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Eryl Fairfax     It's a terse situation. It seems that Avenger had been holed up in an ancient castle above a shadowy, misty moore when Saber and Cenedril found him. A fight broke out, and Saber understandably had the upper hand. Indeed, substantial amounts of the stone building has been reduced to slag or blown apart.

    But Saber, in a moment of arrogance, moved away from Cenedril, and Avenger was able to use his speed and flight to snatch her up. They now hover high in the air, orbiting the castle, with Avenger demanding the arrival and surrender of Tanya in exchange for Cenedril's life.

    All of this is relayed by Saber himself, currently clutching a lightning spear, keeping it posed and ready to bring down Avenger should an opening present itself. "'Twas my own hubris that brought this about. But I vow, given a single opening, I shalt smite this man. I plead of you all to create this." he booms.

    "No need to make an opening," says another voice, belonging to a boy followed by a hulking patchwork monster. "Just transfer Mastership of Saber to me, and take them both down. If me having Assassin also is an issue, I can command him to kill himself right now." Hikari Toromaru offers an extremely pragmatic plan, one that assuredly would place him in a strong position. But it would ensure the safety of Saber.

    "Still your tongue boy," Gwyn commands. "I'll not condemn her to correct mine own mistake.". Hikari doesn't reply, but he's clearly scowling. "Well, something must be done. This is an embarrassment. Assassin is ready for whatever 'brilliant plans' you all come up with." The sarcasm is heaped upon those words.
Tanya Degurechaff     "However," a young girl's voice chimes in, "Transferring mastership of Saber would erase Cenedril's value as a hostage." The voice belongs to a small girl, ten or twelve years of age, in a military combat coverall. Hikari Toromaru would have little trouble recognizing one Tanya von Degurechaff, the selfsame officer whom the howling Avenger is demanding.

    "The other option would be to hand me over like he's demanding. But an irrational screaming madman isn't exactly likely to hold his word, either." She racks the bolt of her SMG, clicking the first round into place and flicking the safety on.

    "We also can't spend a ton of time sitting around debating it," Eyes narrowing skyward, the tiny Major grumbles, "Something tells me he's not exactly the patient type either." A hand lifts to her chin, eyes remaining narrow, "But with an obsession like this, he'll be easy to manipulate. The question is the best way to take advantage of that without just letting him kill me... Creating that opening Saber wants, or some other option..." Her eyes wander towards the colossus accompanying Hikari, and that hand lowers to point, "If we can get him to drop her, you think that beast of yours could safely catch her?" Her eyes shift, "Then we can leave the rest to Saber."
Priscilla     "I command *thee* to kill thineself, boy."

    Priscilla is here the moment the situation is reported, and she is not pleased. Not in the way of being frostily displeased, but in the way of spitting invective with completely unguarded hostility. "Thou deserveth such for such a ridiculous statement. I doth not sacrifice subjects. Not *mine*. I shalt murder thee where thou stand for even trying, the same as I shalt do to Avenger for this. I had already planned to for targeting mine Hand of the Concord, and for standing in the way of the grail, but I will no longer be satisfied with that much. I will kill him until his God despairs of bringing him back."

    Her hissed tirade only cools down when Gwyn says exactly what he should, and takes the right side. "As expected of thee." Priscilla sighs, in a mildly positive tone. "Major Degurechaff. Thou hast fought with him before. What is thine estimation of thine capability to defend thineself from him for a time? At close range."
Stella     Stella arrives, as fast as she can anyway. She's not especially fast, but maybe transport was provided. It's not important. The important part is that she actually butts in when Priscilla asks Tanya how long she can defend herself.

    "If you require someone able to keep him distracted for a long time, I offer himself. I have not fought this particular person before, but I am confident in my body's ability to endure for a long time."

    It's what's best at, really.

    "However, I have no other insight to offer. I am not a strategist. I will follow whoever's lead wishes to have me." She doesn't much care at the end of the day, just give her orders. It's easier that way.
Tanya Degurechaff     Priscilla's furious presence is instantly noted, and in response Tanya's very regulated. Not stiff, but measured. There's no reason to redirect an angry dragongodlady's frustration on oneself, after all. The initial acknowledgement is a sharp, "First." before she hears out the remainder of the question.

    Her gaze shifts back to the sky, a frown on her face, "He nearly killed me last time. This time I suspect he's more dangerous. But I'm also not supported by useless soldiers this time around..."

    She glances down at her sub-machine gun, then unslings it and sets it aside. Once more she points at Assassin, "That thing's got a ton of guns on it, right? Give me a machine pistol. An uzi, a Mac-10, a damn FMG-9 if you have it. Something concealable. He'll see me carrying this Thompson and I'll want to catch him off-guard."
Priscilla     Specifically, if Assassin or his Master actually oblige, Priscilla will go through the effort of turning invisible (suspicious, but better than nothing), palming the gun directly where Avenger won't just see it, going up behind Tanya, and putting it in her hands also out of view.
Asterios Whenever Master is threatened, so he shall be there.

Even intangible, the Minotaur's presence in the world is utterly undeniable; a sense of rippling in the world, a heartbeat pulse of raw strength and unbridled rage.

"No soldiers," Asterios rumbles, a bow of massive proportions slung over his shoulders, right next to an equally enormous gun that honestly looks more like an artillery piece than a firearm. "But. Master has. Me."

Asterios' red eyes turn skyward, thoughtful consideration creasing his brow. "If we could... Separate them. I could delay his... Approach. Or. If Master gets close, I can provide cover, then engage when Cenedril is safe."

"Nobody said," Asterios explains, shrugging, "Labyrinth needs to be /only/ on the ground."
Bahamut      It is a tricky situation to be sure. The tall dragon known as Bahamut does not see many options either without endangering the hostage, something that he simply cannot do without a very high chance of success. The young girl speaks up, and Bahamut lets out a deep rumble of frustration at the situation. His only idea is the same as Priscilla's. Even if he is unhappy at both the prospect of a young girl having to fight at all -and- the prospect of giving in to a villain. Exchanging one life for another, even a life that can most likely very capably defend itself, does not sit well with him.

     "What we need is a sniper...or a way to incapacitate both at once non-lethally." Bahamut says as softly as his deep, booming voice will allow. He hears Tanya's suggestion and rumbles again. "I am loathe to acquiesce to any villain's request, but it may be the only way to save everyone. If you need concealable weapons...perhaps these will do." He reaches into a well-concealed satchel around his waist and pulls out several gems of varying colors, each with a bit of a glow to them. "These are element gems. Each one allows the user to cast a powerful spell upon activation, according to the gem's color. Red for Firaga, light blue for Blizzaga, dark blue for Waterga, and so on." If Tanya is willing, he hands them over. "Your bravery is quite admirable." he notes to the young girl in an approving tone.
Seifer Almasy      Seifer Almasy has brought three things.

