2649/A Walk in the BARK

A Walk in the BARK
Date of Scene:	19 July 2015
Location:	False Grail DC <FG>
Synopsis:	A disturbance of ghostly hounds at a dark park incurs a disproportional response! ...Or IS it!?
Cast of Characters:	346, 560, 623, 664, 832

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Assassin of Brown (832) has posed:
    The night is dark, and full of terrors. Terrors like what some people laughingly and yet nervously describe as ghostly hounds roaming Shaw Dog Park in Washington D.C. after night fall. It's ridiculous in this modern era, right? Even if there were dogs on the loose, what then? That's a case for animal control, not the ghost busters. And yet, even in this age, modern man has yet to shed certain fears. Fear of death, fear of being stalked and hunted, fear of being eaten... The world created by science, the flameless sunlight that can be produced in the dark of night with but the flip of a switch, is not one given to fear of darkness, or fear of monsters. And yet even in this world, many still held this fear as children.

    And many more still may yet secretly harbor this fear, even if they do not realize it. And in this hour, when the moon is high, and certain abandoned places that no one has any place visiting after sun has bled out on the horizon and sunk to ground to rot in solitude before its re-emergence the next day, it is easy to see where the origins of fear lie. Solitude in darkness, and the fear of the unknown. The fear that maybe one is not quite so alone in the blackness after all.

    With nearby street lights, and the pale reflection off the corpse-pallored Moon, as the only illumination... Well, the fact that traces of mana drift upon the air, and the fact that prints lie in the moist soil, freshly tread, should be enough for those who do not so readily dismiss the seemingly impossible to come calling. They already know what modern humans try not to think about.

    The night is dark and full of terrors.

Archer of Brown (664) has posed:
         Earlier Today

     "Archer, have you been watching the internet lately?"

     The Heroic Spirit leans against the counter of Albert Mason's kitchen. Though it's just three in the afternoon, he holds in his hand a shot of whiskey. Mason has long since stopped the disapproving glances, bringing an end to their daily skrimishes. The senator's question elicits a raised eyebrow from Archer. "Not generally," he says with a certain flippancy. "Got a bus fight you want to show me, Al?"

     Mason deflects the ribbing casually, and pulls up something on his laptop. It's a grainy, poorly shot video of a dog park at night, likely filmed from a cell phone grasped in shaky hands. The uploader used YouTube's corrective measures, but it just results in the outside borders of the video going nuts to compensate. What is visible, for a certain definition of the word, is a light that doesn't appear to be coming from any of the nearby streetlights. Archer gives Mason a momentary glance after the thirty second video ends, and Mason scrolls down into the comments.

     "Rumors and idle chatter, most likely," says Mason, scrolling through the comments and ignoring the particularly inflammatory remarks. "Cryptozoology is a field which tends to attract... dabblers. But it's better to be safe than sorry. Would you mind investigating this for me, Archer?"

     "Not at all. Get ahold of the gang and see if any of 'em wanna come along."

         Now

     It's night time in the park. Archer's dressed in his usual attire, sixguns tied firmly to his waist with that red sash. The small ember of a lit cigarette drifts slowly away from him as he waits in the darkness.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Being a magus only vaguely ability-wise, Emiya SHirou's hardly sure what he can do about a haunted park that a Heroic Spirit couldn't. But if there are supernatural monsters about, then shouldn't he try to learn about them and deal with them anyways?

    As anyone could predict, he strolls up to Archer in his typical street clothes, hands in his jacket pockets. "So this time there's a commotion in the park? Do we have any way to spot whatever it is, if it's magical?" He's in a good mood, all things considered. The boy's expression is warm and his tone friendly. "Good evening, Archer."

Saber (346) has posed:
     There were more than a few mundane terrors within this modern city; muggers, rapists, gangs, murderers...and some not even of the city's cut-throat, self-interested political class which fancied itself as modern-day mandarins born to rule simply by dint of their privileged births. The city was quite beautiful on the surface, replete with rich history, resplendent greenery, and dignified marble fa�ades. Yet, beneath that surface lay a seedy underside even before the supernatural terrors which stained it further, but all appearances respectable yet entirely an affront to a certain founder of the chivalric code.

