Scene #3682: Silver Grail War: Barrel Race

Owner	Pose
Moonlit Saber	On a very pleasant weekend afternoon, the Sea Breeze Mall has its usual small crowd of people. Some are there to shop, others are just wandering around. There are even more than a few couples who like the atmosphere of the place. And then there is a young woman wearing a green kimono, with her long silvery hair shifting behind her. By now, many of the residents of the town have gotten used to seeing Saber, but she still draws the occasional stare (and the occasional elbow to the side of certain guys by their girlfriends walking next to them). Saber herself doesn't seem to notice, though, as she's transfixed on a single thing. "Sanze... Sweets... Master, this is new!" Green eyes wide, she looks up at the fancy sign over the candy store, then down to the store itself. "We should... we should investigate this. It is possible that there is something inside vital for us to know." Such is the idyllic weekend. At least until the sounds of screaming come from one end of the mall, followed by shattered glass. And then.... -things-, strange bipedal creatures which are definitely flesh and blood but also definitely very not human, begin slowly marching into the mall.
Kazusa Ujikane	"Sanzu," Kazusa corrects, without even looking up from the manga she's perusing. Somehow, she has been reading this the entire time, and not once tripped or run into anyone. "It's a new gothic sweets place, I heard some girls at school raving about it~! We can go take a look if you want, I have some spare pocket mon-" Oh god. Oh god why. That's the sound of chaos. That's the sound of people genuinely afraid, of something attacking. Kazusa outright freezes up, for once letting a rare look of sheer horror onto her face. No, not here, not now. This poor mall. "...Saber! Saber, this is where, this is, it's, we have to do something this is where my wish happened last year!" Without another thought she's tossed the book aside and is racing ahead already. Meanwhile, at the far end of the mall, the freakish creatures march, people scatter and panic, and just to add to the chaos, a gentleman clad in black, sitting astride a large midnight horse among the attacking force raises a pistol to the air and pulls the trigger, setting off a gunshot. "Now move along, here, folks, y'all just gonna get in the way otherwise. And I tell ya what, gettin' clipped by one o' these here homonculi don't half hurt." Bang. Bang bang. Run away.
Iria	Dressed in a rather tomboyish outfit, Iria seems to be just another one of the usual teenaged girls hanging out at the mall. Complete with a baseball cap and sunglasses on, one would never guess her true profession upon first glance. In fact, she's just enjoying herself and looking rather happy for a change. It's a true contrast from the Iria most people know (for those who know her that is.) She walks through the mall, stopping to look at stores and merchant carts, before walking towards the food court. "Time for some REAL food, as opposed to the junk I've been cooking up at home." She sighs a little and runs a hand through her hair. "I'm pretty decent at cooking, but Fujikurow?" She winces a little at the thought of his cooking. "The last time I had some of HIS food, I... ugh..." Iria stops again, almost looking a bit on the sickly side. After a moment, Iria shrugs and continues to advance towards the food court, a smile on her face again. "Should I have burgers or pizza? Maybe tacos?" She continues to be lost in thought when the sound of the monsters and mallgoers screaming brings her back into the present moment. "Trouble here? On a day off?" She sighs a little since she shakes her head, before ducking into a nearby restroom and hiding in one of the stalls. "Good thing I always come prepared!" Iria comments as her coat is seen being thrown onto the door of the stall, and then when the door opens again, she's wearing her usual bodysuit armor, her sunglasses and hat nowhere to be seen. Apparently, Superman's got nothing on Iria. Rushing back into the mall itself, Iria draws her handgun and twirls it quickly before loading a clip into it. "Whatever's coming this way had best watch out! Because when I'm ticked off, whoever ticks me off has to pay!" She turns and gets a glance at the approaching monsters, resulting in a scowl from Iria as her eyes narrow. "And those things are gonna learn the hard way that ruining my day off is a bad idea!"
Seto Kaiba	This is not what Seto Kaiba expected to see tonight. He had come to this mall on business. Where there is a mall, there are youth. Where there are youth, there is room for profit. He was planning to investigate whether this would be a place fitting for an Arcade ran by the Kaiba Corporation. He didn't even bother to check if there was already an Arcade present. He planned to buy it out of business, or ruin it financially. A meeting with some minor officials from the Mall was in the cards. Now, though? A different kind of card will be required. He was, at this point, walking through the Mall. His bodyguards and staff surrounding him, in black suits. Kaiba himself is in his standard outfit, with his dynamic white trenchcoat. He frowns a little as he looks at the mass of unknown lifeforms. Kazusa. And, Saber of Silver. He only barely recognizes Saber of Silver, and mostly for one reason: Extensive watching of the WMAT recordings. Kaiba closes his eyes, pausng for a moment. The frown on his face turns into a slight arrogant smirk. He holds out his left arm, speaking calmly to those with him. "My Duel Disk." Wordlessly, a briefcase is opened. The Duel Disk is pulled out. Kaiba reaches for his deck, and inserts it. His hand now drawn, he smiles towards the mass of strange creatures. "It's time to Duel."
Winedark Archer	Sometimes, just sometimes, coincidences happen. It just so happens that Winedark Archer and his Master, the odd Mister Draug, were in the neighborhood. What they were doing isn't exactly clear, but it doesn't really matter anymore, either. Archers are very skilled at detecting Servants from afar, and right now, he's already detected one, the strange man on the horse. He alerts his allies, and then he starts to move. Known to his allies as 'Rider', Archer draws his bow, dashing through the corridors at an inhuman speed, surging around pedestrians. He leaps upwards, landing onto the second floor balcony. And then he aims his bow at Rider's horse. But he does not fire. Instead, he gets into speaking distance, and pulls up the hood of his robe, obscuring his features. "You are not very subtle, now are you? Attacking in broad daylight, in a crowd of civilians...do you not fear detection or destruction? I have to say that if this is the type of opposition I will have, I no longer have anything to fear. I am Rider. Identify yourself, Servant." He does not /appear/ to be lying, and he applies a small boost of Charisma to himself, making it more likely that Non-Elites and those that are weak willed will buy his words. But, is he telling the truth? For now, he waits for the other Servant's reply, seeing how he will be greeted.
Winedark Archer	Mister Draug remains downstairs. He sits down on a bench, wearing his incredibly bizarre mask, which makes his face look like some sort of odd zombie, but eyeless. He picks up a fallen newspaper and begins to glance through it, as he waits. Soon or later, his Servant will need his assistance. For now, page 5!
The Kid	Wandering through the mall is a Kid. Not just any kid, and he certainly ain't lost, looking for his parents. Rather, he's just amazed by what's on offer here. Music coming from small silvery discs instead of big black vinyl? Sweet creams as cold as a winter's day? Only thing missing was a bar. He's geared up, of course. Would feel naked without it all. But he's got it figured that folks don't take kindly to strangers packing weapons, so he's acquired a brown trenchcoat somewhere and keeps it buttoned to hide it all. There's only so much he can do about the shock of white hair on his head though, folks also don't seem to like hoods up while you're indoors. So he's probably still getting some looks. And then the sounds break out, strange figures shuffling through the mall. All of a sudden, people ain't looking at him anymore. Being up on the second floor, he marches over to the railing and looks down at the cowpoke firing randomly to scare people away. Well, Kid can do that too. A rifle is pulled from somewhere under that coat, lined up, and fired around the cowboy's feet. It shoots not bullets, but razor-sharp darts to stab into the ground around him. "Folks 'round 'ere were havin' a fine time 'till you showed up. What's your problem?" he yells down, levelling the curious fish-themed gun a little closer to home.
