on him despite closing in the bar so early at the bequest of his employer. Not that he minded, but the dilapidated apartment lacked the heating. No, more like the air conditioning had a mind of its own. An useless contraption that the swordsman was tempted to cut in half out of exasperation.
Of course, he dialed the same way that odious landlady told him to do. But the damned thing can't even do anything right. Cold for hellfire and hot for frozen tundra. Technology surely has become advanced, but it got useless. Surely, he hasn't botched up on such simple instructions... Right?
"Hm?"
Something reeked of iron. The familiar scent of blood tingled his frozen nostrils. Nothing good ever came from that scent. Time knew quite well, but curiosity urged him forward. Something was there. There was that sense of foreboding welling up in Time as he heard chortling that accompanied the stink.
"Having a bit of early holiday cheer there, sir?" he finally asked with a growing smile on his face. His fists resting on his hips nonchalantly.
From what he could make out, it looked like a person of sorts-- with a lot of hair and a wolf-like muzzle.
"You look like you're very warm. Mind sharing some of that fur with me?"
Costin Andrei
The vampire was surprised, shocked even.
"Is this man a fool?", he wondered. Surely even the greatest madman could tell from the pile of corpses around him that approaching him would be dangerous.
Yet he faced him, the foul stench of alcohol and filth reeking from the man fought it's way trough the corpse's odour, until it reached Costin.
The hound-like fiend could not speak, nor had any desire to do so. He felt a strong presence from the man, perhaps he was sent by the church or the association to destroy him. That would not do at all. Since turning back into his vampiric form could buy him some time, it was best to settle it in the instant. Even without his full strength, he could easily kill the man if he hurried.
He let out a cold growl as he readied himself to pounce, but as he prepared himself to leap at the man's throat, his breath stopped short.
In that fraction of a second, at the very same time he tensed his muscles to go for the kill, he saw a flash of light, he saw his own body cut down and eviscerated.
The hound gasped for air, that was no illusion he witnessed, he was sure what he saw would have become reality, he would have died had he not suddenly stopped.
No, to attack recklessly would not end well, that man was not to be taken lightly at all, he would surely be destroyed if he was to take half hearted measures.
As a black fog oozed from the hound's pores, he howled in rage. The disgrace of being forced to turn back into his normal form, the humiliation of being cornered like that, and the vision, the vision of his own demise...
That man would pay heavily for making him see such things.
The voices grew louder and louder, scratching into the back of his head like nails on a chalkboard, he felt his very stomach churn as his blood boiled with fury.
So, as the dark fog covered his figure, Costin chuckled bitterly, having turned back into his ordinary vampiric form.
As the Heretic slowly walked towards the man, his eye wincing as a smile curled on the vampires face, he asked: "You, who are you?"
"Park now?"
"Good boy, now come get some."
He had its attention alright, with fangs bared and eyes full of bloodlust. Time couldn't help, but let a smirk slowly curve the corner of his mouth as his left hand grasped the sheath hanging from his hip. It's been a while since he was in a situation as dangerous as this. His right hand itched to unsheathe his blade and let it tear into this creature's hide.
It wouldn't be a completely boring and freezing night at least. The exercise ought to keep him a bit warm for a while. Or so he thought as that thing froze in place. As if apprehensive at some otherworldly image privy only to it. What could it have seen? The incoming doom that is no doubt coming for this skirmish?
"Oh c'mon. It was going to get good," Time thought irritably.
After opening its maw to howl, it took on a more human form to finally form a rather simple question.
"Man, you ruined the fun," the man sighed in reply, "But I suppose I can't fault you if the inevitable scares you this much."
Time dejectedly shrugged in disappointment. What kind of fun would it be to cut down someone who doesn't want to fight?
"I'm just your friendly neighborhood bartender in these parts. How about you, Fido? What brings you here to make the bloody mess of things here?"
As he spoke rather nonchalantly at the creature, Time eyed at the evidence of the kill with disdain. The grisly marks of death utterly sickened him. But he wanted to know why this thing is here.
"Depending on your answer, we may or may not have a problem."
LANCELOT
He shouldn’t have been able to evade the attack – his vision was only just starting to recover and by the time he could hear the sound of the magical beam being fired it was too late, but something alerted the dark knight to the danger he was in.
He threw himself to the side, the beam obliterating the space that he had just vacated, gouging a huge pit into the asphalt. Lancelot ‘s sight slowly returned to him, and he could start to make out both Mordred and the servant Caster, who had just attacked. Taking an offensive posture, the tiny shred of reason left to him wasn’t sure whether to attack the magician or the changeling first.
And as the two men stood still, the vampire suddenly burst into a fit of laughter.
It was not a malicious laughter mind you, but the laugh that one would give after seeing an hilarious farce.
"You, I can tell you are very strong indeed." Muttered the laughing man as he gasped for air, he realized he did not truly dislike him at all.
And with these words, he grabbed his sunglasses gently, and cast them away to reveal his eyes.
Crimson eyes, the color evoking a blooming rose, or the flowing blood of the bodies around him.
The black figure's icy gaze was replaced with a warm look, as he casually laid on a nearby lamp post, and with his pale finger pointed right at his eye.
"See these eyes of mine? Surely you can tell I am no human. By that, I mean of course that I am no longer one, I'd say that the term used the most to describe me was... um..."
Costin closed his eyes and pondered for a long time, scratching his head as he nervously tapped his left foot.
"Oh, yes, it's Dead Apostle, isn't it?" Costin asked with an honest, nervous expression.
"To answer your question... I guess I was hungry? I mean, Isn't it normal to eat when you're hungry?", the vampire thus answered the stranger's question.
He suddenly averted his gaze right at the man's sword sheath. "I noticed your hand was twitching earlier before. You know, if you do want to fight, I guess I can't really refuse now can I?"
And with these words, Costin's hands glowed in a red, sickly scarlet color.
"Soooooooo, you up for a little fun here or not?", the man asked as the moonlight shone above the two.
"HAH!, I really am glad, it has been far too long since I got to fight a worthy opponent, may your presence grant me some amount of entertainment.", yelled the Dead Apostle.
His eyes, now wide with glee and excitement, he grinned wildly as he readied himself. His trembling body now formed a combat stance, he was ready to topple the warrior that faced him.
"My name is Costin Andrei, remember this name, for it is the name of the one who slew you! Worry not, I will prevent you from turning into a ghoul, you will die here as a proud warrior."
And as he spoke, Costin quickly jumped to his left before dashing towards the swordsman's back. His hand would swiftly strike the back of his neck and tear his spine.
"Too easy.", the vampire muttered as he went for the kill.
"HAH, That's that you expected, isn't it!?"
And as he laughed, a thousand crimson needles erupted from his cleaved body.
“I-I was screaming?”"Yeah, kind of loudly too, and I've been to metal concerts." I started getting up, and was about to say the thing she beat me to saying.
“Can we get out of this box please?”
“It seems children these days can’t be calm. Truly there is no hope for society.” Then he turned to look at the man his Soul Horrors pointed out. “You come and join us young man, it is impolite to hide yourself like that. Don’t make me force you to give a proper greeting.”
He looked over to the two which were fighting he sighed, “Now calm down, both of you. There is no reason to act like children.”
Forest frowned and said, "No, Saber's not a vampire. She's a tiny girl with a great big glowing sword that shoots laser beams. She works with the cops. We don't have a Dragur problem . . . And supernatural isn't exactly hidden here."
She could practically taste Calico's doubt. Maybe Saber can beat some sense into him.
"Speaking of which, I need to get to her because there's some blighted wanker killing kids that I need to stop."
"If you don't rot it away, sure. I suppose the gentleman should offer the lady some token of appreciation for her company."
The hand that was playing with the angel's hair left its position, sneaked down the collar of his suit jacket, and began to rub against his bare chest. "Why don't you show me what lies underneath this vessel of flesh and bone? In return, I may be willing to show you what hides beneath mine."
"I'm sorry, but the Masquerade is a bunch of twaddle. This is Nexus City; the rules are different here, and even if things are kept secret some wanker is always trying to kill me. I'm not exactly Miss Popularity. Now, please give me my blood or I'll take it from you, and I'm a bit miffed right now," Forest said with a sardonic grin as she held out her hand to the vampire.
"We can get to know each other right now, little angel." The layers of her cloak became thinner until it had the thickness of tissue paper as she held onto Sarse even tighter.
"Tell me of your creation, Angel of Choice. What is your first memory once you came into being?"
Rider smiled as Sakura loosened up somewhat. She could feel the relief at her words.
"Yes. You left your son with me and Rin and went off to have some fun together for the week. That's the last time I saw you. The version of you from my universe is much older than you, though. Twenty-odd years older, in fact", Rider said, smiling, still holding onto Sakura.
“K-kids?” Sakura stammered.“Kids. Four of them. I have. Four kids?” Sakura slumped towards the floor. “That’s so unfair...” She said in a soft and subdued voice.
Rider smiled once more.
"Yes, you have four lovely children. Aoi is the eldest, then Kariya, both are adults now. Then you have Yuki, who Rin is training as her heir now, and finally Kiyoshi, your little darling", she said.
“You hardly needed that much energy.” Grenth stated.
Grenth
“You hardly needed that much energy.” Grenth stated.
“Kids. Four of them. I have. Four kids?” Sakura slumped towards the floor. “That’s so unfair...” She said in a soft and subdued voice.
Ann listened to Sarse's tale quietly and for that small instant ceased to play with his hair or move her hand against his body. "I do believe in fair trades, little angel, so I will show you what I first remember."
She removed one hand from his chest and placed it on top of his head. Then she opened her mind to his and sent to Sarse the first things Death had seen upon its creation. It was a sea of white fire that pulsed with life itself and shone with a light infinitely brighter than all the stars in the universe combined. Then it expanded and washed over the nothingness surrounding it and with a flare of immaculate light creation was born.
"I hate to interrupt, but you couldn't even have the courtesy to stop some of them in my way?"
He was wearily waving his empty hands at his direction to show he actually did as the magician exactly wanted. The frost from his frozen joints and the snowing environment were really chilling him to the bone, hypothermia is no doubt going to set in soon.
"Maaaan, this sucks" , the dead apostle now spoke in a clear voice, he looked annoyed, all trace of his past enraged self gone, all that was left for now was nonchalance.
And as he scrubbed the dust from his tattered clothes, he asked, this time in a slightly annoyed tone: "The hell was that for, you cheeky old bastard?"
Grenth looked over to the man, “Ah yes, my apologies, I am not accustomed to combat after all these years, especially with bystanders.”
Grenth held out his hand towards Time and his magic began to work, shards of still not melted ice floated out of his wounds, and as they left the flesh was mended back to its original form prior to the ice puncturing his skin.
But it was not ‘healing’ he simply moved the more compressed, torn, and misshapen flesh back to its pristine form. Then the now freed man spoke after all of the floating ice fell to the ground.
"This is not proper road safety."
Sakura looked up at Rider, continuing to sniffle. "We'll? Who else is here? Am I here?" Sakura paused, thinking over her words. "I mean, is your me here?"“Kids. Four of them. I have. Four kids?” Sakura slumped towards the floor. “That’s so unfair...” She said in a soft and subdued voice.
Rider frowned as she held onto the slumping Sakura.
Oh....
This Sakura was alone and desperately looking for Shirou. Clearly she couldn't return home easily, otherwise she would have done so already. Obviously she was going to be upset to hear what she potentially could have had, had fate not intervened.
"Don't worry, Sakura, I'm sure we'll find a way to get you back to your Shirou", she said, hopefully. "Your sister is a user of the Second Magic, after all."
"Okay, that does it. We're going clothes shopping."
“Sorry about that… I had a bit of a freak-out there.” He said, refusing to meet Caedia in the eyes. “Do you know the quickest way to actual civilization; I need to stock up on supplies.”
Tar
Henry thoughtfully scratched the back of his head while attempting to process the information the - all things considered, kinda odd - man had exposed. And leaving the miscellanous details to the side, the science fiction account was by no means anything other than terrifying. Mr. Tar reasserted his dislike of cultists to himself in a silent nod.
He would've said something to the unknown criticizing his partner, but she said all that need to be said. No point in opening his mouth now, Saber could defend herself just fine. He wondered at the explanation for her eating habits she gave. He had heard of no such thing, but if she wanted to keep her nature mostly hidden, it was an excuse as good as any other.
The matter remained however, that with how things were in the Nexus, there was a very real and frightful chance the entities Grendel had described were to blame for this incident. They could not just dismiss him. He hadn't missed the implication that the natural weaponry required to leave the body in its current state was generally not possessed by the beings, but that wasn't enough to entirely close off the possibility.
"Ahem," Henry coughed into his hand before continuing. "Following your explanation. Suppose this was a 'Genestealer'. Why would it risk itself gathering biomass, as you put it, when the... cult is probably going about its function much more subtly?"
Sakura looked up at Rider, continuing to sniffle. "We'll? Who else is here? Am I here?" Sakura paused, thinking over her words. "I mean, is your me here?"
Rider smiled at her master's adorable nature, and continued to hug and comfort her.
"I don't believe so. My connection to her is weakened, and I am not drawing any prana from her currently. I also do not think anyone else from my world is here", she said softly.
Is she offering to contract with me? Rider thought.
"Yes. I don't have any source of prana currently. I'm OK for now, but if I don't find one soon, I will need to search for alternative sources", she said, still holding onto Sakura. "I believe my contract with my Sakura is still in place, though, even if I'm not currently drawing any prana through it".
Rider loosened her grip slightly, indicating to Sakura that she could pull away if she wished. However, she did not let go. As long as Sakura wanted to remain in her embrace, Rider would allow her to. After all she'd been through, the poor girl deserved all the love and affection she could get.
“Now, keep calm big boy. No reason to get so hot and bothered.”
"It's a better accomplishment than ruling through repression and fear-mongering," Forest said, her Celtic accent thickening slightly. "However on the other side of town there's a whole group of vampires for you to preach your gospel to. I have other things to do."
LANCELOT
Something unseen slammed into the dark knight without any warning, sending him skidding across the ground for several dozen meters, his decades of experience and grueling training preventing his grip on the weapon from slipping even as he tumbled. Before there was even time to stand back up, a ball of fire shot at him like a rocket. He reflexively tucked his weapon against his chest and rolled to the side, managing to avoid the worst of the flames. Even so, the searing heat burned at him, and the berserker roared his hatred out for all the world to hear as he returned to his feet.
Lancelot focused on the enemy Servant floating in the air and threw himself into a sprint with an animalistic howl. A compact car was parked on the side of the road, near enough to his path for the mad warrior to take it into account. Switching his grip on the improvised battle axe to the left hand, he grabbed the underside of the car with his free hand and lifted the front into the air in one smooth motion, angling the vehicle straight up into the air. The next instant he crashed into the upturned car while grabbing hold of it for stability. The former knight of the lake was now pushing the vehicle along with him, effectively using it as a makeshift shield against ranged attacks. He continued the charge on the enemy, rapidly closing to melee range.
Something unseen slammed into the dark knight without any warning, sending him skidding across the ground for several dozen meters, his decades of experience and grueling training preventing his grip on the weapon from slipping even as he tumbled. Before there was even time to stand back up, a ball of fire shot at him like a rocket. He reflexively tucked his weapon against his chest and rolled to the side, managing to avoid the worst of the flames. Even so, the searing heat burned at him, and the berserker roared his hatred out for all the world to hear as he returned to his feet.
Lancelot focused on the enemy Servant floating in the air and threw himself into a sprint with an animalistic howl. A compact car was parked on the side of the road, near enough to his path for the mad warrior to take it into account. Switching his grip on the improvised battle axe to the left hand, he grabbed the underside of the car with his free hand and lifted the front into the air in one smooth motion, angling the vehicle straight up into the air. The next instant he crashed into the upturned car while grabbing hold of it for stability. The former knight of the lake was now pushing the vehicle along with him, effectively using it as a makeshift shield against ranged attacks. He continued the charge on the enemy, rapidly closing to melee range.
Mordred
Somehow she managed to escape the site without the mad warrior pursuing. Reinforcement finally wore down, as well as her spear deactivated. She collapsed from whole stress, panting from exhaustion. Damn it! she cursed in frustration, feeling ashamed that she backed down from the fight leaving others to deal with that monster and risk their lives. Her actions were unbecoming for a knight she claimed to be, and she wanted to make up for that display as soon as she could, even if it put her at risk.
But for now, she lay on the ground, unable to move around for a while. And wondering what kind of unpleasant surprise awaited her because of her spear's curse.
Mordred
"Damn it, either I'm hallucinating again or that's some odd hob..." Mordred cringed at the odd spectacle before her eyes. Indeed, maybe she was going bonkers like some of her kind were wont to. It was a stressful night. "If you are a hob, I don't need a pet one. Shoo" She tried to dismiss the fairy like creature before her eyes even if she could not be fagged to move a finger because of her exhaustion.
Mordred
The light indeed dazzled Mordred, but she felt like she could move her limbs once again. "Huh?" She stood up slowly, a bit amazed how quickly that dust of the hob made her recover from physical exhaustion. "Yup, you are one weird hob. Small ones like you are usually not so talkative..." Eyeing the strange creature floating around, she warned it "But you know, little guy, it's dangerous out there. Raging maniacs in black armor, some stuck religious nut trying to kill anything non-human. So don't follow me around, if you treasure your hide."
Mordred
"Hmph, fine, but I'm not responsible if you die by accident from collateral damage or something" Mordred was skeptical about this little creature surviving any long in this madhouse of a city.
"Sword? That maniac was beating up people with glass shards and lampposts, he did not use any proper weapon. Weird thing."
Mordred
"Uhh, just don't get into my way. I have some business to do, and a dangerous one. I need to find a trod, and briarwolves will snack on you if you are not careful enough. But..." Mordred realized that the hob might have been useful for something "... if you are one of those hobs that know where are Goblin Fruits or trods are, you can prove to be useful after all. You could be my pet if you could do it " she grinned.
Grenth
“Why would I interrupt it?” Grenth asked. “It is very simple; I dislike it when lives are ended so whenever I come across such situations where such as thing is possible I put an end to them.”
It was a simple, reasonable statement. Grenth did not like to see life end before its time to, for such a thing to be taken away would be a crime against the world.
He was willing to make exceptions at times, but in such a case, two strangers fighting with lethal intent, Grenth could not stand by and watch.
“Now, I suppose introductions are in order, I am Grenth.”
Mordred
"Snow angel?" Indeed, that was the outcome of her moving the limbs after she recovered her strength. "Very funny" she snarked after she stood up "You know, I don't like Winter much, it's such sad season. I prefer Summer, Spring or even Autumn.
Well, then. Can you keep up with me, little guy? Or you will sit on my shoulders like a parrot?"
"You're a spring person too? That makes two of us," the elf fairy mused at this, "Winter is a pain, the cold makes it hard to fly around with these babies. Ya see?"
He wiggled his insect wings to make a point, dust spilling over to the snowy ground.
"Ha, you're funny, lady," snorted Puck, "I don't mind sharing this scarf if you want though~"
He held up the filthy article piece of clothing at her, full of dirt, sweat, and maybe a bit of bile that covered him in a toga and turban.
"Unless that armor is a lot warmer than it looks."
"If you see my Mantle, that's a rhethorical question?" To anyone able to pierce through Mordred's Mask the aura of heat and summer warm she emanated was obvious. "You can discard those rags which origin I honestly don't want to know"
Mordred
"Now only to find that damn gate. In that direction, huh?" She pinpointed rough direction by which she should head to reach area where Hedge gate through which she came to Nexus was located. "Now strap on, little guy, I don't have car on hand so I will run" And ran she did, as fast she could without exhausting herself.
Rebeca
She gave Donkey a smile, “My names Rebeca, it’s nice to meet you.”
She reached down and fiddled with her volume a bit, making sure it was as loud as it could be. She wanted to make sure she did not have another episode.
“So, are you new in town?” She started, hoping to start some small talk despite already knowing the answer.
"Damnit it all."
Mordred
One hour passed when they reached the park from which Mordred emerged. "The Hedge Gate should be somewhere here." Finally she found it, a pathway between two old trees. "Once we go there, we should prepare for the worst, there is lot of dangerous stuff out there" saying that, she crossed the barrier between Nexus and its Hedge.
To eyes of the wanderers, a habitat full of brambs and old trees forming something akin to maze opened. "Let's pray we don't stray of the path. Can you sense anything like Goblin Fruits nearby?"
Time
With a finger pointing at the Dead Apostle, the swordsman continued, "You realize this boyo right there consumes people? What would you do with him?"
"Naw, gotta go deeper, girly. Probably down there."
As the fairy said this, he was already wearing earphones connected to a metal-detector strapped to his right hand. The monitor was at a blank with nothing happening.
"Keeeeep going~"
"If we find them like that it will be too suspiciously easy" Mordred remarked, amazed how by following Puck's direction they did not stray into Thorns.
"Wow, we hit the jackp-" then she heard the howls
"Or not. I knew it has been far too easy. I don't know to which part of Nexus the Trod will open, but first I need to deal with those damn briarwolves." she said, drawing a spear as long as her.
“So you’re an MMA fighter?” Well, she knew that answer, but she had to keep up appearances. The one thing she learned though his life that knowing things she has no business knowing was generally not a good thing.
Rider looked back at Sakura and smiled.Sakura entire being perked up upon hearing Rider agree to form a contract with her. She’s going to do it Sakura was elated. She quickly went through her head, going over the steps of forming a contract with a familiar. She paused, took a deep breath, stepped back and began to speak.
"Sakura, I would be glad to contract with you. However, my contract with my current master is still intact, albeit dormant due to her absence from this world. I am unsure if forming a new contract is even possible. I will happily attempt it, and regardless of the outcome I will do my best to remain by your side until you are able to return to your own world, but you shouldn't raise your hopes too far", Rider said, softly.
Sakura entire being perked up upon hearing Rider agree to form a contract with her. She’s going to do it Sakura was elated. She quickly went through her head, going over the steps of forming a contract with a familiar. She paused, took a deep breath, stepped back and began to speak.
“My name is Sakura Matou. Before me is Medusa, heroic spirit of the Rider class. I come before you seeking to form a contract.” A magic circle materialized beneath Rider’s feet.
LANCELOT
A fireball that the mad warrior couldn’t see slammed into his makeshift shield, but the car, now granted conceptual power on the level of a Noble Phantasm, easily endured the blazing heat, protecting the man behind it.
When the ground suddenly turned into boiling mush, he barely even noticed at first. Then the boiling mud started to cling to his feet, dragging his legs deeper and hindering his movement while burning everything it touched. It was more painful than actually damaging, but if he remained for very long his own armor would be turned into a makeshift oven, roasting him inside. There was also the fact that his progress toward the Servant had been slowed, enough to give the enemy another chance to attack before he could get inside of the caster’s range. He instinctively knew that hindered as he was, it was better to take the initiative out of the enemy’s hands than risk being attacked.
Yowling in fury, the berserker dropped his appropriated street sign for a moment to grip his stolen car with both hands, lifting it up over his head before hurling it at the man hovering above the hospital roof. It made a poor throwing weapon, but his strength and skill made up the difference, and 1,400 kilograms of super-empowered modern transportation flew towards the magician like a blast from a cannon.
Taking his improvised weapon back from the tar where he dropped it, Lancelot madly powered through the hellish goo bent on slaughtering the enemy. Making it to the end less than three seconds later, he sprinted to the nearest wall of the hospital before making an implausibly high jump, even hindered by the weight of his armor the barbarous strength in his muscles carried him over halfway up the side of the building before gravity clutched at him, halting his ascent. Refusing to be denied, the mad warrior grabbed at a windowsill, thin but enough for his armored gauntlet to grasp. Bracing his feet on the wall, he launched himself the remaining distance and easily cleared the roof, intending cut the Servant down where he stood.
Seeing the way Sakura instantly perked-up on her answer, Rider knew she had made the right choice.
This is worth it just to see her smile like that.
Then, Sakura stepped back, and started to speak.
"My name is Sakura Matou. Before me is Medusa, heroic spirit of the Rider class. I come before you seeking to form a contract", she said.
With that, a magic circle appeared under Rider's feet.
Hmm, odd, I don't remember this method. I guess it's something she's picked up from Faust.
“The terms are as follows: You shall serve me loyally, and obey my call and commands. In return, I shall provide you with prana to survive, and act as a spiritual anchor. I ask of you, do you accept the conditions of the contract?“ she continued.
Rider paid little attention to the words. She knew that these ceremonies required formality that went beyond the simple friendship she and her master possessed. They were, after all, designed for entities that were not necessarily quite so friendly.
Of course she would indeed serve Sakura loyally. She always had. Obeying her every command was another matter, though, Rider would always prioritise Sakura's well-being over following her orders.
Still, she saw no reason not to accept. She didn't think Sakura would have either the desire or the ability to enforce obedience, and her loyalty was not in question.
"I accept those terms", Rider said with a smile.
Yowling in fury, the berserker dropped his appropriated street sign for a moment to grip his stolen car with both hands, lifting it up over his head before hurling it at the man hovering above the hospital roof. It made a poor throwing weapon, but his strength and skill made up the difference, and 1,400 kilograms of super-empowered modern transportation flew towards the magician like a blast from a cannon.Faust watched as the berserker lifted the car over his head, with growing concern. Oh hell, he’s going to throw it! Before he could begin to dodge, the enormous car was rapidly approaching his position. He threw himself out of the way, desperately trying to escape the kill zone. I’m not going to make it!
Just before the car had been thrown, the Shield Concepts had been ready, and Adjutor was able to track the car after Lancelot threw it.Faust watched with surprise and relief as the car was deflected by the shield. That could have killed me
With another Focus word, Adjutor launched a Concept Shield at the thrown car, accounting for the car's movement speed in relation to the Shield's easily enough and blasting it out of the general area just before it would've hit Faust.
This time, Adjutor simply pulsed the Building Shield, rapidly extending it out a meter from the building before letting it snap back into place, throwing the mad knight off the building.As he watched the berserker get thrown off by the pulsation of the shield,after a sigh, he called out to the Adjutor. “I thank you again, that was extremely close.” He stood up once more, and prepared to fire off another volley of spells.
The lord of the castle motioned for Wiseman to come closer, and gave him instructions in a clear, powerful voice. "I have decided. You will be brought into my service, 'Wiseman', and your payment shall be as you have named. There is not much shortage of wealth, here... in the meantime, I would have you given room and board. Butler," Vlad called over to his loyal servant. "Show our newest member to the large room on the lower floor, next to the workshop. I believe he will find the location to his liking."
Sarse's lips enclosed her fingers, and he sucked on the taste of her. The angel grabbed her hand and ran his tongue over her skin, cleaning her fingers one by one. His other hand slid up her leg to her waist, pulling their bodies together as he rained light kisses between her fingers, and then down her palm.
Death having such an attractive form was a strange proposition. Even then, it wasn't as if celestials were so easily attracted to flesh. But beautiful things were beautiful - and Ann's ministrations had sparked his memories of how this sort of intimacy could feel. So he would return the sensations, to the best of his ability.
The hand at the waist trailed back down again, tracing the curves of her ass and grabbing a firm handful. Their bodies were glued together, Sarse's still hardening length pressed against her. His mouth passed Ann's wrist and laid touches along her arm, before he dove at her neck again, nibbling down to her breasts.
As soon as Sakura finished speaking, Rider saw the magic circle flare up, before vanishing. Shortly after, she felt prana flowing into her, regenerating her depleted supply.Sakura snuggled up close to Rider, tightly wrapping her arms around her. She buried her face in Rider’s shoulder, breathing softly. Sakura continued standing there for about a minute, softly humming to herself. She began absentmindedly playing with Rider’s hair, but after a while she began to notice the sounds of battle outside again. She slowly stood up, and disengaged the hug.
“It worked!” exclaimed Sakura, happily, before running towards her and grabbing her into a hug, which Rider happily returned.
"It worked”, repeated Sakura, the relief clear in her voice.
"Yes, master, it did. I can feel my prana supplies replenishing", said Rider, happily, still holding Sakura tightly in her arms.
She was still not certain if making this contract would cause problems in the future, but seeing the smile on the face of the girl in her arms made her certain she'd made the right decision. The girl had obviously been through a lot, being cut off from everyone she'd ever known and loved, and if Rider could give her back even a small part of the happiness she'd once known, then she would do everything in her power to do so.
LANCELOT
Something invisible rammed into the black knight, again. The former knight of the lake had his flight path rudely diverted from vertical to horizontal, and he fell the long distance to the ground a short distance from the hospital. Twisting his body in midair, he landed on his feet, legs bending to absorb the impact as the asphalt cracked and threatened to buckle beneath him.
A man stood right in front of the lobby doors, in the process of encasing himself in armor. Even driven mad by the curse of his former Servant class, he recognized that this person was preparing himself for combat. Interpreting the motion as a challenge to combat, the berserker answered with a roar and charged at his new foe. In a matter of seconds he rapidly closed on the armored man and made to cut him down with a sequence of four brutal yet oddly precise swings, each only an instant after the one before it.
Rebeca
“Ya, I would be happy to show you the way, it’s not too far from here.” She gave a perfect fake smile, internally yelling at herself for her screw up.
She really should get used to interacting with people again.
“So you got a car or something? Or we walking?”
“Greetings, girl. What can you tell a passing traveler about this city?” Upon coming closer it became clear the girl’s strange clothes were a bit dirty. Perhaps she was a farmer, or a miner?
"Here you have it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must finish cleaning the hall and the throne room. I will return later so we can acquaint ourselves better." Butler said, inclining his head.
Forest
Forest stood up as well and said, "Come on, we can get you to Saber and then we can get you something good to eat."
She frowned at the rags the girl was wearing and said, "And then a bath and some better clothing." She held out her hand for Mia to take as well.
She sent to Law, Please don't look at her or even say anything to her. Cornfield a high possibility.
One could notice a tint of hesitation in human like eyes of the other two briarwolves. It was only a matter of time until one of their pack members bled out on the ground. They started retreating, possibly returning next time in larger numbers. Mordred approached the dying one and delivered a mercy kill by stabbing it in head "I hate those mongrels" Her spear got stained with blood "I will have to clean it when I get back". Now, it was time to check out what kind of Goblin Fruits grew there.
"Caster, you attacked me. I never made a single aggressive move towards you or Sakura, all I ever did was attempt to prevent you harming Sakura. I understand why you acted as you did, I would have done much the same if I were in your position, but you cannot blame me for a fight you started.”
As for me being a 'threat', I have lived with and protected the Sakura in my world for over 30 years. This Sakura is not quite the same, but she is just as deserving of love and protection as the one I know. I accepted Sakura's offer of a contract because I know she wants and needs me to be here for her and because I care for her and wish to protect her in every way possible, nothing more. If you care for Sakura at all, you will respect her decision.
I will never harm Sakura. I would die before I allowed Sakura to come to any harm. I would do literally anything to prevent Sakura being harmed", she said, her anger at Caster's attempt to force Sakura to act according to his wishes and not her own clear.
Saber felt her face fell as Shirou cut their conversation short and she exchanged a few words with Forest."Yeah, probably a good idea," said Rin, her face somewhat flushed. She wasn't exactly dressed the best for the weather. She suddenly regretted not choosing to wear her school uniform and red long coat instead of her usual outfit. With that, she followed Saber, a certain wand following close behind, still out of arm's reach.
"I think I'm out of my wheelhouse. She's special." Special as in the child is not human.
Saber nodded and said, "I see." The vampire was being cautious. "Well, please bring Shirou and the child here."
"Will do," Forest said, "See you hopefully soon."
Saber ended the call and looked at Rin. She said, "We do not need to do anything. They are coming here, but let us get you inside. You are probably freezing and I would not want you to catch a cold."
"Not to mention one of my companions might be getting cross," Saber admitted, gesturing to the building."Well, we wouldn't want to keep them waiting, would we?" said Rin with a smile. "Lead the way."
"I am sorry, Sakura. I did not mean to make you suffer like this", Rider said, the sadness, guilt and concern clear in her voice. "In the future, I will keep this in mind when I consider when to use my abilities."
"Caster, what else would you have had me do? Leave us there to get shot at?", she said, angrily.
"I hate seeing Sakura suffer like this, but I would rather this than her having a hole like the one through Pegasus' wing in her chest", she continued, more softly, her concern for Sakura and guilt clear in the way she spoke.
"Caster, what else would you have had me do? Leave us there to get shot at?", she said, angrily.
"I hate seeing Sakura suffer like this, but I would rather this than her having a hole like the one through Pegasus' wing in her chest"
“That man wouldn’t hurt me, Rider, don’t worry.” Sakura said in a barely audible whisper. “He would never do that, I promise...” She then wrapped her legs around Rider, “Rider, take me home, I’m tired. Goodnight, Rider.”
EMIYA SHIROU
A self-depreciating sneer formed on the archer’s face as Lawrence tried to talk his way around the fact that he thought his passenger was a murderous vigilante. Shirou generally didn’t interact with the common people he so often fought to save, but this wasn’t the first time he had inspired such a reaction. Even Luvia had been concerned for him. Tohsaka had yelled at him a few times for not looking after himself, but after his hair started greying, the few times they met she never spoke much and her expression was always distant.
“I fight to save people,” he said, his brow creasing as he concentrated on pronouncing the English words properly. He wished Luvia was around for him to practice with, for all her teasing she rarely laughed at his struggle to learn the confusing language. The first time he had visited and English speaking country the locals either found his speech hilarious or incomprehensible.
Shirou declined the offer of a drink as well as he watched the city’s nighttime lights pass by in the window. Alcohol was a taste he had no interest in acquiring.
"THAT'S RIGHT, YOU MOTHERS! RUN!" Puck howled as he swung around his chestnut burr furiously into the empty space.
This girl wasn't quite bad at all. She could surely give Guts quite a bit of a challenge herself.
"You're not quite bad yourself, kiddo."
"Ah. so you're very into this 'date'?" Ann's arm wrapped around the angel as she slowly made her way towards the store. "I'm afraid you'll have to choose for me or I just might buy everything."
"Is the Property of Ann really necessary?"
She went up to Henry and said, "This is Tohsaka Rin. She is an acquaintance of mine and a magus of renown. She maybe able to assist us."
"Detective Henry Barthow, Miss Tohsaka." He said to Rin, extending his hand to her with a professional almost-smile.Rin couldn't help but feel pride and warmth blossom in her at Saber referring to her as "a magus of renown." It took her some effort to keep from grinning. ...Though looking at the Detective, that made it a bit easier. He seemed wary of her, but he was being friendly enough for now, so...
Saber gestured to the blood and the dead boy. She asked, "Do you have any ideas on what could have done this, Rin?"Rin's smile was wiped clear off her face. Grimly, she looked over at the corpse and the puddles of blood spatter. She could feel some blood draining from her face, but... well, she had seen death before, thanks to the Grail War. She'd manage.
Grenth
As flames from the explosion flickered over the wall, Grenth stood up. He was panting heavily.
“I am incredibly,” He took a breath in the middle of the sentence, “out of practice it seems.” He finished, panting some more.
It had been a long time since he had created that much ice infused with that much power. The ice would remain for some time. He felt the power of the beast dissipated, death having reached him.
He sent out a mental command to his minions in the sewers, to bring his body to his basement. There he would draw back the soul of the monster and make it suffer its punishment. But for now he did not have the energy or desire to do such a thing.
his armor dissipating in place of his peacoat and fedora, his cane being appear in his right hand has it tapped the ground, "Well, that was a bother."
He looked over to the swordsmen,“Hypothermia?" He asked calmly, the signs were obvious due to Grenth with his extensive medical knowledge. "Hmm, shall we fix that?" he did not wait for affirmation and simply waved his hand at Time.
The curse Grenth just cast was suppose to cause someone's blood to heat up and start boiling, a rather painful way to die. But Grenth adjusted it, putting in only enough to keep his body at normal temperatures.
So when the curse hit Time, rather then causing an agonizing death, it instead began to warm to its normal temperature. Protecting him from the effects of the cold while also making sure to not put his body from into shock due to a sudden change in temperature.
It should dissipate once the man arrived in more favorable conditions.
You sure bark louder than your size. Don't call me a kiddo, you flying chihuahua." she argued with the small but annoying hob, but maybe that was for her good. Engaged in 'small talk' like that, she did not have time to mope over her 'loss' against the mad warrior and her flight. Also she did vent off her frustration on those Briarwolves.
She harvested 10 Goblin Fruits, two Amaranthines, two Coupnettles, six Buggleworths before they heard howls again. "I bloody knew it..."
AnnI have a bad feeling about this
A look of bemusement crossed Death's face as the car came to a halt barely an inch away from her. She paid no heed to the truck that was waiting behind the car but she did grant the serious looking boy who had moved out of the car a single wink before returning her attention to the driver.
Ann's gaze drifted from the brown haired man to the not quite spirit near him. Its eyes almost appeared as if they were gouged out, blood poured from its chest, and its hair had the same color as the liquid that poured from the entity's chest. Her grey eyes focused on the being of death and a smile crept up her features. She broadcasted a mental message that would be interpreted as, "I can see you. Both of you. It would be easier for all of us if you stepped out of the vehicle."
She moved back a bit so he could open the door and waited for the man with brown hair to come out.
"Hey, aren't you suppose to be a cute Goth girl?"
"The hell is your problem!? I almost hit you!"
"Rin, could you perhaps try to track him with thaumaturgy?"Rin frowned. "Since they didn't leave any trace of prana, I can't make any guarantees. But I'll try. I'd make sure your forensics people or whatever you call them to look it over first though. There's a chance I could disrupt something."
"Or you, do you not have sorcery of your own?"
"I think I shall stay and watch over her. I am sure she has some books that will be interesting to read", she said, quietly, so as not to wake Sakura.
"Before you leave, though, your previous comment about seeing Sakura's dreams has made me curious. What exactly do you know of her past?", she added.
AKIHOLARME"Well, that's awful nice of her," I say while giving a quick look to Rebecca. She looked... somehow deflated. "Though, I couldn't tell you where to find a bike shop. I'm a little new around these parts myself."
His name is Donkey? The dragonborn’s mouth twitched in amusement and she had to suppress the urge to refer to the dark skinned man as Ass instead.
“Ah, I assume you to be Rebeca’s other companion. Call me Aki. I am new to these parts and your friend has offered to let me travel with her for the moment,” she said while giving him a nod in greeting. His clothes, while odd, were just as strange and colorful as everyone else’s she had seen thus far. What truly caught her attention was the odd device he had been riding on. Its shape reminded her a little bit of the grinding wheels used by the weapon smiths she once frequented. “Interesting, it appears that the Nexus has no need for horses. I could find use from such a device.”
