896/Grand Theft Lotus

Grand Theft Lotus
Date of Scene:	02 November 2014
Location:	Earth-8593 <MTG>
Synopsis:	Deckmaster Earth gets visited by some Confederates looking for very specific loot: the rare and powerful(?) Black Lotus. ...Card.
Cast of Characters:	Staren, 67, 81, 188, Theo Morrison, 530, 560, Lezard Valeth

---

Theo Morrison has posed:
Deckmaster Earth is an Earth like many others: it's the very early 21st century, with a seeming lack of magic and high technology both. The powers of the local Planeswalkers seem to be pretty unknown, and the highest technological achievement seeing widespread use on the planet is high-quality medical prosthetics. Cybernetics are apparently coming a bit early.

The only planetary warpgate found thus far goes to the middle of the rocky woods in the Pacific Northwest. It's a round black disk, only partially unearthed, inscribed with partially-overlapping ovals and set around the edges with black hemispheres. Some kind of control surface is at one end, set with gemstones. It seems to function more like a teleporter pad and less like a portal.

Seattle is the closest city to it. It's also where the chaos is going to be happening today.

MEANWHILE
DRAGON'S MAZE GAMES
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

"...and there she is." The owner of the local game store, one of the biggest on this side of town, shows off his prize: a Black Lotus, one of the few in such prisitine condition on the planet. It's set into a case and on a wall, looking like a small safe that's able to be setup like a secure display case. The man is overweight, bald and possessing a bushy beard, and dresses in a sort of 'business casual' way. Weird for a career nerd, but maybe this hobby shop is a rich guy's hobby.

"Woooow, mister, that's amazing!" Little Timmy, the winner of tonight's tournament, holds his boosters and looks on in wonder. Most of the store has seen it, but they still gawk if they're nearby. People have started to file out already, making it less than a full house but still surprisingly populated.

Theo is sitting in a corner, back to a wall, cracking open his winnings and going through his sealed deck. He does not have Kickotron present, since that would be weird when he's trying to keep a low profile; instead, he has his backpack to pack and sorting to do all by his lonesome, since Yumi is out chasing her pet bird or something. But since nothing terrible is going to happen, that's okay.

Right? ...right?

Conor Delaney (67) has posed:
Theo is alone. Because Conor is in the other corner. Doing wizardly things.

VASTLY IMPORTANT WIZARDLY THINGS. His jacket and hat are hung up, the katana stuffed away in his old beat up white chevy prizm outside. He is concentrating hard, working off a TOUGH TOURNAMENT.

A voice calls out, "This fat guy keeps hogging the DDR machine."

"Shut the hell up, I still have quarters!"

Lute (188) has posed:
     For a bit, it is still going to seem like a nice day. Sure, a weird black U-haul truck has pulled up to the card shop. It looks actually rather messy, as if it had to drive through the forest for a while or something. Though what are the odds of that?

     A man comes out of it, wearing a nice black hoodie. He looks like a punk teenager, more or less. The kind who might sometimes hang out at a card shop.

     As he walks in through the door, he smiles, looking at the shop keeper. Ah, what luck. The guy is already working on showing the card. Either way, though, this is perfect.

     "Hey, shopkeep. Can you get me one those new boosters?"

     He points to the newest booster packs.

     And he waits a moment. He doesn't notice Theo and Connor.

     When the guy's back is turned, he pulls a gun, and fires a warning shot into the air.

     He then points it towards the shopkeeper again.

     "Give me the Black Lotus if you wanna live, dude."

     He was going to just shoot the shopkeeper, but Little Timmy is holding him back on that, just a /bit/.

Chandra Nalaar (81) has posed:
    It was b y pure coincidence that a very confused, redheaded woman was along along, holding a Pabst Blue Ribbon can in one hand and a bag of candy in the other, singed armor on her body and the smell of char accompanying her. She also has one of those broaches with a Disney Princess pinned to her by a good-natured young girl last night.

    It was indeed a very weird night.

    However, her head snapped up at the sound of gunfire, and her eyebrows rise up, her lips purse... and she begins to jog in that direction.

    "Well." she mutters, "it can't get any stranger."

Garen (530) has posed:
    Garen peers into the shop, and slides down one o the masks he had acquired from his missions with Bain. He walks in and eyes everyone. He masks his voice and accent as he speaks up. "Give the man what he's asking for."

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Shirou's not here for any heroics. Unless you count another failed quest to find his world, which transformed into shopping for some groceries in Seattle to be particularly heroic, anyways.

    He's strolling down the street looking only somewhat out of place in his foreign black-and-white jacket and blue jeans... the clothes, perhaps, aren't so odd, although their make and design's not quite local, and he is very clearly not of a local bloodline. It's America though, so that doesn't mean much.

    Strolling down the sidewalk with bags in hand, he's heading back towards the bike he ride in on.

    This happens to take him close to game store just in time to see the man in a hoodie enter. Shirou blinks. What the heck is that about? Doesn't really seem.... normal.

    Dumbly, the boy continues walking forward and pauses by the newcomer's all black vehicle and its scuffed, appearance. Are those twigs stuck behind the side-view mirrors and leaves in the grill?

    His pondering's interrupted by the sharp staccato of a GUNSHOT. OH BOY.

    "Hwaugh!" With SURPRISING adeptness he leaps back and away from the U-Haul and slams into the game store's front window. It's thankfully tough enough that it only rattles, but he rolls over and rises again, and manages to hear quite a commotion before the door closes behind Garen.

    "A robbery?" Instead of just charge in, he does look up at the store's name. "Dragon's... Maze... games?" Well thank heavens for the translation effect, but Shirou's english is still really poor. Still, he thinks it's unlikely anything especially valuable could be here. Yet... someone has a gun. And WILL use it. Perhaps... they already have.

    In a sudden panic, he does the last thing any sane person would do in this situation.

    He charges into the store like a madman, stopping just inside the door!

Staren has posed:
    Staren is sitting across from Theo, back to the door. He looks human, thanks to an illusion, and has swapped out his labcoat for a blue jacket, to look more 'normal'.

    Looking for something to do tonight, he'd struck up a conversation about what Theo was up to, and decided what the hey, the tournament entry fee is nothing to his UEF paycheck.

    Which is good, because he was eliminated the first round.

    Man, this 'no you can't actually stop stuff from happening because it's on the stack' thing is bullshit. What are those cards even /for/?

