612/The Lineage of the Sun Gods

The Lineage of the Sun Gods
Date of Scene:	17 September 2014
Location:	Great Painting of Ariamis <PoA>
Synopsis:	Though knight Oscar of Astora was crowned the Chosen amongst the undead, the union as a whole has managed the one hundred collective victories required to claim passage from the Battle of Stoicism by skill, moxie, brute strength, and good old fashioned cheating via offworld technology and magic. After The Legend, Father of Giants, bequeathed the sun god's seal, allowing them access into the mythical city of the gods, Anor Londo, the Union now makes its triumphant debut into the ancient metropolis to see through the retrieval of the Lordvessel and the inauguration of the new divine king. Things are never that simple.
Cast of Characters:	Tomoe, Priscilla, 152, 168, 183, 253, 283, Reina Kinney, 560
Tinyplot:	The Dark Souls TP

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Priscilla has posed:
    Those summoned by the now-routine ritual find themselves emerging squinting into the light, as if having left the dreary grey skies and dark underground catacombs of Lordran's outer borders, and stepping right out into the sun. The circle appears to have been drawn on an open balcony, overlooking both a terrifying drop, and panoramic view of the mountains all around, forming a near perfectly circular wall filled to the brink with the sprawl of an absolutely gargantuan city. The seemingly permanent wall of clouds lingers overhead, but the light of the sun is so strong that it filters through in great, blinding, golden rays; gleaming from the white stone and metal of every building visible for miles.

    The structures placed on the mountain's slopes are relatively normal in size, but those near the foothills, or the flat basin inbetween them, soar hundreds of storeys into the air, giving the illusion that the entire city is floating amidst the mountaintops. Every piece of architecture is like an unearthly masterwork of the renaissance, seemingly carved entirely of white marble without a single piece of wood, clay or shingle to be seen. The building the balcony is attached to in particular dwarfs all the others, and in fact, pretty much any structure on earth; an utterly collossal network of arches, buttresses, railings and balconies that appear equal parts castle and giant cathedral. In fact, everything about the place is giant, even if judging by only the room connected to the balcony. The doorway is twice as high as it needs to be, the staircase that dominates the room would require the same movement to climb as taking two stairs at a time, and the gaps between each floor it stops at could fit an entirely seperate floor between each. Despite being little more than a stairway to other parts of the building, it also appears to have been turned into an impromptu trophy room, as the walls are absolutely plastered, ceiling to floor, with mounted heads of distinctly draconic beasts, some roughly the size of a horse, while others look like the beast could have flown away with an elephant in life.

    The most important detail only sinks in after a few moments of letting it all sink in. The place is completely empty. No sound comes from any place in the building, echoing or not, and nothing floats in from the outside windows. The view is totally bereft of a single person walking the streets, or even so much as the smoke of a fire. The longer one stares at it, the creepier it starts to feel. There is ostensibly nothing at all wrong with the city, but it seems to have been abandoned down to the last man. Like a tomb without bodies. Priscilla seems to be right at home in such an empty place, merely regarding the towering pile of drake-heads, before finally turning around when the summoning is complete. "Welcome to Anor Londo . . ." She begins quietly. "It is . . . not how I remembered it."

Reina Kinney has posed:
    Indeed, the summoning ritual has become a routine for Reina. After feeling like she was going crazy the first few times, it's little more than an annoyance to her right now as she wishes she could just teleport there from her shuttle instead of going through this. But once she arrives, that feeling of annoyance leaves her, and she looks around a little, trying to take in the way things are right now. It's the silence that definitely gets to Reina, who bites her lower lip as things begin to sink in for her.

    When Priscilla makes the comment about it not being how she once remembered it, Reina can only turn and face her. Her expression is neutral, yet one can definitely tell that there's some emotion trying to be suppressed in her voice as she asks Priscilla, "What exactly happened here? From the look of things, I'd say this place was a lot more lively in the past." The second part is spoken without a hint of sarcasm but with genuine concern in her voice. She grits her teeth a little and narrows her eyes slightly.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber is here! As a blue spirit. He will be sticking close to Spirit Nathan and providing protection as necessary. Though before he does any task so important as that, he does stand next to Priscilla and idly look around, "Even abandoned, it's kind of awe-inspiring to look at the architecture and the designs."

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    When Emiya Shirou's phantom appears, it's gleaming golden. The radiance is definitely outclassed by the majesty of Anor Londo however, even a mostly abandoned one. Shirou offers the crossbreed a nod in answer, but steps out to get a better view of the city. The boy is gaping. The boy is stunned.

    He's also so very, very disturbed.

    "It's empty." He blurts. He'd imagined the city of the gods to be a little more... populated?

    Then again, surrounded by undead, such a city would have no food, and no supplies. Even if gods maybe don't need to eat, they probably don't like it being so quiet. And so he can only come to one conclusion.

    "... The Gods aren't here?"

Chris Rothschild (283) has posed:
    "It's empty."

    When Shirou says that, there's a second voice echoing him. A second magus is here, hands in his pockets, looking out over Anor Londo with quiet interest.

    After a beat, he turns to look at Shirou and adds, "Jinx."

    But then he looks out over the city again. "I'm more worried about Oscar. ...what's he's gonna be doing here? No one's here. At all."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Today is not a day for Mizuki's usual bombast. Or at the very least, that is what her expression says as she rises after the completion of the summoning ritual. She regards Priscilla herself with a lingering look and a close-eyed nod, before turning to face the city proper. Like the halfbreed, she gives the drake heads a lingering glance, but despite her current sobriety her analysis of the region is rather feverish. For the longest time, she fixes her eyes on the castle across the way, with particular focus on the entryway. Even longer, though, does she wrap her hands around a balcony and stare down into the 'abyss' of the city below.

    Without a doubt, she is at home here as well, which is something she makes known with a serene sort of smile. Her eyes are perpetually narrowed, as if in lethargy - though in this case a more appropriate word might be 'trance' - as she meanders from place to place, going so far as to stare at the ground beneath her to admire the craftsmanship of each individual stone. Eventually, she returns to the group with a deep, audible breath, resting her eyes as she regards the environment with words.

    "To imagine the people that must have walked here, going about their business, living their lives. To imagine the ghosts that haunt this place without any specters to mark their presence, and to breathe in their laments, their joys, even the celebration on the day each edifice here was first created..." Her eyes peek open, locking on Priscilla a moment more before wandering back to the palace with which she seems so enamored. "... truly, it is everything that I had hoped it would be."

    She offers no more than that, wrapping her arms behind herself to watch the clouds roll by as she waits to follow the group's lead.

Faruja (152) has posed:
This is, in fact, Faruja's first time playing the spirit route of things. The nezumi glows quite golden, the rat stumbling as he's summoned. Tumbling on hands and knees, he'll need a minute.

"Oh dear Lord in Heaven, is /this/ what Espers go through? I owe Shiva an apology." Mutters the rat. Gulp. Must not lose spirit-lunch.

Then he manages to look at the architecture. He's absolutely stunned for a good thirty seconds, gasping aloud.

Then, he finds his voice. "M...magnificent! 'Tis...my, my, my! I couldst stay here and explore and admire for an age! The craftsmanship! The attention to detail! The..."

Faruja looks to the others, and finally realizes how empty it is. Pardon him, he's just a bit slow after all that beauty.

For now? He'll find himself near Mizuki, bowing to the woman, followed by all involved.

"And if such a magnificent city hath been laid to rest, the forces that art responsible art nay doubt Fell to the worst degree. A city of golden light may still cast shadows of deepest darkness and corruption."

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan Hall is, as by now per the norm, glowing white as he emerges from the ground in the summoning process. His first reaction is one of the traditional academic aversion to sudden sunlight, a hand put up, palm out, to block the sun, despite the clouds.

    He takes a long, silent moment to just stare out at the empty city. When he finally does speak up, it's with his usual monotone. "We do not know the circumstances of this change, but we can presume them to be associated with the blight that we are here. Our priority remains the same: Ensure the procurement of the Lordvessel and expedite the restoration it can perform. Focus on this matter... But if you find any chance to determine what has happened here, take it." He says, to those within the group who are so distressed about the state of the world they've arrived at.

    Chris Rothschild's comment is especially given attention. "What Oscar will be doing here is simple. He will be standing out. Just as we do. Keep your eyes out. Now, Priscilla. You recall this place. What areas of importance do you believe may yet provide us the requisite information regarding the procurement of the Lordvessel? The Kingseeker said it was being kept safe here."

Priscilla has posed:
    "It was." Priscilla's response to Reina is simple. "As to what hath transpired, I cannot say. The last I was here was a thousand years ago. It is twice the size of before, and yet infinitely more hollow." She does her best to give Psyber a weak smile. "Even as an empty shell, it is a testament to the powers of those created by the gods. I simply wish thou couldst hath seen it the way it was in mine memory." She turns towards Chris and Shirou as the both of them copy each other by accident. "So it wouldst seemeth. I cannot imagine why their people wouldst move elsewhere when this place is inaccessible to the undead, but there yet may be reasons. As for knight Oscar . . . I do not believeth kingseeker Frampt wouldst lie to us. It is likely that some small representetive of the divines hath stayed behind to ensure this final duty be carried out."

    Priscilla gives Mizuki an incredibly hesitant look. She might be glad that the girl is impressed but . . . "Imagination is well enough, but I wouldst like dearly to see this place returned to the way it was, even if mine stay here was brief." To Faruja "I am not so certain any dark power art responsible for this. The city is untouched. I can think of scarce few reasons the people wouldst flee Anor Longo and none involve no destruction of any sort." And finally Nathan ". . . yes. Yes such is the reason for us being here. The Lordvessel is a treasured heirloom of the divine family. It shouldst be somewhere within this castle, but there art several likely locations. Normally it wouldst be guarded, however if it is meant to be handed down, then . . . perhaps the audience chamber? We shall descend."