The "young" woman was silent as the four approached.
Drusilla skipped in front of her and said, "Lost your way from home, dearie? We are Kindred, but not clan." Then she chuckled and sort of pirouetted back to Spike.
Spike lit a cigarette and said, "Welcome to Nexus, a real, right cesspool."
"A hive of scum and villainy," Buffy chimed in with a grin.
Angelus smiled, all devilish Black Irish Charm. "For your sake, you'd better not be one of those annoying as hell do-gooder vampires with a hero complex."
"If she is, I can take care of that," Buffy said with a grin, green eyes glinting savagely, "I was a Slayer after all."
RinQuote from: Saber"Rin, could you perhaps try to track him with thaumaturgy?"Rin frowned. "Since they didn't leave any trace of prana, I can't make any guarantees. But I'll try. I'd make sure your forensics people or whatever you call them to look it over first though. There's a chance I could disrupt something."
Saber turned to another man. One that Rin hadn't noticed before, odd.Quote"Or you, do you not have sorcery of your own?"
"Whoever you are, if you do have magic that can somehow track from the pools of blood or something like that, that'd be useful. Not that I have any idea who you are or what you can do, soooo..."
"What are you doing here? How the hell did you get in?" she asked, angered and shocked by his intrusion.
"There's more of them, so better keep up!"
Mordred ran as fast she could in hopes to get away from the place. All she had to do was to follow the country road. It most likely lead to another place in the city, so she hoped there would not be any nasty surprise awaiting her wherever she ended up.
David
The dream that lived took in his surrounding on the park bench he sat on. It was exceptionally quiet except for the sounds of insects and the movement caused by the occasional person. The moon and stars Next to him was his two other 'siblings'. A woman with skin that was the color of snow and bright golden eyes. She was dressed in golden silks that looked as if they had been crafted by a master of the art and it was decorated with multiple patterns that spiraled around the dress. Her every movement was filled with extraordinary grace and her laughter was beautiful. A sharp laugh filled with so much happiness and joy that the world seemed so much more pale and cold without it. The Joyous laid on the bench on her back and her head rested in David's lap and continued to giggle and laugh at absolutely nothing at all.
To his right sat The Scholarly, clothed in a nondescript grey robe. He looked considerably more old than the other two on the bench and his posture was straight as his hands fiddled with books and artifacts. His eyes drifting across entire pages in mere instances as he memorized the information and categorized them. Compared to the carefree playfulness of his sister or the calm easygoing attitude of his brother the aged man was in a constant state of motion as he finished the books and quickly moved onto other distractions. A ring, a small medal rod, a medallion, a small bundle of ethereal cloth, and countless other objects that The Scholarly fiddled with before it stopped and began to speak to its brother.
David raised a single eyebrow from his position as his brother spoke with the voice of a fire, and a sound not unlike the crackling of a flame was released from the aged man's mouth. He quickly responded and said, "I don't think we're wasting time at all, Brother. You should learn to relax more often. We rarely get to do so after all."
A disgruntled look overtook the elder's face but The Scholarly simply resumed his activities. It was the truth after all, and while they certainly weren't well known protectors they had established a small reputation. It wasn't something that The Scholarly or The Joyous would normally do, but he had asked it of them, and how could such inferior illusions ever disobey the dream that was the closest to their creator's heart and mind. Even if they did not wish to obey they would be unable to stop their bodies from carrying out his commands.
So they fought at his behest, and ever so slowly rumors began to arise. Of a stunning woman dressed in the finest cloth who butchered her enemies and gleefully tortured them in a myriad of ways, an old man with a bow who could fire arrows capable of hitting the supernaturals who roamed the streets and turned his victims into living compendiums, and of a young man dressed in black and red who simply watched impassively as this all occurred.
While The Joyous found these rumors to be incredibly enjoyable and The Scholarly did not care in the slightest David himself did find them a bit annoying. Rumors and a reputation would not help him until they had grown to the point where him mentioning it would send the lesser supernaturals scurrying away, and he had a long way to go before ever reaching that. Right now all it would get him was unwanted attention at best. But this was no the time for these thoughts. He would worry about the consequences of his actions later. All he wanted to do right now was nap, and so he did. So under the sky of a foreign world David slept.
"Sorcerer," he calls out, absorbing the tendrils with Tyrfing, breaking the spells down and consuming the prana constructing them, "Honestly, I feel I am owed yet another explanation. I can understand your hostility towards some unidentified intruder appearing in your manor, but I wasn't intending for this to happen. It's just that I can never tell exactly where I'm going to end up sometimes."
"Caster, he's not a threat to Sakura, why waste mana and risk our lives trying to kill him?" she said, hoping he would recall their master's current state and act accordingly.
AnnLaw swallowed. She was looking at him. It was like she was some kind of scientist, eyeing him like some sort of specimen to cut up and put on his table. Her interest in him was beyond creepy for him. It was obvious to Law she was playing with him.
As Ann waited for the man to exit the vehicle another thing caught her attention. A blonde woman with striking eyes who was not alive. Her soul was still bound to its body in a way that stopped her from casually ripping it out but the woman was most definitely dead. Or at least her body was."Hey, aren't you suppose to be a cute Goth girl?"
Ann gave a small smirk at the question and for an instant her gaze shifted towards the undead woman. "I can be many things to many people but I'm sure I can find out what I will be to you later." Her voice was filled with amusement as she spoke until her attention was once more devoted towards the curiosity as he spoke."The hell is your problem!? I almost hit you!"
"Considering that my injuries would have been minimal at best I feel that it was a very good solution. But now you and I need to have a nice chat, Little Death." There was a tinge of seriousness in her voice but for the most part an entertained tone was predominant.
AnnLawrence froze like a deer in the headlights.
"Oh, I'm afraid I'm too impatient to wait." With that said Ann simply began to crawl into the car through the window, and in a few moments she had pulled herself in and began to shift around until she was on Law's lap. She spent a few more moment making herself comfortable before rolling up the window.
A hand reached out and gripped Law's chin and began to hold it in place so he couldn't look away from her. "I'm afraid I can't let you leave until I know everything I want from both of you, Little Death. You may start at the beginning."
Saber took a deep breath and opened her phone. "She should have been here by now."
Sakura!
Sakura, what’s wrong? What happened?
Are you OK, Sakura?
The man who helped us at the hospital decided to break into the house, first through your room and now he’s in my workshop.
What happened now?
"I didn't sneak in, that's just how I get around when I'm in a hurry. I was aiming for the front door, but I didn't feel like bothering with the familiars, and it seems like I overshot a little," Adjutor admits, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. Then he notes the vial thrown at him, snatching it out of the air with another tendril from the Armogarians and sealing it inside a wind-based isolation field created with Valmanway. Putting the vial down, Adjutor quickly scans for more familiars before relaxing slightly, pointing his weapons towards the floor.
"In any case, it's fairly clear you were chased off, so I thought it would be best if I got here in a way that couldn't be tracked, but, again, I seem to have overshot a little."
Yes, I’m fine. I just fell down. What’s going on downstairs? What’s wrong?
Wha-
The Driver's mad grin flashed from the corner of his eye as he stared into the girl's eyes. "Well... I died. Sort of. Junkie stabbed me a couple of times and then the cabbie pulled out some slavshit pistol from when he was in the KGB or whatever he was in and busted a few rounds loose into him and a few blew through him into me... it hurt. A lot. I was pretty drunk at the time though."
Law shrugged slightly. "So yeah. I came back. Somehow. Now please get off my lap. Please. It's been a long time since I've gotten any if you know what I mean and this is awkward as shit enough already OK?" His babble started to become panicky towards the end.
"I should have expected others like me would find way through Hedge to this weird city. I am Mordred of Summer Court, a member of the Legion of the Iron Wall. There is no freehold here, but don't worry about that, I'm familiar enough with the place to show you the ropes"
"Pardon me. I have brought the tea."
That idiot from the hospital decided to just appear in the middle of Caster's workshop for some bizarre reason, and Caster decided that he obviously had to violate the guy with his tentacles and imps for that transgression, Rider responded, clearly irritated at both of their actions.
After a harrowing escape from Briarwolves Mordred reached the end of Trod. It lead to the other side of the park in which she entered the Hedge. Honestly, she expected to end up in more distant place, but she was glad that she ended up where she ended up. With Briarwolves losing her track, she was safe from the pursuit.
Walking in the park she stumbled on three individuals. The woman resembled one of Fairest, and the four armed man could be also a Changeling, though she could not readily classify to what Seeming he belonged. The man napping on the bench was clearly a mortal. Mordred suspected they could harvest Glamour from his dreams, but she doubt they could tamper with his dreams in harmful way as his sleep was peaceful. She found it appropriate to introduce herself to those two: "I should have expected others like me would find way through Hedge to this weird city. I am Mordred of Summer Court, a member of the Legion of the Iron Wall. There is no freehold here, but don't worry about that, I'm familiar enough with the place to show you the ropes" Mordred was somewhat happy she was not the only Changeling in this city and she felt obliged to help those of her kind given the dangers of the city.
"I'm David and these two are my siblings. I don't know what you're talking about,but this 'Hedge' sound very interesting. You arrived here through it?" As David moved to greet the stranger The Joyous rose from her position and ignored Mordred and instead looked towards the small creature that floated around the woman. It let out a small giggle before a clawed hand reached out to rip the wings off of what was presumably a fairy as The Scholarly watched the whole exchange with keen interest.
"I'm not sure what Caster is doing. He seems to be taking our unwanted guest somewhere, although I do not know where. Possibly he is showing him the correct way to enter and leave a building, but I am not certain and, honestly, nor do I care. That idiot made it clear that he has no intention of harming you, if Caster insists on punishing his idiocy despite that assurance then he is on his own. Your welfare is far more important than the sanctity of Caster's workshop", she said, still somewhat irritated.
"Now, you should get back to sleep. You are obviously still in need of rest, and Caster seems to have stopped throwing spells around at least", Rider added, smiling despite her annoyance, in an attempt to make Sakura feel better.
Adjutor reconsiders the situation, then decides to accede to it.“We were attacked by a strange man who shot spears of light at Rider. He maimed her horse. Now, I’m sorry to say, but it’s late, and you’ve caused quite a disturbance. Have a good night.”
"Of course," he says, stepping over the threshold and out of the building proper, "My apologies for Xarrest's behavior. May I be so bold as to ask why you were chased from the Hospital?"
David
While The Joyous was too busy giggling and laughing at meaningless things to care about the blonde woman that approached them, The Scholarly had noticed the newcomer in an instant. His ancient eyes narrowed as one of his hands picked up his expertly crafted bow and another one shook the sleeping redhead awake. David's eyes opened to see the casually dressed woman as she began to speak.
Quote
"I should have expected others like me would find way through Hedge to this weird city. I am Mordred of Summer Court, a member of the Legion of the Iron Wall. There is no freehold here, but don't worry about that, I'm familiar enough with the place to show you the ropes"
David let out a small chuckle at the newcomer's talk. "I'm afraid that you have the wrong idea." He removed The Joyous' head from his lap and stood up to his full height.
"I'm David and these two are my siblings. I don't know what you're talking about, but this 'Hedge' sound very interesting. You arrived here through it?" As David moved to greet the stranger The Joyous rose from her position and ignored Mordred and instead looked towards the small creature that floated around the woman. It let out a small giggle before a clawed hand reached out to rip the wings off of what was presumably a fairy as The Scholarly watched the whole exchange with keen interest.
The Fanged Foursome
Buffy made a sound that was somewhere between a snort and a laugh. She asked, "Poaching? Did she just really say 'poaching'? Who the hell uses that word anymore."
"Poachers," Spike replied with a tiny smirk as he took a draw off his cigarette.
The blond former-cheerleader stared at the Brit before busting out into full out giggles.
Drusilla, picking up on the mood decided to giggle with her.
Angelus ignored his giggling bitches and turned back to Deborah. "Well this is Nexus City. Any and everything does happen. Killing vampires is . . . well this ugly old man said it wasn't something to be taken lightly, but I didn't like him much. And she killed him," he gestured his head to Buffy, who had sobered up slightly.
Spike flicked the stub of his cigarette and said, "So love, are you just that lonely and wanting to find others of your kind?"
"Lost little lamb," Dru said with a more than a little disturbing smile.
Tar
Henry was all fine and good with more weird terminology being thrown around, but with all of it they weren't any closer to actual insight about the crime. So how the situation stood was far more people in a recent crime scene than there was any right to be, pretty much throwing haphazard suppositions while waiting for a recommended expert (or at least someone who in all likelihood wasn't as much in over her head, but in Nexus City you never knew). The japanese magus was one thing, since Saber had asked her in, but the investigative official of an authority from a different world who did not have much to add and had invited himself in was another.
The less people to muck up the place, the better. And they were expecting more to come still, so it would be for the best if the area was vacated of who it was reasonable. So Henry Bartow roughly 'ahem'-d into his hand, calling Grendel's attention before speaking.
"Well, mister Grendel, your opinion on the subject is much appreciated and will be taken into consideration, but", he flashed him a crooked professional smile, "We are still analyzing the crime scene so I'll have you leave now."
Almost exaggeratedly, he gave the man's back an encouraging slap to move on.
"Ask one of the officers to direct you to the police station or the closest hotel on the way out. If you're new here it's better if you settle down for the night or ask for more information."
“We were attacked by a strange man who shot spears of light at Rider. He maimed her horse. Now, I’m sorry to say, but it’s late, and you’ve caused quite a disturbance. Have a good night.”
Faust shut the door, and made his way back up the stairs, intending on checking on Sakura.
“Thank you Rider!” Sakura said with as much cheer as she could muster. “I think I can change on my own just fine, good night!”
“Rider, before you leave, I have an order for you. Make friends with Caster, ok? He’s a good guy.”
As she left the room, Rider saw Caster heading towards it.
“Oh! Rider I was expecting you to be in there. I guess Sakura is safely back in bed then. She wasn’t hurt, was she?” He said, looking concerned. “Nothing bad happened to her?”
Rider shook her head.
"No, she's fine. She was just too exhausted to stand, so I helped her up, explained the situation and got her pyjamas for her. She's just getting changed, then she'll get back to bed", she said.
"Anyway, I assume you showed our uninvited 'guest' the correct way to exit a house. Sakura asked me to try to be friends with you, and I intend to do my best to fulfill her wishes. I ask that you please do the same.
Also, in future, please refrain from attacking everyone who seems like they might possibly be a threat. I understand your desire to be cautious, but it could drag us into unnecessary fights that could put Sakura in further danger, and even had Adjutor turned out to be a threat I do not think he could defeat the two of us working together", Rider added. "Plus, how do you think Sakura would have felt if you had killed the idiot? Whatever your justification, Sakura still cares about people, she wouldn't be happy to see someone die unnecessarily."
“We may depart at your leisure,” the armored woman said, looking at Rebeca through her visor.
“Hey, what’s going on here? I’d rather not have to break up a fight.” Ibarra gave everyone present a quick look before continuing. “I’ve gotten reports about dimensional shifts in this area recently. Would any of you happen to know anything about that?”
After a few minutes and literally going through multiple office buildings, skyscrapers, gas stations, cars, and a quaint little home Ann noticed the man standing on top of a relatively low rooftop looking directly at her. She paused and turned to face the lightly armored man and simply waved at him before calling out and saying, "It is rude to follow a lady around without even bothering to introduce yourself."He had caught up to the Black-magic user using his innate speed, skill, and stamina for climbing, a boon of being a half-elf. He knew better than to be fooled by appearances when Black mages were involved: appearances can be deceiving and Dimir loved to use Shapeshifters. However, he did not expect to find someone so apparently cheerful. The only cheer he had known Black mages to derive from was through sadism.
Her cloak lengthened and stretched to form a chair which she readily sat in as she watched the man."It may not be called Black magic here or where you are from, but I recognize supernatural decaying when I feel it. 'Black mage' tends to be better received than 'Rot mage', I would imagine." Her expression annoyed him but he schooled his features, undoubtedly some of his emotions still visible in his amber eyes. "As for 'stalking young women', no, it is most certainly not a habit, let alone something I've done before. I've learned that finding the source of blatant uses of such...power, shall we say, is something to be investigated and cautious of."
"I'm afraid that what I do is a bit different from magic, Than'Sanel. I am Ann, and now that we're aquianted is stalking young woman in cities something you've made a habit of doing or is there a better reason for why you've followed me?" As she said all of this Ann had a mocking expression plastered across her face.
David
David shook his head at The Joyous' actions and with a wave of his hand she ceased to move and a wagging of his finger the Lesser Dream was jerked back towards him like a puppet whose strings had been pulled. "You know better than to assault people for no reason by now, Little Sister. Especially strangers who have yet to even harm you. My apologies for my sister's conduct."
The Joyous pouted for a bit at her position back next to David before it shifted back into a smile and she stood there eagerly. Then David's gaze drifted over to the latest arrival to this little gathering.
Quote from: Kaze on December 20, 2014, 03:44:57 AM
“Hey, what’s going on here? I’d rather not have to break up a fight.” Ibarra gave everyone present a quick look before continuing. “I’ve gotten reports about dimensional shifts in this area recently. Would any of you happen to know anything about that?”
"I would be perfectly willing to help if I knew your name, Mr.? As he said this The Scholarly stood up and handed David the staff that had been leaning on the bench and readied his own bow just in case.
Rider smiled.We're talking in circles, might as well drop the topic for now, nothing's coming from it.
"I never said your spells could not damage me, I said that it would damage me less than most. My Magic Resistance may not be quite strong enough to withstand your magic entirely, but it does weaken the effect somewhat. Only your stronger spells would cause me serious harm. And, of course Sakura would not wish for you to attack me, but I was not suggesting that. I was simply pointing out that, if you have no choice but to attack the enemy when I am in the firing line, the attack will likely do considerably more damage to them than it would to me. Obviously Sakura would hate to see either of us harmed but, in a battle, it is better that I get injured than that we all end up dead...", she said as she followed him into the library.
"As for what books I like, I will read almost anything. I'm not generally interested in books about mythology, though, although I do enjoy fiction based on it, and I've even written some of my own. I know all of the stories from my status as a Heroic Spirit, and most of the so-called heroes are not very heroic in any case...", she added.
The Joyous pouted for a bit at her position back next to David before it shifted back into a smile and she stood there eagerly. Then David's gaze drifted over to the latest arrival to this little gathering.
“Hey, what’s going on here? I’d rather not have to break up a fight.” Ibarra gave everyone present a quick look before continuing. “I’ve gotten reports about dimensional shifts in this area recently. Would any of you happen to know anything about that?”
I honestly don't know what is going here, but I don't like you are already brandishing weapons just because somebody asks around. I'm in bad mood already, and I'm willing to take it out on whoever starts the fight"
“Call me Ibarra,” the soldier said with a slight Mexican accent, his eyes narrowing as the two men armed themselves. His right hand drifted toward his sidearm, an M1911 pistol, but didn’t draw it, knowing that doing so might provoke a conflict.
Sure enough, the blond woman with the fairy voiced her displeasure at the thick tension, making known her intent to shut down whoever started a fight. She had a spear on her back, but had yet to make a move to draw it. Hopefully she wouldn't feel the need to.
“I’m not interested in a fight, I just want to ask a few questions, are we cool?” Ibarra looked at the man with the staff, the man with the bow, and the woman in turn. “Now, I’ve received reports of two spatial distortions in the vicinity of this park in the past hour. Can any of you tell me about them?”
"Mordred? Which one of you would that be?" Ibarra asked in confusion. The two men didn't seem to be refering to themselves, and that wasn't a name he would normally associate with a woman. Looking among the group, he realized that there was actually one more male he'd forgotten about. "Would that be you?" he asked the fairy flitting about in a cop uniform.
SAMUEL IBARRA
"Mordred? Which one of you would that be?" Ibarra asked in confusion. The two men didn't seem to be refering to themselves, and that wasn't a name he would normally associate with a woman. Looking among the group, he realized that there was actually one more male he'd forgotten about. "Would that be you?" he asked the fairy flitting about in a cop uniform.
"It's me, not that small hob!" she protested before that critter could say anything embarassing "I know the name sounds odd, but that's how it is." she insisted on not elaborating further why she got that name. She neither wanted to reveal what she is nor tell about her past in company a stranger. She spilled enough beans in front of whom she mistook for her own kind.
"Dearie, you have no idea what delusional and insane is."
We're talking in circles, might as well drop the topic for now, nothing's coming from it.
"You like fiction in general? Well, that will certantly make it easier for us to find you a book, won't it?"
"Would you like me get you some or just browse the shelves on your own?"
"If you want information, on the other hand, there's no need to be so rough," he says, preparing himself to summon Tyrfing and Rahab, if he has to, while also prepping a Shield Concept, just in case, "I can't promise I'll know what you want to know, however; I've yet to establish a proper intel network."Intel network? A spy, then. Her hands kept a firm grip on the man, not loosing up in the slightest.
"If you want information, on the other hand, there's no need to be so rough," he says, preparing himself to summon Tyrfing and Rahab, if he has to, while also prepping a Shield Concept, just in case, "I can't promise I'll know what you want to know, however; I've yet to establish a proper intel network."Intel network? A spy, then. Her hands kept a firm grip on the man, not loosing up in the slightest.
"To whom have you sworn fealty to, Mage?" Elyssa's robotic, yet feminine, voice demanded through a series of speakers.
"Oh she's a nerd then," Buffy said with a snort, instantly turning away.
Angelus smirked and replied, "Come on now Buff. It's always good to learn new things."
"Not if its boring," she said with a grin.
Spike lit another cigarette and asked, "So love, what are you researching? Doing some field work and whatnot."
"She met her," Drusilla said, her blue eyes growing wide and unseeing. "Grandmother's murderer. She met her. Thinks she's delusional and insane."
Dru then laughed, her gaze clearing as she met Deborah's eyes. "Dearie, you have no idea what delusional and insane is."
She nodded and said, "She is an acquaintance of mine and one of the protectors of Nexus City. I will warn you she may appear . . . stressed and any sarcasm or snide remarks are not directed at you. That is just how she deals with things. Reminiscent of Archer, but less abrasive at first."There was a bit of sadness in Rin's features at the mention of her former Servant's name. Not that she entirely understood why. It wasn't like she was angry at the selfishly selfless asshole for sacrificing his life and arm so Emiya-kun could be happy with Sakura. It's not like she missed him or anything. Or his tea. Or how he cleaned the house. Or his snide remarks. Or how he made that house that didn't let anyone in or out feel a bit less lonely.
“Oh, sorry ma’am,” Ibarra said, trying to smooth over any ruffled feathers. “And I don’t have a problem with these ‘wormholes’ or whatever they actually are, Puck. I’m just tasked with getting as much information as possible on them. The higher-ups in my division think it could be useful. If you were in around the same place as the anomalies, is there anything you can tell me about them, Mordred?”
“I guess we can head to Port Manor Road… Might take a bit of time though, it’s not like we have a bike like you.” Rebeca shrugged, “So I guess we’re walking.”The bike lust begins, I can see it in her eyes, her face, her nose. She desires it, but I won't allow it. She will not take my precious from me.
She then began to walk down the street, “Come on, I will try and tell you more about the city on the way.”
The Fanged Foursome
Buffy rolled her eyes at the vampire's statement about being "God's monsters."
"Look we're demons. Demons took up shop in our dead bodies and have our personalities and memories. We're not God's Monsters," the blond said, rolling her eyes.
Angelus tilted his head and said, "God's Monster. Bringing destruction, pain and death for a higher power. Now I really don't like taking orders, I mean really don't like taking orders . . . But I prefer blaspheme and defiling His name."
"Angelus was Irish Catholic and has daddy issues," Spike whispered to Deborah, "So he has to make a bit of a show of everything."
Drusilla pouted and said, "Daddy, she didn't say anything about meeting the monster who killed Grandmother." She moved to Angelus and gripped his lapels, her dark-blue eyes unfocused.
Spike frowned and then moved to Deborah. Buffy asked, "So, did you run into any other vamps before meeting us?"
EMIYA SHIROU
Shirou merely sighed, deciding it would be best to not question Law’s sudden need for booze while Forest yelled at the other cars to drive around.
“That is enough Mia. Ride with Forest,” Shirou said in his simple English, frowning down at the young girl. He remembered how much Illya would have benefited from learning to respect her elders... not that he actually was her elder, but still.
The freelancer popped the door open and sat himself in the driver’s seat, taking a moment to familiarize himself with the gearshift and pedals. He was no stranger to driving, although he had never owned a car of his own. He traveled across oceans far too often for that. Carefully bringing the Firebird back within its lane, Shirou waited for the blond vampire to pull in front for him to follow.
"Feigning ignorance will not help you, mage," Elyssa stated, "You will come with me, and you shall answer what I ask."
The Warmonger then hefted up the man while flooding the Gate Rune with mana. The ease pf phasing through barriers depends entirely on the wall's densit and thickness; the concrete walls of the building, while not hard exactly, will require some work.
With that, Elyssa approached the building's exterior, captive in hand...
EMIYA SHIROU
Shirou merely sighed, deciding it would be best to not question Law’s sudden need for booze while Forest yelled at the other cars to drive around.
“That is enough Mia. Ride with Forest,” Shirou said in his simple English, frowning down at the young girl. He remembered how much Illya would have benefited from learning to respect her elders... not that he actually was her elder, but still.
The freelancer popped the door open and sat himself in the driver’s seat, taking a moment to familiarize himself with the gearshift and pedals. He was no stranger to driving, although he had never owned a car of his own. He traveled across oceans far too often for that. Carefully bringing the Firebird back within its lane, Shirou waited for the blond vampire to pull in front for him to follow.
Watching Forest's Camero pull out, Lawrence took another deep draft of rum. The burn of alcohol helped distract him from the chill of the air. "You want some?" He proffered the bottle to Shirou, in another gesture of goodwill. In reality, he wanted to down the whole thing.
I'm surprised you turned down sex with Death herself.
I'm not drunk enough yet. Or ever.
Fanged Foursome
"We never met her. We just knew that Darla was taken out by a vampire from another reality or whatever," Buffy said with a shrug. "Maybe I should find out who she is and send her a Thank You card."
Spike grinned and said, "I'll sign it too, Slayer."
Angelus glared at both of them and said, "So did this blond pagan have a name? Maybe something other than blond and talks to her food?"
My name's Deborah. I'm named after the only female Judge of Israel. I guess that could have been one of reasons why my sire chose me to continue the mission of the Dark Prophet Longinus.
I guess that could have been one of reasons why my sire chose me to continue the mission of the Dark Prophet Longinus.
my sire chose me to continue the mission of the Dark Prophet Longinus.
the Dark Prophet Longinus.
SAMUEL IBARRA
“It’s public knowledge that the Nexus police force is assembling a military division with whatever weapons and equipment they can grab. There are also smaller, hidden divisions like the one I’m from that we don’t yet want the public to know about,” Ibarra spoke calmly, hoping that the young man would be satisfied with his answer.
Ibarra wasn’t sure what to make of Mordred though. It sounded like she had been enduring a rough night, but what she was saying sounded a bit farfetched, even for the Nexus. It was possible she’d had too much booze, but he couldn’t smell any alcohol on her.
“Please remain calm ma’am, despite the secrecy this isn’t an evil conspiracy. We just want to look into all of our options to find a way back home.”
What the hell?
Ezra kicked off of the wall, his mind made up. He couldn't ignore something like this, something that concerned his ancestor. Like the rest of his family, Ezra had read the Bible back to front, and as much of the assorted (correct) mythos to boot, and there was nothing in it about the Prophet Longinus. As a Saint, yes, as some kind of Dark Messiah, no.
The spear bearer swiveled into the sight of the four vampires, a little ways behind Deborah. He only called out to her though, ignoring the menacing stares of the others. He could deal with them, but there was something he had to know first.
"Excuse me, but I heard you say Dark Prophet Longinus. What made you come to the conclusion Longinus was a Prophet?"
Mordred
"Though it's not a knight, but a familiar, I will accept the challenge. But, I cannot duel you without my Glamour replenished, so I guess I shall do it now" She reached for her pockets and took out six berry like fruits. "Those have no special effect on me other than restoring my energy." she explained. After eating the fruit, she was certainly in better mood. "To ensure it's only between me and your champion, I will create a barrier seperating us two from outside interference. It is temporary though, so if our duel is not finished before my Contract expires then we need a third party to judge our performance. That soldier would do" she looked at Ibarra.
She looked at Mia and grinned. "So. We're going to play a game. That game is 'Don't Touch the Dead Body or the Blood on the Wall'. What you do is not touch the dead bodies or blood on the wall. What you do is hide behind one of those flashing cars until Shirou or I come find you."
Elyssa met the wall, and started to phase through it with a loud, high pitched hiss.
It was dark inside. Really dark.
Elyssa switched out from her standard optics to nightvision, doing a quick survey of the environment while holding onto the Mage Spy. With no responses or sudden movements, the Warmonger judged the location to be secure enough for the time being. She tossed the man to the ground and quickly placed one of her feet onto his stomach, pointing her casting arm directly to the Spy's forehead.
"You will tell me your name now, Mage." That wasn't a request.
As she came in view, Sarse got up and opened his mouth to reproach her.A tanned young man waited for Ann, while Than'Sanel trailed behind her. That the other man was concerned about Ann's blatant use of her "power" soothed the part of Than'Sanel that felt like he had following an entirely capricious destroyer. Upon being addressed, Than'Sanel tilted his head to one side, "I suppose that's one way to put it. Such blatant use of Black magic...er 'power' was like a dark beacon on the horizon for me. I had to make sure whoever, or whatever, was using it wasn't using it for ill." Than'Sanel let his gaze fall to Ann. "She is capricious and therefore unlike other Black 'power' users I have run across - and hated." He returned his gaze to the man who greeted him with the question, "My name is Than'Sanel. And your name is?"
"What are you thinking, going wild like -", he began, blinking in surprise as he acnowledged the one accompanying her back into the restaurant. The man's symphony tingled with the use of power though he appeared mortal, as well as an indentifiable tint of calmness and nature. A mortal sorcerer? A shaman, as some cultures called them?
The celestial sighed, then asked, "She got you too?"
Surprisingly, the robot carrying him didn't simply break the wall down, instead opting to walk right through it with a loud hissing noise.
Whatever it is she used to do that, I want one.
We already have one, we just need to figure out how to use it.
Shouldn't take much, just a bit of tinkering.
Only because we've seen it used.
Well, it should be the same general theory for the other stuff she's got on her. I mean, they're all runes.
At this point, the awkward pair have made their way into the warehouse proper, to find that it's not a warehouse at all. The pitch-black surroundings are a non-issue for Adjutor, who looks around for a moment before being unceremoniously thrown to the floor and finding himself under the robot's foot with a pair of rods of some kind- ah, it seems to be a conduit of some sort. Likely something made to compensate for the lack of flesh and blood to channel the magical energy.
So this one has spells aside from the runes...
Makes sense, would be rather unfortunate if the runes were somehow damaged beyond use.
Then the robot makes its demands known, with the twin rods still pointed at the teen's head.
"Adjutor Xarrest," he says simply, "Would it do any good to say that this isn't necessary if all you want is information?"
Then Adjutor's eyes are drawn to the runes on the leg holding him down, taking a moment to memorize those, he then notices more runes, different ones this time, on the arm holding the casting rod, and takes a moment to study those as well.
Well this is certainly an interesting place.
More pressing question is whose house we've ended up in this time...
“Hey now, cool your jets. I can’t allow you two to start a death match, especially not in a public facility,”
A tanned young man waited for Ann, while Than'Sanel trailed behind her. That the other man was concerned about Ann's blatant use of her "power" soothed the part of Than'Sanel that felt like he had following an entirely capricious destroyer. Upon being addressed, Than'Sanel tilted his head to one side, "I suppose that's one way to put it. Such blatant use of Black magic...er 'power' was like a dark beacon on the horizon for me. I had to make sure whoever, or whatever, was using it wasn't using it for ill." Than'Sanel let his gaze fall to Ann. "She is capricious and therefore unlike other Black 'power' users I have run across - and hated." He returned his gaze to the man who greeted him with the question, "My name is Than'Sanel. And your name is?"
Then David shifted his attention over to Mordred and with a smile made a short bow. "Now, let's begin. You may raise the barrier now. I'm sure this little spar will be enjoyable."
Would it be worth it to correct her?"I...What?" Elyssa sputtered.
Probably not.
"None of the above, actually," Adjutor says, having finished with the runes on the robot/golem's arms and moving on to the one on its chest, right next to whatever it used to phase through the door earlier, "You're in the Nexus. No clue how, but there isn't really any getting out. It's kinda like a singularity, only without the spaghetification and compression into the closest thing you can get to a point mass."
"Right, right, I'm not fighting to kill either" Mordred snapped her fingers and the barrier of thorns manifested and surrounded them, the radius of the circle being 10 yards. She reached for her spear and taunted the opponent "Go ahead, it will be boring if it disperses before the fight starts for real"
"True, she may be capricious, but I know people much more malicious than her. A small boon, I suppose." He said, getting up from his seat. With a polite smile he extended a hand to Than'Sanel, and offered "You can call me Sarse."The man in white and green accepted the handshake. "I would have to agree with that assessment, given some of the people - and beings - I have had the misfortune to run across. Well met, Sarse." He let go of the offered hand and looked between the other two, "If it wouldn't be any trouble, could either of you tell me where 'here' is? That's the main question on my mind at present."
Death incarnate walked behind Sarse and rested her chin on his shoulder before responding to Than'Sanel. "This is the Nexus. A fun little mixing pot of countless dimensions. It constantly draws things in and isn't very willing to let them leave afterwards."Ann and Sarse's obvious relationship aside, several curses echoed through Than's mind. If Nexus was, as Ann stated, a somewhat sentient or instinctive Plane that did not like to let go of those it had a hold of, then he was not particularly wanting to antagonize it by trying to Planeswalk once more to try and get to Ravnica. "If what you say is true, then my hope of returning to my home 'dimension' is for naught. I do not want to be torn asunder by an instinctive reaction by Nexus while trying to leave."
As she said this her hands wandered into Sarse's shirt and rested on his bare chest. "It's either impossible or extremely difficult to leave. In either case apparently no one has managed it."
The Hidden did not react at all to the thorns that had wrapped around the area and simply stood stoically with the endless void in its hood staring at Mordred. Then, in an almost mocking gesture, the cloaked figure tilted its head at the knight and a robed hand gestured her to come closer.
The hooded figure watched patiently as Mordred struck the dagger out of the air with her spear and her charge ceased. If she would not come to him then he would simply give her no other option but to engage him in close quarters. With that in mind he tossed another dagger with speed even greater then the previous one and if she would not come closer he would simply increase the speed and throw another and another until she had to come closer or be slain by the impossibly quick projectiles.
"It would probably take me until sunup to find it."
Saber turned to approach her and her green eyes widened. Forest pointed and said, "So, there's this wanker outside who knows you that shot me in the back."Yep. That's her.
Saber frowned and asked, "Shirou shot you in the back?"
"Yeah, didn't even have the stones to come down and look me in the eyes before trying to kill me," Forest said with a sigh and a shake of her head.
Saber bit her lip and asked, "Where is he?"
"Outside, waiting for you," Forest said, gesturing at the door.
Biting her lip, she headed to him and said, "Hello, Shirou."Rin stepped forward, slowly, surely. She kept stepping forwards until she was a foot behind Saber.
Then a young girl with white hair and crimson eyes clung to him, tiny bells ringing. The resemblance to Iri and Ilya was uncanny, yet she didn't feel like a homunculus. "And greetings companion of Shirou. I am Saber."
Is it adjusting the speed just to gauge my skill? It is ridiculous how fast it is even if playing around. I bit more than I could chew off She knew that nothing obviously detrimental happened to her last time she activated her Token, so Mordred was worried about the side effects, but her pride did not allow her to not go all out if she could. She decided to activate the spear when she was sure that she would not handle next attack. That would throw the opponent off-guard in her opinion.
As his throwing began to attain a competent speed The Hidden watched in surprise as Mordred actually managed to begin blocking the daggers with some skill. Considering her difficulty in deflecting the first one she had somehow taken a massive boost in speed or was holding herself back in the beginning. Whatever the case it didn't matter. If she would not come to him then he would simply go to her.
With that in mind The Hidden pulled out three knives and tossed them at a speed that rivaled bullets. One was aimed at the head, another at the heart, and the last at the stomach. Then he pulled out an especially long dagger and began to approach the knight himself with a pace the kept him just behind the knives.
With supernatural speed Mordred knocked away all the daggers but The Hidden was already closing in. The spear gave her reach but his speed easily surpassed what she had shown so far. Even with that extra length she would still be incapable of hitting him and the robed figure was sure of this. With that knowledge he pulled out a second dagger to match the on he held in his other cloaked hand and rushed at her with the entirety of his speed. One dagger was held out to parry the spear and the other dagger was aimed at her throat.
"Your spear. Tasted the blood of Christ, it did. Was it sweet? Does it sing to you? Does it speak to you? Who will you pass it on to when its time for you to die?"
"He attacked her because she was a vampire," the blond said with a sigh, "He thought ending her existence would save others. One life to save many, an even trade."Rin raised an eyebrow, then stopped for a moment to think. Forest had seemed awful pale, paler than most...
She turned to face Shirou. Her green eyes met his mismatched ones as she folded her arms around herself. "I understand the motives, but that does not give you an excuse to attack her from behind. At least be honorable enough to face her head on," she said with a sigh before her shoulder's slumped. "I would have hoped you would have imparted at least that chivalrous notion from me."
“HEY! Don’t be mean to Shirou!”
The Hidden reacted to the unforeseen defense with the experience of a seasoned fighter. A dagger lashed out against the shaft of the spear with enough force to knock it out of Mordred's grasp and the other obscured hand dropped its dagger and curled into a fist before moving to strike the knight's seemingly armored chest with enough force to shatter concrete.
"I...What?" Elyssa sputtered.
It made the most sense - there were things here that she didn't even know existed -, yet it sounded like something from a poorly written movie. It was the kind of thing that only answers the Where, leaving out the when, why, and how.
However, this Adjutor couldn't be lying. Who would lie about something like this, while being threatened with death, to escape? That would be a lie that four year old child would call bullshit on.
Elyssa lowered her casting arm and removed her foot from the man's stomach. Warily stepping away, she asked the foremost question on her mind: "How do I return to my world, then?"
