Fandom Fate Coda Continued (Closed)

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

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.

View attachment 995735

"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."​

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.

View attachment 995735

"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."​

"Power before personality, little monstrosity" the other servant replied coolly with a sardonic twist of the lip. "But a kind offer, nonetheless." he leaned against the wall the knife was embedded into and yanked it free, before casually flicking through the air to clatter at the ground at Emily's feet. "Go ahead. Your servant makes this easy for you! better to die by your own hand than that of a traitor. This, I know all too well."

"..W...what?"

The response came out infinitesimally quiet, the slightest breath past the vocal chords that even the servants could barely make out. She reflexively took a step backwards, and the self proclaimed Ruined King snarled immediately.

"Don't run, cretinous human. Do that, and I promise it will only make your death far, far worse. The ire of a king is far worse than a simple cut."

The mist rumbled in chorus with its king, flashes of green like lighting flickering through the smug as it swirled around his feet, and Emily froze in place with a whimper as she stared in terror.

This... this was so unfair. She'd seen everyone else's servants, heard them talking. They all at least pretended to want to keep their masters alive, or wanted to fight. Shiki hadn't even bothered. Maybe this was why she'd been so quick to separate her from the others. Maybe this was just the most fun she was going to get to have with Emily now that another servant had found them, forcing her to do this, to choose.

That was the worst part. The choice.

She hated thinking about dying. Despised it. At least if they just killed her, it wasn't her choice; she was powerless. A victim. It was something happening to her. She could just think about wanting to live even as she took her final breaths.

₴ⱧɆ ₩₳₴ ₴Ø ₲ØØĐ ₳₮ ł₮


₮ⱧɆ ₭łĐ ₩ⱧłⱤⱠɆĐ ₣ⱤØ₥ ₩ⱧɆⱤɆ ⱧɆ ₩₳₴ ⱠØØ₥ł₦₲ ØVɆⱤ Ɇ₥łⱠɎ ₳₦Đ ₴₦₳ⱤⱠɆĐ, ɆɎɆ₴ ₩łĐɆ ₳₴ ⱧɆ Ɏ₳₦₭ɆĐ ⱧɆⱤ Ʉ₱ ₳₦Đ ₳ⱤØɄ₦Đ ł₦₮Ø ₳ ₵ⱧØ₭ɆⱧØⱠĐ ฿Ɇ₮₩ɆɆ₦ Ⱨł₥ ₳₦Đ ₲Ɇ₦Ø₴


Her head started to throb, and she lost her footing as she went down to a knee.


₮ⱧɆ ₱ɆⱤ₣Ɇ₵₮ Vł₵₮ł₥


₦Ø₮ ₳ ₥Ø₥Ɇ₦₮ ₳₣₮ɆⱤ ₮ⱧɆ ₵₳Ɽ ⱤØɄ₦ĐɆĐ ₮ⱧɆ Ⱡ₳₴₮ ₵ØⱤ₦ɆⱤ ₮Ø₩₳ⱤĐ₴ ₮ⱧɆ ⱧØ₮ɆⱠ, Ɇ₥łⱠɎ ₲₳₲₲ɆĐ ł₦ ₱₳ł₦ ₳₴ ₴ⱧɆ ₴ɄĐĐɆ₦ⱠɎ ₣ɆⱠ₮ ⱧɆⱤ ₣ɆɆ₮ Ⱡł₣₮ ₮ⱧɆ ₣ⱤØ₥ ₮ⱧɆ ₲ⱤØɄ₦Đ ₳₦Đ ⱧɆⱤ ₦Ɇ₵₭ ฿Ɇł₦₲ ₱ł₦₦ɆĐ


Images swirled in her head, far more violently than any of the masters had felt so far.


ł₦ ɆVɆⱤɎ ⱠØØ₱

₮Ⱨł₴ ₮ł₥Ɇ, ⱧɆ ₣ØⱤ₩Ɇ₦₮ ĐⱤ₳₲₲ł₦₲ ₩ⱧłⱠɆ ₴ⱧɆ ₩₳₴ ₴₮łⱠⱠ ₳฿ⱠɆ ₮Ø ₣ł₲Ⱨ₮ ₳₦Đ ł₦₴₮Ɇ₳Đ ₥₳ĐɆ ₮Ø ₴₮Ɽ₳ĐĐⱠɆ ⱧɆⱤ ฿₳₵₭, Ⱨł₴ ɆⱠ฿Ø₩ Đł₲₲ł₦₲ ฿Ɇ₮₩ɆɆ₦ ⱧɆⱤ ₴ⱧØɄⱠĐɆⱤ ฿Ⱡ₳ĐɆ₴ ₳₦Đ Ⱨł₴ ₩Ɇł₲Ⱨ₮ ₱ł₦₦ł₦₲ ⱧɆⱤ ĐØ₩₦

All different memories, yet the same memory every time, one that crystalized the in the same feeling she felt every time, that she was feeling now as she picked up the knife and looked into the reflection in the metal as she gripped the side of her hair with her other hand and wheezed as she felt the thought burble back up to the surface for the first time, for the thousandth time