     Strangely, all of the beauty and ugliness of Washington, D.C. was not terribly unusual for the woman who had become King Arthur, having seen these macabre plays many times before. Now known predominantly as the Servant Saber of the Fourth Holy Grail War, she and her Master -- one of her own beloved knights brought into the multiverse through a strange but not unwelcome twist of fate -- had agreed some time ago to aid the Master of the Archer of Brown in this new and rather unorthodox Heaven's Feel. Not that it would have demanded much to have called upon her help...the good Senator was privy to her true identity and thus knew that the King of Knights would never retreat from anything which posed a danger to innocent people. And though there were few /truly/ innocent people in the entire city, most were ignorant as to the workings of the supernatural against which they had no defence. Thus, she was committed by her own ideals.

     Due to the city's draconian parking laws, the Servant had been forced to park her motorbike some distance away from the park, though fortunately she was able to make up the difference due to her preternatural speed as a Saber. Dressed in the three-piece suit she favoured when she wished to blend in to some reasonable degree, Saber seemed to materialise near Shirou, eyeing the scene blandly. She was here, she was ready.

Seto Kaiba (623) has posed:
     The Grail War has been a massive interest to Seto Kaiba. Even while no crisis is immediately underway, he has been having his men looking into the news and going ons of the city. Rumors, generally, happen for a reason. Tales of some odd going ons occuring in a park have drawn his attention. Which is why the young billionaire arrives just shortly after Shirou does.

     Kaiba steps out of a limo, and stands tall. His eyes glance towards Archer first, and then Shirou. His smug smirk appears on his face, and he lets out a small chuckle as he looks towards the park, "Hm. Well. I suppose if you too are here, it means that I'm right in checking up on this league. After all, Emiya seems to have a talent for stumbling upon trouble." He tilts his nose up to Emiya /just/ slightly, looking down at the youth.

     And then, Saber appears. Kaiba doesn't flinch as the Servant appears out of nowhere. He doesn't recognize her from meeting her himself, but the figure known as Saber, the King known as Arthur? She is famous throughout the Multiverse, from multiple incarnations. Of course Seto has an idea of who she is. She looks towards her, smirking. Unlike Shirou, he views her, and Archer, as closer to equals. He uncrosses his arms as he looks towards her, speaking rather calmly.

     "Seto Kaiba. President of Kaiba Corp." Yes, he even deigns to introduce himself to her. Something he won't put forward often, without being asked. After all, everyone /should/ know who he is.

     There are also two things about him worth noting.

     1: His Duel Disk is on his left arm, and his deck is slotted in and ready.

     2: His limo is parked illegally because he assumes he is important enough to get away with it, or that he could at least throw enough money at the problem for it not to matter.

Assassin of Brown (832) has posed:
    The park is surrounded by a fence, easy for a Heroic Spirit to vault over or just pass through by dematerializing, and easier still for people with opposable thumbs to get past by opening the gate. Of course, that gate SHOULD be locked since the park closes at 10 p.m. and it's around midnight. But for some reason it isn't. It's swinging open. The wide yard beyond the fences contains dirt, grass, some gravel, various trees scattered here and there, and buildings of various purpose. There's a parking lot on the street-side of the fence, though such is currently abandoned aside from Seto's limo.

    A cold wind blows, an uncomfortable chill of corrupt mana carried upon it. It's like the air in Fuyuki City, almost two decades ago, when a certain Caster roamed free. But this is significantly less omnipresent, and nowhere near as ominous. It's just a hint, like a bad smell, that can't quite be isolated.

    This is, at least, not some dark and forboding forest. The lights from the surrounding area and the moon give something to see by. And yet this place that is normally of such joy for so many canine companions and 'their' people, now has a stark, remote feel, like the deepest, most wild forest there is.

    And to top it off, there's the sound of some manner of wolf-like beast suddenly howling in the distance, long, loud, and very slowly trailing off.

    Wouldn't it be embarassing if all these Elites gathered just to find they were chasing a lost dog? But lost dogs don't generally produce or carry corrupt mana. What, then?

    A werewolf?

    Hahaha a werewolf from THIS universe? Hahaha.

    Haaa, oh please god fuck no.