Fujiwara no Mokou	Despite her age, Mokou has only been in a modern Earth mall... once. Maybe twice? She wanders, but, not that much. And any shopping she's ever NEEDED, she's been able to do in proximity to her dwelling. This results in, when she shows up following the call for help, a still somewhat half-overwhelmed teenager, who isn't distracted so much as obviously unable to keep her eyes from wandering to the bright lights now and again. Oh if she had time to she'd love to stop by all those grocery stores and restaurants and-- you know, pick up recipes for her stand. See how it's done here. It's rare she actually wants to do something these things. BUT. No time. There's creatures, obviously led, evidently on a warpath. It'd probably be best if they didn't keep on going. Mokou lands by Kazusa and Saber, courtesy of being able to fly and get places quickly. Hands in her pockets, the white-haired girl defers to the locals on what to do. And says hello. "Yo. Sorry I'm a bit late, modern worlds are still a pain to navigate. How do you guys do this every day? There's just so many people and buildings."
Yuna Kagurazaka	Yuna still remembers the 'terrorist attack' which led to Kazusa becoming an Elite and joining the Union. She hasn't had nearly as much of a chance to spend time with Kazusa as she would like, though, mostly owing to mismatched schedules and numerous other missions. Still, when something ELSE happens at that very same mall, Yuna is in a good position to come running. So she does exactly that. Elner is flying along next to Yuna's shoulder; Jiina, Marina, and Erina are fanning out behind the Savior of Light in their armored combat forms ... and Yuna herself is just running flat-out, still empty-handed for the time being - just until she gets into the fray. "Elner, figure out who's where and try to sort out who are civilians and who's hostile," Yuna instructs the robo-faerie. "Jiina, Erina, Marina, stick close in case I need different armor." "Powered Form might be in order," Elner notes, already scanning the mall's interior as Yuna leads the way through a set of not-currently-locked doors. "That would give you high mobility and extra defensive power." "Not precision or agility, though," Yuna points out. "Just tell me where people need to be protected." Elner doesn't even have to answer, as Yuna abruptly finds herself in the midst of a fleeing pack of civilians. weaving between them. Elner and the three androids just go up, applying their flight capability in the most practical manner possible. When the civilians pass, Yuna has a terribly clear view of the dark cowboy -- "SHUGOSEIHEKI!!!" And responds to the sight by materializing her shield, planting it in front of her for whatever protection she can give the fleeing noncombatants. "I don't know who you are, but holster your gun and dismount!" Yuna calls out, trying not to sound scared. She's still more than a bit rattled from seeing Nagato attacked and possibly almost killed the previous night, although she's fully recovered physically from that encounter.
Vergil	A placid enough day, it seemed. Of course, one thing that people quickly had to learn in a place like the Multiverse was that such sights rarely ever lasted - as the sounds of sudden chaos would attest to. Though to be honest, the form of the white-haired man walking down the streets toward the spot where the peace had been rather abruptly shattered was likely to a more fitting element to what would soon be a potential bloodbath - as evidenced by the sheathed katana that hung from his waist as he strode calmly to the site. Rider had called for assistance, stating a Servant from his Grail War was here... and after what he'd seen yesterday, Vergil was now finding himself interested in what these Grails could offer. And with an open invitation to one, it was as good a chance as any to get some extra experience on the matter. As the creatures stalk through the mall, the blue-clad figure simply strides through the mall doors, unafraid of opposition as he steps past any fleeing pedestrians. Upon reaching the area where the black-clad figure is standing, Vergil allows a faint, decidedly-sarcastic smirk appear on his face - though it's more because the other's mount seems to give this newcomer a higher chance of being a certain class of Servant then what the one that summoned them all here claimed to be. "Normally, I'd think the horse is a dead giveaway for your Class... but since he-" Vergil gesture to the bowman who had summoned them "-is this war's Rider, who would that make you?" Well, he says courtesy - truthfully, it's more that Vergil wishes to see if both Servants are going to claim the same identity, and how they'll explain the contradiction.
Kal Udar	Huh! Kal Udar has never seen a mall before. This is largely because Malls are a thing that happen on civilized worlds, where human civilization hasn't collapsed into a hilarious frenzy of post-apocalyptic misery, never-ending war, and endless despair over the corpse of the planet Earth. Malls are a testament to the excesses and greed of a civilization that far predates the A-RAYS, a civilization that no longer exists as far as Kal's concerned. It's super fantastic. Especially the food court. The A-RAYs No 9 Thunder Lord is currently walking away from this place of magic and wonder with a deep sense of triumph, licking a mystical invention known as an /ice cream cone/. While it provides absolutely no sense of fulfillment and almost no calories, Kal has nonetheless decided that ice cream is surely the peak of human civilization. Nothing the A-RAYS have ever invented could possibly compare to the marvel of ice-cream, the birdman decides firmly as he walks through the mall, licking at it happily. And then the glass explodes fucking everywhere. Glass sprays all over Kal. He looks up at the Rider, then moves to lick the ice cream- -THERE IS GLASS IN HIS ICE CREAM. The A-RAY's wide wings droop at that. Nothing could possibly have harshed his mellow quite as firmly as that. The birdman turns to the Servant and frowns. "There are doors, you know!" He complains, "CIVILIZED creatures use them...I'm told." EARLIER Kal had a mishap with an automatic door when it didn't open wide enough to let his wings through. Mall security was called. Rider had to fix it. NOW Rider of Green ambles up behind its Master. The wide-eyed little alien shrieks at the other Rider, a theramin-modulated noise that fills the walkway. Rider of Green's ice cream cone lands on the floor in a heap, forgotten.
Moonlit Saber	"Is it that good? Then we should definitely--" And then the crash. That draws Saber's attention, but it's the feeling of a Servant arriving that makes her eyes narrow. "Master... it's another Servant." That doesn't really narrow things down, so she adds softly, "One of mine." Green eyes focus on the man on the horse, and she murmurs softly. "Rider... or Archer?" Hard to tell until he actually does something special, but at least she's narrowed it down to two. Probably. "Master, you should--" Her first instinct is to tell Kazusa to go find someplace to hide. But she quickly shakes that off. After all, she knows that her Master is capable of handling herself. "..you should help keep those people safe. I will face the Servant." And then Mokou arrives, and Saber glances briefly toward the girl. "Modern..? Ah, no time." She shakes her head, reaching out and materializing what looks to be a perfectly normal katana... though anyone familiar with 19th and 20th century Japanese history may recognize it as the lost Honjou Masamune. "Navigation can wait. Master, I am going to deal with this threat." Moving with surprising speed considering she's wearing a kimono, Saber darts straight toward the crowd of homunculi, neatly slicing the arm (it's probably an arm) off one that tries to stop her, and coming just short of Rider, glaring up at him and his horse. "These battles are supposed to be kept secret! Do not involve innocent bystanders!" ...and then she fels a shiver run down her spine and looks up to see another Servant. "You are Rider? Then..." Perhaps this man on the horse is Archer, then. Still, she doesn't let her guard down! The homunculi seem to barely acknowledge any sort of warning attacks; they really aren't smart enough to notice shots fired at their feet as a threat. What they do notice, however, is the presence of people. Fibrous arms suddenly whip out, lashing at anyone who comes within a few meters. This includes Kal Udar and his Rider of Green, that very dangerous mall kiosk selling overpriced watches, and several of the nearby civilians. Most telling is the first thing that can't dodge: those tendrils tear right through the mall kiosk, reducing it to splinters and bits of electronics. Several holes are punched on the floor by near misses, and more storefront windows are shattered. But it's those nearby civilians who may be end up being worst off, as the homunculi close in and lash out with razor-sharp limbs.