    "So. Ravnica was made to try out each of the two-color combinations, and that place Yumi went was made, here to try three-color allied combinations, but this /new/ set is for the /other/ three-color combinations? Are there any cool new mechanics?"

    Staren's chain of inquiries is cut short when someone FIRES A GUN. The man immediately looks behind him, then stands up and turns to face Lute, the jacket pulling apart into countless threads then reforming into the signature labcoat, buttoned closed.

     "/Seriously?/" Really, robbing a game store at gunpoint? /What/?

    He didn't really think about what will come next, though.

Theo Morrison has posed:
"Some old ones, a few new ones --" Theo starts, when...

KABLAM

The owner puts his hands straight up when the gunshot goes off. Pretty much the entire store drops low immediately. There's sounds of surprise, and a few screams, and... well, Theo eventually realizes that /normal/ people take cover instead of going on the attack or for a deck. He's got one in his hand already.

The guy behind the counter, obviously shaken, slowly goes for his keys. He keeps his hands in plain sight and moves very slowly, so as not to get shot. Little Timmy is staring with an expression like D8. He is out of the immediate line of fire.

Theo rolls out his play mat and pulls a little badge-like thing with a blue crystal hemisphere on it from his pocket. He sets it on the corner, and then sets his deck on top, drawing and playing swiftly and silently. In the room full of terror, it goes wholly unnoticed. He puts a card down and watches, trying not to look too out of place in the far back like he is.

Conor Delaney (67) has posed:
Conor stops. Slowly, he leans for his coat. His bracer and keyrune are in there. As everyone drops low, he lets out his own yell and drags both to the ground with him. From the long coat, he carefully tugs his keyrune. He stuffs it rapidly into the waistband of his pants so it presses up against his flesh. Then, with his other hand, he yanks his coat aside.

Arrows flash on the screen with GAME OVER over them. Conor ignores it.

Instead, he focuses on the Military issue combat shotgun he pulls out from the coat, flipping the safety off. "Hey! Asshole. You fire the gun, I blow out your internal organs."

Card shops are not big as a general rule.

Chandra Nalaar (81) has posed:
    Room fulls of terror? Delicate, valuable, flamable items? People rushing in to help because they are SO GOOD and HELPFUL?

    ... somehow Chandra Nalaar felt /right at home/ with this situation.

    Especially all the valuable burnables. Reminds her of a certain museum. /THE/ Pyromancer leans against the door that the helpful guy just ran through, and there's the rustle of a plastic candy wrapper as she discards a bright yellow bit of litter to the floor.

    "So," she begins, smoke beginning to tendril around her ears, "there I was, in this little neighborhood that was giving out candy and..." she lifts the Pabst blue ribbon, and with a psssssbt! pops the tab. She sniffs it. "... alcohol, when I heard this awful sound that I've learned means some cowardly snake of a person is trying to get their way with someone they think they're more powerful than."

    She sips from the white can, and makes a face. "Ugh... the one thing I dislike more than bullies is poorly made --"

    And she sees Theo. Her eyebrows go up... and she then sees Timmy.

    And the military issue combat shotgun.

    "... the /blazes/ are going on here?"

Lezard Valeth has posed:
The Sorceror of Midgard is not inside the store.

He is in face watching from outside, having been inside the black U-Haul the entire time. He squints at the contents of the store. "Children, inscribed cards, and various entertainments. Perhaps some of the books might be a moment's interest..." He says to himself as he adjusts his glasses. "Nevertheless, at this rate it will hardly require any exertion whatsoever."

That's when Shirou decides to intervene, because his name rhymes with 'hero'. Shirou gets a tap on the shoulder. Should he look over his shoulder, Lezard shakes his head. "It would be ill-advised to intervene." He comments. Surely Lute can handle a bunch of nerds and a fat man with a shotgun.

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute looks backwards, sighing. A shotgun, really? He sighs a bit, looking back towards Conor.

     "Look, no idea who the fuck you are, but do you /really/ want this to escalate? Cause really, like. A gun is the least of the danger I hold."

     Lute lifts his left hand. A ball of ki forms in it, though it dissipates. He just waits a second, though, for the shopkeeper to do his thing and get him the card.

     Lute then adds, "Oh, and Shotguns are kind of innaccurate. You really wanna hit this kid, here?"

     He motions to Timmy.

     ...And then he grabs a whole bunch of cards from the counter, and hands them to Timmy.

     "These are yours now, kid."

     Despite not looking at Conor, he actually is a lot more on guard than he seems. With a shotgun involved, and a kid... It'd be best if it didn't get fired. So he is just waiting for the card to get in his hands, then to act.

Staren has posed:
    HE'S GOT A KI ATTACK! Staren's hand dips into his bag and pulls out some kind of alien-looking magitech gun, which reshapes into a staff with some sort of multi-sectioned oblong assembly on the end.

    By the time that's done and he's about to level it at Lute, Lute lets the ball dissipate, and Staren holds his fire.

    "...Lute?" Staren cocks his head slightly, raising an eyebrow.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Shirou gets tapped on the shoulder at the oddest time, and looks over... who the heck is this? That getup is totally not local, is it? "All this over some flimsy piece of paper, give me a break." He grits his teeth, seeing thhat things are going to escalate.

    He wants to charge in and deal with this, but that would be really, really bad. He knows it would be bad. Someone might get shot, and it's really not worth it over some flimsy-looking... card? Sheesh.

    Why are so many weird people here over a simple card?

    The redhead clamps down on his gut feelings, and channels his training from Bedivere instead. "Right..." Reluctantly, he turns around the rest of the way and sort of shuffles his way back out.

    Unless someone like Lezard here STOPS him... he will then proceed to walk calmly over towards the U-Haul, place his hand on the grill...

    "Trace, on."

    Only those with some magical sensitivity might feel the extremely faint flow of prana through his body as his Magic Circuits awaken. He's not doing anything really fancy. Alteration is among the simplest of magical principles, and with his intuitive grasp for structures and talent at Structural Grasp Magecraft...

    It's not exactly hard to molecularly restructure the engine's gas intake into a solid hunk of nothing.

    A trick like this won't last more than a few hours, but if successful, the getaway vehicle is going nowhere.

Lute (188) has posed:
     And, the gas chamber of the truck has alteration magic done to it.

     Oddly, though, it seems to be somewhat... resisting? Or at least, it's going to take a longer concentrated effort to mess it up more. The intake is shrunken, where it'll get less gass, but not completely sealed /yet/.