₮Ⱨł₦₭ł₦₲ ₮ⱧɆ ₴₳₥Ɇ ₮ⱧØɄ₲Ⱨ₮ ₩ł₮Ⱨ ɆVɆⱤɎ Ⱡ₳₴₮ ฿ⱤɆ₳₮Ⱨ

Ø₦Ɇ ₥Ø₥Ɇ₦₮ Ɇ₥łⱠɎ ₩₳₴ ₴ł₮₮ł₦₲ Ø₦ ₮ⱧɆ Đł₴₳Ɽ₥ɆĐ ₲Ʉ₳ⱤĐ’₴ ₵ⱧɆ₴₮, ₮ⱧɆ ₦ɆӾ₮ ₴ⱧɆ ₩₳₴ Đ₳₦₲Ⱡł₦₲ ฿Ɏ ⱧɆⱤ ₦Ɇ₵₭ ł₦ ₮ⱧɆ ₱ⱤłɆ₴₮'₴ ₲Ɽł₱ ₳₴ ⱧɆ ₲₳VɆ ₳ ₴ɆⱤɆ₦Ɇ ₴₥łⱠɆ

'I don't want to die'

She sniffled and pushed herself up to her feet, rubbing her eyes with her sleeves before she glanced between the two expectant looking servants with sharp breaths of terror cut with more sucking breaths of attempts at crying. It meant the scream that followed didn't have the breath she tried to give it as she suddenly launched herself forward with the knife to try and plunge it into Viego's neck.

Despite the look of mild surpise on the king's face, she didn't mke it more than half a step before a tendril of mist skewered her like a sharpened blade through the stomach.

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

"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.







View attachment 996199

"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.​

The woman quailed in terror pushing back as much as she could against the wall as Alucard leaned in, only to scream in surprise and turn to look out the window at the sound and sudden shadow.

"W-whatever, whatever! Two eight six twelve Monroe street we're like ten blocks away its the entire reason we found you so quick you all just showed up out of nowhere okay we made a split second decision OKAY SOMEONE HAS TO LOSE AND WE ALL SIGNED UP FOR IT OKAY!?"

------------------------------------

Outside, was staring slack jawed at the falling space ship.

"...Seriou-!?ACK" He didn't get to finish the thought before a massive hand scooped him up and, after a moment of hesitation, took MJ in the same grip.

"Ruin!" growled the horseman, and a moment later the ground exploded; not from a ship crashing into the earth, but from something coming from the earth;

a horse

It was just a horse in the same way a tank was just a motor vehicle; it dwarfed even War's form, muscles rippling across its form that was draped in blood red cloth and charred armor. The sidewalk sizzled and cracked where its hooves touched, and its eyes were tiny bonfires that coursed with fire literal and metaphorical, yet despite the rage that simmered from the beast it stood there patiently as War swung into its saddle with practiced ease.

"We go."

and go they did, tearing off away from the crashing ship, straight through the nearest building without slowing down as Leonardo screamed in a mixture of terror and bonafide excitement.

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

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."​

Gluttony had apparently finished recovering, and his whimpers were already shifting into a cackle as he lowered himself to all fours with a wide grin. "Going to eats you, going to eats you all, and-

his head tilted to the side as Shi shimmered into existence, looking more confused than concerned as he regarded the demon made manifest.

"Is... this... al-che-my-"

He screammed ins surpise as the thing suddenly flew towards him, fast even for a servant as it sent him crashing down the corridor with a whimper that disappeared into the mist.

Marcus watched the whole scene play out with a tense frown, whatever excitement he might've felt at seeing a buncha anime people throw down skewered with anxiety for his other friends, and he quickly nodded and flipped out his own MC "yea yea yea, lemme look, lemme look" he said, apparently having far less trouble than the other masters figuring the device out as he flicked expertly through to the full radar.

"Master and a servant both that way, then another master and a servant standing way farther down the tunnel. If this bum's master's close, then that means one of the other masters must be-"

he didn't finish before a a spray of bullets suddenly came from the corridor; human in origin, of no danger to the servants, but lethal for the masters as Gluttony's whines of pain from within the mist turned to snarls once more

 

[MyrtenRose]

Outside, was staring slack jawed at the falling space ship.

"...Seriou-!?ACK" He didn't get to finish the thought before a massive hand scooped him up and, after a moment of hesitation, took MJ in the same grip.

"Ruin!" growled the horseman, and a moment later the ground exploded; not from a ship crashing into the earth, but from something coming from the earth;

a horse

It was just a horse in the same way a tank was just a motor vehicle; it dwarfed even War's form, muscles rippling across its form that was draped in blood red cloth and charred armor. The sidewalk sizzled and cracked where its hooves touched, and its eyes were tiny bonfires that coursed with fire literal and metaphorical, yet despite the rage that simmered from the beast it stood there patiently as War swung into its saddle with practiced ease.

"We go."

and go they did, tearing off away from the crashing ship, straight through the nearest building without slowing down as Leonardo screamed in a mixture of terror and bonafide excitement.

This was, without a doubt, the most metal thing MJ had ever experienced in their entire life so far. Here they were, in the middle of a phantom New York City constructed entirely for fighting a war, clutched in the massive hand of a dude who embodied war, riding upon an even more massive horse. An armored, roided up horse with eyes blazing like a comet that had just burst from the ground like that was nothing. And it's fucking name was Ruin, and and here they were, riding like, a horseman of the apocalypse and and and tearing straight through a building with no shits given, all to escape the crashing ship named Malevolence, and damn it was just so metal.