The redhead simply gave a polite smile at the animosity directed at him by Mordred. "No need to be so rude. All I gave you was what you desired. And considering you are wearing armor that no one else can perceive you were upholding the idea of a fair duel even less than I was."
The Hidden skulked back to David without a wasted movement and silently stood by the superior illusion's side.
"Don't talk about things you have no bloody clue about. I didn't ask to be made that way. I don't remember my real name, I don't remember my own relatives, all that was dear to me was taken from me by a cruel whim. So shut up. Just shut up..."
Lorenzo Remei
[...]
Forest
I am not going to cry. I'm not going to cry. I have to find the thing that killed that family and pummel it until it can't hurt another family, the blond vampire thought to herself as she drove. Forest's fingers gripped the wheel. She had changed her playlist from her normal metal to something that fit her melancholy state (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-IR9oNzdrA).
Her previous student, the dhampire Quinn Frost had introduced her to the band she was currently listening to and she had been mesmerized by the vocals, however listening to their songs for too long had always blackened her mood. Her mood was already black though, so it was fitting versus Priest's chorus of angry rebellion or her beloved Maiden's love of World War II and geeking out about the occult, or the Dungeons and Dragon tone of Dio.
She had been in the Nexus for over a year. A year cut off from her godson, surrogate family, friends and . . . Hawk Hunters. A decade ago she would have snorted at the thought of missing Hawk, but events had forced her to spend time with him. She got to see who he really was and how he actually felt.
He treated her like a person, and not a possession to gain like so many others did.
And yes, he's bloody good looking.
After failed relationships, the things the Roman Bastard did to her, and ready to give up any chance of real love, it turned out that Mr. Right was actually a cheeky bloke with hair the color of a startled carrot and right under her nose.
Before they could make anything of it, and the many centuries' worth of pretty intense sexual tension they'd built up, she'd been transplanted here. Cut off from friends, family, and that cheeky bloke. At first she had tried to make the best of it and searched for a way home.
Except she found out quickly that there was no way home.
Finding Saber had saved her. She'd been too preoccupied with proving to the former king that she wasn't some horrible monster and getting her to the police to help them. Then Lancelot had showed up with his constant stream of Murder Death Kill thoughts towards Forest that she could hear with the fury of a Van Halen guitar solo. So she started seeing Saber less and less to keep the girl's knight from going completely around the bend.
She hoped that maybe someone she was close to would show up in the Nexus, like King Arthur's bloody court that showed up. Gabriel or Hawk would be ideal, but Ash, Wynn, Joshua Hunters, or even William Irons would have been more than welcome. However the only people she had encountered from her home world were old enemies or knew her by reputation only.
Part of her was looking for that last glorious fight. A battle she had no chance of winning where she could exit in a beautiful blaze of glory. Part of her just wanted to curl up into a ball on her couch and marathon through the entire Bruce Campbell catalog. Another part of her was tempted to drive to the redlight district and find some pretty redheaded boy whore and pay him an absurd amount to tell her that he loved her while going down on her or something.
She parked the camaro, not caring one whit about her lack of attire, made sure she had a few back up magazines and went out to greet the night in Nexus.
"How unfortunate for you to land like this in the vicinity, isn't it?" Rattus said, partly mumbling to himself and partly to ask the wounded man.
"Yes, I get it. We're evil, we're corpses that have demons who set up shop who have our memories and personalities because our souls are wherever the hell they are. And we eat people. Angel gets off on torturing nuns."
"I hate the self-righteous bull shit. 'I'm so better because I got snockered on communion wine and think I'm chosen by Christ to hunt vampires.' Bloody hell. I'm going to enjoy ramming that spear straight up your sodding ass."
"She's not one of us dearie. She believes she's God's Monster, culling the humans. Swish Swish. Like cattle."
"I bloody hate this place too."
“Saber, Tohsaka, this is Mia.”Rin put on a friendly smile for Emiya-kun and Saber's sake. Irritating or not, it'd be rude and unelegant of her to express what she felt from her first impression so bluntly, especially towards a little girl.
"Are you hungry? I am famished. Would you like to get something to eat with us? Maybe even get a bath and a fresh change of clothes."Rin nodded, keeping up her friendly facade as Mia's stomach growled. Maybe the girl would be a bit more friendly if-
“Forest…?” She whispered, so very confused.
"Scotland originally. Right now I live in a stronghold on the other side of town. From your accent and dialect, Northern Ireland?"
"I go by Forest, but my friends call me Fore," she said with a smile of her own as she held out her hand to him. The nails were painted a bright, metallic violet that were currently pretty chipped after fighting earlier tonight and she was wearing fingerless gloves. "I apologize about the cold hands. It's . . . well. Yes."
"wait, you had a machine that could return me to Helka?" Elyssa asked, "Where did you have it last?"
"I . . . actually feel a bit better now."
"What about yours? Colt 45 isn't exactly the drink of a good Irishman."
"My name's Lorenzo Remei, how should I call you kind fellows?" he asked.
"Ah, there's no Grail War going on. Apparently due to a bunch of Dues Ex Machina she was returned to life or something and got sucked up in the Nexus."
"Okay . . . I'm not quite brave enough to offer a cure for blue balls at this point in time, but I might be able to help you about the money and place to stay situation."
"Mind if I join you?" he asks, not finding either of the bench's occupants particularly odd, "Ya know what they say, misery loves company...I think..."
And then light began to dance, and a spear formed. More focus, more precise, more brilliant then his normal spears. It then shot from the darkness, shooting towards the beast, bent on removing that corrupted and fallen beast from the world.
The blond folded her arms around her and said, "She's had a black mood since . . . Well, she has been in a melancholy mindset for most of the time I've known her. Being in Nexus has not been a pleasant experience for her.""I see..." So far the "Nexus" as this place was apparently called wasn't exactly giving the impression of being the most fantastic place, even with her very short impression of it. Probably she'd been lucky to run across so many familiar faces this soon.
She looked at Mia and said, "She will return though. She has not abandoned us."Rin looked down at the little girl, and it was pretty clear that the girl thought strongly to the contrary. Rin sighed. This girl is going to be difficult, isn't she?
"Food sounds good, and clothes..." Shirou trailed off, looking uncomfortable. "Yeah. I also want to know how you came to know a vampire while we're out eating. And why the two of you are here, for that matter."Ah, was Emiya-kun learning something from her little lecture? Gooooooood. Though it was possible he just had a lot to absorb. Eh.
“Hey, why are your smiles fake?”
"The symphony in this world isn't any more... hostile than I know it to be. It might simply be that it is by nature a closed -"Than'Sanel's curiosity at Sarse's word choice - "symphony of this world" was not a normal phrase in the few Planes he had lived upon - was cut off at the drastic change that came over the younger man.
Sarse stopped speaking suddenly, something shaking at the edge of his mind. His head whipped to the side, as he looked around, expression suddenly guarded and grave.
A ripple reached his ears. One string, then another, then another, snapping one at a time. Notes being swallowed by distortion, replaced by something else, something...
Wrong.
"... Do you two feel that?" He asked, turning to the direction he felt the twisted overwriting echoe from. It was small in scale - so small it would otherwise not even ping to him, but its significance was both unmistable and terrifying.
Ezra tightened his grip on the Lance of Longinus, spinning it into its proper place at his side, ready to act.
"Well, that only cements that conclusion, then... Longinus was my ancestor, 'Dark Prophet' spewer. I know for a fact that he didn't become a vampire. Now, let's see here," He pointed the tip of the Lance at Drusillia's heart. "I think I'll start with you."
Yukina, on the other hand, can't get herself to even look directly at Lorenzo, as she blushed heavily and had her hand held by him. Rattus noticed this reaction of hers to the man's compliments and looked directly at her, which prompted her to stand up, remove her penguin cap and finally introduce herself. "Um..." She stuttered, still feeling shy. She then bowed down and said, "...I am Yukina Aikawa. I am honored to meet you, Remei-san."
Rattus then was about to assist Lorenzo in sitting himself up from the floor when asked, "Do you feel less painful now? Could you move your arms or legs normally?"
Lorenzo Remei
[...]
...
Lorenzo Remei
[...]
"wait, what were you doing before you ended up here?""Crippling a priority target," Elyssa simply stated while sheathing her sword to her hip, "Attempted to escape before dying with it."
[...]
"Crippling a priority target," Elyssa simply stated while sheathing her sword to her hip, "Attempted to escape before dying with it."
"Was there a significant amount of mana released upon crippling that target?" Adjutor asks, taking a moment to check the sword for runes, "If there was enough, a portal to this place might have been opened from the sheer amount of energy.""The ship's engine was of substantial si-," Elyssa began but quickly silenced herself when she caught something, "You said you were from a place called Orthos. Do they utilize mana engines?"
"The ship's engine was of substantial si-," Elyssa began but quickly silenced herself when she caught something, "You said you were from a place called Orthos. Do they utilize mana engines?"
If not, Elyssa thought, there is something going on here that she didn't see coming. There might be more to this man than she initially thought.
"Well, I am hunting this nasty monster right now and honestly someone watching my back wouldn't be a bad idea . . ."
"Don't study it too closely, Adjutor," Elyssa warned with a growl, "This model is classified and I care little that you are from an alternate world."
"In all fairness," he says, "You kinda gave me a good look at it when you picked me up earlier."
Lorenzo Remei
[...]
Adjutor shrugs, the Shield Concepts already ready for use, "I can't see the design, just the mana flowing into it. The rest I figured on my own. Anyway, I think we're intruding in someone else's home, so...perhaps it would be prudent to leave before they get back?""I will ask about seeing mana later," The Warmonger stated while walking towards the wall.
"I will ask about seeing mana later," The Warmonger stated while walking towards the wall.
Once she was next to it, she turned back to Adjutor. "I will have to hold onto you while phasing."
Rebeca
Rebeca stuffed her hands into her jacket as the woman’s thoughts came to the forefront. Lands filled with snow, a massive castle, and vampires of both friends and enemies. It was an odd experience, converting sound into images. But it still happens none the less.
She did not let her faze her, at least externally. “Yep, it’s kinda a no-no zone for people. Also a lot of people don’t like talking about it.” She shrugged, “They really don’t like being reminded there is an entire population that basically views them as food.”
It scared people, even if they didn’t acknowledge it. People are just afraid of things bigger than them; it’s why most people in the Nexus don’t even talk about the supernatural. Because it is something more, something bigger than them, something they cannot control or really even defend against.
It was even more horrifying for Rebeca, because the supernatural could not hide from her, and because she understood how everyone felt. She was more aware of it as a side effect. And it horrified her.
Elyssa turned around, switched to thermal vision, and did a quick scan of the first story. "No heat signatures down here, and the ruckus would have woken anybody if they were above us."
"It's nothing, really," Adjutor admits, making his way over, "It's just how I ended up. Let's just hope the owner of this place isn't back yet."
"I can't get drunk or high from alcohol or plant matter."
"As for what namblies are," Henderson says, "They're the Gnome-stealing scum of the earth."
"These can make you more energetic, Remei-san! Just tear off the wrapping and bite into one of the bars! You should try it!"
"I think you should come to us, Dearie. Look into my eyes. Be in me . . ."
She did say, "Officer Riggs made an uncouth comment about Forest's lack of attire, which she presumably lost when she fought you, Shirou. Not to mention she lacks body heat and it is a very frigid night. Also, any establishment that we would have taken her to in that state would have turned us away. Knowing her, she left for our benefit and to hunt the monster who slaughtered that family."
“Um… thank you, mister,” spoke the girl.
[...]
"Yay!" Yukina cheerfully hailed Lorenzo for his reaction to the cheese-flavored energy bars.
Lorenzo Remei
[...]
With that said, Lorenzo patted Yukina and Rattus on the back before roaring "How about we splice the mainbrace together, fellas? A drink is wasted on a lonesome soul."
"Eh?" Yukina was confused, as if taken by surprise. "I... do not drink rum, Remei-san." She then giggled nervously and rubbed the back of her head, while still keeping her cheer.
AKIHOLARME“Perhaps there is a nearby inn for us to spend the night,” Aki said, placing a gauntleted hand on his shoulder. “We may come back in the morning. I am curious about this place myself,” she said while looking up at the glowing fist through the slit in her dark metal helmet.
So she blushed slightly and looked away from them before speaking, “Well… I don’t live to far from here. You could stay over… if you like.” She paused for a moment before continuing. “Like, It would be a tight fit but I can get us there without any trouble really.” She finished.
"Just what could these be?"
Lorenzo Remei
[...]
Well, Guts notes as he looks around the bar he's found himself in, Good a place as any to get drunk.
With this in mind, he makes his way over to the bair, next to some blond kid who honestly seemed far too young to be here.
Not like it matters anyway.
With this in mind, he slides onto the chair next to the youth, metal arm clanking down on the bar as he calls for the barkeep.
"Beer," he calls, "Don't care what kind."
Neo
"Nigga, wha' tha fuck happened to yo' dick skinner, man?" Neo asked him about his arm. "Seems like you can bitch-slap an elephant or land whale without hurtin' yo' arm, ya' know?"
"..." Guts stops for a moment, then slowly turns to the youth with a slightly perturbed look on his face, "What on earth does any of what you just said even mean?"
...
"Ah, bloody hell." Neo sighed, finally talking his native accent. "Alright, let me make it a little clearer to you: What happened to your left arm? I'm just curious myself, you know, it seems like you've gone through a war or something." With a change of his accent, Neo sounded infinitely more pleasant to the ears, and it made his voice clearer.
Lorenzo's expression turned into a sudden gloom at the revelation, the very idea that someone couldn't enjoy the simple joys of lovemaking was to him an inconceivable misery.
But the man asked Lorenzo not to mind him, knowing that, the pirate judged it would be preferable to hide his dismay and pity.
"Sake you say? Well, let's not waste any time then! Sir Rattus, if you may, we need the biggest barrel filled with the hardiest sake to be handled, and as many sand witches as our mighty stomachs can handle.", Lorenzo roared merrily.
"This will be a feast worthy of a king!", and as he spoke, Lorenzo suddenly took hold of Yukina's hand before softly adding "And if you do not mind, you can be my queen...".
...Really is just a punk, isn't he?
Guts can't restrain a mirthless laugh, "Yeah, I've seen a few wars. Didn't lose the arm from those. What's it matter to you?"
"Yes, ma'am!" Blackburn quickly said.
"Cor...Corporal Mathew Bl-...Blackburn" He stated between gasps, "1st Comp-...1st Company of the 833rd...Harlech Infantry Regiment...Dragoon, not Storm...Stormtrooper."
"Well, I don't know, really." Neo answered. "But, I'm telling you right now, despite of appearances, I'm a veteran of wars myself." He then showed the man his pendants of dog-tags. "See these? I have fought three wars, and I bet you that they're deadlier than any war you have ever seen in whole life."
...
“Are there no inns for travelers to rest in this city?” she asked.
"Thanks for the help, Miss Noel."
Guts takes a moment to look the kid over, then his drink arrives. Putting his payment, a piece of paper with a number denoting its value as opposed to proper coinage, down on the table, he takes a quick drink of the beer, feeling utterly bored with himself.
"Well," he says, turning to the youth completely, useless right eye closed out of long habit, "Believe what you like, kid. You've seen some action, I'll give you that."
Rising from the table, he bowed to the pair, smiling warmly with sincerest gratitude.
"My wounds seem to have healed, I do believe I can handle the rest myself, but if it isn't too much to ask, is there a place where I could wash myself and change of clothing?"
"Well, I have to be honest with you." Neo said, still feeling annoyed. "Just a while ago, my crew has chanced themselves upon some girl no younger than the legal age and, since she seemed to be finding someone and wrecking every single thing just to find this person, my boss offered a helping hand towards her."
He then poured some more whiskey and drank on it, before continuing his story. "But alas, she responded with a hostile tone, which made me think that she was not right in the head. I aired this concern to my boss and said that we should leave her alone, but the poor fool seemed eager to help her. He tried again and, this time, she responded with the threat of magical violence against us three, as a dark aura emanated from her shadows. It seems as if she was ready to maim us simply because my boss tried to help her, so we were forced to draw weapons, in order to show we aren't a group of push-overs. The goddamn whore took it as a sign of darker intentions."
The blonde then scoffed. "And, since it seems as if she really doesn't want to help herself, my boss finally decided to listen to me and leave her a business card instead, if she ever changes her mind. And, since I don't want to pass up the chance to call her out of her attitude, I became brutally honest with her and said that she was acting ungrateful, egotistic, bitter and outright paranoid, as if she was the murderer most cold in the whole goddamned universe. I told her that I have been murdering people for experiments since I was a kid as a part of my training and I don't act as hostile to people like she does, so I told her and the person she was finding, whomever he may be, to go to hell. But, being the bitter and egotistical whore that she is, she didn't like her ego being wounded. And so she attacked us with shadow hounds she summoned, and a torturous fight for us ensured."
"Many more things happened after that, which were worse than that fight, but the point remains the same..." Neo then drank more whiskey and said, "...This isn't just 'some action' I have ever seen, I can tell you a hundred stories like this for all eternity, and I know that there would be more stories like these in the future. Besides, I might be actually older than you, technically speaking."
Guts waits for a moment, as if expecting more before turning back and taking another drink of the swill they apparently called beer around here, "Like I said, kid, believe what you will. As for little Miss Shadow Mage, those are parlor tricks. And...really, murdering people for experiments? Where I'm from, people almost never die for nearly as logical a cause."
"Well, the same can be said back when I was moving from state to state, when I was in America." Neo replied. "People died for no reason at all. Or at least that's what the idiots think back there. I killed them because I was bored, but that doesn't count to them."
"But forget everything I said. I already told you, there would be more stories to be told, you know what I'm saying?" He then poured some more whiskey on his glass. "Back in our group, we have a saying that goes something like this: 'You can never see it all.' And so, the bottom line of this is that I can't expect you to believe that I have seen it all in the same way as you can't to me, because there's ain't no such thing."
He then drunk some more whiskey, before saying, "Besides, it seems like you've seen a lot more interesting things back in your place. And that's painfully obvious because of the way you carry your stuff around. So tell me, what's back there?"
[...]"That's some interesting stuff right there." Neo remarked nonchalantly. "I mean, this Griffith guy sounds like an utter megalomaniac, with him wanting his own kingdom and then throwing a band of his followers into the meat grinder just to amp up himself. And bloody hell, he even forced himself on your pregnant wife and killed your kid just to have a new body. Really, its better being a project-based worker than being committed to a company, you catch my drift?"
Rattus, upon hearing his request, stood up and went to a door in the hallway leading to the kitchen. He did these things in such a manner which seemingly told Lorenzo to follow him.
When he react a certain door in the hallway leading to the kitchen, the businessman turned to him and said, "This is the bathroom, Captain. Would you want me to give a quick guide on how to use the amenities of this facility?"
"Knowing what that little girl is capable of, she's probably safe," Guts says, "With only her Cursed Brand attracting demons, they should be able to take care of her easily enough, and they don't seem the type to abandon someone..."
At this point, Guts turns to Neo again.
"It would be in your best interests not to ask me that question again," Guts says simply.
"Jeez, are you trying to make my debt even larger than it already is?", Lorenzo asked in a slightly cheeky tone before pouting.
But as he suddenly noticed the strange structure that this "bathroom", he became intrigued by it's use. After all, Lorenzo never had seen something quite like it in his life as a captain, Lorenzo had nbo idea of what to do when confronted to such a thing.
"Fine mate, I guess it wouldn't hurt to have you show me the ropes, but better not regret it lad!."
"Don't trust the Inquisition,"
[...]
Neo snorted out of amusement when he heard the man's answer. It seemed as if what happened to Casca was a typical example of a rape victim, he thought to himself. "Alright." he conceded.
"By the way, I heard you complaining about the drinks they serve here in the bar." The blonde killer said. "I'm an alchemist, man. Making strong liquor is a basic exercise for someone like me, and I think I still have a few jars of strong moonshine back at home. How does that sound to you?"
Guts says nothing for the moment, taking a moment to look around the bar, figuring out how many people would get involved if he slugged the kid right now, then thought better of it.
...The heck is wrong with me? A few months ago I wouldn't have thought twice...anyway.
"Tempting," Guts admits, taking the next glass of whiskey slid over to him and downing it, "Especially now that I don't have demons and various other evil things trying to eat me at night, but if this is how you are sober, then hanging around with you drunk wouldn't end well."
"I usually don't get drunk for reasons, you know?" Neo replied. "And the obvious reasons don't count. I get high instead."
"Even so, I think we'd be better off staying here," Guts insists.
And then a burly-looking man in ragged clothes walks in, the rest of the patrons falling silent as he makes his way to the other seat next to Neo, it's former occupant quickly leaving upon sighting the new arrival. Guts takes a bored look behind him, then returns to his drink.
"Guess what time of month it is, Barkeep," the newest patron says with a slight growl.
Upon seeing the raggedly man take a seat next to him, Neo regressed back to his Mixed American accent, walked away and complained, "Awww shit, who da fuck is dis motha'fuckin' bum, huh?! I swear, man, e'ery goddamn time a smelly bum walks into a fuckin' bar, it's like a literal goddamned joke!"
The newcomer turns to look at the retreating youth, then turns back to the barkeeper.
"I'll be right back," he says, to which the barkeeper only offers a quick nod.
With that, the burly man leaves his chair, making his way over to the blonde and laying a firm hand on his shoulder, "If you're gonna leave after pulling a stunt like that, you're leaving in a bag."
Meanwhile, Guts sighs to himself before leaving the Barkeep a sizable sum of money.
"I'm gonna mess the place up a bit," he warns.
At this point, the barkeep just takes cover behind the table.
Neo sighed. It seems like this day will be crummy for him, he thought to himself, and now someone is threatening him over his comments again. The blonde punk is used with this kind of encounter, so he had no choice but to do the same old exercise he has practiced since he was a little kid.
"Fuck you." he uttered in the deadpan tone.
Then, in one fluid and quick motion, Neo took out and unfolded his butterfly knife and targeted the raggedly man's neck from the side.
The man doesn't bother dodging, taking the knife across the jugular and cartoid arteries with a blinding spray of blood before the wounds quickly close up.
Then he smiles, revealing a mouth full of fangs before picking Neo up and throwing him into a nearby table.
"Kid," he says, form shifting as he hunches over, hair bursting from his body as his limbs elongate, face narrowing and gaining more canine features as he stalks over to the blonde, "That wasn't smart."
...
"My master's research concerned the world beyond this one and the essence of the universe itself. The God he often spoke of refers to an ineffable, omnipotent, omniscient source. That was the domain he hoped to breach. Whatever he retrieved from there was what he used to give me this body; but I am in the dark about the details. My apologies."
After Neo crashed at a nearby table, he looked back at the ragged man, seeing that he has turned into something resembling a dog hybrid.
"I told ya' already, you fucking furfag: Fuck you." Neo retorted. He then quickly took a piece of wood from the smashed table and quickly approached the werewolf in all due haste, using the splintered piece of wood to stab a wound into one of the eyes and intending to leave it there in order to prevent the wound from closing.
The werewolf didn't expect the blonde to recover so quickly. This underestimation ended up costing it an eye when Neo promptly shoved a splintered piece of wood from what was left of the table into its eye. Even with the pain, however, the werewolf still had the presence of mind to wildly swing at its blindspot as it struggled to pull the wood from its eye with one hand, owing to how the splintered wood had dug into the ruins of its eye and was now anchored there.
Then the werewolf registers a low whooshing sound promptly before it's smashed messily in half by the abortion of a sword that had come down on it from above, wielded in one of the swordsman's hands. The werewolf's body mass didn't do much of a job of even slowing the blade as it continued onwards, burying itself in the floor in a cloud of wood chips and concrete dust.
"Whoops," Guts deadpans, finishing off his whiskey, "Sorry about that, my hand slipped."
[...]
A sharp pain. Eyes open wide, Lorenzo gasped before rising from the bathwater, letting out a terrified cry. One couldn't tell the water covering his face from his tears. "... a nightmare?", Lorenzo whispered before beginning to sob once again.
"Whoa, niggah!" Neo exclaimed, as he saw that the werewolf has been crushed by the metal-handed mercenary's bludgeon in one swift swing. He got amazed at how the canine man got turned into a large gooey spot of flesh and blood buried on the floor, which fascinated him immensely.
Neo then walked nearby the crushed remains and squatted beside it to a closer look. He then picked up a piece of flesh from the remains, took a good look at it and tossed it aside, as he said, "Yiff in hell, furfag."
"Well," he spoke out, going back to native British accent. "I guess that's all there is to it now, right?"
"Remei-san, are you... alright?" Yukina asked, as she stood in front of the bathroom's door. It seems like the Japanese woman had heard the sobbing of the pirate.
"Feudal era?" Adjutor considers the term for a moment, "You could call it that, I guess. As for a lord, I didn't serve any. Hunted a few, though only the ones who turned out to be Monsters, but that's a tale for another time, unless you've got nothing better to do.""There is nowhere for me to go and nothing I can do right now," Elyssa stated in a flat voice while standing off to Adjutor's side.
"Kid," he says, pulling Dragonslayer out of the new hole in the floor, "If that was all there was to it, then life wouldn't be nearly as much of a pain in the ass as it is sometimes."
Taking a moment to resheath Dragonslayer as he gets out of his chair, Guts takes a quick look at what used to be a werewolf, fairly certain that it wouldn't go back to being a werewolf, but wanting to make sure just in case.
"We should probably get going, anyway," Guts says, making his way out of the bar, "And what the hell is a furfag?"
"Y-yeah, I'm...fine." , Lorenzo weakly replied. "J-just... the soap got in my eye, that's all...". He wouldn't cry, no, his pride would never allow such a thing, he would definitely, surely not cry...
Lorenzo once again burst into tears, surely the blame was of the alcohol he drank, yes... that was it.
It took time before he finally gained back his senses, taking a deep breath, he left the bathtub and before taking a seat on the toilet bowl, his body covered with the towel that Rattus had left him.
"Miss Yukina, what would you do if all those you ever loved and would've given your life to protect died for your sake?...", the grieving pirate asked weakly.
"Well, I'm telling you, that's why I said that's all there it is to it. Life is a pain in the arse sometimes, but that doesn't mean interesting stuff like this doesn't come once if a while. And that's how life is, sometimes sweet, sometimes crummy, and that's all there it is to it." Neo replied.
"But huh," he continued, still proud of himself, "By the way you call me 'kid', it seems as if you have this smug preconception that you have seen it all. I believe that I told you earlier already that there's no such thing as seeing it all, and those who think of such are those overtly-bitter and miserable fools who think there's not much to life than only cruelty and lies."
"And see, this is why I am right: You're asking me about the definition of furfag, as if you never encountered it. Of course, you didn't." Neo then pulled out his box of Lucky Strikes from his pocket and picked out a stick before putting it back. He then began to light up the stick on his mouth using the spit of flame he conjured using the flick of his fingers, and started smoking. "To put it in words you understand, furries are people who are so hilariously obsessed with animals, that they think of themselves as one and want to have sex with either another furry or with real animals. Being a werewolf doesn't make you a wolf, you shouldn't be too proud of it. Else, you're a furry and you want to shag real wolves. Disgusting."
"First off, yeah, that's actually kinda weird," Guts admits, "Not quite like that one pagan orgy I walked in on where the guy with the goat-mask turned into an actual guy with a goat-head, but..."
"Anyway," he says, "Let me clear something up right now. I'm not calling you kid because I think you've seen it all. I'm calling you a kid because apparently all you can do is bully those weaker than you, if your performance against that...'furfag' over there is anything to go by. Show me that you can take care of yourself when things go to shit, and I'll stop. Besides, I'm going to hell anyway, so what's it really matter? Not figuratively, by the way. Remember how I said Griffith sacrificed the Band of the Hawk to ascend to a God Hand? Well, we all got hit with these Brands."
At this point, Guts pulls the collar on his cloak down enough for Neo to see the Brand marking his jugular, "This marks me and everything I am as free game for demons. Also has this annoying habit of attracting all sorts of evil ghosts and demons and stuff like that, which makes getting a good night's sleep a bit of a pain. Fortunately, this place doesn't seem to have those kinds of spirits...Anyway, we should probably get going before the cops show up."
"I don't care; I'm not caught up with your damned affair." Neo said indifferently. "As long there's all these grown-ass ignorant beasts with hair-triggers show themselves up, I'm always up for a fight."
He billowed another puff of smoke and went on. "And as for this goddamn furry, I believe I would have tore his heart out and fed it to him without your help, but apparently you're too smug enough to think I couldn't make it without you, so I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and just let you call me 'kid', because obviously you think I didn't survive things worse than a furry wanting to rape me or something."
"And 'weaker'? Huh." Neo scoffed. "There ain't no such thing as weaker. There's only 'willing' and 'not willing'. I don't want to condescend to anybody, you know that?"
Guts shrugs at the blonde's mini-monologue, as something in his subconscious starts tugging at him again.
I do not have time for a-
Then he registers the clicking of claws on concrete.
Grabbing the kid mid-speech with his metal hand, he pulls Neo down sharply just in time for the werewolf to come sailing over their heads before it lands in a crouch a distance away from them. More dead than alive, the werewolf is held together only by the slowly healing flesh below its sternum.
"Wonderful," Guts mutters, "These things are worse than Apostles about healing."
"Ass." Neo snarked out with disappointment.
"Goddamn it, I already fucking told you...!" He then picked a fist-sized piece of stone from the wrecked concrete floor, ran headfirst into the werewolf and shoved the stone into its chest cavity through its healing wound. He then grabbed the heart of the creature while his hand was inside its chest and pulled it out forcefully enough to rip out the organ from the werewolf.
Deciding to give the kid the benefit of the doubt, Guts watches, as the blonde proceeds to make good on his promise, literally ripping the creature's heart out before Guts could finish readying the cannon, just in case he turned out to be all talk.
That was hardly an instant death blow to the werewolf, though it certainly did take it's toll, the werewolf's retaliatory swings a pale imitation of their formerly inhuman power and speed.
Still holding the heart of the creature, Neo decides that whatever he did was not enough as he could see it still trying to fight back. He then threw the disembodied essential muscle aside and drew out his butterfly knife again.
He then approached the werewolf one more time, in order to grab the snout of the weakened beast and slice a Glasgow grin in its cheeks. And, with a massive amount of force, he ripped the werewolf's jaws apart in order to separate them into two, just as an effort of stop it from regenerating again.
"I would say that that's being excessive, but considering what it regenerated from before..." Guts trails off as the blonde proceeds to literally rip the creature's face open.
Meanwhile, the werewolf simply crumbles, bleeding all over the place as its tongue lolls around its torn mouth, falling out altogether as it literally taste the pavement. Despite all this, the werewolf still continues to attempt to get up, struggling feebly as its body struggles to regenerate from all the damage inflicted.
"This shit righ' here is a fuckin' joke, man." Neo was pointing at the werewolf, commenting on its hardiness. "If I did shit like dis in all dem assholes out there in the streets right now, it'll be like the sweet ol' days."
He then folds he arms in front of him and stroked his chin, while pondering and saying, "Dey say silvah will get rid of these mo'fuckahs faster than ya' can slap a faggot out of a fight club, but we ain't got that."
"No," Guts agrees, unbuckling Dragonslayer again and hefting the blade in one hand, "But they certainly don't heal instantly."
With that, he brings the sword down once more, this time separating the werewolf from its legs before the blade smashes through the concrete. Letting go of the blade, Guts then pulls a repeater crossbow out of a pouch and attaches it to his arm, loading up some bolts as the werewolf starts to try crawling away, dragging itself by its hands as it struggles to drag air into collapsed lungs.
"Damn, nigga." He said when he saw the mercenary's repeating crossbow attachment and used it on the werewolf. "If I wasn't outta potions, I would have blasted this mo'fuckah apart, y'know?"
But then again, Neo remembered something: They were at a bar, where liquor is readily available. He then jumped over the bar counter and began looking the bottles of liquor, before he found himself some Bacardi 151. He then grabbed this bottle, jumped back out of the bar counter, poured the drink all over the bolt-ridden remains of the werewolf and lit the whole thing up using the spit of flame from his fingers.
As the flames consume the beast, Guts steps back, a bored look on his face as he looks around the bar, "I think we've killed it enough. Besides, cops are probably going to be showing up soon..."
...
"So then, care to explain? You seem to have an idea of what is going on? Was this your doing? Some... Petty in an attempt to impress a noble for the purpose of fame?"
"Well..." Adjutor trails off for a moment as an awkward silence falls over the scene, "...What about your place? Helka, was it?""I wasn't born until after the war started," Elyssa began, "so I can't describe what it was like.
[...]
"...I'm sorry... I am sorry... sorry for showing my weakness like that... i'm being silly and pathetic, ain't I?"
"Yeah...", Lorenzo whispered in a serene tone. "Thank you so much, miss Yukina. I know not how to repay you in kind, but tell me, is there anything your heart desires?"
Now in his usual cheerful demeanour, Lorenzo lightly patted the girl's head in a friendly manner.
"Whatever your wish is, I promise you I go as far tearing the seas apart in order to find it."
"Aye, I see."
In a sudden snap of fingers, one of the incandescent lightbulbs burst in flames. The flames flowed around Lorenzo, spinning in his hand as if it was mixing, one could say the fire itself was dancing around the pirate.
Before anyone knew it, the fire took the shape of a bird, a robin-like being made of flame.
"If it's not too much, I'd like you to keep him, it's for you. If you have any worries or troubles, speak to him, and I will listen."
"Don't worry about that, theres no such danger". With a swift movement of the hand, the robin chirped before flying towards one of he towels in the bathroom, lying around the cloth as if it were a nest.
"Now, my good lass, why do you think nothing caught fire as of now?", he asked in a sly tone, as if lightly teasing Yukina.
"It's because the fire and the flames are contained in a shell, it keeps the familiars from burning everything they come in contact with, including me and my ship of course. Unless he was put in a combat situation, no flame or burning will come of him."
Taking hold of the fiery bird, he gently put it on the girl's shoulder, the Robin chirped merrily before lightly caressing her with his head, a sure sign of affection.
"Yohoho, it seems the lil' fellow took a liking to you. That's good, very good indeed. And do you see? It's just as warm as the bathwater."
"Well then, I'll be on my way miss. But, um, where should I leave form? I doubt it would be wise to leave the same way I entered now would it?"
"Aye, I see... I will gladly accept this parting present.", he cheered. Taking his sword and other possessions, he patted Yukina's head before waving.
And like the fleeting winds of the sea, Lorenzo marched forward to the endless horizon.
"Farewell, me hearties."
“Hmm, is that so…” She hummed in reply to Rin, obvious doubt on her face.Rin suppressed a sigh. It was obvious the girl wasn't going to buy anything she said, even if it was the truth. Though the girl's gaze seemed to suddenly grow more... distant, which probably meant her focus had already gone elsewhere. It might well have had to do with what Saber said next.
"Officer Riggs made an uncouth comment about Forest's lack of attire, which she presumably lost when she fought you, Shirou. Not to mention she lacks body heat and it is a very frigid night. Also, any establishment that we would have taken her to in that state would have turned us away. Knowing her, she left for our benefit and to hunt the monster who slaughtered that family."Rin nodded. "Yeah, that'd do it. Can't exactly blame her being grouchy after all that." Rin gave the group a wan smile. "Let's give her some time alone. She'll probably feel a bit better if she has time to sort things out. We can check on her later. For now, we should get that food."
Forest
Forest jumped back as something big and red fell head first into the ruins of the table. She blinked as the figure somehow landed in a reclining pose and blinked.
"...Uh... the table was broken before I got here."
He spoke in Japanese. Of course he did, for whatever reason Nexus likes grabbing people from Japan, she thought to herself until she got a good look at him.
And stared.
It was Emiya Shirou, except he wasn't calico and was sporting a very Angel-like hair do. His hair was completely white, both eyes were that odd steely gray, and his skin was a uniform bronze color. He was dressed in red and black. Oh wow, those pants are really suggestive . . .
He was also about ten to twenty pounds heavier than Calico Shirou, and all of that was muscle. For an Asian, he was a giant, with wide shoulders and long limbs. He was exotic, rugged, and lying on the remains of her kitchen table.
"Archer, I take it?" she asked, looking away from those broad shoulders and those pants.
"Yeah, enough bullshit already." Neo agreed, as he began heading out the bar. "Let's leave this FUBAR to the pigs."
In hurried steps he doubled back to the sleeping Ann and Than'Sanel, silently reprimanding himself for the destruction around him.Than'Sanel kept most of his attention and energy focused upon keeping the floors above them all aloft through his Green-White magically crafted pillars. They weren't the perfect fix, especially given the nature of the collapse. He doubted that he could see something like it on Ravnica, outside of Simic. While he didn't appreciate Ann taking a nap, he supposed that it made sense for her to do so, given the apparent value he and Sarse shared in preserving innocent life - such strong Black magic as Ann's would have surely killed without discretion.
Taking a quick look around the bar as he leaves, Guts allows a quick sigh.
"Getting too old for upstart wolfme-" then he's interrupted by the sounds of sirens and screeching tires. The mercenary raises an inquisitive eyebrow as he opens the door to find himself staring down a pair of those insanely fast horseless chariots they called 'cars' painted in the heraldry of the Nexus police. Of course, the more pressing concern is the tiny cannons held by two of the four city guards and the strange looking devices held by the other two, this problem is further compounded by them standing behind the open doors of the cars, providing a modicum of cover. The officers were aware of their ranged advantage as well, staying well out of range of the Dragonslayer. The cannon would take too much time and, having already witnessed a drive-by during his short time here, Guts is well aware that he wouldn't be able to bring the repeater crossbow to bear quickly enough.
"...Dammit," Guts mutters to himself, raising his hands in surrender as he waits for Neo.
"I've been through this routine before," Guts says as he shakes his head at the blonde's bravado, "It's better to not give the authorities a reason to get violent, most of the time. Besides, doesn't really matter where I spend the night, just so long as those punk werewolves don't try wrecking my place while I'm away."
Then the screams finally start.
About damn time...
"Hands where we can see them!" shouts one of officers, while another makes his way back to the trunk of the cruiser. Neo's refusal to show any signs of surrender has earned him the honor of having the remaining three officers draw a bead on him while the fourth continues to search around the trunk for...something. Meanwhile, Guts takes the opportunity to reach one hand across behind his back and start fiddling with the metal arm a bit.
"I have another plan," Guts says, hand inching closer to Dragonslayer's handle, "But hey, whatever you think works."
At this point, the cop searching the trunk finally finds what they're looking for. A grenade launcher, likely loaded with either riot grenades or tear gas rounds.