Kazusa Ujikane	"Roll me down a hill and /call me a tumbleweed/, what do we have here." The man on the horse has yet to so much as look in the direction of the man with the bow, his eyes locked straight down the length of the mall on the Servant with silver hair as she approaches; nevertheless, it's Archer he addresses. "I come to this lil' maze of a town lookin' fer Saber over there, and what do I find? 'nother Servant from back home. Well ain't that /somethin'/. It's a funny thing, you sayin' you're Rider and all. 'cause the thing of it is, /I'm/ a Rider. And there ain't two Riders in our little fracas. So ONE of us, is a lyin' varmint. Let's say 'Archer' for now, with that there fancy bow." The only trouble is, with The Kid cutting loose to get his attention and Yuna levying a stand-down order, he can't pretend to be unaffected anymore. There's a great big grin on his face, and a low chuckle that surges up into a deeply amused belly laugh. "Well ain't this a stampedin' herd! Hoowee, you multiverse folk don't do things by half, with all that shootin' and showin'. But I reckon y'all folks are laboring under a misapprehension. See, these ugly critters, they ain't mine. Caster felt like sendin' li'l Saber over here a message. I'm just along for the ride, and every second y'all folk spend on me is a second one o' these critters spends chewin on some poor folk what ain't got nothin' to do with us. I ain't here for but two things. /Was/ one thing, but-" His revolver's clear of the holster in a heartbeat. His previous shots were lazy, aimed at the ceiling. These are snapped off in quick succession, aimed with deadly precision, straight up at Archer. And a third goes off straight at Saber herself. "Well, I ain't gonna look a gift horse in the mouth, findin' me two at once!" The horse he's on rears up, and bellows a fierce challenge. --- Meanwhile, Kazusa is running. Full-tilt, towards the crowd. She only skids to a stop for a second or two when Mokou lands, just completely flabbergasted by the strange second white-haired girl that just... dropped out of the sky. "E-eh? Um..." Then there's a scream from nearby, which seems to jar her back to reality. "J-just start killing those things I guess, I just want them out of here so people aren't hurt!" And then she's off like a shot again, drawing a card out of her purse without so much as looking, and calling out, "By my card, I stand as a hero! THE KNIGHT!" There's a shower of sparks. A wave of light across her body. Within ten steps, Kazusa has /changed/ - her hair has silvered, her glasses are tossed aside uselessly, her clothes have become an exact duplicate of those worn by her Servant, and a pair of blades are sheathed at her side. One of them she draws immediately, a gleaming katana that is a mirror copy of the one in Saber's hands, leaping into the fray with a much more calm expression than she was wearing just moments before. The efficiency with which she begins carving up homunculi makes it clear that she's taken on the nature of a Servant directly.
The Kid	As the shouted conversations wash over the Kid, he can only roll his eyes and groan. Secret wars, titles, pissing contests over the radio... he doesn't need any of this. But, as the man with a similar accent draws attention to the roving inhumanoids, well... Kid always did want to be a Marshal. Protect the people and the peace. He backs away, almost like he's leaving. But suddenly, he's back. Running full-tilt to jump, plant a foot on the railing and leaping! Trenchcoat discarded, revealing his leather armour, now packing a great shield on his arm. He falls, tucking and rolling as he hits the ground to cancel the impact. He stops, kneeling on one knee, that fishbone rifle raised and primed at the homunculi. He hasn't a clue what they are, so he falls back on an old Slinger maxim: if it's got a head, shoot it there. Relatively quiet 'thip's ring out from the Fang Repeater as it blasts those sharp darts at the homunculi, aimed for the most seemingly obvious vitals they have!
Kal Udar	"Hey, I don't want to fight-" Kal doesn't have time to say anything more. The tendril punches right into his arm, digging deep into the A-RAY's flesh without hesitation. The tendril gets in fairly deep before the A-RAY reaches around with his other hand, grabs the tentacle, and squeezes. Hard. Really hard. Scary hard. As strange-looking blood flows down Kal's left arm, Kal's right hand makes damn sure the homonoculus tentacle isn't going anywhere. Strength enough to tear a vehicle in half with ease clamps down on the tendril like a vice, squeezing and squeezing and squeezing until the tendril just pops in Kal's hand. Even then, Kal doesn't let go of either half. The tendril catches fire - a brilliant, burning flame that just sort of burns right from Kal's hand. Despite the fire, Kal doesn't seem particularly concerned. His vicegrip remains locked around it. "Ah, I really don't want to fight. Can't you guys leave me alone? Look, you made me bleed! See, you win!" Kal gestures with his (surprisingly large and flexible) wing at his arm. "You win! So...can you just leave me alone?" Kazusa leaps into the fray. Kal whistles delightedly as she goes swinging into things (it sounds distinctly like a birdcall). "That's cool! See, she wants to fight, you should fight her." Once the tendril is burned out, Kal waves his hand, frowning. The Kid starts firing on the Homonculi, leading Kal to duck out of the way of the guns. "Wow, a lot of people do want to fight you guys. Isn't that great? You'll get what you're looking for." But even as he says it, as Kal passes one of the homonculi on his path, he crushes the skull in his hand like it's nothing. The homonculus skull pops like an overripe grape, splattering everywhere. Kal barely seems to find anything wrong with that. Rider of Green - Roswell - meanwhile has an entirely different set of priorities. The weird little grey, loping about on all fours, dodges the tendril with ludicrously superhuman speed. The creature dances backwards like an animal skipping on all its paws, scrambling away from the tendril as it strikes. At the last instant before contact, it darts away down the corridor, leaving the tendril in its dust. Despite its slender size and weird baggy shape, Rider of Green is stupidly fast. Roswell beelines for the Servant collection. The big-eyed Grey skids to a halt behind the enemy Rider, raising a hand to its head. Its huge eyes pulse purple. Several mall benches rise from the ground, ringed in purple light. The benches go flying at the enemy Rider, hurtling towards both the mount and the mounted at ridiculous speed. They're only ordinary benches, but the telekinetic force backing them is Servant-tier...and Mad Enhanced! The weird little alien packs quite a punch.
Seto Kaiba	Kaiba is facing a conundrum. There seem to be /three/ Servants here, from what he understands. The matter is complicated a bit. Exactly which Servant is he going to side with? Though he assumes some greater purpose from the one who is making the attack, the other two present seem more allied with others in the Multiverse. He can assume, based on context, that the Saber and her Master are allied with the Union. The Archer... Or Rider? Whatever he be, he seems opposed to them. Possibly a Confederate. ...And yet another one of them claims to have a Rider Servant on the radio, as well. He sighs. The side to pick in this conflict is difficult. But, he can at least clarify for right now. Most of the Servants are against the one attacking with Monsters. He will aid both, and then find more clarification on which he should support in this game later. Which means it is time to go on an attack against the various monsters. He has his deck in hand, and his cards picked. His first move is simple. Obvious. The moment he saw his hand, he knew what to do. Anyone would know what to do. He shakes his head a little. This will almost be too simple. Perhaps he underestimates the Homonculus. But, he assumes not. "I play Photon Sanctuary to summon two Photon Tokens. And then... I Tribute both of them in order to summon the BLUE-EYES WHITE DRAGON." He places the cards. Two holograms appear. Balls of light, floating in the air. Then, they vanish. In their place, the newly summoned monster. The glorious and large beast of white, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. "BURST STREAM OF DESTRUCTION!" Kaiba places down a special card. A spell card. There is a sudden burst of energy emenating from teh Dragon itself. Its mouth opens up, and it unleashes a massive, powerful breath attack. A beam of white-hot plasma, aimed towards every Homonculus that Kaiba sees. His dragon aims to try and /minimize/ property damage... But it's the least of his concern right now. Defeating the enemy is more important. And the Union likely couldn't argue. After all, what is more important? The lives of the citizens of this Mall, or a little bit of property damage that he could cut a check for?
Iria	Upon getting a better look at the homunculi, Iria sneers a little at these beings and shakes her head. "Just what I needed, weird things that are so ugly they make the smugglers I took down in Brazil-782 a few weeks ago look handsome! And that is NOT saying anything good!" She sighs angrily before staring at the homunculi. "But, since you chose to crash my party, I suppose this only calls for justified consequences!" She takes off towards them at a fast rate of speed. "And the consequences are coming RIGHT NOW!" Dodging overturned carts and things like that, Iria utilizes some parkour style techniques to get around quickly, attempting to get into a better vantage point so she can attack the homunculi head on. She stops briefly to open fire with her pistol. "Ruin my day off? I'll ruin YOUR day entirely! How do you like THAT?!" She calls out, nearly emptying a full clip into the creatures. "I'm really starting to wonder if I'm meant to have days off!"