     If Lute knew someone was screwing with his truck, though, even temporarily? He'd flip.

Lezard Valeth has posed:
Unfortunately for Shirou, Lezard is a trained mage. He can tell when someone is attempting magican shenanigans.

He is not amused. He frowns, simply beginning to channel his own power. Power surges up around him in an updraft, causing the expected wind-like rolling of air around him. It's probably also the equivalent of sending up a signal flare for anyone with magical senses. "I recommend undoing that, novice, and leaving. You are meddling with things you do not understand."

Theo Morrison has posed:
Timmy is too dumbstruck to protest. He stumbles forward a step, and then has a handful of cards. "U-um... isn't this stealing," he asks, in a quiet, clearly terrified voice. The guy with the gun is not someone he wants to argue with, but, well, asking a /simple question/ isn't too bad, right? Meanwhile, the owner-guy has retrieved the keys. He's shakily trying to get it into the lock. Looks like there's a combination on the safe, too. Spin, spin, spin... click.

Theo glances aside when he feels something happen. He keeps going, though. Draw, glance, play. This is not one of his usual decks, but he's using what's on-hand. It would be suspicious if he went rummaging right now, or summoned something. Staren is conveniently shielding him from casual sight. He plays another land, then taps one, focusing on Lute as mana wells up. He speaks in a whisper. "Mardu Hateblade."

A figure appears behind Lute, an apparently Mongolian man with some kind of lamellar armor on. He's wielding a curved sword, and has calloused hands that speak of regular use of the thing. He makes a noise kind of like a cross between a growl and a laugh, looming menacingly. He is not, in fact, trying to murder him immediately.

Theo wishes he could.

Conor Delaney (67) has posed:
Conor keeps the gun braced upward. "Yea, this combat shotgun is going to shoot a spray twenty feet across. It is going to kill every single person in the room." He rolls his eyes dramatically. It's hard to roll your eyes on command, they make it sound so easy in books. "No, turdburglar, it's going to shoot a basketball sized hole in something and it's going to be you. So here's the question, douchecanoe. Who shot first. Han or Greedo. Do you know? I do."

Conor has a bad poker face. But that means it shows emotions well. And Conor is really good as showing his 'I am a barely restrained asshole who will deliver violence the first chance I get'.

Staren has posed:
    When Conor says the shotgun will shoot a twenty-foot-wide spray, Staren actually looks back at him and says, "No it won't, shotguns--" Oh. Oh he was being sarcastic.

    Noone can see Staren's ears and tail drooping thanks to the illusion.

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute looks at the kid, "No, see, kid. It's not stealing. It's power. People with power get to do whatever they want. Wouldn't you rather have some power, than be in a situation without any?"

     Then Lute gets an idea.

     He hands the kid the gun.

     "Here, have some power, while I'll deal with these people. I like you, kid. You'll be safer with that."

     And then Lute reaches to a POkeball, opening it. With a strange warrior summoned, he has to deal with it a bit. He was hoping he wouldn't have to use Pokemon but.

     "Go, GARDEVOIR!"

     His Gardevoir appears, forming a psychic barrier immediately. Sure, weapons and whatnot can still get through.

     Then Lute leaps to grab the keys for the Black Lotus, takes them, and gets to opening it, while also releasing another Pokemon.

     "GO, Tentacruel!"

     His giant jellyfish like POkemon appears, and stands guard in front him as well.

     "I'll just grab this card and get out of here, okay? Or else... Well. Everyone here aside this kid dies."

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Resistance is not good for Shirou's flimsy Alteration efforts. If he can't achieve the proper shape he imagined, then the work is incomplete and unstable.

    The instant Lezard comes up nearby and lets on he knows what's up, Shirou's whole body freezes like a deer in headlights.

    'Eh?!' his expression seems to say, as he peers at Lezard with some disbelief... disbelief that quickly turns into plain fright at the terrific show of sudden magical power.

    Shirou sucks in a calming breath, but he's nevertheless as tense as he could be right now.

    When his hand breaks contact, the unfinished spell fizzles - as a consequence, it accomplishes nothing.

    Lezard has 'novice' right. Though it's not just Shirou's skills that are lacking... the fundamental principles of the technique seem really shoddy and flimsy by most standards he would know.

    Modern magecraft for Shirou's world can't really stand up to even the slightest thing from the Age of Gods, after all. It's not even close.

    "You're kidding. What's a magus of your level doing helping with a simple robbery?!"

    Another spell forms in his Magic Circuits. It's a very different sort of work though. Not all of the spell can be properly perceived and analyzed, because not all of the work is happening in this reality.

    With a small flash of golden light and crackling prana from his right hand, Shirou arms himself. Only a trivial expenditure of prana, but...

    A legendary weapon's appeared in his grasp. An illusion, to be sure, but an illusion so strong that its very conceptual existence matches the original.

    He's tightly clutching the most famous blade of Japanese legend, Kusanagi, an exceptionally powerful holy sword.

    Though instead of going hostile, he's staring uncertainly at Lezard, utterly unsure what to expect of him. YStill, his amber eyes worriedly ask 'what's even going on here?!'

Chandra Nalaar (81) has posed:
    You know hwo doesn't have summoning sickness?

    Chandra Nalaar. You know who has a soft spot for kids caught in the crossfire?

    Also Chandra Nalaar.

    And she has exactly zero patience for Conor's posturing, and she stalks farther into the card shop, heedless of the paperboard treasures surrounding her, and really not giving a care about Theo's murderous summon.

    Or Staren's sad-kitty droop, the Uhaul or Lezard.

    No. Instead, she takes the Pabst can, and she looks at it, then lifts it up, as if in salute to Lute.

    "Well. You couldn't have made a better choice."

    And the can starts steaming, and as the pokemon make their appearance, Chandra's hair bursts into flame, smoke and embers drifting from her eyes, superhot beer melting through the aluminum can as she tries to get the tentacled jellyfish creature's attention!

Lezard Valeth has posed:
Lezard isn't sure what Shirou's doing. That much shows in a flicker of uncertainty as he tries to read what Shirou is about to attempt... And fails.

What makes it more obvious is the sudden surprise on his face when he sees Shirou manifest Kusanagi. "What?!" Lezard says, clenching his teeth in a sudden anger. "It seems my presence here is warrented after all, if a novice like you may possess the power of Divine Materialization..."

