Scene #1762:

Owner	Pose
Sieg	The Magus traditions of the Southern United States are a little bit... odd, to say the least. Particularly in New Orleans. The summoning of spirits and invocation of beings who might be regarded as gods is far more common, as is the intermingling of thaumaturgy styles. It's not ordinary for more than minor spirits to be invoked, but occasionally somebody wakes up something strange, or particularly vicious by dabbling in areas that ought to be left alone. To the participants of the Great Grail War, that means that New Orleans was a place to be avoided. They're already dealing with enough ghosts and demigods, after all. But to Rider and Sieg, there was no choice but to go. The spirit overseeing the Grail War, known as Ruler, had hinted that one of the great treasures that might be claimed in the course of the war might be found there. Exactly what shape it might take he had left unclear, but it didn't take much prying to discover that somebody found -something- out there, and whatever it was did something dreadful. It is night. Bounded fields have been set up cordoning off the port of New Orleans, as well as major tourist areas such a Bourbon Street, among others. Some kind of madness has been spreading, blamed by local media on heavy usage of bath salts or other similarly extreme drugs. The truth is more bizarre. For those with the relevant factional associations, a general travel warning has been issued for their area, cautioning against entry. Formally, Union citizens aren't allowed to go here at all unless they're a part of an effort to investigate and resolve the crisis. Confederates have no such prohibitions, but there is a standing request to locate some sort of glasses. Supposedly they allow the wielder to see and manipulate Death. Others yet might have heard rumors. Of something valuable, of magical disturbances, of disappearances and odd behavior. The areas that have been cordoned off are not as inactive as they should be given the circumstances. For yards around it is empty and silent, but within the boundaries of this "forbidden zone" there is some sort of party going on. It has spilled out into the streets and into nearby stores and gas stations. Vandalism has clearly been rampant for some time now. The smell of it all is awful. People have simply... let go, and are doing what they please. More than that, they're doing so with all the physical might of much greater beings.
Dominic Masoch	So a Fencer and a White Mage walk into New Orleans. The Fencer immediately says: "This city seems old and slightly run down. I wonder what Old Orleans is like?" Dominic has made at least a token effort to fit in today. This means that instead of his normally formal and utilitarian attire of armor with a coat and some boots and gloves, he's wearing a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a leather jacket with some high-top sneakers. Hanging across his back is something about 3-4 feet long wrapped in burlap cloth. Being ble to, at least, power through the effects of Bounded Fields means that Dominic can make his way towards the relevant areas of investigation, He frowns at the sight of the party. "Blech. I suppose some areas of the Extrav-" He pauses and corrects himself, "Multiverse... don't have proper law enforcement." He steps around nastier spots on the ground. He wishes he had his official Fencer License and could claim some bounties for public indecency.
Mordred	Few things are as certain as the fact you will never be able to avoid Saber clones in your Nasuverse. Today Mordred will fulfill that role for you, and until such a time as the role is no longer needed (which it always is, sorry). One could not say what it is that drew the Servant here today-- perhaps it is the factional call for a treasure hunt, in a world she vaguely recognizes as Sieg's, whom she is fairly fond of; perhaps it is boredom; perhaps it is, even, the lure of the supernatural itself. Either way, appearing from red and blue wisps of mana is the Saber-class teenager, standing on the very edge of the Bounded Field that separates the port from the rest of the city. She muses on the fact there's no way she can hide if she steps inside. She's no Assassin, and it doesn't take an exceptional magus to tell when a Servant is near. Unless you're Rin Tohsaka in which case you can completely miss the bloodthirsty Lancer five feet away from you. Dressed in knee-length jeans, tattered, with a white and blue tube top and red and gold jacket, Mordred figures at least she won't visually attract too much attention. On the other hand attention tends to mean fun. She steps through, hands sinking into her pockets as she innocently navigates the port towards the fairly obvious party going on. For an area with so many warnings it's odd to think there's some sort of festivities going on. And there's something off and inhuman about it too. To others arriving, at least, Mordred won't be hard to spot. Cargo crates might hide her from the crowd but people will be arriving from behind.
Rider of Blue	"I had heard that this place had grown festive since I had last been involved with it, but this is simply ludicrous, is it not? At least from this perch, we are able to observe the goings-on with some amount of breathing room." Somewhere in the crowd, a man wearing a motorcycle helmet with a full visor covering his face, and dressed in blue motorcycle leathers covering every inch of his body was currently peering over a roof. The door down to the building had been barricaded, after what can assume was a large amount of shenanigans and effort getting through the building in the first place. "Sieg, this resembles the other incident. I am not skilled enough in sorcery to see what exactly is going on, but it is plain as day that there is something unnatural afoot. But even I am at a loss as to what to do about this." A gloved hand tapped the bottom of the helmet as the man looked to his companion, and while his features were obscured by the reflective visor, one could easily imagine a furrowed brow. "Even if we were here to simply stop the destruction, I do not see what the two of us would be able to do. It seems that the most effective use of our prescence would be to find what we are looking for, as it is undeniably connected to..." A wave was made in the general direction of the streets. "Though, if this is a tactic, rather than being a mere force of nature...distasteful, but, effective if this is merely a cover or distraction." Even as his tone remained neutral, the gloved hand tightened into a fist. It seemed that Rider still had misgivings over the last time a 'happening' such as the one that had overtaken New Orleans had ocurred.
Kyra Hyral	Originally, the Kyra's attention to this world was drawn by the rumors of a valuable magical item. Looking into those rumors more closely revealed a few more distressing things-mysterious disappearances, people acting strange. Though equally important, she learned that the world itself was not very Union-friendly. Therefore, for the sake of even being let in, she and her companion came to resolve the matter of the missing persons, should anyone ask Maybe they would trip over an important, powerful artifact along the way. "Good question." Kyra doesn't seem to be dressed that differently, her usual manner of clothing being nothing at all formal and everything street punk. "They set up the cordons but it still looks like there's people going nuts inside them so...uh. Unfortunately, I think that's where we need to start looking. C'mon Dominic."
Sieg	Sieg stands on the roof of a building with Rider, rather filthy and scuffed up from the trouble it required to get up there in the first place. He's perched on the edge of the building, looking down into the mad revelry below. He has a rather pale look to him, even for somebody who is naturally quite pale. He's used to some pretty disgusting conduct, but what's going on down below is pretty absurd, even by his standards. He glances back towards Rider, aggravation evident in his features. He shakes his head and looks back down, "The source of this thaumaturgy isn't an object. It's them." He points down, into the crowd below. A small group of the party-goers below climb from a shattered storefront, cutting themselves on the glass as they shamble on with bottles of cheap booze in hand. They don't seem to notice their own injuries, and some of them are particularly out of place. There are definitely people in the crowd who wouldn't do this kind of thing under normal circumstances. Kids who are barely teenagers, and the like. "If there is an object, it's probably something unrelated to this. Maybe a self-perpetuating trap?" The homunculus rubs at his chin thoughtfully, looking back down into the crowd. "I'm not an expert with hypnosis magecraft, and what I can see goes a lot past that... they're, um... well, their bodies are different, too." Approaching even the outskirts of this mess seems to be a dubious idea. Some of the crowd take notice of Dominic and Kyra and begin to stagger in their direction, not quite threateningly. The oppressive feeling and impulse to join them intensifies. It seems like they're making some kind of overture, but it doesn't take a genius to ascertain that joining them is a bad idea. Worse, it looks like the barrier doesn't keep them -in-. It just keeps people -out- of where they are. Mordred is approached with a similar attitude. Passing through this mess gets her offered alcohol and handfulls of pills. No telling what'll happen if they're refused, but it probably can't be good. "-- Huh?" Sieg looks along the roads, in the direction Mordred is coming from. Another servant? That's bad news, but he can't see her from here, so he can't identify her as friendly just yet. He glances back to Rider, "You feel that, right?"