    Waving her glowing entourage on, Priscilla begins down the stairs, walking the twisting spiral for long enough that someone might begin to wish for an escalator. The route is long and circuitous, going through a great many halls, intersections, staircases and across balconies and open air bridges. The wing of the castle being passed through seems mostly for habitation, with each and every room furnished in such a way as to make an arabian king jealous, all involving some manner of painting or another; most of either the city, dragons, or depictions of a war. A handful are even sized for humans, involving tables and beds comfortable for someone under 12 feet tall to use, even going so far as to cut out human sized stairs into the sides of the normal ones. Finally coming down to a vast, echoing, grand entryway, the stairs at the far end seem to lead to somewhere important, judging by the enormous double doors currently partway open. Once the group gets halfway there, they can begin to hear sounds coming from within. The distant, misty sounds of clashing steel.

Reina Kinney has posed:
    Reina narrows an eye again at Priscilla's reply, though it's more out of an attempt to hide emotion more than anything. She takes a deep breath and blows it out, before following Priscilla down the stairs. Indeed, Reina does wish there were an escalator or something similar, as her feet begin to complain a little about how much walking they're doing. As they progress, Reina glances around at the scenery, mentally disbelieving what she's seeing. "I can't believe there were people who used this place before. It's so eerie," Reina comments to herself as she continues following Priscilla.

    Once they arrive at the double doors, Reina's eyes narrow in suspicion. She tilts her head and can faintly make out the sound of clashing steel. "Looks like we've got company," Reina comments as she snaps her fingers, causing her sword to materialize in her right hand. Gripping it tightly, she narrows her eyes again, this time in a form of caution as they dart from side to side, trying to detect any possible unpleasant surprises.

Faruja (152) has posed:
Faruja looks to Tomoe, tilting his head. After their last encounter and revelation? She might note him watching her just a bit more.

"Quite." Pause. Rub eye.

"I aught hath brought eyewear." Really, it's /bright/ in here.

Nathan's words get a nod. A succinct enough mission!

Priscilla's words has Faruja rubbing his temple. "Curious. Mmm. Mayhaps I am paranoid yet. Still, then, why...Right, unimportant at the moment. Our prize first, mystery later. Onwards in Faram's name!"

Oh, bloody...spiral staircases. Faruja ends up taking the back, limp-walking his way down slowly enough. It's hard to float properly down these things, after all, and so he has to do it the hard way. Plus he's a little too cautious to just teleport right down. That might end in disaster.

Reina gets Faruja's attention. "Served by a pack of godless heathens or nay, 'tis an absolute /gem/ of artistry, Lady Kinney! Some simply prefer to live in a well-constructed, aesthetically appealing home. Why, back in Mullonde..." Before the rat can rabble on with some story, there's the sound of steel upon steel. Faruja draws his Blaze Gun, and swiftly casts Haste on those nearest him.

"Faram preserve the innocent and righteous!" He, too, remains alert.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    UnCANNY.

    Shirou peers awkwardly at Chris, but stifles the urge to say anything more than, "Oh. You came this time too? Where's Saber?" At least, Chris' Saber. There's only one Saber in Shirou's vocabulary.

    He's otherwise pretty quiet for the adventure thus far. He just makes sure everyone else seems fit for things, and then focuses on not falling down into some kind of horrible bad end. Anor Londo is -really high up.- And doesn't have many guard railings where you'd want them.

    "Trace, on." The boy runs prana through his body, specifically his eyes, Reinforcing them and gaining enhanced sight range. He glances about at any windows for signs of movement or anything interesting... and ends up quite distracted by the sudden sounds of conflict.

    "Don't tell me... is that Oscar?!" He can't think of many other reasons there'd be anyone fighting HERE. Oscar's run into trouble!

Chris Rothschild (283) has posed:
    Shirou receives a shrug. "Had stuff to do."

    As they descend, Chris looks around in silence, quietly alert. With the clashing of steel up ahead, though, he halts in his tracks for a moment - long enough to let the front-liners take the fore and put themselves between him and direct danger.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki gives Priscilla a solemn bow of her head. "Indeed. There is enough silence in my home for me to not mind a little more energy here. But understand, I never saw this city in the 'before' -- only the 'now'. Since I love it in this moment, I cannot rightly yearn for a state of it that I never knew." There's a slight rising at the corners of her mouth. "Even if I may experience sensations of phantom nostalgia, now and then. Mine is such a peculiar form of masochism... but that is digression. This is the present that will allow you to see Anor Londo's streets full of life again." Symbolically, Mizuki's sword flashes into her hand. "... and that is a worthy enough goal for me - rather, for us - to strive toward, I feel."

    Her whimsy at the area never falters, however, making her journey down the stairs far less laborious than it may be for others. There's also the fact that she does not possess muscles that she has a pair of wings to expedite things, though, so her 'artistic investment' is most definitely not the only contributing factor there. Nevertheless, this attitude keeps her 'blissfully' unaware of any dangers around her, at least until she receives a rude awakening on the wrong end of a poleaxe. Thankfully, though, that poleaxe is metaphorical, and continues to be even as they arrive in the grand hall that leads to... well, my my. Another pair of double doors.

    Hearing the sounds of clashing metal, Mizuki's expression tenses, and her mouth shifts noticeably downward. Siiigh.

    "I suppose I should be grateful that this plane afforded me this much time to be wistful, but still, I dearly hope that any confrontation will come to a swift and decisive end. If indeed we are to restore this city to its former liveliness, this could be my only chance to encode it as it currently is." She tightens her grip around her sword and quietly, steathily attempts to alight in front of the doors.

And then she waits for someone to open the door for her. Like a true gentlelady.
I just hope it isn't opened by a dragon's carcass and-or a ball and chain of some variety.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe hold any further comments about the city she's got a job to do. She smiles sadly at Priscilla's desire to share it what it was like when it was alive. TO her a empty city like this, claws at the back of her mind that something's wrong. The people are all dead or have fled and that's never a good to her. She tilts her head for a moment.

"A plague? A curse?"

She keeps moving.

She looks back to Faruja for a moemtn and nods a bit, she does notice he's watching her.

"...we got company lets get to it."

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    "Perhaps." Nathan says, simply, back to Priscilla. And then he follows along. God damn there is a lot of walking to do in this place. And Nathan does it, in his usual shuffling, stoic manner, dragging his eyes over every inch of the grand, breathtaking scenery and luxurious decorations and furnishing as if he were reading a book. And being extremely wary of those stairs. He's been informed by various people at various times that stairs are exceptionally dangerous.

    And then, the clashing. While Nathan may react to it later than most, he reacts to it more directly than the others. "Potentially approaching a combat situation, from the sound of it." He fixes his full attention on it... He's trying to determine the nature of the noise. Is it the chaotic clashing of combat, or the regular clash of Lordran blacksmithing or mechanical devices at work? Attending as such, he says, "Doors are open, noise from beyond. Shirou may be right, Oscar may have had the same idea as us. Advance with caution."

    He signals for his allies to not open the double doors further as he approaches, presumably in order to prevent unneeded noise. He also signals for his allies to take their positions in advancing first, and attempts to get the group to move on, and head past these doors relatively quickly and silently. Time to get in there and see what's going on! You know, assuming Nathan doesn't manage to determine that it's just a harmless godly blacksmith or some ancient machine, in which case he'll be relaying that info.

Priscilla has posed:
    The sounds are definitely that of combat alright. The noises are aryhthmic, loud, come from different distances, and are punctuated by the clanking footsteps of men in armour and the heady rumble of something extremely large and heavy being thrown around. There are no battle cries or spirited sounding strikes. Merely the echoes of heavy breathing and the tense atmosphere of absolute concentration. Priscilla follows quickly behind Nathan, stopping only long enough to benefit from Faruja's haste spell and reply to Shirou. "I cannot imagine who else it couldst be. Either there art intruders in the castle, or else there art some other manner of . . ." She doesn't finish that thought, grunting as she shoves one of the doors aside with only a bare minimum of stealth for the sake of Nathan's feelings. At least she doesn't run right in; abiding by the order to 'advance with caution'.

    The doors do indeed open into somewhere important. The chamber beyond them dwarfs even the grand hall leading up to it, likely able to hold hundreds of people should the situation demand it, though it is completely bare of seating, or any significant features save the pillars tha hold up the domed roof, and a balcony high up at the far end of the room, flanked by a pair of stone platforms clearly meant as lifts of some kind. It seems like the kind of place the pope would address his high priests from. As for the moment, the place is swiftly being reduced to rubble. Oscar seems to have waited for his party to catch up with him rather than going ahead without them, because all six men are currently embroiled in violent combat with a pair of adversaries. Samuel, Adalbert and Sebastian surround a titanic figure in what appears to be solid gold armour; easily as tall as Artorias himself, but enormously fat at the same time, which his ornately sculpted chestpiece only seems to allow, sweeping down into a portly belly. His face is hidden behind a peculiar helmet like a faceless doll wearing a long cowl, and in his hands he grips a hammer with a head so preposterously large it could concievably pancake an entire person lying down beneath it. Rents in his strange armour show that the battle has progressed for some time, but Samuel is bleeding, Sebastian's parrying dagger is still stuck in the being's neck, and Adalbert's shield has been splintered to pieces. Oscar, Cassius amd Indra are lined up against a second foe; smaller than the first. A slim man in segmented platemail just as brilliantly gold as the first figure, with a helmet sculpted like the head of a lion adorned with a red plume, and clutching an oversized ranseur single handed. All three of them have visible injuries, but their opponent appears more or less fine. It's unclear who has the advantage in this particular battle.

    It is the lion-headed figure who notices the intrusion first, and then the three men fighting him who look to see where their opponent's gaze is. Oscar waves on to Cassius, before leaping back into an assault with Indra at his side. The pyromancer sprints the distance to meet the group. A pillar crumbles to pieces as the fat figure's hammer smashes through it completely, sending Adalbert flying. "It's you lot! How did you . . . I mean when did you get . . . oh never mind, this is perfect! You're here to see the Lordvessel right? Well they let us in, but there are these two guards here protecting it against anyone who might want to come and steal it! I think it's supposed to be some sort of test maybe? We couldn't talk it out. I think if we beat them in a fight, they'll let us through! Do you think we could split them up? We've got the fat one pretty much pegged, but the other one wont let us finish him off!" Indra goes skidding past on the marble flooring, sparks flying from his armour as he stumbles to his feet and runs back. "Okay we don't have a lot of time! We were planning on trying to split them right now, so we're going to make a run for it with the fat one! If you can keep the lion here while we do that, we'll be in your debt! You can come carry

Priscilla has posed:
You can come carry the Lordvessel with us if you want!"