Archer of Brown (664) has posed:
     "Mmh. Glad you boys could make it." Nowhere near the orator his 'employer' is, Archer gives Kaiba and Emiya both a nod of his head. A gambler and frequent user of controlled substances though he may be, Archer is a gentleman. He tips his hat to her. "Miss Saber," he says in his gravelly drawl. He takes a drag of his cigarette and considers Shirou's question for a moment. As he exhales, he shakes his head and begins to offer up a response, but is interrupted by the noise in the distance.

     "I reckon it might've spotted us already--but if it ain't, we might could go poking around like we always do. Y'know, until whatever it is up and bites us on the ass?" The frequent tendency of his opponents in this War to lay traps is not lost on Archer.

Seto Kaiba (623) has posed:
     Kaiba gives a look towards Archer. Despite the dark, despite the danger? Kaiba looks unphased. He casually draws his hand of cards, barely giving it a glance as he places the cards in his left hand. Five cards in the hand at first, but as Kaiba begins his 'turn', he draws a sixth card, adding it to the hand. His right arm remains fairly free, the left arm having the duel disk strapped to it, and his hands holding the cards. He speaks, self confident as usual. Or as some might say, arrogant.

     "Even if it knows where here, we can still draw it out. It should be a simple matter to lure it out. After all..."

     Kaiba pulls out a card, and puts it face up on his Duel Disk. The form of a beautiful young woman in a tan dress appears. She has long white hair, and large beautiful blue eyes.

     "We have bait."

     And he starts walking in. The beautiful woman is in front of him, leading the way. Despite the fact she is in fact a hologram, she looks very much like she is a real woman. The duel disk even makes a /bit/ of the illusion of smell, though it's not quite perfect on that front. At least, not yet.

Saber (346) has posed:
     The Archer might not be the orator his 'employer' is, but his honesty and proper manners were traits highly valued by the petite swordswoman. Considering that her previous experiences had been with the King of Heroes and a bitter potential-future version of the red-haired magus beside her, there were many other aspects she was perfectly willing to overlook. The Servant simply bowed slightly, European-style, not exactly proper for a lady but quite so for a knight of her rank. Fortunately, no one so far had taken issue with it. "Our ally has informed me to the best of his knowledge, though I fear there may be some differences between our situations."

     In other words, she's not going to assume that their parallel universes are exactly alike.

     In truth, Saber failed to recognise Kaiba at all. Yet, her manners were known for being impeccable as befitting a proper knight. Another Europe-style bow, with a neutral greeting. If she noted the genius businessman's particular armament or had any opinions thereof, she kept them to herself. "I am called Saber. A pleasure."

     What openly caught her attention was that particular howl. "I believe so," Saber replied to Archer's comment. "The prana is not as corrupt as it could potentially be, though still...unpleasant. I recommend caution, nevertheless."

     A pity that Cavall had not become a Noble Phantasm or some other companion which could be summoned along with her. Giant dogs were always useful against werewolves. As it was, Saber had little beyond the preternatural senses she and Archer possessed, extending them outward to proverbially 'scent' the winds of prana.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    The chilling howl's enough to get SHirou to arm himself almost reflexively. The twin shortswords, Kanshou and Bakuya, are copied and gripped in under a second. "This is already getting pretty creepy. What could it be?"

    Still, he's forced to glance sideways at Kaiba, eyes wide and mouth gaping slightly. "What?" A hologram...?

    Okay, this is weird.

    For now he sticks close to Saber, but Reinforcing his eyes will help spot anything lurking around. He can easily see three or four times normal range...

Assassin of Brown (832) has posed:
    Tracking by 'scent' allows the group to navigate through the yard beyond the fence, with Kaiba's holographic 'bait' leading the way. There's an unusually dark spot near the center of the field. A place at the exact right distance for no light but the moon to fall... And the moon has just passed behind some clouds. Street lights flicker, and building lights nearby dim from some manner of power fluctuation in the area. At least HOPEFULLY that's all it is.

    Something in the distance, on the far side of the park, dashes across open ground on four legs. Something dark and mottled grey that crosses the distance from one point to another with remarkable swiftness, only to vanish into the space between two buildings. Even so, during that time, to those with enhanced senses, the profile is unmistakeably canine. Even if perhaps larger than one typically finds in the middle of a city... Wolves are not generally considered common place in Washington D.C.