Yuna Kagurazaka	Right. The Servants aren't the main threat that she needs to worry about, and Yuna is actually kind of relieved by that fact. Which should possibly worry her. She hasn't got time to worry about it now, though. "Jiina, Powered Form!" Yuna calls out, temporarily dismissing her shield. "Erina, Marina, spread out and go fast, try to help pin down packs of monsters for other Elites to - to kill off!" With their orders given, the purple-and-white and orange-and-white figures split away and fly towards opposite ends of the mall; one carries pulse blasters, the other carries microtorpedoes, and both of them will be trying to harry and distract packs of those homunculi, to draw their attention away from civilians who haven't been able to flee yet. That's still onyl two more defenders, though, and neither Marina nor Erina can put up a sustained fight on their own; they need Yuna for that. But they can be a distraction, and hopefully those distractions will be enough for the other Elites to deal killing blows to the homunculi. As for Yuna herself, and Jiina, their combination takes a matter of seconds, and at the end of it, Yuna is attired in a larger exoskeletal battlesuit. Shugoseiheki rematerializes on one of the armor's bigger 'exo-arms'; Yuna's own arms hold the Matrix Divider as it materializes, leaving the right exo-arm free for grappling or punching if needed. Elner's scans should be locating the homunculi - they may be magical constructs, but they still have physical form and they ought to be distinct from the humans they're hunting down - and Yuna takes her directions from the robo-faerie, heading for the biggest cluster of the blobby monsters that isn't already being handled, and beginning to shred her way through them with the Matrix Divider's blasts and the more powerful beams from Powered Form's shoulder-housed cannons ...
Winedark Archer	Originally, Archer was going to give the Rider a chance to make him his ally. However, instead, he decided to shoot him. The shots tear through Archer's hood and graze his cheek as he quickly slides to the side to avoid more incoming fire, as he stares at the enemy Servant. Rider has made a terrible foe. Reaiming his bow, he shouts proudly at the foe, nocking an arrow. "You have made a grave mistake, Rider! I am no foe to be trifled with, for how many know my name, for how many know my might, outnumbers those who will ever remember you! I will wipe the floor with you, and you will wish you were never summoned in this War!" And then, he fires. And then nocks. And then fires. A swarm of rapid-fired arrows begin flying at Rider, as Archer dashes across the balcony, leaping off towards the other one. He fires another shot at the leg of Rider's horse as he lands on the opposite balcony, every shot incredibly accurate despite his movement. Archer seems very proud of himself, and of his chances to win, as he boasts. "After you fall, Caster will be next, and then will all others in this War. Even if you fled, I would not show you mercy! If you grovel to the floor, I may give you a quick death, but first you must acknowledge your mistakes, filth!"
Vergil	Vergil seems to snort distastefully as the homunculus began assaulting the bystanders - he doesn't seem to approve, yet he doesn't go out of the way to save the civilians - he instead keeps focus on the self-proclaimed 'Rider'. "Your friend doesn't care much about collateral damage, does he?" Taking note of the so-called Saber - and appreciatively gazing over the design of her katana - Vergil watches the exchange between the group, taking in the debate. He also seems to hold some degree of satisfaction in 'Rider' being ousted as having lied about his identity - though the lack of the Servant ever summoning a mount had been a long-standing hint to that. Of course, he once again comes at odds with the now-revealed 'Archer's pride - the Rider, who claims to work with the Caster, seems a logical choice to assist in defeating the Union-allied Saber... and Archer would throw that away simply because the Rider was impudent? That could be rectified comparatively easily - a simple show of power was all that was needed, not a pointless blood-vendetta... or at least not unless it was absolutely necessary. And defeating Saber would have been a worthwhile trade-off. ... Well, nothing to be done about it, now. Even if he felt Archer didn't understand the meaning of 'temporary cooperation', Vergil figured they could at the very least eliminate one of the seven contestants in this particular war. Still, Vergil does take the time to note the apparent summoning of the massive white dragon, noting it as being somewhat majestic in terms of the sheer destructive force it represented... though it didn't feel like a typical mystical contracting. Something else to look into, then. Raising a hand, blue energy condenses into the shape of eight spectral-blue swords, all of which hover for a moment before shooting forward for any Homunculi in his path, to either perforate them or pin them down for others to make easy work of... and any that closed the gap would be met with the edge of Yamato. It was tedious work, but it let him continue to hone his skills... if nothing else.
Moonlit Saber	"Caster is involved in this, too?" Saber frowns slowly. Not five minutes ago she thought she was the only Servant from her Grail War out and about. Kotomine hadn't even contacted them to let them know the War was on. That means there were still Servants not summoned. But now, she's suddenly aware of three other Servants she'll have to deal with, even if one of them may not be an immediate concern. "Rider, then... If you are looking for me, then you have found me." Saber tries her best to not be distracted by the homunculi. She'll have to trust her Master and the others to take care of those... because there is no way she can fight both them -and- another Servant, even with Archer's help. When the gun comes out, her focus is directly on it, and her arms move swiftly. The bullet never reaches its mark, deflected by a swift stroke from the Honjou Masamune. The blade sings from the impact of the bullet, though, and Saber frowns again. A single shot worked. She's fairly certain she can't do that with more. Sandaled feet slide back slightly as the horse rears, Saber glances up at the beast. It's no ordinary mount, that she can tell. But attacking the animal directly would be... distasteful. Unlike the others, Saber doesn't bluster. Mostly because... she's a little bit terrified right now. She can feel how strong this Rider is, and she can only assume Archer is just as powerful. And that other strange thing.. one she is assured is an ally, but who seems both strange and familiar. Still, she can't afford to stand down, not with so many lives on the line here. Rather than a direct attack, Saber darts to the side, leaping up, then kicking off a support column to propel herself directly toward Rider, rather than his horse, sword gleaming in the mall's artificial lighting. "Haaaa!"
Moonlit Saber	--- The homunculi, meanwhile, prove to be another type of threat entirely. The head, such as it is, is just a lump protruding from the top of the body, with lights that are probably eyes. Still, the heads explode rather spectacularly when shot, making a gooey 'splut!' sound. The problem? The homunculi don't fall over when shot. Instead, the tendrils seem to melt together, forming a new head with a different pattern of eye spots. Several of them turn directly toward the Kid, marching slowly but tirelessly, and spear out with their arms. The homunculi don't really seem to understand Kal's words, but they do understand their arms and heads just being crushed until they pop. Still, even with something vital destroyed... they don't stop. The one gripped by Kal's arm even regrows, trying to encase his arm in those sharp tendrils as it develops a new limb around his, even as it bursts into flames. The other problem, of course, being that it is now a flaming homunculus, setting fire to things it touches. A half dozen more are burned by the dragon's breath, and while the ones which were completely annihilated seem to be gone for good, those that regrow are still there, joined by several others. Rather than shambling, they fall forward and begin to roll, closing the distance to the Blue-Eyes in short order and beginning to climb up the beast, stabbing with both arms and legs. Even regular bullets seem somewhat effective, though it depends where they're hit. A shot to the torso seems to not do much more than slow it down, but the arms are fairly easily blown off with a bullet to the shoulder. The problem is that regrowth, as they seem quite easy to damage but very, very hard to actually put down. Yuna's blasts seem just as effective as the others' - that is, very effective, but temporary. Limbs fly off, but they regrow in short order, and there still seems to be more of the creatures than there were a moment ago. Swords, both solid and spectral, wielded by Kazusa and Vergil, seem to work quite well, though have the same problem as other weapons. Severed limbs regrow, as do heads, but the biggest problem is a clean cut across the torso. The two halves fall apart and hit the ground, then each half begins to regrow, and where there was once one homunculus, there are now two.