"You do realize that we're the only ones left, right?" Guts says, eyebrow raised at the sight of the weapon.
"There was a werewolf sighting," the officer shoots back, "And they don't usually go by themselves."
"This one did," the mercenary points out, sighing, "And blondie burned it to death. Amongst other things..."
Goddammit kid, Guts muttered as he quickly turned to his side as he drew Dragonslayer, blade planted in the ground just in time for the first few rounds fired from the officers to flatten themselves against it uselessly. While the sword wasn't normally wide enough to provide cover along the mercenary's front profile, it was easily enough to cover his sideways profile. A different sound issued from one of the officers' weapons as Guts registered twin pinging noises, like tiny steel darts bouncing off of Dragonslayer.
Meanwhile, the blonde dived off to the side while drawing a larger version of those cannons, squeezing off a few rounds while Guts took advantage of the reprieve to withdraw a ramrod and a small cannonball, quickly loading up the arm. The officer behind the door faltered as the round pierced through door and into his thigh, dropping him as another of the rounds smashed into the grenade-launcher-wielding officer's arm, throwing off his aim as the pain forced him to tense up. Unfortunately, this resulted in a tear gas round being sent the mercenary's way.
Meanwhile, the officer with the taser quickly drew a second taser, aiming at Neo this time before firing, while Guts found himself being engulfed in weird reddish smoke. Not wanting to take any chances, the mercenary promptly starts to hold his breath while he pulls up a facecloth normally hidden in the armor. Closing up his arm once more, Guts feels about for a moment while the sole uninjured officer fires off a few rounds in Neo's direction. Finding the canister that is the source of all this smoke, Guts quickly kicks it in Neo's direction as he takes off at a run for the kid himself, palming a pair of the ever-useful spike bombs as he runs.
Emerging from the smoke cloud, Guts doesn't bother looking back as he takes up Dragonslayer with his mechanical arm, the magnet in the hand allowing him to drag the sword behind him as he escapes into a nearby alley, still carrying Neo.
The blond nodded and said, "That would be best. For this, we should rest up for the quest tomorrow. Shirou and Rin, would you care to join me for dinner? I can provide funds to cover your meals if needed."Rin smiled. "Sure, I could do with something to eat. Though I don't mind covering the meal or paying you back later." She looked over at Shirou. "What about you, Emiya-kun?"
"Let's. You have sparked my academical interest,"
Neo was laughing heartily while he was being carried off by the mercenary. He was glad to prove that the two of them have fighting chances instead of just opting to sit in jail without even trying to resist. "Duuuuude, dat shit was fuckin' awesome! I knew we could fuck 'em up!"
"Yes, and now we've got the city guard after us," Guts shoots back, still carrying the blonde over one shoulder while he sheathes Dragonslayer and continues on his way, "Do you have a plan to deal with that, by any chance?"
"Well, I'mma tell you mah plan, but yah gonna put me down first, mang." Neo quipped. "This sexy mo'fuckah can't be stopped by fuckin' bullets, he can walk by himself."
“So what do you think?”Ah yes, the question.
Guts stops for a moment, looks at the youth, shrugs, and drops him on his feet before continuing at a brisk pace.
"We're not far enough yet," the Mercenary says, moving as if unburdened by the myriad weapons he was carrying, "Explain while we get somewhere safer."
Neo coughed out blood upon being put down and had an ugly composure when he stood up but his smug impish grin never waivered.
"Well, we just hafta jack a car and drive to mah boss' crib, ya' heard?" He said. "Not only I can patch my shit up with potions, but it's also a safehouse, if we drop the car sum'where and walk just a few mo' blocks to there."
...This is going to suck.
"Can't really help you there," Guts says, "Though I'm guessing you've got a plan?"
"Wat ya' mean?" Neo asked him. "Trust me, nigga, I can still drive and go on like nuffin'."
"I mean that I can't really help find a car in the first place," Guts says as the pair exit the alley to find themselves on an empty street.
"Well, we keep goin' 'til we see a car park or shit, man. Ain't dat simple?" Neo replied.
"...Something like that just sounds way too convenient. Things like this are the reason I don't bother with cars," Guts mutters, looking around for a moment to find some indication of where to find this...car park... and finding nothing really helpful, just a bunch of bright-ass signs down the road with a massive 'P' inside of a circle on them.
Neo then saw the "P" signs down the road, signifying parking lots. "Oh shit, homie. Just when I was talking about car parks, ain't it?"
He then walked faster towards the car park, even when he was walking unsteadily due to injuries. "C'mon, man. We gotta jackpot here!"
"...Okay, now this is getting a bit suspicious," Guts says as he follows the blond, "I mean, aside from those cops, nothing else has happened to hinder us so far. We're not home-free yet, but this is still too easy..."
"Nothin' ventured, nothin' gained, mofo!" He said as he entered the car park. He then obviously found lots of cars in the area, and approached a red Third Generation Honda Legend KA9 nearby, despite the park having more expensive and luxurious choices.
He then pointed at the tinted windows on the car's driver seat and told the mercenary, "I'mma need yo' help here, I'm too fucked up to break this window righ' 'ere. Punch it wit' ya' metal hand, man."
"Since when did you get so- ah fuck it," Guts decides to drop that train of thought as his metal hand crashes through the window. Miraculously, no car alarms go off.
Taking a moment to consider the height of the car's roof, Guts sighs, muttering something about 'compact car bullshit', as he draws Dragonslayer one-handed and shears the roof off the car in a single smooth motion.
"Now that this damn thing is civilized," Guts says, replacing Dragonslayer on his back, "Go ahead and do...whatever it is you're going to do."
Neo laughed as he went into the car and started to hotwire it, with the help of his butterfly knife. "Get the fuck in." He said to the man with the giant sword.
The blonde punk was looking at his surroundings often while in the process of fiddling with the wires of the car's ignition. After a few minutes of doing so, the car finally started. "Okay, let's hit the road!"
Guts doesn't bother with a door, vaulting over what's left of what used to be the rear windows, unclipping Dragonslayer, and stepping into the front seat before sitting down and realizing something else that this car had nowhere near enough legroom. With this in mind, Guts lays Dragonslayer down in the back seats, bracing himself in preparation for the likely horrifying experience that will ensue.
"Vroom vroom, motha'fucka'." Neo then fiddles with the gear stick and steps on the gas pedal, as the car accelerates and starts going out of the parking lot. The automobile was going so fast that if Neo had any less control on the vehicle, they would crash in an instant. The alchemist was howling in joy while he was on the wheel, despite being shot twice in the torso. He coughed out some more of his own blood while driving and, while he was beginning to feel a little sick, he kept on driving mad through the streets of Nexus, just almost hitting the speed limit.
After the much-unneeded joyride, the car finally stopped somewhere isolated, near a suburban residential subdivision part of the city. Neo then steps out of the car and begins walking in a direction in the sidewalk. "Let's go, mang." Neo said to the battle-hardened man. "Just a cuppa blocks 'way and we there, nigga."
”--if you would consider me worthy, but I would be glad for you to serve me. However, I myself serve another person, and I will use everything I can to protect her. To become my servant is to become her servant also.”
"Yes, if there is a need for me to serve someone else, I shall do so.", he responded in a fierce tone, an echoing voice that wouldn't shatter even if the heavens were to fall.
"However, do not take me lightly. I am no mere familiar or servant you can cast away to do your bidding. As I said, my blade will gladly serve you and your master, but unless you require of my assistance I shall act on my own accord. Is that clear?"
Guts, who found no shame in freezing up during that insane ride, quickly leaps out of the car as quickly as possible, tempted to destroy this demonic vehicle once and for all before he manages to master himself. Settling instead for taking up Dragonslayer and mounting it on his back once more, he leaves that cursed vehicle behind with two words.
"Never again."
Neo kept walking towards their destination, even when he was beginning to weaken due to blood loss. In fact, this only pushed him to keep walking faster, since he knew that he might not make it anymore if he goes anymore slower. A block later, he was beginning to white-out. He was just struggling not to lose consciousness, as he kept his devilish grin throughout the seemingly long journey. He coughed out blood once more, but he kept going. He has to make it, he said to himself, for he knows he could. He had that much pride in himself as a man.
And a block more of walking and he finally could see his destination, even if barely due to his diminishing sight resulting from massive blood loss. "We're... here." he said, obviously struggling even to speak clearly. The place was a two-story residence that had a red brick and mortar exterior. It was apparent that the house wasn't modern in design, if the wrought iron and dark wood parts were an indication. "C'mon, nigga! Keep goin'!" Neo yelled out to his companion as he walked towards the double door.
And when he finally manages to enter through the door, he finally whispered, with the last of his apparent breath, "Fuckin' finally." He then collapses on his feet on the floor, as he finally have mustered all his remaining energy to get to the manor. At that time, the punk was already so pale, it looked like death already, if it wasn't for his subdued but steady breathing.
This was seen by Yukina, who was playing on her 3DS in the living room during that time. "Neo-san, what happened to you?!" She asked in terror as she quickly noticed her companion collapsing, along with approaching him and checking on his condition as she paused her game and sat beside him to check on his condition.
She then noticed the mercenary accompanying him and hurriedly said, "Please watch over him for a bit, I will get something." with a short bow. The Japanese woman then headed off upstairs to quickly get something to aid Neo.
Guts raises an inquisitive eyebrow at the strange woman's attire before filing it away for later consideration.
Kinda reminds me of those fancy-ass dress...things...Only even more difficult to fight in...
Shoving that memory aside, Guts unclips Dragonslayer, leaning the bloody sword up against the nearest piece of furniture, a decently sized couch, as he crouches down, looking the kid over. Satisfied with what he finds, he moves over to the couch, taking a seat at the couch and feeling thankful that said seat isn't moving at speeds that would make those foreign guys with the weird weapons look sluggish by comparison.
"Ah well, he'll live," he notes as he leans back in the couch.
After a few short moments, Yukina finally went back to the living room, carrying glass bottle of green liquid with her. She then came back to attend Neo, lying on the floor with his eyes wide open and struggling to breathe. She then made him drink the liquid in the bottle, saying "Here it is, Neo-san."
The blonde punk heard her implicit request to drink the potion, so he opened his mouth a bit and drank it as Yukina assisted him in doing so. After a few gulps and half of the bottle consumed, Neo finally got himself to relax regarding his current condition, if his sigh of relief is any indication, as well as his breathing slowly going back to normal. He sniggered weakly and uttered "G'yeah.", as if the whole thing was simply a funny repertoire to him.
Yukina saw that the condition of her colleague had began to stabilize itself, so she stood up and approached the armored man in the couch, saying "Thank you for saving Neo-san, stranger.", again with a bow towards him.
"Mhhh... Sakura Matou.", he softly spoke, holding his hand out towards the girl before nodding in approval.
"My name is Vanguard. As your protector I shall tear the heavens if that is what you desire. Your will will be my blade and my body will be your shield until I draw my very last breath in this world.", said Vanguard with a clear voice, his immense metal body alike a great monument.
"Don't thank me," he says, looking around the room for a bit before settling his gaze on the woman bowing to him, "Remind him to carry some silver next time he goes out by himself on a full moon."
"Anyway," Guts says, stretching out a bit, "The punk's probably going to tell you when he wakes up, but the city guard is going to be after us now."
"...Eh?" Yukina looked confused when she heard what she was told. "But this city does not have city guards."
"Ya' retarded bitch, he means the fuckin' police!" Neo interjected, meaning he heard what was said. "And fuck you, nigga, I ain't carryin' shit!"
"Ah..." His explanation did clear up any confusions the Japanese lady had. She then said, "I do not think he minds being chased around by the police, stranger. It is not strange for him to get in trouble with the law, and I think he does not care at all." She then giggled, while rubbing the back of her head.
"My problem isn't that they'll be chasing him," Guts says with a sigh, "My problem is that I'm going to have to police after my ass as well. And given that I can't hide myself nearly as well as I used to be able to."
"And kid, Neo, whatever," Guts continues, "Your funeral. We both know full well that those police and that werewolf had your ass dead to rights."
"My ass have been dead to fuckin' rights evah since I was seven years old, dipshit." Neo retorted. It is slowly becoming obvious that he was recovering. He then sniggered and said, "'Sides, I can always kill these mo'fuckin' pigs, just like that time in Tulsa. They killed mah girl, so I went to their HQ and massacred their asses into last week. Total fuckin' wipeout, nigga!"
He then scoffed. "And fo' a badass merc who wrecked demons, ya' sure 'fraid of the pigs, huh? Ya' got yo' weapons and shit, yanno? Ya' can handle it, champ."
"First of all, most of the demons didn't have guns. Second of all, I run a gym. It would be a bit of a pain if I ended up in prison, especially with those upstart werewolves trying to play protection racket. And it takes forever to get the blood off the equipment, but that's not something I can't deal with. Also, what kind of gear were the ones in this Tulsa place carrying?"
"Hey," Guts interjects, "I'm not complaining about the blood on the gear. Also, you had poison gas. All you'd need to do is fight smart and those guns wouldn't be able to do shit."
"Also, you probably shouldn't be talking like that after getting your ass handed to you by four guys with guns."
"Ass handed by those pigs? Haha!" Neo laughed. "A couple shots and ya' think I'm wrecked already? Fuck no! Even you weren't there, they would turn me into a beehive and I still wouldn't go down, nigga! A couple shots is nuffin' compared to the shit I've got from fighting in Guadalcanal and Okinawa!"
"And about the poison gas, well, I did fight smart, motha'fuckah. I alchemized that shit, dawg! I made it myself! But you? Hah, you tellin' me now dat I shoulda be fightin' smart, but you bitchin' 'bout dem guns now, asshole! Whuda fuck do you think I am?!"
Than'Sanel kept most of his attention and energy focused upon keeping the floors above them all aloft through his Green-White magically crafted pillars. They weren't the perfect fix, especially given the nature of the collapse. He doubted that he could see something like it on Ravnica, outside of Simic. While he didn't appreciate Ann taking a nap, he supposed that it made sense for her to do so, given the apparent value he and Sarse shared in preserving innocent life - such strong Black magic as Ann's would have surely killed without discretion.
"Sarse, do you mind making sure all innocents are gone from this floor? Keeping this steady is not an easy task alone."
Guts sits there for a moment, highly tempted to just slug the kid right here and now and wondering why he hasn't already done so. However, he figures that it wouldn't quite be worth the effort to get up from this rather comfortable couch to do so. With this in mind, he drops the hand on his artificial arm, pulls out a powder charge, loads it in with a ramrod, then pulls out a cannonball and loads it in as well, saying nothing as he goes about this.
Neo noticed the mercenary was loading his arm cannon, signifying that the man had enough of his attitude and is now using the ultimate argument of force. But he wouldn't have any of it, so he pulled out his handgun and pointed it at the mercenary. "Back the fuck up, bitch." Neo warned him.
Yukina saw that the argument had escalated into almost blows right now, so she panicked and wanted to intervene. She then hurriedly went between the two men and pleaded, "Neo-san, please, I beg of you two! Please stop fighting and put away your weapons! This is not right anymore! Please!"
"Not wasting a shot on you," Guts says, getting up and 'accidentally' knocking Dragonslayer directly onto Neo's gun arm, "But I've got to load this thing whenever I get the chance. I'm leaving anyway, and if this goes on any longer, one of us going to end up covering the walls."
With that, he shoves Yukina out of the way, cannon arm already leveled at Neo's general waist area with the lanyard already in his teeth.
"Be that as it may," Guts says through the lanyard in his mouth, "Either you put the gun down, or you get unmanned. I'm leaving anyway, how many pieces you're in before I do so is entirely up to you."
Yukina, already terrified of the situation, only got more nervous when the mercenary threatened to blast away her colleague with his arm-cannon. Neo, on the other hand, only looked defiant against armored man, as if he doesn't care if the predicament tears him into pieces.
But the Japanese lady wouldn't have any of it.
She then forcefully slid herself between the cannon and the blonde. Her eyes were pleading and tearful, as she said "Please..." She then sniffled. "Do not hurt Neo-san! Do not fight each other like this! Please!"
"Goddamn it, let 'im pull that fuc-" Neo said, until she intervened.
"Neo-san, please! Save yourself! Just put your weapons down!" Yukina tearfully pleaded some more, still horrified at the prospect of blood and gore. She was hugging Neo tightly, not intending to let go and let him die over an altercation like this.
Neo saw everything that was happening in the living room, so he was annoyed. He then told the mercenary, "G'yeah..." He scoffed. "If it was me, I would be pulling shit righ' now, 'cause I ain't no moralistic faggot."
The punk then continued, "But look at ya'. You get fuckin' told in an argument and yo' first reaction is to load up yo' compensator, threaten my ass with it and actually shove away the only person 'ere who's not thinking wit' her fists. An' look, you're actually making her cry and all she did is to try and make this shit stop."
"I mean, you're actually making a woman cry right now, man." He said, without any hint of his usual smugness, but only sincerity. "You think Casca's gonna enjoy seeing this right here? What kind of man are you, huh?"
"I don't recall being 'told' in an argument, whatever that means, and I don't recall getting in an argument in the first place," Guts says, growing frustrated with how the lanyard is interfering with his speech before letting it go and using the metal arm to retrieve Dragonslayer, "All I did was offer some honest advice to try to avoid the first part of tonight's mess, that werewolf. You decided to take it as...whatever you took it as."
"And I wasn't loading this thing up to 'compensate'," Guts continues, "I was loading it up because I'm going to be leaving soon, I could end up in a fight at any time after leaving, and I usually can't load this thing in the middle of a fight. It was your decision to pull a gun on me and rather stupid of you not to think I would just let you without trying to even the playing field."
"And if Casca were here and not the way she is right now," Guts finishes, the temptation to just say the hell with it and shoot them both rising again, "She would beat your ass into the ground for being an unrepentant asshole, and then do the same to me for shoving the girl out of the way. However, neither of those conditions apply, so it would be best if you didn't try to use her as a shield."
"I already told you, faggot. If I were you, I would pull the fuckin' lanyard and be done with it." Neo replied, still talking seriously. "And yet, Yukina here is trying at least go down with me, so who the fuck am I to refuse a free shield? 'Sides, if Ratt sees our blood splat on the floor, ya' sure should watch yo' ass out, because you might get sniped."
"And I'm telling you, don't ya' dare deny it, man: You're arguing that I ain't to talk because I got shot twice by them pigs, then I said that two shots ain't bringing me down, then you load up that fuckin' thing. How am I supposed to take that, huh? A compliment? Jesus tittyfuckin' Christ, that's like chambering a round in yo' piece when you're having an argument, man. Ain't no good message to send to the otha' talkin' party."
"And oh, speaking of round in the chamber, I honestly kinda lost track of myself..." The punk continued. "Did I fire six shots or seven? And this, being the M1911, which is an ol'-ass gun design in this world that only has seven shots in the mag, you gotta ask yourself: Do you feel lucky? Do you?!"
"Yes, Sakura, perhaps a sparring trial would be suitable in order to know each other's strength. A wise man said that to know of oneself and of the enemy assured victory, and besides... I have not had a bout in millennia."
Approaching his master, he lowered himself, bowing in submission. "I can manage my own reserves of aether, so what say you, Sakura?", he asked.
"Welcome back, Dragoon," Grendel says, "I trust your injuries weren't too severe?"Mathew forced a smile on his face while addressing the Inquisitor, "Just bruised and battered along with a possible light concussion. Nothing I haven't gone through before."
"Very well," Grendel says, offering a slight nod to the officer, "I'm certain that I should be able to secure my own lodgings. My gratitude for taking care of the Corporal. I suppose I will be meeting you again tomorrow, then?"
"Lucky?" Guts asks, "I've never considered myself lucky, and I don't need luck at this range. You were also on the ground, where they would have had no trouble shooting you some more. And if you thought I was going to go to the effort of loading up the cannon to make a point when you're within slugging range, then I have nothing more I can say."
With that, Guts simply leaves without even bothering to say farewell.
"Hey, uh, can you two talk about this while we get my things real quick, please?"
"Sakura, do you wish for me to go with him?" she said as her master began to cook herself some dinner.
I wouldn't mind sampling some of her cooking, though....
"Or, would you prefer the three of us to sit down to breakfast together and talk to each other for a while?" she added, somewhat hopefully.
"...However, it is most regrettable, but I will not be able to partake in your meal."
Corporal Mathew Blackburn:
"He is the Immortal Leader of the Imperium of Man. It is by His will that we live and die by...And I am starting to sound like a Ministorum Priest."
Witnessing Rider’s eagerness to enjoy Sakura’s cuisine, Vanguard couldn't help but let out a hearty laugh.
“Your passionate spirit is admirable, Rider. But I am afraid you are missing the point.” And as he spoke these words, his metallic hands took hold of his helmet.
Turning the head not unlike a screw, Vanguard’s helmet came off only to reveal a hollow armour without a body of any sorts.
“I am deeply sorry, but I am simply uncapable of partaking in this meal. To slay a hundred demons would be but child play for me, but I am afraid eating is a luxury far beyond my capabilities.”
With that, the great warrior bowed, holding his head between his gauntlets.
The sorcerer rose from his seat and moved behind the seat of the butler immediately. His Wings of Heart materialized in a flash of light but instead of continuing their circular pattern the dagger-like constructs floated around the abhuman and began to shift hues extraordinarily quick. "I have to admit that I have never seen a case as unique as your own, Butler. Brace yourself, this may be a little invasive.
The prismatic constructs pressed themselves against the servant as Wiseman moved his hand to grasp some invisible force. Then, seemingly holding nothing but air, he yanked his hand back and light began to emanate from Butler's back.
Wiseman made a small frown. If this had been any human the wings should have already emerged. This was odd but could be ascribed to the servant's strange nature. So instead of pondering this more Wiseman gave another yank as he coaxed the soul out. Then the manifestation fully burst out of the butler's back. Its form was still fluid considering how the light continued to shift and change but they were vaguely wing shaped and that was fine for now. Something as immaterial as the soul took a little while to adjust to the physical world.
Wiseman's own Wing's of Heart withdrew and floated behind his back as he pulled back and sat back down in his seat and broke his perfect posture in order to lean back a little bit. That was slightly more taxing than it should have been. "Give it a little while. You're human enough to have wings but it'll take a few minutes before your soul manages to express itself correctly. It won't even take a moment after this time since the manifestation would already have a defined form."
"Let us go, PARIAH."
"Yes, you look normal enough to me, although I know you must not be. By the way, are you looking for something? You helped me earlier, it's only fair I return the favor."
"W-what in the world was that!?! It looked like a giant mutant bug monster from hell! Why do you have a book with that kind of picture?" Noel asked with fear in her eyes, clutching Bolverk as if they were safety blankets."That was a Tyranid Warrior," Mathew looked up and saw fear in her eyes, "One of the many kinds of buggers that I've been fighting for days before I wound up here. I rather not talk about Tyranids right now...
Faust
"Yes, just to contact you. I definitely wouldn't abuse my knowledge to spy on you. That would be excessively rude."
Faust
"I see." Faust replied in a solemn voice. "I didn't intend to pry, I'm very sorry. Your name made me curious. I should've known better..."
And now, he overlooked the damages with Than'Sanel and the now awake Ann as relief teams moved in.Than'Sanel paid little heed to Ann's interaction with Sarse, instead opting to ask the question that bothered him. "Do either of you know what that thing is? Even Archons, incarnations of the darker, vengeful side of White magic, have not given me such a feeling or had a similar power to that. Only rumors and whispers of certain horrors match up to what that thing did."
"It's still there, even as nothing but a puddle," he said aloud.
"How grizzly? Murders are fairly common here, especially in the bad areas. It's sad, but many people without powers die here. There are only so many tricks someone can utilize. It's gotten a bit better recently, but it's probably just the calm before the storm." Faust said to Mordred in a matter of fact tone.
“I’m sorry!” She cried out in faux surprise, “I didn’t mean to run into you like that.” she continued while rambling out a panicked explanation, like a girl would if they ran into a total stranger. She gave a deep bow, “I’m sorry!” She said one final time before running off.
“Please, let me in! He attacked my close friend, I need to talk to him!” She pleaded with him.
“Aright, you can pass.” The guard relented, “He is on the top floor meditating, and my buddy by the elevator will let ya up there.”
Then one of his Guards knocked on the door, “Enter” He called out and the door was opened.
“Milord? There is a girl here… She has something she must discuss with you.” He said hesitantly. Hamara could tell he was wary for some reason. It mattered not.
“Very well, please let her in.” He said, his back still facing the door. And as he heard something come in he spoke again. “Come, take a seat.”
Ahh, he remembered her from the previous night, she was taken away from that inhuman beast he was to cleanse, “What do you need my sister?
Once Mathew was as proper as he could be, he opened the door and walked out, being hit by a smell he hoped he would never have to smell again for the rest of his life...
Corporal Mathew Blackburn:
Well, she apparently she owes a lot of money, and he doubts this place would accept any of his (And he's going to have to get his own food if he stays here). Both of them are in need of cash...
"Are you some kind of freelancer? What is the specifics of this job?"
Corporal Mathew Blackburn:
"Okay, so a breaching op." Mathew nodded, "What are Nazis? Do we know what they are armed with, what their numbers are? What about the layout of the complex?"
Corporal Mathew Blackburn:
"Alright then." Mathew began, speaking more to himself than to Noel, "Going to need to look up to regulations, then. Need to fix my Volley gun's cord."
He looked back to her, asking "Am I able to wash the other fatigue?"
Corporal Mathew Blackburn:
"Right then."
It took him a moment to figure out how to run the machine, but he managed to get it running. When he returned, Noel asked about his weapon, "Well, Miss, the Ryza-pattern Hotshot Volleygun fires high-powered lasers at a rate exceeding that of most infantry weapons used by Harlech Regiments. Emperor help those who are in my crosshairs when I rev it up."
He took hold of the rucksack set aside, showing her the bottom portion, "This here is the power source for it. The problem I have, as you can see, is that the cord connecting the weapon to the battery had been severed during my...crash. I can fix this, just need a few things."
Corporal Mathew Blackburn:"Ah, one second." Noel vanished into the hall, and a few minitues later came back lugging a huge toolbox with her." You'll be able to find whatever you need in here." She said, dropping it at his feet.
"Okay, well, I have my combat knife," Mathew began, "What I need is pliers, a large wire-stripper, and some high-durability electrical tape."
"Well, I can feel the gun becoming warm. That is a good sign. Nothing rattled when I was carrying it earlier, either. Is there a firing range around here or something? It's just to see if this works for sure."
"What about the roof?" Blackburn asked.
"Oh, you are going to like this." Mathew stated, "I will even let you fire my Hellpistol."“Um, we’re not using a table, I don’t own it. Just--fire into the sky to make sure it’s working, ok? I can’t be going around condoning people going around blowing stuff up, I’ll lose my job.”
A few minutes later, they were on the roof of the complex. Mathew moved quickly, laying down the table that was up there so that the top would face the stairwell. "I don't think anybody would really mind if we used this as a target," He stated.
Corporal Mathew Blackburn:
For such a small woman, she has quite the strong grip. Kowtowing is going to be the norm here, indeed. Noel practically dragged him back to the apartment.
"Fine, fine, I need to clean my armor anyways."
Faust
Faust nodded dispassionately. “Yeah, that sounds relatively normal, although they usually aren’t that grisly, maybe it’s some now werewolf or vampire who’s fresh to the Nexus and doesn’t fear the law.”
QuoteFaust
Faust nodded dispassionately. “Yeah, that sounds relatively normal, although they usually aren’t that grisly, maybe it’s some now werewolf or vampire who’s fresh to the Nexus and doesn’t fear the law.”
"If it's a vampire I'm pretty confident about my odds unless it's some sunlight immune freak of nature. I have never met such one, but given this city is so bizarre, I should expect bumping into a one" Mordred shrugged, sighing.
"Well, you said that I will be paying you rent for a time," Mathew began, "And I'd like to buy some of the groceries here."Corporal Mathew Blackburn:
For such a small woman, she has quite the strong grip. Kowtowing is going to be the norm here, indeed. Noel practically dragged him back to the apartment.
"Fine, fine, I need to clean my armor anyways."
Noel sighed. "You can't get too trigger happy, alright? One of us could get in big trouble." She looked him over carefully. "Hmmm, I think you're well enough to come with me tonight. What do you say?"
“I’ve heard of some before, but I haven’t met any either.” Faust chuckled. “However, as you said, this city is bizarre, you can’t take anything for granted.”
Well, you said that I will be paying you rent for a time," Mathew began, "And I'd like to buy some of the groceries here."
"So, am I assuming that this is going to pay well? And can I have cliff notes of what these 'Nazis' are aside from 'Bad People'?"
Vanguard
The knight fell back for a second, shocked by Rider's revelation.
Could it be...
"Fufufu, I see. So you are simply from a different record than mine. It seems they didn't stop after the second one.", he muttered before laughing sarcastically, almost pained.
"You are most unfortunate, Rider. It seems we may be cut from the same cloth, you and I."
She could be... useful.
"Tell me, do you truly despise the gods, Rider?"
“What are you getting at?” Sakura asked suspiciously. “Rider is Rider, and of course I know what she is. She’s my servant! But more importantly, she’s my friend. She’ll protect me no matter what!” Sakura continued, getting more and more animated with each word.
If Hamara doubted her words he did not show it, “But yet she is not human, and was never human.” He replied simply adding to her list. Then he got up and slowing walked over to the window, looking out onto the city.
“She has the form of man and deceives them; she has that from and constructs this lie that she is one of them. And for that I will cleanse her, for spinning such a deceit and using a form that is not hers to use and for endangering their place in the world.”
FaustQuote“I’ve heard of some before, but I haven’t met any either.” Faust chuckled. “However, as you said, this city is bizarre, you can’t take anything for granted.”
"I'm curious if you heard about the same as I did. There is that vampire hanging out with that Saber girl. How outrageous or naive to associate yourself with someone who sucks human blood." Mordred did not hide her feelings about the vampire kind. Stealing mortal blood to perpetuate one's existence was disgusting to her even if a vampire only weakened the victim without killing.
Corporal Mathew Blackburn:
"Twenty-thousand? Is that a lot in this currency?" Blackburn asked while pulling out the parts of his carapace armor.
Dabbing some cleaning oil onto a rag, Mathew began rubbing the chest piece. When Noel described the Nazis, he decided to keep his mouth shut, thinking it better than to rock the boat. Heretics of the Imperial Creed were either put down or worse. No other religion, aside from Cult Mechanicus(But the line blurred there a bit), is tolerated (And why should there be others?). Labor camps are common. Hell, they even have a tank that cuts out the middleman of herding people to chambers: Banewolves are used as much against insurgents as xenos.
So, he just kept cleaning his armor quietly, waiting for an answer to his money question.
Corporal Mathew Blackburn:
Mathew hummed in acknowledgment. When he reached the lower part of the torso section, he noticed a few odd things sticking out on the left side, about where his kidney would be if he was wearing it. With his combat knife, he began picking at it, until he got whatever it was out and onto the table. It was some sort of beetle...
It was a dead Borer Beetle, a kind of Tyranid projectile. The same kind that killed Jennings.
Mathew's breathing became ragged as Noel's apartment changed into Hadlock Complex D, the plush animals in front of him twisted into 'Gaunts, and the unplugged fountain became a Warrior...
“Why do I have the right?” Hamara looked at her, the force in her eyes enough to make a simple man tremble. “I have the right for it was the purpose I was born with. To enforce the truth recorded at the beginning by the first light.” It was not a matter of contention, it was an irrefutable truth, “I have the right to cleanse her for it is my purpose, and my duty.”
His eyes soften and his voice quieted slightly, “My sister, everything I do if for the sake of all my siblings. And you are the same. Even if you don’t agree I will still watch over you, for you are more precious to me then the greatest of treasures.” And that is what he felt.
Hamara
“Can you really promise that? Can you promise that in order to preserve your safety would she not condemn countless lives?” Hamara questioned.
“Can you promise that should you pass on she would she not hurt others?” He continued asking, “Would you accept her if she killed all you held dear for your safety?” He tried to persuade her.
Hamara
“I cannot.” Hamara said simply, “For what I am doing must be done.” He brought his hand up and softly touch her cheek. “I do not wish to see your sorrow or anger, but I will accept it should you feel it towards me.” His hand lowered to his side as he closed his eyes.
“I will accept it all, all of humanity’s evils, all of their good. I will accept their resentment, their hatred, they happiness, they worship.” He then gave Sakura a beautiful smile, a smile of someone completely at peace with his life and choices. “I will follow the truth, and I will protect my brothers and sisters, as well as their place in this world.”
“That is the duty of the The Saint that Stands in the Fields of Creation.” He finished simply.
HamaraSakura ignored everything Hamara said after she began to leave, it meant nothing to her, after all. He had shown his true colours, and just like everything else in the world, he was her enemy. She had no need to listen to such a person, what they said was meaningless.
As Sakura turned and left Hamara spoke, “No matter what happens, no matter what you think. One thing will be true. I will always protect you, my dear Sister.”
And as she walked out of the room, “Even should you become all of humanity’s evil. I would still protect and love you.” And then the door clicked shut.
And then Hamara was alone.
He turned and looked out to the city. His eyes resolute, no matter what happened, his path was true. And so he would walk it. And so he would illuminate the path intended.
And so he would stand against the infinity before him.
Corporal Mathew Blackburn:
Mathew gripped his combat knife tighter as he turned to face the Tyranid grabbing hold of his shoulder. The face of a blonde-haired woman was not what he expected...
Reality swiftly returned: This was the apartment, not Hadlock Complex D. Those were stuffed animals and a fountain, not Tyranids. And that was Noel lightly shaking him.
The past few weeks are catching up to him.
Mathew put the knife onto the table and rested his head on the armor. "I-I'm sorry. I just need a minute. I need to sort a few things out." He said quietly.
“I’ve heard about a blond girl who wields a sword on the police force, and that she hangs around with some vigilante vampire girl who calls herself something like the The law of myself, or something silly like that. I think a vampire pretending to be good is fairly comical, but I can’t see it ending well.”
OK, Sakura, hold on, we are coming, she sent in reply.
"What do you need, Sakura?" she said, her eager tone showing no indication that she had just run several miles at speeds well above a normal human's capability.
"I await your orders, Sakura. Where shall you lead?", Vanguard eagerly asked, his booming voice echoing under his very armour.
Vanguard
The metal knight crossed his arms as he gave an approving nod. "Very well, Sakura, we shall search high and low for those you seek."
Looking at the display Sakura and Rider presented before him, Vanguard couldn't help but chuckle in amusement. "Master, where shall we look for them?", he asked eagerly.
Corporal Mathew Blackburn:
"...Yeah." Mathew responded after a moment.
He rose to his feet and followed Noel to where she keeps her sheets. Maybe some rest would do him good? However, the last time he fell asleep, a nightmare plagued him.
After the two of them pulling out some (pink) sheets and a pillow, they set up the futon. Mathew took off his boots once again and, without hesitation, laid down onto the makeshift bed, burying his face in the pillow.
The Dragoon only turned his face, looking at Noel from the corner of his left eye. "...Yeah, you're probably right. It's just been a shitty last couple of weeks." That was an understatement if there ever was one, "I'm just...I'm just trying to figure out why I'm the only one to make it, you know? Why did that Borer Beetle get stuck in my armor, but Jennings didn't stand a chance? Why did the Haruspex snatch up Woosnam? Why am I the only one to limp out of the Valkyrie? I just...I dunno."
[...]
"Well...", she said, somewhat unconfidently, "if you're up to it, I could use Pegasus. Getting above the buildings will give me a longer range of vision, and my eyesight is good enough that I could see Rin and Shirou from that far up without too much difficulty. Although, I am not sure Vanguard could fit, and I do not wish to cause you prana drain like I did before", she added, hoping she could avoid upsetting Sakura once more.
Then, she started a private conversation with Sakura, to address the worries she had about what had brought on this sudden urgency.
Sakura, did something happen in those apartments? Is there something you need me or Vanguard to sort out, she said to Sakura, speaking through their mental link in case it was something she would rather not discuss openly.
Faust chuckled. "Yes, I suppose I am. Now, where were we?" He asked Mordred, awaiting his minions to inform him of a match.
QuoteFaust chuckled. "Yes, I suppose I am. Now, where were we?" He asked Mordred, awaiting his minions to inform him of a match.
"Eh, I won't rant again on why vampires disgust me. I'm sure I have exhausted the topic already. Since it's daytime, I'm sure I won't see that vampire around Saber. I'll have it easier to talk with her if I don't have to be on guard in presence of a leech."
Even though the human's query went unanswered David continued to search through the area much to the Scholarly's annoyance and the Joyous' amusement. That's when he stumbled across the dark haired lady in the room. She didn't seem that threatning at all but there was something in her eyes that made him a little uneasy. However the fact that both of the Lesser dreams stood next to him put David at ease.
"So is there any reason you're languishing in a basement or do you just prefer the dust and darkness?"
Eventually she was simply keeping pace with them, running just off to the side. Then she burst forward and landed in front of them, “Hey there!” She greeted while waving her hand. “You two mind giving this girl a good time? I got an itch that needs scratching!”
A battle hungry grin accompanied her words as she pointed to the living armor man thing and the purple haired thing that was like a demon. Then golden light began to dance on her legs and arms as she lowered herself into a stance, her fists raised.
Death itself gave an exaggerated yawn to show how "tired" she was. She contemplated her next move for a few seconds before deciding. Then Ann grabbed the angel and lifted him in a bridal style carry. "So where's the hotel you're planning on going to, Little Angel?"
Faust nodded. “I doubt this ‘Law’ is a powerful enough vampire that she doesn’t fear the cleansing power of the sun. I imagine that very few are capable of that. Although, I’m sure there are some here this being the Nexus.”
Ann took a moment to contemplate the angel's statement before throwing Sarse over her left shoulder like a sack of potatoes and began to walk towards the closest hotel. "We can pick up your bike in the morning, Little Angel."The half-elf shrugged at her comment and followed after the pair. He wasn't about to do something as foolish as bring down Ann's wrath upon himself, having seen her Black power at work. He wasn't looking for enemies anyway - he was much more interested in allies and, at the moment, resting. He decided give voice to some of his thoughts.
Then she turned towards the magus. "I already told you that if you wanted to follow I won't stop you. Just don't play with what's mine." With that said she resumed her leisurely stroll with her package.
