Fandom Fate Coda Continued (Closed)

[Indolent]

With that in mind, she did her best to disregard Yusuke's plight for the moment. In the case he were to fail to make the correct choice, she needed to be prepared to handle the tunnel's other occupants on her lonesome. Certainly not the ideal scenario, but it very well could boil down to being her only option in the end. "Thank you," she uttered as her master brought up the radar. Except, what was on the screen clued her into the enemy's approach even before her scythe screamed of the new presence. "Shit," she murmured to herself, her eyebrows knitting together as her eyes snapped forward. "There is no more time for chatter! Master, please; activate that phantasm!" she barked. In a swift motion, she was poised for battle, her massive scythe spinning to life as she held her defensive position before the masters. She was fully prepared to cleave the gaping maw charging for her in two outright, but an unexpected blur of movement put her to a stop as Yusuke leaped into the fray, placing himself before her and intercepting the beastly man. She blinked with seeming surprise at this development, but a small smile formed on her lips, the mildest relief washing over her. "Well said," she offered softly, "now duck--"

In stark contrast to the undertones of appreciation in those first two words, the latter carried the steel and authority of a soldier, leaving no room for argument. Assuming Yusuke and Goemon cleared her path as she ordered, her scythe would swing in a clean arc toward Gluttony. Whether or not the blade itself connected was of little import, a wave of demonic flame roaring to life and soaring forth. Hopefully the beast enjoyed the taste of hell.​

"Wha, like I fuckin' know how??? My sister dipped before she could tell me--" the boy with the disproportionate proportions squawked, crying out as both servants moved to assault that goddamn homunculus. Careening around, Gavin looked to Marcus, an incredulous look to his face that was a very clearly telegraphed message of 'what do???' before he gripped his own face with both hands by the temple, a rapid series of breaths taken as he sorely wracked his own brain.

Trying to remember the steps Patience was showing him, before realizing it'd be better if he had his own MC in hand. It was a mess of motions, worse than a fumble in football ever could look like, with it being a miracle that he didn't drop his own MC. If Danny were here, he'd prolly have resigned himself to his shitty commentary that no one ever fucking asked for.

The younger Munroe stared long and hard, as much as was possible in the relative sense within fleeting seconds, before realizing he absolutely didn't remember the process at all. Some of the features stuck out but he found himself incapable of understanding in the moment, the stress of it all successfully getting to him. His breathing became haggard once more, panic setting in anew, before a twist of an idea fired within the dilapidated synapses of his brain.

It wasn't one he had any fond feelings for whatsoever, a miserable groan ringing as Gavin slowly craned his head for the other person within the room not actively trying to kill them. Yet. Whatever.

Trifa.

"H-Hey... yeah. So. Uh, so." He started, stumbling over his own words before taking a sharp breath with an expression that was a mix of disappointment, towards the self, and shaky determination. "If you're fuckin' serious about bein' remorseful over your interference or whatever in this jankass war, maybe besides what ya did for us with Yusuke, maybe you could give me the breakdown on how to use this fucking thing? Or just tell me how to use the phantasm!"

God knows that making a demand of a man of the cloth was the equisite manuever that it was, to getting what you want. Never mind that it was less a man of the cloth and something far worse than the proverbial wolf in sheep's clothing. Yeah, more an archdemon whiling their time and boredom away with their latest fancy being demanded of by Arthur Morgan if he was a dumbass clad in shitty flannel.

 

[Indolent]

"Fightmefightmefightme!"​

 

[Kitsune Mask]

Samus Aran's response was the sound of her arm cannon finishing its recharge as she otherwise silently raised it again, only to look up at the last moment before a massive metal leg crashed through the cieling and speared her straight through the floor, War back stepping straight out the window to escape being an incidental target and crashing to the ground next to Leonardo and MJ.

"I'm not letting mew die."

The panic of knowing she might die, whether or not by the hands of another otherworldly being or the very organ in her chest that was supposed to keep her alive, made it all the more difficult for Maisie to remain calm. This was more than frustrating for the poor girl, because if she could not keep in control of her emotions, the anxiety would literally kill her. She wasn't sure if the cat girl holding onto her understood that, or if she was just so busy trying to save them from Samus Aran—who, on a side note, she would've been stoked to see in the flesh if she wasn't so scared right now. Either way, Maisie had no choice but to sit in the absolute angel's arms, unable to do anything but lay there like a helpless sack of flower.

Briefly, her mind flickered to how everyone in this world might react if something did happen to her. Maisie didn't exactly have a lot of friends at school, but she could see some of her fellow hospital volunteer co-workers being upset. As for her parents, they wouldn't just be upset. No, her family would be a torrent of rage, confusing, and grief. She could picture her father searching with desperation over who he could sue regarding his little girl's death, an impossibly task considering he would likely never find the priest or whoever else was in charge of a magical war. She hated the idea of leaving her family in pain with no resolution.

Mind driving all over the place, she would only focus on reality once more upon hearing Tarlotte implore her to shut up. She wasn't sure why the harsh words didn't scare her, maybe it was because of the cute voice they were spoken in or because it was actually refreshing for someone not to baby her for a change. In any case, Tarlotte had Maisie's rapt attention, especially when the girl of viridescent hair said she wouldn't let her die. "Y-You'll die with me too. I-I don't want either one of us to die. L-Let's survive, okay?" she whimpered, the tears flooding blue eyes spilling down her cheeks. "My m-medicine fell on the floor down there. If we can get it— when you're not busy... that would help." ​

 

[Kitsune Mask]

A startled string of curses escaped Rockefeller's star quarterback at the sight of the unidentifiable flying object heading straight for his cranium, followed immediately by him stumbling backward and trying to duck down. But with another human in his arms, the effort wasn't an easy one, and he momentarily presumed his life would come to a halt right then and there. And all he could think of in such a moment... was that would be the shittiest, dumbest, most incredibly irritating way to go out. Was he really about to die like a loser, pelted in the head like some unsuspecting wannabe lounging on the beach getting slapped with a runaway frisbee?

Evidently, the answer was no.

Blinking rapidly, the teen righted himself with wild eyes, just in time to see Sho telekinetically casting aside the projectile. "Fuck," he mumbled, his heart beating about a hundred miles per hour in his chest. He tried to say something else, to voice a thank you or a request that they hurry the hell up with getting out of here, but he momentarily had no words. It was a fleeting stall of his brain, his systems slowly working internal repair to get his thoughts running again, but... But....-

Jesus. It was so fucking noisy. Truly, the boy was grateful for Sho's intervention... but the way the strange man and his servant were going back and forth was about to drive him insane. He was stressed out and overwhelmed and still hadn't recovered from that teleporting business, nor whatever situation had caused the blood painting the walls or Brighid's loss of consciousness, and there was way too much noise. He was typically good at ignoring such things, preferring to keep to the quiet sanctuary of his own little world, but he just couldn't deal with it in this specific case. If it were at least coherent conversation, maybe it would have been fine. But the pair were saying way too much with way too little he could actually understand. So, in the middle of Sho's spouting of nonsensical numbers, the boy wound up unable to take it anymore.

"Thanks," he interrupted, turning for the door. "Now can we get moving?" Surely his servant could nitpick and correct the crazy hobo's verbiage later. Preferably, once they were out of this insane otherworldly colosseum.

Quiet and disoriented as he'd been, Clancy managed a shaky nod. The fact that Sho had actually stepped in was a great relief to him, and he tried to take it as inspiration to step up to the plate, himself. Even if even standing or speaking was a major challenge right now. "...He's right," he offered, shakily. He finally removed his hands from the desk and stood on his own, but he found himself staggering as he fumbled to follow after Danny. Curse his jello-y legs. Curse them! Trying to set his own struggles aside, the teen glanced to his servant, desperate. "Is there any chance you can still teleport? Does that work with passengers?" If it did, that seemed like the best way to make a speedy escape. Otherwise, he worried his rebellious legs might be a detriment to the group. There was also flying, but Clancy wasn't sure his stomach would be able to make it if they took that route.​

Hands would slip into dark pockets, golden eyes narrowing thoughtfully under the rim of his black hat. "No can do, kid. We're walking. If your legs are functioning like a solar powered calculator on a cloudy day, I'll levitate you like I did the disk. Heh, but I suggest walking. It's better for your health." Was that an undertone of a threat in his last words? It was honestly impossible to tell. In reality, he was just too lazy to cary anyone or do much of anything and was doing what he could to get out of it. The trash man then opted to ignore everyone else in the room and began walking for the door. He wasn't just leaving his master unattended though, so he didn't go very far. He stood impatiently just outside the doorway, shooting the others an expectant look over his shoulder.​

 

[Kitsune Mask]

"...Okita could learn something from you about making ter--I mean great jokes!" Nobu self corrected almost immediately, deciding mid syllable that Lucille didn't need to have her mood put down after all that she had already gone through. If her mood could even be put down. Jury was still out on that one.

"ALL TRUE!" She agreed, more than happy to leave it at that and not have to go into the whole guilt explanation.

"Good, good. Sounds like a plan either way."

"But..."

"No. Not that. It should be a function of your device. I think. Not sure, the pointy nosed bastard and those two annoying punks that were with him distracted me with their crappy attitudes I didn't get all of what they said." Nobu shrugged. "Check your thing. The thing that isn't your phone but is like your phone." ​

As Nobu surmised, it probably wouldn't have bothered Lucille much to have the truth about her bad jokes revealed to her. It was more than likely she just would've told another joke, one worse than the first. Lucille had no idea what she was doing when it came to such things. But trying to improve her social capacity via joking wasn't something she needed to focus on for now. Lucille needed to find a nearby hospital to take them to. She started typing calmly into her phone, only half listening to what Nobu would have to say about putting her into storage. "You can show me how to do it when we get there." After about a minute of typing, she looked up at Nobu with a face as straight as usual. "There is... a hospital ten minutes away. If you can carry me there that would be easier, but..." A thoughtful pause was given. "Don't let anyone see your flying gun." ​

 

[Daft Monk]

"I DON'T KNOW THAT'S WHAT I WAS TRYING TO UNDERSTAND!!!"

"...Yes that was the plan all along, this guy simply--oh forget it." Nadia shook her head. "Out of here, we go." ​

Hands would slip into dark pockets, golden eyes narrowing thoughtfully under the rim of his black hat. "No can do, kid. We're walking. If your legs are functioning like a solar powered calculator on a cloudy day, I'll levitate you like I did the disk. Heh, but I suggest walking. It's better for your health." Was that an undertone of a threat in his last words? It was honestly impossible to tell. In reality, he was just too lazy to cary anyone or do much of anything and was doing what he could to get out of it. The trash man then opted to ignore everyone else in the room and began walking for the door. He wasn't just leaving his master unattended though, so he didn't go very far. He stood impatiently just outside the doorway, shooting the others an expectant look over his shoulder.​

"..."

This was a fucking disaster. Trying to ignore his steadily worsening headache, Daniel found himself once again wondering how the hell he'd wound up in what felt like some weeaboo's pipe dream. He could worry about that later, though; right now, he was more irritated with the needless obstacles they kept running into. Apparently now including Clancy's fantastic chihuahua impersonation and his freaky servant's subtle threats. He wanted to tell the guy to suck it the fuck up and carry the dude, but... not gonna lie he did not like his odds in standing up to some freakshow like that. So, instead, his eyes turned to Nadia. "Hey. You were all excited about wanting to carry someone, right?"

Clancy didn't think he liked where this was going. "I-It's... fine. I can walk," he assured, taking a few shaky steps. 'Could'? Maybe. Would he absolutely be slowing them down? At this rate, certainly so. "Teleporting just seemed like the fastest method, but I'll make do. But, um..." Awkwardly, he cleared his throat. There had been a lot of sounds of blasts and crashes even within the school building, and he wasn't really sure what the damages beyond the classroom were like. Nevertheless, he did his best to follow along, his legs managing to function at all amidst their shaking being a miracle in and of itself. "...are we even going to be able to get out through the stairwell?"​

 

[MyrtenRose]

"..."

This was a fucking disaster. Trying to ignore his steadily worsening headache, Daniel found himself once again wondering how the hell he'd wound up in what felt like some weeaboo's pipe dream. He could worry about that later, though; right now, he was more irritated with the needless obstacles they kept running into. Apparently now including Clancy's fantastic chihuahua impersonation and his freaky servant's subtle threats. He wanted to tell the guy to suck it the fuck up and carry the dude, but... not gonna lie he did not like his odds in standing up to some freakshow like that. So, instead, his eyes turned to Nadia. "Hey. You were all excited about wanting to carry someone, right?"

