2613/The Diplomat and the Dollmaker Duel Amid the Dragons

The Diplomat and the Dollmaker Duel Amid the Dragons
Date of Scene:	12 July 2015
Location:	The Rookery (TR)
Synopsis:	Alice Margatroid, in her ongoing efforts to repay Caster, attempts to take The Rookery for dragon scales. Opposing her is Eryl Fairfax!
Cast of Characters:	Eryl Fairfax, 807

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Alice Margatroid (807) has posed:
    The sun is bright here at the Rookery, dragons flying above, some roosting and some just walking around paying no mind to the Union officials at hand. Alice, however, is hiding behind a rock and peeking out with Hourai and Shanghai looking over her shoulder. "It's busy here... perhaps Caster will have some use of this if I can drive them off." she shakes her head some, looking at the dragons around, "Though, I wonder... are those tamed or just not paying them any mind..."

    Shanghai's cheery voice is present again, "She did do you a favor and you're just returning it, I don't think they'd mind. I mean, do they know you had that favor from them? I don't think so, this may be the first time they've seen you!" Hourai, however, looks a bit stern, "Shanghai is right. Though, it may be best to surprise and scatter them, perhaps someone can actually offer you something to not disrupt this place. We don't know what could be here waiting, we've only seen Gensokyo residents and that Caster..."

    Alice gives a light nod and slips out a card from her sleeve and another doll materalizes. "I'll ready this in case..." as she steps out, Hourai and Shanghai floating aside her and the unnamed doll being held in the card hand and with a firm voice "Please scatter, you are just going to get in the way of my goal..."

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
     Eryl happened to be at The Rookery at the time! Mainly just to use the necessities on-site. While water had been restored to his world, there are times where he just can't find a working shower to clean the dust and dirt off. However, he had found a warpgate, and while it leads to one of his least favourite target zones, it was that or go without.

     As Alice made her approach, he had been leaning on a railing, body and suit fresh and clean, looking down at the place where he had been defeated the last time he was here. An intense frown on his face as he mulled it over, the reckless manoeuvre he did playing again and again in his mind. As the dollmaker stated her intent, he snaps out of his little funk and meets her stare with a pleasant smile, every bit the diplomat.

     "Ma'am," he begins, Original Face scouring the Union database for any information on the woman before him, only to draw a blank. "Welcome to The Rookery. Given by your expression and tone, it sounds as if you intend to remove myself and other Union operatives from this target zone. Regardless if you are doing this as an agent of the Confederacy, a hired mercenary or a free agent, I must stop you if you persist."

     As he spoke, he began removing parts of his outfit. Cloak and coat are neatly folded and placed to the floor, followed by his tie. Shoes are kicked off and sleeves are rolled up. "Please, retreat. I would hate to fight you."

Alice Margatroid (807) has posed:
    Hmm, someone actually brave enough... or something... to stand in her way. She curtsey's politely the doll still in one hand and the Grimoire in another. "Ah, I see. I was wondering why there were so many armed people around for a place that already had natural defenses of its own." she shakes her head, looking between the three dolls. "I do not mean harm but it's something I was paid to do, however, I do not mind negotiating with you in order to get what I need." she looks around the area, "Though, I wonder the magic power these dragons scales can give..."

    Hourai and Shanghai look at Alice with a nod, placing themselves around and rotating in orbit around the dollmaker, "Though, I'm afraid I will not leave unless I am going to be routed or I get what I have come here for. Now, you'll just get in the way if you play with me here, please do go back to where you came from." she frowns slightly, hefting the small doll in her left hand while attaching the grimoire onto her right hip... "I really do not wish to use this."

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
     Eryl parses Alice's words as she explains. 'Paid to do,' implies she is not of the Confederacy. Syndicate perhaps, or just a free agent. Willing to negotiate lightens his heart for a moment. Maybe they can hash out an agreement? But then Alice mentions the scales, and his face darkens.

     "Now I see. You want to harvest the dragons for their parts." While it was never a concern in his world, Eryl has come to dislike poachers and the like. Those who mistreat animals for their commodities... no. No he can't permit that, not while he draws breath.

     "I am sorry ma'am, but I cannot allow that. These dragons have the same right to exist free of exploitation as you or I." When the dolls start floating, Eryl visibly winces for the ghost of a second, but marshals his facial muscles into order. He cannot afford to show weakness to a potential foe.

     In response, he widens his stance and shakes his head. "I'm not leaving," he says, voice soft, but full of defiance, practically daring her to make the first move.