Saber"Hey, uh, Abby? Mind donating a muffin?" Lawrence, put bluntly, looked like shit. He'd been unable to get his car out of impound - he'd apparently parked in a fire zone and gotten towed - and had needed to sleep in the police station's lobby on a too small couch in the loaned oversized sweatshirt and some asshole's gym shorts. No fucking pants - the sweatpant's he'd liberated from said asshole were reclaimed swiftly. It didn't help he was nursing a slight hangover from the rum he'd downed last night. "I haven't had anything to eat since yesterday morning."
Saber added cream, real heavy cream and sugar to her Starbuck's Blond Veranda blend coffee. She prepared the device to make a second cup for Shirou, before looking at Rin. "I know you prefer tea, but this does have more caffeine in it. Would you like a cup as well?"
Sweetened warmth hit Saber's tongue and she felt her toes curl in her slippers. She felt Shirou's eyes watching her as she went about the kitchen and absently tucked a lock of her long, blond hair behind her ear. Heat filled her cheeks at his glance as she moved to the table.
It is just like . . . Just like how Archer watched me after saving me from Gilgamesh, the former king thought. She had to borrow some of the former Servant's clothing and she had not bothered putting her hair back up. This was before she knew that he was once her Master in another time line, but he had watched her with the same confused wonder that Shirou was watching her now with. Later Saber had inquired about that, after Rider had taken him for herself and she had discovered his true identity. Archer stammered for a moment, a rarity for the normally acrid man, and said something about how natural and relaxed she looked and he couldn't help himself. Then he had made an excuse, said something sarcastic, and left her with that bit of knowledge.
“So, Charles…”
Saber smiled and said, "Forest discovered I enjoyed stuffed animals. However, she did not bring me a lion, which I adore. She brought me a dragon and said it was more apt and that I needed to give it a proper name. I would be pleased to show you the rest of my collection later."
Forest
Suds in her hair, hot water streaming down her cold, undead body, Forest found herself singing along with the familiar chorus.
"No you can't take it
No you can't take it
No you can't take that away from me
No you can't take it
No you can't take it
No you can't take that away from me . . . "
Before she could go into the "head like a hole" part, Adjutor's mental voice managed to break through Trent Reznor's glorious tones.
Forest rinsed her hair under the spray and sent back, I've got a bloody gallon of the stuff in my laundry room. Its on the first floor, the last room at the end of the hallway on the left. Above the washer and dryer there's a cabinet for all the washing sundries. Peroxide is in a large brown bottle and its clearly marked. Pre-treat your clothing and if you're going to use the washer, for the love of the Lord and Lady read the directions. That thing's an Asko and you don't need much detergent.
She started to sing again, "Bow down before the one you serve, you're going to get what you deserve."
Abigail
The redheaded Changling was sweeping through Nexus on her broomstick. Cold wind was whipping her hair back from her face and slapping her cheeks. She was glad she had put a bit of ointment on her face to protect from the chill and windburn before mounting her broom.
Her destination was Nexus City's police department; apparently they needed her assistance to help track down a horrid, child eating monster in the sewers. While being waste up in shit wasn't her idea of a good time, the pay was fantastic, and it was her chance to work with the mythical Saber. So she'd gotten up early to make a batch of cheese strudel and cranberry-orange muffins because she heard of the tiny girl with the glowing sword's voracious apatite.
Abigail saw the familiar building and landed, swinging her legs out in front of her to slow her momentum down. Once firmly on terra-firma again, she deactivated the broom and trotted up the steps and into the station. She headed back to the detective's station and heard Riggs shout out, "Morning, Abby-girl!"
"I've got muffins, Roger," she called back.
His reply was, "You're going to make some guy really fucking lucky one day, Abby-girl."
She laughed at that and waved, frowning at the sight of the guy with no pants sitting on the bench looking crabby.
David
The true dream looked around at the poor conditions of the basement. The darkness, dampness, and rampant dust made it a poor place to stay in for most humans. Definitely safer than staying out in the streets at night but in the day it wasn't the best place to be.
"It does seem like an adequate enough place to stay safe from the night but the day has already come." His face softened a bit. "You don't have to stay here. People deserve better than this."
It would be incorrect to call him a kind man. David had left too many people to the Joyous' ministrations to ever call himself a good person, but sometimes all people needed was a chance. And sometimes a chance is one too many. He would cross that bridge if it came up, but for now he just offered a hand.
“So, you think that the vampires have some sort of conspiracy going to convert Saber into one of their own? I have to admit, that would probably be a fearsome vampire, but I doubt it’s actually the case.”
Faust looked inquisitively at Mordred. She seems quite fixated on this theory of hers.
“If I’m right and she is a servant; I’m fairly positive it’s impossible, I don’t think servants can be affected by vampirism unless they happened to be vampires in their original life. And would a vampire brag to others of their kind? I’m afraid I don’t know much about vampire society. I’m sure she has a reason for hanging around Saber, but I have no idea what it could possibly be.”
“Yes, Mia left a note saying she had gone out somewhere to play,” Shirou said, answering Rin’s question with a tight frown. “She’s obviously strong, but she’s still a little kid, and this city is dangerous.”"Out to play, huh?" Rin ran her hand through her hair. She was awake enough now to realize that she probably looked like a mess, but wasn't quite alert enough yet to hide the wince that crossed her face as a result.
"I know you prefer tea, but this does have more caffeine in it. Would you like a cup as well?"Looking over at Saber, it was sure weird still seeing her in her pajamas like this, and looking somewhat frazzled no less. One would think she'd be an early riser. But Rin had other things to focus on.
“No good huh? Well, I wish you the best of luck on your endeavor.” Faust replied, unsure of how to react to her fixation on her conspiracy.
FaustQuote“No good huh? Well, I wish you the best of luck on your endeavor.” Faust replied, unsure of how to react to her fixation on her conspiracy.
Mordred
"Yup, but I have to find Saber first. I need to set things straight so people don't mistake me for her anymore. It's kind of annoying, you know..." she sighed,
Abigail
The redhead laughed and said, "I guess 'Lord and Lady' type of Fae works. I don't bibidy-bobbity-boo and turn rags into prom dresses. That's a little beyond my wheelhouse. Then again, I've heard about all sorts of crazy type of Fae from other worlds getting here."
She watched Law scarf down a second muffin and pressed her lips together. Poor thing has had a hell of a night. Could probably use some real food and not just muffins. And some pants. Maybe a shave.
Then she heard him mention "Forest" and that she'd given Law a place to stay. She perked up, snapped her fingers and asked, "Wait, you know Law Unto Herself? And she's letting you crash at your place."
She sighed, shook her head and said, "That's so cool! Like I heard she punches werewolves into oblivion and stuff. I want to punch werewolves into oblivion."
Forest
The vampire finished her shower and toweled herself dry. Instead of fussing with the hair dryer, she just loosely braided her blond hair into pig tails and dressed into some purple fleece pajama bottoms and a black turtleneck. Theoretically she would be going to bed fairly soon due to the sun rising. Even though she wasn't overly physically tired, but her body did still need a couple hours of rest despite being a vampire.
She could sense Adjutor and the 40K Chick in her gun range, and Archer was still in the kitchen. Figuring Archer was her priority (and the least annoying and most aesthetically pleasing because sweet Lord and Lady those shoulders and when did Asians start getting so big?) because of his theoretical ties to Saber. Plus he might need a master with a lot of mystical energy, which Saber had in spades because she had a dragon reactor which made her the bottomless pit she was.
The blond found Archer in the kitchen and said, "Hi. So. I know Saber. She mooches food off of me and she's talked about you, a lot."
Abigail
"Well, no, because a lot of werewolves would rape and eat me. Probably at the same time which is sort of ewww," Abigail said with a face and shaking her head.
She said, "I didn't come by car, but I came by broomstick." Her cheeks reddened and she said, "I enchanted it because . . . tinkering spellcaster. The only thing I'd be worried about is you going hypothermic due to the speed and wind, but I might have a fix for that if you're willing to trust a dotty neophyte spellcaster."
Forest
The vampire lifted her eyebrow at the pancakes before her. She grabbed a glass, went to the fridge, filled it with orange juice and sat down at the newly reconstructed table. She picked up a stray blueberry and ate it.
"Well, she did mention that you liked to cook and were really domestic. Almost fussy about keeping things clean," Forest said with a grin, "And that you were a bit of a curmudgeon and a snarky son of a bitch, but at the end of the day your heart was in the right place. Apparently she was pretty close to a version of you, because he-you-dimension stuff is so bloody confusing was brought back to life due to Grail shenanigans."
She took a drink of orange juice and said, "And she also says Rider is a dirty harlot after talking about you and she mayyyyy have a bit of a crush on that other version of you. Of him. Bugger. Oh, and your cooking is amazing. Like she'll get a look I have to describe as foodgasmic when she talks about your cooking and apparently its the bar she judges every other food she eats now. So . . . when the Saber I know meets you, don't be surprised if she hugs you with her dragon power."
"Hey, good sir! What brings you here, you lost too?"
Dangerous... this is bad, this guy means no good.
"Me, a hero? My my, I couldn't tell you were such a flatterer." Richard humoured with a smile, walking towards the armoured man calmly, but with utmost care.
"Sorry, you must've gotten the wrong chap. I very much doubt I could be called a hero or justiceer or whatever you fancy calling the good folk."
Of course, he knew very well what he was getting into, whatever the armoured man was, he wasn't living. But it was strange, it was a bright sunny day, any vampire would simply melt off under direct sunlight. All his instincts told him to make a run for it, to leave. And yet...
Like a moth near a flame uh?
"Ahem, I am Richard Maxwell, lovely gentleman and all around pain in the arse at your service. If possible, I'd like to not be harmed, I am afraid it'd be quite painful you see?"
“I’ve already told them to tell me if they see her, so what should we do while we wait?” Faust asked Mordred, unsure of what to do. “Should we find a place to sit down?”
Sakura, Vanguard is hurt, he seems to expect you to heal him somehow, so he can let this idiot beat him up a bit more..., she said, clearly unimpressed with their blood-knight attitude.
I don't think this woman intends to kill any of us, but be careful if you come near. She's very strong, she added.
Abigail
The redhead nodded and said, "Oh Lord and Lady, the corpses we find of werewolf victims . . ." She shuddered at the memory of one she had to use to scry with. The poor girl had been so violated that Abigail couldn't put into words what had happen. Sure, she could clinically list all the injuries to Law, but that wasn't the sort of trauma she wanted to bring up with a guy wearing ill-fitting sweat clothes and needed to be taken home.
She shook her head and said, "Nope, not going there. But yeah, I can whip up a potion really quick to help keep your body temperature up while we're riding so parts don't freeze off. Because that would be bad."
Abby searched through her giant messenger bag that doubled as her magical kit and purse and found the herbs she needed. Getting some hot water from the coffee pot, she steeped the herbs and murmured an incantation over it. Steam that smelled like cinnamon wafted from the Styrofoam cup she handed to Law and said, "Here."
Forest
"Apparently that other you also opened up a repair shop to make a living," Forest said with a shrug, "Now since you're not a Real Boy, we're going to need to find you a supply of magical energy right?"
It could be said that Fate was a bitch, Destiny was a whore, and Karma was just doing her job, but Michael found himself instead cursing Lady Luck as he crashed down heavily on a...couch? Granted, it wasn't a particularly soft couch, but there were worse things he could have landed on. Withdrawing a few of his curses to the fickle being, Michael quickly extricates himself from the couch, looking around to find himself in...what looked like a rather cozy living room.
Looking around, the immortal found nothing of any particular interest, except for a girl who seemed like she might be a little cute, dressed up in some formal attire of some kind.
Hmm...Nobody worth fighting around here. Shame. Ah well, might as well find out where I am.
"Excuse me," he starts, "Might you know where I've landed?"
"Eh...?" Yukina was confused. A man suddenly appeared out of nowhere crashed on the Manor's couch, while she was playing Idolmaster on PlayStation 3. Somehow and in someway, it seems as if the will of the city chose to land a newcomer inside someone's house. She was immensely surprised, but she was relieved that the handsome man landed while Yayoi was having having a concert, else it would interfere in her game. But nevertheless, she was utterly dumbfounded, just staring blankly at the man.
She then tried to speak, but only stuttered. "U-um..." He began, as she puts down the controller, stood up and bowed before him. "...Welcome to N-Nexus City, stranger. How may I help you?"
"Nexus City, eh?" Michael takes a moment to taste the word, then stretches out a bit, working out the kinks with a light groan before sighing with no small amount of satisfaction at the rejuvenated feeling flowing through him.
"Well...I suppose you could tell me if you know some place I could get something to eat. I can find the decent fighters myself, but finding a place to refuel is always a problem for some reason."
Michael pats himself over for a moment, before withdrawing a stick small enough to fit in the palm of his hand. Satisfied that he still has his tool with him, Michael places it back in his pocket and looks up to find himself staring at the incomprehensible images on the screen in front of him.
Oh sweet and sacred Trinity, what kind of ghastly entertainment is this?
"Hang on, are you here by yourself?" Michael asks curiously, "It doesn't really seem like it. Room's too big. House feels way too big for you to be living by yourself."
"Hmm...you mentioned research," Michael says after allowing a moment for the food to settle, "What does this Neo person research?"
"Alchemist?" Michael winces slightly, "Is he any good in a fight?"
"Hmm..." a grin makes its way onto his face as he takes this in, "I wonder...Where might I find him? I must admit that I'm probably a little rusty, so a quick spar might be a decent warm-up for both of us."
"Hmm..." Michael considers this, "Unfortunate. But I can wait...Unless, of course, this is just an excuse because he's really just all talk or can't fight with his own hands. Then again, given that he's apparently an alchemist, I suppose that's a given."
Yukina just giggled nervously in response to the man's presumption of Neo's fighting prowess. For her, it was better that he would think that Neo is just a coward, rather than to risk getting him or anyone in trouble.
However, Neo apparently went out of his room and went downstairs for some reason. As he was going down the steps, he took notice of the man and said, "Okay, who the fuck is this bum right here? You fuckin' retard, did Ratt even allow ya' to take in goddamned bums in the house?"
"Neo-san, please do not drive him away." Yukina said. Neo finally got out of the room, she thought, and trouble is almost certainly sure to brew. "He just landed in this city right now and he was hungry."
"Oh, I see." Neo said. He then looked at the man and told him, "Welcome to Nexus City. Don't forget, you're here forever. You got fucked big time, man." After his acerbic greeting, Neo proceeded to come down the stairs and head to the kitchen.
"Where are you going, Neo-san?" Yukina asked him.
"Where the fuck do you think I'm going, bitch?" Neo retorted. "I'm goddamn hungry. Munchies."
"Quite the opposite, actually," Michael says, that grin still on his face, "I think I'll quite enjoy living out my life here. Especially if there are people here who might be able to offer a decent fight. I seem to have been unlucky here, but...perhaps elsewhere."
"Gah!", Richard yelped in pain as he felt the rushing wind gushing at him like a torrent. The man could see but a blur, he had not even the time to flinch as he felt a violent impact crushing his chest, sending him flying backwards like a cannonball.
Such a blow would have punched a hole in a normal man with ease, but thankfully, Richard had just enough reflex to do something. The moment he saw the blur, he made his gourd explode, water bursting violently and covering his chest in an attempt to shield him somewhat. Not that it prevented anything, but the protection coupled with the dissimulated kevlar shirt could protect him to an extent.
Being flung backwards at incredible speeds, Richard hacked blood. No good, my ri-
Of course, he had no time to finish his thought. Instinctly, he used his energy to melt the surrounding snow, just enough to create a wall of water just thick enough to cushion the impact, his back violently slamming the wall, but barely withstanding the impact.
With that said and done, Richard coughed blood once again, his vision burry and breathing hazy.
Bollocks, this bloody trouble is going all to pot...
"Nice one mate, I felt that. But I'm not in a mood to fight, so would you kindly be proper and answer my question?", he grunted, still pained by the prior attack.
Michael watched this spectacle for a moment, then bursts out laughing uncontrollably.
"So even bird familiars put up a decent fight around here?! Oh that is a mark of shame against you that you can never wash away, sir. Well, at least we know of someone willing to defend a woman's honor. Or at the very least ready to maul someone who insults her."
With that, the stick is drawn once more, held casually in the palm of his hand.
"Though, I must admit that I can't really appreciate such a coward myself..."
"Don't fuck with me, dipshit." Neo insulted him. "I already told you, I'm not in the mood for bullshit like this. I'm high as a kite, you fuckin' nigger. If I did what you're fuckin' asking me for right now, it ain't gonna be a fair fight because I really can't even fuckin' balance myself right now."
"But if you really want to fuck with someone like me, I could get you a blunt, you start blazing it and then we gon' talk, asshole. If you want a fair fight with a drunk, you should become drunk yo'self. How's that sound?"
"Nah. Drunk wouldn't go well. I wouldn't be able to hold back. How about if I was blindfolded?"
"Depends on what it is. So, come on, let's hear it."
"You insulted her master, trampled on her honor, and were, in general, a complete asshat to her, as per the usual it seems," Michael points out.
"As for your hair," Michael continues, "You could do with losing some of it, long hair isn't all too good in a fight."
AbigailLawrence
"Yes. It would be bad. I have quite an attachment to all of my parts." Lawrence said. He grabbed the cup before swallowing the potion all in one gulp. Abigail winched and grimaced as the potion worked its magic. There would be a rush of extreme heat at first, drank that fast, almost as if he had eaten a ghost pepper, then that slow, steady warmth that spread through his veins. He sputtered, his green eyes watering before gasping for air.
"So-so can we go then?"
She held up her index finger, still winching, and said, "I should have warned you, you need to sip. Lord and Lady, I just surprised that you didn't just spew it out everywhere."
Then she chuckled and pulled out her goggles from her bag and secured them over her eyes. The frames were heavy and dark brown, somehow harmonizing with her bright red hair. Her peridot-green eyes sparkled as she smiled at Law. "Well, come on, let's ride." Then she lead him out of the station, grabbing her broomstick on the way. Once outside, she let it go, but instead of falling to the ground it hovered at the height of her waist.
Making sure she had her gloves on, her coat was zipped, and her scarf around her face, she mounted the broom. "Ready to break into the Danger Zone?"
Forest
Forest watched Archer's motions, surprised at how normal he looked. Well other than the butt cape, body armor, and bondage pants. Saber moved like a pixie, almost as if she was dancing all the time even dressed in jeans and combat boots. Lancer moved with predatory grace before he vanished. Dress Archer in jeans and a T-shirt, and he could have been just some exotic guy from the street.
An absurdly attractive guy from the street.
She said, "Well, this is Nexus. There are a lot of magic users here so it's not that big of a thing. Unless you don't . . ." She left the sentence open. Saber had told her one of the reasons she had bonded with Archer was they both wanted to end their existences. Something something paradoxes and maudlin regrets and ideas betraying them. It was all very Whedon-esque tragedy without the funny.
Then Adjutor appeared, right out the shadows, reminding Forest of both Wynn and Gabriel, giving her a pang.
"Ah, speak of the proverbial devil. Archer, this is Adjutor. Adjutor, this is Archer. You two will probably hate each other," the blond said, a sardonic smirk curving her lips, remembering Saber's extensive prattle about Archer and what she'd seen of Adjutor so far.
"Huh?" Adjutor mumbles as he makes his way to his feet, still a little groggy. He takes a moment to regain his bearings. Kitchen. Third Floor. Forest's...Compound? Whatever.
"I don't really see why I'd hate him," Adjutor admits, "But-"
Then he got a good look at him, not through the mana-sight, but through his normal eyes instead.
"...Nope, still don't hate him. He looks like someone who's been burned more than once, but...cynicism alone is no reason to hate someone."
Unless...
Adjutor unseals his eyes again, only to find that nothing's changed about him aside from...hmm...
"You're low on mana, and considering that you spirits seem to use it to sustain your existences..."
Adjutor took a moment to check his own stores and was rather disappointed by what he saw. Laying a hand on Tyrfing, he has the Elemental break down one of the many souls it's carrying at this point, dropping the count to twenty-nine as a rush of mana flowed through the teen, filling up just enough of his stocks for Adjutor to stop worrying. With that, Adjutor makes his way over, gathering a fair amount of mana in his hand and offering it to the Spirit for the other to shake.
"I suppose we should get to know each other a bit better if we're apparently going to hate each other."
Transfer should go fine if he shakes it, and that should be enough mana to keep him going for a few more days, judging by his current consumption rate.
[...]
« Good grief, do tell, who would this retarded bitch be? »
Sakura turned and ran into an alley, ”Caster,have you found Shirou yet?!? Something bad is going to happen, come meet up with me if they haven’t!”
"I will have to ask you to remain here, though. I do not wish to lead you to where my master is located, in case you intend to cause her harm", she said.
Abigail
The Changeling grinned at Law and said, "Okay, the rules for riding the broom stick are as this. 1.) Close your eyes. You might get freaked out and plus the wind is really strong and I didn't bring an extra pair of goggles with me. 2.) Lean when I lean and relax. If you're all tense and stuff it'll be very bad. 3.) Arms around my waist. Anywhere else will wreck my balance which would be very bad because we'd go tumbling to your death and my very bad ouch but I could theoretically walk away from."
Then she rested her rear on the shaft of the broomstick as much as possible. "Oh, you might wanna try sidesaddle. This isn't very good for male parts."
Abigail
Abigail grinned at Law's babbling and giggled, her peridot-green eyes meeting Law's. He was so different than the Frat Boys who tried to hit on her and get into her pants. He was more honest, and considering most of the Fae she had to hang out with it was refreshing.
Sure she sensed another presence inside of him, but this was Nexus. He wouldn't be the first person with a spirit riding side car in his head that she'd met. However I might get to ask him questions about it, she thought, her smile broadening.
"You wouldn't be the first one who tried, but at least you warned me about it," she said with a grin as the broomstick easily supported their weight. "Now hold on . . ." She gripped the broomstick, leaned forward and shot off into the sky, making sure Law was holding on for dear life.
Forest
Forest sighed, rubbed her forehead, and said, "Look, I know you're meaning well. I know about meaning well, but you're just a wee whimpersnaper. Trust me, I can get blood elsewhere. I'm careful when I feed and I have my reasons why I don't want to feed off of you. And if Archer wants to find an anchor or not is up to him. If he's going to commit suicide, at least he's not going to be a pratt about it."
To Archer, in Japanese, she said, "People have a . . . very happy reaction to my bite that generally requires them to change their pants after I'm done. And considering Martyr Boy's a virgin, I don't want him to get infatuated with me. Its happened before in the past. Its messy and he's not my type."
Lorenzo Remei
[...]
"Now, you can do this the easy way or the hard way. The choice is your lad, now, apologize at once to lady Yukina, or I fear you'll wish I killed you here and now."
The whole scene only caused stress for Yukina as the seafarer grabbed Neo by the collars and commanded him to apologize to her, threatening harm if he didn't do so. She didn't ask for this, she thought, and she needed to do something to prevent anything dangerous happening to her colleague.
"...I forgive him." Yukina said. "I forgive Neo-san. Now please let go of him, Remei-san. Please do not threaten him anymore."
On the other hand, Neo wasn't fazed by anything that the pirate said, whether they be insults or threats. He was already used to such, instead it only amused him, as a smirk was on his face right now. And when he heard Yukina speak out her forgiveness, Neo said, "Yeah, you heard the retard. She forgives me, now get fucked."
"Please let go of him now." Yukina pleaded. "Do not fight anymore. I forgive him."
"I'm sorry, Yukina," Michael says, "But it's less a matter of your forgiveness at this point and more a matter of a...code of honor, if you will. Now call me as backwards as you wish, but, until a few millennia ago, I was from a place where chivalry was still very much part of that code. Now, I'm not sure about our sea-faring pyromancer friend, here, but I most certainly have a few grievances with this person that can't be settled by mere apology. First of all, he made an excuse for refusing a fight. Now, if he'd simply refused me straight out, that would have been fine, but instead he made some excuse about being busy with some sort of cure-all. A cure-all isn't going to be made in one day, so discovering this cure-all quickly isn't nearly as important as ensuring that it's an actual cure-all, which you seem to be lacking, seeing as it's causing such deformities in your test subjects."
"Also," Michael continues, "You might not want to be insulting the person whose charity you seem to be dependent on to survive those who wish to pay you back for insults against her. Of course, this lesson seems to have come a bit late, for which I truly pity you."
With that, Michael realizes that he's actually drawn his weapon, though not turned it into a useable form yet.
"My, my, this is rather excessive," Michael mutters, shoving the stick back into his pocket, "I won't need a staff to properly educate one who isn't worthy to be thought of as a man, and you should be sobering up by now. Adrenaline does such wonderful things to the system."
David
A bemused expression crossed David's face at the thought of such a fragile form of magecraft. It was horrendously impractical, unless, of course, you were only active at the night. "A type of magic that is easily disrupted by something as simple as sunlight? That must be so very difficult to use on a daily basis considering it would be useless in any situation during the day. It would only be useful for beings that call the night home, wouldn't it?"
The Scholarly grew a bit more alert with that statement but the Joyous still seemed utterly relaxed. Both were certain in their own way that if a fight were to break out they could incapacitate the woman in some way.
Einar approached the foreboding castle, paying little mind to the imposing spikes sticking out of the ground and the corpses impaled on them. It was an impressive show, and obviously a warning to intruders, but that did not concern the blond swede.
Walking up to the large main door, Einar gave the hard wood three sharp raps with his knuckles. “Hello, anyone there?”
”Sakura, what’s wrong? I’m on my way, I still haven’t located Shirou yet.”
Sakura, the woman claims she wishes to talk to you about that "saint" who attacked me, she seems to know of him somehow. Do you wish for me to ask more, or to bring her to you, or should I just ignore it? she said over their mental link.
"And I'm done trying to get through to you, so I'm just going to sober you up a bit and see how well you fight," Michael says, making his way out of the Manor as well, "That sound fair? I don't care either way, it's been far too long, and you look like someone who really needs to be taken down a peg or two. Fair warning, whatever you're about to go through is what you would have gone through even if you were sober from the get go, so don't bother blaming your ineptitude on drugs."
Michael simply stares at the kid for a moment, incredulous, then laughs.
"...If you have a weapon or something you'd like to pull on me, now would be the time," Michael says, "It won't be fun, or even fulfilling, otherwise, unless you've got some ridiculous training in unarmed combat. And if you're about to tell me that your combat experience trumps mine, I say think again, kid. So go ahead, guns, knives, whatever. You get the first move. It'll all end up the same. Besides, the whole point of this beatdown is to knock you down a few pegs. I can hardly get my point across if you get the first move."
Abigail
Abby was smiling as they were riding through the air. She heard Law's cursing and shouted, "Just hold on! I'll catch you if you fall, but I don't wanna test that!"
She lowered towards the ground, put kept up the velocity. She wove in and out of streets and between buildings, heading towards the compound she had heard so much about. Enough that she memorized its location in case she ever had to go see Lady Law herself.
Forest
Forest shrugged and said in Japanese, "Its sort of annoying. I would have been happier if I could just make a person feel tipsy or mellowed out. Besides, Feeding, when not in battle from an enemy, should be a sacred thing. Someone is sharing their life with me. I shouldn't abuse that."
She looked away and fidgeted with a shrug.
"..." Adjutor looks from Forest to Archer and back, then back to Archer, "So...There are more pancakes, right?""A good attitude to have." Archer commented back to Forest in Japanese. "Especially with a bite like that."
Then a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye catches his attention, turning, he finds a familiar mana signature, covered in equally familiar designs.
"Welcome back, Robo-Golem," Adjutor says with a wave to the golem, who, unbeknownst to him, is still invisible, "Sorry I couldn't stick around for a spar. Did you get bored?"
Officer McGruffkins takes a moment to consider the newcomer's excuse, frowning as he did so. Not for the last time, he finds himself wondering why he got stuck with reception duty today of all days. First some kid who looks like a Saber-wannabe, now an honest-to-goodness Saber clone, albeit somewhat taller than the actual Saber, what next?
"If you can't see the sign," the officer says, "Then you really shouldn't have been able to find this place, if your vision was that bad. Regardless, I'm not calling Saber just because you came in here and wanted to see her. You're not her superior officer, you're not an officer seeking her assistance, and you're not even a consultant. Just some random person who claims to be related. Hell, for all I know, you could be some deranged stalker or something."
Michael stares at the blonde, incredulous.
"Kid, what I said was simple. Take the first shot or it'll be over too quickly. I don't doubt that I'll see things in this city that I've never seen before, but nothing you can do will make that list."
"..." Michael just stares at the kid, "You...You're seriously...For Trinity's sake, are you seriously dumb enough to reject a free shot?!"
"And...afraid? ...You know what, screw this, this isn't fun anymore. You have to the count of three to make a move or I'm not even going to bother with making the point of how pathetic you are and just beat your ass into the ground."
Michael sighs, stuffing his hands into his pockets and looking down for a moment before withdrawing them, his right hand concealing the stick.
"Fine," Michael says, pointing the stick in Neo's direction, "You asked for it."
With that, the stick is suddenly a twelve-foot long staff. Unfortunately for Neo, he's only about ten feet away from Michael, and the stick was pointed at his chest before Michael changed it. There isn't enough force in the blow to impale him, but definitely enough to knock him back a fair bit.
...Why do I even bother...
Michael didn't even feel the kid tugging on the staff, instead sparing him an annoyed look while taking advantage of that wonderful thing called torque as he put his other hand on the staff and it close as he dragged one foot to the side, turning his body like it was the staff's pivot point, which it was, as he did so to either rip the staff from Neo's grip or bring him along with it before pulling it back, the staff shortening down to a length of eight feet as he brought it back before it lengthened back out to twelve feet as he brought it down on the kid, the staff moving far faster than it had any right to.
The moment Michael saw the flask, instincts honed by millennia upon millennia of fighting kicked in, one hand leaving the staff to grab Neo's wrist, exerting pressure in just the right spot to force the hand open to let the flask drop harmlessly to relatively soft ground as a matter of routine, before Michael simply let the wrist go and kicked the blonde away.
Lorenzo Remei
"Don't ignore me you half arsed scurvy dogs!", Lorenzo barked as the other man fought the... whatever stood higher than a flea but lower than a rat in the human decentness scale. The pyre of the manor's candlelight accumulated on his legs, with a swift kick the pirate rocketed trough the manor door with a mighty trail of bursting pyre behind him.
As the able seaman soared in the heavens, he gained a good look of the situation. With a grin, he shot forward down the scoundrel with all his might, brandishing his fist and roaring like a mighty pirate ought to roar.
''Ye cheap scoundrel, a man is only as mighty good as the burdens he bears on his shoulders! To let a woman bear your burdens and having yourself bear no shame, to bear no respect..."
"FEAST UPON MY FIST!!", he cried with the strength of many men, a fiery soul with burning passion pummeled the blonde man with a fist bearing his full might. There was no time to even react, the lad was shot back trough the ground headfirst due to the fiery punch with an abundant trail of blood.
The pirate slowly descending, he gained equal footing to the two once again, and brandished his blade. "Your tongue or your hand, which will be first?", he snarled.
Seeing the pirate, definitely a pyromancer, literally come rocketing in to basically snatch his thunder right out from under him, Michael stared at the spectacle, then at the downed blonde, then back at the pirate.
"...Show-off," Michael says with a sigh.
Then he looks back at the manor entrance, where he last saw the rather weak-willed girl who, in hindsight, ended up being the linchpin in this whole mess. Granted, the immortal admitted he'd been itching for a fight, but the kid's mouth was really what made this shitstorm inevitable. Hell, if he'd just taken his lumps and tried to enjoy the fight as a chance to test his skills or something, then this would have gone over a lot smoother. If he'd refused outright, that would have been fine too, but no, fucker just had to go mouth off to his colleague and then spout off about how he apparently liked people who didn't care about the shit he gave them. Honestly, though, that wasn't even what really annoyed the immortal. The true annoyance was that, when offered a free shot, the kid not only turned it down, but acted like his victory was guaranteed or something. Power's sake, this kid earned the beatdown the pyromancer was about to hand hi-
Where'd she go?
Strangely enough, the girl was nowhere to be found.
...No matter.
With that, Michael advances towards the pirate.
"Hey now, can you wait your-" Michael starts to say, when the sound of a rifle being loaded registers.
Time seemed to slow down to a crawl as he turns to the entrance to see the girl bearing a rifle, which was pointed at him, loaded, and aimed. Michael's brain shifts into overdrive immediately as he processes what he sees with a mind sharpened to a razor edge from countless battles.
Rifle aimed at my center mass, gotta move out of the path. Keep my movement unpredictable, keep her from getting a bead on me. Enhance.
Michael dashes in at an angle, zig-zagging as the magic flows through him, augmenting his physical capabilities far beyond their normal limits. It's too late, though, as she's already pulling the trigger, having managed to track him before the Enhancement took effect. Unfortunately for her, Michael is already to changing his direction, turning what might have been a hit into a near miss as he dashes in, now moving at inhuman speeds with the staff moves even faster, smashing the rifle up hard enough to tear it from her grip before reaching in, trying to flick the two blades out of their sheathes and far away from her before she could possibly think to reach for them.
With that, Michael quickly lashes out with the staff, aiming to sweep her off her feet.
Normally, Lorenzo would've facepalmed at such a display of idiocy and utterly suicidal behavior. Still, he didn't feel like taking the fool seriously, so in an almost spiteful manner, he added insult to the blonde man by simply standing and doing nothing, waiting for whatever was to come at him.
Sakura? What should I do? she sent over their mental link.
Vanguard
Mph, a true warrior indeed. She will only fight those she deems strong it would seem, she seems untroubled by other matters, but this talk about the saint...
The knight pondered for a moment on the current situation. Of course, he wished to resume his duel against Empress, but he needed to at the very least recover enough to do so. And to add more, it seemed this saint was somewhat important, at least enough to pique the girl's interest -and his own.
But before he could say anything, a stranger appeared out of the blue, singing madly as if his life depended on it. His pants soiled and face full of lamentation, Vanguard couldn't help but feel pity.
"What... is going on? Stranger, why do you sing in such a way?"
"There are magi who blow themselves up with make a single mistake or are too overt with their display of magic. It's not useless if it works fine 12 hours per day." Deborah tried to avert the topic Damn it, why you won't just give up...
Tar
Henry was not having a particularly nice morning. Not with all the paperwork he had to fill and reports he had to read and with everything from last night weighing on his mind. Which is why hearing this argument apparently related to Saber when he went to front to get more coffee from the machine in the precinct; and deciding to butt into it; were in hindsight probably not the best ideas.
One of the doors to the reception area of the police station swug open, and Henry walked in carrying a cup of coffee, looking ever the grumpy aging detective.
The first thing he noticed was the honest to goodness Saber clone, and what the hell, even though it immediately enlightened him about the context of the conversation he was walking in to. The second was that she was smoking.
Henry shot a glare at McGruffkins, slammed down his coffee cup on top of the reception desk, and then stomped forward and smothered the tip of the girl's cigarette between his fingers.
"First off, I don't smoke in here and I'm a cop, so you damn well don't either," he started, staring harshly down at her. "Second off, Saber hasn't come in today yet. So how about you go for a walk, and come back later?"
Or never. They had enough things to worry about, even though the unchained showed none of those thoughts on his expression.
After stepping back and giving the girl some room, Henry continued with a sigh, "Or just leave your name and phone number at the desk and we'll give you a call eventually. Whichever. So long as you don't idle about in here."
The living dream rested his cheek in the palm of his hand and clucked his tongue in false annoyance. "Maybe I should try a different conversation starter? Let's try... are you human or some other kind of entity? If you tell me what you are I'll tell you what I am."
Sakura, are you OK? Rider asked, her concern clear. What's wrong?
...Well this is a mess, Michael notes, the sounds behind him telling him that either the blonde actually managed to get the drop on the pirate or the pirate simply wasn't paying attention. Either way, the rifle was long gone from the girl's hands, though the blades weren't so simple, Michael having failed to note that neither of them had guards. Thanks to the enhancement, the girl seems to be falling in slow motion while he's still moving in real time, and he decides to put this to good use. Reaching in, he grabs the handle of the shorter of the two blades, sliding it free of its sheath before turning his head to find Neo choking the pirate with one hand and slugging him in the head with the other.
The blade obviously wasn't designed to be thrown. It was single-edged and the balance was a bit off, but he'd worked with worse. The girl finally hits the ground in the moments it takes him to adjust to the knife.
Flipping the weapon so he's gripping the blade, Michael takes all of a singular instant to take aim before tossing the blade fast enough that it's a blur as it slices through the air towards Neo's elbow with the intent of piercing through the elbow to take that arm out of commission.
She's willing to fight, and she still has a blade. Dammit...
Without bothering to look back at the girl, Michael brings the staff down with Enhanced speed on the girl's left knee with enough force to shatter the kneecap, intending to incapacitate her as well.
Disappointing. No fun at all.
Lorenzo Remei
[...]
"You rotten bastard... do it right! ", he snarled before grabbing onto the man's face, pressing onto his eyes in an attempt to get him out of the way. He too saw what just happened, and it disgusted him to say the least.
"Just... let go! There, she is in danger!"
He'd get Yukina out of this mess, but damn this clusterfuck annoyed him. First that blonde idiot being an insufferable ass and pissing him off like that, but now things were much different. If insulting a woman was a disgusting offense worthy of grave punishment, to harm one would be an unforgivable, irredemable deed.
"Quit it lad!", he roared as he struggled to get away as quickly as he could.
Michael couldn't even be bothered to wince at the sound of the girl screaming. Sounded like she wasn't used to combat at all.
...You know what, forget this. It isn't even fun anymore.
"My apologies for that," Michael says to the incapacitated girl, stepping out of her reach in case she tries to use her remaining weapon anyway, "I'll send a healer over as soon as I can. Fairly sure I can find one in this city. Regardless, that was extremely stupid of you. Given the pirate's interest in you, it would have been smarter to simply put yourself between him and the kid."
With that said, Michael then takes a look at the blonde, who just pulled the blade out of his arm like an idiot.
"That was unwise, kid," Michael says, "You're going to be losing use of that arm soon. The pirate might actually be a decent fight, but I'm not in the mood anymore. Kneecapping non-combatants just sucks all the fun right out of things. If you'll let me go now, I can get a healer and we can put this mess behind us. If not, that healer is going to be looking after three people. Either way, I'm leaving."
Henry's frown dropped slightly. The detective crossed his arms, peering at Mordred with a narrowed expression.
"No guarantee it's one I'll answer," he said. "But shoot."
"Lad, are you deaf or daft? I asked ya to get your hands off me...", the pirate growled as he felt the taste of blood fill his mouth. "If you just apologized-", but he did not have the time to finish, his face was pounded on the ground once again.