    Oscar shouts for Cassius, and the pyromancer gets up; waving to the other half of his group as he runs over. Perhaps simply trusting in the Union, or without any other options, he takes a few more steps, hurls a ball of fire which explodes into a screen of choking smoke, and then Oscar and Indra bolt for it, followed by the rest; rushing past the rotund giant and booking it up the elevator. The armoured fat man leaps for the balcony with a comically light footed jump, stomping after them as they reach a side passage and dash further into the building. The lion head begins to follow after them; taking an unhurried stride as he pointedly ignores the gathered Unionites. As much as one might theorize Priscilla secretly likes Oscar's bunch however, she makes no move to step forward, speaking only in a tone of confusion and worry. "That is . . . the executioner Smough and . . . the dragonslayer Ornstein. Why wouldst a common headsman and the captain of the knights of Gwyn be together in one place? Why is the former now so grand and the latter . . . so much less? I do not understand."

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "Sweet, ass-whipping time," Psyber sing-songs, slapping Nathan on the shoulder, "Hey stay here and don't die. If you die, I'm gonna be like. Really mad. Like... as mad as that time you were when you found out I lost your favorite novel which I'm revealing to you right now before I run off!" Psyber says to Nathan with another shoulder slap before he takes off in a sprint.

    The half-angel already has a weapon out by the time he's done charging. That weapon is his fist. He also already has a target picked out. That target is Ornstein. Independant of all things going on otherwise, since Psyber has no interest in plans or politics at this particular moment, Psyber is charging right towards the Knight of Gwyn in a fierce charge.

    "WHOO WHOO, BITCH! Here comes the PAIN TRAIN," Psyber says, slapping his hands together as he tries to catch Ornstein from the side with a massive running haymaker right to the kneecap. Even barefisted (and yes, Psyber definitely feels the pain from striking an armored man with his bare hand), he's delivering a devastating blow to the Knight.

Reina Kinney has posed:
    When Reina approaches, her senses are on high alert, and it's a good thing too. Because once the doors are opened and she gets a good look at what's going on down there, her eyes narrow and her grip on her sword tightens. "I knew it wasn't going to be that easy." She mutters through gritted teeth. Looking from side to side slightly, she attempts to get a good focus on which target to go after first. "No one's gonna get away!"

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan is immediately moving into action. "Salutations, yes, it is this lot. I understand. We will keep the lion occupied as best we can." And then the backslap from Psyber. "Of course. I would hate to make you angry. Wait, what was that last part?" His monotone is unbroken, but he keeps this matter out of mind for the moment.

    "Right. No time for explanations and talk, then. The smaller one, the lion. We must keep them occupied. Strike immediately; he is attempting to pursue." Psyber is already doing it. "Limit mobility until we can gauge him further." Nathan says, keeping his place near the door. "Attempt to cut his hamstrings, break his legs, anything of that nature. I want him unable to pursue the Chosen and his group." Nathan's own eyes go wide and his glasses hum with a soft white light as he activates his own SCHOLAR MAGIC, attempting to SCAN the body of the smaller man in plate armor for anatomical or magical weakness.

Faruja (152) has posed:
Reeeach! Luckily Nathan said something, as Faruja's hands are already glowing with gravity magic. Why? There's a Lady in need of a door opened. It's /reflex/. Faruja pauses, looks to Mizuki, then back to Nathan. For a brief moment, the male gives a gentleratly /pout/.

He'll get you back for this, Nathan, ruining proper manners with tactical sense.

Which Priscilla promptly opens. There's knights fighting, and Faruja hangs back a moment, not quite sure what to make of it all.

But Oscar's mage friend works things out well enough, and then Psyber is off running.

"SER PSYBER! 'Tis hardly a proper introduction, nor invitation to an honorable battle!" Cough. Ahem!

Ornstein gets a look. Hmm. "Good day! Inquisitor Faruja Senra of the Most Holy Church of Saint Ajora Glabados, at thine service! STAND ASIDE OR BE CRUSHED BY THE RIGHTEOUS FURY OF OUR DIVINE CAUSE!"

With that? Faruja acts on Nathan's advice. Sort of.

Breaking is simple enough. Time to experiment with magical control. Faruja's hands grow black, and he quite simply tries to manifest pinpoint balls of gravity pushing outwards. Where at? Between Ornstein's muscles and bones in his legs, attempting to internally seperate flesh from bone in a particularly forceful, if exact, manner in an attempt to make his legs rather useless.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    "He's gigantic....!" Is the first thing Shirou blurts when he dashes into the ruined chamber. What a horrible mess. But more importantly... hey, it's those people. Those people he thought were dead! No, they definitely are dead... "... The undead don't stay down... heh, so half of my argument was really ignorant." Great. Oh well, he can facepalm at himself later.

    For now... "Trace, on."

    He needs a weapon. Against something like the spear-wielder over there, something simple like Auron's weapon is too big and slow. The Uchigatana is simply not powerful enough in his hands to pierce such armor. The Jian's fighting style makes him a little dizzy, and he can't afford that one bit here.

    ONly one weapon seems appropriate.

    He grips the air as though it were his weapon, and golden light flickers and sizzles up into the shape of a weapon. The hazy image of a crude longsword of ancient make forms in his grasp, corresponding with his mental efforts to reproduce the blade's entire existence. Leather wrappings cover the spiky handle. A thin but sharp blade around a thicker 'core,' and an upswept double-winged 'pommel' as a counterweight. With a final gleam, the weapon's ready to go. Wind gathers idly around it as Shirou hefts the weapon into a ready stance.

    "Yeah. That's what we came to do. Whoever's the Chosen doesn't matter at all to me, as long as the curse is dealt with. And you need help!"

    When the moment is right and nobody's EXACTLY in the way, he swings Kusanagi straight down at a diagonal - sending a somewhat lackluster 'cutting wind' for the golden-armored spearman!

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki lets out another small sigh, getting in to a proper sword stance. Looking back to Priscilla, she posits: "It may be as they say -- another part of the trial. If that is the case, they have likely been waiting here for a long while indeed, meaning that they may well have succumbed to the Dark Sign's madness." She shakes her head. "We can say nothing for certain, but..." Her thoughts drift away as Psyber gets his ass-whooping in gear. Two quick, baffled blinks follow, but not quite so baffled as they have been before; she is getting used to the more 'spirited' types in the Universe, little by little.

    "... but yes, what the good general recommends would likely be the best course of action for the time being." Smirk~. She elects to pester Smough, zipping directly in front of him with some small time manipulation tactics. Once there, she does her utmost to garner attention. "YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE, dear oafish one!" She brandishes her blade, "Yes, look here. That's right. Good. Now --" Assuming she isn't flattened, she would appear behind him this time. "-- HERE, if you would! Yes, now here!" Mizuki would continue on in this fashion, making no attempts on her part to strike at the good(?) executioner, and instead focusing on confusing him for the benefit of other attackers.

    ... and maybe she adds a few quick stabs at his legs here and there. Just to test his defensive capability. She assumes her strikes will be comparable to a mosquito's bite to a giant in effectiveness, but one never knows.

Chris Rothschild (283) has posed:
    There is what is probably a worrying pause in Chris' actions, purely for the fact that he has stopped to /stare/ at Shirou's use of his Servant's signature blade. "...dude, /what/." It's plain even from several feet away that it's not just a visual duplicate - it's a proper replica, even if not a very strong one.

    That's when Chris' brain catches up with the situation. Oh right, /battle/. Kind of important.

    The magus works quickly, fingers dancing upon his PDA, loading a now-familiar spell which provides both flowing, ablative liquid metal armor, and a soft electrical charge that boosts physical parameters (and kind of tingles). Shirou is the first person to receive the spell, and then it's followed shortly by a second to Mizuki.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe has had a lot to take in as they go, this place is impressive but she's on her guard. This feels too much likw Sword Art Online and those are not very happy memories for the most part.It's very impressive but it seems they got company.

She listens for a moment longer she peers at the guards and tilts her head for a moment. She gets the order to go and she's going to go. Tomoe draws her blad and chages with the one handed sword for the Lion-headed one attemping to get it's attention.

"Hey bucket head you want some of this!?"

Priscilla has posed:
    Mizuki manages to get Smough's attention alright. The lumbering executioner pauses from entering the hallway Oscar's group had just run into as the little girl violates his personal space. As is becoming uncannily common with people around here, whatever he thinks of being called 'oafish' is anyone's guess with that creepy looking helmet on. He turns in time with each of her disappearances, spinning and twisting around on the spot to see where exactly she is, and what exactly she's doing. The moment her rapier stabs into the crack of his leg plates however, he instantly lashes out with an alarmingly swift hackhand blow from his hammer; the striking face of which is far wider than Mizuki is tall, aiming to send her crashing into the nearest pillar. Ignoring the pint sized pest for the moment, he charges off into the hallway after his earlier prey, no doubt eager to finish what he had started.