Alice Margatroid (807) has posed:
    Alice shakes her head, "You have it wrong, sir." she starts, "I don't intend to harvest the beings themselves. Even I know what free will is and right to exist. I only intended on collecting the scales but, if you are not willing to move and assuming the worst, then I'm afraid you leave me no other choice." she eyes Eryl's clothing with a curious gaze. Only wearing two colors, huh? "Your power is only twenty-eight-point-five-seven-one-four percent as powerful as mine. Now get out of my way."

    Shanghai's sword appears on her and Hourai's lance and shield are at the ready and with this, she starts, "Spellcard. Demonic Posession: Return Inanimateness!" and that doll she's holding, she aims and gives it a mighty chuck ... for a magician... and as it arcs, it smiles before landing in a wide explosion, a pillar of blue smoke erupting from it! And with another small card, a few dolls wielding bows appear behind her, readying their shots and peppering the area in front of her to have her game of keep away started.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
     Eryl smiles sadly and shakes his head, having clearly misunderstood. "I apologize for leaping to conclusions, but my objection still stands. While your intentions are not exploitative, your employer may not feel the same way. With such limited information, the best option I can take is stopping you. I'm sorry."

     As Alice throws the doll, Eryl makes more assumptions. Given that the other two are moving about, seemingly of their own accord, would this one spring to life and attack him? But, his overthinking was his downfall, as he takes the explosion without bracing himself! Blown back and knocked to the ground, his shirt and pants are now burnt and tattered, his ears ringing from the boom.

     "Urgh..." he groans, climbing back onto his bare feet as the area between he and her is peppered by shots. "A keepaway fighter eh?..." he mutters to himself. No doubt she thinks him a close-range combatant, judging by his lack of equipment. Time to prove her wrong..."

     With the blue smoke obscuring her position, Eryl whistles sharply, the sound travelling and bouncing back when it hits something, the same principle as a bat's echolocation. Having figured out Alice's general location, Eryl raises his right arm and points his index finger at her. The tip opens up, revealing a small barrel that ejects a spinning ball bearing at high velocity! It blasts though the cloud, aiming to hit Alice right in the gut!

Alice Margatroid (807) has posed:
    The explosion was something she liked, but she couldn't rest on that. That simple spellcard definately wouldn't even take Marisa down much less someone else, but, for her, it's a good opening. "My employer helped me, I'm going to help her." she states, "Even if that's running you and your people out. Be that as it may, I have no hate to you at all and do not wish to feel this will sour anything in the future." ever attempting to keep neutral in this, though...

    The noise from that high velocity ball reaches her and suddenly, with a whip of her hand, three shield dolls whisk into view, a glint of light flashing on near invisible strings, as they take the hit, though this seems to have taken a bit out of Alice herself. Though, this doesn't look to slow Alice down much. She whips her hand and a doll comes from nowhere once more, unarmed and stationary as it floats around, flicking her hand once more, a second doll stays in the air now. "Spellcard." she declares, "Curse Sign, Shanghai Doll!"

    Shanghai rapidly moves in front of Alice and points her sword into the direction that explosion was, "Shanghai!~" is shouted cheerfuly as a large laser is thrown forth from the sword, Shanghai moving it to the left and right to sweep the area and attempt to hit Eryl. "Please, let's not continue this any further, just leave and we'll be on our way."

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
     "Your intent to repay a debt is admirable. I will not hold a grudge if you don't. Whomever wins today was simply stronger, this is no reason to get upset over it." He sounds like he really means it too. Though, he does frown when the doesn't hear the 'whumph' of his shot hitting flesh.

     When the laser blasts out... well, it's a /laser./ The cyborg's arms don't come up fast enough to block it, so he takes that sweeping beam right across the chest, skin burning up! He cries out and falls back again, landing below its path. His breaths come out ragged for a moment as Original Face moans about how hurt he is and how dolls shouldn't be floating.

     But he's gaining a picture of how Alice fights. Not personally, but through her dolls. If he's going to best her, he'll need to scrap them all at once, with a wider attack. Once the beam passes overhead again, he begins to rush forward, charging through the smoke and trying to weave through the shots!

     His arms are raised, like he's trying to shield his face, elbows pointed squarely at Alice... when the one on the left suddenly opens up a barrel, a slug erupting from it to fly at the dollmaker! But, partway through, it suddenly breaks up into ball bearings that scatter, like a shotgun blast, spreading to hit her and her dolls!

Alice Margatroid (807) has posed:
    Now that she's got the man on the edge, she nods, time to start the actual danmaku. The shotgun of balls actually manage to graze into Alice's side, ripping into her dress and drawing some blood. "It seems you're in a bind like this, my apologies but I must have this place." with this, she floats up into the air and her dolls follow her. "I'm sorry." she starts, pulling out another card in her hand, "Please dodge, this is the only warning."