Not that MJ recognized that fact just yet, because right now the only thoughts racing through their mind as they clung for dear life were:

​

 

[Kitsune Mask]

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."​

Gluttony had apparently finished recovering, and his whimpers were already shifting into a cackle as he lowered himself to all fours with a wide grin. "Going to eats you, going to eats you all, and-

his head tilted to the side as Shi shimmered into existence, looking more confused than concerned as he regarded the demon made manifest.

"Is... this... al-che-my-"

He screammed ins surpise as the thing suddenly flew towards him, fast even for a servant as it sent him crashing down the corridor with a whimper that disappeared into the mist.

Marcus watched the whole scene play out with a tense frown, whatever excitement he might've felt at seeing a buncha anime people throw down skewered with anxiety for his other friends, and he quickly nodded and flipped out his own MC "yea yea yea, lemme look, lemme look" he said, apparently having far less trouble than the other masters figuring the device out as he flicked expertly through to the full radar.

"Master and a servant both that way, then another master and a servant standing way farther down the tunnel. If this bum's master's close, then that means one of the other masters must be-"

he didn't finish before a a spray of bullets suddenly came from the corridor; human in origin, of no danger to the servants, but lethal for the masters as Gluttony's whines of pain from within the mist turned to snarls once more

The metaverse familiarized teenager was no stranger to the sight of demonic beings materializing in the command of others, for that was the very essence of what his own persona was. So it was almost welcome to see the warped creature of blackness form next to Shinoa, a relief to see something in a manner of familiarity. It was even more welcome to see the beast of shadow encroach their ravenous enemy, sending him shooting down the hallway with swiftness. With how well the being could recover, Yusuke had his doubts that it had been defeated, but at the very least they had gained some ground for the moment and that was a good thing.

Hyper fixating on their masters, the Phantom Thieves' samurai listened to Marcus relay the locations of those around them. He took a mental note of these things, but before he could get a single word in as to what he might suggest that they do next, they were spritzed with a barrage of bullets. In no state of mind to be smooth in his movements, trembling limbs still managed to carry him forward in a dash, positioning himself between the masters and the bullets. Due to the abruptness of the attack, he was expecting to be hit by a stray bullet or two, but was hoping to keep the masters safe. His mask would be torn from his face again, a cry of "Bufu!" leaving his lips. He would manage a makeshift wall of icy protection before shooting a yell back to the masters. "Get down!" Should they not comply with his wishes he fully intended to make them get down, but he was hopeful that they would listen in the face of impending danger.
​

 

[Indolent]

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.

"Not a fan of roller coasters I take it!?" Garou groused, muttering under his breath as there was a trail of expelled stomach contents flowing behind as he sped along the tiled linoleum of the hallways. His mobility made it seem as if he was skipping across the surface of the ground, his legs spending more time in the air than they contacted the ground as he barreled for another exit aside the obvious, gaping one that almost everyone else in the classroom had gone through.

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.​

"Wha-- hey, if you can teleport, get us clear of the frickin' danger you damn idiot!" Came his yell, the haphazard brawler skidding to a sudden halt so as to engage the obsessed philomath with incisive barbs for his blatant disregard of, well, every goddamn circumstance transpiring all at once at the moment. Clearly, what kind of idiot would neglect someone in clear need of aid?!

Despite the blatant hypocrisy of just leaving his own master alone to handle a veritable threat. But that hardly mattered, that walking sarcophagus needed an ass-kicking!

"Get us outta--" The shadow over the school only darkened more and more with each passing second and an incredulous scowl was the punctuative death of his statement, as the Berserker resumed sprinting once more. Likely much to the clamoring glee of Clancy, surely. The sheer sudden stop and sudden acceleration was something only an adrenaline junkie might've enjoyed. Maybe brother McNamara would discover a new passion amidst this trying time. (⌒▽⌒)☆

Though a raucous sound rang out amid the cacophonous din of the chaos, alerting and intriguing Garou in one as he turned on a dime as he arrived toward an intersection in the hall and sprinted for the source of it, reaching the end of the pathway by the windows--

The woman quailed in terror pushing back as much as she could against the wall as Alucard leaned in, only to scream in surprise and turn to look out the window at the sound and sudden shadow.

"W-whatever, whatever! Two eight six twelve Monroe street we're like ten blocks away its the entire reason we found you so quick you all just showed up out of nowhere okay we made a split second decision OKAY SOMEONE HAS TO LOSE AND WE ALL SIGNED UP FOR IT OKAY!?"

------------------------------------

Outside, was staring slack jawed at the falling space ship.

"...Seriou-!?ACK" He didn't get to finish the thought before a massive hand scooped him up and, after a moment of hesitation, took MJ in the same grip.

"Ruin!" growled the horseman, and a moment later the ground exploded; not from a ship crashing into the earth, but from something coming from the earth;

a horse

It was just a horse in the same way a tank was just a motor vehicle; it dwarfed even War's form, muscles rippling across its form that was draped in blood red cloth and charred armor. The sidewalk sizzled and cracked where its hooves touched, and its eyes were tiny bonfires that coursed with fire literal and metaphorical, yet despite the rage that simmered from the beast it stood there patiently as War swung into its saddle with practiced ease.

"We go."

and go they did, tearing off away from the crashing ship, straight through the nearest building without slowing down as Leonardo screamed in a mixture of terror and bonafide excitement.

"HEY!"

He screamed, the window exploded, and a streak of monotonous colors careened through the air in a dogged chase after the freakishly huge bastard atop of his monstrous house, Garou having recognized him from before.