Oh, to hell with this shite.
It wasn't quite so pleasant anymore, and he honestly couldn't care less about an apology. Using his free hand, he grabbed onto his flintlock and pointed it at the blonde man.
"Now, quit it and tend to her wounds. You're a healer, so heal. I will handle that bastard."
EINAR KRONHOLM
Einar followed Skullface through the impressively lavish castle, looking over as much as he could while keeping pace with his guide.
"Forgive my manners, I am Mr. Kronholm."
David
The living dream pouted at the fact that he was so easily dismissed. "Well the one with four arms is exactly what he looks like. An otherwise normal human with four arms."
Then he pointed to the smiling woman leaning on him. "She on the other hand is probably one of a kind. There isn't really anything around here that quite matches her physical or mental state."
ForestLawrence
Forest followed Archer as he went to the door, wondering if she should grab her gun on the way. Deciding that Archer was a good enough arsenal for now, she followed him as he opened the door. She made sure to stand out of the way of the sunlight and peered out.
Standing there was a Faerie maiden in her very early twenties, her long red hair pulled up in a messy bun. Freckles sprinkled across her cheeks and nose signaled her as being part human and eyes the color of peridots looked around. The girl tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear as she studied the wall. Standing with the young lady was Law, looking even worse than he did last night.
Forest winched at his condition, and noticed the fact that the girl was holding a broomstick and Law's car wasn't anywhere in sight. She nodded to Archer and said, "He's of the good. I invited him a place to stay. See, some guy shot a sword at him last night while trying to kill me and he's been sleeping in his car and the ghost of Travis Bickle is protecting him."
Abigail
Once close to the compound, Abigail could sense the wards surrounding the place. She frowned at the sheer power in their creation, but the lack of fine tuned finesse confused her. Then she recognized the "signature" of the caster who created the wards.
Lady Umbra was a boogywoman to a lot of Fae due to a sword she forged in the Victorian era to take out a power-maddened member of the Faerie Council in a duel. She was also a "comfortable rival" of Lysandra's and a master crafter of weapons and enchanted items using gemstones. Abigail had met her once and the Lady of Shadows had left an impression.
Then she saw the giant Asian man in bondage pants and the pretty blond vampire behind her. Abby blinked and said, "Wow, I didn't know that Asians came that tall and . . . You're Lady Law!"
The blond's indigo eyes widened and she threw up her hands. First thing Abby was aware of was the blond braided pig tails and then her height. As tall as the Asian was, the blond vampire was almost as tall. Then Abigail realized that Law Unto Herself had been turned in her late teens, meaning that the ancient vampire had been a teenage girl for over a thousand years.
"And wow, I bet once you left Scotland you were like, 'Why did all the people shrink?'"
David
"Scientist? Now that's just silly." The redhead went over what little he knew a few times before making his guesses. "Considering you're here at this hour you're either some sort of possessed being, a very low tier darkness spirit, or a vampire."
David
"Oh? What is it that you will do? Making such a dangerous threat in front of three people is certainly far from wise. Especially ones that already know your true nature." The dream was relaxed as he made the statement, although he did wonder how such a poor liar of a vampire lasted longer than a few nights.
Tar
Henry twitched as the little hooded boy tugged on his sleeve and spoke to him. Alvis of the Elites, if he wasn't mistaken. The creepy little interrogator mage he'd heard about. And he wanted an appointment. Well, in that case. The detective would endeavor to not be done with whatever he was occupied with this day still. Stupid random elites thinking they could order around people not directly under them in the chain of command just because they were elites.
Of course he showed none of this on his expression and just sighed as Alvis left.
"I don't need your praise," he answered Mordred. His brow furrowed as he thought back to that man in the crime scene, who almost made his Cover crack. That seemed so zealously convinced of a singular truth. "The world doesn't need lunatics who arbitrarily think they're right and do everything on their own. Nor does it need people who'll just stand by and let them do as they wish."
The unfocused glare on his face wasn't a hard expression to make.
"Anything else?" He asked, closing off the genuine feelings on his face to look the girl in the eye.
"How humble of you. I really like that" Mordred smiled at the police officer. He seemed to be one of those rare individuals genuinely dedicated to serve and protect unlike some who just treated their job like any other. That rude police officer probably fell into the latter category "I won't bother you more, I will go wait for you know whom outside. Farewell"
Abigail
Abigail frowned and asked, "How do you shoot swords at someone? Like throwing them is stupid because they're not made to be aerodynamic or anything like that."
She looked at Forest and the vampire shrugged and said, "Magic."
Abigail sighed and then put her hand on Law's shoulder. "He really needs to get inside and warmed up. The potion I gave him so he wouldn't go hypothermic on the broom ride here." She let go of the broom to let it hover. She stared at Archer defiantly and said, "I ride a magic broomstick."
Forest
Forest raised her eyebrows at the Fae girl's antics and disposition. With the hair and eyes, she had to be Seelie Court and probably raised with humans so the weird Fae culture wouldn't warp her. So the redhead was adorably cheerful, the sort of cheer that made Forest want to dote on her like she doted on Gabriel.
Then she saw the slim, pretty man lurking in the background, but before she called back to Archer and said, "It was a magic sword mounted on a magic bow to explode. Hurt like hell when it hit too."
"And what about you, Mate. What brings you here? I don't recall meeting you," she called out to the lurking man.
Richard's eyes widened in surprise at the discussion he overheard. This talk about brooms and exploding swords and the like was not something a man hears every day, even a man like Richard.
"Well, that's because you didn't, silly!", Richard humored before smiling, rows of white teeth gleaming as he held his hand towards the blonde woman.
"Name's Richard, Richard Maxwell. It is a pleasure, really.", he said with a polite smile.
"As for why I am here... to put it bluntly, let's say there is important buisness to be dealt with, and all the traces lead to this very compound ."
Deep inside his quantum forge of a heart, Tar the Demon blinked, leaving Henry the detective without a proper reaction. He wasn't expecting that response. Not to his admittedly rather gruff mannerisms. He watched her go, and Henry grumbled from his throat to himself, scratching the back of his head.
"Hey," he called out, before she left out the door. And talking something out of his pocket, he walked up to her and shook it in her direction. A cigarette poked out of the Marlboro packet in his hand. "Here. For the wait."
Mordred didn't expect such an act of generosity from the police officer, as she thought he would go back immediately to his duties. She already bothered him enough yet he was being so considerate. Refusing though would be rude of her Reaching for the cigarette, she blushed slightly as she felt a little guilty about taking more of his time. "T-thanks. You really didn't need to do that."
AbigailLawrence
"If you make a crack about crazy women flyers I am so kicking your shins," Abby said as she noticed Law starting to shiver.
She started to push him into the compound and said, "You need to get in, get something to eat then warm up. Maybe get some real pants too. I'm being blinded by the whiteness."
However, she didn't like the calculating look those fathomless steel gray eyes gave Law as she ushered him in the building. Whoever this absurdly tall bondage prone Asian was didn't have pure intentions towards Law. The redhead frowned at him but didn't say anything, because in a contest of magic, even as low on power as he was, he would crush her. That Abigail was certain.
AbigailAs Law cleared his throat, Archer frowned at Abigail. "Vanilla? I really don't put vanilla in with fruity flavors, I find it overpowering personally." He watched her as she started to melt down the marmalade.
"I can still see your harry, white legs," Abigail replied in a sing-song voice as she started to grab a couple of pancakes for herself, "And someone needs to fuss over you. If I didn't, you'd probably be wandering around the police station lost and confused." They smelled heavenly and she wasn't one to turn down good baked goods.
Her eyes widened when she saw that there was orange marmalade in the fridge. The crisp taste of the citrus would harmonize with the blueberries in the pancakes. She took a couple of tablespoons of the marmalade and put it in a sauce pan. She began to heat it into a syrup like state.
"I'm more interested in yours. A magical archer? Why did he try to shoot you?"
"I just ended up in the wrong place man. Caught in the blast zone, got lucky nothing was much more than skin deep. How'd you end up here?"
Then the white-haired man looked at ehr and asked, "So is he your boyfriend? Or what?"
Abigail laughed and said, "I just met him like an hour ago. I'd just gotten to the station, had some muffins to pass around and he looked so hungry and pathetic. As to why this guy shot Law, I don't think he was aiming at Law. From what I gathered from Forest she was the real target. Law just happened to be in the way."
She took a bite of pancake, frowned, and said to Archer, "You forgot the vanilla."
"How about this 'Hakumen'?" Mathew asked, trying to keep this ball rolling.
Hearing the woman’s words, Ito couldn’t help but burst into laughter, as if he had just witnessed a great farce.
“Hah, so let me get this straight... Uou wake me up, try to murder me o the spot without letting me speak, wound me, taunt me and then tell me that I have to be checked up to make sure I am not some oh terrible threat to the elites or whatever you fancy. Are you people mad!?”
Trying to fight back the laughter, he wiped tears from his face before sighing, taking a deep breath before taking a more collected demeanor.
“Well, I don’t really have a choice now do I? Very well, let’s get this over with.”
"Actually, no, we have met before, I'm not a ghost, and I'm pretty sure calling those two ghosts would be grave insults to them," Adjutor counters, "At the hospital, last night. You were fighting another of those 'ghosts' as you call them."
"If you don't mind me asking, is there any particular reason you're looking for Saber?" Adjutor asks, "I don't mean to pry, but I've never met her, so I don't know if there's bad blood between you two or something."
Abigail
The half-Fae girl held up her finger at Archer, shook it and said, "Vanilla is an enhancer when used properly. Especially in anything that's remotely pastry like. You always put a dab of vanilla in pancakes, no matter if they have fruit in them or not."
Abby looked at Law and asked, "Did Death look like Brad Pitt?"
Forest
She grabbed a towel and wiped her wet face off. "Ugg, that water was so bloody cold. And yes, Lady Death tried to get Law's rocks off, rotted his pants off and gave him a serious case of, 'My cock and bollocks are so confused . . .'"
Abigail
Abby frowned, looked at Richard with wide eyes and asked, "You mean . . . You've never heard of Law Unto Herself? Like the vampire vigilante who's ridiculously stubborn and fights for the forces of good all while quipping?"
She cut into her pancakes, looked at Law, and said, "Well, she sounds like a dirty ho and probably is crawling with death STDs. Don't let her touch your junk. It might rot off."
Adjutor
Adjutor is unable to stop a wry little smile from making itself known on his face as he considers the non-human's declaration.
"In all fairness," Adjutor says, "This place pulls in all kinds. Hell, I might find my own lookalike somewhere here, maybe even an alternate universe version of me. And as for the vampire, I'm pretty sure she's not quite like the vampires from your world. Then again, my own experience with her is rather limited, but this place does take all kinds, so you never really know how vampires from different dimensions may be. Though, to be certain, the vampire you're referring to-"
It is at this point that Adjutor, having never bothered to seal his eyes after the encounter on the rooftop, notices a little something on the fae. A simple spell with a familiar signature. Looked like a tracking spell of some sort, going off what he'd seen before, nothing particularly overt and it wasn't even active. The teen figured that, judging by the power behind the spell, when active it would probably act like a simple beacon of sorts. Adjutor deigned to file that bit of information away for later.
"Regardless, I doubt that Saber is in any actual danger from her companion. Likely quite the opposite, considering that most people don't just take in random people off the street who don't have a place to stay, and most vampires don't refuse a willing donor."
"It's okay, Sakura, I know you didn't choose to leave. And I'm glad to see you're okay after all this time. But, I promised I'd be there protect you, and now we're together I intend to keep that promise."
The pale woman snuggled into the angel's chest for a moment before responding. "I'm afraid I didn't plan much for breakfast, Little Angel. We were supposed to be a little too busy to eat, but I can make do. I did acquire something that I could eat from. It's a little old but durable, and it looks heavenly."
Ann put a bit of emphasis on the word before she tapped him on the chest. "Time to get moving. If you want to do something other than sex you should make it worth my time, Little Angel."
"You know, having to carry you is something of a bother to my idea of going out on subtle reconnaissance through the rest of the Nexus," the angel said, trying to bring out his bluntest and flattest tone. "Could I possibly ask you to amuse yourself with something other than me for the day? Most of it, at least."The half-elf blinked a bit owlishly. He had been under the impression that Sarse and Ann were on equal terms in their relationship, but now that he actually thought about it that was probably very incorrect. Ann seemed motivated by whim and fancy, while Sarse was rather concerned with order. He had heard whispers of there being secret romantic meetings between Selesnya and Golgari elite, but the interaction here was confusing.
Sarse's expression twisted for a moment, and his eyes avoided Ann before darting back.
"Though if possible don't make.... too much trouble."
Well, that was shorter than expected.
Walking down the stairs, Ito found himself in the main room. Glancing around, he saw the familiar face of the man who stood on the rooftop earlier. With a grimace, he approached the woman and him and proceeded to overhear their conversation.
But a sudden noise from his stomach froze the air around him, a pained wail came from his innards. No doubt such a grumbling was due to the fact he had not ate for the last few days.
Mph, can't be helped now can it?
Sneaking like a furtive shadow, the man proceeded to use one of his old tricks. "Clarence! It's been so long, you've grown up!", Ito yelled in an overjoyed tone, smiling wide as he called out to the girl, his hands open wide before he closed in for a sudden hug without giving any time to retaliate.
HOLY FUCK THIS GIRL IS ON FIRE
Without giving any thought on any pickpocketing attempt, the ninja quickly leapt off and set a good distance apart from the woman.
"What the hell, are you crazy or something woman!?" he cried in complete shock. "That can kill people, you know that, right?".
Slowly walking towards the blazing woman, he took a much more serious stance, no longer amused or feigning this charade.
Glaring at her, he snarled, trying to keep himself in check. "If you did... I'm afraid that won't do at all."
Corporal Mathew Blackburn
"An old cat-man thing that wears an eyepatch..." Mathew said slowly.
He had to admit, this was something he couldn't quite wrap his mind around. Cat's were somewhat of a rarity, though common enough that a commoner like him has seen a few in his lifetime. Such soft fur...
However, based off of Noel's description, all Mathew could imagine is some grotesque amalgamation between that calico-pattern hairball with a person. Somehow, he felt like he committed a minor heresy in the attempt.
"How human is Jubei, exactly?" He asked, wanting to form a better mental picture.
Shirou (HF)
Thirty years... To think Sakura and I could have such a happy life together for that long. I have no idea what the future holds, but a quiet life with Sakura doesn't sound bad at all.
"Ah, I see Rider, so you're from the future, though a different future than we are from as your Sakura was never a part of this place."
It's after I say these words that Sakura embraces me from behind and tells me that I have no idea where this place is. Well, she's right about that, I only came to this place to find her, without thinking about where here actually is. She something about this place being the Nexus. ... it's at this moment I realize she's playfully rubbing against my back. Considering it's been so long since we've seen each I appreciate her enthusiasm.
"Yes, Sakura lets get moving. The faster we can get to safety, the sooner we can... catch up."
"The hell would grope a pissy goat like you? I wasn't trying to do any creepy touchy stuff like that, so please, do kindly calm your tits, wherever they may be."
His eye filled with unhidden murderous intent, he looked at the woman's weapon. It was a spear, pretty good looking piece no doubt. She would certainly be troublesome, maybe he'd get his fill out of this.
"Well, if you do want to fight, go for it. Just bring a mop and shovel first, your guts aren't going to clean themselves. Hey, why don't you write your will while you're at it!?"
But then Ito realised something, they were still in the police station. To fight here would be recipe for disaster, especially after what just happened.
"But that wouldn't be any fun. Let's take this elsewhere, without any interferance."
Saber started to put a cup of coffee on for Rin as well. She smiled at Shirou and asked, "If you like, I can see if anyone at the station could be spared to assist with the search. However, I do need to be there when the party goes into the sewer to track down the fiend responsible for that massacre last night."Sewers? Oh right, that's where they think the perpetrator went...
"Perhaps once things calm down I can show the both of you around Nexus, and maybe get you settled in more comfortable quarters while you are here Rin. I apologize about it being so crowded; I have a male roommate who is missing at the moment." She frowned at that as she looked at Lancelot's phone.Rin looked over at the Servant before smiling. "Nothing to apologize for Saber, I'm just glad I had a place to stay for the night. I wouldn't mind you helping me find a new place though, I don't want you to have to provide a space for me longer than you need to." She noted both that Shirou seemed in an awful hurry (probably wants to go off and hunt for Mia, Rin thought), and Saber's glance over at a random cell phone. Figuring Shirou needed to be on his way, she decided to address the latter.
Shirou (HF)
"Travel by Demon? ..."
So, that's what the strange creature was from before...
"You said go home Sakura, does that mean you have a place to stay in this world?"
Forest
Forest returned the hand shake and replied, "I was a little preoccupied with the whole you trying to Van Helsing me, I'm sorry."
Then she chuckled and said, "I'm an odd duck, what can I say? No, I work with the local bobbies as for peaceful . . . well, I'm a Celt. My first response is to punch first when it comes to the Forces of Evil."
She started to laugh at the frank conversation about Law's junk and combined with Abby's squeak and "NO!" the vampire was laughing pretty hard. She felt lighter as the laughs turned into giggles and she shook her head. "Oh wow, this conversation is just bloody amazing."
Shirou (HF)
"Ah, well it's convenient that a manor from somewhere was transported here, I guess it's better than nothing..."
Truth is, I've always felt uncomfortable at the Matou Manor. Given that Sakura has had time to renovate I'm sure it's not as bad as I remember, but I'd prefer our reunion be somewhere a little more that feels like home to me. Still if Sakura is here with me I have nothing to complain about.
Rider then comments on using her Noble Phantasm to fly us out.
"It's okay Rider, there is no need to have you and Sakura waste prana on a little return trip. Now, than if it's not too much trouble, I'd like a layout of this place as we head home, from looks of things we might be stuck here for a while, so I better get a hang of this place."
Abigail
Abby flushed even more and squeaked, "I do not look like a tomato you . . . deviant! I mean, look at those pants! Probably like some sex offender, oh, right you're Japanese. Your whole country is perverted and subjugates women."
Then she frowned at how eager Archer was to get Law alone with him.
Forest however said, "Hey Archer, how do you know where your room is? I haven't shown you there yet. You've been in the kitchen the entire time."
Not even flinching or blinking, Ito looked at the woman with an utterly bored expression. He expected more, much more...
"Dissappointing.", the ninja uttered before vanishing for a split second. The side step was so fast, one would not even had the time to realize what happened. And with this very monstruous speed, he sent a kick flying at her face, his foot bashing her mouth in violently.
What a waste of time.
Her body knocked back, he regained a normal posture and turned his back. He was quite moody about this turn of events, with a weapon such as her's he expected at least something a bit more... grandiose.
"Piss off, you're not even worth killing."
However, before he could walk off, he felt a sudden pain in his foot. It was... odd. He was sure the blow would have been too fast for the fire to have reached him. Turning back to face her, he looked at the girl with a curious expression.
"You, you have quite the odd ability... not bad at all. Still, if you realise the position you are in, I wouldn't blame you for leaving."
Noel"So, let me get this straight: A cat that stands upright and wears an eyepatch fought against a monster that almost wiped out the Human Race where your from." Mathew said slowly, face contorting while trying to make sense of this, "Are you puling my leg here, or something?"
"Huh? He's a large cat, he didn't look human at all, he's just a large kitty who walks and talks on his hind legs."
Corporal Mathew BlackburnNoel"So, let me get this straight: A cat that stands upright and wears an eyepatch fought against a monster that almost wiped out the Human Race where your from." Mathew said slowly, face contorting while trying to make sense of this, "Are you puling my leg here, or something?"
"Huh? He's a large cat, he didn't look human at all, he's just a large kitty who walks and talks on his hind legs."
"Oh? So you do have a few tricks up your sleeve. Ok, let's play a bit." Ito responded with a cheerful tone, grinning in return. She was fast, quite faster than before, and the ninja had to admit the lass had some balls. Thus, he thought it would be only fair to turn up the stakes a bit.
The ninja did not seem to move, his body inert even as the lance lunged at his body like a hungry serpent. For a fraction of a split second, it looked like his face twisted in a chilling smile.
And so, Ito simply vanished from sight, so fast and silently it seemed he was never there to begin with. The air grew cold, silent... until a menacing presence made itself present once again.
"What's the matter, I'm over here!" a bloodcurdling sneer came from behind the woman, not even hiding Ito's murderous intent. Waving his hand, a blur sent countless nearly invisible kunais, each aimed to kill his opponent.
Vanguard
Vanguard did not even flinch as the white haired man dashed to him with his wooden sword. Such a futile gesture did not impress him, but the man's stance was quite formidable to say the least. It seemed the warrior would not listen to reason with half hearted measures.
But that man still had much to learn.
Like a whirlwind, the colossal juggernaut blurred before taking kold of the man's side, using his own leg to throw him off balance and slam him on the ground. Of course, Vanguard held back, unwilling to shed any blood. Stepping on the man's chest, the metal warrior pinned him down with his heavy foot.
"Boy, why do you speak of such nonsense? I am no stand or malicious phantom. Nor do not wish to rule or be ruled. I am but a speck in this world, not unlike you, so please cease this."
"Nope." Ito said calmly as a shit eating grin of the highest order crawled up his face. Kicking off the ground, the ninja now leapt at insane speeds around the woman, multiple kunais thrown from all sides and each going for her.
Quickly jumping from lampost to lampost, he now found himself over her, his smile growing as his knives approached her body.
"Where have you been? Are you alright? I was worried about you, old friend."Rin sat there, staring wide eyed at the tiny knight still in her pjs berating the huge newcomer before her body finally relaxed.
She frowned as she could sense that something was amiss with him. She pointed to the living room and said, "Come, go sit down and I can bring you something to drink."
“Thanks for the room, Saber. I’m going now.”
For a moment, Adjutor wondered if the situation could get any more embarrassing. Then a ripping sound answers his question as a slight squirm somehow tears Ann's cloak wide open, making the teen fully aware of the soft warmth of her body against his, the teen's face going almost crimson with this realization. Adjutor takes a moment to try to calm himself, taking a deep, steadying breath, but all this does is fill his very mind with her scent, ingraining it in his memory and wearing down his mental barriers further.
...Honestly, you probably should just take what's being offered.
Xarrest, we've been over this already.
Then Ann struck the deathblow to the teen's restraint with a simple question, asked with a voice that only served to both excite him and to incite him to try to escape again, the failure only serving to confirm that he's more or less recovered from the earlier ordeal and to remind the teen that a singular piece of clothing is all that separates the rapidly hardening length from the woman beneath him.
"I..." Adjutor trails off for a moment, desperately racking his brains for some kind of prior commitment and coming up empty.
See, you don't even have an excuse this time. Besides, if you're still going to be on about how you don't deserve to enjoy yourself for your own sake, then just go ahead and attend to her. Hell, you'll probably be making her day better, to boot.
...I hate you so much right now.
"I don't think I have any prior commitments," Adjutor admits, looking away, anywhere but at those eager blue eyes, or that tanned skin, or- Bad thoughts!
"So, yes. Keeping you company shouldn't inconvenience me. Though, I suppose that wouldn't really matter too much, would it?"
Shirou (HF)
Ah, I see what Sakura is asking. She is asking if Tohsaka engaged in Prana transfers through sex. I let out a sigh, as I'm about to respond. It's best that I tell her the truth.
"Tohsaka is well. She's making her way through the magical association. And of course after you left, she's take up the contract with Rider, though as her reserves aren't nearly as much as yours she has to take it easy. The fact she's advanced as far as she while maintaining Rider is amazing. As for how I've maintained my body with you being gone, it's also thanks to her, though not in the normal way that you're thinking. Being the skilled magus she is, she used the prana in her gems and managed to transfer some prana off them to me. As for Rider..."
I stop and start blushing recalling a time I accidentally walked in on them.
"They um... had to... umm... engage in more traditional prana transfer..."
Damn it, I must be so red in face right now... And lower half isn't any calmer than it was a moment ago. I try to avoid the alternate Rider's glance as this must be embarrassing for her.
Forest raised her eyebrow with a tiny grin. Oh yes, Saber told me about you in detail. So I know to watch myself you quazi-manipulating handsome bastard.
Then she looked at Richard and said, "Yes, you can have a room as well as long as you promise not to kill me."
Abigail was glaring at Archer and said, "I have a place to live, thank you very much. I'm not some freeloader like you, Bondage Boy. And you'd better leave Law alone!"
Forest chuckled at that and said, "Calm down, dear." She reached out and touched the Faerie maiden's hand. The girl blinked but she relaxed at the physical contact. "It's really okay. I promise."
Then she looked at the menfolk and said, "Well come on freeloaders, I get to show you where you're staying."
Ito suddenly stopped, feeling a sudden heat all around him. The strings he had taken the time to set up melted off one by one, rendering his field useless. Facing his opponent, he clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"You... you're not half bad!", yelled the ninja before clapping his hands. "Yes, not bad at all. I acknowledge your skill, quite impressive really."
Sighing, Ito circled around her, he walked calmly with the lighness of a leaf, not a single sound emanating from him. It almost seemed as if multiple bodies walked behind each other, each afterimages of Ito who kept on walking slowly.
"I should apologize for my earlier behavior, truth be told I believe we have met on the wrong foot. My name... is Ito. Ito Kizumi. What is yours?"
The wooden sword harmlessly bounced off Vanguard's leg. With a grunt, he removed his foot from the man's chest only to grab onto his face with his cold metal hand.
Picking him up, he held him up high and squeezed just hard enough to make a point that he could crush his head easily if he wished to do so.
"Silence. Your idiocy irritates me, do you truly see a point in this? Do you truly wish to fight against one who can crush you with such ease? You may believe this to be bravery, but all I see is foolishness. Foolishness and arrogance."
With that, he threw the white haired man to the ground, his body crashing on a nearby wall. Of course, Vanguard was holding back. He did not wish to have the man's blood on his hands, but this point was a point he deemed it necessary to make.
"...arrogance. For this, one day, you will defy the heavens, only to die. You will save nothing, and you will protect nothing. One without power cannot protect anything, not even himself. So tell me, will you challenge me, knowing you cannot defeat me? Will you face your death, or will you cling to life?"
Mordred
"Are you going to surrender then? If you do, I may feel magnaminous and not knock you out right and here." She was on guard against her opponent, wary of any tricks he could have pulled out while he tried to talk her into ending the duel. Mordred still had it in her to continue the fight, and she suspected her opponent was indeed put at disadvantage by her Contract.
"Me? Surrender? Why would I do that, when I'm having so much fun!?" Ito chuckled. "Don't get the wrong idea, I simply believe your little display ought to be rewarded, so I thought it would be fair to give you the name of the one who will claim your head."
Grinning, he kept on walking, the afterimages being blurred even further until it became near impossible to tell illusion from reality with the naked eye.
"But you know, ending it like this would leave a bad taste, so why don't we finish this up another time? You know, you are strong, so I rather not kill you just yet. Choice is yours."
Shirou (HF)
Huh? Another Shirou... Given that this Rider is from a different world than ours I can't say I surprised, but what's with the urgency? She then boarded Bellerophon and pointed in the direction of the other me.
"Hold on a second Sakura? Why the sudden change of plans? Is this version of me in trouble or something?"
"Sakura, shouldn't we get this Shirou home first?" she said.
Rider sighed. Shirou always had been self-sacrificial, apparently it extended even to alternate versions of himself....
Well, there's no point arguing with them both..., she thought as she ordered Pegasus to set off in the direction Sakura had pointed.
"OK, let's go find this other Shirou", she said.
Rider directed Pegasus in the direction of Sakura's finger, rolling her eyes as Shirou tried to order Pegasus forward to absolutely no effect. After some time in flight, following Sakura's directions, they approached the location. As they did so, Rider noticed what appeared to be a human standing on top of one of the buildings. Looking more closely, she saw someone who looked a lot like the Shirou she knew, only somewhat younger.
"He's down there, on that roof!" she said, changing course to head towards him.
As she did, though, he started to run in the opposite direction, jumping across several rooftops, before turning back on himself and continuing to run.
What the hell?
Rider couldn't understand why Shirou would run from her. He knew her, after all, and should recognise her Pegasus.
"Sakura, he seems to be running away...", she said, obviously confused. "Do you want me to chase him?"
Still, she knew she could catch him easily enough, and she continued to follow him, gaining on him rapidly whilst awaiting further orders from Sakura.
"...Are you alright?" Michael calls out as he makes his way over cautiously, "It doesn't seem like it would be a good idea for anyone to be holding that...thing."
Shirou (HF)
It appears that Sakura has the other Shirou. It's kind of strange seeing another me. But, it looks like he's doing alright so there shouldn't be any need to force him to interact with us. As soon as he spot Peagus he makes a hasty retreat. I can't say I blame him, I had a similar reaction when I saw the demon summoned by Caster. Even so, Sakura ordered that the other Shirou be followed.
"Hold on a second, it doesn't seem like this other me is in any danger so we shouldn't have to pursue him."
Shirou (HF)
"Foolish? No, I just think chasing other mes can wait after I understand what's going on here..."
"Would you like me to crash on your couch then?""Saber can be rather forceful. Like when she's hungry." Archer smirked at the memory of the ravenous blonde and their meals together, so long ago. "And I think she'd be hungry enough to eat my evil demon possessed pancakes that lack the blessed vanilla."
Abigail blushed at Law's grin and question and then glared at Archer. The redhead squared her shoulders and said, "Actually yeah! That would be great. I'd just need to stop at Target and pick up a few things so you're more comfortable, but I'm not fussed."
She glared at Archer's back and said, "I want you far away from Deviant Man as possible."
Forest lifted her eyebrow at Archer and said, "Abigail doesn't like you."
"No I don't like him. He's planning something unsavory with Law and I don't like it!" the redhead said, "And anyone who makes pancakes without using vanilla is just evil."
Forest chuckled and lead Archer, Richard, and the blossoming couple to the second floor where the more lavish guestrooms are. She said to Archer, "I'm going to have to call Saber soon. She'll have my head if you showed up and I didn't tell her immediately."
"...Idiot. You're the one who attacked me!" Ito snarled with a grin, the nameless woman's spear sweeped around in an attempt to land a blow.
The slash of the spear should have mowed him down by all means, and yet all it reached were the afterimages. You see, Ito was hiding inside one of his afterimages and as the spear was to cut him down, he simply dashed back into another afterimage, away from the range of the spear.
Moving away further from the woman, his grin grew wider as he leapt back, spinning with his hand moving in a sweeping motion as if to throw yet more of the kunais. This was but a feint, the true strike came from behind the woman.
Strings attached to his leg, as he kicked back to move further from the woman the transparent wires sent about five knives flying back, moving to strike behind the woman who's stance was now wide open.
Vanguard
"Fool." Vanguard uttered as the man blabbered of his nonsense once more. However, a grunt escaped him as he saw him rushing at him once again, this time with far greater speed and resolve.
His eyes, his determination... Vanguard felt a sudden disgust towards that very sight. Yes, this foolishness was disgusting beyond relief, the mere fact one would be as foolish as that man was intolerable, unforgivable. His armour trembled with an emotion he had not felt in millenia: rage.
Yes, his soul burned with anger, and yet he laughed. As this stranger's insane attempt to topple him, a clearly superior foe, what other option was there to laugh?
"Yes, show me how far your resolve will take you!" he roared while charging in turn, his arm whipping down like a meteor in order to shatter the fool's shoulder.
And then Ann decided to ruin the moment by making him cringe at the blunt use of her powers again. The servitor of Destiny sighed tiredly as he turned to Than'Sanel."Likewise." The half-elf nodded, swiftly following the Boros-like man. There was little else to say along the way and Than hadn't focused on their surroundings when they searched for an inn, so he could pass the time observing the scenery, however garish the terrace-obsessed part of his mind thought it all. He recognized the path eventually.
"Feel free to come then. I'd appreciate the company," he offered, hurrying them both out the room and from the hotel to the mall where they had met the previous day.
Suiren
“That’s enough buddy” A cold voice called out.
Then a leg impacted with vanguard’s body, dislodging his hand from the man’s face and sending him sprawling onto the ground.
Suiren’s body spun, and she brought her leg back down, crashing it again the ground, causing spider cracks to appear though the pavement.
The look on her face was horrifying, it was not the calm, relaxed, or even excited look she has had before. It was some mix of anger, disgust and disappointment. She didn’t know why he was so angry with his man, mocking his resolve by meeting it with anger, fighting to shatter the man’s will rather than to enjoy the thrill of combat. She could tell that simply from how he fought.
Those things are some of the things that angered her more than anything else. “I don’t know what you have against this man, but what you are doing is nothing more than an insult.” Golden light flicked off her form like lightning, arching into the air around her.
“Understand me?”
"No! Nonono, I'm not pulling your leg! I'm totally serious! He even has a daugther named Kokonoe!" Noel leaned close in and put her hand up to her face; she looked around furtively before she spoke. "You know," She began in a loud whisper that wouldn't fool anyone. "I hear she likes to take people..." Looking around one final time for who knows what, she dropped the bombshell of the century: "Modify people."Mathew played along, taking a none-to-serious look around the apartment from his seat. "Why are we whispering?" he, of course, whispered back.
The angel turned to answer Sanel as he kept up a firm stride, "I left my personal vehicle in the vicinity yesterday. I'd rather have it close by, and not just because leaving it where I can't use it would defeat the purpose."The young man in green's attention was drawn elsewhere, focusing on the collapsed part of the mall. He could sense that his saproling-born supports were helping the law and safety enforcers deal with the remaining issues, but he felt a twinge of regret. Had he been well-rested rather than just freshly Planes-walked, he could have been more useful to stop that thing from harming innocents in any way.
"Come on," he called out to the man with him.
"No! Nonono, I'm not pulling your leg! I'm totally serious! He even has a daugther named Kokonoe!" Noel leaned close in and put her hand up to her face; she looked around furtively before she spoke. "You know," She began in a loud whisper that wouldn't fool anyone. "I hear she likes to take people..." Looking around one final time for who knows what, she dropped the bombshell of the century: "Modify people."Mathew played along, taking a none-to-serious look around the apartment from his seat. "Why are we whispering?" he, of course, whispered back.
The ninja's eyes narrowed and mouth slowly gaped as his opponent appeared to be struuggling. It was evident that she was bleeding badly, and the more this fight went on the more she was losing her edge. It would have been so easy to rush at her this instant and slit her throat, but that... would simply not bring any satisfaction.
As an assassin, Ito was thaught to always fight his opponents when they were at a clear disadvantage, to finish them off like animals once weakened enough. That was what the old man always instructed, but you see, there was no more old man. Ito wished for a good battle, and it was clear his opponent was not at her best.
Stopping, he siged before picking up a kunai, twirling it between his fingers. He had now stopped smiling or laughing, his face was as flat and bored as one's could get. Almost... melancolic. Ito looked at his opponent, and sighed.
"Hey, don't be stupid. You keep going and you'll die." He calmly spoke, his stance loosening up as he tossed a kunai in front of the girl.
Attached to the kunai was a strange herb attached to the knife with a thin web-like string. "Medicine. Nothing much, but it can stop the pain."
The young man in green's attention was drawn elsewhere, focusing on the collapsed part of the mall. He could sense that his saproling-born supports were helping the law and safety enforcers deal with the remaining issues, but he felt a twinge of regret. Had he been well-rested rather than just freshly Planes-walked, he could have been more useful to stop that thing from harming innocents in any way.
"Sarse, do you mind if I stepped in and checked on the supports I crafted? Perhaps I could offer something to the law enforcers that they don't have available."
Suiren
“You failed, but that does not make that will anything less. The will to surpass all else, the will to continue on, the will to fight against all odds, those are to be commended, no matter where it leads.” Suiren said.
“Listen to me, Vanguard.” She said his name for the first time, “I am the one who with only these fists will reach the pinnacle. The pinnacle only few have seen. But that is not enough. With all my ‘foolish’ will I will keep climbing and reaching, and surpass that peak. I will transcend the heavens and go beyond!” She declared.
She held out one of her fists, parallel with the ground, pointing it at him. "The highest peak where only gods walk. With these hands I will reach it, and then push further to hights never known, beyond belief, beyond understanding. I will surpass all things and become one who rules over all of heaven and earth."
"For I am the mightiest! For I am the Greatest!" She declared as the light began to dance around her form.
"AND THESE HANDS WILL PROVE IT" She yelled, swinging down her fist, the air and earth shaking from the force.
“So tell me," she suddenly got very quiet her hair covering her eyes, "AM I FOOLISH TO YOU!?” Her head raised, showing her burning eyes, filled with fury and rage, as she yelled out. And with her voice and anger the world around her shook.
Mordred
"I.. don't... need your pity" she glared at her opponent, still bleeding out. She hated that, as it reminded her of the past. That day when she was spared by someone whom she hated most. But, she had little strength in her to retaliate. Propping up herself on the spear, all she could do was stand. Her spear deactivated and the fiery circle of thorns dissipated. "I will remember your face, you bastard, and pay you back twice when we meet again." she declared, intent to avenge her humiliation. She would not make use of his "gift". Even if she was unable to fight anymore in this condition, she had survived worse wounds.
"You..." Ito growled, unamused by that woman's bravado. Faster than ever before, he vanished before reappearing right before mordred, a blade grazing her throat. It didn't look like he even unsheated it, it was simply... there, grasped in his hand and ready to cut. For a second, his furious eyes brimmed with madness, and he whispered so softly, one would barely hear what he'd say.
"Listen, the one reason your pretty head is still attached your body is because you are strong, your little display moved me enough to have you gain my respect. Keep this up, and I may change my mind..."
Suddenly, he blurred once more, not unlike smoke slipping away in a hair's breath. Now standing atop a lightpole, he glared at the woman like a thousand blades. Without any visible movement, his blade was sheated onc again. His scarf flowing under the wind like a sickening appendage, for the instant it covered Ito's face, it ended up revealing a much calmer visage.
Now smiling as if he was a good friend having a pleasant chat, he waved at the woman. "Well, hope your words are more than just bark. Anyhoooow, you still haven't given me your name. You know, N-A-M-E. You have one, don't you?"
Ito grimaced at the woman's insane reaction, feeling a bit ticked off at being subjected to such a thing. Still, he didn't mind her attitude, far from it.
"Hah, I look forward to it. Still... you not having a name is troublesome indeed."
"I will call you... Jet Armstrong Enrique Annie Deluxe! Has a nice ring to it don't you think?" Ito chuckled.
"Still, I rather not have you feel bad about whatever happened between us, so how about I buy ya lunch?"