He levels his hand, the power growing further. "You will render unto me your secrets, child, and I will allow you to live. Else, I will tear them from your corpse, and your soul will scream for mercy!"

The good news for those inside is that Lezard is totally not bombarding Conor with a fireball, because he was totally about to do that. Conor can thank Shirou later.

Conor Delaney (67) has posed:
Dammit, Lute is going right for the card. That ain't good. And now there's pokemon. "This guy has pet monsters too? He has magic AND pet monsters. That's supposed to be my schtick." Maybe he escalated too fast. Whatever. Don't think, go with your first instinct. Conor taps into the keyrune at his stomach, drawing out a small trickle of white and red mana.

"TERRORISTS! EVERYONE RUN!" There is a moment when everyone DOESN'T run. That's when a goblin appears next to the safe. He looks at Lute. He has a pyramid hat. He grins, showing mossy black teeth. Then his face explodes when Conor fires a load of shot into it. His head evaporates. And his hedron hat explodes.

With the white mana, Conor forms a white shield in front of him, holding up his fist. That gets people running. While Conor puts himself up as a human mana shield.

This is gonna suck.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    It's not like Shirou can't sense the OVERWHELMING magical hax happening within the game store. But the words of Lezard Valeth have sent chills right down his spine. His thoughts all burn up in the flames of fear.

    There's no way he can possibly beat this mage. The location is bad, the circumstances are bad, he knows nothing of their abilities...

    Shirou drops the grocery bag in his other hand in a hurry.

    "Divine Materialization? There's nothing godly about this." There's some defiance bubbling in his tone, but that's also no lie.

    He won't attack. Retreat is his best option. He'll wait for Lezard to extend themselves, then react!

    Shirou swings Kusanagi testingly, taking a stance. "Who are you people?!"

Theo Morrison has posed:
People totally notice that things are getting Friggin' Weird. Monsters show up, and the room gets more tense. Theo, for his own benefit, drops a third land and gets ready to play. He's having a hard time figuring out a way to solve this that doesn't get a ton of people hurt.

Conor neatly takes care of the problem, turning what could be a bloodbath into a room full of /screaming panic/. Most people try and get to the front door, but a good number break for the back. Little Timmy is caught in the crush, getting shoved back away from Lute by, of all things, the Mardu Hateblade. The warrior dives past him and interposes himself between gun-toting Timmy and both Lute and the blast, shouting, "Kid!" in a rough language.

There's a call from the back of the room. Theo can't keep it down; he's responding in real time. "Feat of Resistance, red!" A shimmering, translucent field rolls over the Hateblade's body, tinging red when the blast washes over him. It halts when it hits him, sparing the child and part of the room. The owner is on the ground, scorched but alive. When the Hateblade stands back up, he pulls Timmy to his feet and pushes him towards the door. Timmy stumbles and starts to run.

The Mardu Hateblade turns around, bringing up his sword. It's less like a scimitar and more like a cleaver, now. He rushes the jellyfish pokemon, swinging with a /very/ impressive war cry. The edge of his blade turns black in mid-swing. It looks /very/ deadly suddenly.

Theo feels a little woozy from that. "Deathtouch until ee-oh-tee," he mutters, shaking his head to try and shake the feeling.

Staren has posed:
    Chandra attacks a pokemon, but Conor is first to make an explosion. "Conor!" Staren shouts -- he's not able to cast a shield in time because he wasn't expecting that. Fortunately Theo is quicker and people are saved.

    Now EVERYTHING IS GOING CRAZY.

    Staren just focuses on Lute. What he does next is what Staren cares most about.

Lute (188) has posed:
     And now the Tentacruel has a flaming PBR in its head, followed almost immediately by the slash from the Hateblade. And Lute has an explosion happen right next him.

     Lute, honestly, looks incredibly pissed. He was /right/ about to open the safe. If he had been even slightly faster, the card would be damaged.

     "What the hell?! I thought you were trading card nerds! This card should be more important to you than anything, and you're risking exploding it?"

     Lute is /trying/ not to get too pissed. He wants this card, after all. But if he gets too pissed, he could easily go into berserk mode.

     And so he tries to give calm orders to his Pokemon, taking some guesses.

     "Gardevoir, Psychic! Tentacruel, wrap!"

     The Tentacruel and Gardevoir work together. The tentacles fill the room, trying to wrap basically /everyone/. The Gardevoir is try to help with this effort, by using its Psychic powers to restrain everyone.

     It's only at this point that Lute would be moving to open the safe again.

     "That's it, fine. Didn't wanna do this, but I'm going to blow up this /whole building/ if you guys don't let me get away with the card!"

     And now, Lute has the Black Lotus in his hand. Granted, it is in a protective sleeve, but.

Staren has posed:
    And then he's... tentacled? "Oh! Hey, hey, not cool man, not cool! Leggo!" Staren struggles, but some kinda psychic thing is making it hard. "Then... /leave/! Now!"

Chandra Nalaar (81) has posed:
    So. How do you make Chandra unhappy?

    For one, restrict movement. Two. Restrict ability. Three: Psychic attacks.

    Nothing gets Chandra worked up more than facing mind magic.

    Except magic-stealing snakes and vampires. She doesn't care for those either.

    She grips her hands togehtehr, and she begins to concentrate her mana. Drawing one of her 'servants' in would be -- well. A /Bad Idea/.

    Instead, she tries to wriggle herself out, twisting around.

    "WHEN I GET OUTTA THIS --" she snarls, "I AM GOING TO UTTERLY ANIHILATE YOU."

Lezard Valeth has posed:
For a moment it looks like Lezard would unleash some horrific magical cataclysm upon Emiya... but he brings his hand up, adjusting his glasses with a thin smile within the column of swirling magical power. He, too, can tell things have gone to hell inside. Good. His restrictions are released. "Perhaps not... But that makes it all the more interesting to me. To forge as the gods forge, through will, thought, and understanding... Even alchemy cannot perform such a task. However, the plans have changed..."

He thrusts out his hand, palm down. Space warps as a tome with no title inscribed upon it appears in his other hand, pages turning of their own volition. He begins intoning, his voice echoing with the power of his own summoning ritual.

"I am he who hath entrusted his soul to the eternal vortex of time. Ye know me! And if ye do not, ye shall be made to know me. It shall be engraved on thy very soul; Lezard Valeth! If ye shall accept the brand of Hel upon thee, thy sanctions shall in turn be lowered. I shall grant thee the deliverance of thy soul, and ye shall come now before me!"