Kazusa Ujikane	The black stallion rears and whinnies, and when it comes down one of its great hooves smashes through a homonculus as if it weren't there - or as if the horse believes it wasn't there. "HYAH!" And it's fast, fast enough that it pulls out of range of Saber before she can even reach its master, who only responds with a gleeful look over his shoulder. He plows through the crowd of monsters without hesitating, a devil's grin on his face, keeping pace with Archer thanks to the simple expedient of his horse. And every time a hoof hits the tile of the mall, a revolver shot fires, the Servant fanning that sidearm of his with impressive speed. As much as he's attacking Archer, though, he's also defending himself by outright shooting arrows out of the air. Not all of them. He can only get the ones that pose the biggest threat to him or his horse, letting the others fly by and catch him across the cheek, the arm, his horse's flank; the latter only seems to enrage the equine beast, however, resulting in a furious snort and a burst of speed. "YEAH, WELL Y'KNOW WHAT, PARDNER?" he calls out in response to Archer's jibes, pausing for a second while trying to think of a reply (and unload more bullets). "...MAH HORSE'S BIGGER'N YOURS!" Scathing. Then the benches hit. Slam. Slam. SLAM. Two smash into his horse, and one into Rider himself, before he can shift his course to one side and avoid. That's cracked ribs at the very least, and yet he only seems gleeful... and the horse only seems ANGRY. It skids to a stop, and suddenly bucks around in a circle, just in time for Rider to reach up and CATCH one. It sends both steed and cowboy skidding back ten feet, but they manage to stop, and then the horse bucks, and spins, and bucks, and spins, and with a roar of, "Y'AIN'T OUGHTA LITTER, LI'L FELLA!" he comes around and hurls it right back. Only then does the horse haul back around and charge on. But he hasn't forgotten about Saber. Oh no. While the ebon steed charges on, and one hand unloads bullets at Archer up above, Rider's other hand is going into that longcoat of his as if to retrieve something. Under his wide-brimmed hat, the cowboy's eyes dart left and right, until he spots just what he needs; a tall pole holding an advertising banner. Then his arm snaps out, and clutched in it is what appears at first to be a snakeskin whip. It uncoils out to wrap itself tight around the pole, surprisingly secure... and anyone looking closely can now see that it's not so much a 'snakeskin whip' as it is a 'snake whip'. Despite being a live snake, it holds tight, allowing him to swing off the horse, around in a wide horizontal circle, and back around to fly boots-first at Saber. As soon as he's in the right position, the snake even lets go, coiling itself back up to his hand.
Kazusa Ujikane	Kazusa, meanwhile, dances through the horde with superhuman grace. It's like watching Saber herself move, though the hair is shorter, and the face and figure are Kazusa's. She nevertheless holds her copy of the Honjou Masamune as if she were born to it, all of Saber's skill behind it. She strikes first for a head, then on seeing that not working right, she bisects one. That... just results in two, and a faint scowl from the faux-Servant. "...difficult." While she might have Saber's skill, she does not have her battle experience or core mindset, so she can only devise a solution that is just about as Kazusa-like as it gets. "If small portions do not regrow into new enemies, then simply cut all of them into small portions." She sets out to try this herself, by slashing again and again and /again/ at one until it's in multiple chunks the size of a basketball or smaller.
Iria	As Iria continues to open fire, she finds herself getting more and more frustrated with the way these things keep coming after her. No matter how many shots they take, they regenerate and come back for more! Iria's sneer turns into a bare teethed look as she runs out of ammo in her handgun. Rather than reload, though, Iria decides that fighting with a firearm isn't going to suffice right now. Instead, it's time to get up close and personal. "Normally, I save this for more personal targets, but today I'll make an exception!" Iria takes out her sword, the blade shaped in segments like a chain, but then it solidifies and Iria is holding a full-fledged sword. "I'm gonna cut each and every one of you down to size!" With that, Iria rushes towards the homunculi, attempting to deliver some swift swordsmanship (or should that be swordsGIRLship?) at the annoying, regenerating creatures which have ruined her mall experience.
The Kid	A grim smile of satisfaction creeps up on the Kid's face as the homunculi's head burst like rotten vineapples. But as they grow back, it melts away like butter in the pan. Again, he considers just running away... but he decided to act as a Marshal would. "Acobi protect me," he mutters angrily, more at himself than anyone else, brining up that shield to block those lashing tendrils, planting his feet to hold his ground. All the while, he peeks around at what everyone else is doing, staring at the giant dragon, the weird grey thing, the summoned swords, the girls in armour... "Utter devastation works just fine..." he mutters, looking towards those cleared by the Blue Eyes. "Settin' 'em on fire might do it, but they keep fightin'..." He takes quick stock of his gear. Fang Repeater, War Machete, couple of grenades, a few spare clips of darts... That's it. "I got an idea. Watch me," he says over the radio, before pulling the pin on one of those grenades with his teeth and lobbing it over the shield at the mob approaching him. It would create a sizable blast, perhaps enough to stagger the things, if not knock them down. Either way, Kid charges at them, aiming to pin one of them to the ground, tackling one if need be! He would then follow up with shots from the Fang Repeater. Not at the head or chest this time. No, at the ends of their legs and tendrils, to pin them to the ground. Then, a flask is taken from his belt and dumped all over it. The heady stink of high-proof alcohol would fill the air. "Someone burn this thing!"
Seto Kaiba	Kaiba draws his next card, while watching the beasts attempt to attack his Dragon. Though the Blue-Eyes White Dragon is, indeed, powerful? This many creatures at once is certain to overwhelm it eventually. The arms and legs stab into it, piercing its powerful scales. Of course, Kaiba's deck is built well enough that his next card gives him an easy option to distract the monsters. "BLUE-EYES! Move back, and into defense mode! And now, I play... The Maiden with Eyes of Blue!" Another card is placed down, in face up attack mode. A figure of a woman. She has long platinum hair, and soft blue eyes. She is dressed in a simple tan dress, with images of dragons sewn into both sides. She stands where the Blue-Eyes /was/ standing, hopefully amongst a horde of the creatures. Of course, some of them might be able to cling to the Blue-Eyes itself. That would be problematic. The Dragon will bite and claw at any monster still upon it. But, hopefully, they will instead focus on the defenseless looking woman. Because once she is attacked, another Blue-Eyes will be brought forth from Kaiba's deck.
Vergil	Vergil clicks his tongue in annoyance as the clay-like figures start pulling themselves back together or regenerating outright - an adversary that was comparatively weak but annoying to stamp out. And if dealt with the wrong way, they could double. If nothing else though, it pointed to this 'Caster' being a competent practitioner of their craft. Another reason why Vergil concluded it would have been better to try and form an alliance with the Servant... though perhaps that might still be possible, depending on whether or not they carried a grudge. For now though... the homunculus had recognized them as enemies. That meant they were locked into this fight. As he took a pace back, Vergil noted how the white dragon had been able to easily dispatch the creatures in a single attack - out of all of them, it's blast attack seemed a good deterrent for the creatures. And when the beast's master claims to have two more he can summon forth, Vergil is actually rather surprised - the man is clearly human... yet to control creatures of such power as dragons is no small feat. Or is it a clever slight of hand? Whatever the means, the results are undeniable... and the use of what seemed to be a light-based attack prompted Vergil to try something. Drawing together eight more summoned swords, Vergil fires them at the homunculus and pin them in place as he moves forward at high-speeds... and in a flash of light, Yamato is gone, replaced by the form of the gauntlets and greave-boots of Beowulf, which Vergil quickly uses to slam each and every pinned creature with strikes that are charged inlight-energy. Perhaps the short bursts of light-elemental power mixed with blunt-force attacks will have a positive effect towards stopping the creatures... and if not, he will simply have to recalculate at best, or team up with another at the worst - because at this rate they would be stuck trading blows all day.