These were a couple of Brighid's friends right? She wanted to go back to them in the first place? He was following orders.

"HOLD UP--" A realization burnt into his features as he belayed his demand with another shout "FRICKIN' KEEP RUNNIN'"

It was a blessing his own master was asleep but she definitely was going to kill him for traumatizing Clancy. (⌒▽⌒)☆

 

[Indolent]

"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.

"Thanks, appreciate it, but fuckin' focus on kicking that batshit Pillsbury Doughboy's ass before he eats us all. Seriously. I've seen things." He whinged before fist pumping with a raucous holler as the periwinkle chick blasted the homunculus away, a vociferous whoop that it was. "Get his ass!--"

"Master. Your radar,"

"Huh-- yeah, okay, just. Just gimme a fuckin' mo, I'm not familiar with this thing at all, I only glanced at that feature once."

Marcus watched the whole scene play out with a tense frown, whatever excitement he might've felt at seeing a buncha anime people throw down skewered with anxiety for his other friends, and he quickly nodded and flipped out his own MC "yea yea yea, lemme look, lemme look" he said, apparently having far less trouble than the other masters figuring the device out as he flicked expertly through to the full radar.

"Master and a servant both that way, then another master and a servant standing way farther down the tunnel. If this bum's master's close, then that means one of the other masters must be-"

he didn't finish before a a spray of bullets suddenly came from the corridor; human in origin, of no danger to the servants, but lethal for the masters as Gluttony's whines of pain from within the mist turned to snarls once more

"... Never mind, of course he figured it out before me--" Gavin started groused as the hail of bullets came, cutting him off with the teen finding himself scrambling for cover, in a bizarre dive that felt like it lasted an eternity in his mind's eye, not unlike the gun-fueled, andrenaline ridden gunfight scenes from a John Woo movie with the slow-mo effects. In reality, his fat ass plopped onto the tiles and Gavin showed surprising dexterity as he rolled behind the closest thing that was impervious to harm coming his way, before scrambling to his knees.

That thing just happened to be Trifa.

Munroe slowly stared upwards. Then he realized his haphazard mistake, coughed awkwardly and gave a sheepish chuckle before ambling away from the absolutely terrifying priest-servant-abomination in a crouch walk, seeking cover away from him.

He at least wasn't hesitant to be vocal in his invitation to Marcus, "Gityerassoverhere!"

 

[Indolent]

Patience'd reached the tram station and exited out, making her way up and out onto the streets with a critical eye out, aiming to accomplish one thing before making for the rendezvous. She'd managed to single out a young woman with a similar build to her out adorned in a widely classic attire that was the quintessence of the 90s but modernized to blend in today's cultural zeitgeist as a hodgepodge homage. A leather ensemble of boots, pants, a jacket, and gloves clipped to the jacket... and even better, she was aside a classic Sportster.

Without one iota of hesitation, Patty approached the other with purpose exuding from the pores in her mannerism and her words that it was a certainty she'd capsize to her demands



The chick just guffawed in her fucking face, caught her breath, then laughed again before departing on her motorcycle with a more than generous flip of the bird thrown Patience's way, the Sportster's obnoxious roar drowning out any response Patience could've mustered.

"Goddammit, I could've paid you..."

Anyway, she continued on to Hex and Company.

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

"..."

Astolfo held's Jamie's eyes in that serious stare for as long as he could manage before he realized she was probably going into shock, or already was. Reasonable! He sighed and stood back up as he unclasped his cloak from his shoulders and swung it off and around Jamie's instead, sparing a glance to Oda and her master as he did so. His master was out of it, so it looked like the talking was going to be up to him! Which was fine, he was a great talker. One last bit of cleanup first though!

His poor steed :')

He stepped past Jamie to where the creature was curling itself into a ball, its wings sheltering its eyes from the light and blood pooling beneath it from the lengthy gash Ragna's blade had left in it. His dear Hippogryph was a fearless and loyal partner, but it could still be hurt, still feel hurt, and it gave a miserable, half hearted squawk as Astolfo knelt down next to it with a wan smile.

"thank you, friend. Go rest now. I promise we'll try to be more careful next time, yea?"

He pressed his hand against its forehead, and it disappeared in a shimmer of golden light as it was dismissed, gone again from existence til next they met. If they met again, anyways.

Not a thought he was going to dwell on. He pushed himself back to his feet, did his best to wipe the hippogryph blood off onto his leggings, then jogged over towards Nobu and Lucille.

"Hiyaaaaa! I know we sorta ran away from you earlier and my master kind of said to attack you, but thats all past us, right? Do you need help bandaging up?"

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

Patience'd reached the tram station and exited out, making her way up and out onto the streets with a critical eye out, aiming to accomplish one thing before making for the rendezvous. She'd managed to single out a young woman with a similar build to her out adorned in a widely classic attire that was the quintessence of the 90s but modernized to blend in today's cultural zeitgeist as a hodgepodge homage. A leather ensemble of boots, pants, a jacket, and gloves clipped to the jacket... and even better, she was aside a classic Sportster.

Without one iota of hesitation, Patty approached the other with purpose exuding from the pores in her mannerism and her words that it was a certainty she'd capsize to her demands

View attachment 1002003

The chick just guffawed in her fucking face, caught her breath, then laughed again before departing on her motorcycle with a more than generous flip of the bird thrown Patience's way, the Sportster's obnoxious roar drowning out any response Patience could've mustered.