"I am not averse to it, but I believe having my hands free is preferable when we come across an enemy. Then--" Nadia paused as something occurred to her. "Hold that thought!" She quickly blurted out, rushing back over to where the fallen Lucyfer laid dead. Her use of phantasm, as the machine called it, had been a failure. No-go on the keeping masters safe idea...but it was only now that she put together it could still serve a purpose. This girl was dead, and even her incredible mind was not up to bringing someone back from the dead. That was a part usually reserved for the supernatural or the magical, like Doctor Strange. But the least she could do was make sure the body was kept as intact as possible, and then when there was some free time after they got out of this mess, arrange to have the girl's corpse brought to her family for funeral arrangements.

Nobody deserved to die without a proper burial, to die unmourned.

The two disappeared from sight as Wasp quickly rushed to use one of the beds within her crystal lab to gingerly lower the girl onto before returning to her normal size to re-emerge by the others once again. And...sad as it was that someone had died, it did not escape her that such an unfortunate end brought opportunity. She wished it were not so, but...she had witnessed that bringing a master too far from their device risked automatic expulsion. She had a feeling tampering with the inner workings of the devices might also risk such...but there was a chance, she reasoned, that one that belonged to someone already dead could be more open to that kind of study and analysis. That was why she also took Lucyfer's MC and slid it into one of her pockets, to save for later testing of that hypothesis. Now was not such a time.​

"...are we even going to be able to get out through the stairwell?"

"I escaped from the Red Room, a top secret prison academy in the heart of Russia under the observation of the GRU and many of their top agents. Rest assured I could get you out of here. Yes, I did not miss that question being asked." ​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

"Brilliantly observed," came her flat retort, displeasure like a needle of ice straight to the bloodstream. Her voice echoed forth into the darkness through gritted teeth, a short, venomous exhale through the nose having preceded it when the urging step or two forward she took failed to encourage Emily to keep moving like she wanted.



"Don't bother finishing that sentence. Let me take a wild guess, little girl, and you tell me how much or how little it makes you think."

She didn't bother keeping her voice down, an odd auditory-visual cue if one paid attention to just how still Shiki could be when she wanted to give off a certain air. There could be a certain security in that, in observing the stance of one immune to the effects pressure or fear could wring from the body, who maintained a surety of step and sense of poise no matter the situation.

This wasn't that. There was no comfort to be found here. It would've been somewhat accurate to say Shiki was still in the way a coiled snake was still, a panther in the undergrowth, but even that didn't quite cover it.

Shiki Ryougi was still like a corpse. Like something with a heart that didn't beat, that had been to the other side, that had no business standing up and walking around with the rest of them. She stood like something that didn't belong.

"If he died, and you did nothing..."

View attachment 993771

And when she finally turned, the gleam in her eyes and sinister edge to her voice did little to dissuade that notion, words designed to shock and unsettle and gaze an unearthly spiral that once again lingered a touch too long on Emily's neck.

"Would you hang yourself?"



She took a step towards her, hand inching for the kimono sash under her jacket, and the only thing Emily remembered seeing was a blur of motion and a glint of steel—



—which snipped a few strands of hair away if she flinched in the wrong direction, but nothing more than that. Shiki continued her slow, almost hypnotic amble either over or around the artist depending on whether she ended up horizontal or vertical, eyes taking careful note of where her knife had embedded itself in after she whipped it with lethal precision for the haze of mist's most central and obvious death line. She was more interested in the effect it the mist itself, though, and from the way she tossed her voice back up the tunnel with confrontational indifference it seemed she had decided to forego the game of cat and mouse any longer.

"Oi. Anyone listening? We should be far enough from the rest that they're away from the danger for now. Might as well do it here."

She smirked, deathly calm yet sharpened with ill intent.

"Besides, I already have one snivelling little freeloader trailing around after me like a scolded dog. She's not looking for company."​

The knife plunged into the mist, and the mist screamed. It wasn't just a mindless, conjured force; It was alive. A bastardization of the concept, to be sure, some form of existence that had been crushed and mulled together like berries into jam, but alive nonetheless, and thus very much capable of dying rather than a simple ceasing of existence. the mist scattered away from the knife after the first screams, a primal, instinctual reaction of fear and surprise shared by the otherwise mindless slew of souls.

Then it ricocheted wildly off course to bury itself in the wall, struck by a gauntlet-covered hand. The mist ceased its retreat and screams, swirling around the approaching boots before slowly beginning to coast back down the tunnel towards Emily and Shiki, a path laid for its master as he made his way towards the pair, ceasing his steps a respectable distance away. He was a tall man, dressed in trousers and an open jacket, his arms arms and lower legs encased in blackened, green tinged armor. His skin was pale but likewise touching upon that sickly green, and his hair was pure white. His eyes all but glowed with how bright their own color was, black sclera around jade irises that were already studying the assassin and the student from the moment they'd seen them, picking them apart like a scientist did a bug with a pair of tweezers

His weak point was singular, similar to the other aberration Shiki had seen. It was also a point that she would've had no issue discerning even without her eyes active. Even Emily could see it, a gaping wound left from long ago; a hole gouged into the man's chest, just so slightly off centered, from which poured the very mist that was filling the tunnels behind them and, unbeknownst to them, shrouding the one who held the leash of the servant attacking Marcus and Gavin at the station.

The mist did not approach, however. it stopped with its master, who crossed his arms over his chest and held his chin in one hand as he regarded Shiki for a moment.

"Interesting. You already do not care for this... human." He said, his voice echoing and unearthly, confident and imperious. "I was already intrigued; that someone could kill what is already dead, it is impressive, even in this strange world. Perhaps there is no need for such.. distasteful violence. I can offer you true vassalage, if you wish. An alternative to tying your life to such a frail creature. I will have it anyways, your power, but it is always better to have a soldier loyal than chained."

Emily had been too scared to turn immediately, too thrown off kilter by the sudden question, how her very fervent and almost irritated denial of it was cut off by her own servant's throw of the knife, but she found at least some of her voice at this. "What... what are you-"

"Or perhaps the middle does not need to be cut out" he said as his eyes turned towards Emily "I can see the fear in your eyes, little girl, the hopelessness. Its a correct feeling; you shall not be leaving here alive, not in the sense that you know it." he gestured to Emily with a wave of his hand, his next suggestion given in full seriousness.

"Hasten this affair. Slit your own throat. Die. Give yourself and your servant to someone deserving; Me"

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

"That...hits deep--"



They just stared over with narrowed eyes, every centimeter of MJ's expression clearly saying "are you serious right now" before they more or less exploded in frustration. "Look, dude! I came in today figuring the worst thing that could happen was some pop quiz out of nowhere, but no, some priest comes in, explains how we got conscripted into some bullshit war, that I was now paired with cool vampire elf guy from a show I haven't watched yet because the universe was just like yeah he's an alive person now, I decided, and so we're expected to fight against like a thousand other New Yorkers and whatever crazy powerful character they got at their sides, and people straight up died in front of my eyes, and I've spent the last few minutes struggling to not be sick, to keep it together because I'm embarrassing myself in the worst first impression to cool vampire elf guy, and this is really happening all around us with whatever phantom NYC this is currently going up in flames, and the me from an hour ago was prepared for absolutely none of what I just said, SO EXCUSE ME IF I'M NOT CALLING STRATEGIC, TACTICAL MOVES LIKE I'M THE SECOND COMING OF MOTHERFUCKING GENERAL GEORGE S. PATTON!!!"

MJ fell silent after that other than heavy breathing, hands running across their face as they tried to calm down after all that. It was a far quieter MJ that eventually continued with: "I didn't ask for this. For a war, or to be responsible for someone else's life, or..." They trailed off and sighed. "I guess...you'd either have to find somebody else's device to break...or...have your servant go and--"


"--SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTT!"

Whatever else they had been just about to say was lost in the shrill screech that followed that crash landing, their arms instantly moving to cover their head.

​

War immediately wheeled towards the sound of the scream with blade at the read not a difficult position to pinpoint considering it was two inches behind him. He froze when he saw Leonardo with his hand outstretched towards him preemptively, despite the surprise on his own face at the sudden explosion of distraught rage.

"...Yea. I know, all of that. Thats why I suggested your servant go get the MC, me and the big guy will be okay. But there's something you need to do once you get to the other side, if thats okay" Leo said, his face growing serious as he lowered his hands.

"Find the others who've already gotten out. If nothing else, its clear that there's already groups forming if these people attacking us are any indication. We need to work as a group, or we're dead."

"There are more than ten students" rumbled War as he lowered his blade. "More than the allotted number of winners."

"Yea, well... we'll lay in that can of worms when we open it" Leo said with an irritated flap of his hand towards the nephelim "We gotta make it that far before it matters anyways"

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

"Urrk" It was less the sound of a person capitulating and more a vociferous outcry as she was lifted by Leonhart, her servant's own strength and her own weight working against her. Matching Sakurei's own glare was a plateau that Patience could only dare dream of scaling let alone reaching. Yet it wasn't enough to quell her from even trying, barely misty eyes making contact in turn as Leon delivered her threat.

Dropping onto her haunches elicited a hiss strained through the teeth, with a "fuck!" on its heel under her breath. A scowl was what Patience managed primarily, her expression fluctuating to the lingering disbelief that Leon certainly noted to be her master still digesting her own circumstance. Despite that, though, Leon would also note that Patience once again locked eyes with her own, her expression strangely placid as her eyes almost seemed to communicate her sheer displeasure of it all on their own.

"Yeah, I'm half-full of crap there, no idea how much I could tolerate. Not that it matters. There's no fuckin' reason for you to test me. Ever. It's the other way around."

Motion articulated inside the pocket containing her MC, with Leon finding her request met without delay as she disappeared in a shimmer into storage.

Patience remained seated for a minute longer, fuming over the sheer bullshit that just transpired and working to dial her own fight or flight response down to normalcy. The teen always had a knack for calming her anxiety in the moment, electing to focus on something and Leon, whether or not she was aware of it, armed her with something of a focal point that allowed her to distract herself from the death scenario she was a part of.

A cursory sniffle as she brushed away her nose, the elder Munroe leveraged herself back to standing before leering to the side, a smoldering glare into the mirror with her own reflection that looked back. A singular word was calmly uttered, the tone that pervaded it nominated clearly the individual in her mind.

"Bitch."

Then she was gone, a purposeful stride out of the bathroom and to the tram, making her way to the subway station at the end of the tracks and up to the meeting place mentioned by her servant.

Kei blinked once and found herself staring into white nothingness instead of a New York Bathroom.

Their existence as servants was somewhat... intuitive to them. Perhaps not to the degree of those who had been true servants in their home stories, but there was an intrinsic understanding to how things worked, if not the mechanics. Their lives were tied to their masters. The MC was the control point for those masters in the war. Storage was an empty void, but it could heal your wounds, be a place of respite.

You could also hear your master from within unless they expressly forbade it.

She allowed herself a thin, borderline amused smile at the final word from Patience. Manipulation wasn't her strong suit, not like the acting commander or Malleus. She half worried that her show of force was too much, that she'd scared her master useless instead of simply distanced, but it seemed she had a better read on the girl than she thought.

O̴͚͕͓̺͂̈́f̸͚̦̫̑ ̷͕̬͒ç̶̮̦̤̼̈́̓̌̾̐o̴̬͜͝ư̵̜̩̞͂͝r̴̢͇̳̈́͜s̶̝̳͍̀̀̾̚͝ḛ̸̫̯͂ͅ ̶͇̼̈́̍̀͋s̸̞̬̃̏̒͘h̸̨̧͖͌͆͝ḛ̶̐̀̃͘͝ ̷̧̞̩̱̭̈̇̓͗d̸͚̙̘̽̇i̶̥͇̤͘ͅd̷͚͛.̵͓͌͐̍ ̶̡̧͇̦̺͆ ̶̟͉̯͊̎̓̍͗S̸̨̹͚͍̞̈́͆͆ḫ̴̣̽̌͐̽ë̴̡͖̣͙͂͛͑͠ ̴͇̖̋̀̆͋̃r̵͍̹͙͙̐͐̂̚͝ȅ̴̛͉͕͓͇̳͐̄̃m̵̖̱̐̄̑̍ë̸̟̘̰́͂̅̈́m̸̢̛͌͝b̵̢̜̖̟̼̓͠ȇ̸͈͙͚͍r̶̬̘̹̰̘̄́̇̀e̵̱̰̲͛̓̈́͝d̶̛͎̝͇̒̂̎ͅ ̷̞̣̟̥̮̊͒̒ṯ̸̛̝̥̊̃̓͜͝h̷̡̰̏̐é̸̞ ̷͖̖̬̹͘͝ͅf̵̲͚̯̂̄̈́ì̷̼͠r̵̡̫̘̯̝̽̋s̵̖͛͋̊̄͠t̶̗̃͗͑͌ ̴̡͕͇̞̩̊̈́͊̚ť̶͓̝̼̼i̶̼̅̃́̅̚m̵̢͉̿̉͘͠e̸͙̗̯̗͆̀

She grimaced, a thought trying to puncture her brain that failed to find purchase. Whatever. She brought up a hand and waved it purposefully to the side, a small, holographic screen appearing before her. She selected an option, and a small array of outfits appeared before her.