Yuuki Kuran	Two halves of this draw in a curious brown-haired girl in a fluffy coat. The first was the travel advisory, telling people to stay away. Do you want to know the fastest way to attract shojo heroes to things? Tell them that it's A) Super Dangerous, B) They're not allowed to go, and C) People probably need help there. The second, and a more personal and deeply-held reason, was the idea that there was an artifact with the power over 'death' located within the DANGER DANGER DOUBLE DANGER DO NOT GO HERE THAT MEANS YOU zone. And so, Yuuki Kuran, looking for all intents and purposes like a Totally Normal Girl in a coat, wanders in, hopping the barriers and meandering right through the bounded fields. Sidling along near Kyra and Dominic, she smiles as she approaches the pair. "Oh, hello. Are you two..." She begins, before seeing Sieg and Rider of Blue. She pauses... And thinks... And then... "Wait! It's you! I remember you! In the mountains..." She beams. "With the motorcycle, right?"
Fake Avenger	Sometimes what holds value isn't the object of the rumors, but the rumors themselves. Rumors of danger tend to shy people away from a place, even if no danger exists. Rumors of power and wealth bring people running, eager to try their hand at claiming the object of rumor for themselves. Like any idea, a rumor breeds conflict, breeds clashes, breeds violence. And there are those for whom violence is the finest of delicacies. For Kojirou Sasaki - Avenger - there is /no/ finer delicacy. For the humble swordsman from the Sengoku era, who wears the name of a fiction and carries the traits of a man who never existed, there is nothing better than violence. The beauty of bloodshed is beyond compare, for Kojirou; he is an artist of violence, and his sword, his Monohoshi Zao, is a paintbrush of the finest quality. Each duel, each battle, he seeks to paint another masterpiece in the blood and bodies of his enemies. Not for glory. Not for honor. Not for respect. Not for power. Kojirou Sasaki desires nothing but the battle itself. He walks through New Orleans, his purple kimono brushing along the ground as he travels along the streets. There's an intense, almost oppressive apathy in Kojirou's eyes as he makes his way. The samurai would be a strange sight even without that - the black scars along his body seem to writhe and twitch with each step, as though they were alive, as though they yearned to break free of his flesh. Kojirou does not care who sees him. Behind him struts a tall man in a suit and top hat, wearing a skull-faced mask. Caster of Brown's cheerful whistle is a stark contrast to his Master's dreadful apathy. Then again, the streets of New Orleans are as much home to Caster of Brown as the Carribean, and this place is practically a holy site of revelry and voodou. Here, belief in the Baron is strong, so of course the Baron is strong, himself. His jaunty whistle and light skip bely his careful watching; the Servant keeps a close eye on everything. This may be his home turf, but that's no reason to let himself be stupid.
Mordred	It's a happy accident Mordred apparently blends in with the crowd. She holds a bottle of the offered alcohol in one hand and Bad Candy Pills in the other. Yeah, no, she's not taking that, even if she strongly suspects her higher Saber attributes would probably shield her from the worst of it. On the other hand they come from Prana Burst, not entirely her body, so... You know, just this once, let's not eat the bad candy. Yet, anyway. It does however reveal one thing about the crowd. Not hostile! Evidently drunk off their asses and trying to drag whoever they can into their little celebrations, but not hostile, that's important. With a wide grin the Servant decides to follow along. "Hey, what the fuck are we drinking and getting high for? I didn't get the memo. By the way, we need food. Just booze is boring." This will either end very poorly or very well. She's not especially afraid of a bunch of drinking lunatics though, which will probably end up costing her sooner or later.
Dominic Masoch	Dominic can feel the tug and pull of the effects and feelings to join the revelry. Dominic is, however, much too tight-laced to give into those desires. He instead scowls and runs a hand through his hair, "Alright. Please be sure to keep... countermeasures on hand for any filth we come into contact wi-" He cuts off when Yuuki approaches, tilting his head at her. He recognizes her, fleetingly, from a missing for D some time back, "Ah. Miss..." He pauses for a long time, trying to remember, "Kuran, correct?" Eyes flick over towards the roof she shouts up at a moment later. And then over towards Mordred. He tilts his head and scowls a bit, "Tch. To think the crowd would debauch a girl so young and fair. I will not stand for it!" He's quickly walking away from Kyra and lifting his hand towards Mordred. "Excuse me, miss! Surely a lovely young lady such as your self wants no part in activities like this!" Dominic says, having mistaken her earlier comments for the malign influence of the area as opposed to Mordred being Mordred, "Please! Allow me to be a gentleman and escort you to a more suitable area." Him being so preoccupied with this act of chivalry means that he doesn't spot Avenger and his Servant yet. So we'll react to that later.
Rider of Blue	"...then a distraction, then. A tactic, made to give others something to deal with. Smart, especially if it is controllable. Still, what's done is done. We cannot fix this." While Rider's words made their point, Sieg could tell that the mysterious concealed man was annoyed at being powerless about the entire situation. Then suddenly, Sieg points something out. "Yes. I feel it. It would be even worse if a true battle were to break out here, on top of what is currently happening. I..." Then suddenly, a girl in a coat yells up at him, causing him to look down at where he was being addressed from. "Ah, the girl from...wait, what are you doing? Sieg, is she safe down there?" The grim tone of Rider's voice suddenly came to concern. Normally, the man would be a lot more jovial, but the destruction wrought seemed to have hardened the man's demeanor for the time being, especially as this concerned the grail. Rider was not a fan of the dirty tricks involving collateral damage, it seemed. Rider moved, placing a foot on the ledge while keeping an eye on Yuuki, ready to swoop in like the dashing hero he was in case something happened.
Kyra Hyral	"...ugh." Kyra cringes suddenly as she feels a very distinct change in the air when they grow closer and members of the crowd begin to stagger in their directions. The impulse was actually pretty strong for Kyra, being someone quite taken with behaving badly for the hell of it. However, to experience the feeling so suddenly was suspect and Kyra wasn't about to dive head first into a rowdy mob in a world she's never been to before where missing persons report abound. She reaches over and grips onto Dominic's arm tightly. "Something's really wrong with these guys. It's like they're drugged zombies or something. Minus the actual undead part at least." Though even then she wasn't too sure. There were a lot of different kinds of undead out there. Kyra hears Yuuki approach and looks over a shoulder at the girl suddenly diverted to pointing at Sieg and Rider of Blue. She doesn't recognize Yuuki at all, though while Dominic seems to. Dominic breaks away from Kyra to address another random person about to wander into the fray to...gentleman at??? Kyra frowns just slightly and sighs, living a hand to give something a try. If the crowd was indeed intebrated or drugged then perhaps the status-clearing esuna spell will do something about it. Unfortunately, white magic does not happen. Kyra can /feel/ the wrongness surging through her hand again and swears, grabbing her wrist with her other hand to tear it away from the crowd of people. She succeeds in this with great effort, falling to her knees and diverting the wild magic down into the earth, presumably where it can cause no harm. An ominous rumble follows and the ground around them begins to stir, ghostly, ethereal hands slipping upwards like fog. Startled, Kyra pulls her hand away and scrambles to her feet as what sure look like ghosts begin to rise from the ground.