"Goddammit, I could've paid you..."

Anyway, she continued on to Hex and Company.

In storage, Kei watched this unfold with a flavor of bemused disappointment that didn't have the heart to be truly judgemental, before Patience received another beep of a message on her phone.

'You know that would've left a far more conspicous trail than just leaving in your own clothes, right?'

 

[Indolent]

In storage, Kei watched this unfold with a flavor of bemused disappointment that didn't have the heart to be truly judgemental, before Patience received another beep of a message on her phone.

'You know that would've left a far more conspicous trail than just leaving in your own clothes, right?'

"Yeah but it didn't actually happen, it was a meme--"

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

View attachment 1001114

"Not a fan of roller coasters I take it!?" Garou groused, muttering under his breath as there was a trail of expelled stomach contents flowing behind as he sped along the tiled linoleum of the hallways. His mobility made it seem as if he was skipping across the surface of the ground, his legs spending more time in the air than they contacted the ground as he barreled for another exit aside the obvious, gaping one that almost everyone else in the classroom had gone through.

"Wha-- hey, if you can teleport, get us clear of the frickin' danger you damn idiot!" Came his yell, the haphazard brawler skidding to a sudden halt so as to engage the obsessed philomath with incisive barbs for his blatant disregard of, well, every goddamn circumstance transpiring all at once at the moment. Clearly, what kind of idiot would neglect someone in clear need of aid?!

Despite the blatant hypocrisy of just leaving his own master alone to handle a veritable threat. But that hardly mattered, that walking sarcophagus needed an ass-kicking!

"Get us outta--" The shadow over the school only darkened more and more with each passing second and an incredulous scowl was the punctuative death of his statement, as the Berserker resumed sprinting once more. Likely much to the clamoring glee of Clancy, surely. The sheer sudden stop and sudden acceleration was something only an adrenaline junkie might've enjoyed. Maybe brother McNamara would discover a new passion amidst this trying time. (⌒▽⌒)☆

Though a raucous sound rang out amid the cacophonous din of the chaos, alerting and intriguing Garou in one as he turned on a dime as he arrived toward an intersection in the hall and sprinted for the source of it, reaching the end of the pathway by the windows--


"HEY!"

He screamed, the window exploded, and a streak of monotonous colors careened through the air in a dogged chase after the freakishly huge bastard atop of his monstrous house, Garou having recognized him from before.

These were a couple of Brighid's friends right? She wanted to go back to them in the first place? He was following orders.

"HOLD UP--" A realization burnt into his features as he belayed his demand with another shout "FRICKIN' KEEP RUNNIN'"

It was a blessing his own master was asleep but she definitely was going to kill him for traumatizing Clancy. (⌒▽⌒)☆

The only reason Garou didn't catch a bullet in response to his sudden yell was that War was likewise carrying precious cargo as they blasted through the other side of the gymnasium to the sports fields on the other side and then into the streets past the school complex in an instant, the speed something that barely registered to the students in either of their hands expect perhaps a dazed confusion as to why the wind resistance wasn't tearing the skin straight from their bones. He merely shot Garou a suspicious glare but otherwise continued onwards.

The ship crashed shortly after; Wasp looking on the wreckage with Danny in hand from on high, and the cloud of dust and debris shooting over Garou, War, Tarlotte, and Sho with their gaggle of lost pups at the intersection of a street almost a full mile away from the school. a few explosions could be heard that rocked the internals of the hull, but for now, it seemed as if they were safe.

All except for MJ, who had disappeared entirely from War's grip a few moments before they came to a halt. War stared down at the singular student in his grip, who looked up at him, down to where MJ had been, then back at war.

"Bro???"

War stared at him stoically.

"I did not drop her."

"Then where did they go?!"

".... I am unsure"

 

[MyrtenRose]

Not a thought he was going to dwell on. He pushed himself back to his feet, did his best to wipe the hippogryph blood off onto his leggings, then jogged over towards Nobu and Lucille.

"Hiyaaaaa! I know we sorta ran away from you earlier and my master kind of said to attack you, but thats all past us, right? Do you need help bandaging up?"

"I've had worse reactions to my arrival before, fear not!" Nobu replied more than jovially enough for someone suffering such a wound, taking her eyes off her master for a few moments to address their fellow proper servant. "And aye, we do need help...we need to get to the place of doctors and healing, swiftly! After you rejected my proposal, my master suffered injury...it was my fault and I shall not rest until she is properly treated!"​

 

[Daft Monk]

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.​

View attachment 1001114

"Not a fan of roller coasters I take it!?" Garou groused, muttering under his breath as there was a trail of expelled stomach contents flowing behind as he sped along the tiled linoleum of the hallways. His mobility made it seem as if he was skipping across the surface of the ground, his legs spending more time in the air than they contacted the ground as he barreled for another exit aside the obvious, gaping one that almost everyone else in the classroom had gone through.

"Wha-- hey, if you can teleport, get us clear of the frickin' danger you damn idiot!" Came his yell, the haphazard brawler skidding to a sudden halt so as to engage the obsessed philomath with incisive barbs for his blatant disregard of, well, every goddamn circumstance transpiring all at once at the moment. Clearly, what kind of idiot would neglect someone in clear need of aid?!

Despite the blatant hypocrisy of just leaving his own master alone to handle a veritable threat. But that hardly mattered, that walking sarcophagus needed an ass-kicking!

