Cross Effects 3.0 - November 16, 2014—April 13, 2015

[Kat]

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.

Obviously the woman in white was rather enthusiastic about meeting Saber. Then, Mordred realized that maybe the woman could have a clue about Saber's identity? "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. Deep in heart she felt that the identity of the identical stranger could shed new light on why she of all people ended up like that. Her Keeper, the one who robbed her of memories of her previous life, seemed to be fascinated of the past even in comparison to other of his kind.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Vanguard

No matter who or what she was, he was sure she would prove useful. Surely they would meet again. Yes, she could become a valuable pawn in the future despite her unusual attitude. That was a possibility to be considered.

Walking away from the two, the girl left the scene. Now only Vanguard and Roxas remained.

“Oh, so you too are not from this world. Quite amusing, this phenomenon we appear to be in…” Vanguard spoke to the boy, a calm voice hiding a faint sound, seemingly alike the grinding of gears. It was in fact a restrained chuckle, a rare display of amusement for the warrior.

“The Nexus; it is a rift in space and time not unlike the world you originate from. To put it bluntly, it is a gluttonous space that constantly devours and plunders that which originates from all other rifts, ignoring what separates possibility from reality, and claims it as his own. I too have been consumed and brought here and I assume the same could be said about you, boy.”

“Tell me, Roxas, do you believe this ever devouring plane possesses a will?” He asked, his echoing voice seeking an answer.

[yinsukin]

Roxas and Vanguard began walking down the sidewalk of the city leaving the police station.  Vanguard calmly spoke to Roxas:

“Oh, so you too are not from this world. Quite amusing, this phenomenon we appear to be in… The Nexus; it is a rift in space and time not unlike the world you originate from. To put it bluntly, it is a gluttonous space that constantly devours and plunders that which originates from all other rifts, ignoring what separates possibility from reality, and claims it as his own. I too have been consumed and brought here and I assume the same could be said about you, boy."

“Tell me, Roxas, do you believe this ever devouring plane possesses a will?”

Roxas thought for a second, pondering Vanguards question.

"Yes I do believe that this devouring plane has a will, you would be surprised what kinds of beings end up having wills.  Why do you ask?"

[Kotomine_Rin]

Vanguard allowed himself a laugh at what Roxas uttered. Him, surprised? How utterly illogical. No, impossible. He had seen far too much, lived far too long to remember of surprise.

Walking aimlessly along his companion, he turned his head to him and responded calmly.

“You are most definitely correct, this nexus possesses a will. Every fiber, every cause and every effect brought by this rift possesses a will and meaning. Because of that, surely like all that has known of creation, this rift possesses a purpose. Yes, all that exists has a reason to be, and because of that reason, surely it has a meaning and a will to pursue this meaning.”

“What that purpose is… I know not. But know that it's purpose has manifested all of us inside it's underbelly. Perhaps our own purpose will in time intermingle with it's own.”

Of course, he knew full well the meaning of his words. He did not wonder on this possibility, for it was a reality in itself. One that he was fully aware of.

“Roxas, what is your purpose? What is it that makes you pursue a meaning, to keep you strong and your will to fight steady?” asked Vanguard.

[yinsukin]

Roxas thought for a minute.  What was his purpose?  Axel used to ask him questions like that.  His purpose in his old world was to be a mirror to Sora.  He was his other, his alter ego and more importantly, a vessal containing Sora's memories along with his heart.  In this world, he has no purpose.  He had no friends to protect and no home to defend.  He had his independence but that independence is hallow without a purpose or people to enjoy life with. 


Roxas took another minute, lost in thought.  He fought to defend his independence his whole life, eventually handing it over to Sora.  In this world, he could not find the answer just yet.

"My purpose is to find a purpose.  I want to find a way to be useful to those in this world, to make friends and experience happiness and sadness.  I have a heart and I want to use it.  Vanguard, what is your purpose?"

They kept walking entering a residential area with large apartment complexes.

[Kotomine_Rin]

"It is admirable, truly. I hope you reach your destiny and find what you beseek." Said Vanguard with a comely tone. Even if temporary, he was enjoying himself and the company that boy provided. If he could, he would have smiled warmly at his earnest, honest conviction.

"My purpouse..."

Vanguard stood silent for a second, as if overtaken by a strong grip. He did nto moved and stood still, his inert body of metal weighted down by an invisible force greater than even the mightiest tempest. That force was none other than his own will.

"All I wish, my one desire, is to make of this world a better place. I wish to end the suffering that plagues all of us, to make of this world one where all can smile and be free from all shackles. I have lost all that a man can lose, including my heart. But if I can save this world, if I can save it from the suffering it knows, I can at least be free from regrets. To give birth to a world of joy and benevolence is my purpouse."

[Umbra of Chaos]

Urthemiel

The Old God's androgynous face twisted into a small frown as the duo denied his request. It was times like this that made him miss the Imperium. He would have had legions of worshipers thanking him for such a gracious offer and probably would have had the children dedicated to him as priest. Now he saves people's lives and receives nothing but words. How he had fallen.

His purple, slitted eyes stared at the two for a moment before he spoke. "Whether or not you acknowledge and fulfill your debt to me is irrelevant. You owe me two lives, and sooner or later I will have my due."

With that said Urthemiel glowed brightly again before returning to his draconic shape. With a flap of his wings mighty enough to send the duo flying away he ascended and left them without another word.