Sieg	The last time Mordred encountered this being, it was the dregs. A bare handful of individuals who had fallen behind for one reason or another. That doesn't hold true this time, though. They're here in unambiguous strength, and they're growing. When the bottles and pills are accepted a brief period of acceptance seems to occur, but they take note when she declines to consume it. Questioning it outright seems to be what provokes the hostile reaction. It's not hard to detect incoming hostile intent for somebody like Mordred, but the entire thing is muddled by the fact that it simultaneously comes from every direction, and she's buried herself in the midst of them. Several of them strike simultaneously, though not so many as are broadcasting an intent to strike. They come from several directions, mostly with bare hands, though not necessarily with fists. What comes evident IMMEDIATELY is that THESE beings are unreasonably physically powerful. They have more than enough physical might to seriously injure or kill servants barehanded -- the fact that they have bodies of flesh and blood doesn't seem to inhibit this substantially. Avenger receives a welcome similar to the others -- he is noticed, he is approached, he is given an offer. Considering what is happening just now with Mordred, it is probably obvious even at a distance what the strange mob will do if they are refused or questioned. Oddly enough, Baron Samedi is not spared this treatment at all, and he might get the sense that this people are distinctly not of HIS faith. They're subservient to another deity from far, far away. "Oh, hi! I, uh... what are you doing HERE?" Sieg asks Yuuki, suddenly alarmed. This is no place for THEM to be, much less all of these other people! Especially not a Completely Ordinary Girl. The sound of the crowd getting violent with Mordred is not so distant, and the growing hostility of the crowd can be felt in the air, even now. A rain of bottles is hurled in a suspiciously coordinated fashion from the depths of the crowd towards Dominic, when he calls out and offers help to Mordred. They're not sturdy enough to hold up to the impact of being thrown by such strong beings, but they really only need to be used effectively the once to do quite a lot of damage. This is rapidly getting out of hand. "N-no! No, it's not!" Sieg shakes his head wildly, pointing down the road towards the commotion, "And I don't think it's a distraction at all. I think..." But Sieg doesn't tell them what he thinks. He's focusing, bleary-eyed on the mass of people. There's something important going on here, something he CAN figure out, but he can't quite put his finger on it. Everything gets worse when Kyra starts trying to actively "cure" the masses of people(?). Their single-target hostility ends and every single one of the madmen in the street that aren't otherwise engaged begin to claw their way towards her, spitting and screaming all the way. Concrete gives way under the fury of their approach, streetlamps are uprooted and thrown in her direction, cars are swatted aside into nearby buildings to get them out of the way. The worst part is, they're not just strong, they're FAST. There are too many of them to have much "agility" exactly, but their forward velocity is practically supersonic. If there weren't so many of them getting in each other's way, it would be hard to imagine outpacing them.
Yuuki Kuran	There is a mob of horrible, monstrously strong and fast people. They're attacking someone... Well, someone around Yuuki's age. In fact, explicitly around Yuuki's age. They're both high schoolers! Many instincts, some conflicting, spring up inside her mind. But most of them are ones of action. She has to defend them. She's a prefect! She's a noble! She's... Before she even finishes thinking, she nearly appears before Kyra, in a burst of inhuman speed, hair billowing in the wind as she throws wide her arms. "G-get away! I'll stop them!" She announces (LIKE A MORON) to Kyra, as she looks fully ready to do a dumb, meaningless sacrifice play that is the most cliche thing ever, while standing in front of the person with ALL OF THE AGGRO. "I can do this much!" She announces. It looks like she is about to get beaten within an inch of her life.
Fake Avenger	Kojirou's intense apathy carries on as he makes his way through the crowd. He doesn't take the drinks or the drugs, but he doesn't actually question it in either case; their notice is unimportant to him. What is important to him is the sudden and hostile flow of foot traffic towards Kyra. It's not out of any particular desire to protect Kyra, of course - Kojirou is not omniscient and presumably cannot see the source of the sudden burst of aggression. He can, however, read the flow of people perfectly well. That means that there is a fight brewing, and Kojirou intends to be in the middle of it. Kojirou takes off. His own 'agility' is surpassing, even for a Servant - he can truly be said to have an 'agility' that defies human conception. So instead of muddying his way through the solid lump of maddened humanity, Kojirou takes the more direct route. He goes over them. That is, he quite literally runs across them. He doesn't jump the entire thing in one go - such a jump would defy gravity, and therefore is outside Kojirou's ability - but rather steps from head to head, carried along by the speed of the mass and his own. He intends to reach the center of the conflict, because that's where the strong will gather, and that's where the real fight will be. His ominous scars writhe with anticipation. Back where he was standing, Baron Samedi groans. "Bastard, leavin' me behind like dis to clean up his mess...dat fuckin' samurai swordin' purple-haired sonofabitch, thinks I'm not good for nothin'...I'll show dat bastard what de Baron can do." The Baron starts whistling, bringing the shadows on the ground around him to life. The shadows form a protective circle around him. The Baron needs time to /think/, after all. These aren't his people, even if they're revelling like his own. ...then again... Well, where the Baron went, so too did the party. The Baron takes a long drought from the alcohol, though he knows it's unwise. He's banking on his superhuman tolerance to carry him through - /and/ his ability to turn parties to his own favor by joining in. The Baron's cheerful whistle rings out like a marching-tune through the crowd.
Mordred	Under NORMAL circumstancs this is where Mordred would have punched Dominic in the jaw, screeched, generally made noise and stomped a lot. Unfortunately she critically misgauged the non-hostility of this crowd and it turns out they are assholes after all. But, psht, they're just normal people, what are they going to do to a Ser-- The first hit connects and sends Mordred back a few feet, with a bloodied right cheek. --vant? She frowns. As the crowd breaks into a complete flurry at her, red prana and flames crawl up her body from her feet to her neck, forming the thick silver and red suit of wicked armor she is normally known for, sans helmet. Her left hand produces a long silver blade with runes in it, and it is immediatly coated with blood red, almost liquid-like magic. The upset crowd batters her armor and dents it, obviously managing to wound her underneath from repeated hits. It heals automatically-- a wave of magic washing over to fix the visual damage, at least, even if the real wounds are still there. And then she goes to town, but not without addressing Dominic belatedly: "FUCK YOU!" Thankfully, Clarent is aimed to start cutting into the crowd with wild abandon, and she's not so uncontrolled as to wail into the others who are now approaching out of nowhere. It doesn't seem like she cares in the slightest these are probably civilians under some sort of effect.