"Get us outta--" The shadow over the school only darkened more and more with each passing second and an incredulous scowl was the punctuative death of his statement, as the Berserker resumed sprinting once more. Likely much to the clamoring glee of Clancy, surely. The sheer sudden stop and sudden acceleration was something only an adrenaline junkie might've enjoyed. Maybe brother McNamara would discover a new passion amidst this trying time. (⌒▽⌒)☆

Though a raucous sound rang out amid the cacophonous din of the chaos, alerting and intriguing Garou in one as he turned on a dime as he arrived toward an intersection in the hall and sprinted for the source of it, reaching the end of the pathway by the windows--


"HEY!"

He screamed, the window exploded, and a streak of monotonous colors careened through the air in a dogged chase after the freakishly huge bastard atop of his monstrous house, Garou having recognized him from before.

These were a couple of Brighid's friends right? She wanted to go back to them in the first place? He was following orders.

"HOLD UP--" A realization burnt into his features as he belayed his demand with another shout "FRICKIN' KEEP RUNNIN'"

It was a blessing his own master was asleep but she definitely was going to kill him for traumatizing Clancy. (⌒▽⌒)☆

The only reason Garou didn't catch a bullet in response to his sudden yell was that War was likewise carrying precious cargo as they blasted through the other side of the gymnasium to the sports fields on the other side and then into the streets past the school complex in an instant, the speed something that barely registered to the students in either of their hands expect perhaps a dazed confusion as to why the wind resistance wasn't tearing the skin straight from their bones. He merely shot Garou a suspicious glare but otherwise continued onwards.

The ship crashed shortly after; Wasp looking on the wreckage with Danny in hand from on high, and the cloud of dust and debris shooting over Garou, War, Tarlotte, and Sho with their gaggle of lost pups at the intersection of a street almost a full mile away from the school. a few explosions could be heard that rocked the internals of the hull, but for now, it seemed as if they were safe.

All except for MJ, who had disappeared entirely from War's grip a few moments before they came to a halt. War stared down at the singular student in his grip, who looked up at him, down to where MJ had been, then back at war.

"Bro???"

War stared at him stoically.

"I did not drop her."

"Then where did they go?!"

".... I am unsure"

While Maisie was doing her best to calm herself, her servant did just the opposite, an offended huff of indignation and disbelief escaping her. "I don't need an explanation! I'm not stupid!" Her expression of her lack of understanding on the matter wasn't an invite for this girl to act like the authority figure on the functions of merry cation! Ugh, it made her so mad when people acted like she was just some idiot kid. She'd show this weird chick, that much was for sure.

Except, in the end, it didn't look like the girl had learned anything. Shortly after the Absolute Angel had found what they were looking for and scooped Maisie back up, the girl started crying her eyes out and squeezing her like she was some life-sized teddy bear. The treatment earned great umbrage from the catgirl, her ears tilting forward and tail standing on end as every inch of her body tensed and a wave of heat passed through her face. "Wh-- H-HEY! Knock that off, it's weird!" she demanded, squirming uncomfortably like a child being smothered by their grandmother. "S-stop rubbing on me like that! MEOW!!!"

Verbal protests and uncomfortable writhing aside, the catgirl at least managed to hold out from lashing out at her master physically... if only because she was a bit busy trying to get them out of the danger zone for the impending crash. And, to her fortune, the journey went pretty fast; they shortly reached a clearing in the street, if one also occupied by some other servants. She quickly recognized them though, and was just as quick to pry Maisie off of her before unceremoniously plopping her down on the ground. A mere moment later, she shoved the medication bag into her hands, glaring expectantly at the girl. She seemed to be pretty much entirely ignoring the others. "Here, meow. Mew better be quick about it; I'm not gonna keep carrying mew if mew keep being so weird about everything."

"..."

Briefly, her gaze did wander to the others. Or, rather, to the giant horse two of them were on. Her pout diminished somewhat, and her pupils dilated ever-so-slightly...​

 

[Daft Monk]

Gluttony had apparently finished recovering, and his whimpers were already shifting into a cackle as he lowered himself to all fours with a wide grin. "Going to eats you, going to eats you all, and-

his head tilted to the side as Shi shimmered into existence, looking more confused than concerned as he regarded the demon made manifest.

"Is... this... al-che-my-"

He screamed in surprise as the thing suddenly flew towards him, fast even for a servant as it sent him crashing down the corridor with a whimper that disappeared into the mist.

Marcus watched the whole scene play out with a tense frown, whatever excitement he might've felt at seeing a buncha anime people throw down skewered with anxiety for his other friends, and he quickly nodded and flipped out his own MC "yea yea yea, lemme look, lemme look" he said, apparently having far less trouble than the other masters figuring the device out as he flicked expertly through to the full radar.

"Master and a servant both that way, then another master and a servant standing way farther down the tunnel. If this bum's master's close, then that means one of the other masters must be-"

he didn't finish before a a spray of bullets suddenly came from the corridor; human in origin, of no danger to the servants, but lethal for the masters as Gluttony's whines of pain from within the mist turned to snarls once more

The metaverse familiarized teenager was no stranger to the sight of demonic beings materializing in the command of others, for that was the very essence of what his own persona was. So it was almost welcome to see the warped creature of blackness form next to Shinoa, a relief to see something in a manner of familiarity. It was even more welcome to see the beast of shadow encroach their ravenous enemy, sending him shooting down the hallway with swiftness. With how well the being could recover, Yusuke had his doubts that it had been defeated, but at the very least they had gained some ground for the moment and that was a good thing.