All a bit outlandish, when she thought about it. a school uniform with a certainly not school worthy length skirt. A red dress and jacket that left part of her midriff bare. clothes designed to draw the eye and ask sly questions with obvious answers. Whatever steel she'd forged her spine into wobbled slightly, and she was suddenly loathe to get out of the heavy coat and military dress she was in, feeling as important as a doll that just happened to be able to choose its own clothes before play time.

She quashed the feeling, selected the dress, and felt her current clothes vanish in a spray of light before the effect reversed. A simple and quick task, but not one she informed her master of, instead for now content to watch her progress from inside storage.

"Unlock free summoning, master" she said into the abyss, and Patience felt the MC vibrate as the statement converted to text. "That way I can manifest on my own on the off chance someone's not content with their first kill today"

 

[Gus Gungus]

The knife plunged into the mist, and the mist screamed. It wasn't just a mindless, conjured force; It was alive. A bastardization of the concept, to be sure, some form of existence that had been crushed and mulled together like berries into jam, but alive nonetheless, and thus very much capable of dying rather than a simple ceasing of existence. the mist scattered away from the knife after the first screams, a primal, instinctual reaction of fear and surprise shared by the otherwise mindless slew of souls.

Then it ricocheted wildly off course to bury itself in the wall, struck by a gauntlet-covered hand. The mist ceased its retreat and screams, swirling around the approaching boots before slowly beginning to coast back down the tunnel towards Emily and Shiki, a path laid for its master as he made his way towards the pair, ceasing his steps a respectable distance away. He was a tall man, dressed in trousers and an open jacket, his arms arms and lower legs encased in blackened, green tinged armor. His skin was pale but likewise touching upon that sickly green, and his hair was pure white. His eyes all but glowed with how bright their own color was, black sclera around jade irises that were already studying the assassin and the student from the moment they'd seen them, picking them apart like a scientist did a bug with a pair of tweezers

His weak point was singular, similar to the other aberration Shiki had seen. It was also a point that she would've had no issue discerning even without her eyes active. Even Emily could see it, a gaping wound left from long ago; a hole gouged into the man's chest, just so slightly off centered, from which poured the very mist that was filling the tunnels behind them and, unbeknownst to them, shrouding the one who held the leash of the servant attacking Marcus and Gavin at the station.

The mist did not approach, however. it stopped with its master, who crossed his arms over his chest and held his chin in one hand as he regarded Shiki for a moment.

"Interesting. You already do not care for this... human." He said, his voice echoing and unearthly, confident and imperious. "I was already intrigued; that someone could kill what is already dead, it is impressive, even in this strange world. Perhaps there is no need for such.. distasteful violence. I can offer you true vassalage, if you wish. An alternative to tying your life to such a frail creature. I will have it anyways, your power, but it is always better to have a soldier loyal than chained."

Emily had been too scared to turn immediately, too thrown off kilter by the sudden question, how her very fervent and almost irritated denial of it was cut off by her own servant's throw of the knife, but she found at least some of her voice at this. "What... what are you-"

"Or perhaps the middle does not need to be cut out" he said as his eyes turned towards Emily "I can see the fear in your eyes, little girl, the hopelessness. Its a correct feeling; you shall not be leaving here alive, not in the sense that you know it." he gestured to Emily with a wave of his hand, his next suggestion given in full seriousness.

"Hasten this affair. Slit your own throat. Die. Give yourself and your servant to someone deserving; Me"​

Shiki Ryougi had never been one to improperly assess a threat. Eyes that could discern mortality were all well and good; but they were a curse, an affliction, a freak mutation brought on by a freak accident. They had a bothersome tendency of ending up useful in more situations than she'd have liked, but as far as she was concerned they'd always been a thing that had happened to her rather than an aspect of her being, and that was as much thought as she was ever willing to give them.

No matter how much she, deep down, knew otherwise.

Eyes that could size up an enemy, though? Those were something the Ryougi clan heiress had worked for years to attain, and they served a dual purpose within the context of her bloodline. The first pertained to their human dealings; the front that had, in time, become her clan's main area of focus, the status as a yakuza family of some prestige that her father and grandfather had carved out in blood, that had funded both her rigorous training and the upbringing of relative comfort belying it. Mixing in those circles, the ability to look a man in the eye and ascertain whether he meant you harm was key to survival.

The second purpose was also a matter of survival, if in a far more straightforward, unambiguous fashion. It came from the old teachings, passed from her grandfather's grandfather to him and him to her, more for ceremonial reasons than practical ones in the day and age she hailed from; teachings from a time when groups of self-important crooks with tattoos and fancy suits were the least of anyone's concerns. When actual, veritable demons roamed the land, and it fell to the likes of the Ryougi to kill them.

To kill them, you had to know how to spot them. Had to be capable of recognising when something was truly deserving of death.

You had to be able to see a monster for a monster.

Occasionally—very rarely, but occasionally—the dual purpose became one, and there came a time when one found themselves confronted by an existence that was both man and monster, one giving itself freely to the other. Those were the encounters that disturbed Shiki the most, though she never would've let that show in her actions. There was plenty concealed in the long, guarded stare the assassin levelled her quarry with from the moment he made himself known to them, in the twitch of her brow when she looked at his chest, in the way it had evolved into a full blown crease by the time he was finished addressing Emily.

All of it went summarily dismissed in a single, flat, disinterested huff, the air of apathy she exuded almost as dense as the necromancer's mist.



"Sheesh... I'm here twenty minutes and already there's an evil mage wanting to use my eyes. You types are all the same, you know? Nobody's ever interested in my personality."

The caustic edge to her tone and dark, sardonic smirk on her face when she looked back indicated she knew as well as anyone why that was. She rubbed the nape of her neck in idle impatience, taking a moment to roll it out from side to side before tossing a glance Emily's way.

"So? He makes some good points. You should probably do it."

For all the blunt, breezy indifference she spoke with it was as though she were advising the student on which college electives to take, and not particularly invested in the subject from the off. She stretched out a hand, nodding for the blade she'd buried hilt-deep in the wall, wordlessly motioning for the other servant to toss it to her if so inclined.

"Here. You can even use my knife."​

 

[MyrtenRose]

War immediately wheeled towards the sound of the scream with blade at the read not a difficult position to pinpoint considering it was two inches behind him. He froze when he saw Leonardo with his hand outstretched towards him preemptively, despite the surprise on his own face at the sudden explosion of distraught rage.

"...Yea. I know, all of that. Thats why I suggested your servant go get the MC, me and the big guy will be okay. But there's something you need to do once you get to the other side, if thats okay" Leo said, his face growing serious as he lowered his hands.

"Find the others who've already gotten out. If nothing else, its clear that there's already groups forming if these people attacking us are any indication. We need to work as a group, or we're dead."

"There are more than ten students" rumbled War as he lowered his blade. "More than the allotted number of winners."

"Yea, well... we'll lay in that can of worms when we open it" Leo said with an irritated flap of his hand towards the nephelim "We gotta make it that far before it matters anyways"

Not having any of that thrown back in their face had MJ feeling a little embarrassed, and the sinking in realization of just how vulnerable they really were right now had them more than a little worried. Stuck between him and his gigantic-ass servant, they could practically feel the weapon at their back. If this had been someone else less caring or more opportunistic, it would have been beyond easy to order that guy to lift them up, rip the MC from them and then crush it underfoot, and then poof, no more Alucard. Or...it could have been a more permanent end for them. MJ gulped in dread at the thought. "Sorry, I--y-you didn't deserve all t-that." They stammered in apology, already keenly regretting their outburst. It wasn't like Leo was any more responsible for this insane situation than they themselves were.

"And...y-yeah. That makes sense, grouping up." They nodded. "I'll do what I can. Hopefully all of us are still..." MJ didn't dare say the actual word, but hoped it was true. The rules about ten winners or whatever the fuck be damned. "...So...what's your plan for getting out of here when we're gone...you just gonna...walk into that mess and hope for the best or..."​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

At heart, cold and unbeating though his may have been, Alucard had no love for violence.

He supposed he took after his mother in that regard, though he long harboured his suspicions that years of solitude followed by slow, gentle rehabilitation at her hands had long since bred any and all sincere desire to do harm out of his father's temperament, at least to a far greater degree than he let on. She was one who fought with every ounce of her being to preserve life, who truly cherished it, and when Vlad Dracula Tepes fell for her not even the raw predisposition towards blood and carnage that had anointed him lord of the dark could stand in the way of such pure, radiant light. It stood no more a chance than one of their kind did basking in the morning sun.

That, more than anything, was what had made his father's final end so painful; waging his senseless, bloody war on the mankind who dared take her away from him, sitting lonely and decrepit in his tower while he went through the motions of revenge with no true zeal. Not what one might've expected from a Dracula seeking retribution, the unsettling revelation that the Impaler he once was had still been there, all along, simply waiting for a slight from humanity egregious enough to bring him back to the fore.

The haunting knowledge that he truly wasn't. That the monster was gone, as gone as Lisa herself was, and all that remained was a broken, empty husk of the man who turned the entire world against him just to see her again.

Their shared disinterest in the violence much of their kind revelled in had made those with the name Tepes true aberrants among vampires, a distinction even his father's own generals perceived in the end as they began to turn against him. Alucard's own aversion went much further. He actively disliked violence, felt nothing but revulsion at the thought of it, could never quite understand why human and vampire alike were given the wits they were only to surrender them to their most barbaric of impulses time and again. Like his father in the end, Adrian Tepes bore no love for violence.

Yet like his father, and decidedly unlike his mother, he believed there were circumstances and events that simply called for it.

That didn't mean he couldn't be proportionate, couldn't exercise better judgment where his father wouldn't bother. A veiled threat, rather than a direct one, for the one schoolchild who seemed to be taking to this entire tedious charade a bit more readily than the others, and seemed oddly keen on separating him from the one allegedly tying him to all of this.

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The small, stinging fangs of a colony of bats, rather than the long and fatal incisors of a vampire, for the human with enough cruelty in their heart to opt for violence as their first choice.

They beset her in an instant, screeching, flapping, swarming, her auditory, visual and tactile senses all bombarded with the sudden storm of creatures to the point that she ideally wouldn't even notice when one plucked the MC from her hand. The moment it did their interlinked consciousness shifted directions, twisting through the air away from her until they all formed one shadowy mass, which itself stretched, curled, and gave itself form until in scarcely the blink of an eye the tall, pale, and detached figure of Alucard himself towered over her, only a few feet to separate them.

"A meeting."

He echoed, grip on the MC taut enough in his palm that he could crack it if he applied so much as a fraction more pressure, one eyebrow curling upwards as his cold amber eyes swivelled from it to her. Then he smiled, a coy, aloof smile that revealed more than enough fang to render his private thoughts on violence completely and utterly up in the air.

View attachment 994122

"Shall we go together, or shall I rip your entrails out through your jugular and use them to manoeuvre you like a fucking meat puppet on strings?"

He loathed violence, that was true. But he was, ultimately, his father's son.

And those who committed violence for callous, frivolous reasons? He cared for them even less.​

perhaps unsurprisingly, the woman screamed. It was a full bodied shout of one from the very first nick of her skin by the bats, easily picked up by the ears of Leonardo and MJ outside, and one that only ceased when Alucard spoke. She pressed herself up against the wall, one hand up as if to ward the vampire away from her face as she hyperventilated and tried to stammer a response.

"T-th-th-the, its, I can't, its not on this side, its once we're o-out, at our office-"

Damn it.

Why did she feel this way? She didn't know this girl. She didn't know anything! She didn't know why she was here, or what was wrong with her alleged master, or why the idea of the girl's potential death felt so excruciatingly painful. Discounting Sojiro, she'd never seen any humans as worth defending. She wasn't this kid's babysitter, and she didn't owe her any favors, so... so why did that look in her eyes reignite the same urge to protect that she'd felt when--

Whatever connection her brain had begun to draw was cut short at breakneck speeds, broken apart like the rooftop beneath her feet. Unfortunately, even if she'd wanted to listen to Maisie's pleas, it was too late for that for the moment. The momentary pang of anguish was something she was only allowed to feel for just that; a moment. The legs of Batraz expectedly collided with the intergalactic bounty hunter, and gravity coupled with Tarlotte's brute force saw the three of them crashing all the way down through the floor.

"Shut up."

Despite the harsh words, she held her master closer than before, doing all she could to shield her despite the disgust she felt brewing in her gut for doing so. Her voice was quiet and strained, mellowed by her war against the strange mixture of feelings eating away at whatever semblance of a heart her creator may have deigned to provide her, but it was there nevertheless. "I'm not letting mew die." She didn't know if she hoped for Maisie to hear her or preferred it be lost in the din of chaos, but the words had passed her lips before she could stop them, and there was no taking it back. And with that oath on the air, as soon as their descent came to an end- whether it be on the second floor or the first- Tarlotte used Samus like a springboard. The legs of Batraz vanished swiftly, she somersaulting through the air before those same legs reformed and she reared back to punt the woman like a vengeful soccer mom from hell.