Kyra Hyral	If summoning undead wasn't bad enough on its own, Kyra now finds herself faced with angry mob aggro. "What the...did they sense me aiming my spell at them or something!? I didn't even /get/ that esuna off, something really screwy is up with these people!" She yelps, turning to flee now from not only the summoned undead of her own doing but the angry mob that starts hurling large objects in her direction. Frantically, she reaches beneath her hoodie and works a flask of milky white liquid free. She turns, just for a second, and hurls the flask behind her, which breaks open upon the ground, spreading a thin layer of an extremely strong liquid adhesive in the angry mob's path. It can't stop them, there are too many and they're moving too fast, but it can slow them down and make them stumble over each other. At the same time, an uprooted streetlamp strikes her sideways, sending her falling to the ground again, though with the metal pole lying across her back. With a ragged groan, she claws against the ground, dragging herself out from beneath the lamp, hopefully before angry crowd is upon her. Those summoned spirits, were they summoned by a proper necromancer, could have easily been directed by the summoner. Since Kyra was not a necromancer at all, the restless spirits instead opt to join the mob.
Dominic Masoch	Dominic blinks a bit as the Servant is struck in the face and given a bloody cheek. And then when her armor and sword appears and she screams 'fuck you' at him, it dawns on him that he may have misread the character of the girl and, perhaps, attributed a level of lady-like behavior that was perhaps non-existant. He blinks several more times. "I apologi-!" Dominic cuts off as a flurry of bottles comes in towards him. MOST of them get dodged by an almost superhuman level of reflexes as he drifts across the pavement and slips through the gaps in the projectiles. ONE hits him, though, and it does capital-D Damage. The bottle explodes against the side of Dominic's face, staggering him a bit and causing him to reel. When he lifts his head again, one side of his face is gashed from shards in several places and bleeding heavily. He steps back a bit and retreats towards Kyra. Or tries to, but there's a mob advancing on her. He reaches towards the wrapped cloth on his back and undoes it, revealing a mithril rapier. He draws the sword and moves to the downed street light, "Kyra!" Dominic steps to the front of combat, gripping his sword. Against crowds, Fencers had a staple move that carried them a lot: [Swallowtail] Immediately, every strike he makes is mirrored by bursts of power in each direction, swiftly trying to both cut down the crowd and keep them away from his defended position over Kyra.
Rider of Blue	With Sieg's confirmation, Rider leapt off the roof of the building. With movements that were clearly superhuman, he made his way to Yuuki as she threw her hands wide, landing in a crouch. With one smooth movement, the man quite neatly swept the girl off her feet, picking her up in a perfect princess carry. That is, if your idea of a prince looked like the Stig's brother who had a preference for the color blue. "Hello! I would suggest you leave to somewhere a bit safer, as they seem a bit irritated at what you have just performed, though I would wager you have the capabilities to at least defend yourself." the man in the full motorcycle helmet and leathers said to Kyra, even with Yuuki in his arms. "I shall make it a bit easier for you, at the very least. While they are fast, their senses are not the sharpest." There was the sound of a pin being pulled, as the man in blue somehow sent a grenade into the air in front of himself while still carrying Yuuki. Apparently he was good with his hands. Instead of exploding into a bunch of deadly metal fragments, however, the grenade immediately a large amount of white obscuring smoke, assisting Kyra's escape along with her flask of sticky adhesive. "Leave this place, or at least, head somewhere safer within the city. I know from experience that these people are beyond immediate help." he said, immediately jumping upwards, sailing through the air. Unfortunately, it seemed that he had left before the pole struck her, but at least the smoke was still around. He arrived next to Sieg again, placing Yuuki quite neatly and safely next to him. "It has been a while, but pray tell, what is your purpose arriving here? This is not where someone as delicate as you should be. There is naught but debauchery taken to its deadly extremes." Any sense of grimness from his voice was gone, taking on instead the tone of a gentleman addressing a lady in court.
Sieg	These creatures weather blows from Mordred's blade better than they have a right to, but it seems that their flesh-and-blood nature is something of a disadvantage. When they are struck -- and they ARE struck, many times -- they continue to bleed as if wholly normal. Save those that are killed in a single stroke though, it doesn't stop them from fighting on. With limbs hanging off and blood pouring out onto the pavement they'll advance time and time again, showing no signs of pain or difficulty. Quite to the contrary, the noises that the mob is making are jubilant and celebratory, and their faces are stretched into wide, wide smiles. Just as soon as one limb is hacked away, the other is extended to grasp and pull at Mordred's armor, trying to pull it -- or perhaps her -- apart. Baron Samedi would find that the alcohol is merely alcohol, but it does seem to be a vector for something to get in. Just indirectly. It's a symbolic act, rather than a literal poison in the bottle. But it's not something that can take over a Servant. Were he human of flesh and blood, he would find himself being assimilated, but as it is he merely feels an aggravating pull to become something else. A second template is attempting to assert itself over his own, and though it may be a template he would be compatible with, it is not something that this being can assert upon him against his will. But he can recognize it for what it is, for a certainty. Something is trying to turn him into a Berserker-class servant. This seems to protect him from action, though for how long none can say. As for Kojiro, he can advance without contest -- he is not an immediate object of aggression just yet. "Don't!" Sieg calls after Yuuki, but it's too late for him to do anything. Things are already out of hand, the mob is already falling on Yuuki and Kyra. Or, as the case may be, mostly on Yuuki at the moment. Servant Berserker -- if indeed that is what this could be called -- is quite simply attempting to tear Yuuki apart bodily with superior numbers. Each individual has phenomenal physical strength, but when they're stacked together like this it's even worse. A normal girl wouldn't last at all. Fortunately, she doesn't need to. But that leaves Kyra scrambling away, without somebody slower than her behind her to get torn apart as bait. Sieg issues a sigh of relief when Rider returns -with- Yuuki, but points down towards Kyra in alarm, "We haven't got time. There are more people stuck down there. And... and I don't think we can do much with these people, Rider. I think... they're a part of a servant, now."
Sieg	Kyra's defenders are numerous, though, and Dominic steps up to intercept the mob -- or part of it, at least. He provides a breakpoint around which servant Berserker must flow, though the bulk of them that aren't going around to begin with simply crash against his attacks mindlessly. The lingering "meat" nature of Berserker is made ever more clear, as those that are pierced through the head or heart are unable to continue operating for long. They stagger up briefly, attempting to continue operating as normal, but shortly thereafter crumple to the ground in a heap. Those that do NOT receive a lethal blow redirect their attention towards Dominic, temporarily. Just as they attempted with Yuuki, and also with Mordred, they're just straight-up trying to get ahold of him and tear him apart bare-handed. This seems to be a trend with them. They don't fight so much as mob, bog down, and rip things up. Except for that bottle tossing nonsense they did, anyway.
Mordred	"Just don't do it again!" Mordred barks to Dominic, between swings of her blade and attempts not to get torn apart. Sturdy she may be, but she just learned the hard way not to underestimate these people. Or at this point, these 'things'. She's not sure about the people part anymore, not with the way they're smiling and keep on going with limbs torn off and bloodied. The sight of Rider's grenade tips her off to his presence-- does that mean Sieg is here, too? What a mess. But she's in the thick of it now, and that sure is a lot of almost-Servants to fend off. That thought should certainly discourage anyone else, but for her it's... fun? "Hahaha! I don't know what these things are, but show me what you can do, fencer!" the blonde Saber grins towards Dominic, even as the yanks and tugs on her arms start severing muscles-- simulated ones, but still. The prana in her blade suddenly flares bright red, dripping like blood towards her foot instead, joined by very small flickers of rage-infused fire. She slams it into the ground, likely breaking the street, causing blasts of red magic to erupt like geysers under the crowd, although the shattering stomp on its own could probably break bones and upturn a car. This might help get heat off Dominic too, but the main intent is to badly singe and burn as many of those staying too close as she can, while freeing herself so she can recover.