    The man in the lion-faced helmet turns to look at Psyber as he loudly announces his presence, revealing in the act that the helmet actually has no eye-holes. As the half-angel's clenched fists slam down on the knee-plate of his armour, the marble floor crumples with a loud, cracking thump; his leg having slid backwards and his heel having shattered the stone from the force of bracing against such a blow; one that should have smashed a human's leg completely backwards, if not off entirely. Possibly sensing the use of magic, he sends the shattered tiles flying with a soaring leap, letting the wind blade fly past beneath him and putting him well out of range of the pinpoint orbs of black magical gravity framing his previous posture. Practically gliding through the air, he twists into a somersault, lands at the far end of the room without such much as bending his knees from the fall, turns, and then of all things, inclines his head towards the group. A ceremonial bow. It looks like they won't have to try and keep him here by force. He intends to fight the new challengers regardless.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q05R_nv4f4c

    The instant Tomoe brandishes her blade, Ornstein seems to vanish; screeching across the massive hall so fast that it kicks up a roaring gale of wind. He reappears in front of her so fast that it almost looks as if he had teleported; midway through the motion of a wheeling kick at the side of her head with enough force to put her completely through the nearest pillar. Swinging the haft of his spear around, he snaps the weighted end in a bone-breaking horizontal sweep fit to take Shirou's head straight off his shoulders, and slams one of the pointed parrying flukes at Faruja's chest, aiming to cave his ribs in with one blow. In a blur of motion, he sweeps for Reina's legs, grabs at her face, and then attempts to slam her head first against the giant doors. The bladed edge of his spear makes a blurring silver arc through the air into Chris' midsection, and then the blunt side smashes into Priscilla's shoulder, knocking her flat against the floor before she can so much as utter a single word. Everyone by the door has been attacked in the space of a heartbeat, all in such a way as to kill or cripple a human being. Flying several meters backward with a single hop, he spins halfway so that he can face both the larger group to his left, and Psyber and Mizuki on his right; silently waiting for their counterattack.

Priscilla has posed:
    Nathan's SCAN finds the following: Ornstein is incredibly well protected against just about all forms of physical attack, and even moreso against holy attacks, and elemental magic. His physical prowess is not quite off the charts, but his absurd level of speed stems from being actually that strong rather than any sort of supernatural effect. His spear in particular appears to be affixed with an extremely high level of enchantment, and is storing a great deal of power unlikely to be used in a passive manner

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "Good! Now that I have your attention!" Psyber says in a firm tone, dusting off his hands after the opening attack. He then bows back to Ornstein and lifts up his hands into a boxing pose, "I do not want to kill you. You should be aware that I am the Champion of the Arena, and the man who defeated The Legend himself in single combat. Combat here would be fruitless!"

    "I merely seek audience with you, not combat. May we set down our arms and have candor?" Psyber says, spreading his arms out wide in an inviting fashion that he learned from his last match in the arena. Psyber rocks back and forth on his feet a bit, wagging his hand and finger back and forth, "I don't see the point in fighting if we don't have to."

    He shrugs his shoulders, "Or can you at least tell me why we're fighting?"

Faruja (152) has posed:
It might not be the /first/ time Faruja's seen something that utterly kicks his world view off the cliff, but, Shirou's summoning of the strange wind-sword is an utterly unexpected one. And for once, he can't even shout Heresy at the top of his lungs to feel better.

Magic, simply, is an expenditure. Use mana, apply a bit of will, use the right formulas and arcane theory? You get an effect. Simple at it's basics. What you dont' do is get more than you expend. And that sword spills out more magic than one Shirou should possess. The glance that Faruja gives the young man is utterly suspicious and definitely a bit paranoid. A hand almost brings that weapon around on /him/ before Faruja stops himself. Concentrating, he lets out a breath. There's no sickness in his being, no feelings of corruption he can notice, at least without Gaze active.

Still, something he'll have to investigate.

But later. Right now? There's a proper foe before them! His attack is neatly dodged, the male frowning lightly. "Mmm. Note, work further upon time dialation and warping during spell casting." He mutters to himself. But then the man is bowing.

Ornstein is met with a deep bow in turn.

"MAY YE FIGHT HONORABLY, GOOD SER!" Finally, an opponent with /manners/.

The speed of Orenstien is impressive, and only a reflexive teleport and plate armor save Faruja's chest. CRUNCH! Metal and bone alike cracks as the rat blinks away, and is tossed straight into a wall. CRACK! Faruja falls into a pile of stone and bindings as he spits up blood, dazed for a moment.

Rather than trying to get up, the male raises a hand. A muttered incantation, and a sizable rock comes shooting down from above to try to smash into Ornstein, the Comet spell at least far less likely to incur friendly fire.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Holy CRAP Ornstein is fast.

    Kusanagi moves with the speed of a gale to meet the lightning. It moves so fast that Shirou's limbs can't quite keep up and it drags a great grunt from the redhead, whose arms ACHE from the effort.

    CLAAAAAAAAAAAANG! The strike's held back, but only barely. Cracks appear in Kusanagi's blade, and Shirou does the smart thing with that half-second his Projection bought him.

    He collapses and tumbles. Kusanagi shatters into hundreds of pieces with the sound of shattering and crushed glass. The prana that made up its image simply disperses into nothingness.

    But Shirou tumbles about, gets back to his feet. His arm's almost NUMB from the impact, but he'll just have to ignore it.

    This time, he'll do a better job. A sword that should've taken any blow broke to pieces... "That damned mistake again." Tch. He really needs to practice this one more.

    With another flare of energy already in his grasp as Shirou stands again, he spots the attack on Chris - "Look out!"

    For the moment, SHirou doesn't counterattack. But he WILL, however, move to guard Chris if he survives the attack, while focusing on tracing Kusanagi better this time. It'll take longer, though...

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Holy CRAP Ornstein is fast.

    Kusanagi moves with the speed of a gale to meet the lightning. It moves so fast that Shirou's limbs can't quite keep up and it drags a great grunt from the redhead, whose arms ACHE from the effort.

    CLAAAAAAAAAAAANG! The strike's held back, but only barely. Cracks appear in Kusanagi's blade, and Shirou does the smart thing with that half-second his Projection bought him.

    He collapses and tumbles, while at the same time his body starts weirdly tingling and armor appears over it, softening the blow. Kusanagi shatters into hundreds of pieces with the sound of shattering and crushed glass. The prana that made up its image simply disperses into nothingness.

    But Shirou tumbles about, gets back to his feet. His arm's almost NUMB from the impact, but he'll just have to ignore it.

    This time, he'll do a better job. A sword that should've taken any blow broke to pieces... "That damned mistake again." Tch. He really needs to practice this one more.

    With another flare of energy already in his grasp as Shirou stands again, he spots the attack on Chris - "Look out!"

    For the moment, SHirou doesn't counterattack. But he WILL, however, move to guard Chris if he survives the attack, while focusing on tracing Kusanagi better this time. It'll take longer, though...

    "Whatever you did, it feels awesome, Chris! That guy's completely inhuman..."

Reina Kinney has posed:
    Reina's legs are hit and she goes down to the ground. "AGH!" She cries out, then looks up just in time to see something grabbing for her face. "Oh Falz!" She yells out, attempting to pull back as best as she can while pointing at Ornstein and yells out, 'ZONDE!' This sends forth a blast of lightning that will hopefully give Reina a little breathing space for a few moments.

Chris Rothschild (283) has posed:
    "Oh /shit/-!" Chris hurls himself back in what 'alarm' would be an inadequate descriptor for. He was not expecting the lion-helmed spearman to move so impossibly /fast/, and the sudden stumble backwards is one of pure startled self-preservation. It proves successful in that it saves him from being split open, but unsuccessful in that the tip of the spear still catches him enough to slice right through his shirt and open a gash in his abs. He lets out a growl of surprised pain and scrambles to his feet, his first order of business to see to his own wound.

    The spell he uses is a modified version of the quicksilver armor; instead of flowing as a defensive skin, it settles into the wound and bonds with it, holding it closed and electrically sterilizing. It is 'temporary HP' at best, but it will let him work for now. His next move is to toss a similar spell Shirou's way, one which will seek out any wounds and 'repair' them similarly, independent of the quicksilver armor already present.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
Pulling her blade back to herself after that attempted jab at Smough, Mizuki...

-- oh crap that's a hammer.

    Smough isn't exactly the textbook example of a person whom you would expect to have lightning reflexes, so the strike from the executioner hits head on. The dream witch goes spiralling into the most coveniently placed pillar nearby, her arms stretched out as if they were making a 'V' (praise the sun!). The stone ornament cracks and dust goes flying, and a number of seconds pass before the girl finally peels herself away and falls to the tiled floor face first. As quickly as she can, she assumes another dignified pose, brushing herself off and giving her bangs a little flick.

    "WELL." She resummons her blade into her hand from whatever lonely corner of the room it had likely slid in to after that last skirmish. "You aren't exactly the most gracious of hosts, are you? I have to say, you are only confirming my preference for the quiet, empty iteration of Anor Londo that I have had the privilege of seeing this evening." She launches herself off of the ground aided by her wings, wincing just a bit from some leftover pain. "I would have it return to that state as soon as possible." She notices an unusual stillness in Ornstein out of the corner of her eye afterward, deciding in that moment to pause rather than dashing straight for Smough. She takes a breath... and contemplates.

    The executioner has reflexes that exceed her expectations, but then, so does Ornstein. If she went in for a mad dash, she would probably be intercepted, and this time she might not come back from it. Heeding an earlier warning from Amalthea, she would prefer not to die, so she defaults to another of her favorite tricks: She attempts to conjure a two pairs of concentrated stasis fields, one group of two for each of the fighters. She attempts to lock them around their feet, while attempting to place herself somewhere out of Ornstein's reach. Smough didn't seem all that interested in her, but if this works as planned, she may yet have the opportunity to -make- him interested.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan keeps to where Psyber told him to stay, staying out of the way of that horrible slaughterfest that is the Dragonslayer's striking efforts. "His speed appears to arise from sheer physical strength. His weapon is /heavily/ enchanted. We need to /halt his momentum/." His mind races as the others initiate their first counterattack. When they're all set into action, he speaks up, calling out over the radio in his traditional emotionless, stoic monotone. This will be the PLAN OF ACTION he proposes for the group to take on the next round, of course, after the dragonslayer retaliates.

    "Shirou, focus on guarding Chris; ensure he does not appear vulnerable. Chris, when you are finished with Mizuki, work to enhance Psyber and Tomoe. Psyber, if he does not step down, I need you to bear one of his strikes and /halt his momentum/. Tomoe, you are a 'tank'; if Psyber moves to do this, I need you ready to assist him and do the same, but be ready to back up Shirou /immediately/ if needed. Reina, Mizuki, Priscilla, Shirou, strike as soon as they manage to halt his momentum, and Faruja, cover them from range and enhance their attack however you can."