     First, his sauntering, devil-may-care Jackass Knight attitude. One hand dangling at his side, clutching one thing. The other over his shoulder.

     On his shoulder is Hyperion. His all-trusted blade.

     In his other hand is a megaphone.

     He raises the megaphone up to his mouth. He is pretty sure Avenger will hear him. He is in fact one hundred percent sure of it.

     This is because Seifer Almasy is a *loud* son of a bitch.

     Click.

     "SO ARE YOU THE DUMBEST THING ALIVE OR WHAT?!" Seifer shouts into the megaphone. The feedback is sharp. He's never used a megaphone before. Seifer is a terrible hostage negotiator.

     "WHAT, WHAT'S YOUR PLAN, HUH? YOU GONNA KILL HER? YOU GONNA KILL HER RIGHT NOW? OK, GO AHEAD."

     Seifer taps his foot on the ground. "YOU WANT ME TO TELL YOU HOW THAT'S GONNA WORK OUT? 'CAUSE I DON'T NEED NO CHEATIN' TIME POWERS TO TELL YOU THAT THAT GOES *REAL BAD* FOR YOU."

     Seifer jerks a thumb at Priscilla. "SHE'S ONE OF THE SCARIEST THINGS IN THE MULTIVERSE."

     Another at Tanya. "SHE'S KILLED YOU ONCE BEFORE."

     Another at Asterios. "HAVE YOU EVEN SEEN THE SIZE OF THIS DUDE?"

     Another at Bahamut. "I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO THIS DUDE IS BUT HE'S A GIANT FRIGGIN' DRAGON."

     "AND THEN THERE'S SABER, WHO'S GONNA HAVE A WHOLE LIKE TWO MINUTES OF AWESOME DECOMPOSING AS HE RUNS OUTTA MANA, AND IN THAT TWO MINUTES, HE'S GONNA DO HIS BEST TO KILL YOU."

     "AND LAST, BUT NOT LEAST, THERE'S ME, THE GUY WHO GOT CHEATED OUT OF KILLING YOUR DUMB SELF LAST TIME."

     Seifer spreads his arms. He just sort of lets Avenger take it in. Then, he brings the megaphone back up to his mouth. "SO BASICALLY IF YOUR PLAN HERE IS TO KILL HER, GET *NOWHERE NEAR* YOUR GOAL, AND COMMIT REALLY, SUPER FREAKIN' ELABORATE SUICIDE, CONGRATS, DUDE! YOU'RE LIKE THIRTY SECONDS FROM GETTING YOURSELF GANG-BEATEN INTO WHEREVER IT IS GLITCHES IN THE GRAIL LIKE YOU GO. AND IF RULER SHOWS UP TO HELP YOU OUT, THEN I'M GONNA KILL *HIM*, AND IF YOUR WEIRD TIME DISTORTY OH-ACTUALLY-YOU-KILL-ME-AND-I-DON'T-DIE OR YOUR WEIRD YOU-KILL-ME-I'LL-JUST-EXPLODE-IN-COSMIC-NONSENSE-EVIL THING GOES OFF, OH, MAN! IF ONLY THERE WERE PEOPLE WHO SPECIALIZED IN DEALING WITH THAT THING *RIGHT HERE*!"

     He spreads his arms. Again.

     "MAN YOU DON'T EVEN DEPRIVE US OF A REAL TACTICAL ASSET! KILL HER, DUDE! WE'VE STILL GOT LIKE THREE SERVANTS *AND* NOBODY ELSE HAS *ANY*! OH MAN! YOU DIED FOR *LITERALLY* NOTHING! YOUR INTELLIGENCE STAT MUST BE EX, 'CAUSE I SURE CAN'T FIND IT ON THE CHART!"

     Seifer taps his foot again, crossing his arms. "But here's the thing. I think you really wanna kill her." He tilts his head at Tanya. "And I think she'll kill you. But this? This ain't gonna get you anywhere close to it. So why don't you put the girl down, and just say, 'hey, OK, you - I want to fight you one v. one, to the death, legit, fair and square.'"

     "Man, we're the friggin' Concord. Most of us would take that up *anyway*. Are you sure your class isn't actually Loser or something? Have you even thought this through?"

     "Can somebody so dang ignorant of tactical maneuvering and intelligent asset use even *call himself* a soldier, let alone a ghost of one?"
Eryl Fairfax     "I'm glad one of you has enough sense to seriously consider it," Hikari says to Tanya with a smirk on his face. "And I had briefly considered caving to his demands, but you strike me as a valuable asset. That's off the table then." Finally, Tanya has a kindred spirit in this one-eyed teenager. "Assassin can do whatever I order him to do," he says with confidence. The big monster says nothing, as usual.

    But Priscilla snaps at him, causing Hikari to flinch. He scowls up at her and mutters something under his breath about her immediately contradicting herself in that order. Gwyn meanwhile, looks away from his quarry for just a moment to look at his granddaughter and give a single, approving nod. He then looks to Stella, and rumbles lightly. "Mine understanding is that thou didst reflect Berserker's lightning. Might thou be able to reflect mine also? A devious tactic he may not expect."

    "Assassin? No, he just has that RPG. But if you want something you can hide..." Hikari tsks, and produces a Makarov from the inside of his blazer. "Don't lose it. You have no idea how hard it is to get a gun in Japan." Priscilla disappears, and Hikari understands, holding the weapon behind his back for her to take and slip to Tanya.

    Gwyn looks askance at Asterios and rumbles once more. "What assurances can thou offer that a maze would not mire this more? I'll not allow him to escape." And then Seifer splits the air with a megaphone, causing Gwyn to wince. Both at the noise, and the things Seifer says. "Silence boy! Do not rile the madman!" "Yeah I agree with the old man. Honestly, you shouldn't be doing anything here, since you're banned and all."

    Ruler is here. He drops down and puts an arm around Seifer. "You think the rules just don't apply to you huh? Well, I'll let the talking slide, this is a pretty bad situation. But if I see that stupid sword of yours pointed at him, I'm bringing you down. If you sic Lancer on him, I put her down. We clear?"

    While Ruler talks, Avenger descends. He's grinning madly, as Cenedril struggles. He puts his gun against the side of her belly, and pulls the trigger. A single shot rings out, and Avenger talks over Cenedril's screams of pain. "Have you ever seen a stomach wound? The contents are going to start poisoning her bloodstream. Death can happen in minutes." He moves his gun back up to her head. "But I can make it shorter. This is divine punishment. I am not to be taken lightly. Now, either Tanya Degurechaff steps forward with hands raised, or Saber's Master dies."
Seifer Almasy      Seifer immediately and without pause turns around to stab Ruler in the throat.