Kyra Hyral	"It was supposed to be esuna!" Kyra shouts at the Rider, pulling herself free as Dominic covers her back from the advancing mob. "Whatever it is, it's some high-level magic shit at work-maybe I need Dispel-" The Rider disappears with a smoke-bomb and with one final push, she wiggles herself free and springs to her feet. Having used smoke bombs herself, she's glad to take the presented opportunity to get out of dodge, knowing Dominic will cover her retreat. At this point she knows it's a terrible idea to stay on the ground and instead seeks a nearby building to get into and hopefully get to the roof. If she was going to give her own magic another shot, she'd be doing it at a distance. Out of arm's reach.
Dominic Masoch	Dominic, the first time he took a life, was traumatized by it for some time. It was actually and ironically, Fake Avenger and Baron Samedi that gave him some measure of advice and reprive from his guilt over that. And some insight into the nature of mastering a sword: When necessary, he must be prepared to kill. This does not mean he enjoys it, and so several of the first people don't receive lethal wounds before he figures out they're mandatory. If these beings are so far gone and mindless as to be indistinguishable from a horde of the undead, he will treat them as such with no guilt. For now. He steps away from the horde and does something very odd to those that know magecraft or Servants. With the sword in his hand, he channels magic into it and it begins to get a red shell over it. He lifts the blade up and then says, "Breaker Thrust!" With a swordsman's flourish and a flick of his wrist, he thrusts the glowing blade forward. It embeds into the chest of one of the mob and stays there as he withdraws his hand. The blade comes separate from the red, magical energy surrounding it, leaving a fake Trace of his sword in the chest of one of the mob. And then Dominic jumps backwards and away as it explodes into a MASSIVE blast of mana, force, and violent energy. Those who see this happen and can recognize it realize: It's remarkably similar in energy flow, function, and form to a Broken Phantasm.
Yuuki Kuran	Yuuki was ready to get exploded by a giant mob of people in defense of a HIGH SCHOOLER!!! because that was her job, as a prefect. To stop crazy monster people from preying upon high schoolers. Mostly the girls. Holy crap, it was actually all the girls. And one specific creepy guy. But, as she closed her eyes and expected to be torn apart, instead she's princess carried up to the heights of a building by a ~DASHING MAN~, and words fail her. A fog crosses her head as she gives a slight blush, averting her eyes from Sieg and Rider. "Erm... Um..." She kicks her feet lightly, looking confused and mildly embarrased. "I-I was actually OK. It's my job, you see. I'm...." She begins, slowly, before snapped out of it by the people down below. "Erm, no, no time for that! Shouldn't we help them? You two are heroes, right? Capes? Parahumans? People with... powers?"
Fake Avenger	It is at this point that Kojirou arrives. Avenger hops off the mob of Berserkers, landing somewhere in the midst of the smoke grenade and the magical white bomb. These are not impediments to him. As Caster identifies the source of - and the purpose behind - the booze, he is forced to make a difficult choice. On the one hand, he could inform Kojirou of this important information. This is a Berserker-class Servant. On the other hand, maybe he could get Kojirou killed. Maybe, if he withheld information, he could get his Noble Phantasm back...his precious Banda... ...no. No, if Kojirou died, he wouldn't have time to find himself a Master, and these people wouldn't be likely to accept him. And Kojirou was his best shot of winning the war. So he informs his Master over their link of the nature of the alcohol. The fact that there is a Servant in play is enough to convice Kojirou. As he exits the smoke, trailing white behind him, the sound of Monohoshi Zao being drawn cuts through the air. The distinctive /shhhnnnnnk/ of the massive sword rings out over even the revelrous demi-Berserkers. Kojirou does not seem to notice or care that Dominic and Kyra are in trouble. He does take note of Rider of Blue, of course, because he's strong, and Mordred, because she looks like Saber (and that throws him for just a moment, but the look of Clarent is clearly different than that of Excalibur). Yuuki is noted because he doesn't quite know what to make of her. The sword drops to his side as they come charging in. He has made himself a target now, quite intentionally. As his tattoos writhe and twist into a new formation, crawling across his skin like serpents entwining, Kojirou's peaceful smile flickers across his face. "Come, Berserker," his detached voice notes, "Let's see if you measure up to the one from long ago." And then it begins. The first semi-Berserker to reach him finds his blade flashing for its throat. Those watching with surpassing sensations might notice that Kojirou's strike is impossible to track - there is a beginning and an end, but beyond that, the arc is unknowable, invisible. He carves into the first opponent with lethal precision, aimed straight for the neck. The second one gets in and puts its fist through Kojirou's chest. The hand punches through the fragile-looking Servant's body, emerging from the other side in a spray of blood. A moment later, the immensely long sword punches through the demi-Servant's eye. It may take people a moment to realize that Kojirou is not only exactly where he wants to be, but /smiling/. It is horrifically weird to see him /smiling/, but there is definitely a smile plastered on his face, rather than a placid, peaceful look of contentedness. Surrounded by violence, his sword flashing with improbable speed and impossible skill, he returns the Berserker's powerful strikes with beautiful slashes, delighting in the music of violence. You've been waiting for something like this, eh, Kojirou-kun? Heh heh heh.
Rider of Blue	"You are right. And that is the worst of it. Still, engaging in conflict would be a waste of our resources at this point in time." Rider stated, only for him to be interrupted with the explosions of mana and noble phantasms being drawn. He folded his arms, looking towards Yuuki. "Sieg has the right of it. They are lost, now. There seem to be others who wish to put them down, however, and it is probably for the best." At the mention of "hero," the man laughed, shaking his head. "Me? Ah, that term is of questionable usage when applied to me. But our...at least, my goal, is not justice for justice's sake. We came here for a reason." He looked towards Sieg for a moment, before gazing out upon the now escalating battle. "Though, if one's goal was to cause chaos, they certainly have succeeded. Sieg, do you think that we shall be able to locate what we seek through all of this? Or would it be more prudent to wait until the destruction has worked its way through the city?"