    "His counterattacks target vitals and go for one-hit disables; be primarily prepared to dodge or guard against one single, harsh strike that immediately follows up on the one that was attempted on an ally shortly before."

Priscilla has posed:
    To Psyber's credit, talking their way out of things had worked out pretty well so far for the Union. His opponent is clearly intelligent and capable of recognizing faces and speech. If anyone should remember, this man was supposedly Artorias' captain in times long past, and the abysswalker is certainly capable of diplomacy himself, even if the lion headed knight seems strangely smaller and has less of a presence in this doomed future of Lordran. For the first time however, discourse yields no results. Master of the arena or not, Ornstein meets Psyber's gaze, looks upward to the grand doors at the top of the balcony, from where some powerful figure no doubt emerges to address his subjects, and then shakes his head; silently gesturing towards the direction Smough had chased the others with his spear.

    One of Ornstein's most famous legends, coincidentally, is that his spear can split boulders in two. Such is the case when Faruja casts the comet spell, as the dragonslayer, half-turns, skewers the miniature meteorite, and then smashes it clean in half with a flick of his wrist; still with only one hand on the weapon. Turning again, he levels the point of the ranseur in Reina's direction, and takes the zonde tech straight on. The bolt of lightning strikes the hefty bladed head, and then seems to fade into the weapon; absorbed with a crackle of electricity and a flash of yellow light. As the stasis fields lock in place around his feet, he swings the spear to face Mizuki, and then discharges a thunderbolt vastly more powerful than the one absorbed; filling the chamber with an echoing boom and the scent of ozone. Tossing the weapon between his hands, he levels one out for Priscilla, only to pause as he realizes she's vanished from the spot. For a moment, it appears as if he will simply assume she had fled, but then the tip of his spear flashes gold once again, and a coruscating spiderweb of electrical arcs fly out in the Unionite's direction, striking indiscriminately as part of a wide area barrage.

    Smough seems to trundle to a near-halt, letting out strangely warped grunts as he powers on through it, attempting to overcome the magic through sheer physical force. As soon as he clears the corner, he is immediately engulfed in an explosion of fire, and then drowned out by a cascade of manly battle cries as Oscar's group pours onto him from around the blind angle, knocking him out of view with Samuel's spear in his armpit and Adalbert's greatsword lodged in his belly. The sounds of smashing steel and stone rumble on into the distance.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe pauses for a moment as the thing vanishes, wait what? Where did oit go? She lokks trying to track it and it catches Tomoe off guard the hit's so brutal, she does go through the pilalr with a crash, and well her body's heavily looking like a screwed up wireframes. She's down for the moment and tryin to get up it wasn't enough to stop her but her HP bar littly just lost about half it's total and Tomeo isn't looking good as she's trying to get up.

Faruja (152) has posed:
Frown. Seeing a comet cut in half is a rare thing, and Faruja shakes his head. "Nay bloody ordinary knight, this one. Mmm. Wonder if he might find religion." Oh, the things he could accomplish with Ornstein under his command. He tries to not salivate at the though too much. Helps that his ribs feel /far/ too numb right now.

An ear perks, and he nods to Nathan. "A sound enough plan."

With that? Faruja first incants, Reina, Priscilla, Shirou, and Mizuki all doused with time-warping effects of a powerful Haste 2 spell. Unlike the first incantation, the world might pass almost maddeningly slowly, seconds seeming minutes around them, even as those within might feel themselves moving normally.

Then, another spell, and an emerald-green creature poofs into being. The Esper carbuncle lands on Faruja's head, turns and looks with horror upon his summoner's injuries. Faruja waves a hand, and the tiny creature turns. Hopping up on two legs, and doing a little dance, a protective shield of green magic would form around those he cast upon, the magic harder than mithril.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Thankfully, it sounds like Oscar's group has Smough covered, so Mizuki can release the energy she was focusing in his direction and turn it instead toward Ornstein. Which is exactly what she does -- heeding Nathan's suggestions, she sets up three larger quickening fields between her and Ornstein, trusting that someone else present will have limited his movement. In that moment, Chris's aid also takes effect, endowing Mizuki with renewed energy and heightened strength that could make her next strike all the more effective. And on top of Faruja's haste buffing? This... should be interesting.

    Holding her sword aloft and giving a few flaps of her wings, she positions herself in front of her line of speed 'gates' and... rushes. With each one she passes through she gains even more momentum on top of what Faruja has already giving her, making it seem like Mizuki warps directly to Ornstein. If this hits in any capacity, even a graze, it would probably open up opportunities for others at the least, and do some considerable damage at the most. So it's all in the placement -- if Ornstein moves at any point before or after she passes through the quick bubbles, it would really complicate things.

    But she goes for it anyway, unleashing a lash of three-some bullets with her revolver as she speeds through for a passing slash at his right leg, or maybe even his torso if she gets lucky.

Chris Rothschild (283) has posed:
    With a moment to breathe, Chris can work a bit more frantically, and work he does. Hall has a plan, Hall /always/ has a plan, and it's usually a pretty good one. So, first; Tomoe needs to be on her feet and hitting hard.

    Her HP gauge will suddenly begin to refill as a quicksilver healing spell hits her; if the ALO display has any way to differentiate 'temporary' HP from the permanent sort of healing, that's what her bar displays. It's followed shortly thereafter by his signature quicksilver armor, which both boosts her damage resistance /and/ her attack speed and power.

    Just a few moments thereafter, he does the same for Psyber, flinging out the quicksilver armor to boost the angel per Nathan's directions. However, once he's done, Chris drops to one knee, panting a little. So many heavy-duty spells in a short space of time is like sprinting hard.

Faruja (152) has posed:
Faruja is also met by lightning-webs that he is in no way able to dodge! BZZZZZZZTTTTT! Faruja convulses, twitches, and is even lightly sizzling. His fur and hair look like some horrid combination of a dog after being blow-dried, and a person wearing one strange, big afro. R.I.P. Faruja's dignity.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Well fine, if you're not gonna talk about this one, Psyber's just gonna do what he likes to do best. Brawl with people.

    Psyber shrugs again, "Fine, guy. Don't say I didn't offer you the chance, here." Psyber notes, swinging his fist backwards into the pillar next to him. In this continuity, bosses aren't the only ones that can abuse breakable terrain. Psyber's fist cleanly swipes through the base of a destructable pillar before the half-angels spins and then grabs it with both hands, grunting with effort as he hoists the ponderous weapon upwards.

    With another grunt of herculean effort, Psyber swings the pillar up over his head, trying to bring it straight down on Ornstein and shatter it over him. The boosts from Chris are REALLY showing through here, letting him swing the pillar harder and faster than even he would normally be able to.

Reina Kinney has posed:
    At first Reina thinks she's going to be crushed by that spear. That is, until she gets buffed by Faruja, and she finds herself moving a bit faster than before. She dashes out of the way in the nick of time and lands in a crouched position, grinning while giving a thumbs up to Faruja. "So this is what it feels like to have too much caffeine," Reina says with a grin. She then decides to switch her tactics up a little. "Why don't you cool it a little?" Reina calls out while sending forth a freezing blast.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    As all of the power fills Shirou, from the magic he can feel Chris bestowing and then his senses sharpening so quickly that the world is moving at a crawl, the 'amateur' magus can almost breathe a sigh of relief. Nathan's plan seems solid, the durable and powerful Psyber's front and center for this, and now... NOW he has lots, and lots of extra time.

    He uses that time, alright. With his nerves a bit calmer and his mind more focused, he redoes some of the existent projection - no, really, he starts over. His entire seven-step process, he'll repeat it without error. "Ghhhhh....!!!"

    Even with lots of time to spend and ensure the process is of higher quality this time around, it's a terrific strain on his mind. No matter how suited his Magic Circuits are for this act, he's inexperienced with this heretical procedure, and Kusanagi is by no means an easy thing to replicate.

    But when the lightshow is over, another copy of the weapon's readied in his grasp. This one brims with even MORE energy than the last - for most meanings of the word, it's even more 'real' than the last one. Certainly, this Projection is of higher quality, and can take a few hits without worry.

    As if to prove this, the wind gathers around the weapon in a tighter gale this time, as opposed to the lackluster billowing from earlier. As the shape is clearer and truer, its signature ability has grown closer to the original's as well.

    "If he comes this way I'll definitely knock him off course. You focus on your Magecraft!" Shirou takes a stance out before Chris.

    It's something almost resembling one his Servant might use with this blade, though not quite.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan's involvement here is mostly at a finish until he can see the results of his plan. Speaking of the dragonslayer, the sudden rush of electricity causes Nathan himself to rush back into cover, covering his head and retreating behind the door's open section again as bolts of electricity rush by him, singeing him and keeping him from watching closely while the barrage of saturation fire is applied to the Unionites on the door-side.

    For now, Nathan decides, he's going to keep quiet and back behind the door while this happens. Hopefully his plan gets executed and turns out well all on its own.

Priscilla has posed:
    Ornstein reacts to Mizuki first, momentarily distracted by her suicide rush, preventing him from bombarding the casters any further. Heaving each foot out of their respective stasis fields, he plants his legs far apart into a bracing stance, deflects all three bullets with a complex flourish of his spear, and then lunges for Mizuki the instant she levels out with him. The resulting motion is too quick to see, actually kicking up a rumbling sonic boom from the tip of his spear. Sparks fly from his armoured leg, intermingling with drops of what are distinctly blood, but the tradeoff is an opportunity to ram the head of his polearm straight through Mizuki's chest, using her own momentum against her. Swinging the haft as such to either toss her to the side, or knock her out of the way without a clear impalement, he spins just in time to see Psyber heft the massive pillar over his head, finally gripping his spear with both hands and bracing the haft over his head; cracking the pillar in half where the gigantic chunk of stone strikes the enchanted metal. The floor craters beneath the force of the blow; blood spurting from the wound in his calf as the shock from the impact exacerbates the injury.