Samus was still off kilter from the first blow that had put her through the floor; when the Absolute Angel leaped off her as she was rolling back to her feet, she tried to turn with her arm cannon preemptively firing off a beam, slicing through the walls in an arc aimed to cut straight through servant and master.

She didn't make it; Batraz's leg landed true, and Samus crashed through the blackboard of the room they'd ended up in and the wall behind it, till she only cracked the one after that and fell to the ground in a heap.

Not having any of that thrown back in their face had MJ feeling a little embarrassed, and the sinking in realization of just how vulnerable they really were right now had them more than a little worried. Stuck between him and his gigantic-ass servant, they could practically feel the weapon at their back. If this had been someone else less caring or more opportunistic, it would have been beyond easy to order that guy to lift them up, rip the MC from them and then crush it underfoot, and then poof, no more Alucard. Or...it could have been a more permanent end for them. MJ gulped in dread at the thought. "Sorry, I--y-you didn't deserve all t-that." They stammered in apology, already keenly regretting their outburst. It wasn't like Leo was any more responsible for this insane situation than they themselves were.

"And...y-yeah. That makes sense, grouping up." They nodded. "I'll do what I can. Hopefully all of us are still..." MJ didn't dare say the actual word, but hoped it was true. The rules about ten winners or whatever the fuck be damned. "...So...what's your plan for getting out of here when we're gone...you just gonna...walk into that mess and hope for the best or..."

Leonardo took the apology with a grin and a shrug, answering it and the followup question at the same time. "Hey, I mean, its not like we've been friends before or anything. I just... I dunno, if we play this smart, we can be something. This all sucks, but it is kind of exciting and what the fuck is-"

The shadows of the clouds suddenly grew much, much darker as the remaining glass in the building shattered

Braggadocio was the word that encapsulated the outward attitude of the Hero Hunter, the sheer confidence that veered well within the realm of the arrogant was the selfsame one that led Garou by the nose into absurd odds. Hailing from a setting where martial arts at its pinnacle was consistently demonstrated to waylay almost any other medium, it was a corollary inherent to his world that there was nothing he couldn't overcome. It was this expectation he borne with him from the page to reality that was bound to lead him astray as an inevitability and it was a blessing in disguise it arrived sooner than later.

Being able to avert all manner of attacks using the Water Stream Rock smashing Fist was something that came to him as something more than instinct, a sublimated extension of himself, letting him perform feats appropriately classified as super human. Repelling a hailstorm of bullets or altering the path of attacks, including energy, was something he took for granted.

For granted because the Hero Hunter expected to be able to to deflect the energy blades as to develop an opening for his strike, banking on his innate durability and the barest of contact with them.

One might've expected the teen to express shock at the outcome. Instead the Hero Hunter seamlessly acclimated to his new condition, the process occurring within the same span of time between incurring the injury and the flinging of the manhole cover. The sheen of sweat mixed with the dirt and melted snow that almost looked as if it evaporated from his body temperature lent itself to the crazed demeanor Garou took on, adjusting his stance in lieu of his ruined hand.

View attachment 994158

"Ye, ya'll only need the one after all."

Garou wasn't concerned whatsoever with the fact Danny almost lost his head in a literal fashion, being that he was lost within the throes of combat. What followed was a similar approach from before, except far more violent and that much faster, a radiating crushing of the earth that it erupted radially, threatening to overtake Grievous's position. The intent was to force him on the move with the cover of the blizzard and debris in the air.

A fusillade of the newly rendered debris would be committed, the cyborg being the target in a dizzying flurry from within cover while the glare and humming of his lightsabers was an easy giveaway of Grevious's position. The Berserker servant near adopted the overwhelming bounding of Watchdog Man, the intensity of his maneuver growing as he sought to batter the general towards an opening for the one strike he decided would finish him.

Another well place hit to the damaged chest, to crumple the tin-can freak.

The general snarled beneath his metallic visage as his attempted assassination failed to find its mark, and his breaths came a little shorter as Garou extended the assault once more. For all his skill, it was difficult to keep track of the other servant in the storm of snow and debris being flung his way. None of the attacks struck him, each projectile stepped deftly away from or disintegrated to harmlessness via the blade of one of his many lightsabers, but it was getting harder and harder to discern which was a mere rock and which may have been a fist-

the blow crashed into him, Garou a hair's breath from losing the offending limb from the elbow down in rebuttal, but the Jedi hunter was just a hair's breadth too slow as he dredged his way into the ground from the sheer force of the blow, leaving a trench that led to his prone form.

Said form coughed, not yet dead.

"Fine -hack, cough- then. As my -cough- master wishes" he sneered. Garou sensed it before it happened, a feeling in the air that... something had shifted, and then it appeared in a shockwave that blew out every window in the surrounding blocks, and the feeble sunlight that had been poking through the snow clouds was suddenly covered entirely by a massive form.

A massive starship had suddenly appeared, the familiar to some sound of an engine leaving hyperspace the only herald to its arrival before its massive bulk was dominating the sky as Grievous cackled.

"It is not how I wish to win, but I will not go into that void quietly, boy. You face the might of-"

The sky darkened more, everything going pitch black, before it was lit up by a brilliant, massive bolt of lightning that pierced clean through the center of the ship, and from a few blocks away a beam of golden light skewered its engines. The brief darkness was suddenly engulfed entirely by fiery orange, as the general looked up in shock and rage at his trump card being destroyed so suddenly.

Before it turned to concern as the ship began to list towards the school

​

 

[Indolent]

The general snarled beneath his metallic visage as his attempted assassination failed to find its mark, and his breaths came a little shorter as Garou extended the assault once more. For all his skill, it was difficult to keep track of the other servant in the storm of snow and debris being flung his way. None of the attacks struck him, each projectile stepped deftly away from or disintegrated to harmlessness via the blade of one of his many lightsabers, but it was getting harder and harder to discern which was a mere rock and which may have been a fist-

the blow crashed into him, Garou a hair's breath from losing the offending limb from the elbow down in rebuttal, but the Jedi hunter was just a hair's breadth too slow as he dredged his way into the ground from the sheer force of the blow, leaving a trench that led to his prone form.

Said form coughed, not yet dead.

"Fine -hack, cough- then. As my -cough- master wishes" he sneered. Garou sensed it before it happened, a feeling in the air that... something had shifted, and then it appeared in a shockwave that blew out every window in the surrounding blocks, and the feeble sunlight that had been poking through the snow clouds was suddenly covered entirely by a massive form.

A massive starship had suddenly appeared, the familiar to some sound of an engine leaving hyperspace the only herald to its arrival before its massive bulk was dominating the sky as Grievous cackled.

"It is not how I wish to win, but I will not go into that void quietly, boy. You face the might of-"

The sky darkened more, everything going pitch black, before it was lit up by a brilliant, massive bolt of lightning that pierced clean through the center of the ship, and from a few blocks away a beam of golden light skewered its engines. The brief darkness was suddenly engulfed entirely by fiery orange, as the general looked up in shock and rage at his trump card being destroyed so suddenly.

Before it turned to concern as the ship began to list towards the school

"Told you, didn't I?! Only needed one hand!"

There was an absolute absence of restraint in his words, his bellowing shout carried on the air in a way that clued the cyborg to the fact the teenager disengaged from his guerilla whack-a-mole stratagem to do just that. To mock the fallen General of the Separatist with an exceedingly aggravating bravado. Nothing could've made it all the clearer that the silver maned adolescent was reveling in the melee, even though it was the diminuendo after the crescendo, the energy tamping down to a lull.

Before Grievous upset it with an interjection of his own crescendo, summoning his own phantasm with the emergence of a colossal craft of metal that well could have blotted out the sky.

"Wow, you freaking pussy. You can't handle a one handed kid so you gotta pull whatever the hell that this is into play, oh I'm going to kick your as--"

Then Grievous's phantasm was eviscerated by a combination of lightning and a blast. A spate of slight surprise crept into Garou's features as he nonchalantly glanced to the ship aloft in the sky as it listed towards the ground, a magnificent source of incandescence that illuminated the premise in a sobering glow.



"Well then. Guess that's that, all that's left is to kick your ass. Was fun, even though really it was boring~"

The proclamation was made with an inextricable sense of finality, the intent behind it exquisitely clear as Garou took a step and another towards the general, ready to burst into a lunge to finish the enemy servant off.

ᴰ̸͙̙́ᵒ̸̫̓̈ ̵̟́ⁿ̷̢͊ᵒ̶̯̦͛ᵗ̵͋ͅ ̸͓͍͂̇ᶠ̴̩͌ᵒ̴͙͍͆̚ʳ̸̗̺̈̓ᵍ̶̖͎̀͗ᵉ̸̳͎͘ᵗ̶͔͚́̉ ̵̘̗̌ʰ̵̻̋ᵉ̸̼̖̑͑ʳ̴̤̹̋͝

The invasive thought was a jarring immediate presence that broke clean Garou's maniacal and rapt focus on manifesting his intent, its profound effect showing physically through his stumbling amid his follow through. It was a comical display from someone who could be considered a consummate master of the epitome in the concept behind the word flow.

The thought wasn't merely just that, it was also a visual interjection, an opaque picture of someone looking upward towards him with a warm smile, her sun-burnished hair framing her soft blue eyes and the selfsame smile. It carried with it a bidden reminder, one that was so vague and almost nonexistent that it had no meaning yet in the moment it did. It was that this fleeting person in his mind's eye wholly trusted him without condition nor end, an intangible bond that had a pull of its own.

In an instant, he was gone, an explosion of wet earth and snow as the Berserker made a frenzied dash back for inside the school, leaping easily back inside the classroom. A swift albeit predatory scan would've led the martial artist to finding them-- Danny, Clancy, and most importantly, Brig, and the servants-- in short order even if they'd been in the midst of leaving the room.

"What happened to Brighid?" Garou uttered, a quiet demand in the simple sentence as he observed his master's unconscious form, her form covered in blood. It didn't take long for him to note the pool of blood that'd welled in volume since Lucfyer's death.

A growl of frustration seethed through grit teeth, before he exhaled and took his master into his own hand, cradling Brig with one hand. And throwing her brother over the shoulder with the other, as he nonchalantly commented to the others.

"Freaking huge spaceship on fire about to crash into the school. Keep up, specially you, dipshit, since I'm taking my master's brother with me too."

Garou calmly disengaged from the other students and before he stepped out into the hallway, he shot towards them with a grim expression. Before once again engaging into a mad sprint that was likely going to be an experience for Clancy that put the world's most tumultuous roller coasters to shame as he aimed to outrun the landing impact.

 

[MyrtenRose]

Leonardo took the apology with a grin and a shrug, answering it and the followup question at the same time. "Hey, I mean, its not like we've been friends before or anything. I just... I dunno, if we play this smart, we can be something. This all sucks, but it is kind of exciting and what the fuck is-"

The shadows of the clouds suddenly grew much, much darker as the remaining glass in the building shattered

"Exciting is not the word I'd--" They fell just as silent, slowly raising their head up as the whole area around them was enveloped in a much darker shadow. MJ's eyes widened, and they stared, surprised and incredulous, as the Malevolence, the fucking Malevolence arrived in the sky above them. General Grievous's flagship, a dreadnought class vessel. They knew it enough. That thing carried so much ordnance, give it a few minutes and it could level the entire city. Yeah, they were a giant Star Wars geek. "It's bad news, that's wha--"​

The sky darkened more, everything going pitch black, before it was lit up by a brilliant, massive bolt of lightning that pierced clean through the center of the ship, and from a few blocks away a beam of golden light skewered its engines. The brief darkness was suddenly engulfed entirely by fiery orange, as the general looked up in shock and rage at his trump card being destroyed so suddenly.

Before it turned to concern as the ship began to list towards the school

MJ was interrupted for the second time in as many seconds, as the ship was almost immediately turned into wreckage. A failing and falling piece of scrap, illuminating the look of fear on their face with almost hellish orange. "Shit shit shit well the immediate plan is we try to get out of here, right?!" They cried out over at Leo and his servant. "He's fast enough, right??? Or he could, I dunno, Hulk LEAP or something, yeah???? Or..." They glanced over their shoulder. "Alucard!!!" MJ shouted. "We got incoming!!!"​

"Freaking huge spaceship on fire about to crash into the school. Keep up, specially you, dipshit, since I'm taking my master's brother with me too."