     There is not a moment of hesitation. There isn't a moment of *pause*. Seifer literally announced what he would do if Ruler showed up.

     And he is really, really tired of Ruler's bullshit.

     And he pulls that trigger like *six times*.
Stella     Avenger shoots Cenedril.
    Seifer lunges for Ruler.

    Stella's wrists burst with growths of prismatic crystal, forming blades that fall into her hands and settle there. "First. I will assist Sir Almasy. I lack healing capabilities and can do little to ensure Saber's master's survival. I apologize," she tells Priscilla, before turning to look at Seifer and Ruler.

    She comes in from the side, slicing down vertically to try and catch one of Ruler's shoulders and upper chest while at it. She lacks Seifer's raw skill, so she's making sure not to get in his way.
Tanya Degurechaff     Tanya folds her hands behind her back when Hikari responds, her eyes narrowing slightly in thought. The Makarov is considered, and she opts not to turn it down. The handoff is done rather expertly, as to be expected when someone present can just Turn Invisible At Will. She tucks it into the back of her belt while Asterios and Saber converse. Ruler arrives. Ruler says what Ruler says. Seifer goes for him without hesitating.

    Well, that'll take care of that headache. Tanya turns her attention on Avenger once more, simply glowering at the Servant and his hostage. A gunshot and screaming does little to dissuade or distract her. She simply mutters.

    "Though I walk through the shadow of the valley of death, I shall fear no evil for God walks at my side. Shield me from the unrighteous as I carry on Your works."

    Her eyes glow that blue, then transition to gold as she speaks. The jewel nestled beneath her jacket also begins to glow, forming a faint bright spot underneath her coverall. Then the girl lifts into the air, spreading her hands to either side, "Alright, Souix. I'm here. Put the girl down." Her head tilts forward, transitioning a neutral expression into a tense glower just like that, "But before you shoot me, I have a question for you. Consider it a Last Request, if you really have anything resembling honor left."

    "Is your master the creature known as Being X, or would you prefer to call it 'God'?"
Bahamut      Bahamut can't help but puff up a bit with pride at being pointed out as a giant friggin' dragon. Dragon pride and all that. But, he still has a 'are you kidding me' kind of look as Seifer bellows through the already loud device up at the Avenger. Bahamut sees only one good outcome of this, which he is hoping happens because other results could render their plans moot.

     Priscilla's speech and her subsequent disappearance both draw Bahamut's attention, but it is the descent of Avenger and the shot he fires into Cenedril that draw his attention most. He lets out a groundshaking roar, despite having no connection at all to any of this. "No honor. No apparent master. What is your purpose for existing? I can only assume it is to carry out more such cowardly attacks." he says, his tone that quiet kind of deadly serious. "Apparently being killed once was not enough for you? I am sure together we can facilitate another death for such a loathsome creature."

     Despite all that, Bahamut does not attack or even move forward. Cenedril is still alive, and his taking action could spell her doom. He has to hope that either Tanya or Priscilla will step forward and provide the opening that Saber and now he himself needs. But, he is not idle. He makes a hand motion before pointing at Cenedril, and a burst of healing magic flows over her to try and staunch the internal bleeding and contamination.
Priscilla     Priscilla is dicussing the general idea with regards to Avenger and Tanya over the radio. It ends with "Regardless, the fact remaineth that if he wished to kill Major Degurechaff at any point, he wouldst hath to turn his weapon away from Lady Cenedril to do so." as the main thrust, indicating what the relevance of Tanya's ability to hold out is. The guy physically can't shoot Tanya and his hostage at exactly the same time. He doesn't have four arms.

    Then he shoots Cenedril anyways. Not to actually execute her, but specifically to elecit a reaction. To force their hand. To get to them with the young girl's screaming, and the time limit on how long she has to live.

    Were Priscilla much softer-hearted, this might have worked for Avenger just fine. It might have worked for Priscilla instead, were she as hard-hearted of a leader as she presents herself as. Instead, it ends up serving neither of their goals.

    Because Priscilla has attached so much to this, in both the form of the War itself, in her stewardship of the people of Lordran, and in the continued existence of even just a spirit copy of her Grandfather, she does not act with the cold, predatory rationality she had when involving Ghirapur in this war. She cannot. There is a limit to how cold Priscilla can be, and she has already long, long, long ago suffered past her limit as to how many things belonging to her that she can stand being taken away.

    Priscilla just acts. She acts without thinking about it, mercifully in the interlude where Tanya offers herself, by coincidence. The ground all around her flash freezes over, splashing a wide ring of frozen spikes and rising, hazardous 'snow' with the sound of glass shattering to pieces. It gives away where she is, but that doesn't matter. It's even advantageous. She teleports at Avenger, ignoring Seifer's and Stella's plight with Ruler entirely. She only has eyes for the Servant in front of her now, and when she reaches him from behind, her fingers go for his windpipe, and her dagger goes for the small of his back, and his own stomach through it, in the same motion as wrenching him back and throwing him down to earth.
Asterios "Unless. He can escape underground. Should be no problem," Asterios answers with a shrug of his mighty shoulders. "Two options. You can wait externally to. Intercept. Or you come with me. The Maze I create. Is mine, after all. I know it by heart."

Ruler appears. Seifer immediately makes good on his promise to fuckin' kill that guy. Chances are good that it won't stick, but that's ultimately immaterial. Ruler will not intercede. The problem then--

Is that the contents of Cenedril's abdomen are currently leaking out either side of her body.

Asterios' stake in the conflict is painfully simple. His master's life is at stake. His master, the one who gave him his everything, is putting her life on the line. Her servant will not allow her to knowingly walk into danger alone. But moreover--

Priscilla is... Much like an elder sister to him.

It's not hard to see why. Both are giant, fluffy, horned, white-haired half-beasts who were sealed into living prisons by their own fathers. The kinship he feels there is undeniable. And to see her so aggrieved...!

The earth shatters underfoot as he leaps. The air screams over his ears as he rockets upwards at absurd speeds. Asterios cannot fly, this much is true-- but his physique, his raw strength, all applied to the singular goal of 'getting to that bastard over there' leads to one conclusion.

Asterios... Can Jump Good.

Where Priscilla comes from behind, Asterios takes to the front. "---====" the minotaur roars wordlessly, reaching with his mighty, meaty mitts to wrench the injured Master of Saber from the Avenger's grasp. He goes to tear her away, to bring her to safety-- but where might that be, at this point?

Maybe to the giant magical dragon man?