Natara

The Caretaker's panic at suddenly being manhandled by several of the ninjas was carefully concealed even though her grip on The Chalice tightened until her knuckles were bone white. Without hesitation she called upon the Taint within the once holy artifact and whispered a prayer of destruction, but that which was called forth was instead corruption.


The meals had ended. The sacks of flesh and temporary amusement of grinding souls into oblivion had halted, and while the prisoner still slept a fraction of it was now aware and so it acted. The jailer was weak. Her will was eclipsed even by this infinitesimal shard of it and shifting the Taint into a force of corruption without her noticing was something it could do with ease. But that would be too easy. It could feel the corruption within the change one and while it was strong it was ultimately a being of stealth. The shard decided that these next ones would be different. Their purpose would be combat. They would make the lurking shadow currently rampaging look like a mere child.

So it infused the Taint with the essence of Destruction itself. The pure purpose of simple annihilation would guide them, and grant them strength and meaning beyond a return to the source. Then the abyssal liquid poured from the cup, intent on slamming into every single one of the creatures. And the shard waited and watched.

[yinsukin]

Roxas

"That sounds like a never ending battle.  I hope somehow you can reach your goal."

Roxas stopped walking.  They were away from the residential area now and had wondered onto an abandoned football field.

"Vanguard, can you do me a favor?  Spar with me.  I want to test something."
 

[SINIB]

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!”

[Kotomine_Rin]

"...so do I." Vanguard muttered under his breath, looking up at the sky with hope. Yes, he came to this everdevouring rift with this very hope, because of that he would not falter. He could not.

Then the boy asked him to spar. Looking down upon him, a faint growl could be heard from the bottom of the knight's core.

"Roxas, if this body seems to be in a state to fight, I 'd suggest you check your sight." Said Vanguard, humoring him in a teasing manner.

"Are you truly alright with facing a crippled opponent? Do not take my words in the wrong way, I could stand my ground right now. Certainly I have fared against worse, but to fight under these conditions would be to dishonor you. Even so..."

"Do you wish to spar here and now? If it is a necessary must, I will oblige." finished Vanguard, stepping back to give Roxas space to act as he saw fit.

[yinsukin]

Roxas was so lost in thought that he didn't realize that Vanguard was damaged.  He examined the armoured man, making sure there was nothing irreversible like a lost limb.  He noticed a huge whole in Vanguards chest and a damaged shoulder.

"Oh Im sorry I didn't even notice your damaged body.  Here I think I can help, though im not sure what to do about the... lost parts"

Roxas walked up to Vanguard, standing shoulder length away from him.  He summoned oathkeeper.  Then, he raised oathkeeper in the air, pointing it at the sky.  A green circular light consumed the tip of the key blade and began to surround the two.  The two began shining a neon green light, healing all injures.

[Panda]

As he flew towards the group of Shadowkhan, riding the momentum from the corrupted ninja's blow, it occurred to Michael that this might not have been the best idea.

Considering the seemingly endless swarms of these beings and how they seemed to be capable of shadow-walking, running might have been the only real option. Of course, that option was closed off before the fight even started, what with that Trinity-damned poisoned arrow. The best course after that should have been trying to get away while fending them off, but then there was the problem of having to keep his eyes on the girl the whole time, due to the aforementioned shadow-walking.

It was clear that these troops weren't without some kind of commanding officer, and even more apparent that said commanding officer was nowhere near here. However, if this was a first strike, it would stand to reason that someone would be watching over this...

The immortal's mid-flight contemplation was cut off when the blow drove home, smashing a fair portion of the Shadowkhan off of the Chalice Girl just as black liquid burst from the Chalice rushing out and covering most of the staff and the Shadowkhan, with Michael barely avoiding the momentary spray himself. Holding back a scream as he touched down, quickly skidding to a stop as the staff started to...glow?

There was no mistaking it. Even as black taint quickly spread over the entirety of the staff, the weapon glowed with a muted golden light that was soon swallowed up by the black taint. Even so, the light wasn't snuffed out entirely, with a central portion of the staff still alight with dim golden light in spite of the corruption's best attempts to snuff it out.

The immortal quickly tore his eyes away from the short display as he remembered that the other Shadowkhan had also caught some of the blast. Considering what happened with the first one, it would be best to take care of them before they could transform. With this in mind, Michael quickly rushes back in, staff already a lethal blur as he makes for the nearest of the Shadowkhan that got hit by the taint.

[Kat]

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!”

Mordred

"C'mon, I'm not asking about her hobbies." she sighed as the woman seemed to be infatuated with that Saber person. She didn't swing that way, but she wouldn't judge others for their oddities if she was herself rather eccentric person. "I'm interested in her name. I know that Saber is just her alias. It wouldn't be a bother if you told me? I'm good at keeping secrets, so I won't leak it" she smiled at Irisviel, trying to convince her.

[SINIB]

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.

[Kotomine_Rin]

"Thank you. Your skill in the craft of healing is commendable, you are certainly strong." said Vanguard, looking down at his now reforming vessel. Moving around and closing his hands to see just how far they had regenerated, he was satisfied to see just how complete the reforming of his body had been.

Such a process was no longer something as mundane as mere regeneration, but more akin to time itself reversing. The armour grew back and gained it's orginal shape andform. He would be no longer held back by such an handicap.

Walking across the grass field, he faced the boy and took a combat stance, bracing himself for the spar. About four meters separated the two.

"Very well, whenever you are ready."