With that said, Ito waved Mordred a familiar looking wallet. Her wallet.
"I heard there's a reeeeeally good Italian place somewhere around here."
Ito chuckled at the woman's visible frustration. This was turning more fun by the second, the ninja wagered it would be acceptable to enjoy himself a bit more. With a quick wave of his hand, the wallet vanished from sight. As his eyes narrowed to gaze further at the nameless woman, he spoke cheerfully.
"Oh? Would this somehow important person be someone called... wait... was it Sword? No, Blade... um..."
Ito scratched his head in wonder, pondering on the name he was so desesperatedly trying to remember.
"Well, I'd wager that person ought to be pretty important, if you're so anxious to meet her, maaaaaaybe this enemy could lend a hand." He sneered with a smile, his grin growing under his pitch black scarf.
"Tell me about it," Forest said with a tiny smile rolling her eyes, "However if the food is sub-par she gets super aggressive like the cook insulted her whole family line or something. She still eats it though. For such a little girl she has an absurd metabolism.""Oh, thank god..." Law scratched the back of his head as he shifted closer to the Fae girl. "You're a real lifesaver I can tell you that. If you give me pants I'd probably be in your debt for years."
Abigail smiled at Archer and said, "See, despite the pointed ears and general abstract scholar nature, I do have a sense of responsibility. Which includes having an apartment and a job. And keeping Law away from you because I don't know what you're wanting with him, but you want him for something."
Forest sighed, shook her head at Law, and said, "I guess I could spare you a few dollars or something . . . " Then she winked at him.
Abigail frowned and said, "I don't think my pants would fit you. They'd be too tight."
"I have spare pants for manly types," Forest said, trying not to chuckle at the blossoming couple's banter. She looked at Law and said, "I keep them for emergencies. Never know when I rescue a bloke who's sans pants."
Abby watched as Archer chose a room. She bit the inside of her cheek and moved closer to Law, putting herself between Law and the spirit.
Forest looked at the bedroom, knowing it was one of them that had its own bathroom as well. She said, "That works fine. Law, you want to come with me to get some pants? You can come too Abby. Pick out a pair and what not."
Abby flushed at the use of the nickname - Law Unto Herself was calling me Abby! and the fact she was helping to choose Law's pants. "I could do that. I can pick out pants. Because pants are important."
...So...I suppose we should see if she'd be fine with us healing her...
I mean, we're in the Armor, if all else fails, we should be fine...
Any further contemplation on the matter is cut off when something, likely Ann, strikes Adjutor from behind with enough force to send him flying straight at said wounded fae.
Noel"Is she here somewhere?" Mathew asked, "What do you mean by modifying people?"
Noel froze like a statue as if she had just been caught red handed doing something bad. She sat there for several seconds before she finally blinked and answered: "I-I don't know, haha." She paused for a minute and continued. "But, you can never be too careful, you know?"
Blackburn:
"Modify them how?" The Harlech Dragoon asked.
Corporal Mathew Blackburn:
That didn't strike Mathew as something odd - machine body parts were fairly common, especially among the Techpriests. "From where I'm from, there is a group called the Cult Mechanicus. They run the factories of my home planet, and they work on the vehicles. They, uh, replace most of their bodies with robotic parts. By any chance, does this cat-lady like the color red?"
Corporal Mathew Blackburn:"No, don't do that!" Noel continued to panic. "She's actually really nice! Just don't get on her bad side. She remade Bolverk for me." As she patted her trusty pistol, she calmed down and began to smile. Looking off into the distance, she continued. "And she remade Ragna's arm. He looks scary, but he's really a nice guy. He can be such an idiot sometimes..."
With that, Mathew found that his father was indeed right: Woman can be as loud as an Earthshaker Cannon. Now all he needs to know if they can hit as hard as a Power Fist...
Ears still ringing, Blackburn tried to calm the now hysterical woman down. "Easy, easy! If she does come to modify us, I'm sure we have enough firepower her to take her down."
Corporal Mathew Blackburn:
Wait, what? "If she is so nice, then why are you almost wetting yourself at the mere mention of her?" Mathew asked. "Also, who is Ragna?"
"Well, it is rather simple... just staaaand back." Said Lorenzo with a grin, snapping his fingers before quickly unsheating an elaborate rapier, it<s golden pommel shining brightly like a sun.
Swiftly, he waved the blade around, spinning and twirling it between his fingers masterfully before thrusting it on the ground. Muttering drunken mumbo jumbo that even he could not really understand, he imbued his incantation with power. Suddenly, fire and smoke erupted from the ground, slowly cracking and breaking apart as the asphalt burst into flames.
Lorenzo's golden eyes brimming with fire, the pirate chuckled before focusing his energy and mind into the blade. Twisting it once, it opened the ground not unlike a key, and the flames erupted even higher. Despite the inferno, none were harmed, the flames dancing around Lorenzo and Medaka gracefully, beautiful figures of birds circled the duo before the ground shook once more.
And as quickly as the flames appeared, they vanished. The two now appeared to be... flying.
"YOHOHO, WE FLY NOW! Hope you are not seasick. Oh, who am I kidding, there is no ocean in sight!" The pirate roared in proud delight, the duo now aboard a titanic (hue) pirate ship. Standing atop the bowsprit, Lorenzo lauhed triumphantly, Medaka behind his glorious figure.
Rider sighed.
"As Faust said, we don't want to frighten him, and he's stopped running so we don't need to chase him. Besides, Pegasus can tear a human apart just by flapping his wings, I don't think you want him getting too close...", she said, hoping Sakura would understand her motives.
Lorenzo's eyes slightly wiened as he looked upon what seemed to be an armored man, an ominous looking sword laying beside him. It was strange, he should have noticed him if he was there when he summoned the ship, but he didn't. It was absurd, but it seemed that man had gotten to his ship trough some means.
Woah... did that sword just talk? Oi I've really had too much...
"Aye, I am the one you're looking for. Welcome to the fiery fortune, Lorenzo Remei at your service. If it's drinks you want, we have them in the brewery." chucled Lorenzo as he bowed, looking at the stranger with a bemused smile.
"If you don't mind me asking any questions, who are you? Aaand, if you don't mind another question, how did you get here? I sure as hell didn't invite you."
"Aye! Ants are fierce, have you ever steeped on one of their anthills? They will ravage you I tell you, ravage you! Surely ants will someday rule the world." Lorenzo responded, his voice unshaking as he backed up Medaka's wise words.
"Besides, I am no ant. If I was, I wouldn't be nearly as charming. Same for the lovely lass who graces our presence."
Then, the pirate sighed before descending from his post, now on equal footing to the armoured man. Looking at him with his golden eyes, he grunted in annoyance. Yes, a bead of sweat just rolled off his eyebrow, quite unpleasant.
"So, we are up as you can see. What else do you need? I doubt you would fancy any drinks, and you don't look quite hungry to me."
"Tsk, you really are a bastard you know that?" said Lorenzo, clearly displeased with this turn of events.
That man was but a dog, an arrogant dog. He hated people like that, but without a clear plan or way to whoop him, there was no way he could oppose him.
Or maybe...
Lorenzo said not a word, the ship began to move aimlessly, flying over the city to give the two a good view. However, slowly but surely, the fiery fortune was gaining in altitude. He was aiming to go higher up, whatever Lorenzo's planned at least required such a thing. Of course, he made sure to have the boat move up at a slow pace, doing his best to leave such a thing unnoticed to all.
It seemed the man was still composed, unfazed by his surroundings as if detached. Thankfully he had not noticed the fact they were gaining altitude at a constant pace. As more buildings and houses were crossed by the great ship, the pirate took his time to gain his composure.
Calmly, he looked at the man with an almost nonchalant look before smirking.
"Do you gamble?" asked Lorenzo, his eyes piercing the armored man like a thousand blades.
Lorenzo ignored the man's request, pretending he heard not a thing. Instead, he kept piercing the armored man with his glare.
"I am afraid I can't do that. The ship, while I can control it, only follows my will. I am sure you understand, while I am trying to accomodate you, the ship's interests greatly differ from your own. I am afraid... it will not move for much longer."
With that, the ship shook violently, as if an earthquake rumbled in the very core of the Fiery Fortune.
"Do you like to gamble?"
"Good grief, that is a scary thought." Lorenzo muttered, his body unshaking and as calm as a lake.Sepulchure sighed. The man feebly tried to fool him with such an obvious lie. What kind of magical ship couldn't be actively controled, not only was he an insect, he was an exceptionally dumb one at that. "So you wish to gamble. Very well, if you can defeat me, I shall allow you to leave in peace. Or, you can back down and show a modicum of intelligence. It's up to you."
"Well, I don't see why you'd consider me strong, I thought I was lowlier than an ant... Well, I wonder what that makes of the man who seeks assistance of men lower than ants." Lorenzo chuckled, humoring the armored man even as the ship shook further and further.
Unfazed by that fiend's words, he simply took a flask of rum before taking a sip of it. "The point still stands sir, my innermost will is not something even I can change, it would be alike going against my most subconcious instinct you see? I am afraid even if you were to kill me or subjugate me trough a spell, the ship's will would stay the same. Again, it's will clearly opposes your own, and of that I cannot do much, even if it is my ship." said Lorenzo, now smirking.
This, of course, was but a lie. But that man had no way of verifying such a thing, the one truth that was unfounded was that even if he was to be cursed or slain, the ship would not change of owner. Even more, if he was to die, the ship would fade away and would never rise again.
"Now, if you were to claim the ship yourself, that could make a difference. After all, the Fiery Fortune is only to follow the desires of it's owner. So, how about it... do you like to gamble?"
Lorenzo feared for a second his lie was too blatant. Anyone with a tint of magic knowledge would have been able to tell what he said was rather fishy. Still, it didn't matter: that man had taken his bait.
"Oh? You seem pretty confident. Very well, then let us settle this in a game..." Lorenzo stated with an assured tone, his thumb pointing at his heart.
"If you win, I will give you this ship and my soul. Yes, I will wager all that I know, am and possess in this gamble. However... if I win, you must give me something of equal value, that would only be fair."
Smiling, he waved at Mekada.
"We should go to my chamber if you don't mind. The wind is quite bad here, I rather not lose my hat."
"You're a little too eager to get him out of his pants Abigail."
Abigail felt her cheeks and her ears burn at Archer's blithe, sardonic comment. She looked at him lying on the bed, one eye open with this infuriating little smirk. She glared at him and snapped, "I can . . . do something morally questionable involving a lust spell to you! It won't be nice! You'd wish you had an erection for just four hours after it hits!"
Then with that parting blow, she walked up to Law and said, "I'm just trying to get you into pants. He's a butthole." Then she grabbed his arm and started to drag him away.
******
Forest raised an eyebrow at Abby's little tirade before she drug Law away, in the opposite direction of where Forest kept the coveted pants.
She did admire the sight of Archer on the bed, and that little smirk. Stupid sexy Archer.
She shook her head and said, "Don't ruffle the young lass's feather's too much. I know exactly what she's talking about, and 'nightmareish' would be a good way to describe it."
Cu Chulainn
Weird.
Hella weird. Everything just stopped and faded away. Cu stumbled at this sudden change. His hands tried to grasp back at Forest, but everything turned to black. A dot of Hawaiian in the midst of darkness. There was nothing. Nothing could be sensed, heard, or seen. He was all alone. Except for the bottle of booze in his hand.
"What in the hell is going on--?"
Then there was light. Then gravity. And wind. He was falling. Something broke and gave in to his weight as Cu hurtled down what seemed to be a roof. And maybe a couple of floors. It hurt. His back burned with pain and caused him to hiss. The Servant slowly got onto his feet, wood cracking under his feet and the metal creaked from the bed he just landed on.
Dust surrounded him as he had to marvel at the site of his entry above him.
"Gee. Could've been a nicer landing," he groaned as his hand slowly massaged his back while patting away any debris and dust from his clothes, "Where the hell am I this time?"
Once the screen of dust settled, the familiar sight of the blonde caused him to grin.
"Oh, hey! You're that one lass--"
But a certain white-head led him to stare at him in obvious surprise.
"You're here too!?"
"I was about to say the same to you."
"Please don't start fighting in my house. I've had enough of my shit broken today."
"I'm glad you didn't completely vanish, and my offer about the place to stay still stands."
Adjutor, at this moment, was quite thankful that he had the armor on. The layer of separation it provided was quite useful in trying to ignore the fact that he was lying on top of another woman and the barely restrained desire Ann left him with was still tearing at him.
"It's fairly obvious that you're bleeding out," Adjutor says, pushing himself off her, "I was going to come over to heal you, but my...acquaintance, seems to have decided differently."
With that, the teen starts prepping a bit of healing magic to seal up whatever cuts she may have.
Medaka
Medaka stood firm in front of the man looking him straight in the eye and said, "it is Lorenzo's ship, if he does not want to play I don't see any reason why I should play with a person who shows such disrespect. However, know this power does not ensure command over others. One day you may find an ant stealing your food."
Medaka
Medaka stood firm in front of the man looking him straight in the eye and said, "it is Lorenzo's ship, if he does not want to play I don't see any reason why I should play with a person who shows such disrespect. However, know this power does not ensure command over others. One day you may find an ant stealing your food."
"Do you have anyone you care about back home?" Noel asked him."Well, my family" Mathew began, "My father and mother, along with my two older brothers, work in the Manufactorums on Harlech. Parents and Richard work in a weapons factory, while Marty helps build Leman Russ tanks.
Corporal Mathew Blackburn:"Do you have anyone you care about back home?" Noel asked him."Well, my family" Mathew began, "My father and mother, along with my two older brothers, work in the Manufactorums on Harlech. Parents and Richard work in a weapons factory, while Marty helps build Leman Russ tanks.
"My sister Lizzy became a Tanker of the 412th Harlech Armored Regiment, being the gunner of a Devil Dog. She's two years younger than me. Last I heard, her regiment is being sent to Cadia. Something big is going on there, but I never really heard what.
"Aside from them," Mathew's face took a more sorrowful expression, "Well, my squad's dead as you already know. Don't know who else is still alive in my company."
SepulchureMedaka
Medaka stood firm in front of the man looking him straight in the eye and said, "it is Lorenzo's ship, if he does not want to play I don't see any reason why I should play with a person who shows such disrespect. However, know this power does not ensure command over others. One day you may find an ant stealing your food."
Sepulchure had grown extremely weary of their antics. The girl especially annoyed him, she had less subtlty or tact than the pirate, which was the only impressive thing about her. He reached out and with unnatural speed, he grabbed for her neck, trying to lift her off the ground.
This was just...great. Any normal man would have despaired by what just happened, but Lorenzo knew... he could make something out of this situation. That scurvy bastard would surely pay a thousandfold.
"Good question lad, glad you brought it up." Lorenzo spoke with a gleeful smile.
"Well, for one, you are atop my ship. For two... if I died, you wouldn't be atop my ship anymore. Do you like my ship? It is a nice ship. My ship is also the best ship, so I rather have you not shed my blood on it. Surely it would be a pain to clean."
And without any warning, the ship began to move at a great pace, turning around and performing a barrel roll.
Medaka felt pretty guilty. Her rash behavior took the arm of her new friend. Still, there was nothing she could do about it now. She had to figure out a way to escape. She could hide in the ship but after looking though the hole she made, she realized that it's not the best place to hide. Still it could be a good place to fight a more tactical battle.
In the brief moment that the man fell she focused all her strength to break free from the hold of the darkness. She dashed towards Lorenzo and the man at top speed. Then she used the replication technique to create clones of herself, hoping to distract the man. She attempted to grab Lorenzo and leave the ship. The moment she grabs him she will shout, "Lorenzo the Pirate, flip the ship!"
Adjutor allows a moment to heave a relieved sigh as the rampant lust finally starts to fade before the woman's words register.
"No need to thank me," the teen says, the healing magic sparking to life, sealing up all of Mordred's wounds, "And it's still me. The guy from the hospital."
Finally, the magic finishes its work, rejuvenating the non-human as Adjutor offers a hand to help her back up.
Medaka knew that this would only hold the man for a minute and even that could be a stretch. While in midair she holds Lorenzo over her head and takes a pencil dive position, increasing her fall speed. She aims her body towards the rooftop of a large office building. Then, she attempts to smash through the roof of the building using the momentum of her fall and powerful feet. At the moment of impact she moves him from a overhead lift position into one that is closer to a hug. This position is meant to reduce the damage from the impact of the fall. Lorenzo will still feel pain but the most of the shock will go to Medaka.
If this works, she will move both her and Lorenzo onto the bottom floor, while using her replication technique to leave afterimages as a distraction.
EMIYA SHIROU
The white pegasus landed with gracefullness to rival angels, at which point the passengers disembarked. The other him and the tall, blindfolded woman that smelled vaguely of blood waited by the winged horse, while the shorter purplehead ran up to him. Shirou’s eyes widened slightly in surprise but he made no move to defend himself. The girl just seemed too harmless. Sure enough, she came to a stop right in front of him and looked him over excitedly, both hands held behind her back, making her look rather cute.
“Senpai, you’ve got something on your face.” She said. “Hold on, I think I have a cloth somewhere..."
“My face?” Shirou said awkwardly, blinking at the girl as she rummaged through her pockets. Deja vu was hitting him hard now, he definitely knew her from somewhere but it just wasn’t coming to mind. Her flowing pinkish-purple hair, similar colored eyes, the way she called him Senpai… wait, there was someone like that back in High School. His kohai he had once been close to all those years ago.
“Sakura?” he said, his voice not quite sure. It had been a long time since he had seen his junior, he wasn’t sure how to react now.
“So,” the last dragonborn started once she caught sight of their destination just down the street. “Do you know what people do in this place?”
Sepulchure
As Lorenzo began to freak out and fire flames from his pistol, Sepulchure was not paying attention to him. He was focused on the girl. Medaka had changed. An expression of fury had encompassed her very being, it looked as if she was a completely different person. Her hair had changed colours, and she gave off a faint aura. His attention was completely focused on her, he didn’t know her new powers. The now titanic birds made of a blazing inferno washed over Sepulchure, doing nothing.
After a split second, he decided to finish then both off quickly. He turned black and waves of dark bullets fired from him, lancing towards both of them. One that missed left a dark scar on a building, slowly burning through it.
Urthemiel
The Dragon of Beauty leaped back at the sight of the significantly larger dragon and with a mighty beat of his wings the Old God flew away from undead dragon towards the more crowded parts of the city. Urthemiel knew he couldn't match such a huge beast with physical strength, especially an undead one, so he would outmaneuver it. The layout of the city placed building and structures too close together for the opposing dragon to fly through without crashing into them, and while the same applied for him in certain cases he had much more freedom.
His clawed hands clutched his two passengers firmly but gently as he sped through the air as quick as he possibly could.
Abigail
Abigail felt as if someone doused her face in napalm at Law's words. She did not let go of his arm but turned to look at him. Her voice squeaked ever so slightly as she said, "I don't want into your pants! Notyetanyway . . ."
Then she tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and said, "You'd have to get me dinner first and the muffins don't count. Just, let's get you some pants. Before Bondage Boy does something unsavory."
Forest
Forest automatically sprang to the side as the sparkling projectile came hurdling into the room. She landed in a crouch, Archer rolled off the bed right as it was demolished by a familiar blue haired figure. Archer was armed with a pair of lovely Chinese Falcions and the blue haired figure seemed to perk up as he looked at Forest.
"Oh, hey! You're that one lass--"
She found herself smiling and nodding and then he gave a look to Archer.
"You're here too!?"
"I was about to say the same to you," was Archer's sardonic reply.
Oh. They know each other too that's just . . . Wait, Lancer was a Servant but . . . Oh bugger.
Forest said, "Please don't start fighting in my house. I've had enough of my shit broken today." She did smile at Lancer and said, "I'm glad you didn't completely vanish, and my offer about the place to stay still stands."
Cu ChulainnQuote"I was about to say the same to you."
Cu shot a frown back at the red Archer. Out of all the familiar faces he could've met again, this guy's ugly mug had to be the one. This was just turning out just great. Sitting up from the collapsed remains of the bed, the former Servant started to rise up back onto his feet as he again patted dust from his clothes.
"You got yourself killed too?" he asked with a smirk. If he was here now, the Grail War must be over for him too. "So, who won?"
Kirei, for one, was for sure not going to get his grimy hands on the Grail. The Celtic Demi-god personally made sure of that on his last legs in that time. It was really either that lovely treat Rin and that red-headed boy. Or maybe that pathetic filth that ran off. But he knew that was unlikely.Quote"Please don't start fighting in my house. I've had enough of my shit broken today."
Cu abruptly found himself blinking back at Forest's request and then shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.
"Can't say I'm in the mood right now for that, lass. But if he wants a piece of me, I'll entertain him."
He shot a cursory look at the Servant, almost as if inviting him to take up on the offer.Quote"I'm glad you didn't completely vanish, and my offer about the place to stay still stands."
The ex-servant lifted his eyes away from Archer to smile back at Forest, "Well, lass..."
He paused for a moment and made an annoyed glance at the red-clad man.
"Is he going to be here too?"
Archer cocked his head at Lancer. "Unless a better location becomes available, yes. I hope that isn't a problem Hound."
She said, "I have plenty of room. I promise." She attempted to smile, but she looked at the two men as if they were a powder keg about to go off.
Archer nodded. "I think that might be for the best. I'll take this room then. After he cleans up the mess." Brushing off the dust that had fallen onto his cloak, he moved to leave the room behind. He had a potential Master to catch.
"You really don't like each other," she said, "But let's get this cleaned up so he doesn't have an arse pained bitch fit."
"It's just armor," Adjutor said, shrugging as the non-human made her way to her feet, "And there's no need to thank me. Just a simple healing spell, that's all."
"All that aside," the teen continues, "I'm going to have to disagree with you on that. I've been in her house, and aside from her choice in diet, she seems rather...human, for lack of a better term, for a vampire."
"You know," Adjutor says, stepping back as he tightens his armored grip on Tyrfing and Rahab, "Maybe you're right. Maybe I am naive. Maybe I am being too optimistic about her. Maybe I should just end her like I did the only other vampire I've met. But all of these are maybes. Unless you have some concrete evidence that this one is a Monster, don't act like it's already decided."
At that point, Valmanway and Laivatain finally reappear, already in their sheathes.
"Took you long enough," Adjutor says with a sighs before turning back to the non-human, "As for you, if my host turns out to be a Monster, then I won't hesitate to kill her the first chance I get. However, this is unlikely. The last vampire I hunted wasn't savage either, quite accommodating actually. But there are things that give them away. Little slips that you can notice if you're observant enough."
...Forest hasn't proved to be a Monster, yet this one seeks to hunt her.
The answer is obvious then.
Except this one isn't a Monster either.
We don't actually know that, but we can't decide either way.
That said, this could be problematic...
We could bait her...
"That said," the teen continues, steeling himself, "If it turns out that she's not a Monster and you're still of this opinion when you meet her, then you bet your non-human ass I'll get in your way."
"Okay, first of all, I called you non-human, not a Monster. There's a difference. And you can't just apply a judgement like that to everyone just being they're a vampire or a werewolf or something like that, barring truly extreme circumstances. And I don't really care about how much more or less human you are compared to anyone else. It isn't my place to judge how human someone or something is, only how Monstrous."
"Now," Adjutor continues, "I admit, it was a bit of a bad comparison, but the fact of the matter is that Forest isn't a Monster, and neither are you. Humanity isn't necessarily being human."
That aside, her willingness to fight the ninja for something relatively mild, her current stance...
She's not able to fight right now? Or perhaps her abilities run on some kind of energy, just not one we can detect...
"...But first," Adjutor can help but smile behind the armor, "You're 'letting me go', as you put it, this time, but is it out of mercy, or because you can't fight?"
Vanguard
Vanguard was lost in his thoughts for quite some time since he left that detestable fool. He pondered on many things, on his own past mistakes, on what he could and could not accomplish. But none of it would matter soon enough. This all devouring nexus, it seemed all the oddities had managed to find their way in.
Things would go smoothly, he simply needed to bide his time and wait for the events to unfold. Heaven would surely come and heed his call, but for now... he needed to wait. The denizens of this city were many, some mightier than others. That Surien could eventually impede him, her might rivaling his original strength, it would be unwise to let such an abherrance remain unwatched.
Yes, all of this, all these years where he waited, were for the sole purpouse to find the heaven the world would deny all. Would he have to wait for longer? No, he was already where he longed to reach, the heavens were already within his grasp. For now, he needed time.
So, his mind lost in his own machinations, Vanguard couldn't notice the girl who ran into him until it was too late. His train of thoughts had stopped once more, and he looked down upon what seemed to be a girl. No, that girl, her emerald eyes, that golden hair. Could she be...
"Alae?" Vanguard muttered, his core scrutinizing the woman who laid before her, his own colossal body of metal casting a shadow upon her.
"It's alright, there is no need to apologize, it is good to see you again. It's me, Vanguard."
Vanguard was somewhat surprised by her reaction. She acted far too timidly to be Alae. But the resemblance, it was far too uncanny to be but a mere coincidence.
Could it be that she was from a different record alltogether, but one where a being similar in form to the Alea he knew existed? The more he thought about it, the more he felt perhaps it was not so unlikely.
Still, if she was here, it meant that perhaps the actual Alae was in this nexus as well. The very thought made his mind slip back for a second, rending him unable to hold back a faint chuckle.
"Oh... you must excuse me. You look like... someone I knew." said Vanguard with a somewhat warm tone.
"Please, do not trouble yourself. I am Vanguard, what is your name?"
Forest
The blond chuckled and said, "That was bloody obvious. So come on, to the broom closet we go."
She tilted her head for him to follow her to a closet in the high way. She got some trashbags, a broom, dustpan and shop vac. "I think between the two of us we can handle it."
"I could give you a full tour later," Forest said, "This place is pretty huge . . ."
She grimaced at the snow and sunlight coming into the room. She edged towards it, making sure not to get into the sunlight. "Bugger I should get a tarp or something. Daylight and I don't mix."
Then with a grimace she stuck her hand into the sunlight. She braced herself for the pain and soon her hand started to spear and smoke. The smell of burning flesh filled the room and she jerked her hand back.
She shook it as it began to heal, showing the rapidly healing third degree burns and blisters on her hand to Lancer. "Really don't mix."
Cole watched the being for a moment, looking down at the hand as he considering whether or not it would be worth the risk before deciding to take it anyway. Letting go of the lightning, he takes the demon's hand and shakes it, somewhat surprised that he doesn't feel the electricity that was just now coursing through that arm course through the being in front of him.
"I suppose we can," Cole admits, "Though chances are that you won't have to worry about your bosses here unless you just have the worst luck in the world."
...you've gotta be kidding me...
Granted, the newcomer was faster than most people by a long shot, but he was charging Cole head-on. That said, Cole wasn't one to take chances, and he was high off that quick drain just now. Bio-electricity has this weird kick to it, for lack of a better term. A little something truly invigorating. And it was with this boost that Cole proceeded to toss off Megawatt Hammer after Megawatt Hammer, seemingly unhindered by the energy cost that would normally be draining him dry right now. Salvo after salvo of the 'rockets' going up in massive explosions wherever they landed, each followed by the six 'mini-rockets' spreading out, seeking the nearest living being to attach to before exploding as well.
Abigail
"Well, I should head back to the station anyway. I was called there to do work, but that probably won't be for a little while," Abigail said rubbing the back of her neck. She blushed at Law's faux pause and serious Freduean slip.
She did grin and said, "So I gave you my muffin and a ride. We should just really go on a date at this point."
Cole faced down the swordsman, more than a little impressed that he managed to evade all that even as he backpedaled as quickly as he could, but then a new voice echoed through the area, sending an involuntary chill down the Conduit's spine prompting him to glance behind him and catch a glimpse of the guy from earlier.
He started to turn around when the ground suddenly fell out from under him, strange hands dragging him into the ground. Regardless, he managed to get a few shots off before sinking beneath.
Roxas
Even though Roxas stepped through a magical door in Sora heart, he arrvied in the Nexus by way of the dark portal. As Roxas stepped out of the portal, he noticed a girl standing still looking a bit spooked. He took off his hood so he would not seem suspicious. He walked up to her calmly.
"Hey are you ok? Did something happen?"
As Roxas approached the girl, she shrieked and blew her whistle. Startled, he threw his hands up in the air, indicating that he was not a threat. He pleaded with her to understand his intentions.
"Wait! Hold on! I'm not trying to hurt you!"
The girl kept blowing on her whistle. When she finally stopped she said, "Hah-Don't-hah-do anything-hah bad please..."
Roxas laughed. This was funny to him in a cute sort of way. He was also relived she didn't attack him. Still why was she blowing a whistle and why is she freaking out? It didn't make sense to him.
After he finished laughing he said, "No im not going to do anything bad. I just got here after all. My name is Roxas. Who are you?"
Noeru Varmmion!!!The girl kept blowing on her whistle. When she finally stopped she said, "Hah-Don't-hah-do anything-hah bad please..."
Roxas laughed. This was funny to him in a cute sort of way. He was also relived she didn't attack him. Still why was she blowing a whistle and why is she freaking out? It didn't make sense to him.
After he finished laughing he said, "No im not going to do anything bad. I just got here after all. My name is Roxas. Who are you?"
Noel looked up when he began to laugh at her. "H-hey, why are you laughing at me!" She began to protest. "Oh, you just got here? Uhh, oh, um do you need any assistance?" She adopted a somewhat formal tone of voice, clearly trying to be serious.
Noeru Varmmion!!!The girl kept blowing on her whistle. When she finally stopped she said, "Hah-Don't-hah-do anything-hah bad please..."
Roxas laughed. This was funny to him in a cute sort of way. He was also relived she didn't attack him. Still why was she blowing a whistle and why is she freaking out? It didn't make sense to him.
After he finished laughing he said, "No im not going to do anything bad. I just got here after all. My name is Roxas. Who are you?"
Noel looked up when he began to laugh at her. "H-hey, why are you laughing at me!" She began to protest. "Oh, you just got here? Uhh, oh, um do you need any assistance?" She adopted a somewhat formal tone of voice, clearly trying to be serious.
After she cried out at him to stop he felt a little bad. She clearly took offence to him laughing and he should be more polite.
Roxas was used to traveling between worlds but he didnt think it was possible for him to leave Sora's heart. After merging with Sora he felt complete. This new development left him feeling lost. He had so many questions. What is this place? How did all this happen? What should I do now? Trying not to spend too much time thinking, he answered her question.
"Im not sure. i don't even know where I am. Even if i were to know where I am, what do I do?
Tohuw Balagan
The demon smirked before walking slowly towards the other man, removing his hat before calling out to him. He had to admit, that man was quite skilled, perhaps a warrior.
"Good moves there, son." he said while taking a slight bow. "You're not too hurt from that, are you?"
VanguardOh no! The crazy stripper was back! And wait, he had stolen her notebook. Noel summoned Bolverk and began to yell at him. “Freeze! Return the notebook immediately! “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you law can and will be used against you in a court of say. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you...” Noel yelled at him in the blind panic of confusion and fear.
Before he could even react, the girl took a dashing run for it and escaped, seemingly terrified of something. It took him a bit to realize that it was infact himself the cause of her distress. And so, the enormous warrior trapped in metal stood alone, crouching and laying against a wall.
"I couldn't blame you, young one. " Vanguard muttered, a tint of sadness seeping from his voice. Yes, he had most definitely turned unsightly. And to burden her of such ugliness, he would not forgive himself.
Still, why does she resemble her so much?
After a while, the knight rose once again and decided to carry on forward, determined on finding that woman and an answer to his questions. He needed to at least make her know that he was sorry for troubling her, that he didn't mean to scare her. Then he saw a book on the floor.
Huh, It couldn't be...
But it was, without a doubt, a book belonging to that woman. It seemed she must have dropped it while running. With haste, he dashed like the devil's wind all while taking the notebook, rushing to find Noel's tracks and give back what she had lost.
Then he found her, standing with a boy of sorts. "Miss Noel, is this yours by any chance?" He asked, his voice echoing with hope to at least reach her as he held out the book to her.
Boundary Interface Prime Field Device #12VanguardOh no! The crazy stripper was back! And wait, he had stolen her notebook. Noel summoned Bolverk and began to yell at him. “Freeze! Return the notebook immediately! “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you law can and will be used against you in a court of say. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you...” Noel yelled at him in the blind panic of confusion and fear.
Before he could even react, the girl took a dashing run for it and escaped, seemingly terrified of something. It took him a bit to realize that it was infact himself the cause of her distress. And so, the enormous warrior trapped in metal stood alone, crouching and laying against a wall.
"I couldn't blame you, young one. " Vanguard muttered, a tint of sadness seeping from his voice. Yes, he had most definitely turned unsightly. And to burden her of such ugliness, he would not forgive himself.
Still, why does she resemble her so much?
After a while, the knight rose once again and decided to carry on forward, determined on finding that woman and an answer to his questions. He needed to at least make her know that he was sorry for troubling her, that he didn't mean to scare her. Then he saw a book on the floor.
Huh, It couldn't be...
But it was, without a doubt, a book belonging to that woman. It seemed she must have dropped it while running. With haste, he dashed like the devil's wind all while taking the notebook, rushing to find Noel's tracks and give back what she had lost.
Then he found her, standing with a boy of sorts. "Miss Noel, is this yours by any chance?" He asked, his voice echoing with hope to at least reach her as he held out the book to her.
VanguardNoel fidgited with Bolverk, unsure of her actions. As it turned out, he wasn't a crazy pervert after all, and she had dropped her notebook. She felt kind of bad about her previous actions now...
"Have you listened to what I just said, woman? I came to return this notebook, you dropped it earlier." Vanguard responded, his voice calm and monotone, but growing heavier by the second. In fact, his whole being seemed to become heavier, as if it was to sink down the earth any second.
"I have no wish to come, nor have I committed or intended to commit any harm. If I have offended you or your honor in any way, forgive me. However, know that while I have no desire to cause any harm, I will respond in kind to further hostility."
Then he tossed her the notebook she had lost at her feet, the great warrior looking down upon the two. Both had drawn their weapons at him so suddenly, even when all he had came for was to help, perhaps to enjoy one's company once again. It had been long since he had ever spoken to another, so long. And yet all would reject him.
That was his curse, the curse of the most unsighty of them all. His life, his city, his purpouse, his body, his dignity and his name. All had been taken from him. And for one who had been reduced to nothing, there was nothing else to do but nothing. Even so, perhaps it was simply because she resembled her so much that he wished to reach her. Perhaps to atone, or to relive the times of old as if nothing ever happened.
"I simply wished to speak to you, but if you desire to deny me such a thing, I will understand. I guess it is... selfish of me to demand a human to treat me as one. After all, I have lost such a right long ago."
But such a wish was foolish, nothing could save his world. All he could do was carry on and pursue the eternal peak, no matter how depraved it is. With that, even if they, even if he could not be saved, the world could be. That was his only will, the one thing that made him carry forward. But when he saw her, even for an instant, he had forgotten of that reason. For that instant, perhaps in his deepest corner of his crumbled psyche, he wished to be saved. To be human.
"Yes, human happyness is something I have lost the right to cherish. Thank you, Noel, for reminding me of my burden. Had you not, I would have broken my oath."
And that was why Vanguard was to be the greatest fool of all.
"Thank you."
The world would reject him, he would never be welcome. As the one who could not save it, he would carry it's hatred and be shamed and sullied for eternity. Even so, he loved it with all his heart. He had endured, unfazed by the cries of billions for millenia. He had endured all the hatred of the world, all the spite. But this one time, to be yelled at by one who looked like her... hurt too much.
For the first time ever since he had been cast in this accursed vessel, Vanguard hurt. And nothing would ever heal the wound that had opened in his heart. It hurt so much, he would scream and shout and cry. He would ask why would he be spited in such a way, why was he so unwelcome. Why did she yell at him in such a way, when he only wished to show kindness and gentleness, even for once.
His hands who had been stained in the blood of the earth would never hold another, they were not hands that could show gentleness. It was foolish to try.
"I am sorry." His dull voice echoed again, and then the warrior stood silent.
That was his eternal curse.
Noel fidgited with Bolverk, unsure of her actions. As it turned out, he wasn't a crazy pervert after all, and she had dropped her notebook. She felt kind of bad about her previous actions now...
"Um, I'm sorry?"
Urthemiel
The Old God preened a bit at the word beautiful. It had been ages since he had been personally praised for his masterfully crafted looks. "There is no need for thanks but there is the issue of payment. I did risk my magnificent self to save you both, so at the very least you should do me a favor and start having children. You are both very beautiful and it would be a shame if you were to die without a child to pass on your looks to."
As he said this the Dragon of Beauty began the delicate process of brushing dust off of his robes and making sure his hair was still perfect. It would be abominable to appear any less than he was.
Tohuw Balagan
"Bury them? Nope, no time for that silly~☆" the demon responded, tipping his hat to the man before walking forward to the cadavers.
"But oh boy, this is a damn pain in the ass. I just get here, and already you shits make a storm like a bunch of monkeys... well, I'll be damned, bravo!" he carried on before removing his glove, revealing a pale hand.
Then, he let out a long, reptile-like tongue escape his mouth. The oversized tissue twirled along his finger, a black claw digging into it as a droplet of blood slid down his finger.
Then, some sort of inscription filled the air around them with dread, a chilling scent of death and blood seeping from all over. The nauseating odour filled the air, and for a second the demon's eyes widened, his aura twisting into a sickening form. Then, the corpses twitched and turned over, revealing horrified expressions. Their gaping mouths released some form of azure mist, an aura that spun and twirled as it collected around the demon's fingers.
Suddenly, a lollypop appeared in his hand, it's bright blue colour bearing an uncanny resemblance with something far too familiar to the demon. Yes, there was no doubt: all those who had just died had their souls taken by him.
"What a shame, there is no value in a soul stained in hate. It's not even worth collecting you see? Still, they do have some uses..."
Something suddenly caught his attention, it was the child. The blue aura seeping from him, his soul, was still bound and attached in his body. There was no doubt, even if by a thread, the child was still alive.
"Oh? It seems there is some hope!☆ Oh well, what to do..." The demon pondered with a sigh, a faint rictus crawling up his lips. These sould were most disgusting and filthy, but that child's still remained. Like a balloon hanging by a minuscule string, his soul persisted with a beautiful will to live. This beauty, so filthy, so futile and yet so humane.
Yes, humans were always so full of surprises.
Abigail
The redhead blushed and said, "I didn't mean right now! I mean, I have to help the police chase down a monster in the sewers. Plus I'm not giving up a chance to meet Saber either!"