    The counterattack subsided, Ornstein takes his chance to capitalize on the opening. Whizzing through the air like a bullet, he smashes into the floor at Psyber's feet and brings his spear around in a blindingly fast arc through the half-angel's midsection. Not even pausing to appraise the damage, his weapon becomes a glittering blurr of gold and silver; stabbing, thrusting, swinging and slicing in a screeching whirlwind around Psyber, finally deciding him to be the most dangerous target, and dedicating himself to utterly demolishing him with overwhelming ferocity and speed.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    There's the sound of tearing flesh, even in spirit form, as the first strike opens Psyber up and spills blood in a crimson splashing arc. The half-angel stumbles backwards in pain and then brings up his arms in a defensive stance. The whirlwind of strikes opens deep, cutting lacerations as the blows land over and over, digging deep wounds across his body. The saving grace of this form is that layer of armor that Chris put on him only moments before blunting enough of the damage to keep him from being despawned in his current form.

    But then they stop, suddenly, and the spear refuses to move. That is because Psyber found the opening he needed. Two hands grip the spear, one on the blade, oozing blood onto the surface while the other is around the shaft of the spear just below the blade, "When I told you that we could talk this out, I think you were laboring under a misconception. And that's that I didn't wanna fight you because I thought you could beat me. And that is incorrect. It's because I don't want to kill you."

    Psyber's eyes flare red, even through the blue spirit. He slams a foot down on the ground, cracking the floor under him as he swings Ornstein and the spear like a hammer, trying to slam him full force into a nearby pillar before letting him go flying into a wall. It's after the release that Psyber staggers a bit.

    And then he falls over backwards, slamming against the floor of the room and bouncing once before his spirit starts to dissolve into blue particles that float up into the air.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    This night, Mizuki has finally seen Anor Londo, the stuff of her dreams for the past several weeks. But can that sate her curiosity for an evening? Well, it might have to -- Ornstein is anything but unprepared as she comes rushing forward, and even though she was able to buy time for Psyber to rush in, this doesn't look good. At speeds far too fast for even the most versed of fighter pilots to manage properly, she rushes in... and is impaled by Ornstein's spear. Her eyes go wide and her pallor goes white as death, enough so that it stands out even in her spectral form.

    There's not much else to say, really. As the others come rushing in in the wake of Psyber's dispatch, her eyelids gradually draw closed, and a gentle swirl of grey flecks floats its way up into the air.

So, long story short?


SHE DIED.

Faruja (152) has posed:
"MIZUKI!" Seeing the wonderfully eloquent Time Lady die to Ornstein's spear sparks rage in Faruja's heart.

"PERISH! BE CONSUMED BY HIS VENEANCE, SLAYER OF THE INNOCENT! TO THE ABYSS WITH THEEEEE!"

Even as Psyber wars with the man, Faruja begins to cast. And cast. And cast. Arcane words spill from his muzzle, filled with hate, and veneance, and pure rage. Comets descend as though an avalanche has started from above, the rat venting his fury in a desperate attempt to overwhelm and shatter the great knight before him.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe is moving to get back on her feed she finds her HP bar going back up, this is good ans a lot of the wireframe damage vanishe as the Salamander gets back to her feet.

"So...your actually a challenge! GOOD! It shows those who left you behind were far from stupid!"

She really owes Chris one she will be thanking him later. She gets the idea the HP is temporary HP. It's a mechanic she knows quite well from her life tanking in MMORPGs. That thought makes her feel a bit sad, did she waste time escaping from reality like that.

There's no more time to doubt as she's back up now and going into the fight. She's not quick enough to stop Psuber form going down. She snaps and just goes after the guardian whom did it. She lets out a wordless war cry and is just intent to stay in their face and rip into them. She's not lost control her strikes are clearly being thought out before they land. Also seriously Comets are going to make this interesting...do those things have friendly fire? She has no idea.

Reina Kinney has posed:
    Watching as two of her allies fall, Reina cries out in shock and disbelief. Then the disbelief turns to anger as she glares at her opponent. "You monster! You'll learn what happens when you piss me off!" Meanwhile, her fox-like MAG, Ryulikon, has been moving up and down like crazy, indicating it's synchronized with her. With that, Reina holds her hand out and a weird symbol appears in front of it. Then, numerous surges of lightning fly from her hand and aim at Ornstein.

Faruja (152) has posed:
The Comets, unlike Espers, are very much friendly fire. Faruja's not exactly being reasonable right now.

Chris Rothschild (283) has posed:
    In the blink of an eye, in the act of disabling the dragonslayer, two of their number are downed.

    Chris's 'resting asshole face' becomes a true scowl, his fingers flying across that little PDA of his to string together another spell of his. Getting real tired of the ongoing hassle of that ridiculous speed, he has decided to take Nathan's advice in the best way he's capable.

    Making it easier for /others/ to kill Ornstein's speed.

    The spell of rust he flings at the dragonslayer's legs is the strongest he can manage. It contains every ounce of power he can spare without taking him out of the battle or even killing him outright. If he can weaken the armor such that it comes apart, that it cracks or buckles under the stress of movement and fouls Ornstein's speed - and at the same time stops being able to protect him from further attacks - then he will be more than satisfied.

Faruja (152) has posed:
Where has Carbuncle been all this time? Likely sitting upon Nathan's head. He seems like the smart one. The little emerald creature alternatively shakes his head in utter sadness at his summoner's fury, and a little bit of terror at so much violence.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    He has a moment. With Ornstein so dedicated at tearing into PSyber and everyone bringing everything about that they have, Shirou has his chance.

    As if in agreement, the longsword he grasps looses raging winds. now's his chance.

    "HOWL, KUSANAGI NO TSURUGI!" Its true name is called.

    Thankfully, among Noble Phantasms, this one isn't totally unsuited for his low prana levels. Its ability can nicely scale down to how much energy he can pump into it. And Shirou pumps in almost every bit of spare Prana he has.

    As its true name is called, the weapon unleashes a tremendous razor current for Ornstein. The strike's passage is enough to scour the very ground clean of rubble, shredding chunks of pillars into even tinier chunks!

Priscilla has posed:
    Having given half of his power long ago to the executioner smough, the once renowned dragonslayer Ornstein is perhaps past his prime. Even so, in this state, in this castle he has destroyed generations of famous warriors from all over the world; obliterating centuries of the most powerful adversaries in existence in wait of the day someone would finally prove themselves worthy of the Lordvessel. In all that time, not once had his spear ever been stopped. Not against the toughest hide, the strongest armour, the sturdiest structure, and most certainly not in the hands of another; not even the massive drakes that now fill the halls with their severed heads. For the first time ever, the knight is locked in a silent struggle for control of his weapon; the haft clattering in his armoured hands as he strains against Psyber's immense strength. A static grapple without momentum on his side is not his strong suit, and so it is the best he can do to simply fight against the half-angel. The tiles crack and splinter as the heels of his golden boots strain against them; each split of marble causing him to slide further and further, inch by inch, until finally, his stance slips free of the floor entirely, and he is sent crashing through several feet of stone and hurled bodily across the entire grand chamber; denting the masonry as he crumples with his back to the wall.

    Somehow, it doesn't look like that quite killed him. Planting the butt of his spear against the floor tiles with a resounding clang, Ornstein staggers to his feet, slowly renewing his stance as Mizuki and Psyber both fizzle out of existence, just in time to meet Tomoe's charge. With blood pooling from the wound in his leg and most certaintly several broken bones, the dragonslayer's movements are noticeably slower than before, with perceptible gaps inbetween rather than blurring into an impossible to visualize stream of metal. Spear clashes against sword, and then both become a furious dance of exploding sparks and crackling bolts of lightning as the two simply go at each other; Tomoe finally able to keep pace by virtue of Faruja's and Chris' high powered buffing spells. Her vastly accelerated blade cleaves into his armour, scarring through the gold metal at his upper arms and the hanging plates over his thighs, drawing blood every few swings. Blow for blow however, he trades with Tomeo, smashing the spiked flukes of his ranseur into her body and driving the bladed end through her for every wound he takes.

    Then his armour breaks entirely. The latches and buckles holding the burnished metal to the dragonslayer's legs, after a solid minute of fighting, finally corrode and fall to pieces, scattering plates all over the floor, leaving only the bloodied maille underneath. One backstep plants his foot on a stray piece of armour, and the knight slips, swinging his spear with both hands like a baseball bat to fling Tomoe away as he stumbles. The bolts of lightning from Reina catch him head on, momentarily obscuring him in an explosive cloud of smoke from the stone vapourized by the attack, but the bolts seem to channel downward and crackle into the floor as they strike him, owing to his previously demonstrated affinity for that element. He staggers out of the smoke in time to intercept one of Faruka's comets with a brutal slash of his spear, but then becomes pinned down under the blistering fusillade that follows it up; bleeding profusely even as he blasts rock after rock out of the air with alternating bolts of divine thunder and jackhammer thrusts of his weapon. So preoccupied is he with defending himself, that the amped up blade of roaring wind let loose by kusanagi strikes him dead on in the side, splitting his chestplate almost in half and launching him from the ground. The dragonslayer sails through the air for a few, short moments, and then violently plummets straight to the floor into the largest crater yet, as if hit by a vertically descending train. Priscilla abruptly pops back into existence, at her full, deific size, with the blunt end of her sc

Priscilla has posed:
    with the blunt end of her scythe pinning Ornstein beneath it like a hammer; the crossbreed having waited in accordance with Nathan's strategy before striking with both mage's support spells still active.

    The dragonslayer finally goes still; spear clattering from his grasp as Priscilla lifts her scythe. Before there is time for a moment of quiet however, the sounds of spirited yelling and smashing metal carry out from the balcony once again, this time from the opposite sound. The racket grows louder and louder by the second, until the upper wall explodes open with the great, golden bulk of the executioner flying through it; sailing over the platform and crashing into the ground so hard that spiderweb cracks shoot out across the floor for meters around. Indra's and Sebasian's swords are sticking out of the burly monster of a man's back, but it is Oscar with both feet between his shoulders, and his blade straight through the mask-like helmet. As his companions pour out of the opening to join him, the Astoran knight slides from his perch and thumps to the ground, pushing himself into a seated position as Smough's body begins to ripple, fade, and then turn to glittering white dust blowing away on an ethereal wind. The weapons lodged in him clatter to the ground all at once, leaving behind nothing but a silent, floating ball of flame. Unlike the pallid white of the other souls the Union phantoms had been seeing along their journey, this one is a faint, flickering amber, as if somehow burning hotter than the others. Several seconds pass, but Ornstein's body doesn't seem to do the same. Is he still alive?