Sieg	The streets are tightly packed. Using prana bursts to blast as much as possible is a good strategy. Many of Berserker's constituent components are killed or mortally injured in the bursts of power issued by Mordred, and this seems to be a trigger for a weakening of the collective. Their speed drops, their brutal strength recedes. Though they are still very much a superhumanly powerful rampaging mob, it feels as if they were robbed of an extremely measurable portion of their power just now. There is some hesitation then, as if the collective actually has the capacity for some thought just now. Kyra is able to get away, many different distractions and factors preventing pursuit. There are nearby buildings, some with rooftop entrances, others that would be difficult to ascend. It's not hard to get up to the top of one of them, and she seems to have shaken most pursuit now. Once she reaches the top of the target building, she'll find that she isn't /quite/ alone. One of the people struck by Mordred was thrown up here by the explosions. He's dressed up in a manner similar to Caster below, wearing a suit with his face painted up like a skull. It's a poor fascimile. The lone Berserker doesn't seem very Berserk. With his left arm missing at the shoulder, he's breathing very rapidly and with difficulty. Hints of magical potential run through him -- this is one of the magi of New Orleans. He looks up towards Kyra through a set of bent and scorched glasses that appear to have been lacking lenses from the start, then down towards himself. "Ccccan't... see it..." He complains. A second explosion follows. More of the Berserkers go flying, courtesy of Dominic, and yet again the strength of the collective falters. Back on the rooftop, Sieg shakes his head at Yuuki. "Maybe if I had a lot of time and unlimited magic power, but I'm just not strong enough to do anything about this. I wish I was stronger." Sieg complains, looking back down into the streets and cringing away from the edge of the roof as explosions crater the streets. He doesn't want to see the aftermath of that, so he doesn't. In fact, he seats himself with his back to the edge of the roof, looking between Yuuki and Rider with an expression equal parts ill and upset. "I think this was a trap. If it is out there, Berserker's Master must have gotten it already. If there's a stray Noble Phantasm out in the city, -I- can't feel it..." Sieg looks from Rider to Yuuki and asks, "How can you just jump out there like that? Can you really fight something that strong?" In the meantime down below, Kojirou's killings seem to wind things down at last. Likely to his disappointment, the remaining 'Demi-Berserkers' are becoming sluggish and weak. It seems they can't actually detect much of anything that isn't fairly close to them, much less attack it. Mordred will recognize this... the zombies at the airport were definitely in a similar state. They were "superhuman", but they don't measure up to a real servant anymore.
Fake Avenger	Once the Berserkers stop being a challenge, Kojirou literally just...stops. When they get sluggish and slow enough, Kojirou simply sheathes Monohoshi Zao, a passing look of intense frustration flicking across his face. It looks alien on him, alien and unfitting, like it just shouldn't /be/ there. Like emotion shouldn't be there. Heh heh heh. Not exactly what you wanted, I guess. Too bad for you. Kojirou steps backwards out of their range, sliding his hands into his kimono's sleeves. "Apparently, you do not," Kojirou notes, "That battle in the moonlight was truly exquisite. This is...disappointing." "Show me something more interesting, Berserker, if you wish to hold my attention. Otherwise..." "Don't bother me again."
Mordred	Normally when Mordred taunts someone to show her what they can do, she expects fancy sword moves. She does not expect an attack which, used by a normal Servant, would constitute a suicidal final desperation tactic, the sacrifice of a defining, legendary object. She cannot think of a situation dire enough to use that on Clarent, even, and is sure most heroes feel the same-- they would rather die than lose the object of their power. Stolen or otherwise, in her case. She glares at Dominic, especially now that the crowd is weakening. It seems they can't quite threaten her anymore-- a relative statement, since she doesn't intend to find out how true it is. For all she knows at this point they may have a trump card, and she'd rather not be surprised by it. "The fuck did you learn to do that?" she barks towards Dominic, before glancing towards Avenger. "Oh I see, mister is suddenly TOO GOOD to have fun with us. Psht, don't mind if I pick up your slack, then!" Clarent is still not gripped with both hands-- this Saber prefers to improvise. She starts picking up the limbs of the fallen and using them as prana-infused bludgeons (which results in the limbs being destroyed on impact, unable to sustain Prana Burst in that fashion), but with her speed it's not hard to keep picking limbs up after each hit. And of course, Clarent is still singing through the air, trailing red behind it. Mordred intends to reduce the crowd to nothing, and THEN she'll worry about whatever the Hell is going on.
Yuuki Kuran	Yuuki nods slowly, listening to each of the powerful(?) servants that offer their opinions and reads on the situations. They, being the experts here, are to be deferred to, but that annoying part of her that drives her on to great acts of stupidity and self-sacrifice still nags at her constantly. "Even if they're lost, they're a danger, right? Feral, like... monsters." She murmurs, looking down from the low lip of their building at the fight. "Shouldn't we do something? Letting others fight the battle for us..." Her words drift off distantly. "Well, even if it does solve the situation, I still feel some responsibility to help people. I /don't/ want to just sit at home, learning how to live in a world that I rarely see!" She grumbles, balling up her hands. Rider's talk of heroism gives her pause. "Then... Why did you save me? Why save me, if you're going to let them destroy the city! Many more people will be 'lost' if you let them keep up. Doesn't that... Isn't that sad? Even if you don't have the power to stop it --" She addresses Sieg now. "-- isn't it your duty, as one who has power, to make a choice? Do you choose..." She looks crestfallen. "Do you choose /nothing/? It's a choice. Forever is too long to live with regrets." She murmurs, before being taken aback by Sieg's question of why she throws herself into danger. "Because I'm the kind of person who wants to protect people. Even if it hurts." She offers, beofre stepping to the edge of the roof, and hopping off. She lands in a crouch, drawing forth a small cylinder and slowly advancing on the hordes of Berserker. "I'll make my choice. And if you want to protect me... then help!"
Kyra Hyral	Kyra's relieved to find a good building to get on top of quickly. She wanted to get there fast so she can quickly follow up with some healing directed down to at least Dominic. Maybe if she felt generous, the other swordfighters down there might get a shot of healing from the Cure-All. But considering that one of those fighters is the Avenger and all her past experiences with him have been terrible, that's pretty unlikely. Kicking through the rooftop entrance, Kyra is already pulling the large, grenade-launcher shaped firearm known as the Cure-All off her back. The weapon is heavy in her arms, alchemized out of gold and platinum. Holding it in both hands, she starts to cross the rooftop only to find herself far from alone. She startles for a second, fearing that Avenger's Caster has come up here but a closer look reveals that it's just someone trying to dress like him. Scrambling, Kyra reaches for one of her real guns, expecting this Beserker to get up and attack her. But it doesn't and her and drops back down to the Cure-All. "...can't see what?" She wants to cure the lone Beserker, actually, but doesn't do so right away, moving past him quickly to the edge of the roof so she can take aim down at Dominic. She fires the weapon, which actually converts a blast of superconcentrated MP from Kyra into what amounts to a cura spell, centered on Dominic. It'll also hit friendlies in his immediate area. "Keep talking." she tells the lone Beserker over her shoulder. "What are you looking for?"
Sieg	The many different iterations of Berserker scatter like spooked crows, and do so just as quickly. Mordred has time to finish off one of them that was nearby, but the rest take off in completely different directions. It'll require quite a lot of effort to exterminate them all, and it seems like this probably wasn't all of them to begin with... -some- of them must have spiritual bodies, but it seems like -none- of the true servant's primary body was actually bodily present. Or perhaps it was simply dematerialized, assuming it's even capable of as much. "No." Sieg answers, shaking his head. "I don't have enough power to do anything about this. I'd like to put them back to normal, but I don't have the skill. If I had the skill, I still wouldn't have the power. I could kill them, but they don't... really... deserve it." Judging by his reaction to the explosives below, it might be he doesn't actually have the stomach for it. He watches Yuuki jump off the building, and take off after the remaining iterations of Berserker. They're scattered now, but they're not hard to deal with once caught up to. Not strong enough to resist somebody who is even mildly superhuman doing them in. Like zombies, albeit without all the rotting. Sieg looks up towards Rider uncertainly. He's charged into dangerous situations before, and it's not that he's scared. There's just a conflict of goals that he can't really overcome. It's obvious that he doesn't know how to handle what Yuuki said to him, though, and that it distresses him to be unable to accomplish anything here. The dying Demi-Berserker up on the roof with Kyra just looks at her through the empty frames. Perhaps the glasses were supposed to do something. If so, he doesn't explain further, and he doesn't remain conscious for long thereafter.