    Moments later, that patch of darkness at the center of the park seems to expand astronomically, stretching out at high speed to engulf the entire area. Light bulbs pop all around, plunging the area into even deeper darkness. There is nothing to see but blackness, even in the middle of a well-lit city.

    The sound of footfalls at the gait of a quadriped can be heard pattering around every few seconds. Multiple presences, on the edge of detection.

    Then those presences all converge at once, and glowing canines run forth from the darkness, red eyed, shining-furred, teeth bared. A pack of ghost wolves!?

    They're clearly charging in for an attack!

Saber (346) has posed:
     Saber frowned slightly, the expression wrinkling her brow slightly. "It is not the same as a Reality Marble...and yet it is different than normal," she commented, falling in step behind Kaiba's holographic bait. Unusual, yes, but not the sort of thing she hadn't learned to accept even as she was unable to understand it completely. An illusion, like those Merlin was adept at creating, and that was a reasonable enough explanation for her.

     Jade eyes narrowed at the grotesque quadrupedal form which darted between the buildings. It might have for all the world been a stray dog, though far too big. Almost like a dire wolf, but... "That creature...it seemed not unlike a wolf, yet not like one at all. Twisted in many ways."

     Not that she had much time to really think on it once the darkness fell and their group was suddenly surrounded by glowing red eyes blinking into existence. Arturia had even less time as they charged, already summoning her battle armour and Excalibur even as she dropped into an en garde stance, waiting for the right moment to strike back.

Archer of Brown (664) has posed:
     Kaiba's choice of strategy doesn't... surprise Archer, per se, but it doesn't please him, either. It might be trickery, and good trickery at that. Still, he can't help wondering what else Kaiba might consider bait. It's a bit of a leap to assume that the young businessman would throw an actual person to the wolves, but Archer tends to get gut feelings about people. He keeps a neutral expression and falls in behind Kaiba, his gait measured, his hands close to his waist.

     His thoughts then turn to Saber. Al must've put on a hell of a show to convince her to help out. He puffs on his cigarette and wonders just what Mason promised in order to get her help. Granted, he might not've had to promise anything. She seems the good deeds sort--the same sort Mason supposedly is. Maybe he's just paranoid, but in his experience everyone has a price. He extends his own senses as well, fingers twitching lightly to account for imperceptibly small differenses. Imperceptible, at least, to those without the exacting precision of an Archer-class Servant.

     It seems that his and Saber's looking eventually pays off, for a certain definition of the phrase. He stops in his tracks, eyes narrowed. He takes a step back as the darkness expands, hoping to possibly avoid whatever this is--but no luck.

     "Reckon we'll just have to twist it back." The ghost hounds appear. These must be the lights the kid who shot the video saw. For just a moment, his callous exterior fades. He never imagined he'd get the chance to fight beside a bona fide knight of the Round Table. It's gone as his hands rest on the grips of his sixguns.

     As always, his twist draw is not 'fast.' To say that it's 'fast' would imply there's any urgency. Of course it happens almost before human eyes could see--if they even could, in this darkness. But he is not hurried in his action, or concerned. Those gleaming silver hoglegs are in his hands and ready, all in one smooth, fluid motion. His thumbs pull the hammers back. Thunder cracks in the darkness as bolts of white-hot prana from his Noble Phantasms race towards the ghostly canines.

Seto Kaiba (623) has posed:
     As the ghost wolves approach the Maiden with Eyes of Blue, there is a sudden surge of power from her. As the claws rend her, Kaiba's Duel Disk lights up slightly. A card is shifted from his deck, and automaticaly placed within the Monster Zone. And, though the continues claws eventually cause the Maiden to be torn apart, something has formed behind her. Something caused by the effect of the Maiden with Eyes of Blue.

     "I CALL FORTH MY BLUE-EYES WHITE DRAGON!"

     The Blue-Eyes appears, standing in front of Kaiba. With the wolves still nearby, it moves to stand near him, forming a bit of a barrier between Kaiba and the wolves. Kaiba's back faces his allies, using them to shield him from behind as they are ambushed. He doesn't trust them to do much good /aside/ from being minor roadblocks to the ghost wolves. Which is why Kaiba is already adding to his arsenal as he draws another card.

     Kaiba just makes an incredibly wicked smirk.