That seems like a good plan.
Eryl Fairfax     BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG! Seifer's gunblade shots ring out as he immediately attacks Ruler. The shock of Cenedril getting shot immediately is only redoubled by the sudden attack. But Seifer failed to find Ruler's throat. The blade was caught between two fingers, and while the shots made a mess of his hand, the Servant is fine. "You wanna play like that huh? Sure, let's play." He's cracking an angry grin, when suddenly Stella rushes in and gores his chest. He grunts, her crystal blade scoring a deep cut. But he doesn't let go of the gunblade. His grip only tightens, now wrapping his whole hand around it. "Anyone else? No? Okay then."

    Ruleryanks on Seifer's weapon, pulling him close so he can drive an almighty knee upwards into the knight's stomach, packing enough force into it to launch him into the air. In a flurry of rapid movement, he's on Stella too, punching her in the gut to launch her into the air also. Immediately, he's on his staff and taking fight, pursuing them. He strikes Stella again, launching her at Seifer to send them both flying into the ruined castle, before descending after him, his face a rictus of anger.

    "SILENCE!" Avenger barks as Tanya begins to pray. "You have NO RIGHT to utter the Lord's name, Devil!" His gun does not waver from Cenedril's head, who is starting to look awful pale as her blood pools. Tanya asks a question, and Avenger grins. "Yes. It was the Lord God Himself who called me back, and gave me another chance to succeed at my holy mission." His hands are trembling, and the delight in his voice is obvious. "Now, DIE!" Using Cenedril's shoulder as a prop, he produces a machine gun and opens fire on Tanya!

    But right after, there's a flash of ice, and Priscilla is upon him invisibly, her cold hands about his throat. He twists, loosening his grip on Cenedril and that dagger only slices his side. Asterios barrels in, getting Cenedril over to Bahamut. The opening is clear. Saber's arm moves, and that Lightning Spear he's been holding flies at Avenger. He ducks low to avoid it, and the bolt impacts against the castle with a thunderous crash.

    Avenger is still going though, and he takes to the air on his flying skis, screaming in bloody fury. "DO NOT INTERFERE, HERETICS! He sprays fire from his machine gun about, the bullets exploding violently on contact with whatever they hit!

    Cenedril meanwhile, is still alive, but the wound is starting to turn black. Healing magic washes over here, closing it. The skin is still rotten, but she's not bleeding out any time soon.
Stella     Stella is punched right in the gut with such force that cracks spread across her entire body already. It probably sucks for Ruler's hand, but it certainly paid off. She slams right into Seifer next, and goes crashing through the ruined castle. Through bricks and pillars, demolishing the place.

    By the time the dust settles-- Stella isn't visible anymore, as Ruler charges straight for Seifer.

    But Stella gets in his way.

    She's missing an arm and a leg. Her body is cracked. Half of her face is broken off. The cracks mend, slowly. The stumps of the missing limbs regrow piece by piece, as if crystal bursting out from her insides. Her head reforms, bit by bit.

    Her remaining arm suddenly rumbles, crystal bursting out of it to form a jagged blade over the length of it. Blade that she levels for Ruler's face to make use of his falling speed as much as the element of surprise.

    "You have broken my body. It will break you in response."
Tanya Degurechaff     "Tch.." That's all Tanya needed to hear. She brings her held-out hands forward to reinforce her shield against the predicted attack-- a hair's bredth too late. Rounds bury into the kevlar under her flight suit. Enough to keep her from being filled with holes, but all that energy has to go somewhere. The girl grimaces, an eye closing. Bruising to be sure, but that felt like a rib or two might've snapped on her.

    But there's still a mad Servant to deal with.

    Tanya reaches back, snatching the handgun given to her earlier. She can't tell where Priscilla is, with the First being invisible, but there's a certain rage on the young girl's pained face that's never been seen on her before. Teeth bared, pupils shrunk to points, she sweeps that bulky Makarov forward and unleashes a single round directly for the falling man's chest, "I knew it..! I KNEW IT!" Her aim adjusts, the next two rounds flying clearly over Avenger's shoulder and into the distance. This is when she draws the handgun back and thrusts her free hand forward, "All the signs were there..! I didn't want to believe it, but then you just admitted it to my face!" Her fist clenches and the bullets she'd just fired whip around, trailing golden light, "Right back to cheating! I'll kill your damned mouthpiece..!" Throwing her tiny body into the gesture, Tanya aims those bullets for the backpack unit feeding Avenger's flight skis, "And as soon as I see your face, I'll put a bullet in that too!"
Seifer Almasy      It's like slow motion. Each strike against Seifer, he's taking it in. He's watching it. The kick to the chest. The punches. The throws. The kicks. They're bone-breaking, because of course they are; he's a Heroic Spirit. But they're bone-breaking, and they're showing off something far, far more important.

     Everything Ruler's got.

     Seifer's willing to take those hits. He's willing to give Ruler that sense of superiority. When he's flung, when he's pursued, when he's punched, when he's hit. When he hits the ground and rolls. When he stands up, already bloody.

     He's grinning like an asshole.

     "You are so goddamn stupid."

     And then he's in. Hyperion is moving like nothing on Earth could. It's not magic. It's not superpowers. It's pure, ungodly skill, the skill to kill a god, a skill born of obsession and strength. It's the skill of a man who worked himself to the bone from childhood to adulthood being put on display. He's going right for Ruler's weak points.

     He wants Ruler to get cocky. He wants Ruler to get stupid.

     He wants Ruler to give him the opportunity.
Bahamut      As soon as Cenedril is passed to him, Bahamut gathers her up in his arms and turns his back to Avenger to take any bullets that might still be aimed at her. Remembering just how they got in this situation, he keeps her held close in one arm and wraps his metal wings around her to shield her from any attacks while still allowing him to fight to some degree.

     The blackening of her wounds draws his attention, and a healing item is produced. Remedy. It can clear any ailment on his world. Hopefully it will work on whatever has stricken Cenedril here. It seems too fast to have been a normal reaction to a gunshot. After that he speaks into his radio. "Bring in the Fahrenheit. We are at a disadvantage here until we can get the miaden to safety." he says.
Asterios     Success...! Cenedril is so small in his arms, and feels even smaller. The life is slipping from her; he must move fast. Asterios hardly gives Avenger the courtesy of a witty retort, instead immediately rebounding back towards the towering draconic figure. With gentleness and care uncharacteristic of someone so monstrous, he settles her into Bahamut's hands--

Tiny black explosions blister across the minotaur's shoulders. Asterios roars, voice nearly cracking as pain shoots through his body. But, he is strong. He is large and he has far, FAR more meat to blast through before he's out of this fight. His master has given him orders, and Cenedril is safe for the moment. That means...