    "Incredible! They actually did it!" Adalbert breaks the silence, before swiftly being cut off by Cassius. "Well of course they did! I mean look at them! Told you we could trust them!" The pyromancer claps his hand to the rotundly armoured man's shoulder, giving him a good natured shake. Indra moves only to take the platform down and retrieve his katana. Sebastian seems fine with leaving his sword there for now, instead whispering something to Samuel in a conspiratorial tone, whereupon the older man breaks into a snorting chuckle. Oscar takes one look to the destruction that has befallen the once grand chamber, and then gets to his feet, leaving his gear where it lays for the moment as he tiredly trudges over to everyone else. "I should have known a fellowship so accomplished as you would find a way here, and I couldn't be more glad. It was far beyond anything you had to do in aiding us here, especially after the . . . unkind things I had to say last we met. Truly I couldn't have any better fortune than to be surrounded by people like these." He looks both to the Union, and to his allies waving from the upper balcony, before jerking his thumb towards the giant doors on the top floor. "What say you?" He looks up at Priscilla in particular. "Let's see this through, shall we?"

Faruja (152) has posed:
Faruja uses his cane to slowly lever himself up painfully. Carbuncle fades. He glances to the prone form of the knight that had fought beyond any he had ever seen. Anger urges him to burn the man's body to ash in vengeance for Psyber and Mizuki.

He takes a deep breath, and stuffs his weaponry in as inconvenient a spot as he can just to resist the urge. Ainsley's words come back to him. Protect. That is his essence. To protect, rather than to simply destroy.

Still, his fury is hardly abated. As he passes the fallen knight? Kick! The nezumi kicks the man right in the knee.

"Honorless knave! Be bloody happy 'tis naught but a shade of ourselves. Else I wouldst reduce ye to cinders for slaying a girl! REPENT!" Kick! Then? He's following towards the location of the Lordsvessel, leaning heavily and cursing all the while.

Chris Rothschild (283) has posed:
    It takes a good few seconds before Chris can do anything but lean against the nearest piece of masonry and breathe heavily. That spell took a lot out of him.

    However, in the meanwhile, he does lift an arm and, without looking, flash a thumbs-up in Oscar's general direction.

Reina Kinney has posed:
    Once her Photon Blast is completed, Reina drops to the ground onto one knee. She gasps for air, having drained most of her energy. She does look up and give a nod and a grin to Oscar, knowing that he helped big time. After that, she continues to catch her breath, letting her technique power restore.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
===========================Back at the Clock Tower============================

    Mizuki jolts up from a red couch in a large red room, breathing heavily under the illumination of a majestic stained glass window pane. She panics for a time, grabbing at the cushions that litter the couch for comfort before two girls, one with pink hair and the other silver, meander over to her and help calm her down. Only then is she able to realize what had transpired, and that she was, in fact, home. Her breathing gradually quiets afterwards and her hand moves to massage her forehead.

    She takes her own, good time to recover, consoling herself with a warm glass of tea and the comfort of a thin blanket provided by one of the aforementioned sisters. It was exactly as excruciating and surreal as Amalthea had claimed it would be, that's for sure. But she still forces a smile and nods to herself to confirm that it would still make a good 'reflection' in spite of everything. Yes... if nothing else. Was this a part of what she had meant when she was talking things over with Psyber? Even she isn't sure at the moment, but... well, she's forgetting something, isn't she? Even if she doesn't necessarily have to return to the fight, there are some messages that she needs to send. In time she conjures a sort of magical interface - her substitute for a radio - and tunes it to the channel that the others still in Priscilla's world would be listening to.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    With all that energy pumped into the Noble Phantasm's last attack, SHirou is in a similar state to Chris. He staggers and wobbles, barely comprehending events hapening around him. In fact, he's forced to lean on the sword, which proves a bad idea as it soon shatters. Using its special ability was asking too much of a weapon he projected. He's got a long way to go before this becomes reliable.

    But it sure is useful, that's undeniable.

    "Mizuki... and Psyber... are they alright?!" he chokes out, despite the trouble he's having just looking UP. His whole body's on FIRE and sizzling from within, thanks to the strain he just put his Magic Circuits through. They're still getting used to being USED PROPERLY.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan considers the body of Ornstein, peeking out from behind the door. He advances, to the group, giving a few nods of greeting. There's a moment where he looks at the corpse that Ornstein's left behind, and then to Priscilla - she can sense life, can't she? - before staring for a moment at the downed form. The others might be kicking him, Nathan just sort of gives the body a look that says, without expression or words, 'don't get up if you're still alive, we're done with fighting here'.

    Then he's back to talking to Oscar. "Salutations." He shakes his head. "What you said before is water under the bridge, as they say. As I have said before, we owe you many favors for your assistance, and so to help you and your companions in this effort is something you can certainly expect us to try. I am simply happy we have both found success in this. It is good to see that there will be no delays in retrieving the Lordvessel. If you will give us just a moment to ensure our dead companions may be re-summoned?"

    Hopefully Priscilla can handle that. Nathan is quietly very, very glad that the relations with Oscar are so thoroughly repaired, though, and he's doing his best to encourage that. "We should see this through, in any case. No sense leaving it unguarded now." Nathan will follow along with Oscar up the elevator, and won't embarrass himself using his noodlearms on those doors before heading right in alongside the friendly group.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe is seeing the enemy is still up buit she's manage to charge and get him she doesn't like somethings but she's not in a veyr good mood. Kotome is able to keep up with them thanks to the help form her allies as well. She owes Faruja and now Chris doubly so, she move in and keeps attakcint however she does stop her attacks when the enemy seems to be down and staying so.

Priscilla's return gets a nod and the final results get sa look of shocko n her face.

"So seriously this was a full out test...?"

She sighs sheaths her blade and moves to follows the others.

Priscilla has posed:
    Ornstein's finger twitches as Faruja decides to give him a passing kick, eliciting expressions of panic from the men on the balcony (at least those who aren't wearing helmets) until the moment passes. ". . . yes. We shall." Priscilla replies to Oscar, retrieving her soapstones and kneeling down to one of the few clear spaces of undamaged floor left. "I shalt be only a moment. Two of our own require re-summoning." Perhaps it's flaunting a little too much in the face of the (mostly) normal humans who don't have treasure troves of exotic summoning artifacts, but they don't seem to mind. She nods vaguely in Tomoe's direction, but keeps her remarks to herself. A test of this level almost definitely means that even a chosen hero would be expected to die several times before overcoming it. Oscar walks with Nathan, and presumably the rest of the group, over to the elevators. One is absolutely massive, while the other is barely large enough for two people to stand on. A funny detail that points out the room itself had been designed with its two guardians in mind.

    As Nathan is the first one up, he gets a lot of back patting and shoving from Oscar's buddies, despite the fact that he obviously hadn't swung a single blow during the entire battle. They look beaten and bloodied, but nothing that wont heal by the time they have their equipment repaired. "You inspire a lot of loyalty for a man so humble." Oscar says as he nudges Nathan with his elbow, returning a salute towards Chris and Reina as he waits for Priscilla to finish up. Only once Psyber and Mizuki have once again been drawn back into the realm of the material, and all fifteen people are clustered around the door, does he take the initiative of pushing it open, and stepping onto the lush, red carpet beyond.

    The chamber beyond is predictably enormous, as all of the rooms are in this castle, but the look of it suggests private quarters. A huge, arched window looks out onto the sprawling city below, curtained in massive sheets of satin the same colour as the carpets that drape the floor and the tapestries over the walls. A gargantuan, vaguely arabian looking couch has been laid out in the center, and a woman easily Priscilla's full height and then some is reclined on top of it. Just by looking at her, one can immediately tell she must be a goddess. Her size put aside, everything about her, from her complexion to her figure to the features of her face, is one shade of another of unearthly beauty, and her eyes are a bright, faintly glowing gold. Clothed (somewhat immodestly) in white silk and gold ornamentation that might be most of the metal ever mined on earth, she looks down to the Astoran knight at the head of the pack, and begins to speak in a deep, melodious voice.

    "Thou hast journey'd far, and overcome much, chosen. Come hither, child" Stunned into silence like his companions, Oscar moves to the foot of the plinth and kneels as if before a queen. "I am Gwynevere. Daughter of Lord Gwyn; and Queen of Sunlight. Since the day Father his form did obscureth, I have await'd thee. I bequeath the Lordvessel to thee, and beseech thee. Succeed Lord Gwyn, and inheriteth the Fire of our world. Thou shall endeth this eternal twilight, and avert further Undead sacrifices." She reaches for what appears to be a chalice, obviously sized for someone as enormous as her. Despite seeming to be solid gold, its ornate edges appear chipped and weathered with immeasurable age. A flash of fire erupts from the palm of her hand, and when she lowers it to Oscar for him to accept, what is unmistakably the Lordvessel is now no larger than a common bowl. "Kingseeker Frampt, the primordial serpent, shall guideth thee. Hereafter, I, Gwynevere, shall serveth as thine guardian. If thou so needest, I shalt devote all to thine safety. May thou be one with the sunlight for evermore."

Chris Rothschild (283) has posed:
    Chris is utterly silent.

    This is probably because Chris has just... stopped to stare.

    "...wow."

Faruja (152) has posed:
Upon being before Gwynevere and the chalice placed before Oscar? Faruja's managed to recover his wits enough to bow deeply, and give that placating, eager diplomat's smile.

Otherwise? He says nothing. Likely the good kicking of the previous knight let out much of his fury.

No kneeling though. That's quite against his religion.