Hyper fixating on their masters, the Phantom Thieves' samurai listened to Marcus relay the locations of those around them. He took a mental note of these things, but before he could get a single word in as to what he might suggest that they do next, they were spritzed with a barrage of bullets. In no state of mind to be smooth in his movements, trembling limbs still managed to carry him forward in a dash, positioning himself between the masters and the bullets. Due to the abruptness of the attack, he was expecting to be hit by a stray bullet or two, but was hoping to keep the masters safe. His mask would be torn from his face again, a cry of "Bufu!" leaving his lips. He would manage a makeshift wall of icy protection before shooting a yell back to the masters. "Get down!" Should they not comply with his wishes he fully intended to make them get down, but he was hopeful that they would listen in the face of impending danger.
​

"Thanks, appreciate it, but fuckin' focus on kicking that batshit Pillsbury Doughboy's ass before he eats us all. Seriously. I've seen things." He whinged before fist pumping with a raucous holler as the periwinkle chick blasted the homunculus away, a vociferous whoop that it was. "Get his ass!--"


"Huh-- yeah, okay, just. Just gimme a fuckin' mo, I'm not familiar with this thing at all, I only glanced at that feature once."


"... Never mind, of course he figured it out before me--" Gavin started groused as the hail of bullets came, cutting him off with the teen finding himself scrambling for cover, in a bizarre dive that felt like it lasted an eternity in his mind's eye, not unlike the gun-fueled, andrenaline ridden gunfight scenes from a John Woo movie with the slow-mo effects. In reality, his fat ass plopped onto the tiles and Gavin showed surprising dexterity as he rolled behind the closest thing that was impervious to harm coming his way, before scrambling to his knees.

That thing just happened to be Trifa.

Munroe slowly stared upwards. Then he realized his haphazard mistake, coughed awkwardly and gave a sheepish chuckle before ambling away from the absolutely terrifying priest-servant-abomination in a crouch walk, seeking cover away from him.

He at least wasn't hesitant to be vocal in his invitation to Marcus, "Gityerassoverhere!"

As much as Shinoa would've liked to exhibit patience toward the bumbling farmer and his friends, it wasn't something that was on the table. The circumstances these children had found themselves in were undeniably tragic, but she hoped at least one of them could get enough of a grip to provide her the information she needed. And, to her fortune, it seemed that that longing was indeed fulfilled- as Gluttony was carried off by her demon like a newlywed into the sunset, her eyes quickly shot to Marcus as he pulled up the requested display, eager to get a better grasp of their situation. She made mental notes of the info he had relayed, a plan already coming together in her mind. "...Understood," she replied shortly. "In that case--"

In tandem with the gunshots, her head began to turn, her attention drawn back to the field of battle. As Yusuke dove to the masters' defense, the soldier's own weapon was likewise readied as she contemplated a strange peculiarity about the situation. The lack of superhuman force behind the bullets was plain to anyone, but something else was strange to her exceptional senses; the gunfire sounded identical to that of the weapon first fired upon Leonhart not long beforehand. The small detail could've meant any number of things- perhaps the individual that Leon had eliminated hadn't been the gunman. Or maybe their opponent now was unaffiliated with their first enemy, and had robbed the firearm off of the corpse. There were infinite possibilities, but sitting around worrying about such semantics was positively pointless. So she raised her scythe instead, intending to use its massive blade as a backup shield for the masters in the case of any stray bullets getting past Yusuke's barrier. All the while, her serious expression didn't waver, a faint frown on her lips as she relayed her thoughts.

"The plan hasn't changed; we advance on this 'Gluttony' and his master with a swift and unrelenting offense in order to end this quickly. Our priority is the protection of our masters, and the neutralization of our opponent's. If this is reasonable to you, then let us press forward; the faster this is handled, the faster we may reconvene with your family!" She hoped that would be a good enough motivator for the students, but she wouldn't blame them if it wasn't. If they decided they preferred to turn back and run, she wouldn't fault them one bit, and would see that wish through. But if they were anything like that idiot Yuu-san, the Lieutenant Colonel, or any of the rest of her squad, she doubted they would turn back even in the face of devils and blazing gunfire. That wish, too, was one that she would see through to her dying breath if that was as they willed. Regardless of their choice, her stance was a battle-ready one, every muscle tense and ready to defend the lives she'd unwittingly found herself in charge of.​

 

[Daft Monk]

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.​

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"Not a fan of roller coasters I take it!?" Garou groused, muttering under his breath as there was a trail of expelled stomach contents flowing behind as he sped along the tiled linoleum of the hallways. His mobility made it seem as if he was skipping across the surface of the ground, his legs spending more time in the air than they contacted the ground as he barreled for another exit aside the obvious, gaping one that almost everyone else in the classroom had gone through.

"Wha-- hey, if you can teleport, get us clear of the frickin' danger you damn idiot!" Came his yell, the haphazard brawler skidding to a sudden halt so as to engage the obsessed philomath with incisive barbs for his blatant disregard of, well, every goddamn circumstance transpiring all at once at the moment. Clearly, what kind of idiot would neglect someone in clear need of aid?!

Despite the blatant hypocrisy of just leaving his own master alone to handle a veritable threat. But that hardly mattered, that walking sarcophagus needed an ass-kicking!