"Yes, I noticed." She replied without a hint of sass. Okay, maybe a tiny bit, because really, who on earth would have missed the thunderous arrival of that starship, or the immediate attacks that laid waste to it. Still, there was no time for banter, the ship itself falling was more than enough to give them a fiery, crushing death if they all didn't get out of here, ASAP. The initial thought of trying to catch the ship and give it a less disastrous landing was dismissed just as quickly as she thought of it, for while she could grow big, that was so much bigger than a plane and more than that, growing to a size to even attempt that could make her a target for whatever had taken the ship out in the first place. No, no, getting out was the real move here. He seemed to have those two just fine, she trusted that the other servant's survival skills would make up for his deficiency in math, and that only left...

"Hang on tight." Nadia directed over at Danny, caring not for any complaining or arguments or whatever his bruised ego would compel him to blurt out. She just grabbed hold of him again in a close carry before the pair took off, her bio-synthetic wings going extra hard as they flew out at high speeds, rising up past the ship as it fell downward.​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

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Gavin's protest was met with a heaved sigh, Shinoa's features bearing a solemnity that seemed unbefitting of such a petite and innocuous girl. She'd expected such a response from him, but that didn't mean it didn't weigh on her. Still, she was used to bearing the weight of the world on her shoulders; this was no exception. "I understand," she assured, her voice steady despite the circumstances. She didn't make any effort to stop him when he pulled away, though she nevertheless didn't take her eyes off of them. "However, there is something I need you to understand. There is no mending what has come to pass. The extent of my abilities is to ascertain that the lot of you do not meet the same fate. Bearing this in mind, please; do what you can to bear through the pain."

"...This goes for you as well," she added, casting her gaze upon Yusuke. It was plain to her that he was no real warrior. If anything, he was much more like the students they were protecting; a child, lost and afraid, with no sense of direction in this grim and lawless place. He was a stranger to the arts of war, to the tooth and nail fight to stay alive in a world that seemed to long for nothing more than your demise. She couldn't help but pity him, ironic as it may have been; a child had no place fighting in this war. No place being in charge of another child's life. But the forces that had cast them here had no regard for such things. That was apparent based not only on their masters' situations, but on the priest's answer to Yusuke's words, as well. "You may have had your first master stolen from you... but you've an opportunity to keep that from happening to another. My question is, will you take it? Bear in mind, your life is not the only one on the line." Undoubtedly, it was unfair of her to leverage the children's lives in influencing Yusuke's choice. But it was simply the truth of the matter; the entire situation, by nature, was the epitome of unfair. And they would cope with that fact... or they would die. That was the kind of world they'd found themselves in.

With that in mind, she did her best to disregard Yusuke's plight for the moment. In the case he were to fail to make the correct choice, she needed to be prepared to handle the tunnel's other occupants on her lonesome. Certainly not the ideal scenario, but it very well could boil down to being her only option in the end. "Thank you," she uttered as her master brought up the radar. Except, what was on the screen clued her into the enemy's approach even before her scythe screamed of the new presence. "Shit," she murmured to herself, her eyebrows knitting together as her eyes snapped forward. "There is no more time for chatter! Master, please; activate that phantasm!" she barked. In a swift motion, she was poised for battle, her massive scythe spinning to life as she held her defensive position before the masters. She was fully prepared to cleave the gaping maw charging for her in two outright, but an unexpected blur of movement put her to a stop as Yusuke leaped into the fray, placing himself before her and intercepting the beastly man. She blinked with seeming surprise at this development, but a small smile formed on her lips, the mildest relief washing over her. "Well said," she offered softly, "now duck--"

In stark contrast to the undertones of appreciation in those first two words, the latter carried the steel and authority of a soldier, leaving no room for argument. Assuming Yusuke and Goemon cleared her path as she ordered, her scythe would swing in a clean arc toward Gluttony. Whether or not the blade itself connected was of little import, a wave of demonic flame roaring to life and soaring forth. Hopefully the beast enjoyed the taste of hell.​

"Wha, like I fuckin' know how??? My sister dipped before she could tell me--" the boy with the disproportionate proportions squawked, crying out as both servants moved to assault that goddamn homunculus. Careening around, Gavin looked to Marcus, an incredulous look to his face that was a very clearly telegraphed message of 'what do???' before he gripped his own face with both hands by the temple, a rapid series of breaths taken as he sorely wracked his own brain.

Trying to remember the steps Patience was showing him, before realizing it'd be better if he had his own MC in hand. It was a mess of motions, worse than a fumble in football ever could look like, with it being a miracle that he didn't drop his own MC. If Danny were here, he'd prolly have resigned himself to his shitty commentary that no one ever fucking asked for.

The younger Munroe stared long and hard, as much as was possible in the relative sense within fleeting seconds, before realizing he absolutely didn't remember the process at all. Some of the features stuck out but he found himself incapable of understanding in the moment, the stress of it all successfully getting to him. His breathing became haggard once more, panic setting in anew, before a twist of an idea fired within the dilapidated synapses of his brain.

It wasn't one he had any fond feelings for whatsoever, a miserable groan ringing as Gavin slowly craned his head for the other person within the room not actively trying to kill them. Yet. Whatever.

Trifa.

"H-Hey... yeah. So. Uh, so." He started, stumbling over his own words before taking a sharp breath with an expression that was a mix of disappointment, towards the self, and shaky determination. "If you're fuckin' serious about bein' remorseful over your interference or whatever in this jankass war, maybe besides what ya did for us with Yusuke, maybe you could give me the breakdown on how to use this fucking thing? Or just tell me how to use the phantasm!"

God knows that making a demand of a man of the cloth was the equisite manuever that it was, to getting what you want. Never mind that it was less a man of the cloth and something far worse than the proverbial wolf in sheep's clothing. Yeah, more an archdemon whiling their time and boredom away with their latest fancy being demanded of by Arthur Morgan if he was a dumbass clad in shitty flannel.

The ice was effective, maybe even more than Yusuke intended; the shards skewered the creature, who hissed in pain and fell back in a stumble as he tried to cover his face from the assault. He barely got his eyes back open before the wave of flame from Shinoa engulfed him, scattering him back towards the end of a tunnel as the smell of scorched flesh again consumed the air as he screamed.

He rolled to a stop, flesh falling off of him in burnt and charred strips.. as he sniffled, like a toddler, and stood back up. Everywhere that burned, every gaping wound that Yusuke had left, had already started to heal, skin and muscle knitting back together and charred chunks of meat sloughing off to be replaced like a snake shedding its skin.

"No fair, no fair! Stupid alchemist and their stupid powers, Want to eat! Let me EAT YOU!"

"What a disgusting creature" Mused Trifa with his arms clasped behind his back as the homonculus shrilled. He glanced over at Gavin's question, and gave him a warm smile. "Of course; it is my duty as proctor to explain the rules and functions of your device." He shifted to behind Gavin, looming over even his bulky form as he peered over his shoulder and pointed at the screen. "click here, and then here. Then select whichever phantasm you would like to use. Be wary however; they cost points that you can only earn by eliminating other masters. Are you certain this is where you would like to use it?" He asked with a sidelong glance in a tone that would seem patronizing if it wasn't so genuine.

 

[Gus Gungus]

perhaps unsurprisingly, the woman screamed. It was a full bodied shout of one from the very first nick of her skin by the bats, easily picked up by the ears of Leonardo and MJ outside, and one that only ceased when Alucard spoke. She pressed herself up against the wall, one hand up as if to ward the vampire away from her face as she hyperventilated and tried to stammer a response.

"T-th-th-the, its, I can't, its not on this side, its once we're o-out, at our office-"​

"Your office."

He repeated, a dry, mocking undercurrent to words that were practically a breathless whisper on her ear, delivered from lips that were suddenly far, far too close for comfort; albeit less because of the lips themselves and more what they peeled back to reveal. The span between the initial threat and his towering frame suddenly dominating her vision, backing her even further into the wall than she'd already retreated, was one her eyes couldn't process, any more than they might've counted the individual beats of a hummingbird's wings.

"Let's be more specific. But before you elaborate, there are three facts I'd like you to consider. One, I am a vampire."

True enough.

"Two... vampires can read minds."

That one was a lie, at least in his case, but humans had a penchant for projecting all sorts of bewildering attributes onto the things they feared. Far be it from him to stop them.

"Three. If I sense even a hint of intent to deceive me, so much as an inkling, I have remarkably few compunctions about showing you what else vampires are known to do." Over the course of the final sentence any amusement he seemed to be deriving from the situation had vanished, leaving only a sharp set of teeth and eyes that burned with the sort of hunger humanity hadn't had to feel since ages long past; when every meal was a struggle, a kill, an act of bloodletting.

"Am I understood?"

On the one hand, he hoped he'd been convincing enough to eschew the need for further bloodshed. On the other?

It perturbed him just how easily being so convincing in such matters came to him sometimes.

More gifts from his father.

​

The shadows of the clouds suddenly grew much, much darker as the remaining glass in the building shattered​

The sky darkened more, everything going pitch black, before it was lit up by a brilliant, massive bolt of lightning that pierced clean through the center of the ship, and from a few blocks away a beam of golden light skewered its engines. The brief darkness was suddenly engulfed entirely by fiery orange, as the general looked up in shock and rage at his trump card being destroyed so suddenly.​

"Alucard!!!" MJ shouted. "We got incoming!!!"​

"Hmm."

It seemed plenty was developing in his absence.

"With all that said, I'm probably also your best hope of surviving the next minute. So speak quickly." He held up her MC, still on the verge of shattering; a guaranteed escape clause for himself and two masters in the vicinity, at the very least. He didn't know whether to numb the pang of guilt he felt in his chest for the third, the hulking warrior shielding him, or the one he'd be consigning to oblivion with the very act of breaking the device.

That one, he wagered, was from his mother.​

 

[Daft Monk]

"I am not averse to it, but I believe having my hands free is preferable when we come across an enemy. Then--" Nadia paused as something occurred to her. "Hold that thought!" She quickly blurted out, rushing back over to where the fallen Lucyfer laid dead. Her use of phantasm, as the machine called it, had been a failure. No-go on the keeping masters safe idea...but it was only now that she put together it could still serve a purpose. This girl was dead, and even her incredible mind was not up to bringing someone back from the dead. That was a part usually reserved for the supernatural or the magical, like Doctor Strange. But the least she could do was make sure the body was kept as intact as possible, and then when there was some free time after they got out of this mess, arrange to have the girl's corpse brought to her family for funeral arrangements.

Nobody deserved to die without a proper burial, to die unmourned.

The two disappeared from sight as Wasp quickly rushed to use one of the beds within her crystal lab to gingerly lower the girl onto before returning to her normal size to re-emerge by the others once again. And...sad as it was that someone had died, it did not escape her that such an unfortunate end brought opportunity. She wished it were not so, but...she had witnessed that bringing a master too far from their device risked automatic expulsion. She had a feeling tampering with the inner workings of the devices might also risk such...but there was a chance, she reasoned, that one that belonged to someone already dead could be more open to that kind of study and analysis. That was why she also took Lucyfer's MC and slid it into one of her pockets, to save for later testing of that hypothesis. Now was not such a time.

"I escaped from the Red Room, a top secret prison academy in the heart of Russia under the observation of the GRU and many of their top agents. Rest assured I could get you out of here. Yes, I did not miss that question being asked." ​

"Fine -hack, cough- then. As my -cough- master wishes" he sneered. Garou sensed it before it happened, a feeling in the air that... something had shifted, and then it appeared in a shockwave that blew out every window in the surrounding blocks, and the feeble sunlight that had been poking through the snow clouds was suddenly covered entirely by a massive form.

A massive starship had suddenly appeared, the familiar to some sound of an engine leaving hyperspace the only herald to its arrival before its massive bulk was dominating the sky as Grievous cackled.

"It is not how I wish to win, but I will not go into that void quietly, boy. You face the might of-"

The sky darkened more, everything going pitch black, before it was lit up by a brilliant, massive bolt of lightning that pierced clean through the center of the ship, and from a few blocks away a beam of golden light skewered its engines. The brief darkness was suddenly engulfed entirely by fiery orange, as the general looked up in shock and rage at his trump card being destroyed so suddenly.

Before it turned to concern as the ship began to list towards the school

ᴰ̸͙̙́ᵒ̸̫̓̈ ̵̟́ⁿ̷̢͊ᵒ̶̯̦͛ᵗ̵͋ͅ ̸͓͍͂̇ᶠ̴̩͌ᵒ̴͙͍͆̚ʳ̸̗̺̈̓ᵍ̶̖͎̀͗ᵉ̸̳͎͘ᵗ̶͔͚́̉ ̵̘̗̌ʰ̵̻̋ᵉ̸̼̖̑͑ʳ̴̤̹̋͝

The invasive thought was a jarring immediate presence that broke clean Garou's maniacal and rapt focus on manifesting his intent, its profound effect showing physically through his stumbling amid his follow through. It was a comical display from someone who could be considered a consummate master of the epitome in the concept behind the word flow.