That means he can go all out.

The minotaur roars again. A circuitboard latticework of brilliant violet lines race out from under his feet. The battlefield changes, transforming as walls and platforms emerge from previously flat and unmarked surfaces. It is a maze, but not in the conventional sense of the word. What is created is a winding series of gyrating surfaces and shifting walls that lead ever upward.

Asterios... Has built a platforming level.

And one such wall just sort of shoots out from out of nowhere to try and bean the Avenger right across the head.
Priscilla     Priscilla at least accomplishes her aims of getting Avenger off of Cenedril. Regardless of whatever she thinks of Bahamut being there (if anything), he at least has her out of the line of fire, and so she doesn't concern herself much further. Rather, her concern falls below the threshold of her rage, so intense is it that she doesn't even notice Tanya losing her professional cool and giving into her particular hate for her 'Being X'.

    Wild machine gun spray with huge explosive bullets makes avoiding getting hit while invisible a luck roll. Priscilla dodges and weaves between what parts of the fusillade leave gaps, and then several times, white sparks splash out of thin air and bullets twist sharply down and to the side, blowing up a few feet away from where they were going to directly hit. The trail of occasional deflections moves inexorably towards Avenger, rushing him down through his suppressive fire, rather than looking to find cover.

    She has it anyways when the Labyrinth arises, suddenly trapping the Avenger in close quarters, filled with blind corners and obstructed lines of sight. She then uses those to fade in from behind again, this time with room to swing her scythe, without a hostage. There is a split second pulse of absolute, ice cold, blood-freezing, existential terror, along with a silent, imagined shriek, and then roiling ink blackness and frost white sweeps through the air, and him, in a cleaving arc, blooming and fading away as the sound of footsteps hits the floor, and disappears again.

    "Heretic." Priscilla finds the time to question without questioning. "What farce. Thou standeth before a God and the Arch Lord. To defy them at all is greater heresy than thou hast any comprehension of."
Eryl Fairfax     Ruler tilts his head to avoid Stella's thrust, the crystals gouging his cheek as he stares daggers at her. "Sorry, I got no beef with you. But if you're getting in my way, you gotta go." He grabs her by the shoulder and pivots, spinning to build momentum before launching her into a wall. Just in time to be ready for Seifer's onslaught. He moves fast, bringing up his arms to avoid the worst of the swings when he can't get out of the way. "No, I'm just stronger than you," he says simply, before his hand scythes out, moving past Hyperion to grab Seifer by the throat and hoist him into the air.

    "You, on the other hand, are a complete moron!" Ruler snarls. "I'm not even talking about breaking the rules either! You swore to that tall drink of water out there, right?! What are you doing, endangering someone she ordered be kept safe by coming in and daring a lunatic to hurt his hostage?! Are you confident that everything will go your way, or do you just not think at all?!" He's punctuating his lecture with repeated, measured punches in the gut, aggravating the damage he's already done.

    Outside, Tanya fires lancing shots that double back to try and damage Avenger's flight unit. But he pivots, taking the bullets to the side, but preserving his valuable asset. "You'll not catch me with that again, Degurechaff!" he cackles, zooming at her at point-blank range to level a familiar trench gun at her, fanning the trigger to blast her with repeated shells. But as he backs off, walls and pillars erupt about him, trapping him within a maze. "Devilry!" Avenger shouts, before taking a wall to the head. He goes spiralling down, taking a moment to try and find his balance again. It is at that moment that Priscilla lunges. A distant scream, an icy chill. His life is threatened.

    But something else is there. Something else reaches out. And by what may be the literal grace of God, Avenger twists just so to avoid the Lifehunt. "Pagans then!" Avenger spits, levelling a rifle at Priscilla's face and squeezing the trigger, firing an exploding round at her, before racing through the Labyrinth, avoiding the sprouting walls to spray explosive machine-gun fire at Asterios! But suddenly, Saber is upon him like a god possessed, swinging his burning blade to try and slash Avenger from the air, even as Avenger turns his gun on Saber, the two spinning through the air as they clash.

    Meanwhile, Assassin and Hikari walk over to Bahamut as he tends to Cenedril. "Excuse me, I believe I can help," Hikari says. This would be unusual, were any Concord members paying attention to point it out. The boy produces some herbs, green and red, and begins grinding them in a pestle. "You're a Paladin, right? Aren't you concerned that the Concord have such a strangle hold on this Grail War? What if they use their wish for something bad?" He mixes the herbs with water and gently trickles them down Cenedril's throat. "This girl is the key you know. That Saber? She's his Master. And that Saber is why the First of the Concord is so invested in this war. If Saber weren't here, she would lose interest..."

    He lets that dangerous train of thought hang in the air.
Stella     Stella smashes into the wall. It shatters, a bit worse than she does. She's a stump, that's the best way to describe what's left. But with a sudden jolt, her body rumbles, growths of crystal forming crude, almost featureless legs and arms to replace the four missing limbs.

    "I do not either. Emotions appear to distract fighters. I was advised never to let them govern battle." Not that she has many emotions to go off of to begin with.

    She's still working those kinks out.

    With all those pieces of Stella on the ground, it does give her a lot of angles of attack, at least. Since her body is still patching itself together, she goes for that.

    Countless shards of crystal, some big, some small, some newly emerging from the ground like spikes, surge up in the air. It's like a rain of crystal knives, coming at Ruler from every side. With fairly obvious intent to kill, but given it's Ruler, unlikely odds of success.
Asterios Devilry is a bit harsh. All Asterios did was to employ the one and only form of thaumaturgy he knows. The Chaos Labyrinth is the manifestation of the only world Asterios once knew-- something far more ancient than the devil of Christianity can ever claim to be.

But then, Being X isn't exactly YHVH, so that little factoid may not necessarily apply.

More bullets rake over the minotaur's tremendous form, blasting chunks of flesh away in plumes of red-black smoke. Asterios staggers back for the briefest of moments-- before the unique nature of his class container becomes apparent.

Pain becomes power. Rage turns into strength. Asterios bellows, a howling warcry erupting from straining lungs. Twin axes, each the size of a polearm, appear in the Minotaur's hands as he surges forward. More explosions rock his form, but he barrels into them with wild abandon, charging inexorably toward the monster that seeks his master's demise.

Asterios leaps, charging from platform to platform, until finally he manages to line up a crushing, arcing overhead swing with both axes. "You... will not hurt Master...!" The air reverberates with his strike, sending a shockwave rippling through the labyrinth. "Asterios will end this here!"
Seifer Almasy      "As a matter of fact, I am."