     "I play Lord of D in Attack Mode! And now... POLYMERIZATION! Blue-Eyes, fuse together with the two others in my hand! BECOME THE BLUE-EYES ULTIMATE DRAGON!"

     Kaiba plays the cards as he speaks, moving rapidly. The Lord of D appears, a dark skinned man in dragon-bone armor. He just stands near Kaiba, adding another layer between him and the wolves.

     But the Dragon? There is a swirling vortex around it. Two other dragons appear with it, both also massive white dragons with blue eyes as well. They start to fuse together in the vortex in a matter of seconds. Now, a massive Dragon appears. White plated scales, a large bulky body with powerful claws on its hands and feet, and a long tail. And, most important, three long necks leading to three heads.

     "BLUE-EYES ULTIMATE DRAGON! ATTACK!"

     The massive dragon lets out a roar, and three massive blasts of plasma fly from its mouth, down at the ghost wolves.

     This is probably going to leave some small craters in the field, even if it hits the ghost wolves directly.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    the moment darkness overtakes the area, Shirou keeps close to Saber. Her agility and power is far beyond anything he can manage even while drawing on the experience of... his future self's combat style.

    What The deeds those twin swords have accomplished, however, is enough to put on an admirable defense.

    So he hangs back, looking for an opening to exploit, while the others cut loose.

    And of course, here comes the DRAGONS. "Geeze... Kaiba, don't make a wreck of the place!"

    Spotting one wolf pacing, Shirou dives in and SLASHES, but is quick to leap back and roll to his feet to avoid over-exposing himself.

Assassin of Brown (832) has posed:
    The 'ghost wolves' are fast, vicious, and clearly glowing with some unnatural light! But compared to Servants, a sword magus, and a GIANT THREE-HEADED DRAGON, they are not much to speak of. They fall quickly. They seem to vanish from within the darkness when slain. There may be unseen craters somewhere in the pitch-black environment, but nothing else is really--

    Suddenly the darkness recedes back to a circle at the center of the field, the prana that flowed through it likewise contracting to a pin point... But this time dissipating entirely. And what's left behind? Smoking craters, dead or dying canines, in damaged wholes or in damaged pieces... And Saber didn't even have to attack or defend before the enemy was eliminated.

    This may seem almost too easy, especially given the measures taken to set up this trap, obviously intending for SOMEONE to come looking into it. Upon closer inspection, it might be noted that all the very-much-not-ghost wolves are also very-much-not-wolves. They're just...

    They're just dogs. Beagles, labradors, german shepherds, mutts of various kinds. Stray pets, purchased ones, or ones stolen for this trap that seems to have gone nowhere. Two Servants, a sword magus, and a representative of Kaiba Corp with dragons at his beck and call, have just completely annihilated an ambush by normal, domestic dogs. What made them glow like that? What made them attack?

    But right now there may be a bigger concern.

    A concern to the tune of seven feet of muscle, fur, and a body neither man nor beast but with elements of both. Arms and hands, but canine legs. An oversized head of a wolf, to match the oversized body, but with the torso and other physical construction of a human.

    Baleful yellow eyes stare from where the monster has been crouched all this time, completely undetected until just now, when it reveals its power as a Servant with that same mournful howl heard earlier, directed to the moon as it comes out from behind the clouds. Long teeth drip with saliva as the wolfman snarls, growls, looking more than willing to attack, but then turning as though being FORCED to turn away by some unseen power.

    The wolfman leaps over the fence and flees into the night, dematerializing after running a fair distance. A savage beast-man, that seemingly can turn dogs into hostile wolves, has the presence of a Servant, and had to be forced to retreat instead of attack? Hmmmmmm. The trap may not have gone as a certain Master expected, forcing a premature 'mission abort' before anything crucial could be revealed, but this is a Grail War. And it doesn't take a genius to guess what kind of Servant that was.

Seto Kaiba (623) has posed:
     Kaiba remains rather calm as he spots the wolfman. Still, his poker face is broken by a small raising of his eyebrow. Yes, this is a bit surprising for him. An actual werewolf? He's still only loosely familiar with the rules, but he has two guesses for what class it is. Pack hunter, sneaks up on enemy... /possibly/ a Berserker due to the wild state of wolf and man. But, an Assassin is also feasible, if they're planning and working.