With a flash, the power rolls outwards, violet portals opening. From them, dessicated corpses begin to rise, pulling themselves from some unknown place to begin forming ranks of zombies, minor vampires (either these don't explode in sunlight or the summoning magic is proecting them somehow), and skeletons, staring at Shirou with unseeing eyes. "Let us see the extent of your craft. Take him!" Lezard points at Shirou, and the undead begin to charge, mobbing towards him in a horde.

Conor Delaney (67) has posed:
Conor doesn't have to pump the shotgun. It pumps itself, the cartridge firing off the side. He isn't a great shot, but you don't have to be with a tactical shotgun, which is why he picked it. "You stupid, shit. You think you have the moral high ground here? You are willing to blow up a building to get something not even worth ten thousand dollars. That's one new car. You blow up the entire building, everyone in it, and you are not just a thief, you are high threat willing to sacrifice civilians at the drop of a hat." He waves the gun around, still behind his white mana barrier. "Soon, you are going to get a reputation as a mass murderer. Then no one is going to deal with you. It would be better to just kill you straight off than chance you killing everyone."

Conor shoves himself in front of fleeing people and he throws his mana barrier up.

Then he finds himself in front of a horde of undead. "Mother fucker."

Conor puts himself between the mob and the horde and starts summoning up more goblin pyramid hats and shoo them into the horde so they can get eaten instead of everyone else..

Then Conor bellows. "CHANDRA! HE WANTS THE CARD! BURN THE CARD!"

Staren has posed:
    "He already /has/ a reputation." Staren points out, looking to Conor.

Chandra Nalaar (81) has posed:
    "FUCK YOU CONOR. IT MIGHT RELEASE ELRDRICH HORRORS!" Chandra fires back, from being wrapped in tentacles.

    Unhappy Chandra is unhappy.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Nobody EVER expects zombies and vampires in broad daylight.

    Well, anyone who'd expect undead in the middle of Seattle probably has issues anyways.

    "Wh-wha-ooooauuAAAAH!!" Whooooooooosh! Shirou leaps back, but not before a skeleton manages to claw him with a swipe. He goes tumbling over the ground.

    Thankfully, his body simply acted before his mind needed to think about it, and that saved him.

    Bedivere's training is paying off more and more!

    At least he had a moment of warning. That tome seemed fill of bad news the moment Lezard began speaking.

    "Screw that! I've got importantant obligations...!" Oh he's worried alright.

    But he'll have to fight to get out of here. No way can he count on any local police. It's amazing how utterly separated he is right now from anything that might help him.

    All of his Magic Circuits light up simultaneously, pumping prana through fragile flesh and thin cloth. It's a very simple premise, but fairly well done: self-augmentation.

    And so the boy counterattacks.

    Zombies, skeletons and other ghoulish things come at him, but...

    With a single swing of Kusanagi, the first wave's gonna be in serious trouble. Wind gathers around the holy sword and is unleashed just as quickly. A cutting gale force that once reaped whole fields of men and turned fire back on its source, ripping everything - even the grass itself.

    This is not that swing, but it sure has some of its power. A bunch of mooks?

    The only thing they've got going for them is numbers.

    And the fact that Shirou's body can't handle that swing. "ghhh...!" His own arm's flesh rips open in the aftermath, for he simply swung too fast for his body to keep up!

Theo Morrison has posed:
The Hateblade is currently grappling with the Tentacruel. The psychic blast seems to send him reeling, preventing him from hewing through the pokemon with terrible abandon. This time, he's a little too thrown to do anything offensive.

The people basically empty out of the building in a pushing, panicking mob. A couple of the gamers keep their heads enough to try and yell for organization, but it's not going to be enough, given the zombie horde outside, too. Now that he's outed as the calm man in the room, Theo points at the empty floor and goes, "Kickotron, back to work!"

The Myr Servitor appears, that three-foot bird robot he always has around. It immediately spots the tentacles and leaps onto the table, scooping up the floppy playmat and holding it over its head. The cards don't slip and slide despite the unstable surface; his Abstractum keeps them safe. Theo himself shoves his bag onto the robot, and then gets out from behind the table. He's still at the far end of the room.

"Not while you're standing in it, you aren't," Theo says. He drops a land onto the mat, tapping three and looking out the window. "And I don't think I'm letting you bail so easy." He plays another, raising his voice. He feels a ringing in his ears, a sort of uncomfortable buzzing that fills his body while he tries to manage the odd mana combinations.

"ANAFENZA, THE FOREMOST!"

A figure appears on the street, facing down the undead horde that rises out of nowhere. A woman, wearing shining scale mail over rich red clothes, materializes out of the air. She stands on a chariot in red and gold, with a pair of huge rams lashed to it, scraping at the street and exhaling steaming breaths. On her back is a royal purple cape, and in her hand is a long-handled curving swor. She raises it over her head, screaming a war cry with her teeth bared.

Banners in red and white bearing a jagged black symbol appear around her. Spectral silhouettes of soldiers flicker into sight, raising swords and spears in the same salute and the same, dimmer cry.

The Hateblade seems to respond. He breaks free of the tentacles, jumping back and screening Theo from Lute and his pokemon. He passes the sword between his hands, a manic, crazed grin plastered on his face.

"Is all this trouble worth one card," Theo asks, staring Lute down from across the store with a handful of the same kind of cards. Is there something about him, or something about the thing Lute's trying to steal?

Lute (188) has posed:
     Luckily, the card isn't burnt. Yet. Whats more, Lute has began to figure out what these guys are doing. They're actually summoning Magic creatures.

     He then reaches into his pocket with a free hand.

     And pulls out a Magic deck.

     "I PLAY DOOR TO NOTHINGNESS, USE MIND OVER MATTER TO UNTAP IT, and then... I SACRIFICE IT TO MAKE YOU GUYS LOSE! You aren't thonly ones who can use cards as actual spells!"

     And then Lute punches through the back wall with a Ki-powered punch and tries to run through it, while shielding the hard-case covered Black Lotus with his body.

     ...Yeah, he can't actually use cards so he is bluffing to try and make a break for it. His two Pokemon let go of their continued binding assault to cover the hole a bit.