Yuna Kagurazaka	Yuna wilts a bit as she sees the homunculi just regenerating - or in extreme cases, growing into new, intact homunculi. "Oh, come on," she groans quietly. She can't do much to amp up her firepower; her beam cannons pack a big punch - bigger than she wants to use inside a building, truth be told - but they also take a while to recharge between firings. On the plus side, maneuvering to avoid load-bearing architecture and friendly or non-combatant targets will take some extra time. But there may be other alternatives, too. Yuna transmits new instructions to Marina and Erina, and the two Matrix of Light androids break off from harrying the homunculi, instead heading out of the mall by whatever means are available. They can't specifically scan for magical activity - even Elner's sensors aren't tuned for detecting magic directly - but if Caster is hiding out nearby to sustain the homunculi, which seems REALLY likely, then it should be feasible to locate him, her, them, or it. Elner's sensors are needed for something different at this point, though; Yuna singles one homunculus out from the pack, attempting to lop off its legs and to stomp them into pulp, followed by taking its arms off more or less the same way. That'll leave its head and torso while it regenerates the limbs ... and that should give Elner a chance to get in closer and try to do a detailed scan of the monster. If there's some kind of 'core' that Yuna and her allies can target and destroy, that's going to be vitally useful for this fight.
Winedark Archer	Rider is skilled. Exceptionally skilled. His aim is precise, and his rate of fire is impeccable. Truly a worthy combatant, even if he's nothing to the might of the great Greek heroes, Archer thinks. He begins firing more arrows rapidly, to take the bullets out of the air, as he's hit in his armor and grazed at the face. He rips his robe off, revealing his full ancient Greek armor, as he leaps straight off the balcony to fly over the Rider, firing arrows down from above. Landing on a wrecked kiosk on the first floor, Archer huffs, as he threatens the Rider. "Reveal your name, Rider. Die with your history known to your betters, or I will be forced to use the full power of my name to destroy you. I have no time for your lack of wit or your plans, your methods are sloppy and undignified. There was a chance for an alliance at one point, but I deem you not worth my time. After all, it is obvious you are nothing but another man's pawn, another Servant who will do nothing but betray you once he is done with you." Archer's words are an attempt to spur Rider into anger, especially anger where he'll end up revealing things. Reaching down to his armor, Archer grasps a large, nondescript sack, as he speaks. What exactly it is, isn't obvious. "So you may either die with your heroic reputation revealed, or die a coward! This is your choice!"
Kal Udar	"You're not listening!" Kal wails as the Blue-Eyes White Dragon's breath pours through the area. The blinding flash actually leaves Kal blinded, too. The bird-man winces, ducking away from the fight as his sensitive eyes take more punishment from his supposed allies than his enemies. The homonculus lashes out at him, but this time, Kal's actually ready for it. One hand covering his eyes, his other hand snaps out, snagging the burning creature by the tentacles without looking. The iron grip closes around the tendrils, the fire licking his hand. It's his fire. He'll deal with it. As the flames grab his wrist, Kal tugs, firmly, dragging the homonculus towards him. If they regenerate, if they won't stop fighting him, if they won't go away, then Kal has no choice. The birdman's teeth elongate as he opens his jaws. The burning homonculus, with its tendril wrapped around him, is dragged, bodily, into his jaws. Brutally, Kal's teeth close around the thing, ripping its head open and swallowing the remains. He doesn't stop there, either - the A-RAY just starts feasting, his animal heritage made painfully clear as he simply consumes the burning Homonculus all the way down to its component parts. The tendril, still wrapped around him, is slurped up like spaghetti. That does not even begin to fill him. Meanwhile, Rider of Green takes the bench right back in the face. The weird little creature ragdolls, flying backwards as the bench splatters into it. The creature is buried under the bench, and for a moment, it looks like it's actually beaten. That moment passes almost immediately as tentacles explode out of the bench. The little grey creature oozes forward from under the wood, lashing its surprisingly-powerful tendrils at the enemy Rider with abandon. As it does so, it lets out a horrible shrieking noise. Directly above the enemy Rider appears a strange object - like a fixture, or a gun emplacement. It's a square hole in reality, and it thrums with power. Then it fires. A beam of energy comes pouring down on the Rider as Roswell's tendrils attempt to hold the Servant and give Archer and Saber a chance, along with the energy blast, to corner the Servant and pour on the damage.
Moonlit Saber	It seems that Saber picked the wrong sword for a fight like this. Although Rider manages to avoid her strike, she still lands neatly just beyond him. And, for a moment, she stares. Did he just hammer throw a bench while riding a horse? Saber shakes her head, though, and takes a breath. Right, she'll just change weapons, and this will be much easier to handle. As she moves to sheath the Honjou Masamune, though, she glances up to see Rider flying past her... which is why she doesn't expect it when he swings back around via that mysterious whip. The sound of boots impacting Saber from the side makes a loud CRUNCH and hits hard enough to send her flying, crashing into a storefront through its front wall, rather than the window. "--hkk!" The Masamune goes flying from her hand in the opposite direction, though it fades away into nothingness once she's no longer holding it. It's only a few moments, though, before Saber staggers out from the store, right arm hanging limply at her side. It's probably broken. In her left hand, though, she holds a large okinomiyaki spatula. It seems that being kicked into a restaurant at least provided her with a temporary weapon, even if it is her off hand. And, despite it just being a large spatula, despite her other arm dangling at her side, Saber darts forward, eyes flashing green. The spatula sings, cutting easily through the center of a homunculus in her path... then striking again and again, deciding to try out her Master's plan. Her focus is on the enemy Rider, though. "Archer, calling him out will likely not help. Only a foolish Servant would give away their identity so easily." Her words are soft and hissed as she tries to hold back the pain of fighting with a broken arm, but she still closes in on Rider rather quickly, slashing with that spatula. Despite it just being a cooking implement, it seems effective enough... just ask that homunculus recovering from being diced into bits. --- Some methods of dealing with homunculi work better than others. Dicing them into small pieces doesn't seem to leave enough of the main body to regenerate, and the chunks of homunculus wriggle, squirm... and then stop moving. Likewise, eating one (!) seems at least effective in it not regrowing, though it might cause some stomach discomfort as it tries (and fails) to regenerate in there. Completely obliterating enough of a single homunculus at once likewise seems effective enough, though dragon tooth and fang does about the same as a sword. If enough damage is done, or if it's eaten, regeneration is halted. Otherwise, more will grow. The strange maiden is attacked just like any person would be, though. While not particularly vulnerable to light energy, being pinned down in place seems productive, as the homunculi struggle, unable to get up as they're assaulted with blunt-force trauma.
Kazusa Ujikane	Shiny Greek armor is enough to get an appreciative whistle out of Rider. Whistle. "Well ain't that a fancy getup y'got there! Y'all Greek folk don't half do nothin', do ya?" He's still firing that revolver every chance he gets, but without his horse, and especially with Saber and Roswell also pressing him, he's falling into 'suppressing fire' rather than 'directed attacks'. He's good, but he's no Archer-class. The arrow sticking out of his thigh right now is a testament to that. All he can do is leap out of the way into a great big tumble that skids across the floor, giving him a lower angle from which to fire on Archer's arrows... at least until he can get Saber between himself and the ranged Servant. That's the best he can do by far to keep those arrows from being a major threat since the two are working together. "Y'got one thing wrong, there, Willem Tell." This doesn't seem to be a declaration of identity - merely a choice in epithets on Rider's part. "I ain't here for no plans or wits. I'm just here to have me a fine li'l tussle with y'all, and let me tell you, it has been one hell of a ride!" That snake-whip is out again, held in his right with the revolver in his left, and with a whirling motion he uncurls it, cracks it once - CRACK - and... suddenly finds himself hearing a strange thrumming sound from above. "What in the sam hill-" Oh. Oh that's bad. Out snaps the snake once again, but this time the snake curls around in mid-air, latches onto its own body, and becomes the loop of a lasso by the time it reaches Saber - and wraps around her left wrist with uncanny accuracy, forestalling that slash. There's a sharp pull and a dancelike movement, and he's just about out of the way of the tendrils. At the same time, he uses the movement to add momentum to the pull, such that he's hauling Saber by the arm right up into the air. Right up, in fact, into the path of that energy blast, just the moment before it goes off. The snake releases and retracts, and in the same movement, he brings up his revolver and unloads toward the silver-haired Servant. He comes back around to square off with Roswell and Archer, and- falls flat on his face. WHAM. There's still a tentacle wrapped around his ankle. The stream of swearwords he lets out is positively legendary. At that moment, however, there's a thunderous sound of hooves, stampeding straight towards Rider. The ebon steed has returned at last, and seems to have realized the tide is turning against the homunculi. And since that means it will soon turn against the horse's owner... well, it lets out a bellowing whinny. And Rider responds. "You watch your cotton-pickin' language, y'great big mule!" The noise it makes in response does not sound happy. Rider almost sounds offended. "Now have I ever called you somethin' like tha-" The horse goes by at freeway speeds, and Rider reaches up to grab it at just the right moment, somehow not ripping his arm off in the process. He's fleeing.