     He speaks into his radio, rather calmly communicating to someone, "Have us invest into a silver company, and look into getting a supply made for weapons. ...No, of course not for me myself." He glances at the others present. He doesn't /imagine/ any of these three have silver weapons. Magical, definitely, but it's still best to prepare for every option.

     A glance is given to the others.

     "I'll make a call in to my people. A sinkhole appeared in the field, and construction crews will be fixing it up due to a significant donation from Kaiba Corp. The park will remain closed during the repairs, and I'll throw money at anyone questioning. Any objections?"

Archer of Brown (664) has posed:
     Archer takes a look around at the destruction. Dogs? This must've just been some mage's work, maybe part of some complex but ultimately insignificant scheme. Maybe it's not even related to the Grail War. "Jesus. Feel like I called in the cavalry to deal with a--"

     He gets a good look at the enemy Servant. "Burglar." Mason hates calling Heroic Spirits 'Servants,' but somehow, Archer gets the idea the old man wouldn't bat an eye at the use of the term for this one. This dog's Master must be calling it--Archer can see the murder in its eyes. It's a particular skill he picked up in his days as a lawman. He'd fully expected a drag-out fight, but evidently, the Master here has got plans elsewhere.

     Idly, he levels one of his guns as the Servant flees, but decides against firing--too many houses that way. He smiles as Kaiba begins working on a resolution. "Sounds good, Mr. Kaiba. Mm. Sorry I wasted y'all's time tonight, but I do wanna thank you for coming by. You know how to reach me if you need a favor?"

Saber (346) has posed:
Suddenly, dragons. Digital realisation of a dragon rather than the Phantasmal beasts who both blessed and fought her, but a dragon nevertheless. Not very subtle, but not likely to be overcome by ghost wolves and providing her enough room to position herself better between the group and the oncoming creatures. Out of the corner of her eye, she kept a watch on Shirou; as the magus was something of a de facto squire, it would be a personal failure of hers if she allowed something to happen to him.

     Not that she had a chance to act before the creatures were eliminated...only to turn out to be domesticated dogs. It wasn't long ago that she had witnessed a similar incident, not that she had liked it any better now than she had then. She hated fighting off animals, particularly ones who belonged to others and were obviously being controlled by either a magus or something else, but generally they left little choice in the matter. They would have to find that magus to put an end to such things.

     "Perhaps that creature we witnessed previously was controlling them..." she mused softly. Or began to before the Servant appeared. Saber readied herself again, preparing in the unlikely event the wolf-man decided to attack. For it was indeed a Servant, there was no mistake about that. Fortunately, she needn't have concerned herself.

     "It would appear that he and his Master were unprepared for us," she remarked with a rare dry tone.

     Kaiba earned a shake of her head. She'd seen a lot worse similarly covered up, and while she personally didn't like the idea, she was well aware of the necessity. It was, however, a good reminder of how despicable the Grail War truly was.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    A WEREWOLF?! As the strange creature comes rampaging in, Shirou backs up and brings his weapons up defensively. "...Berserker...?!" The Berserker is here? And they're a WEREWOLF?!

    What Heroic Spirit is THIS? Something unusual, maybe?

    Regardless, once it's GONE, he takes a look at all of the dogs around and... winces. A quiet apology's offered to the assorted mutts and their owners. "Who was this trap meant to be FOR? It wouldn't slow a Servant down...."

Seto Kaiba (623) has posed:
     Kaiba, of course, immediately gives an annoyed look at Shirou, making a little 'tch' sound as he does so. "Of /course/ this trap was meant for Servant, and perhaps their Master. Distract with dogs, then go in for the kill. At the very least, some information can be gotten even out of a failure. Information such as one Grail War participant not working alone."

     His tone changes. He smirks. He starts acting a bit less rude, "I apologize for losing my calm. I'm not used to working with those who don't quite have a gamer's eye for this type of thing."

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Emiya Shirou doesn't bother to hide the disbelieving and entirely unconvinced opion he holds about Kaiba's conclusion, but says nothing. Just as with Matou Shinji, he might just be getting used to the guy.

    "I'm going to have to disagree with that, but we're better off trying to find whoever's behind them. Berserker means the Master has to do all of the planning."