Lezard Valeth has posed:
The power of the Kusanagi proves to be potent enough to save Shirou. The single slash of the weapon cuts through the first wave, obliterating them and causing their remains to vaporize as they fly through the air, their ranks shattered by the power of the replicated weapon. "An echo of the weapons of the gods. Even unrefined, this shadow allows a novice to do so well against the limitless hordes of Niflheim?" Lezard likes to talk, it's a thing. He pauses, however, and his mouth curls as he sees the self-inflicted damage. "... but not without cost. Tell me... What is your name?" He asks, the few remaining holding a line as more undead rise to reinforce the ranks. It looks almost like a stalemate, as Shirou can cleave through the undead and blast them, but neither strike against each other directly in their current state.

The arrival of Anafenza changes things. Lezard glares at the store itself, scowling. "Another summoner? This place has an unexpected number of gifted. But can you truly withstand my power?"

A larger circle opens up, and a large, hulking skeletal being begins to pull itself up. The being seems to be a merging of dragon and human, bearing two massive blades. The body is clad in thick armor, and a large, burning red mane flows behind it, an unholy mockery of what it may have possessed in life. "I will meet your challenges and destroy them!"

Chandra Nalaar (81) has posed:
    "OH /no/ you don't!"

    Chandra snarls, and she allows flame to errupt from around her as she hits the floor, and she bolts after Lute, ready to cause the bigger boom.

    And she glances back at Timmy, and the shopkeeper fleeing, and at THeo.

    And she lowers her goggles. She draws the strands of fire into a sword-like form, and she grips both hands around the grip, and she charges the Tentacruel, the swords fire kikcing up smoke and a whole lot of heat.

    "/GET OUT OF MY WAY/!"

Staren has posed:
    Lute finally leaves, the tentacruel lets Staren go. He immediately reaches down to his belt buckle and activates the transformation, armor spreading over him in a wash of light. His left arm transforms to cannon mode and starts charging. He runs for the front window -- it can be replaced -- and prepares to charge out and fight zombies, but as he hops over the tables, Shirou cuts them all down, only for a big... skeleton... thing to be summoned.

    Oooookaaaaay....

    Staren steps back, then turns towards the tentracruel blocking the door for his allies. His telekinesis grabs his staff for him, and then his right arm transforms too -- He releases the charged shot and follows up with several weaker plasma blasts from both cannons.

    He doesn't know what to say anymore. This whole thing is just crazy.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Shirou finishes his swing and regains his stance. this is just in time to cut down more undead with a lesser slash. Kusanagi howls, gathering more wind even after that, but eachs wing is tearing into Shirou's arm muscles.

    It's not just a stalemate. It's a battle of attrition. He can't win if all he does is hold of the assault. It's just a slow path to a sure loss.

    Worse yet, Lezard proves his worries corret: he's just being played with. "Oh, come on... that's just unfair...!" The redhead grumbles out. Well, he never expected fairness, but WHOAH.

    And things are getting even more ridiculous. People are spilling into the streets. MAGIC CREATURES are appearing everywhere and who's sign are all of them on anyways?

    "It's Shirou. Emiya Shirou!"

    With another swing he cleaves physically through a few skeletons. Bones shatter and, if previous signs are any indication, vaporize. But thse blows aren't made with the previous force or style. Seems that's just too costly.

    Not to mention...

    With the sound of shattering glass, Kusanagi breaks into tiny pieces that crumble and evaporate similarly. It was a fairly well-done image, but a hasty projection of that holy sword is little better than a paper mache copy.

    The redheaded magus hops back again, and holds a hand forward with fingers splayed open. "My body is made of swords," He proceeeds to intone. There's no magical meaning to those words. It's no spell. Yet still it prompts a change in his technique.

    *SIZZLE-CLANK*

    With another flash of light, a dazzling and luxurious silver and crimson longsword's brandished against the hordes with Shirou still on the defense. It is Clarent, the favored weapon of Mordred.

Theo Morrison has posed:
Lute actually catches Theo off-guard. He takes a step back, a mixture of surprise and confusion hitting him all at once. Does someone else have a Spark /and/ all this other stuff? Is /that/ why he's here?

The wall goes down, and Theo throws his arms up to prevent himself from getting blinded by the inevitable deluge of dust and debris. He grabs a card off the top when he can see again, playing a land and another creature. "Oh no you don't." He and Kickotron head towards the front door, so he can see both the hole and the undead outside. "Ivorytusk Fortress!"

AND THEN THERE'S A GODDAMN ELEPHANT.

It's enormous, crowding the stret and dragging what looks like a wheeled fortification behind it. It's got a /hut/ on top, and it looks like the hut is full of guys. Guys with bows.

Anafenza charges down the street, her enormous sword flashing. She starts hewing through the undead, shouting. The Hateblade, his armor suddenly changed to metal scales and his strength magnified by her presence, comes out hacking and slashing, too. It looks like Theo is more worried about the army than the fleeing Lute... but he's going to have to get to his truck and get it past that fortress-sized elephant and all the other guys if he plans to make his escape in it!

Lezard Valeth has posed:
Lezard continues to watch Shirou intently from the safety of the massive Dragon-Tooth Warrior. It is heavy and dense. He appears to be conserving his power, holding back as he watches Shirou struggle. "... Imperfect. Your weapons are not forged of ether." He comments as he sees the weapon shatter. "I see. No, it is not Divine Materialization, but a similar technique. You interest me, Emiya Shirou. If you would like, I could assist you in learning to control your power..." He says, even as Anafenza charges into the undead horde. The crash is phenomenal, as undead begin to get crushed under the goat-drawn chariot. They do not get back up when Anafenza strikes, the blows impressive, but more directed than the power of the Anti-Army weapon that Shirou briefly used. Lezard scowls, and sends the Dragon-Tooth Warrior forward with a gesture. The massive beast howls as it charges forward, striking with its massive dual blades at the legendary Abzan leader. He doesn't bother talking to Anafenza, he can tell a summoned being when he sees it. He keeps his attention on Shirou. "Such research could benefit the both of us, you whose body is made of swords..."

He draws from his robes a ruby-topped cane, which gleams ominously as he awaits the answer.

Lute (188) has posed:
     A woman is rushing towards the Tentacruel, with a flaming sword.

     This, of course, leads to a very obvious solution.

     It lets loose a massive stream of water, a Hydro Pump, to send Chandra flying.

     Lute finally recalls his Pokemon, once it seems no one else is going after him.

     ...But he hadn't realized how crazy things had gotten outside.

     He just pauses, and stares.

     "...Okay, I thought this world was one that wasn't super aware of the Multiverse, but like. Man, if that's the case, how the hell are they going to explain that?"