"Get us outta--" The shadow over the school only darkened more and more with each passing second and an incredulous scowl was the punctuative death of his statement, as the Berserker resumed sprinting once more. Likely much to the clamoring glee of Clancy, surely. The sheer sudden stop and sudden acceleration was something only an adrenaline junkie might've enjoyed. Maybe brother McNamara would discover a new passion amidst this trying time. (⌒▽⌒)☆

Though a raucous sound rang out amid the cacophonous din of the chaos, alerting and intriguing Garou in one as he turned on a dime as he arrived toward an intersection in the hall and sprinted for the source of it, reaching the end of the pathway by the windows--


"HEY!"

He screamed, the window exploded, and a streak of monotonous colors careened through the air in a dogged chase after the freakishly huge bastard atop of his monstrous house, Garou having recognized him from before.

These were a couple of Brighid's friends right? She wanted to go back to them in the first place? He was following orders.

"HOLD UP--" A realization burnt into his features as he belayed his demand with another shout "FRICKIN' KEEP RUNNIN'"

It was a blessing his own master was asleep but she definitely was going to kill him for traumatizing Clancy. (⌒▽⌒)☆

The only reason Garou didn't catch a bullet in response to his sudden yell was that War was likewise carrying precious cargo as they blasted through the other side of the gymnasium to the sports fields on the other side and then into the streets past the school complex in an instant, the speed something that barely registered to the students in either of their hands expect perhaps a dazed confusion as to why the wind resistance wasn't tearing the skin straight from their bones. He merely shot Garou a suspicious glare but otherwise continued onwards.

The ship crashed shortly after; Wasp looking on the wreckage with Danny in hand from on high, and the cloud of dust and debris shooting over Garou, War, Tarlotte, and Sho with their gaggle of lost pups at the intersection of a street almost a full mile away from the school. a few explosions could be heard that rocked the internals of the hull, but for now, it seemed as if they were safe.

All except for MJ, who had disappeared entirely from War's grip a few moments before they came to a halt. War stared down at the singular student in his grip, who looked up at him, down to where MJ had been, then back at war.

"Bro???"

War stared at him stoically.

"I did not drop her."

"Then where did they go?!"

".... I am unsure"

On a better day, Clancy would've been positively humiliated by his barf fest over the shoulder of what could be described as his hero. Instead, in the moment, he was a sickening mixture of humiliated, terrified, traumatized, and... desperate. Desperate to get out of there alive. Desperate for confirmation that his classmates had, too. Desperate for what he'd seen- Lucyfer and those guards alike, their lifeless corpses falling to the floor before his eyes- to have all been a dream. That was the only logical explanation to all of this, after all. It wasn't often that he and his sister had the same idea on something, but he couldn't fathom this being anything but a nightmare. If it had been something more straightforward like a shooting, that'd be one thing, but the introduction of works of fiction into reality? A real life war, all based around Nasu's fanservice central? That just wasn't possible... right?

Man. The bile burning his throat as Garou's blatant disregard of physics dribbled him like a basketball definitely felt real, though. ;-;

As much as he would've loved to confirm his distaste for roller coasters, the boy was too busy coughing after the last of his stomach contents had fled his body to provide that unnecessary answer. The dry heaves and chills that wracked him were merciless, and he honestly couldn't tell if his misery stemmed from his physical circumstances or his psychological ones. No matter how he spun it, today sucked. And the sudden halt to chew out his servant followed by immediate resumed dashing didn't do his stomach any favors, geez he was glad he'd already puked everything up-- wait a second what was that deafening pounding and why were they going toward it, oh god the human monster was about to pick a fight while still carrying him and his sister wasn't he, he was so done for--

Oh. Phew. Apparently not. Even still, though, Clancy didn't know how much more his heart could take. His brain was jumbled and his heart was racing faster than he realized it could, leading him to wonder how he hadn't yet passed out like his twin. His twin, who laid almost unmoving in her servant's hold, her chest subtly rising and falling with shallow breaths on occasion serving as the only indication she yet still lived. His thoughts turned to her, his chest tightening as he recalled what had transpired back in that classroom. They may have lived, but if this was all truly real... then Lucyfer hadn't.

With that notion heavy on his mind, the boy honestly didn't even notice when they finally ground to a halt, his stomach twisted and his eyes screwed shut. He had seen someone die. His mind flashed back in time, back to the spattering of blood across a room he'd considered to be a pleasant space. Back to a bullet piercing flesh; an imperceivable blur that left only death in its wake. And, even further back, he recalled the venture to a treehouse that had changed his life forever. His first lesson in how unforgiving and cruel death could be. He had put years of therapy into getting past what he'd seen that day and relearning his social skills after a switch to homeschool, but the visions intruding his mind provoked silent tears all the same. He couldn't bear it. He couldn't bear that another person was gone from this world before they could begin to see what it had in store for them.

Lost as he was in his own head, the realization that they'd finally come to a stop finally hit him as conversation broke out all around. His stormy blue eyes finally risked opening, sparing a glance around and... only vaguely registering what he saw, between the sheen of tears and the evident loss of his glasses during that mad dash. An unwitting groan escaped him as he almost drunkenly scrubbed at his face with his sleeve, rasping out quiet words that were barely intelligible. "......can....down....... p-please......." were the only murmurs that could be made out, but that was probably enough to register that the kid wanted off of this ride.​