     Ruler comes in for the grab. Seifer extends Hyperion forward. It looks like he's just holding it outwards. There's nothing there. He's just...waiting for Ruler to come at him.

     Ruler comes in for the grab, and Seifer's already on the other side of him. It was a blink-and-you-miss-it - no, more than that. It was something faster than a simple sword attack. It was the trick that killed a god, the trick that saw through an impossible swordsman's impossible sure-kill. It was the apex of Seifer Almasy's skill - turning the opponent's own strength back on them. Turning the opponent's own power back on them. Breaking through their strength, and then making it his own. A sword version of judo, achieved by something as simple as swinging a stick, then a blade, for twenty years.

                                ZANTETSUKEN                                
                                  REVERSE                                    

     Seifer shoulders the blade on the other side of Ruler. "Because without you there to muck it up, it doesn't matter who lands the killing blow."

     "By these command spells: Lancer, finish Ruler with all your might."

     All three.

     All three command spells. Lancer's life is being spent in an instant. The whole thing burns off.

     If Seifer wasn't a Disney character by proxy now, he'd be flipping Ruler off.
Bahamut      Bahamut raises an eyeridge uncertainly at Hikari and his hulking Assassin, but doesn't stop the administration of the herbs. He listens to Hikari as the boy speaks, then rumbles lightly and shakes his head. "I am of the Paladins, this is true. But, these are not the days of the Union and Confederacy. From much of what I have seen, the Concord seems to be mostly honorable and have people's interests at heart in the majority of cases. The Grail Wars could use some of that nobility and honor, if my understanding of past Grail Wars is anything close to accurate and today's incident is any indication."

     As they are speaking, a large white and pastel purple airship some 80 feet long comes sailing in and stops a short distance away. "For instance...unless I have misunderstood, you have just proposed that I help bring harm to either Cenedril or that Saber merely so you might strengthen your position in this war." His piercing blue eyes focus on Hikari with contained righteous rage. "Such a proposal to the Aeon of Bevelle and King of Spiran Dragons shows both lack of understanding...and lack of honor. It is much more likely that -you- should be removed from this war than she and that Saber."

     Bahamut gathers Cenedril up again, then peers. "...your servant is called...Assassin, correct? I believe I shall instruct those aboard the Fahrenheit to continue poison control procedures and leave them some of my healing items." he says, then snorts draconically. "Just in case."

     With that, Bahamut spreads his wings and takes Cenedril to the Fahrenheit airship, where she should be out of reach of Avenger and Assassin. He gives the crew instructions to pull back to a safe distance, then dives off the upper deck and down toward the battle. Like a bird of prey diving down on a victim, he spreads his many talons on both his hands and feet, and aims to flying pounce the Avenger with what is basically a couple dozen swords backed by a ton or so of falling weight.
Tanya Degurechaff     "Tch..!" The shot misses, and Tanya immediately brings her arm up to bolster her shield, "Still using that treaty violation..!" It's more of a reminder to herself than an admonishment of the war criminal who's currently drawing her ire. Buckshot blasts against the girl's shield, then explodes with its infused magic, shattering her barrier and sending the small girl tumbling back and down.

    She hits the muddy ground, bounces, and slides to a stop on her back. After a moment's hesitation, she picks herself up, groping at her face with one gloved hand then drawing it back to squint at the crimson staining that cloth. She hauls herself back to her feet, collecting her Thompson from where she'd left it.

    Attacking the Avenger head-on isn't working. And it's not something she prefers anyway. As a Servant, this colonel is far more dangerous than he was as a man... She glances towards the duel with Ruler, Seifer, and the crystal woman. Eyes return to the Avenger as he tangles with her own Servant and the First herself. Tanya's teeth bare. Every instinct is telling her to run away. But doing so would sacrifice everything she's gained to this point. Eyebrows set.

    Running isn't an option. There's too much to lose.

    Not, like, progress in the Grail War or anything that anyone else would care about. No, Tanya's main concern is losing face in front of the people whose respect she has carefully built and fostered. Wasting all of that effort would be truly sinful. The grimace on her face becomes a glower, and she raises that submachine gun to her shoulder.

    "Do not lose heart, my companions," Golden light trails out, erupting around her planted feet into a swirling magic sigil, "For the Lord stands with us." A magic screen manifests, crimson wedges converging on the maneuvering Avenger to form a cross right on top of him. She follows this with her eyes, but not the muzzle of her gun, "May His wisdom give us the courage to purge the land of the faithless."

    The gunshot digs her feet into the muddy ground, sliding her back half a pace. The bullet, infused with magic, traces a golden streak as it flies. When it strikes, it explodes with the force of a howitzer. And should it miss-- it still explodes. Remotely detonated by the young mage.
Priscilla     And now, Priscilla joins in Tanya's feelings. Fuck being X. The Grace of Avenger's God is bullshit. She almost had him. Such is the dim undercurrent beneath the very real and pressing problem of a rifle muzzle aimed at her at point blank, and her focus immediately switching to the need to break off.

    Priscilla twists catlike through her lunge, and kicks off Avenger himself to arc back out of the way, unfortunately not hard enough to actually hurt him, and then being through sideways through the air from the blast wave, sent off at ninety degrees and slamming her scythe into the floor of the Labyrinth to grind to a stop. "And what respect shouldst I hold for a god that resurrects a man solely for the sake of revenge, so content with abducting, torturing, and slaying children?" she hisses. "Perhaps thou art simply a demon."

    This time she leaps straight forward, performing a patented FromSoft boss closing move as if Avenger were about to sip estus, whirling the scythe about her body at his feet, then up to his head and down across the chest as soon as he dodges.
Eryl Fairfax     Everyone is putting it all on the line against Ruler. Stella's scattered chunks of herself fly at him, burying deep in his form. He coughs, and staggers, giving Seifer the opening her needs to dash right past, scoring a deep cut across Ruler's chest. He coughs, and takes a knee, as Seifer does the unthinkable; burn every Command Seal to kill one person, not even a full contestant in the Grail War. Lancer fades into view up in the air. Holding up a blueprint gun-halberd that is currently crackling with electrical energy. She levels it at Ruler. "Yes Master. Please get clear if you can. Her voice raises, perhaps the first time anyone has ever heard her yell as she fires. "JET SMASHER!"

    The resulting blast of electrical magic, fuelled by three Command Seals, puts Saber's to shame. The remains of the castle, and the earth beneath it, are slagged to nothing. The night sky lights up as if dawn as a thunderous boom deafens all in attendance. Lancer slumps out of the air, magical power spent on this one almighty attack. Smoke and fire chokes the air, obscuring the results. Is Ruler done?

    A magical circle forms in the air above the crater.