     Either way, Lute hops in his truck. And tries to start it up. It's having some trouble, though he /finally/ gets it running. He's gonna have to keep the gas on to keep it going, with what was done to the fuel intake, though.

     Of course he doesn't quite /realize/ that's why, he's just assuming it is crapping out on him.

     ...But how to get past this horde of monsters and the /absolute insanity/ on the streets of Seattle?

     "GARDEVOIR, COME BACK OUT! TELEPORT US AWAY!"

     It's going to take a second, but Lute is trying to use Gardevoir to teleport himself, and the truck, out of here.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Shirou's scowling. Not at Lezard directly, but more like the situation he's in. Damn, he eve needs help from these weird magical creatures from nowhere to just deal with a handful of zombies. He can't possibly match up to these people, no matter how he trains... can he?

    What's worse, he's still surrounded. Anafenza's crazy charge has taken lots of heat off him though, and he takes the opportunity to swing Clarent about and dice up more of the offending zombies. This time his style's utterly different. Savage and fierce, he wields the sword almost more like a hammer to crush through enemies, hack off limbs and make deep strikes. Magical power - faint, but noticeable - bursts from the weapon as a faint red aura.

    But even that is hell on Shirou's body. The young magus coughs up blood after taking down another dozen.

    Still, he finds time to answer, glaring at Lezard despite the massive bone monster's presence.

    "Absolutely not. You're definitely a mage of great skill compared to me, but you'd start a war in a street full of civilians and turn loose The Dead on them. I'd sooner hack off an arm than use it to wield a blade forged on your advice."

    It's a cold yet fierce statement full of utter disapproval.

    backing this stance up, as soon as he gets free of the horde of undead he projects another weapon. This time it's a bow. A modern, compound bow... with some modifications. In his hands, clarent warps and stretches, becoming thin. The guard twirls about the grip and becomes ailerons...

    He mounts clarent as though it were an arrow, draws the weapon back with all his might... and lets it fly.

    It's less impressive than it looks, but the weapon does cut through several undead beasts on its course for the legs of Lezard's creature!

Staren has posed:
    Aaaand tentacruel is recalled! Staren races out of the store, his staff collapsing so he can stow it again.

    Now there's a big skeleton thing attacking Shirou -- no, the goat lady. Staren pelts it with plasma as he takes to the air, manifesting energy wings and trying to think of a strategy... then he nods to himself, draws an oversized pistol, and flies in. While it's distracted with DOOM GOATS, he gets as close as he can, shouting "Go back to wherever the hell you came from!", aims the pistol at the creature's skull, and fires.

    The revolver, with its triple-M monogram etched on the side, fires two mad-science-charged bullets with each shot.

    Staren's actually knocked a few feet back through the air by the recoil. Oops. "Woah!"

Theo Morrison has posed:
Theo is feeling pretty awful at this point. He's propped up against the door to the Dragon's Maze, Kickotron in front of him. He plays through, drawing and examining his hand in a haggard way. The Hateblade doesn't even seem winded by the hacking and slashing, but Anafenza had to pull back eventually, clashing blades with the enormous monster. She's injured, deflecting blows and giving them in kind, but she's not quite down yet. That enormous friggin' elephant is still in Lute's way, though...

Theo taps out. He breathes deeply and steadily. It feels like he's trying to force a block of cheese through a cullender. It's /possible/, it's just /awful/, why would you want to do it? Because desperate times and a bad draw, Theo thinks, means you do what you've gotta. He plays the card.

"Death Frenzy!"

    Death Frenzy                3BG



    Sorcery

    All creatures get -2/-2 until end of turn.
    Whenever a creature dies this turn, you
    gain 1 life.

    The crocodiles' putrid jaws swallow
    everything but the screams.

The street suddenly fills with gnashing, biting shapes. Tails thrash and jaws snap. More and more pile out of alleyways and sewers, dragging the undead down in a mass of /crocodiles/. Shirou and Staren aren't even safe -- a few go after them, distracting and weakening but not nearly enough to take them out. The mass of undead aren't nearly so lucky.

Theo's creatures seem a little worse for wear, but Theo himself looks... heartier. Less sickly. Whatever was messing with him is quickly overcome by whatever he just did.

Lezard Valeth has posed:
Shirou's rejection does not elicit any words of anger from Lezard, he simply shakes his head and shrugs. "So sad, to let such little things stand in the way of true power. Suit yourself, young magus... I will gain what I wish regardless of your approval!" The blade is launched, however, spiralling through the air to land with a meaty CRUNCH into the right leg joint, the legendary blade causing the Dragon-Tooth Warrior to stagger. This prevents it from avoiding the blast from Staren, the blue bolt blasting it to one side and shattering a portion of the skull with a thunderous crack. Between those powerful blows and that wrought by Anafenza, the Dragon-Tooth Warrior staggers, dropping a blade. Lezard grimaces as he gestures, the undead being quickly swallowed up in another circle of purple energy as it is dismissed before it can be fully destroyed. Well, at least he still has a horde of generic undead, right?

There are a great deal of benefits to to not being bound by the rules that the local Planeswalkers are. However, there are also a number of drawbacks. The structure of their magic allows for them to engage in certain shenanigans that would be inconcievable by other styles of magi. As usual, six of one, half dozen of the other, right? Pick your poison. Such as it is that a devouring shadow passes over the horde, the sick sounds of crushing and consumption heard. The crocodiles feast well tonight, but at what cost?

This leaves Lezard alone, standing before the heroes and summoned creatures. He doesn't look like he's worried. He levels the sceptre not at Shirou, but Theo. Speaking of picking your poison... "Poison Blow." He pronounces, a bout of purple poison bursting up beneath the planeswalker. It might give him some poison counters or it might just knock off some life, it's hard to tell how things translate with Planeswalkers sometimes.

But he is not done. There is an abrupt surge of energy that escalates even further, the area darkening as if dropping beneath a thick shadow as Lezard glows like a terrible beacon within. "Do you really believe you can stand against my magic?" He asks, moments before the incantation begins. "Lo, you shall look upon the calamities of heresy with beclouded eyes!"

A blood-red moon shines down as a massive, hulking skeleton bursts from the ground, skull surmounted with dmeonic horns and eyes alight with a terrible hunger. It looks over the area, and there is a low roar as its jaws unhinge, a billowing smoke rolling out of it like a dense, deadly fog. The fog rolls out, sizzling upon touching material, eating away at it like acid and rapidly calcifying living flesh. For those who can resist the effect it is merely extremely damaging. For those who cannot, they will find themselves rapidly transmuted to stone.