The thought wasn't merely just that, it was also a visual interjection, an opaque picture of someone looking upward towards him with a warm smile, her sun-burnished hair framing her soft blue eyes and the selfsame smile. It carried with it a bidden reminder, one that was so vague and almost nonexistent that it had no meaning yet in the moment it did. It was that this fleeting person in his mind's eye wholly trusted him without condition nor end, an intangible bond that had a pull of its own.

In an instant, he was gone, an explosion of wet earth and snow as the Berserker made a frenzied dash back for inside the school, leaping easily back inside the classroom. A swift albeit predatory scan would've led the martial artist to finding them-- Danny, Clancy, and most importantly, Brig, and the servants-- in short order even if they'd been in the midst of leaving the room.

"What happened to Brighid?" Garou uttered, a quiet demand in the simple sentence as he observed his master's unconscious form, her form covered in blood. It didn't take long for him to note the pool of blood that'd welled in volume since Lucfyer's death.

A growl of frustration seethed through grit teeth, before he exhaled and took his master into his own hand, cradling Brig with one hand. And throwing her brother over the shoulder with the other, as he nonchalantly commented to the others.

"Freaking huge spaceship on fire about to crash into the school. Keep up, specially you, dipshit, since I'm taking my master's brother with me too."

Garou calmly disengaged from the other students and before he stepped out into the hallway, he shot towards them with a grim expression. Before once again engaging into a mad sprint that was likely going to be an experience for Clancy that put the world's most tumultuous roller coasters to shame as he aimed to outrun the landing impact.

"Yes, I noticed." She replied without a hint of sass. Okay, maybe a tiny bit, because really, who on earth would have missed the thunderous arrival of that starship, or the immediate attacks that laid waste to it. Still, there was no time for banter, the ship itself falling was more than enough to give them a fiery, crushing death if they all didn't get out of here, ASAP. The initial thought of trying to catch the ship and give it a less disastrous landing was dismissed just as quickly as she thought of it, for while she could grow big, that was so much bigger than a plane and more than that, growing to a size to even attempt that could make her a target for whatever had taken the ship out in the first place. No, no, getting out was the real move here. He seemed to have those two just fine, she trusted that the other servant's survival skills would make up for his deficiency in math, and that only left...

"Hang on tight." Nadia directed over at Danny, caring not for any complaining or arguments or whatever his bruised ego would compel him to blurt out. She just grabbed hold of him again in a close carry before the pair took off, her bio-synthetic wings going extra hard as they flew out at high speeds, rising up past the ship as it fell downward.​

Ugh. He knew he'd given that exact same argument for why she shouldn't carry him earlier, but even so; why did everything have to be so difficult right now? These people were supposed to be magical or some bullshit like that, right? He would have hoped things would be easier... but, then again, that batshit priest had mentioned that he didn't want them to have it easy. That that was why he had scrambled their choices. Lost in the mounting distress and frustration of the situation, the boy paused in his stride, a frustrated exhale escaping his nostrils. He wasn't built for this shit. If these fictional freaks didn't have some fantastical solution, a normal dude like him sure as hell didn't either.

"..."

A glance was spared over his shoulder, his brows creased as he momentarily sized up Clancy. Honestly, dude was kind of a twig. He probably didn't weigh that much. Clancy, however, wasn't sure he liked the harsh green glare he was being sized up under. He fervently shook his head. "Uh, seriously... D-don't worry about me. Please." Sho might've been scary- terrifying beyond belief, actually- but his drive to live and make his mark on the world was nearly unparalleled. Not to mention that this kind of thing was literally his job, back where he came from, and that he was among the most talented and powerful of the Reapers. If their lives were truly tethered together now, Clancy actually imagined he'd fare better than several of his classmates. There was just a major disconnect between him and his servant, but... now wasn't really the time to worry about that. They had bigger problems. Much, much bigger problems. Spacecraft sized problems, in fact.

If there were any positives to the earlier incident involving some jackass driving a literal car through the exterior wall of the classroom, or the hippogriff likewise crashing through, it was the fact that there weren't exactly any windows left for the spaceship's arrival to shatter. That didn't mean the booming appearance of a vessel that didn't belong in this world went unnoticed, Daniel and Clancy both pausing to gaze out the gaping hole at the vision of impending doom awaiting them. "...oh, fuck me," the former murmured, going pale in the face of that technological monstrosity. He desperately looked to his servant, his brain so unaccustomed to the anxiety he was experiencing that it was difficult for him to find any words beyond vulgarities he didn't even like using. A string of nearly incoherent curses escaped him, and just when he thought he was finally on the verge of getting himself together enough to request that his servant get them the fuck out of here, he lost that thought train entirely. Turns out having a white blur shoot through the window and promptly storm toward you, specifically, would do that.

Like a threatened cat with hackles raised, the jock scurried backward as the martial artist approached, every muscle in his body tensing from the new presence. The man wasn't that dissimilar to him in height, but there was an imposing energy about him nevertheless, enough so to make the hairs on his neck raise. It didn't help when he realized that the beastly man's gaze was fixed on the girl in his arms; a fact that lent him the briefest spark of courage to replace the overwhelming fear of the reality he'd found himself in. His jaw clenched as another step back was taken, and he did his best to turn the girl away from the white maned son of Silver Fang. However, just as he opened his mouth to tell the imposing figure to fuck right off, the servant beat him to the punch. The words hit him like a freight train, and he was so utterly stunned that his tension evaporated almost entirely. "...huh? Wait, so you're--"

Connecting the dots, the blond found himself caught between illness and relief. Holy fuck. He'd assumed this dude was looking for an easy target, but the inquiry made the reality clear. And he was suddenly extraordinarily glad that he hadn't gotten the choice words he'd had ready for the servant out.

No resistance was given when the servant moved to Brighid from him, his worry of harm befalling her apparently assuaged. Nevertheless, he didn't actually have the answer to Garou's question, nor would he likely have answered regardless given current circumstances. Clancy was in a similar dumbfounded state, the purpose in Garou's abrupt arrival clicking faster for him than it had for the resident football jockey. Suddenly, he realized what the blur had been that had seen Grievous flying out the window. Knew why he'd recognized the voice that had directed him out of the way.

It was the Hero Hunter. And he was his sister's servant.

There was no time for him to process that revelation- a befuddling mixture of so absurdly cool, yet also moderately horrifying- because he suddenly wasn't on his feet anymore. A yelp escaped him as his feet lost all contact with the ground, his heart accelerating far beyond the speed limit. His throat suddenly felt extraordinarily dry as the feeling of his puny figure settled upon Garou's broad shoulders emphasized his already acute awareness of the fact that the Hero Hunter could absolutely break him in half right then and there if he wanted to. "Er, w-wait," he awkwardly squeaked, his voice cracking under the pressure. "Y-you don't have to--"

Yeah no his complaints were gone with the wind at the breakneck speeds Garou took off at. His breakfast was, too. But at least he had the benefit of facing away from his sister and rescuer as well as gravity and speed to minimize collateral damage.

On the other hand, Daniel remained fixed in place, his brain very slowly trying to catch up again. Speaking of catching up, holy shit how did that dude move so fast-- and holy shit the ship was still fucking coming-- "yeah yeah yEAH GOT IT" he semi-blurted as his servant swept him up in her arms, whatever protests she'd expected from him surprisingly not coming. Rather, he obediently wrapped his arms around her despite the discomfort of the situation. Discomfort > death, any day. "Hooooly shit holy shit fuck-- That's thing's fucking huge CAN YOU FLY ANY FASTER?" Yeah he might've been panicking. Just a little. A healthy amount of fear for his life, probably.​

 

[Indolent]

O̴͚͕͓̺͂̈́f̸͚̦̫̑ ̷͕̬͒ç̶̮̦̤̼̈́̓̌̾̐o̴̬͜͝ư̵̜̩̞͂͝r̴̢͇̳̈́͜s̶̝̳͍̀̀̾̚͝ḛ̸̫̯͂ͅ ̶͇̼̈́̍̀͋s̸̞̬̃̏̒͘h̸̨̧͖͌͆͝ḛ̶̐̀̃͘͝ ̷̧̞̩̱̭̈̇̓͗d̸͚̙̘̽̇i̶̥͇̤͘ͅd̷͚͛.̵͓͌͐̍ ̶̡̧͇̦̺͆ ̶̟͉̯͊̎̓̍͗S̸̨̹͚͍̞̈́͆͆ḫ̴̣̽̌͐̽ë̴̡͖̣͙͂͛͑͠ ̴͇̖̋̀̆͋̃r̵͍̹͙͙̐͐̂̚͝ȅ̴̛͉͕͓͇̳͐̄̃m̵̖̱̐̄̑̍ë̸̟̘̰́͂̅̈́m̸̢̛͌͝b̵̢̜̖̟̼̓͠ȇ̸͈͙͚͍r̶̬̘̹̰̘̄́̇̀e̵̱̰̲͛̓̈́͝d̶̛͎̝͇̒̂̎ͅ ̷̞̣̟̥̮̊͒̒ṯ̸̛̝̥̊̃̓͜͝h̷̡̰̏̐é̸̞ ̷͖̖̬̹͘͝ͅf̵̲͚̯̂̄̈́ì̷̼͠r̵̡̫̘̯̝̽̋s̵̖͛͋̊̄͠t̶̗̃͗͑͌ ̴̡͕͇̞̩̊̈́͊̚ť̶͓̝̼̼i̶̼̅̃́̅̚m̵̢͉̿̉͘͠e̸͙̗̯̗͆̀

It wasn't just Leon that experienced something like this; her own master did too with it failing to find purchase aside leaving the student with a lingering feeling that this was something of deja vu. Which had to be impossible because she'd clearly never been in a shitty situation like this before, right?

She didn't consider herself as someone that had an overt drive to impress herself into the roles of the protagonists of all these stories either so it was really something that failed to click with Patience, where it was relevant anyway.

A humming frown was all that lined her face as she stepped onto the tram, eyes focused for a spot that wasn't occupied by a person as she considered. Thoughts that were interrupted by Leon, her eyes reading the message she received from her.

"Unlock free summoning, master" she said into the abyss, and Patience felt the MC vibrate as the statement converted to text. "That way I can manifest on my own on the off chance someone's not content with their first kill today"

A discontented hum followed, her lips pursed with her eyes half lidded as she gave it further thought. After what she'd just done, stowing her servant away in a show of force, now she'd be given free reign to leave the MC whenever. Strategically, it made sense but it stuck in her craw to even consider it, it was something that was innately at odds.

A frustrated exhale escaped her lips as Patience shook her head, decided she was being a fucking child throwing a temper tantrum internally, and did as Leon asked, unlocking it.

Her thoughts of earlier? Stopping someone to swap clothing so she didn't look too entirely familiar after leaving the premises as she made her way to the meeting location in mind. Though, she did leave Gavin that message during the ride to the station.

 

[Daft Monk]

The panic of knowing she might die, whether or not by the hands of another otherworldly being or the very organ in her chest that was supposed to keep her alive, made it all the more difficult for Maisie to remain calm. This was more than frustrating for the poor girl, because if she could not keep in control of her emotions, the anxiety would literally kill her. She wasn't sure if the cat girl holding onto her understood that, or if she was just too busy trying to save them from Samus Aran—who, on a side note, she would've been stoked to see in the flesh if she wasn't so scared right now. Either way, Maisie had no choice but to sit in the absolute angel's arms, unable to do anything but lay there like a helpless sack of flour.

Briefly, her mind flickered to how everyone in this world might react if something did happen to her. Maisie didn't exactly have a lot of friends at school, but she could see some of her fellow hospital volunteer co-workers being upset. As for her parents, they wouldn't just be upset. No, her family would be a torrent of rage, confusion, and grief. She could picture her father searching with desperation over who he could sue regarding his little girl's death, an impossibly task considering he would likely never find the priest or whoever else was in charge of a magical war. She hated the idea of leaving her family in pain with no resolution.

Mind driving all over the place, she would only focus on reality once more upon hearing Tarlotte implore her to shut up. She wasn't sure why the harsh words didn't scare her, maybe it was because of the cute voice they were spoken in or because it was actually refreshing for someone not to baby her for a change. In any case, Tarlotte had Maisie's rapt attention, especially when the girl of viridescent hair said she wouldn't let her die. "Y-You'll die with me too. I-I don't want either one of us to die. L-Let's survive, okay?" she whimpered, the tears flooding blue eyes spilling down her cheeks. "My m-medicine fell on the floor down there. If we can get it— when you're not busy... that would help." ​

Samus was still off kilter from the first blow that had put her through the floor; when the Absolute Angel leaped off her as she was rolling back to her feet, she tried to turn with her arm cannon preemptively firing off a beam, slicing through the walls in an arc aimed to cut straight through servant and master.