Dominic Masoch	A lot of people ask Dominic 'Where did you learn to do that' lately when he learns a new thing. He avoids answering a lot of those questions the same way before that he does with Mordred now: "Oh, it's just, ah!" He overdramatically ducks and rolls out of the way of a swipe from a Semi-Berserker. Another one catches him in the side, sending him flying backwards and rolling across the ground. As he vaults to his feet, he holds up the blade again and hopes Mordred will have forgotten about that question he never answered. The Cure Bomb goes off near him from Kyra and the shards of glass are slowly pushed out of his face as it heals up quickly, leaving him with just a few scratches and no scars. He gives her a thumbs up despite not knowing her exact location. And then he just goes back to dispatching the swarm with his normal, if very practiced and still pretty impressive, sword play. It's around this time that the presence of Kojirou is noted. Dominic tries to sound casual as he asks, hoping the Avenger isn't here for him, "Still looking for your suitable challenge?"
Rider of Blue	"This is not a battle worth fighting. There is no glory, no pride in this. I also find taking the lives of those that who had no choice in being pressed into this..." Rider shook his head once again. "Even if they are completely lost, I confess, a part of me hesitates. They may as well be living corpses, but..." He stood there, simply listening to Yuuki's speech, but apparently tuning her out at some point into it. "A trap? It is a poorly made one. Any servant would be able to simply see this for what it is, and flee, if not quell the gathered. Perhaps this has been a gigantic waste of time and life." Rider said, a gloved finger tapping the side of his helmet right above his temple. "Still, maybe there is something we can salvage. We now know that this is a definite sign of one of the others in the War. If we wish for less people to lose their lives in such a senseless way, the best course of action would be to slay the master and servant as soon as possible." And then somewhere along the line, Yuuki decides to hop off the roof. Rider paused for a moment, before sighing. "Life must be simple for a girl like that, don't you think, Sieg? Though there is something to be admired about it." he quipped, before reaching down to a case that Rider had brought with him. It was unlatched, and a rather beat up rifle was produced. On further inspection, it looked to be a Mosin-Nagant, one of the many that found its way into discount military surplus stores everywhere. "We can still avoid tipping our hand if the Master is still around, and did this to purposely provoke us. Sieg, watch for anything out of my field of view. I shall make sure our friend does not get hurt."
Fake Avenger	"I don't find slaughter entertaining," Kojirou replies, his detached air rapidly reasserting itself, "I'd rather find the Master and end this." "Yes," he tells Dominic simply. He's not really one for long-winded speeches. As the Berserkers die in droves, Kojirou's gaze turns elsewhere. He's wondering where the original was. Caster, meanwhile, makes his way through the remnants over to Kojirou, casting a distasteful gaze across the battlefield. "What a fuckin' waste. Good booze and pretty ladies should never be wasted like that." Kojirou starts walking off. Caster stumbles, shocked. "Oy, where the fuck are you goin'?" "I'm going to find the Master," Kojirou replies idly. "God dammit, stop leavin' me to clean up the mess, huh! You're so fuckin' flighty! You'd think at your age you'd slow down once in a while!"
Kyra Hyral	With Dominic taken care of, Kyra relaxes just a little and turns back to the one-armed sort-of Berserker. Based on what she felt earlier when she approached the crowd, the members were obviously being caught up by some kind of magic and assimilated into the mob. It could have happened to Kyra and her refusal only brought on more anger. She walks over to the lone guy with the quickly fading consciousness and sticks the barrel of the Cure-All against his chest. "This isn't going to hurt, don't worry." she warns, feeding a close-range 'grenade' from the Cure-All into the one-armed man. Although her magical healing is impressive, she's not going to be able to return that arm to him since the severed limb doesn't apepar to be nearby. After she has done so, she turns the weapon away and crouches down next to the man. As she examines him, only now she notices that the glasses do not contain lenses, drawing a sigh from the white mage. "Well no wonder you can't see, they aren't real, and never were from the looks of it." A frown follows and she reaches out to touch the frames with a finger. "...hmm."
Mordred	Ugh, they're running. Mordred huffs. At least it's over. She does take it out on a straggler, by means of grabbing him by the ankle and testing whether the man or the wall she slams him against is going to break first. It's probably very messy. Though she would like to push into Dominic for answers, she is reminded that Rider is nearby, and so dematerializes-- reappearing in proximity of the blue-clad Servant. Still in armor and all, but without the sword. "Yo, Rider. Sieg. This shit's the same as the one at the airport, huh? Just... more of 'em this time. Fuck, they actually hurt me." She's kind of annoyed they ran, and she'd be even moreso if she knew this was a Berserker. What a shitty Berserker. Not because it legitimately sucks, but because it ran away. Avenger will get addressed over radio, it's faster.
Yuuki Kuran	Unlike Rider and Sieg, Yuuki views these people differently. Thralls, who have no will of their own. Monstrous feral creatures who prey on others and turn them into food, or integrate them into their own ranks... This is the kind of thing that Yuuki is well-acquainted with. She has no hesitation about destroying people that have become monsters. Her conception of the world is different... And a part of her finds dispatching thralls as natural as breathing. She corners one, lashing out at it with her baton - that becomes a staff in a flash of electricity - to try and bean the poor sod, but overextends. The frenzied strength of the Maenads, even diminished, is more than even a Level E - and a Level E can barely hurt her in the first place. But, assuming things is dangerous, and as the Berserker turns... Covering rifle fire cracks out from Rider, drilling into the part-Servant. Yuuki, now unengaged, looks back, and gives a little smile. Then she goes chasing off after the survivors, who are most likely faster and more agile then she will choose to be in her pursuit. She doubles back after a few seconds, shouldering the Artemis Staff. "Thank you." She offers, to Mordred, and gives a little wave at Rider (and Sieg). "Where are the other two? Erm... Oh!" She looks at Kyra and Dominic as they handle thier problems. "Where I'm from, these sorts of things are... well, a little more normal. So I couldn't help myself but jump in."
Sieg	"The living dead and those people are very different, Rider." Sieg asides to "his" Servant, rising from his seat and following Yuuki's descent to the area below. He gives a shake of his head, "I don't think finishing that Servant off is going to happen today. There were too many of them, and it was too ready. It also doesn't seem to be under the normal effects of Mad Enhancement. A Berserker won't usually run away unless ordered, so--" But, Rider decides to go after Yuuki. He decides that he may as well follow after. If something comes after him on this roof, he's as screwed as he might be on the ground. At least if he's below there's a pretty good chance somebody will be at hand. Before he heads down, Sieg shuts one eye and mutters an incantation: "Trace, On." It is a spell borrowed from Emiya Shirou, and imperfectly at that since his version of Gradation Air is fundamentally different. Evidently he's got it down pat, though, because the greatsword he produces is immaculate and perfect. He proceeds down a nearby fire escape, heading into the streets with the others... and giving any remnants of Berserker a wide berth. Pursuing Berserker doesn't seem very productive. They don't have a centralized escape path, and seem to be going in completely different directions, which they don't deviate from substantially. There's no rhyme or reason to it, and it certainly doesn't lead towards a master. If the Master was nearby, they've long since moved on. Kyra manages to keep the Berserker near her alive, but he doesn't regain consciousness. His glasses, curiously, dissolve upon contact. It appears to be some kind of magical reaction, as if the surrounding reality denies the glasses their substance. Something about them was abnormal, but they certainly weren't the fantastic artifact they were reckoned to be by the magus. It might be productive to question him later. By the time Sieg gets down to the others, he's winded. While he isn't as frail as he was some time ago now, he clearly wasn't built for a lot of physical activity. He huffs and puffs, answering Mordred after catching his breath a little, "I'd... think... so. They're a Berserker. I think the ones at the airport were weaker because there weren't many of them..." He frowns, a thoughtful expression overtaking his features. Perhaps the Master was french? Their first encounter WAS in Paris... but how'd the Master move a Berserker so far away without trouble? Surely not by plane. Warpgate, maybe...?