Reina Kinney has posed:
    In spite of being mentally and physically winded, Reina still manages to keep her composure with her as she bows to Gwynevere. She doesn't say anything out of fear of breaking protocol, instead just gives a formal bow and maintains a formal stance as best as she can.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe waits for the return of their of her two comrades and gets ready to move onwards and is quiet for the moment untill they run itno the goddess and she stares for a momen and stries to stop she feels like a very small fish for the moment. Ya she's not bene expecting this.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "Wow, she's pretty hot, in a 'she'd probably crush me to death in the best way possible' kind of way," Psyber says somewhat casually as he hangs around Nathan. He's less reverent and formal around the woman mostly because he only bows for one God, yada yada. Psyber has little to say, for the moment, besides simply hanging around Nathan and absorbing information.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    So, there's a goddess.

    Shirou's in the same boat as Chris.

    Gape. Blink. Boggle. He makes a few unintelligible stammery noises, clearly wanting to say something, but...

    It ain't happening.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki exists again in time for her to be present for Psyber's reaction. Just for good measure, she gives his ear a good, stinging tug.

"Crude language could damage future Union interactions with groups that would consider this deific figure prevalent."

... are her cheeks a little red?

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    "I cannot imagine why. But my allies are quite intelligent; if I deserve loyalty, they will give it to me, and so I serve them as best I can." Nathan answers back to Oscar with a few firm nods. And then, GIANT CHAMBER. With... Giant lady.

    Some things are bequeathed. Things seem quite a bit formal, and so Nathan kneels as well. "Salutations, Queen of Sunlight, and thank you. We have come from distant lands to ensure the Chosen may be conveyed to his proper role of successor. We seek to assist in ending the blight on this land, and seek knowledge of how we may mitigate the blight from now until the Lordvessel may be used."

    There's a bit of humble head-bowing here.

Priscilla has posed:
    It seems Oscar's buddies don't have much to say either. Gwynevere might be impressive to everyone else, but she is a household name for them. Someone that humans offer prayers to in hopes of fertile crops, healthy births, and protection from evil. A title uttered by holy clerics performing miracles in her name every day. First and only daughter to their God with a capital G, and queen over the entire world by divine right. With that in mind, it's almost amazing Oscar can even find words, never mind dare to utter them. "It is our deepest honour to have been looked upon by you, no matter the manner or number of trials ahead of us. In your name and in the name of the great Lord Gwyn, my companions and I will see this done, and Anor Londo once again become the shining beacon at the center of the world. Please, wait only a while longer. I will gladly accept the privilege of your favour on the road ahead of us." Finally getting to his feet, scarred and ancient vessel in hand, he bows one last time to Gwynevere, and Indra, Adalbert, Cassius, Samuel and Sebastian follow in turn, filing out one at a time through the grand doors, and no doubt heading to the bonfire that had brought them here, somewhere within the castle. The last one of them appears to have caught Psyber's mumbling; the surly young man throwing him an especially sharp look as he leaves.---

    It seems Gwynevere still has time for little ol'e Nathan however. The goddess smiles as the librarian kneels, resting her hand on the edge of the cushions."Companion of the chosen. This world was born from the warmth of Fire, its radiance, and the life it sustaineth. Without Fire, all shall be a frigid and frightful Dark. There is naught to be done but to place the Lordvessel at its home, and maketh it full with the souls that were once born from it. The-" And suddenly, possibly the last thing anyone would expect with the track record so far, happens. Priscilla cuts the conversation off. "Dost thou truly fail to recognize me?" She steps in front of Nathan, rudely interrupting the process of diplomacy by obscuring him from view; hand to her chest and . . . those are tears in her eyes. "I know it hast been long, but truly, couldst these years have changed me so? Hast thou no words to say to me after all of these centuries? I know it was not by any unkindness of thee that I was seperated from thine side . . . so please . . . mother . . ."

    All of those gathered bear witness to the single most emotional thing Priscilla has ever done. Those familiar with her for years should know the depths of her emotional distance, and yet on the verge of crying, the crossbreed throws herself onto the Queen of Sunlight with arms outstretched. Even as giant as Priscilla is, she suddenly seems like a little girl next to her equally giant mother. Gwynevere's face at first fails to register her words, and then those soft features and golden eyes widen into an expression of shock, and then a radiant, smiling gasp. She too throws out her arms to catch her daughter, and the moment their embraces meet Gwynevere promptly ceases moving. At Priscilla's touch, the form of the sun goddess suddenly freezes and then begins to distort; flickering like an image on a bad TV. Paused in the act of a warm embrace, Gwynevere fizzles, fades, and then disappears completely from sight. The sun filtering through the window abruptly cycles through dusk, sunset, and then the chamber is plunged into the soft darkness of moonlight, as if some sort of film before them had just been turned off. The stars are visible outside. A new voice rings throughout the room, echoing from every surface; deep, stately, and thoroughly androgynous.

g"Thou that tarnisheth the Godmother's image. I know thee and what thou art. It was a mistake for thee to appear ever again on the doorsteps of this city, and thy transgression shalt not go unpunished. I am the Dark Sun, Gwyndolin. Thou shalt atone for thine felonies shortly."

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber sticks out his tongue at Mizuki and then goes back to watching. A rather shocked look comes over his face at the display of emotion from Priscilla and becomes about six hundred times quieter and more respectful. His hands fold in front of himself for the few brief moments of reunion before everything changes.

    And a voice threatens. And Psyber grows angry.

    Christmas 2012, Laine gave Psyber five stones. He's only ever used one. This time, he uses another, taking it out of his jacket and holding it to his throat, he activates it. The result of a Booming Stone is simple: His voice now echoes to every corner of Anor Londo. It's like a Solar's Charm, or like a magical projection of his powerful voice.

    "You will not say another word and I shall only say this once, so sit in silence and listen to it, Dark Sun." He pauses for a moment, thinking of what to say next carefully. Nathan won't like this, but Psyber doesn't fully care at the moment, "The girl you just threatened is a dear friend of mine, and I keep very few personal policies I uphold without compromise, but this is one of them. You threatened her, but more, you broke her heart. And now I am going to find you. And I am going to break you. Prepare to be eclipsed."

    With a flourish of his hand, Psyber tosses the spent rock to the ground, letting it bounce several times before it shatters. Then he calmly walks across the floor and reaches up, tugging the hem of Priscilla's skirt several times, "Come. We should leave now."

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    "What-- what is this--?" Gywnevere is Priscilla's mother? Shirou doesn't know Priscilla well enough to say much about her, besides what he's read up on her file. But when the shock of Gwynevere's sudden VANISHING finally sinks in....

    A dark voice. No truesunlight. All an illusion. And someone is willing to be so cold to a girl who only was searching for family...

    It pisses him off.

    "Felonies?!" Shirou's voice is rough, angry, and full of spirit, despite his exhaustion.

    He's exhausted, but that won't stop him from pouring out his heart into something if it's the right thing to do.

    "Felonies?!" Again the word rings out into the moonlit chamber. He looks about left and right for the source of it all. "You trick us like this and dare call her presence here a crime?! Damn it, I don't care who you are, that logic is twisted!"

    He's been pretty quiet this whole time, but with Priscilla so tricked, he dashes to her side and works at summoning up what's left of his meager prana, just in case he needs it.

    "Show yourself!"

    He's mad.

    He's REALLY MAD.

    He can't forgive someone who'd make a girl cry. Even if she might not be brought to tears, anyone'd be upset by this bullshit!

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki sighs faintly to herself, sneaking a smile at the passion backing Psyber and Shirou's words. This is the stuff of such beautiful friendships and stories, to be sure. But before she allows herself to become disconnected completely, as she is wont to do, she gives a small glance in Priscilla's direction, and a nod. Something that would be easily understood to mean 'I'm in your corner, too'.

    She may not share their passion outwardly, but inwardly? You might be surprised.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan thinks back for a moment. He thinks WAY back.

    Specifically, he recalls Priscilas words to him waaaaay back, over two years ago: ". . . I shall make mention of this to thee only because I hath told Lord Psyber. Lady Gwynevere art one of mine parentage. . ."

    Nathan mentally hits himself for forgetting as Priscilla moves to embrace her estranged mother... And then Nathan sees what happens next, shortly after he hears a few hints... The warping and flickering prompt no visible response, but Nathan is deeply concerned, and makes a soft worried noise. Then he listens with some respect to Psyber. There's a firm, approving nod. "Priscilla." He calls out, quietly. "We should go. I am sure this 'Dark Sun' has many eyes here. Some things are best dealt with privately, and we should not stay long. We also need to discuss what to say to Oscar about this, but another time."

    Hmmm. Well. This is seeming like a bit of a suspicious thing, now that that happened. But only one choice, stick to the road they've got.

Priscilla has posed:
    The presence of the 'other' in the room swells as Shirou dares to reply to it, only to be cut short by Psyber's temporarily eclipsing it with the voice of a Solar. There's no doubt that whoever else might be hiding in this city, manipulating who knows what else from the shadows, has heard all of it. There's a good probability Oscar has too. As the booming sounds of his challenge finally subside, the presence lingers for a few moments longer; filling the room with a sickeningly palpable sense of vindictive outrage possible; the kind that can only come from the most twisted, resentful, downtrodden people placed into a position of power; and then fades, leaving the Unionites once again alone.

    Priscilla is huddled up on cold, dark floor, face buried in her knees as she silently smothers the sounds that make her shoulders tremble and heave; hair spilling onto the carpet and tail wrapped around her ankles. Her fingers squeeze around her shins as she feels Psyber tugging at her dress, giving into the urge to be immature for just a few moments more, before finally managing to choke down the sobs she hides in the thick fur of her skirt. Puffing out of sight for a second, she reappears in her form more suited for human interaction, only managing to look smaller and more pathetic for it. She wipes her face on her sleeve, but her eyes are predictably red when she finally looks up. "I am . . . so sorry. I had said nothing but . . . I had hoped in mine heart that . . . here of all places . . ." Punctuated by a sniffle, she finally lets go of her legs. "I knew they hated me but . . . to this extent?!" Letting out a cough for her excitement, she finally pushes herself off the floor, looking to Nathan, and then grabbing hold of Psyber's sleeve. "I suppose . . . yes, I shalt make this up to thee another time. Such wouldst be best if we were to leave now."

    It's a long, depressing walk back to the mountain pass. The city doesn't look nearly so beautiful in the dark.