Then there was that voice and Abigail felt her blood run cold. There was something about Archer that was just off. Something she couldn't put her finger on, and it wasn't just the fact she could sense his intent to use Law to his own gain.
He is a spirit made flesh. He is against the natural order. Souls should not be tampered with. Let the dead stay dead . . .
Yet the more she cast her senses out towards Archer she realized there was no rest for Archer. She could sympathize with him, even though he was messing up her empathy with his disjointed emotions, she didn't want him to drag Law into his own Special Hell.
Automatically she grabbed Law's arm and said, "Don't. Please. You don't know what he is and what he's asking."
RoxasNoel was annoyed that they started a converstaion again. She really had to go. "All right, goodbye now." She said to them, grabbing the knife from vanguard. She ran away once more, on her way to her job.
Noel looked a bit annoyed, having that pressed for time look on her face. She grabbed Roxas's hand and said,“I’m sorry about this, but I really have to get going.” She said and grabbed the kid’s hand once more. “Maybe we can talk another time, ok?”
Now that he thought about it, they were in front of a police station. Roxas wondered if perhaps she was a member of the police. Regardless, she was clearly busy with something.
"Yes, it was nice meeting you miss Noel."
Then, Roxas turned to face the walking amour.
"Well, if you want someone to travel with, I don't mind. To be honest, since coming to this world I have been thinking about what I should do with myself. It looked like Noel would help me but I don't think she has the time and I don't want to be a burden. Perhaps I need a job or a home. I just, don't know.... My name is Roxas, what is yours?"
Forest
"Doesn't that hurt?"
Forest flexed her healing hand and offered him a winsome smile. She answered, "Oh, it hurts like a sodding bitch, but after 1300 years I got use to functioning instead of screaming, 'Oh Sherry it burns!'"
"I can get you those tarps if you tell me where I can get them," he offered earnestly.
She smiled at that and said, "Same closet, I can show you. No risk of spontaneous combustion there."
She sighed and muttered, "Sometimes being a vampire really does suck."
Forest
"Well. If you ever feel parched, I wouldn't mind giving you a sip."
Forest blinked at his wink and resisted the urge to look away. And then he was gone from the room like a flash. Then she felt her lips curving into a grin at the offer.
She called back, "I might have to take you up on that sometime."
Forest
Forest felt herself smiling at Lancer's offer, surprised and delighted. He's a Celt, he's almost sinfully handsome, and he didn't freak out when he found out I was a vampire.
True to his word he was back with the tarp and he waved her over with his free hand. She carefully moved around the sunlight streaming in and said, "Right, let's go up stairs. Thank you again, Lancer. Once we get this done, I'll show you around and you can pick a room." She grabbed the tool box on the way to show him to the steps.
Forest
The blond took the lead, marching up the steps, with Lancer behind her. She suddenly wished she wasn't wearing pajama bottoms, but maybe jeans or a skirt with leggings. If he wanted to watch, she wanted to give him something to look at that wasn't blue flannel.
As they walked up stairs, she saw Abby, Law and Archer talking with Abby looking very much like an angry kitten.
"That's Abby and Law. They're kind of dating," the blond told him with a grin, "Abby doesn't like Archer much either."
Irisviel von Einzbern
Irisviel looked on with concern while she waited for the purplehead to explain herself.
"No, I don't think she's here." She said.
Irisviel sighed with relief. She was glad to hear she was still safe and sound at home.
"I'm not even sure where 'here' is, honestly. I'm from a different world, I came here to find my friend," she said.
Irisviel could tell the girl was hiding something from her, and was still uneasy about how strange the girl felt. Something suddenly clicked in Iri's head and she ended up tactlessly blurting it out.
"How are you a Holy Grail, you don't have any of the normal physical characteristics of one?" She asked without thinking. "And you feel different, almost artificial. What in the world could have happened?" She half asked, half wondered aloud.
"Tch, it serves him right." She heard a voice to the right of her. When Irisviel turned to face the newcomer, her heart skipped a beat from the surprise. "Did he try to preach in the middle of a road, that dumbass? I don't blame you two if you just ran over him for his idiocy" she said out loud, not hiding her opinion on Adjutor.
"Saber-" She happily began to address her before she noticed the big difference between her beloved and this person. The woman standing before her was far taller than Saber and had a far more vulgar vocabulary than her.
“No, wait.. I’m sorry, I mistook you for someone I know.” She apologized with a smile. “Did this man do something to offend you earlier?” Irisviel asked an innocent question before turning so she could see both the look-alike and the purplehead at the same time.
"Huh. Good to know I don't like that old man either," Cu snorted at the sight.
"Tch, it serves him right." She heard a voice to the right of her. When Irisviel turned to face the newcomer, her heart skipped a beat from the surprise. "Did he try to preach in the middle of a road, that dumbass? I don't blame you two if you just ran over him for his idiocy" she said out loud, not hiding her opinion on Adjutor.
"Saber-" She happily began to address her before she noticed the big difference between her beloved and this person. The woman standing before her was far taller than Saber and had a far more vulgar vocabulary than her.
“No, wait.. I’m sorry, I mistook you for someone I know.” She apologized with a smile. “Did this man do something to offend you earlier?” Irisviel asked an innocent question before turning so she could see both the look-alike and the purplehead at the same time.
Tohuw Balagan
"I like you more and more kid. Quite humane of you, to care to such an extent for strangers. How samaritan of you.", the demon chuckled.
"Well, they aren't alive any longer, and if you worry about them being stuck in a perpetual limbo... well don't. I don't like to have my food scream at me you see, so they are currently having a looooong nice nap. Trust me, whatever is happening to them right now, it's definitely better than what awaits them had I not collected them."
"They are already dead, it doesn't matter what afterlife they go to. Do you apologize to your hamburger before eating it? Hahahaha, what bullshit! What happens to you humans in your afterlife is of no concern to me. What matters is what uses you can fulfill after you croak, and this is one of them." He carried on, walking around the white haired man all while grinning, a bemused smile crawling up his face as if belittling and looking down on him. As he talked, he twirled the lollypop around his finger, toying with it in a clearly amused state. Yeah, that man was so foolish, so so foolish.
"Now, if you excuse me, there are good news in all of this! The kid is alive, soul's still kickin trough, which means there is no need to chomp it juuuuust yet. With that in mind, what will you do?" He asked the man, biting his finger in order to restrain yet another chuckle. Then he brought the lollypop in his mouth and began to suckle it greedily.
"Tsk, this one tastes awful..."
Irisviel
Irisviel shook her head sadly at the blond. “I’m sorry, I don’t know where she is. All I know is that she’s a police officer, and seeing as you came from that direction, you probably already knew that. This is quite the conundrum...” Irisviel said. “Oh! I’ve got it! Do you have a phone number? We can call each other if the other finds Saber!” Iri suggested excitedly.
Irisviel
"It's not a problem, but if you don't mind, could I ask you who Saber is? Somebody I know explained me she is a spirit from the past, and I started to believe it might not be exactly a coincidence that I look like her..." she asked.
Irisviel’s face lit up as a result of Mordred’s question. “Oh, you want to know about Saber? Well, she’s a shorty, just a wee bit shorter than myself, she likes wearing her hair in a bun, her hair is blond, just like yours, maybe a bit shorter.” She put her hand on her cheeks, fantasizing about Saber. “Her eyes are the most brilliant green, more beautiful than the most perfect emerald! She loves eating nice food, and her favorite animal is a lion! Oh, she’s so amazing!”
Irisviel
"Oh, I see, well that's not really a secret anymore, her name is Arturia." Irisviel responded in a somewhat sullen manner. "I'm sorry, but I can't leave this man in the street much longer, do you have a phone number, maybe I could answer your questions in more depth later." She said with a hint of urgency. She didn't want the police to arrive.
Do you hear me, Faust? she concentrated on contacting the mage, hoping that he would hear her Changes in plans on my part, I'm not looking for Saber anymore. But there is something that might interest you. There is another Sakura in this city. I also know of Saber's identity if that interests you. Oh, well, I will tell you anyway, I owe you. She's King Arthur. I'm not joking, I swear
"Huh. Good to know I don't like that old man either," Cu snorted at the sight.
Forest chuckled and said, "He doesn't look overly old, but he does seem to be a bit of a curmudgeon."
She frowned at Abigail, even tough she was Seelie Forest knew that didn't make her dangerous. Everyone thought the Seelie was the court of Light, Summer, and Flowers, which wasn't wrong per say, but wrote them off as the cute, cuddly faeries of children's stories. New children's stories and not the Brothers Grimm stories. However, most people were wrong.
Seelie was the court of illusion. They would be all smiles and sweetness on the forefront, but in their minds they were wondering how to take everything you have or manipulate you into their service. They also liked to manipulate with sex quite a bit.
Forest thought of poor Saul Mason, a Faerie Slave made immortal by his mistress and fucked with Faerie magic, figuratively and literally, so much that he became addicted to his mistress's touch while she manipulated him to be a sex addict.
At least the Unseelie are upfront about most things, Forest thought. Wynn's advances weren't subtle, if anything they were the complete opposite of subtle. And Wynn was up front about most things she planned to do with someone. It was more than just Faeries couldn't lie; it was more like Wynn, and a lot of the Unseelie she'd met, thought it was a lot of needless work.
While Abigail was adorable, bouncy, and somewhat flighty, Forest knew that there was more to the girl than that. Abigail had already threatened Archer once and she did not like what was going on right now. The blond focused on the girl's mind, knowing despite being a Changling her mind was going to be more open to read than Law and his Driver or Archer, who just spurted white noise and swords when Forest attempted to read him.
When Forest read the girl, she got: Fudge bunnies. Why are men such IDIOTS?!
I tell Law not to make a deal with this guy, and he does! Look at him, he's so not trustworthy and . . . someone's reading me. Oh, hi Forest. Um, why are you reading me?
Forest resisted the urge to chuckle and replied, You seemed upset about something and your mind is less terrifying than Law's.
What about Archer? Why aren't you peeking into his head?
Because when I do, all I see is swords, gears and white noise.
Forest chuckled and said, "He doesn't look overly old, but he does seem to be a bit of a curmudgeon."
"I know a few ways to seal a contract like this," Archer said, taking himself out of his cocky little lean and instead standing tall, ignoring the distraction of the two newcomers. "A certain way to get this sealed would be tantric rites."
Lawrence looked confused. Sighing, Archer continued. "Sexual activites."
"Oh FUCK NO." The sheer volume of Law's outburst surprised even himself. "That's worse than what death tried to pull!"
"Well, it's either that or some sort of binding spellcraft using seals, or maybe a blood ritual." Archer didn't look too happy about the prospect of his Rho Aias being violated either. "And I don't know how to do the binding."
"Fuck. Fuck. Blood then. Anyone got a knife?"
"I don't think that - " Archer was cut off by Law. "It'll work Captain Leatherpants, trust me."
Abigail and Forest
"I know a few ways to seal a contract like this," Archer said, taking himself out of his cocky little lean and instead standing tall, ignoring the distraction of the two newcomers. "A certain way to get this sealed would be tantric rites."
Lawrence looked confused. Sighing, Archer continued. "Sexual activities."
Forest raised an eyebrow and smirked and said, "Well, now this is getting interesting."
Abigail felt her cheeks heat up. She wasn't a complete innocent and knew that sex could take the place of ritual, and in some rituals sex was actually apart of it. She narrowed her eyes and said, "Oh no you don't!"
It wasn't helping that Forest was now chuckling out right, her indigo eyes bright with mirth. Abigail dimly heard mention of blood rituals, which was disconcerting as well. Which Law as all for. She remembered Forest's little comment about how something in Law's mind scared the vampire. The Changeling knew that there was someone else sharing Law's mind, body, and soul with him, but it didn't trouble her as much as Archer did.
"Oi, lad. Ya sure ya wanna hook up with him?" The blue-haired Irishman with the very bright Hawaiian shirt said, "I wouldn't trust him. Believe me, I've seen what he's done."
Thank the Lord and Lady, someone with sense!
She turned towards him and said, "I don't trust him as far as I can throw him. And what has he done?"
Forest folded her arms around her chest, lifted one eyebrow, grinned and said, "I want to hear what Captain Bondagepants did too."
Saber
"I just am concerned about your well being, old friend," Saber said as they walked up the steps together, "And I have a feeling that this is not going to be something we can just do with ease."
She turned towards him and said, "I don't trust him as far as I can throw him. And what has he done?"
Forest folded her arms around her chest, lifted one eyebrow, grinned and said, "I want to hear what Captain Bondagepants did too."
"Fine fine, I'll listen... geez, half the fun of this is not knowing what happens." Law crossed his arms, waiting for Cu's response. "I've pulled this in the past and it turned out alright..."
Archer's face grew grim. He might end up losing his best chance at a Master, barring Rin falling from the heavens on him.
Cu ChulainnQuoteShe turned towards him and said, "I don't trust him as far as I can throw him. And what has he done?"
Forest folded her arms around her chest, lifted one eyebrow, grinned and said, "I want to hear what Captain Bondagepants did too."
"And ya'd be quite right to not trust him, lass," Cu agreed eagerly with the red-head. He started to put down the tarp onto the very ground, its contents flopped against the floor. Maybe to enjoy this little revelation he would offer.Quote"Fine fine, I'll listen... geez, half the fun of this is not knowing what happens." Law crossed his arms, waiting for Cu's response. "I've pulled this in the past and it turned out alright..."
Archer's face grew grim. He might end up losing his best chance at a Master, barring Rin falling from the heavens on him.
The spearman smirked at the Servant's displeasure. Cu didn't take well to treacherous men kindly. And having been recently screwed over by the malicious Priest, the demi-god isn't exactly going to stand by and watch some other guy get shafted as well.
Lancer nonchalantly began, "Well well, where do I start...? Hm. Ya, that would do it. We were both contestants in what's called the Holy Grail War. There were seven of us. Each of us partnered up with our own Masters with each of us contracted ourselves to them. In the war, he already back-stabbed two Masters in a row for his own goals."
Cu glanced back at Law, "Lad, you really sure you want to enter in a contract with him? It's better off to let him disappear."
Abigail and Forest
Abigail nodded and said, "He's just so unsavory. I really don't like people like him."
Forest raised her eyebrow and thought, And you're Fae dear. You're Fae and don't like people hiding their intentions but that's what your kin does. Outwardly the blond shook her head as she listened to Lancer's sortied tale. She tilted her head and ran with what Saber told her about Captain Bondagepants.
Abigail turned to Law and said, "Please don't do this. You heard what Mr. Irishman With the Loud Hawaiian shirt said. This guy is a horrible back stabber." Abigail tilted her head and said, "Do you have a name, Mister Irishman?"
Forest chuckled, shook her head and looked at Archer, "You're not having any luck with this, are you. Too bad Lancer hates you or I'd suggest him. Plus he's a might bit more powerful than Law."
Well you nearly fucked yourself hard.
Wait wait wait grail war?
I have no idea.
It makes sense in a competition to backstab though doesn't it?
Yes. If you are the one doing the backstabbing.
Fuck. Fuuuuuck.
"Well, fine, then do you want a contract Irishy McIrish? I could use someone to help me from getting raped."
Archer just ground his teeth in frustration. So close. But... he hadn't done any of those things. He still had a chance, hopefully. "I don't know what he's talking about. I died - sort of - for my Master. He tried to kill mine."
So now, who to trust?
God, that is the question.
A spirit seems to be the better option, if both are trustworthy.
Yeah...
Gintoki
That was a dirty move. That shoddy Majin Buu wannabe was nothing but a coward, and likely that lightning bastard was in cahoots with him. Gintoki tumbled on instinct to avoid the lightning, but it was naturally faster than his own movement. Reaching his left leg, the pain wracked him. He beared it with his willpower, but his such damage slowed him down surely. This was bad, two of his limbs out of commission. He needed outside help badly.
Tohuw Balagan
"Who told you to do that, you cur?" the demon snarled, his eyes reddening with a scarlet tint and narrowing as if to pierce Cole. That filth had no right to touch his toys. To do it once was grave enough, but to do so a second time was unforgivable. The air froze with a terrifying chill, a rumbling came from beneath the earth as if to devour all of them. There was no mistake, the demon was furious. A loud snapping noise broke all sound and overruled it, the demon clicking his tongue and baring his fang.
"A dog should stay down like a dog and not interfere unless told to. Here, go fetch a bone and disappear."
As soon as he spoke with an unnaturally cold voice, he snapped one of the cookies he was holding between his fingers. The earlier boxes simply disappeared before bright light shone down the floor Cole stood next to, and before one could even notice, the asphalt ground began to bubble.
"Tsk, what a shame. It seems you just can't have nice things... oh well." he sighed, lowering his hat and restraining a bitter chuckle.
Cole
The samurai wannabe, somehow, managed to avoid a direct hit from melee range. He couldn't quite dodge completely, though, and ended up going down with a shot to the leg. Had he not been interrupted by a small earthquake, he might have maintained the arc lightning, but instead his attention was torn away to the being floating above them. Then the air snapped before he began to speak.
"A dog should stay down like a dog and not interfere unless told to," it said, "Here, go fetch a bone and disappear."
Unfortunately for it, Cole was firmly of the opinion that talking wasn't a free action.
Before the being could finish, black lightning surged through Cole's arms as he raised them up and brought them down in one swift motion just as the asphalt beside him began to glow.
Without warning, without time to even question what Cole had just done, black lightning pours down from the sky as if to bring to mind the wrath of Zeus, countless massive bolts of lightning striking down upon and around the being.
Forest and Abigail
"Well, fine, then do you want a contract Irishy McIrish? I could use someone to help me from getting raped."
Abigail raised her hand and said, "I could so do that. I mean, I kept my half-sister from raping me. I think I could protect you from getting raped."
"I don't know what he's talking about. I died - sort of - for my Master. He tried to kill mine."
Abigail waved her hand dismissively at Archer and said, "He just said it was a war. Trying to kill your enemy in a war is one thing, but back stabbing two of your masters is something else!"
Forest rubbed her forehead and said, "You know you two are from separate world lines right? You're not his Archer, Archer, and Lancer your not his Lancer."
"--Even though he used a Command Seal for me to kill myself."
Forest blinked at the thought and then sent back to Lancer, Then he was a cowardly get and may the crows feast on his eyes.
Forest rubbed her forehead and said, "You know you two are from separate world lines right? You're not his Archer, Archer, and Lancer your not his Lancer."
Law just pinched the bridge of his nose, trying not to lose his calm. God knew who was lying and who was telling the truth here. "OK, so, your Archer was a prick, and this Archer wasn't a prick and was loyal. Can we at least all agree on this?"
"I was loyal to the end. I can't say much about Lancer here in that regard." Archer's tone grew grim. The tension in the room was rising. High.
Law simply decided then, that was good enough. Fuck the consequences at this point. Time to go for broke. "Archer. Just cut your hand and mine. We've got a deal." A simple projected knife appeared in Archer's hand, Law grasping it, palm slit open. Archer followed suit, and with a simple handshake as the blood mixed, the contract was sealed.
Abigail and Forest
Forest watched as Abigail's face fell as Law and Archer's bloody palms met before those peridot green eyes narrowed. The vampire on the other hand could smell the coppery tang of blood in the air and her nostrils flared. Her fangs throbbed for a moment, but no red entered her vision.
Abby shook her head and said, "No . . ."
Then she walked over to Archer and said, "If you do anything to hurt him in any way, I swear my vengeance will bring you suffering you have never encountered."
Forest watched as Lancer seethed at Law and Archer making the contract and bit her lip.
"Oi, lass," he called to Forest, "Let's go. Show me the way."
She walked over to the Lancer and said, "Ah, yeah, right. To the roof." She pointed as she left the three alone, and gave Lancer a sympathetic look.
Guts
Were some poor shmuck to ask Guts why he was pissed today, they would receive a glare at best, a fist at worst. The reason, however, was fairly simple. Those damned werewolf punks had spray-painted all over his gym again, which meant people were going to be hesitant to come in, which he'd rather not have to deal with after paying that hospital bill.
He was now resigned to the fact that he would have to clean that mess up later, keyword there being later. He could afford a few days at least before he absolutely had to take care of that mess. Maybe pay those punks a visit while he was at it. The idea grew more appealing as he thought about it, but Guts soon realized that it would be pointless. No need to throw himself head-long into that mess like he might have a few years ago. Besides, smacking them down when they got uppity enough to actually try to start something would suffice.
And then there was the matter of that strange set of instructions he'd found in the hospital.
Regardless, the Black Swordsman now found himself wandering the streets, not bothering to conceal his armor or his weapons, lacking much to do.
...perhaps I drop by a tavern or- wait they don't have those here. Damn.
His introspection is sharply cut off when he bumps into some random blond. A moment of horror at the thought that he hasn't shaken that kid from last night passes when he realizes that it's a girl who's apparently incapable of moving out of the way.
"Oi, careful," Guts says, continuing on his way.
Vanguard
The metal behemoth was now walking alone once more, his thoughts focused solely on what to do of Caster. For one, he needed to find him, but he had no idea where he was. Knowing the man was a magician, it would be best to attack him before he could react, so letting him know he searched for him would be most unwise. There was no need to display honor to curs after all.
Then he saw what appeared to be a woman of small stature, bumped by a much larger man. Then he complained at the lady, stating that she should have been careful despite the fact he was none the wiser. But that woman... she was not human, he could tell that much. But what he could also tell was that there was a faint trace of magic, a magic that was not too unfamiliar to Vanguard.
...Caster.
"Oh? I'd think you ought be careful, to bump into another like that." Said Vanguard, speaking to the black armored man with a monotone voice. Looking down upon the two, he nodded nonchalantly.
"You should at least admit to your own mistakes, to put the blame upon another is unsighty."
It has been already one helluva night after the magus and vampire incident. Trucks and explosions, that was one dramatic way to end it. But that didn't make this winter cold any warmer. And the morning had an awfully nice surprise on him as he had to be laid off. In all respects, it shouldn't be with the store lacking many customers. But, this was too soon. Way too soon. Now how the hell is he going to pay off the rent?
A flash of light and cacophonous noise of thunder caught his attention. More of the Nexus' shenanigans. Something Time wouldn't involve himself with. But who cares? He's fired and what else does he have to do? The swordsman trotted off to see what's been going on. Only to see some grand display of what seemed like magic going on. He clicked his tongue at distaste for it and soon saw someone was pretty disheveled. Screwed up. Fucked up.
"Oi, let's get you out of here," he offered a hand towards some silverhead with a kimono.
Medaka
Lorenzo woke up. Not only that, he seemed to be back to his usual self. He was making wise cracks and vulgar comments. At that moment, Medaka cried. She completely ignored the conversation going on between the two. She was aware they were talking so she tried not to wail uncontrollably. Instead, her voice came out like a puppy having a nightmare, occasionally whimpering in between tears. She grabbed Lorenzo and held him tight.
Medaka
Lorenzo woke up. Not only that, he seemed to be back to his usual self. He was making wise cracks and vulgar comments. At that moment, Medaka cried. She completely ignored the conversation going on between the two. She was aware they were talking so she tried not to wail uncontrollably. Instead, her voice came out like a puppy having a nightmare, occasionally whimpering in between tears. She grabbed Lorenzo and held him tight.
Lorenzo was about to respond to the brown haired woman when he noticed a whimper. Before he could react, he was held tightly by Medaka, who was now in tears.
"Oí, oí, oí. I't alright, it' alright. I'm back, and in one piece." Said Lorenzo, smiling warmly as he was held tightly by Medaka. It didn't feel unpleasant or anything, but at the same time, he didn't want to see her in such a sad state. Hugging her back, He kneeled before embracing her, trying his besty to comfort her.
"I won't leave you ever again, so don't cry." he murmured in a serene voice, wiping the tears off her face with a kind smile. Then, he took hold of her face and stretched her lips in order to form a smile, not without letting a light giggle out.
"See? It's much better to smile like that! Looks great on you too! Besides, when you're hurting, it's always better to have a good laugh. Sure, crying your heart out helps, but to smile and laugh is simply beautiful. Tears don't suit you, so..."
And then the pirate proceeded to tickle her, Yo-ho-ho-ing to his best in order to kick the sad out of her with a grin.
Irisviel
Irisviel draped her arms loosely around Saber’s shoulders and smiled at her. “Oh Saber, why are you being so co-ooy!” She was saying to Saber when her armored friend very rudely lifted her by her collar off the ground. She shook herself around, trying to get herself free. “What's the big idea!” She angrily demanded of him as he set her down a few feet away.
Abigail
The redhead sighed as Archer made his promise. She still didn't trust him as far as she could throw him, but she had other concerns. She turned towards Law and took the cut hand. "Before anywhere I need to get this cut and dressed."
...Looks like a kid...huh...
"It's hardly your concern," Guts says to the armored man, "Just passing through, is all."
With that, he reaches down, pulls the girl up to her feet and deposits her as such, moving on with a simple, "Watch yourself next time."
"Good point, forgive me for meddling." said Vanguard to the man. Then, he turned to the woman and looked down upon her. She was quite small, so it was necessary for him to lean down a bit in order to get a full view of her.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
Vanguard
"So you are not from here either?" asked Vangard. Yes, there was no mistake, Caster had definetely involved himself with this woman. If possible, he wanted to find out more.
"Yes, most definetely. Still, this city has it's share of oddities, some more pleasant than elsewhere I'd say." Vanguard nodded.
"If you mind, and forgive me for snooping, have you encountered a man who went by the name of Caster?"
Abigail"It's not really healed actually..." Law shrugged. "Look, it's complicated and I'll need a while to explain it but basically I have a crazy ghost in my soul who lets me do spooky ghost powers."
The redhead frowned and said, "This healed really fast . . ." She bit her lip. "This isn't vampire or werewolf fast, but this is faster than what I can heal something similiar."
“Don’t lie to me. I have spoken my name with sincerity, I expected better from you. You do no not make a suitable whelp who adepts to treacherous ways, so cease this foolishness.” said Vanguard with a dull echoing tone. He was now seemingly displeased, almost annoyed.
For one, her expression, while seemingly stoic, betrayed her for even a fraction of a second. Instincts did not lie, and her sudden change in voice and stance told him enough to tell she was being untruthful.
He did not take kindly to deceit, although he knew full well he was the last person who could complain of such a thing.
“I know Caster has been with you, you have certainly at least seen him. His magical residues would certainly not deceive me, and I know how they resemble. If he has not revealed his name, he has at least cast a spell in your vicinity. I will ask once again, what do you know of that man? Do not make me repeat myself, would you kindly.”
AbigailLaw and Archer
"I can hear your crazy ghost in your soul. Forest is scared of it," Abigail said with a sigh. "Come on, let's get this clean up and I might be able to heal it."
Abigail
Abigail was keeping time with her quartz pendulum. Having a watch wasn't something she could exactly do; she'd end up killing it within a matter of weeks. Her magic would just fry the electronics, and that meant that having a Smart Phone was even more out of the picture.
She'd dropped Law off at the station and they said they'd meet up at the Target. So there she was, sitting at the Starbucks the Target posted that was by the entrance and waited for Law. She scowled as she saw Archer approaching first. After all with his height, build, white hair, and red clothing he wasn't hard to miss. Law's scruffy, slimmer frame sort of was.
She lifted her hand, the one that wasn't holding the chai latte, and waved them over.
Eventually she stumbled upon a broken building that seemed just short of falling apart, but that was not what had garnered her interest. The towering pillars of brown vines with large green gems held within them quite easily caught her eyes and attention. With a slight hum of approval she walked over to one of the larger pillars, sat down, and leaned her back against it.The half-elf's intention to address the police, firefighter, and ambulance teams was put on the sidelines immediately when he felt his saproling-pillars spring to life. That shouldn't normally be possible; unless they were animated by the instinct to protect innocents or were in the presence of his magic. 'No, that's not entirely true,' he thought, 'Others in the Conclave of course could do this. Or perhaps another Green mage.'
She recognized it as her own. It was an elemental, not quite the same as those she remembered but it was close enough. It was still her Child. Her presence alone caused the vines to overgrow and almost hold her as she sat against it, and almost at peace she closed her eyes and quietly whispered lullabies in the First Tongue as the plants cradled her.
Vanguard
“Very well, I understand. It seems you will not heed my request peacefully. At the very least I can see you are a good hearted fool. A quality in its own way, some would say.” Said Vanguard, his dull echoing voice resonating throughout the area.
“Your loyalty is admirable, but your self-preservation is lacking. No, it’s not that. You do not value your life at all would be a more appropriate statement. You would rather throw your life away than to betray one’s trust. Honour and loyalty, beautiful qualities. A child would commend such a thing as heroic, but I am no child. So tell me, Mordred. If I was to tear you limb from limb, would you talk then? Or perhaps I ought to slay those you hold dear before your eyes, maybe then you would talk. But I digress, such a thing would be most distasteful. Besides, there is no pleasure in beating children.”
"I will not lay a hand on you, consider this your reward for displaying such loyalty to a fiend."
And as soon as he spoke, his core glowed of a bright silver blue, the very space surrounding the two becoming thicker as an invisible force pushed all downwards as if to crush it. Needless to say, the woman would feel a force equivalent to about fourto five times her own weight slowly crushing her.
Vanguard responded to Mordred's defiance with a rare laugh, unfazed by her disdain or futile struggle.
“Me? A devil? You have no idea just how right you are.” He chuckled, his body inert as the force kept pushing the woman further and further to the bottoms.
“I did not want to resort to this, but you really are giving me no choice. “
And as soon as he said that, the force that brought all to the depths ceased the crushing along with it. But Vanguard gave no time for relief, for as soon as it ceased, he kicked Mordred straight in the gut, sending her flying to a nearby thrash can with unparalleled force. Of course, he held back consciously, else her body would have been blown off to scrapes of flesh.
"This is the pinnacle of foolishness. You have nothing to gain from doing this aside nurturing a meaningless pride. You are pathetic, like a worm writhing and crawling to his death. Do you think that filth would suffer the same for the sake of a child like you? Foolishness, Mordred. Foolishness. The thrash you are surrounded with suits you. “ Said Vanguard, his voice cold and emotionless even has he belittled the woman.
“Even so, you struggle for the sake of one you consider a friend. No matter how misplaced, honor is to be respected and admired among all. The individual cannot understand your actions, but the knight commends your actions. You may be a foolish person, but you are indeed a valuable ally.“
Hearing the woman's words, Vanguard's presence suddenly emanated with something...wrong, sickening. Without anger or hatred to bear, the warrior responded to her with a thunderous, chilling laugh. This was a howling laughter, a haunting memory that belonged to nothing more than a madman.
"Very well, do try. I'd love to see it happen. Besides, it is only fair for you to do so. Ants tend to bite back even as they are trampled underfoot." he said, his voice's monotone dullness still clear, but seething with what could only be described as a monstruous glee, one that did not belong to one that could call himself a man.
"You are right, I am a joke. Nothing more than a sickening joke. But you know what is even more funny than this joke you are beholding? It's you, Mordred. You speak as if you stood a chance, as if you truly believed to be able to topple anything. I knew a fool who acted the same way, charging about into the fight without remorse. Upholding beautiful ideals of courage and integrity, he protected the weak and the hopeless. He believed there was always hope, and that a strong will that would never bow could save the world. Sometimes, he would gaze at the stars, and wonder if he would ever reach them..." Said Vanguard. Then, he fell into yet another fit of laughter.
"Come Mordred, give me your best shot. Don't shy away, I look forward to having my flesh pierced by that spear of yours."
And with that declaration, Vanguard opened his arms, as if to embrace her.
“Hey! This miss over here wants to meet ya? Ya mind if we talk a bit?” he yelled while gesturing to Anatu.
The Arisen had continued her walk uninterrupted until she saw the curious sight of an armored warrior with a much smaller blonde woman on the ground in front of him. It was almost nostalgic. To see someone struggle against a foe they could not beat. Regardless the armored man's words were extremely irritating.
"Do you do nothing else but bemoan the past? Spare her ears and be on your way."
Abigail
Abby sighed at Archer's terse response to Law's offer. She said, "Your Bondage Boy probably needs some civvies. He sort of stands out like the villain in a kung-fu movie."
She picked up her chai and said, "I should get you some blankets and pillows since you're going to be staying a while, and maybe an inflatable mattress . . . Also I have a dog and a couple of familiars that stop by from time to time. I hope you're okay with animals."
Caedia
"I have listened for a little while. The derision in your voice as you spoke of who this girl reminded you of was clear. Do you even see anything else except a ghost of your past in her?"
Then a hard look overtook the Arisen's features. "And despite the fact that the man failed he was correct. A strong enough will can change the world. Whether or not he had the strength or will to actually achieve it is a different scenario."
Caedia
The Arisen's tone was filled with bitter mockery. "Oh, he must have surely had a weak will. If you, who had known him can only see him as a fool then his will must have been trifling. If his actions could not change you, then how dare he desire to change the world. Will is more than the ability to endure. It is to inspire that same will in others. To spread that strength to those around you."
As the man continued the Arisen laughed. She hadn't heard such worthless ramblings since the time she confronted the aged Duke. "Save the world? The world does not need salvation. The world does not want salvation. The weak are crushed, and they desperately cling to life and become stronger. Some will die and some will be lost, this is the reality of such a world, but it is still beautiful. The pain and suffering of the world holds only one answer. Cling to life and grow stronger."
With a hand on the hilt of her blade she answered the fool's question. "There is no reward worth receiving. I have seen many die. Seen as they failed where I succeeded. Even those whose wills guide them to become absolute are simply bound by chains tighter than you could possibly imagine. This world, all worlds and all their denizens. They are no different than an ocean without current. Empty vessels. It is the duty of the absolute to create and allow suffering. To temper the volition of the world and its people so that there might be true life. Those are the rewards of those who would have a will that is unbreakable. Yet even as it is I would have no world other than this one."
So instead of saying a word she simply cradled her child gently and began to sing.Than'Sanel moved closer, but paused in his steps when the girl approached and was beckoned by the woman. The heartening embrace of mother figure and daughter made him smile slightly, but when the woman began to sing - no human expression could convey what he felt. Though joy was predominant, sorrow and longing resonated with the words, too. The part of him that remained a staunch Selesnya Conclave member felt righteous zeal at the prospect of correcting the world to match the beautiful song, but these days that zeal was tempered with a better understanding of balance.
She sang of the time before time. Of the world of ancients that the she had once experienced. She sang of brave hunters, of hero kings, of cities of stone and magic, of mysterious oceans, and of legends as old as time. Her song was sung in the First Tongue and the countless languages of man were complemented by the soothing call of the wild. Aisha sang of the primal earth that once was and would never be again.
Abigail
Abigail frowned at Archer and said, "Well Law you should come with me and he can go find whatever clothing within a reasonable price range. Right? You can help me pick out some pillows and blankets so you're comfy."
Her peridot eyes narrowed at Archer.
Abigail
The Changeling narrowed her eyes at Archer and said, "It's called being a good host, you butt."
Then she took Law's arm and said, "So, shampoo, deodorant, toothbrush, maybe a razor? I really don't need them, but you sort of do."
AbigailLaw briefly fought the urge to run his hand across her proffered arm, but her smile and laugh didn't help. Her skin was smooth, almost unnaturally so as he brushed a finger across it. It felt like silk, and warm and full of life. He mentally kicked himself in the back of the head to get himself back on track. "Um. Neat. So uh, about those sheets..."
Abigail laughed, rolled up her sleeve and extended her arm to him. "Other than my scalp and eyebrows, I don't have any other hair follicles on my body. So, I don't need to shave or wax. Which is a Fae bonus I enjoy."
Indeed, the freckle spotted arm was lacking the fine hairs that should have been there.
Caedia
The Arisen narrowed her eyes at the empty hole in the armor and sighed. This had been a waste. Her hand slipped away from the hilt of her sword and instead she takes a pouch of greenwarish and tosses it at Mordred. "Eat it. It will help."
With that said Caedia simply turns around and cautiously walks back to Crest. The black film over his body was disconcerting to say the least.
"I'll take you out for a meal, if you don't mind. Your friend's invited too" Said Mordred.
You know when you get really aggravated when people keep talking when they should just shut up? No? Well Crest does.
So he responded for Caedia, he was done with this entire situation. She doesn't talk much anyway. Except for the speech, he really didn’t want to think about that.
“No, we have something to do. Sorry.” He wasn’t sorry. He really didn’t want to deal with this person. He didn’t want to deal with either of these people. And then the Armor started talking again, and Crest was half sure a blood vessel in his brain popped. But he held on, holding off until he started fucking going on, and on, and on…
Ok that’s it, “SHUT THE FUCK UP. For the love of everything sacred talk like a fucking person and handle your personal business after other people leave. ”
He looked directly at Caedia, the silent pleading obvious in his eyes.
“Please, let’s just go. I can’t take this anymore.” Well, now his pleading was actually obvious.
Vanguard
He had received no answer from the woman. In a way Vanguard expected it. He had been... cruel to her, so she had no reason to hear her word. Still, listening to her he pondered. She was kind, courageous and had heart. He once too, could have proudly stated to have such things. But now, after pondering on what happened since that fight with Surien once more, pondering on his actions towards Mordred and his own words... he wasn't so sure.
He had always stood against injustice, against cruelty and against the unfairness of the world. But seeing . It was as if he wasn't the same person. It is true, he had failed due to his weakness. But his ideals were just, they were true. So why, why did he reject them so? Why did he feel such fury towards her? Was it due to envy, or due to his past shame? No, he was not furious. Had he been, he would have-
"No..."
But why? What was wrong of his logic, what did he not see? No matter how just, no matter how fair, one cannot uphold such things without strength. And yet, despite their gap in power, Mordred stood proud, facing odds that were impossible to her. She faced him as an equal, and probably would have to the bitter end. When confronted with such courage, was it truly just to shame it?
After such a display, could he call himself strong?
He had denied it, because he valued his pride. All do, no matter how much they would deny it. And yet, Vanguard was now doubting that pride of his. Was it pride, or arrogance?
He had made it his quest, his purpose, to save his comrades, to prevent such a tragedy from unfolding. Yet that woman, she talked of it as if it was but a natural occurrence, like rainfall. That was disgusting, that horror... that hell... it should never have been. It should not be. It would not.
But pondering about it, Vanguard realized that he may have pondered thousands of years in that mountain, but not once had he thought. Yes, after such a display, was he any different from the gods that had shamed and belittled him?
And so, for the first time since an eternity, Vanguard thought.
Maybe, just maybe, he was not as right as he believed.