Dominic Masoch	Dominic frowns a bit as they flee, but does not elect to pursue them for the moment. If they grouped up again, he would be in trouble and is unsure he could take them on his own. So instead, he flicks his wrist a bit and says, "Hmph." The wristflick swishes the blade, clearing blood and grime off of it before he sheaths it at his side again and looks around. Despite being healed, he still used an immense amount of his Magical Particles to trace and then detonate a faux-Phantasm for his borrowed ability. This means that, as Sieg moves to catch up to them all, Dominic leans against a lamp post and takes a slow breath, "I believe we have different definitions of Berserker between our worlds, but the Principle is the same. As they grow angier and more numerous, they grow stronger, yes? That makes them very dangerous." He makes a suggestion that, he hopes, doesn't sound stupid, "It would be advantageous to track them down and wipe out their root cause to prevent them from reforming and regrouping later. I would volunteer to help in this."
Kyra Hyral	There are ways for returning consciousness but for Kyra, she'll have to work with those later. For now, she slides the Cure-All back onto her back, a frown of disappointment on her as the glasses crumble away into nothingness. "Hm, either a decoy or they never existed..." she mutters, tapping a hand to the man again, murmuring a few more words, ending with: "Float." The unconscious magus starts to hover which greatly helps Kyra in hefting the guy over a shoulder so she can drag him back down the stairs to the first floor of the building. She doesn't exit, instead letting Dominic know her next move. If the others were looking for the white mage, they're not going to find her since she doesn't make her presence known to the others afterwards, looking to straight up retreat from the world with the unconscious magus in tow.
Rider of Blue	"The same, yes. I would much prefer an opponent that did not pressgang others into its service, especially in the particular manner this one does." The action of the rifle was worked with a rather audible metallic sound, and Rider raised the (relatively) modern weapon, now that the worst had seemed to pass. "Destruction and chaos seems to be what draws you like a moth to a flame, doesn't it? How have you been, mademoi-ah...right." he said, turning to face Mordred. "In any case, it seems to have passed. What they have damaged and killed still remains, however, and it will take a long time for this place to recover." Replacing the rifle within the case, Rider continued to speak to Mordred as he packed up. "Though you may find the collateral damage less of a concern, I would assume you share my annoyance with this opponent. It does not fight 'fairly,' but simply comes and goes." After his weapon was concealed again, he took the opportunity to make sure Sieg and Yuuki were still fine, peering at them from his vantage point but choosing not to follow.
Mordred	"Oh, hey, uh... normal girl, right?" Mordred looks towards Yuuki. She recalls her, but not who she is. Kind of awkward. But then, maybe 'normal girl' is totally who Yuuki is. So it works! Sieg gets a glance, especially with his sword out. "Huh. Picked up swordsmanship? I didn't peg you for a knight. When'd that happen and who's your teacher?" She doesn't, after all, know that Sieg has any special abilities-- he mentioned having a lot of mana, sure, and being good at grasping magical theory, but never talked about interest in swords and swinging them around. She frowns at the mention of the Servant's class, at any rate. "So a cowardly Berserker, ugh. Unworthy of the fucking name, then. Pain in the ass. Call me if you ever find it again and need muscle," she offers, always happy to get in a fight. Which means she grins at Rider, who manages to avoid a social faux pas too. "I've been told I love chaos, yeah. And yeah to that other question too. I can't stand cowards. That thing cares more about surviving than fighting. I'll have to show it what a real Berserker is like next time." She does seem the type to be able to teach a Berserker to do its job correctly. "You two gonna try to keep on its tail?"
Sieg	"Something like that, yes. Those Berserkers are a lot more level-headed than most. They usually can't think well enough to retreat." Sieg answers Dominic, resting his greatsword against the ground. "But I think we should talk more later... this place isn't safe, and the person responsible might be listening somehow. We should all get going. Thanks for... well... you know." He does his best not to look at all the bodies nearby. "Rider is right, though... we're going to need to figure out how to deal with this permanently, and soon, or it's just going to get this bad all over again. We'll talk later and put together an attack plan. I think we can count on these guys being easy to find again... they're not subtle." To Mordred, he says, "No... I don't think so. It's scattered in different directions. There's only two of us, and we don't have individual transport that's good for chasing it in multiple directions. We'll have to attack it again once it's mostly together. We'll probably need your help, since it likes to build up a small army. Oh! And, um..." "I'm not a swordsman, but I saw a guy make a weapon using gradation air. It's easy enough for me to do, so I figured it was just as good an option as anything." He explains to Mordred, tapping the greatsword against the ground with a metallic TINK. "I'm not good with it, or anything. I don't think I'm strong enough to do it your way, either... but we'll talk about this later! Let's all get out of here before something else happens." Having said as much, Sieg will do his best to lead everyone OUT of the bounded fields. IN THE MEANWHILE, Kyra straight up kidnaps a man while nobody is looking. This goes off without incident, but the Demi-Berserker in her custody is visibly relaxed compared to how he was a while ago. Having your pain levels reduced dramatically will do that.
Rider of Blue	"No. It is slippery, rather unlike other berserkers, and we have to devote considerable resources to simply killing it. While I have seen enough that I believe it would be for the good of all that it be destroyed, there are other pressing matters that concern us." The man shrugged helplessly at Mordred as he followed behind Sieg. "Though, it makes me wonder what type of person the master is. Does he abide by his servant's actions? Or is he just as lost as those that it overtakes?" he mused to noone in particular. "I do not see the point of these actions, except perhaps to hinder us. Still, wondering will get us nowhere." For the rest of the walk back, Rider was silent, apparently lost in his own thoughts.
Dominic Masoch	"Mmm. It is an unpleasant task, but there was little choice," Dominic says to Sieg in a serious tone, "But yes. I will give you my contact information," He produces a card from inside his jacket and hands it to Sieg. It has contact info for a Multiversal pay-as-you-go phone. Otherwise, Dominic nods his head to the gathered group of people, "It was nice to meet you all, but I must be departing," Best to get out before Mordred remembers to ask questions again, "If you need me, Sieg will have my information or you can reach me at Alexander Academy." He bows politely, "Thank you."
Kyra Hyral	Offficially, this is Kyra's first kidnapping. She'll probably look fondly back on this day and...smile, not calling it a kidnapping at all. Perhaps an intervention? Sticking around this world no doubt would have gotten him killed since Kyra's not unfamiliar with Grail Wars and how dangerous they are. She's waiting for Dominic, perhaps not too far from the warp gate, with her guest.