Kazusa Ujikane	Kazusa, meanwhile, finds herself gratified to discover that her strategy works. Cutting them apart will suffice. She nods faintly, satisfied with herself, and then sets to work all over again, slashing and slicing and cutting again, this time not stopping with one until it's in relatively small pieces. She keeps this up right until the moment she turns to catch a glimpse of Saber being hauled up into the path of an alien laser blast. Then she's running that-a-way at full Servant-tier speed. "Saber-!" Even under the cool temperament that she's borrowed from her own Servant, there's visible worry in her eyes, audible concern in her voice.
Seto Kaiba	The bait is taken. The Maiden with Eyes of Blue is attacked. There is a sudden burst of power from her. She won't last long, though. Her 'Effect' only occurs when she is first attacked. So, even as she bursts with power, she falls, disintigrating into numerous pieces. It is at this point that Kaiba's deck pushes out another card, and the Duel Disk reshuffles it. He places the card down on the field, as per the Maiden's effect. Were he to be fighting sapient opponents, he would narrate his actions. for creatures such as these? It doesn't matter. Instead, he will let his actions speak for himself for the moment. After all, a second Blue-Eyes White Dragon has appeared on the field, to assist the first. It is at this point that Kaiba pulls his next card from his deck. And. He smiles. Even if these enemies /aren't/ sapient? For this particular card. He is going to have to absolutely announce his intent. "I play this Spell Card! POLYMERIZE! And with it... I summon forth the /most powerful/ creature from all of Duel Monsters! A card with /no peer/. I summon it forth, the ultimate Monster of my deck!" As he says this, Kaiba's dragons start swirling. The image of a third appears, while he sets it onto his Duel Disk. A card that was within his hand. The figures of the three dragons enter a swirling torrent, upon which they seem to be combined together. "THE BLUE-EYES ULTIMATE DRAGON!" And so, it appears. The massive dragon stands, larger than the other three. It has to be on the first floor of the mall, to even fit in the room at all. It hovers just off the ground. It's body is covered in pure white scales. Massive wings come off of its back. And, as the combination of the three Blue-Eyes White Dragon, it has a trio of heads. "BLUE-EYES ULTIMATE DRAGON! ATTACK!" The three mouths open, aiming in different directions. Despite a warning /just/ before saying this? Kaiba is having them attack only seconds after giving it, not caring if the others get caught in the crossfire. If they get caught in the blast? Who cares. The winning condition for him, tonight, is destroying these monsters. Not protecting his allies. And he just stands there, with a smug grin.
Kal Udar	Kal does not appear to have any digestive discomfort with the homonculi. This is perhaps more terrifying than the act of eating them, which Kal engages in with...if not delight, then efficiency. The A-RAY is a predator first, all else second, with an inbuilt capacity for violence that is frankly inhuman. Well, in fact, it is inhuman - the A-RAY is not and has never ever been a human being. With the homonculi dying, Kal takes off. A flap of his wings sends him up into the air, where he can stay out of the way of the remaining violence. Rider, meanwhile, has no such intention of letting up. The Servant clings to its enemy with murderous tendril, lashing more of them around the enemy's body as the odd, baggy creature is bounded and dragged along the ground. Green blood flows freely from its bizarre form, rolling down its head and back in various places. Each bump seems to produce new spots. Nevertheless, Rider does not give up. It lets out another shrill shriek. There's a surge of prana flow as that thrumming sound starts directly under the horse. And the horse finds itself lifting off the ground by the back legs mere seconds before Silver Disc Euphoria discharges again. Only at that point does Rider of Green release its hold. The tendrils shoot back into its arms as its eyes glow purple, ringing it in a purple light. The Servant catches itself before it can fall any further, lowering slowly to the ground.
Vergil	It seemed that light-based energy was not the solution so much as pure destructive force was. However, what actually caught Vergil's attention more was the fusion of the three white dragons into a single, tri-headed behemoth of a creature, with the Son of Sparda gazing at it in a rare moment of surprise. What kind of magic did this human have that allowed him to not only summon forth creatures of such destructive power but merge them together like this? It had to be some form of talisman system - no mere human, even one with demonic blood, could bend beasts to his will like that otherwise. Then again, considering how vast the multiple realities were, perhaps he simply had not met such a being until now. ... For now though, he would have to file it away to look into later - in regards to the current concern of the homunculus, it seemed their dragon-master would soon have that matter well in hand - and Vergil wasn't going to object if someone was going to go through the trouble of mopping up the pests for him... though he would offer a form of assistance. Bringing up one final volley of summoned swords, Vergil opts to pin down any and every homunculus he can see so as to ensure they have as little a chance as possible to escape the admittedly-impressive sight of the immense three-headed white dragon. Vergil himself bounds upwards to whatever available platform, post or even possible opening in the wall from which he can be out of the attack's radius, content to let the mighty beast wipe out the opposition. And with Rider leaving the fight it seemed, the battle should likely be coming to a close.
Iria	When all is said and done, Iria puts her sword back in its sheath and smiles a little. "Ahh, nothing like slicing and dicing to cure what's pissing you off!" She grins a little, wiping her hands on her armor. "Maybe I'll go back and get Kei to come with me to a burger joint? I'll let Fujikurow handle my dirty laundry!" She laughs at that, almost like she's enjoying this too much. But the laughter abruptly stops as she hears the sound of someone speaking rather loudly. And when she hears that speaking, she turns her ear towards the sound of the voice, and scowls a little. "What the hell is he planning?" Then she hears the name of the spell and she grits her teeth again, turning to face the direction of where the voice came from. "He's gonna summon THAT thing here?!" She quickly fires her grappling hook towards a nearby object which allows her to get to higher ground, and then use her grappling hook again. This time she uses it to reach an impeccably placed vent, which opens after a little effort. Then she quickly crawls through it, made easy due to her thin build. She crawls as fast as she can, not stopping until she finds the vent cover for the outside. Once that is opened, Iria dives out of the vent, finding that she's a bit higher up than she expected. "Oh dammit no!" Iria yells out, shifting herself into an upright position. The moment her feet touch the ground, she rolls on the ground a few times before landing in a crouched position. "This was one trip to the mall that I'll sure never forget about!" She says with a sigh, running a hand through her hair ornaments.
The Kid	Sadly, it seems like everyone else is too distracted to give a Kid a light. But this homunculus seems stuck, so that's good enough. But now, they're all around him. "Ah damn..." He charges, Bullhead Shield placed between he and the homunculi to knock them aside. He hears Kaiba over the radio, asking people to get away from the creatures. That dragon's power flashes through his mind, and so he's on the move instantly, towards the party. But it looks like instantly may not be fast enough. Kid is engulfed in a stream of destruction. He's dead now. I'm just fooling. When the light clears, the Bullhead Shield is raised, blackened by the blast but whole. As is the Kid hiding behind it. Looking around at the devastation it spared him from, he gives the wood-and-brass construct an affectionate pat, before glowering at Kaiba. Sure, it worked. Doesn't mean he has to like it.