    "After all that talk," coughs a voice in the air. "You leave the finishing blow to someone else." Ruler appears above the circle, looking down at Lancer, Stella, and Seifer. "And you still couldn't finish the job. Some hero you are." He snaps his fingers and invokes. "Noble Phantasm: Khiliaple Astrape.".

    One thousand lightning bolts rain down on Ruler's assailants. The ultimate anti-army Lightning spell deployed against three people, the spell that is a part of the Thousand Master's legend.

    Meanwhile, Avenger continues to zip around the battlefield, engaged in a fight for his revenge. He pivots to avoid Asterios' shockwave, cackling madly all the while. "Oh I will do more than hurt her, beast! I'LL KILL HER!" Bahamut plummets into the fray, swiping at the man with massive talons, but once again, he pivots in the air to dodge them. "More and more demons swarm about... I shall purge you all!"

    But then Tanya's artillery bullet flies at him. He starts to bank to avoid it, but the resulting explosion slams him into the Labyrinth walls, causing him to slump and cough. "Blasted powers of hell!..." he gasps, rolling to try and avoid Priscilla's whirling slash. "If damnation is the price to pay, I'll pay it gladly!" He blasts upwards, reclaiming the aerial advantage and narrowly dodging another Lightning Spear from Saber before dual-weilding his rifle and Tommy gun. "DIE, DIE DIE!" he shouts, spinning into a complicated pattern of movement, spraying rapid exploding gunfire down on his targets, while also sprinkling in some precision rifle fire with it.

    Hikari and Assassin just watch on. The former just sneers in Bahamut's direction and mutters, "Fool," before the two stalk off.
Stella     A thousand lightning bolts reflect off Stella's body.
    A thousand lightning bolts batter the castle.
    A thousand lightning bolts strike Stella and break her into a hundred pieces, scattered about the castle by the force of the blow.

    A thousand lightning bolts reflect off the glimmering surface of Stella's pieces, like lightning caught in a bottle.

    A thousand lightning bolts launch from the remnants of Stella's body, rushing through Ruler's own lightning to get right back at him.

    And a thousand pieces of Stella start clumping themselves back together into a featureless humanoid body, starved on time and rushing to become whole again. But will she have time before Ruler readies his next strike?
Priscilla     Priscilla is getting hard pressed to keep dealing with Avenger's steadily intensifying gunfire, ammo not seeming to be a consideration for the (un)Heroic Spirit. The Labyrinth is helpful, at least, in her being able to swiftly move between cover, down narrow sight lines, peppered with stone shrapnel rather than being struck directly, knowing the latter would be a very bad thing with this level of firepower.

    Assassin and his Master leaving doesn't matter to her. She's focused entirely on the kill now. A hated enemy. Something that needs to die. Avoiding its fangs while hunting it through the maze, looking for the back of the next where she can apply the metaphorical fatal bite.

    This time, she bounds off the wall, arcs invisibly high over the flying soldier, and then comes down past his front, not going for the back a third time in a row, but bringing the inner curve of the scythe down on where his neck joins his shoulder, and pulling him down with her at tremendous speed, carving into him with all the weight and force she can muster, her weapon blazing with shrieking Dark once again as so many formless, conceptually 'teeth' expies seek to spill his blood.
Tanya Degurechaff     Okay staying on the ground was a mistake. Tanya braces herself, throwing her arm up and erecting her shield once more. But flat-footed in a sniper posture is far from the best position to defend against magical artillery. The Major is surrounded by explosions. Smoke, flame, debris, and the glass-like shards of her barrier scatter from the impact. A small, singed figure tumbles back and away, bouncing and rolling to a stop on hands and knees.

    One hand grips her side, those ribs are definitely broken now. She coughs, splattering blood on the mood beneath herself. Gaze lifting, she struggles to focus her vision for a moment until she can sight Avenger amidst the chaos he's creating, against the backdrop of Ruler's magical showdown. Her memory flashes back to that fateful day two years ago, at the border crossing from Legendonia into Imperial territory.

    A hollow chuckle escapes, even though it hurts to laugh as she picks herself up. Her gloved hand presses against her blood and mud-smeared face, and the chuckle becomes a laugh. An unhinged, unrestrained, haunting cackle.

    Is this what Being X wants? To push her to the brink? Hoping she'd pray for salvation, outside of the empty utterences it's forced her to use for her Computation Jewel?

    No.

    The laugh winds back to a chuckle as she lifts her Thompson, examining it. And the laugh stops. The barrel is bent. With a cross expression, she hurls the SMG aside, crouches, then blasts up into the sky.

    It'll take a few moments. Some might think she's run away. But the Major is simply biding her time. Once the opening presents itself, she descends on Avenger from above. Her intention: To latch on to his back. He's seen her do this before, that day in Legendonia. But this time...

    This time Tanya wraps one arm around the Colonel's neck. In her free hand she brandishes a plunger grenade, its cord already pulled, hanging from her teeth.

    "Caught you," The voice is icy cold, a predator admonishing its prey.

    The grenade is shoved into the space between Avenger's backpack and body, and then the tiny Major simply lets go of him and drops away.
Bahamut      Bahamut growls in annoyance as he doesn't quite make a clean hit, then holds up his arms and crouches down to weather the storm of bullets. The explosive bullets impact all over his form, and deep dents appear all over him and several punch through enough to draw blood. "What makes you so sure that you are doing your god's will? What little I know of divine beings suggests that a demon has tricked you into following its orders...or that you are merely a sick individual using the divine to justify your heinous actions. Either way, it seems you feel completely justified in your actions. Which means..."

     Bahamut spreads his wings and takes off after Avenger. "You are the one that needs to die!" he roars as he charges. He may not be the most agile, but he attempts to make up for it with a flick of a fire spell. A red glow surrounds Avenger before a fiery explosion erupts.
Asterios "You will /not/." The sentence is less a statement and more of a directive. There is a sense that it is, at least in part, directed towards himself. A command turned inward-- this shall not come to pass.

Not so long as Asterios draws breath.

The Minotaur dodges aside, rushing into the labyrinth of passageways that is his home made manifest. Bullets pepper and burst across slabs of cyclopean stone as brief flashes of the Berserker's body appears between gaps in the walls. He's moving with purpose, a goal set firmly in his mind. His master has gone about as mad as his kind are so often said to be. How much more damage can she take? Asterios can't afford to lose her, not now.

And so Tanya launches what might be considered a suicide attack...

Right on time for her Minotaur to erupt out of a nearby corridor to try and snatch her out of the air before the grenade properly cooks off.