She didn't make it; Batraz's leg landed true, and Samus crashed through the blackboard of the room they'd ended up in and the wall behind it, till she only cracked the one after that and fell to the ground in a heap.

Useless.

The singular word resounded through her mind in stereo, a derisive snort escaping the girl in the face of her master's pleas. Indeed, in her eyes, the ravenette was quite frankly rather pathetic, but... somehow, she couldn't fault her for it. If anything, it resonated with her; a distinct reminder of the lonely and fearful girl she herself had used to be. Were she of clearer heart and mind at present, she may have scorned the similarity and smashed any budding care she felt under her boot, but she just didn't have the mental energy to work through any of that garbage after how positively hectic the last ten minutes of her existence had been after waking up in that awful cell.

Digressing from that, though, she wasn't in the mood for enduring some stupid moral quandaries right now. With that in mind, her steely golden gaze didn't waver, remaining fixed on the tumbling Samus Aran as she delivered her response. "Hmph. Mew don't have to tell me twice," she assured, "I don't plan on dying anytime soon." And yet... why did the notion of death feel so familiar?

Trying to ignore that bone-chilling sensation, the Absolute Angel reared back again, seeming fully prepared to bound right after Samus. Except, when the bounty hunter failed to rise from where she'd fallen amidst the rubble, the catgirl's stride slowed to a halt. Her narrowed eyes softened for a fleeting moment, before quickly hardening once more as she tensed and released an audible huff, turning on her heel with a shake of her head. "...mmrgh. Whatever. That blasty lady with the lasers isn't worth my time," she dismissed, disengaging entirely without further thought. Rather, she waltzed back beneath where they'd crashed through the above floor, moderately discontent all the while. "I still don't get what mew need that stupid m... midi.... merry....-- Menny Sin for, but fine." Crouching with a swish of her tail beneath the gap, the girl gave her master the vaguest of warnings with a slightly unhinged toothy grin. "Mew better hang on tight, meow~"

With that, she jumped with enough force to crack the floor beneath her feet, bounding upwards 'til they were back to roughly where they'd started, provided no new attackers stopped them. The girl vaguely registered the servants and masters down the hall back toward the classroom, but paid them little mind, instead turning her nose to the air. A sound of moderate discontentment escaped her before she began to walk in a seemingly random direction, her nose wrinkling in distaste. "Ugh. Mew're lucky those things smell so bad." Either wholly oblivious of- or simply indifferent to- the impending levelling of the school under a famous ship's might, the catgirl meandered the halls, periodically sniffing the air. Eventually, she wound up in front of a pile of rubble, which she wordlessly sat Maisie atop like a sad, sad tree topper before beginning to comb through the debris. God, this girl was way more trouble than she was worth.

But maybe she was, too.



"Mm, found it~" she triumphantly hummed after a moment, a fang poking out from the corner of her lips as she rose to stand with Maisie's bag of medication in hand. Without warning, she swept Maisie up into a one armed carry once more, keeping a tight hold on the medicine with her other. "Mew so owe me some cake for this later." With a forceful kick to a neighboring wall, she leaped off with her master in tow, taking it upon herself to get them the fuck out of there before the ship could 420 blaze them like the old crew's resident stoner.​

 

[Indolent]

"What a disgusting creature" Mused Trifa with his arms clasped behind his back as the homonculus shrilled. He glanced over at Gavin's question, and gave him a warm smile. "Of course; it is my duty as proctor to explain the rules and functions of your device." He shifted to behind Gavin, looming over even his bulky form as he peered over his shoulder and pointed at the screen. "click here, and then here. Then select whichever phantasm you would like to use. Be wary however; the cost points that you can only earn by eliminating other masters. Are you certain this is where you would like to use it?" He asked with a sidelong glance in a tone that would seem patronizing if it wasn't so genuine.

"Yeah, you're telling me. He's so fuckawful in the manga-- why am I talking to you about FMA..." The teen realized the folly of his opening statement and somehow managed to wilt in size within Trifa's shadow. Whether it was out of embarrassment or fear of the proctor remained to be seen.

Regardless, he did exactly the steps the priest provided, navigating his way right to the phantasm, his bushy brows knitting so tight they almost bridged together in an arch, his studious efforts certainly not lost to anyone that give a singular fuck to note. He cocked his head, daring to peer toward Trifa as he chewed on the implications of the points that the phantasms necessitated being spent.

If it just meant taking them out by their MCs or their servants if need be, then that should do the same thing, right? No big fucking deal. Easier said than done though. What an intriguing sequence of sentences to follow one another, almost contradictory.

"With all due disrespect... heh... Ye, I don't wanna die here and knowing who the fuck that guy is? I'm gonna want my servant to win. Here you go, shortstack, I'm pulling the trigger on yer phantasm now!"

And he hit whatever and confirmed whatever.

"KICK GLUTTONY'S ASS AND WHOMEVER ELSE YOU HAVE TO"

 

[Kitsune Mask]

The sky darkened more, everything going pitch black, before it was lit up by a brilliant, massive bolt of lightning that pierced clean through the center of the ship, and from a few blocks away a beam of golden light skewered its engines. The brief darkness was suddenly engulfed entirely by fiery orange, as the general looked up in shock and rage at his trump card being destroyed so suddenly.

Before it turned to concern as the ship began to list towards the school

"Freaking huge spaceship on fire about to crash into the school. Keep up, specially you, dipshit, since I'm taking my master's brother with me too."

"Hang on tight." Nadia directed over at Danny, caring not for any complaining or arguments or whatever his bruised ego would compel him to blurt out. She just grabbed hold of him again in a close carry before the pair took off, her bio-synthetic wings going extra hard as they flew out at high speeds, rising up past the ship as it fell downward.

A yelp escaped him as his feet lost all contact with the ground, his heart accelerating far beyond the speed limit. His throat suddenly felt extraordinarily dry as the feeling of his puny figure settled upon Garou's broad shoulders emphasized his already acute awareness of the fact that the Hero Hunter could absolutely break him in half right then and there if he wanted to. "Er, w-wait," he awkwardly squeaked, his voice cracking under the pressure. "Y-you don't have to--"

Yeah no his complaints were gone with the wind at the breakneck speeds Garou took off at. His breakfast was, too. But at least he had the benefit of facing away from his sister and rescuer as well as gravity and speed to minimize collateral damage.

After craning his neck to glance at the others over his shoulder, Minamathmoto was made keenly aware of the spaceship debacle they were all about to be a part of very soon. Despite being aware of the very real danger, he hardly reacted. It was likely clear by now that very little startled him. Instead, he gave the others about 5,000 ms to start heading out the door with him. If they failed to do so, he fully intended to collect his master and leave the others as fodder for the heap. It would be decimal pointless to keep a bunch of radians around who didn't have the right instincts to avoid danger. Nadia, for example, seemed to be more keen on saving a dead body. "You're better off leaving that kid in the heap. Protecting the dead won't do anything to keep the masters alive. QED."

At least, in those 5,000 ms of waiting, the man found himself satisfied enough when the others would in fact prepare to leave. Garou returned, collecting his master and her brother before speeding out of the room. Everyone else had started to head out as well. Zetta fantastic. Now he didn't have to worry about Clancy tripping over his feet like some kind of zero. "Heh. 255, 255, 255's faster than a garbage truck late for trash day. Not bad," he said to himself regarding Garou, before teleporting out of the room to keep up with the guy. Clearly the reaper was quite content with teleporting when he wasn't being asked to do so. He only did things when he wanted to do them, obviously.​

 

[Kitsune Mask]

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Gavin's protest was met with a heaved sigh, Shinoa's features bearing a solemnity that seemed unbefitting of such a petite and innocuous girl. She'd expected such a response from him, but that didn't mean it didn't weigh on her. Still, she was used to bearing the weight of the world on her shoulders; this was no exception. "I understand," she assured, her voice steady despite the circumstances. She didn't make any effort to stop him when he pulled away, though she nevertheless didn't take her eyes off of them. "However, there is something I need you to understand. There is no mending what has come to pass. The extent of my abilities is to ascertain that the lot of you do not meet the same fate. Bearing this in mind, please; do what you can to bear through the pain."

"...This goes for you as well," she added, casting her gaze upon Yusuke. It was plain to her that he was no real warrior. If anything, he was much more like the students they were protecting; a child, lost and afraid, with no sense of direction in this grim and lawless place. He was a stranger to the arts of war, to the tooth and nail fight to stay alive in a world that seemed to long for nothing more than your demise. She couldn't help but pity him, ironic as it may have been; a child had no place fighting in this war. No place being in charge of another child's life. But the forces that had cast them here had no regard for such things. That was apparent based not only on their masters' situations, but on the priest's answer to Yusuke's words, as well. "You may have had your first master stolen from you... but you've an opportunity to keep that from happening to another. My question is, will you take it? Bear in mind, your life is not the only one on the line." Undoubtedly, it was unfair of her to leverage the children's lives in influencing Yusuke's choice. But it was simply the truth of the matter; the entire situation, by nature, was the epitome of unfair. And they would cope with that fact... or they would die. That was the kind of world they'd found themselves in.

With that in mind, she did her best to disregard Yusuke's plight for the moment. In the case he were to fail to make the correct choice, she needed to be prepared to handle the tunnel's other occupants on her lonesome. Certainly not the ideal scenario, but it very well could boil down to being her only option in the end. "Thank you," she uttered as her master brought up the radar. Except, what was on the screen clued her into the enemy's approach even before her scythe screamed of the new presence. "Shit," she murmured to herself, her eyebrows knitting together as her eyes snapped forward. "There is no more time for chatter! Master, please; activate that phantasm!" she barked. In a swift motion, she was poised for battle, her massive scythe spinning to life as she held her defensive position before the masters. She was fully prepared to cleave the gaping maw charging for her in two outright, but an unexpected blur of movement put her to a stop as Yusuke leaped into the fray, placing himself before her and intercepting the beastly man. She blinked with seeming surprise at this development, but a small smile formed on her lips, the mildest relief washing over her. "Well said," she offered softly, "now duck--"

In stark contrast to the undertones of appreciation in those first two words, the latter carried the steel and authority of a soldier, leaving no room for argument. Assuming Yusuke and Goemon cleared her path as she ordered, her scythe would swing in a clean arc toward Gluttony. Whether or not the blade itself connected was of little import, a wave of demonic flame roaring to life and soaring forth. Hopefully the beast enjoyed the taste of hell.​

The ice was effective, maybe even more than Yusuke intended; the shards skewered the creature, who hissed in pain and fell back in a stumble as he tried to cover his face from the assault. He barely got his eyes back open before the wave of flame from Shinoa engulfed him, scattering him back towards the end of a tunnel as the smell of scorched flesh again consumed the air as he screamed.

He rolled to a stop, flesh falling off of him in burnt and charred strips.. as he sniffled, like a toddler, and stood back up. Everywhere that burned, every gaping wound that Yusuke had left, had already started to heal, skin and muscle knitting back together and charred chunks of meat sloughing off to be replaced like a snake shedding its skin.

"No fair, no fair! Stupid alchemist and their stupid powers, Want to eat! Let me EAT YOU!"

"What a disgusting creature" Mused Trifa with his arms clasped behind his back as the homonculus shrilled. He glanced over at Gavin's question, and gave him a warm smile. "Of course; it is my duty as proctor to explain the rules and functions of your device." He shifted to behind Gavin, looming over even his bulky form as he peered over his shoulder and pointed at the screen. "click here, and then here. Then select whichever phantasm you would like to use. Be wary however; they cost points that you can only earn by eliminating other masters. Are you certain this is where you would like to use it?" He asked with a sidelong glance in a tone that would seem patronizing if it wasn't so genuine.​

"With all due disrespect... heh... Ye, I don't wanna die here and knowing who the fuck that guy is? I'm gonna want my servant to win. Here you go, shortstack, I'm pulling the trigger on yer phantasm now!"

And he hit whatever and confirmed whatever.

"KICK GLUTTONY'S ASS AND WHOMEVER ELSE YOU HAVE TO"​

In a swift blur, the young Kitagawa positioned himself out of Shinoa's way so that her demonic flame could sally forth. He was used to teamwork, and their attacks managed to flow nicely together. After his frozen assault, the boy's familiar would vanish, returning to his face in the form of his fox mask. Satisfied when the monstrous man would be ravaged by the combination of ice and flame, he took a moment to allow his eyes to flick back the masters for a quick, almost paranoid check on them—as if they might vanish into dust if he even turned his back on them for a second. Once he had affirmed they had not been offed by a sneak attack, the thief nodded in Gavin's direction.

"A wise decision," he said quickly, agreeing with the activation of Shinoa's phantasm. "Should her phantasm be unavailable after this use, mine may be utilized at a later moment of need." If these people were working together as a group, they could always use one servant's phantasm and save another for when they needed it some other time. His would be especially better off saved until later. Despite his more battle-ready appearance now, he was still emotionally compromised after what he had been through, anxiety stricken hands clearly trembling on the hilt of his blade.