Yuna Kagurazaka	So in short, no Caster, no core, no easy options. It was probably a long shot in the first place, Yuna admits to herself, jabbing the Matrix Divider into the Homunculus she's got pinned for Elner's inspection. She pauses a few seconds, the visible part of the Divider's blade glowing brighter and brighter ... And then pulls the trigger, discharging the blast inside the homunculus and simply blowing it apart from the inside. It's probably overkill, and it's probably also extremely messy, but Yuna doesn't care as long as the thing is destroyed. This also gives her beam cannons time to charge up fully .. and Yuna braces herself, digging her feet into the mall's tiled floor, setting herself as the 'lenses' in her suit's outer shoulders slide open to reveal the emitters. A split second later, twin columns of devastating radiant force lash out, hammering the rest of the homunculi in front of her. She has to cut off the blast before she risks doing any damage to the mall's architecture, so it may not do as much to the homunculi as she wanted it to. Hopefully that reduces the situation to a matter of rounding the remaining monsters up and obliterating them, though.
Winedark Archer	As Rider starts to flee, Archer contemplates using his Noble Phantasm anyway to kill the Servant. It's tempting, but instead, he grabs his robe and begins putting it back on, hiding the bag away inside. He takes a seat on the kiosk he's standing on, as he looks over his wounds. He'll leave in a few moments, regrouping with his Master and fleeing to their homebase, but for now, he'll think. And next time, Rider will be destroyed. And after that, the Caster, the silver-haired Saber, and then the rest of his opponents will fall, like dominoes. It's only a matter of time, and then he'll have his wish. And then finally, he can stop fighting.
Moonlit Saber	Despite the fact she's just using a spatula, Saber is still able to deflect most bullets that come her way, though one strikes her in the stomach, piercing right through her kimono. If it weren't magical armor, the blood would leave quite a stain. As is, that hurts quite a bit, and Saber briefly flinches... which is enough to keep her from slashing at the snake as it flies toward her wrist. The reptilian lasso pulls tightly around her wrist, enough to force her to drop the spatula, and when Rider yanks, there's a very distinct sound of Saber's shoulder being dislocated as it's yanked from its socket. The silver-haired Servant lets out a brief cry of pain, but can't really do much else as she's swing through the air... ...right into the path of that energy blast. Saber lets out a piercing SHRIEK as the beam sears her kimono, and the followup shots from Rider certainly don't help! By the time she hits the ground, Saber's entire body is smoking, wisps of steam rising from charred and damaged clothing, and several bulletholes pierced throughout. She seems to still be alive, but she's barely moving and only breathing shallowly. As Rider is dragged off, his word seems to be proven true. The homunculi don't attempt to retreat, though that could also be because they don't have enough cognitive process to do so. Which is why that final blast from the three-headed dragon manages to completely vaporize most of them. There are still a few stragglers left, but with their numbers severely cut down, it probably won't be all that hard to deal with what's left.
Kazusa Ujikane	Maintaining a hold on Rider does not come without cost. He's got one hand on the stirrup, dragging along mall tile - and then, after a smash through a wall, parking lot blacktop. But the other is free, still holding that snake whip, which he slings around and starts striking at the tendrils, one after another after another. This is the part where Roswell discovers that the snake whip is a RATTLEsnake - though how badly the venom affects a nonhuman is in question. Then his horse loses traction, apparently lifted into the air by its back end briefly- and there's a fountain of energy from below. FSHEEW. The horse is fast enough that it doesn't get engulfed entirely, but its- and Rider's- back end take more than a little bit of that blast. There's a distinct sizzle in the air when it stops, but the Servant has not stuck around to let the alien see how badly he was hit. Both cowboy and nightmare horse have disappeared, fading into incorporeality as Servants are wont to do. (Spoilers: He's gonna be feeling that one for a /while/.) --- Kazusa is spared the full brunt of the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon by dint of the fact she's rushing to Saber's side. It still manages to catch her clothes, setting them briefly alight and scorching her; it's enough that she'll be feeling it even after she transforms back to normal. But she doesn't even notice the pain. She's too busy skidding to a stop on her knees next to Saber; it's a peculiar sight, seeing her copied appearance next to such a badly injured original, both of them smoking and sizzling for various reasons. But Kazusa doesn't have anything but concern for Saber at the moment, her voice quiet and urgent. It's only her copying of her Servant's cool temper that's keeping her from some degree of panic. "Saber...! Saber, you're alive, you..." She herself knows, instinctively; Saber will regenerate. But it's pretty bad. Kazu-Saber looks up and around, trying to spot her allies from the Union among the groups present. "We need to get her home. Someone, I need a lift. I can't get her there quickly myself."
Vergil	As Vergil drops back down after the dragon's attack has cleared, he actually opts to stride past to the downed Saber and her Master, Beowulf vanishing as one hand rests on the restored form of the now-sheathed Yamato. Part of him notes it would be very much an easy task to either wipe out the Master and Servant together, or just take the contract-marks off the Master and claim the Servant for his own... but at the same time it wasn't exactly sporting to do so, now was it? Besides, if they were truly going to forgo an alliance with Rider and Caster, he may as well not make an enemy of the only other Servant he knows of in this war that they could ally with - even if it was just a temporary alliance. And if Rider and Caster came around to try and negotiate, it would be all the better to catch Saber and her Master unawares by not tipping them off with undue hostility. Either way, he didn't lose anything by letting them be... for now. However, as he silently leaves the mall behind as abruptly as he came, Vergil makes it rather obvious he doesn't feel an obligation to volunteer any assistance to Saber, either.
Seto Kaiba	Kaiba lets the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon remain. He glances around, noting the few remaining Homonculi. He will have to learn what these creatures are at some point. He also has to decide whether or not he wishes to get involved in this Grail War in addition to the one he is already assisting in. But, for now. There are other things to worry about. Namely, the property damage. He doesn't even turn his head back to look. he just speaks to one of his employees behind him. "Contact the Mall's management and provide a check for the damages." His men respond affirmatively, before heading to do just that. It is also at this point that he walks over to Kazusa and Saber, looking towards them both. His Blue-Eyes White Dragon follows him. he keeps an emotionless look on his face as he considers both of them. "...You two will need to up your game if you hope to win this Grail War. I doubt he'll be so obvious next time." He looks towards them, curious what their reaction will be.
Yuna Kagurazaka	And that seems to be about it. Yuna helps dispatch a couple more straggling homunculi, then goes to rendezvous with the others. "Getting who home - oh," she replies, taking in the situation, especially Saber's condition. "Need to go fast, right?" Yuna dismisses her weapon and her shield and picks Saber up in her arms (both sets). Erina flits over to pick up Kazusa, and Yuna lingers long enough to hear Kaiba offering to pay for repairs. That's nice of him - nicer than Yuna actually expected, in fact. "Hang on tight, Kazusa," Yuna says to the card-using Master .... And then they're off, with Erina listening for Kazusa's directions. If they need to go to the warpgate, Yuna can head there; if they're heading for Kazusa's actual home in this world, then directions are even more important. A girl in a bulky powered suit on hover-thrusters is probably going to be a bizarre sight racing through the streets, though ...
Moonlit Saber	"Nnnn..." Saber knows she's not dead. It hurts too much. She slowly cracks an eye open as she hears Kazusa's voice, lips parting to speak a soft, "Master.. You are.. unhurt?" As Yuna picks her up, she winces as both arms dangle limply. "I will be fine... I just need to... rest." Saber's eyes drift closed, but she's still breathing, at least. It seems she has no answer for Kaiba's remark, not in as poor a shape as she is now.
Kazusa Ujikane	The look Kazusa gives Kaiba through the lens of Saber's temperament can best be described as 'chilly'. "It is somewhat difficult to take advice from one who attacks his allies so casually to secure victory." She didn't actually miss that, it seems. Vergil, meanwhile, is only noted as leaving in that she's quietly thankful he did so without further incident. "I am fine," Kazusa replies gently to Saber, carefully picking her up and gingerly, oh so gingerly, making sure she's secure in Yuna's arms. Only when she's satisfied does she let go and step back, letting Erina lift her. Her directions back to the house are short and perhaps a bit terse, but they are accurate. As they're dropped off, Yuna might catch a quiet murmur of thanks that Kazusa's dad isn't home.