The shower of shrapnel that may or may not catch the Avenger in the course of Asterios' dynamic entry is an added deterrent, but not his main objective. "Master," Asterios grunts, "I will be. Your shield...!"
Eryl Fairfax     Ruler is pierced through with his own lightning as he descends upon the crater he and Lancer have made. He's really messed up, having lost his cloak at some point, but he's still standing, wounds and all."One of you is still up, huh?" he says, looking at Stella's reforming mass. He raises a foot, and drives it into the crystal, aiming to smash it. Lancer rushes up to him, swiping with her halberd, but Ruler steps aside, and the Servant trips. Seifer did say 'all her might,' and she looks spent. "Hey, guess what," Ruler says. "He burned all his Command Seals. You don't have to listen to him any more. You'll probably run out of mana soon, so I could put you down now. Or you can get out of here, use the time you got left."

    After about 10 seconds of deliberating, Lancer leaves the area.

    Avenger has Tanya grapple on to him, and he begins spinning and shaking to try and get her off. "NO! NOT AGAIN!" he shouts, as the grenade detonates. His flight pack begins smoking and he enters freefall, getting body checked by Asterios, neck sliced by Priscilla, incinerated by Bahamut, and eating a Lightning Spear from Gwyn.

    And yet, in spite of all that, he's conscious enough to steer towards the misty moore, to try and escape. But not before one last shot. "FROM HELL'S HEART I STAB AT THEE!" he shouts, aiming his rifle up at Tanya before loosing one last shot!
Asterios There's something to be said about loyalty.

Some servants are merely bound by the Command Seals. They are chains that arrest the heart and the soul, binding one to the will of another. Others... Others would serve even in the absence of such things. Whether by affinity, by mutual respect, or by the code of knighthood, they would serve regardless. But.

For Asterios, Tanya is not merely a Master.

The Fatherland is not merely a country.

The Concord, not just an organization.

They gave him freedom. A home. Purpose. They gave all that he did not possess-- COULD not possess-- in life.

They gave the child that died as a monster an opportunity to live as a man.

It's only right and natural, then, that this would occur.

The Avenger fires one last parting shot-- imbued with his all his hatred, all his rage, the man that became a monster of god unleashes his righteous fury. The Class Container surely responds, broiling with unholy might and infusing that shot with lethal energies far beyond what it would normally contain. The final blow from an Avenger is always the strongest, after all-- filled with all the spite the human soul can ever muster.

And all of it, ALL of it, is being directed at the object of his rage.

The Narrative demands it. Death must come. It would only be Right.

Asterios has had enough of Fate.

A terrible roar shakes the Labyrinth to its very foundations. At the very edge of his vision, Avenger would see that someone else-- some/thing/ else has pushed his mortal foe aside. The Minotaur stands, arms crossed over its face and chest. Violet lines pulse through the surrounding maze, conjuring wall after wall after wall into the bullet's path. He WILL be the shield, he WILL fulfill his promise.

The first wall falls, crumbling before a force beyond anything that it could possibly restrain. The next does, too, shattering into so much dust and shrapnel. Then the third, and again the fourth. The bullet does not slow, it will not be stopped. The fifth and sixth offer only marginally more resistance than the previous four, but they cannot prevent its passage.

And then, the Minotaur.

The Avenger is filled with so much hatred. So much anger, towards this child of the Rhine. But it is matched by the love within Asterios' heart. And so, without consideration, he throws himself into that fatal round.

It blasts his arms aside, tearing through flesh and bone, it bites into his chest, smashing through the iron plate that covers his midsection, slowing incrementally with each obstacle. He cannot let it pass. He WILL not let it pass...!

It shreds into his body, ripping a bloody swath through flesh and muscle and sinew. Asterios staggers back, it looks as if he will fail here, and yet--

And yet.
He plants his back foot. He digs his heel in deep. He pushes /forward/ into the shot with a final, defiant roar.

And as his chest is laid bare and bloody, as the round digs a painful crater into his sternum, as the impact cracks his ribs and the force diverting through his legs sends spiderweb fractures through femur and tibula, the impossible happens.

The bullet slows. The bullet stops.

It clatters to the ground, a stub of spent lead. Asterios follows soon after, dropping to a bloodied and broken knee. His body is... mangled. No human could possibly survive damage such as this--

But he is not human.

He is Asterios, the Minotaur of Crete.

And this is /not/ enough to kill him.
Tanya Degurechaff     As she falls, Tanya is scooped up-- a presence she immediately recognizes. Though not unwelcome, she winces in the Minotaur's burly hands from her own injuries. Recovers. The battered flight unit hums to life and she immediately scoots out of his hands. At last, she's disabled the Avenger's primary mode of defense: His agility.

    But the falling Colonel has other plans. His weapon raises. He hisses his last words. And then a wall of meat and rage fills her vision. She throws her hands up defensively, eyes squeezed shut. Only the most attentive in this chaos might notice the pure fear behind those raised arms. Tanya doesn't want to die. As brave as she's become famous for, it'd always been a plan, or overwhelming force, or blind luck that really saw her survive.

    Blood splatters her, but no white-hot heat of a bullet. No sharp pain, beyond what already wracks her tiny body. Those heavy breaths she hears tell her the Minotaur of Crete still lives, and has upheld his word despite the risk to his own life. She lowers her arms slightly, staring over her bloodied, singed forearms with wide eyes. After a moment, she collects herself and lowers them the rest of the way. Only then does she float forward, placing a hand on the kneeling Berserker's bicep and assessing him with a quick glance.

    Her eyes travel back to the smokey trail of the falling Avenger, drawing an unsteady breath, then releasing it.

    "Towards me you roll, this all-destroying and conquering woman. To the last, you grapple with me. From Hell's heart, you stab at me. For Hatred's sake, you spit your last breath at me. Sink the coffins and the hearses in one common pool, and since neither may be yours, let you tear to pieces while still chasing me. Tied to me, this damned woman. Thus, you give up the spear."

    The Devil of the Rhine pauses, reaching up to wipe her face with one hand. Amidst the blood and grime, it's an easy way to conceal the tears, the last remnant of that heart-stopping fear from moments ago.
Bahamut      Bahamut prepares to chase after the fleeing Avenger, but something he hears stops him. He looks over toward the Ruler and the Lancer that is leaving the area, then approaches Ruler. "A servant that runs out of mana is doomed. Is that correct? Is it possible to generate new seals with a new master? I do not know what problems the Hand of the Concord has with you, but sacrificing another to obtain what seems to be more of a vendetta than anything is rather vile. If it is possible, I would offer myself as a new catalyst to keep that servant from disappearing."

     Whatever the response to that, Bahamut then turns to Tanya and Asterios. "Cenedril is a onboard the airship. Just let me know where to drop her off."