    Hourai and Shanghai nod and smile as they and four other dolls take their place around Alice in a star like pattern. One behind, two to the side and two in front. With this, they start slowly spinning around to the left, then the right and that's when the magic happens. "Spellcard. Curse... Hanged Hourai Dolls."

    As the dolls spin, shades of bullets start spewing over the battlefield... yellows, reds and blues start going everywhere from the dollmaker, her fingers dancing with her as she controls three of them. Hourai and Shanghai join in the choir of bullets with large, round blue bullets, easily capable of holding twenty or more of those smaller ones inside. The yellow bullets, as they're fired, seem to pesudo home in on Eryl, while the blue tiny bullets and red tiny bullets attempt to make ways to have no escape or no advancement to Alice.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
     Eryl kept pressing forward as his blast missed, aiming to close the distance and deny her the space needed for her strange magic. But, as she ascends, his plan is foiled. And Original Face is bugging out again about how she shouldn't be able to do that.

     As he winces, pinching at the bridge of his nose, Alice's warning goes unheeded, and the bullets of her spellcard slam home! The false skin that covers his arms is peeled away as he raises them to defend himself, revealing the dull gleam of metal. With each successive shot, engravings in them glow, as it in response to the magic.

     He runs, towards the railing he was leaning on and leaps off from it, grabbing on to the side before he goes tumbling off, using the Rookery itself as a barrier from the cloud of bullets. Taking a moment to centre himself, he adjusts his strategy. With it like this, there's no time to pick off all the dolls. He needs a single, heavy shot to stun Alice, even for a moment.

     Power from his KOAN core floods into his free hand, spinning the bearing in the chamber. It begins to glow cherry red as it heats up within the magnetic field... and suddenly, Eryl pulls himself up, lining up the shot and firing at Alice! This one is aimed to strike her in between the ribs, so the impact will spread through her lungs and heart!

Alice Margatroid (807) has posed:
    Alice is quite entranced with her own spell, twirling slightly with her dolls, dancing with them. The beautiful colors and patterns of the spell encasing the area and making sure none get close. However, this has the one particular problem.... she's immobile. As she makes another rotation, she eyes Eryl and his hand and, with no time to pull up shield dolls, that impacts directly onto her! A sound not unlike an explosion, but softer, makes all the bullets explode harmlessly and the three dolls behind her dissapear. "Nngh... How... how did you disable that..." she scowls, looking between Hourai and Shanghai. "He didn't like that, so let's do this..."

    Alice nods a bit, another circle of dolls surround the dollmaker magician and spin, the telltale sign of a spell being called out as the magic circle appears behind her. "Spellcard. Elegant Sign 'Spring Kyoto Dolls'" she declares as fourteen dolls start spinning around her and let loose a flurry of unaimed, colorful shard like bullets, with one wave after another changing colors to those of the rainbow.. This was designed to make sure nothing ever got close by making the gaps between the bullets very thin and a few of the circle patterned bullet waves interlink.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
     Eryl can't help but grin as his shot finds home. A grin that he quickly corrects. 'Fighting is barbaric,' he reminds himself as he climbs back up and hops over the railing. But, he had found her weakness. Don't even try to deal with the dolls, they have little autonomy. At the very least, it would be useful in the report.

     A report that might be about his failure, it seems, and Alice moves on to the next spellcard, one even harder to dodge than the last. He does his best though, bless him. Pushing Original Face to the limit, even as his headache intensifies, trying to slip between shots, but they continue to hammer at him, tearing his clothes and marking his flesh.

     No time for dodging. Just stop her before she gets started. Without time to charge up another round from 'One Hand Clapping,' he just resorts to his heavier options. When he faces Alice straight on, the front of his trousers suddenly gain several holes around the thighs as multiple small rockets blast out! After travelling a short distance, afterburners engage to guide them towards Alice. A few are hit by her spellcard and explode before reaching her, but some get close, self-destructing in the air around her!

Alice Margatroid (807) has posed:
    That's the thing Alice is here for... things to try to make a truely autonomous doll. She doesn't wish to fight but this guy was stubborn, almost Marisa and Reimu like in stubborness. "Tch." comes from her as the rockets come into range. The one thing about most of Alice's danmaku cards, shes immobile during it and most of the time, the bullets can't block the shots. While some of the rockets explode on the way, thanks to the danmaku, the rest manage to get past the line and past her dolls even and crash right into the girl, the danmaku dissapearing and Alice taking a dive into the ground, bouncing as she hits hard.