"PETRO DISRUPTION!"

There is a shattering noise and a flash, and the fog dissipates. When the fog ends, the skeleton and moon are gone, the light returning and the ground intact once more... But the damage remains. The ruby upon the sceptre is shattered, littering the ground, and Lezard tosses the staff aside nonchalantly.

Lute (188) has posed:
     The ground is now alligator mouths, there is an elephant in front of his truck, and a skeleton is trying to kill everything.

     Lute is kind of baffled at how quickly all of this escalated.

     Thankfully, though, the teleportation is working, and the truck is about to vanish. This is basically the /last chance/ to stop Lute from getting a somewhat-clean getaway.

     Lute just keeps watching for now, though. And swears.

     "...Note to self. Be more careful when screwing with Magic players. People who play Magic are /hard core/ as far as nerds go."

Staren has posed:
    "Woah..." Staren steadies himself after firing the Annihilator, only to be assaulted by... jaw... force... things! "Aah! What is this?!" he tries to flee to the sky, but it said all creatures, not all non-flying creatures! His forcefield is cracked and battered, at least one layer breaking apart and falling as rapidly-fading amber sparkles.

    From high in the air, Staren sees another skeleton rising and spreading fog below. "Oh no you don't..." Staren's hand dips into his trusty magic bag, swapping the revolver for his staff again. He points it downward and begins channeling energy.

    MA... SEN... KO...

    Energy gathers at the tip of the staff, then fires down in a bright, surging beam of energy!

    HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

    ...Right into the now-empty street where there was TOTALLY A MONSTER RIGHT THERE A MOMENT AGO GUYS!

    ...Oops.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    AAAAARGH, ALLIGATORS AND STUFF everywhere. Shirou starts running and kicking at them. A few get a bite or two but they're then cleaved before they can do much with it. An estoc through the skull can do wonders! And he's pulling out one hastily made weapon after another...

    This is good, for one reason.

    Distance.

    Lezard Valeth, apparently, has no qualms about pulling out things that would make Heroic Spirits think twice about the fight. What chance does HE stand?!

    Well, they're much improved, when he sees fit to duck behind Lute's U-Haul. It proved resistant to Alteration!

    The dark fog passes over, and around the U-Haul, still snagging him... but he's avoided a direct blast.

    His Magic Resistance is crap, so that's a good thing.

    On the other hand, simply circulating Prana through his circuits can't fend of something of THAT tier. His body's turned stiff and lethargic, partially petrifieid without a full transformation! "ghhh...."

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute looks out of the window of his truck. He is freaking out a bit due to the crocodiles gnawing at it, frowning heavily, but at least it is resistant enough to deal with this, at least for long enough to teleport away.

     And then he spots Shirou hiding behind his truck.

     He reaches to where he keeps spare change in the center console, grabs a penny, and throws it at Shirou's head.

     Lute then lifts his left hand, and flips Shirou off through the window.

     It is at this point that the truck teleports away.

Theo Morrison has posed:
Theo's response to the FMV is to stare in slack-jawed shock and terror. Well, and to throw himself back inside, away from the cloud of poison gas. He feels that creeping illness come back, and he army-crawl away at top speed till he's sure he's clear.

(Kickotron doesn't even seem to notice.)

The creatures Theo has summoned are, one and all, rendered unto stone when the fog has lifted. Kickotron must've found some high ground or something because he's perfectly fine, still carrying the cards of his on the unstable platform. He goes over to Theo, bringing them up, and a moment later, there's a weak call from inside: "Kin-Tree Invocation!"

Wispy, misty Aether drifts up from the street. A figure is rendered in it, a blurred shape of a man wielding a two-handed axe and with the lower half of his silhouette vaguely reminiscent of the roots of a tree. The spirit warrior takes up a defensive position amidst the statues, staring down Lezard in stoic silence.

Theo does what he can not to barf.

Lezard Valeth has posed:
Lezard stands there in the aftermath of the terrifying spell. He watches Lute vanish with his prize, and turns away, throwing an arm to one side to cause his cape to flourish dramatically. "My work here is complete. I will be seeing you again, Emiya Shirou. Count on it."

A slow circle forms under Lezard, and he begins to fade away. Some kind of teleportation magic? It's still slow enough that someone might be able to attack him if they wished.

Staren has posed:
    Staren lands and looks around. "They /got away/?" He sighs. "At least noone was hurt, right?" He makes his way into the store. "Right?" He deactivates his armor and hurries over to Theo. "Hey, Theo, are you alright? Did they hit you with some poison pokemon move or something?"

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Shirou's not going anywhere quick, so he's easily pegged by the penny. Geeze, adding insult to injury there, Lute!

    It doesn't help that the whole thing vanishes. He scowls irritably... what's he gonna use for cover now-- oh... the magic's faded. Even so, forcing his body to move is an agonizing experience. He can only make some grunts back at lezard.... who will be able to tell the boy's furiously pumping his maical energy through his system to force out the spell holding him there. It's slow going. And painful.

    He coughs out blood a few times through the process, and actually topples forward to the ground. "What was... that all about...."

Theo Morrison has posed:
"Uh... that too," Theo mutters. He's propped up against the counter, arms around his midsection. He's pretty pale. "And --"

Lezard bails; he lets him go. As soon as he disappears, the creatures lurking around vanish, too. Theo relaxes a little, letting out a held breath. Some of the color starts to come back to him. "Oog," is his verbal response.

Staren has posed:
    Staren cocks his head slightly. "That /too/? ...Did you eat something that didn't agree with you, or something?"

Theo Morrison has posed:
"Miscolored mana," Theo says, "I think? I -- I dunno, it might just be the poison cloud." He coughs. "Gimme a few minutes. I'll be okay. Make sure nobody's... around." He gestures slightly with one hand, and then puts his head in one hand. Definitely needs a few.

Staren has posed:
    Staren looks around the shop. "Someone held up the store and then someone shouted 'TERRORISTS!'. People fired guns. Crazy magic shit that people may or may not have recorded on their smartphones aside, I think the police and/or army are gonna be around pretty soon."

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    "Urg." Shirou comments unhelpfully from his position on the ground. He's doubled over, clutching his stomach, and there's a small puddle-splatter of blood under his head.