Expression contorting into one of disgust behind his mask, Fox became alert to danger once again as the fleshy glob of a man began to heal once more. Had Yusuke not already vomited up every last drop of liquid in his stomach, he would've been sick by the sight. Instead, he felt an empty churning in the pit of his abdomen. "Utter repugnance in human form, yet I cannot help but feel sympathetic for such a being..." Still, that didn't mean he was going to hold back. This individual was a threat to them, and there was no way he was losing another master today. "Scythe master, I shall play a supportive role from the side while you act as our main assault with your phantasm," he said, making sure Shinoa knew he was still ready to assist her, despite the fact he was still nursing an inner turmoil.​

 

[Kitsune Mask]

Samus was still off kilter from the first blow that had put her through the floor; when the Absolute Angel leaped off her as she was rolling back to her feet, she tried to turn with her arm cannon preemptively firing off a beam, slicing through the walls in an arc aimed to cut straight through servant and master.

She didn't make it; Batraz's leg landed true, and Samus crashed through the blackboard of the room they'd ended up in and the wall behind it, till she only cracked the one after that and fell to the ground in a heap.

Useless.

The singular word resounded through her mind in stereo, a derisive snort escaping the girl in the face of her master's pleas. Indeed, in her eyes, the ravenette was quite frankly rather pathetic, but... somehow, she couldn't fault her for it. If anything, it resonated with her; a distinct reminder of the lonely and fearful girl she herself had used to be. Were she of clearer heart and mind at present, she may have scorned the similarity and smashed any budding care she felt under her boot, but she just didn't have the mental energy to work through any of that garbage after how positively hectic the last ten minutes of her existence had been after waking up in that awful cell.

Digressing from that, though, she wasn't in the mood for enduring some stupid moral quandaries right now. With that in mind, her steely golden gaze didn't waver, remaining fixed on the tumbling Samus Aran as she delivered her response. "Hmph. Mew don't have to tell me twice," she assured, "I don't plan on dying anytime soon." And yet... why did the notion of death feel so familiar?

Trying to ignore that bone-chilling sensation, the Absolute Angel reared back again, seeming fully prepared to bound right after Samus. Except, when the bounty hunter failed to rise from where she'd fallen amidst the rubble, the catgirl's stride slowed to a halt. Her narrowed eyes softened for a fleeting moment, before quickly hardening once more as she tensed and released an audible huff, turning on her heel with a shake of her head. "...mmrgh. Whatever. That blasty lady with the lasers isn't worth my time," she dismissed, disengaging entirely without further thought. Rather, she waltzed back beneath where they'd crashed through the above floor, moderately discontent all the while. "I still don't get what mew need that stupid m... midi.... merry....-- Menny Sin for, but fine." Crouching with a swish of her tail beneath the gap, the girl gave her master the vaguest of warnings with a slightly unhinged toothy grin. "Mew better hang on tight, meow~"

With that, she jumped with enough force to crack the floor beneath her feet, bounding upwards 'til they were back to roughly where they'd started, provided no new attackers stopped them. The girl vaguely registered the servants and masters down the hall back toward the classroom, but paid them little mind, instead turning her nose to the air. A sound of moderate discontentment escaped her before she began to walk in a seemingly random direction, her nose wrinkling in distaste. "Ugh. Mew're lucky those things smell so bad." Either wholly oblivious of- or simply indifferent to- the impending levelling of the school under a famous ship's might, the catgirl meandered the halls, periodically sniffing the air. Eventually, she wound up in front of a pile of rubble, which she wordlessly sat Maisie atop like a sad, sad tree topper before beginning to comb through the debris. God, this girl was way more trouble than she was worth.

But maybe she was, too.

View attachment 996429

"Mm, found it~" she triumphantly hummed after a moment, a fang poking out from the corner of her lips as she rose to stand with Maisie's bag of medication in hand. Without warning, she swept Maisie up into a one armed carry once more, keeping a tight hold on the medicine with her other. "Mew so owe me some cake for this later." With a forceful kick to a neighboring wall, she leaped off with her master in tow, taking it upon herself to get them the fuck out of there before the ship could 420 blaze them like the old crew's resident stoner.​

The words of Tarlotte echoed in the ravenette's ears. I don't plan on dying anytime soon. In response, Maisie nearly spoke negatively, instead shunning her words to a private thought. Most people didn't plan on dying, just as they didn't plan on having heart conditions, being thrust into a war, or losing their life saving medication while being brutally attacked by a famous Nintendo character. Things just happened sometimes. And even though most of what she thought about actually had just occurred, she was quite set on death also not being one of them. Attempting to chase the negativity away, as she so often did when faced with a situation that could potentially stress her out, the student released a meditative hum and squeezed her eyes closed for a second.

In the second of darkness that appeared behind closed lids, Maisie could hear her servant express her disinterest in pursuing a fight with Samus, along with audible confusion over her medicine. "I-I'll explain later," she said softly as she privately wondered if maybe medicine didn't exist where the absolute angel came from. The very thought made her shiver, and she quietly whispered a grateful prayer that she had never been born to such a world. In any case, the teenager held on tighter when she was instructed to do so, feeling her heart float into her stomach when Tarlotte would once again jump with her in tow. Flinching when they would hit the ground, Maisie would open one blue eye to peek at their new surroundings just as Tarlotte would place her atop a pile of debris.

Wordlessly, the teen watched her servant riffle around for the missing item of importance, wishing that she could be of some assistance. She was the one who had lost her medicine, so she should've been the one to look for it. Maisie absolutely hated having other people do things for her. This worry wasn't important for long, however, because in a short time the cat girl had managed to find what Maisie needed. Gasping, Maisie's blue orbs widened as tears sprang from them again. "You found it! You found— Oh!" The girl was cut off by yet another gasp as Tarlotte would lift her again, trying her best to cling tightly. She couldn't say she was a fan of being carried with one arm, but right now she wasn't going to complain about anything. She was far too busy mentally rejoicing that her medication had been found.

"Oh, Tarlotte," she sniffled, ugly crying and hugging the green haired female from the side. "I-I'll buy you all the cake in town. Thank you so much." A whimper or two followed before Maisie's eyes would then stray to the bag. "Wh-When we stop moving I'll need that bag as fast as possible," she explained. She wasn't gonna try to take her medicine while they were jumping around again. That hadn't worked out too well last time. And she wasn't exactly going to tell the servant to stop either, not until they were safe. They were kinda being chased by a big ship, and she definitely didn't want to be burned up by the thing.​

 

[Daft Monk]

"No fair, no fair! Stupid alchemist and their stupid powers, Want to eat! Let me EAT YOU!"

"What a disgusting creature" Mused Trifa with his arms clasped behind his back as the homonculus shrilled. He glanced over at Gavin's question, and gave him a warm smile. "Of course; it is my duty as proctor to explain the rules and functions of your device." He shifted to behind Gavin, looming over even his bulky form as he peered over his shoulder and pointed at the screen. "click here, and then here. Then select whichever phantasm you would like to use. Be wary however; they cost points that you can only earn by eliminating other masters. Are you certain this is where you would like to use it?" He asked with a sidelong glance in a tone that would seem patronizing if it wasn't so genuine.

"With all due disrespect... heh... Ye, I don't wanna die here and knowing who the fuck that guy is? I'm gonna want my servant to win. Here you go, shortstack, I'm pulling the trigger on yer phantasm now!"

And he hit whatever and confirmed whatever.

"KICK GLUTTONY'S ASS AND WHOMEVER ELSE YOU HAVE TO"

In a swift blur, the young Kitagawa positioned himself out of Shinoa's way so that her demonic flame could sally forth. He was used to teamwork, and their attacks managed to flow nicely together. After his frozen assault, the boy's familiar would vanish, returning to his face in the form of his fox mask. Satisfied when the monstrous man would be ravaged by the combination of ice and flame, he took a moment to allow his eyes to flick back the masters for a quick, almost paranoid check on them—as if they might vanish into dust if he even turned his back on them for a second. Once he had affirmed they had not been offed by a sneak attack, the thief nodded in Gavin's direction.

"A wise decision," he said quickly, agreeing with the activation of Shinoa's phantasm. "Should her phantasm be unavailable after this use, mine may be utilized at a later moment of need." If these people were working together as a group, they could always use one servant's phantasm and save another for when they needed it some other time. His would be especially better off saved until later. Despite his more battle-ready appearance now, he was still emotionally compromised after what he had been through, anxiety stricken hands clearly trembling on the hilt of his blade.

Expression contorting into one of disgust behind his mask, Fox became alert to danger once again as the fleshy glob of a man began to heal once more. Had Yusuke not already vomited up every last drop of liquid in his stomach, he would've been sick by the sight. Instead, he felt an empty churning in the pit of his abdomen. "Utter repugnance in human form, yet I cannot help but feel sympathetic for such a being..." Still, that didn't mean he was going to hold back. This individual was a threat to them, and there was no way he was losing another master today. "Scythe master, I shall play a supportive role from the side while you act as our main assault with your phantasm," he said, making sure Shinoa knew he was still ready to assist her, despite the fact he was still nursing an inner turmoil.​

Grateful for Yusuke's swift cooperation, the would-be heiress of the Hiiragi clan held her position, her eyes narrowing as Gluttony was sent rolling back from their joint attack. It was clear that they'd done significant damage, but she knew better than to consider one successful assault to be a victory. "Stay on your guard," she barked, evidently having ignored Gavin's complaints about her request entirely. She did, however, register his request to Trifa. If it weren't for her preoccupation with their enemy, she would've advised against asking the man that had brought them into this for assistance; something about him screamed danger and, more than that, he reminded her distinctly of someone. But she couldn't be picky at present, and the man hadn't made any dangerous moves yet, so... she'd just have to deal for now.

Digressing from the priest, though, she couldn't say she was surprised to see their enemy making a speedy recovery. She'd seen similar healing factors in play plenty of times before- not only from the vampires, but from her fellow soldiers, as well. With their curses loosened enough, even reattaching lost limbs was possible... if excruciatingly painful. Still, it would have been nice if their opponent didn't share such abilities. Moreover, if this foe was as formidable as her master claimed, she would rather waste one phantasm now and guarantee their escape with their lives than risk charging in without a backup plan. Even if she was indeed outclassed here, having Shi on the field would at least give her an extra set of hands if she needed to quickly sweep the masters out of harms way. So hearing Gavin accept her request, she flashed a small smile. "Thank you. Now--"

Under the frenetic thrashing of the Munroe's fat fucking fingers, the MC in her master's hand gave a buzz of rejection, not dissimilar to the ones that had rang out when their original choices had been denied. Alongside the brief sound was a simple message that flashed across the screen.

Error. Phantasm activation requirements currently unmet. Access prohibited.

"...Ahem." An awkward clear of the throat broke her prior seriousness as her master fumbled to dismiss the error, before spastically clicking the only other option on the screen. At which point, a far more appealing message rang from the device as Shinoa felt the chains restricting her powers loosen. A strange mixture of both reassurance and disconcertment with the abrupt wave of energy coursed through her like a wildfire, but dealing with her conflicting feelings regarding the second soul within her own would have to wait.

"Noble Phantasm activated - Black Demon: Manifestation"

Without another word, a wealth of demonic flame that wriggled and whirled like it was alive began to billow from the girl's scythe, illuminating the dim corridor they'd found themselves in. The mix of darkness and eerie light collected until it took a tangible, monstrous form, its gaping maws parting as though it were just as ravenous as Gluttony himself. A pleased hum escaped her as the cloud of disorienting darkness dispersed, leaving only the flames still licking at her scythe- by the time the seeming creature had deformed, Shinoa was already on the move, and a skillful whirl of her scythe saw another arc of flame splicing the air. "Shi-chan," she spoke curtly as it barreled toward Gluttony at record speeds, the tendrils forming back into the beastial entity at her word, "let him have a taste."

Discounting Gluttony being far quicker on his feet than he seemed, the demon would plow into him with its gaping maws, fully intending to launch the bulky man further down the corridor. Wasting no time, Shinoa got right to business, doing all she could to coordinate with her makeshift team. "Master. Your radar," she implored, keeping her words short. Her manifestation may have been accessible now, but its range was limited; she couldn't guarantee they had long before their opponent came bouncing back. Ready to jump back into action at a moment's notice, she rattled off instructions like a true general, the fiery glint in her otherwise collected eyes seeming unfitting of a girl of her stature. "We stay in formation and pursue the nearest entity. Should it be this creature's master, I leave the matter of their swift neutralization to you." The slightest indication of a nod toward Yusuke was given, but she didn't linger by any means. "If it is another servant, we reevaluate the situation and assess our next move from there. With any luck, it will be that friend of yours... but ‘luck’ is not something to be banked upon. Be prepared for the worst."​