    Hourai and Shanghai quickly dive down and lift up the dollmaker, Alice shaking her head as she groans from the impact, her outfit dirty... scorched in a few places and a small red pulsing light behind the blue dress. "Mmm... nice shot." she comments before dashing forth with her dolls, "But maybe, we can even this up a bit." A card appears in her hand once more as she skids close to Eryl. "Lance Sign! Cute Phalanx!" she thrusts her hand forward and starts walking forward as dolls start shooting forth with lances and ducking back as Alice advances towards Eryl, and, upon finishing it, she'll end up throwing a hard kick with her boot straight into Eryl's chest!

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
     Eryl is indeed stubborn. Literally built to be. One does not survive in the wastelands for 108 years by being a quitter.

    He begins to run towards Alice's crash-landing site! Both to make sure she's okay, and to close the distance in case she's still going. As it turns out, she still is! But, it turns out he underestimated her, as she runs to meet him, dolls manifesting to lunge at him with lances!

     Again, Original Face hassles him about how his occipital lobe must be malfunctioning, making him wince and keep his guard low. The first several manage to cut at his torso, opening bleeding wounds! As he tries to slap the next ones away, Alice gets in close and kicks him!

     Depending on her combat senses, she might feel his chest give just a little more than it should, a battered rib giving way under her heel. He begins to stumble back, breaths coming in hard wheezes. Thankfully, the shards aren't piercing his organs. Yet.

     But he won't fall until he has no choice. He's already lost the Rookery once, and it won't happen again! He plants his feet, Alice now within his range! He thrusts his right elbow, left hand pushing it at his closed fist to add to the power, as he attempts to bury the point of his elbow into Alice's solar plexus!

     But, that's not all. The barrel opens up, and he attempt to follow up the strike with another slug!

Alice Margatroid (807) has posed:
    Alice blinks... that gave more than it needed to, but, no time to think about that right now. "I'm sorry." she finishes, as she preps one more card... but that strike and slug hit home and sends her back a ways, skidding. She clutches her chest and grunts, panting hard. "Dang it... I can't.. I can't let him do this and drive me away..." Hourai and Shanghai rapidly get close to Alice... "Are you okay?" "Finish it, Alice."

    Alice starts walking forward, tripping up slightly from the pain she feels from that strike and the missiles... and that one bullet... oh man, she's used to danmaku, not actual bullets! She stumbles forth again... too much physical exertion... "Mmmph... " she straightens up once and lifts that card in hand. "Spellcard!" and once again, she declares, a small magic circle coming up in front of her...

    Alice looks to be in quite a bit of pain, despite the attacks, it has taken a good toll on her, and her magic power is almost spent. "Dolls... Lemmings' Parade!" she finishes her declare and small, black dressed dolls come rushing out and hopping, all aimed towards Eryl. There doesn't seem to be any strings attached to them as they continue their suicide run at Eryl, the dolls wielding no weapons at all and, once they get close, if they make any kind of contact with Eryl... they violently explode.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
     Eryl frowns. That strike didn't go as deep as he had hoped, and his aim was off. He staggers, feeling his broken rib scrape against itself. "Ooohhh..." is his only response to Alice's apology, his breaths becoming more shallow.

     And now dolls are flying at him without string, emerging from a massive portal. Original Face can't handle it, and Eryl's hands go to clutch at his skull instead or mounting a defence. He's knocked back by the first kamikaze doll, the second slamming him back into the ground.

    EXCESSIVE PHYSICAL INJURY DETECTED
    DISTRESS BEACON ACTIVATED
    INITIATING FORCED SLEEP

     "N-No, I can still...!" Eryl begins to mutter, trying to get back up, but the flood of serotonin in his brain puts him out like a light. The last thoughts that swim through his brain are 'Hate this place...'

Alice Margatroid (807) has posed:
    Alice clutches the card hard, and only when the last doll exits the circle, does the card dissipate. Seeing Eryl not moving from his place... actually makes Alice show quite a bit of concern, biting her lower lip and placing her hand over her mouth... "Oh no..." she shakes her head and runs over towards Eryl, poking at him gently... "I... I hope he's just sleeping, I didn't make this lethal..." she frowns some but while Alice is looking over Eryl, Hourai and Shanghai are out and gathering dragonscale.

    "I did warn him... I didn't want to hurt him but he got in the way... I... I just hope he doesn't think of me a bad person for this..." Alice moves to try and drag the downed man over to a rock, "I'm sure the Union will grab him... but for now... We should go back home. We got what we need and we can send a letter to her..." a pause, "Come Hourai, Shanghai..."