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Post by topiltzin on Oct 7, 2015 20:13:11 GMT
Watching Archer go, Ce Atl can't help but wish the man luck. He obviously had a strong pride in his abilities, and he knew that those who were present in the Throne of Heroes were no pushovers, but still, he couldn't help but feel like splitting up was a bad idea, even if it made sense. Still, he would continue to do what he had set out to do: ensure that everyone came out of this unharmed.
“Alright, Master, I'll be taking you to the roof.” Scooping up Anton into his reinforced arms, he leaps upward onto the school building, making his way up to the roof behind Berserker. The warning called down to him causes him to frown, and he increases his pace, ending up on the roof not too long after Berserker made it.
Placing his Master down, he nods. “Now, please, if you would activate the device...I would not like to stay here longer than is necessary.” Ce Atl still had trouble accepting this place as it was, there was a pounding in his head that stressed how -wrong- things were. This was clearly not a space that should exist, and whether that was due to the nature of ley-shifting or due to what occurred to make this place what it was, he did not know.
He uses his reinforcement again, creating a sharp point on his index finger's nail. “Master, do you know how long we are meant to stay here in order to set things up? If it is for a prolonged length of time, it might be advisable for me to begin the process of creating a territory.”
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Post by Ashwatthama on Oct 8, 2015 22:02:26 GMT
Bounding to the building across from where his companions now moved to set up the device they arrived with, Ashwatthama found his desired perch. Another building had a slight outcropping rising above it's own roof; higher than the norm to simply cover the stairs allowing roof access. It rose higher than the surrounding buildings by several meters; Not a perfect vantage point, but it would do. From the looks of the place it had once been even taller, but it had crumbled down to it's current stature, no doubt due to the structural damage the building had suffered since the end of days had begun.
Acquiring his desired perch, Ashwatthama let the wisp of light Caster had lent him hover in the air beside him, outside his grasp, drawing an arrow from his quiver and turning to the building his companions now stood on.
Well they were certainly right about one thing; It was filled with Ghouls. Dozens of corpses shambled through the hallways, lurking through corners and pawing aimlessly at the air. They didn't seem to be immediately aware of the presence of the small company, but that would soon change.
"I can see a significant presence of ghouls inside the building. I am remedying this presently."
By the time the words left his mouth, he had drawn and released his bow several times. Unlike certain other, flashier individuals, Ashwatthama had no need for a bow that cracked with thunder or made a twang that shook mountains every time it fired. The only noise any of his companions might hear is the soft rush of wind as his arrows sailed through the air between buildings, threading through the openings of windows and down narrow corridors, finding their marks with not a sound. It was no more than a few seconds before all the ghouls he could see were now truly lifeless corpses, motionless and slain with hardly a sound or any idea what had happened to them. There may have been more ghouls present in the building, but even they would have little reason to be alerted; His arrows dematerialized after robbing the ghouls of whatever unlife they now held, and simply left their corpses scattered about.
"All ghouls from my view have been eliminated. However, some may remain in the innards of the building or on the opposite face of the building."
He spoke quickly to the tiny magical energy floating beside him, relaying his present situation. Hearing a soft noise behind him, Ashwatthama spun about, drew an arrow, and loosed it in one solid motion, causing a ghouls head to go sailing off it's shoulders right as it managed to stumble out onto the roof he was also occupying. The one caveat of his plan was that, with him over here, there was nobody to really cover the ghouls that might be scaling his building besides him, and he could only deal with them once they reached the top. But it was of no matter; He did not even mention the presence of the ghoul to Caster. Relaying this would only cause them to show more needless concern. These ghouls were hardly threatening to a servant; Even if dozens assaulted him on the roof, he was confident in his ability to dispatch them and cover the primary objective at once.
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Post by anton on Oct 10, 2015 14:40:13 GMT
The experience wasn't as bad as Anton had thought. However, once more Anton found something he did not like. It was that as soon as Berserker started to climb up had spotted something, or rather something spotted him and the ghoulish noises it made Anton's skin crawl. He closed his eyes as the ascent began. It didn't take that long to get to the flat roof top. Berserker had already set up the device on the most "defensible" position in the hole ridden building.
Anton became aware of Archer's sniping by the faint sound of high speed moving arrows going into the lower floors. As soon as he was set down, Anton stopped closing his eyes and rushed to the object. He pushed the fear of being in danger to the back of his mind. He had his job to accomplish and at this point he had to stop worrying and trust his companions. "Given the size of the building and the thick magical energy in the air... I estimate seven minutes or so... at the very least." Anton rushed to the Diviner Probe and crouched next to it. "As much as I would like a bounded field, the prana kneaded into the surroundings might alter the readings and data gathered."
"Berserker take out any Ghouls that make it to the roof top, Caster support him as best you can."
Anton quickly found the switch and got the Probe control panel out. Anton sat down cross-legged and began typing the command activation, the parameters for gathering data and starting up the process. "Alright, starting in 10..9.." Anton mumbled more than talked out loud. "Caster, tell Archer that once he clears the floors from his view point to go to another vantage point to check the blind spots for more enemies."
The Probe began to hum softly as if starting up and then a very faint glow showed it became operational.
"Three...Two...One! alright it's working, estimated time of completion, uuh nine minutes." Anton adjusted his glasses, keeping his eyes on the screen he had blocked out mentally most of what happened around him.
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Post by Oda Nobunaga on Oct 12, 2015 2:22:46 GMT
Jekyll caught the small whistles of arrows striking through the air, but he didn't pay them much mind beyond that. His focus was on the gaping holes in the roof, keeping his eyes peeled for more of them that weren't in Archer's line of sight. He subconsciously tightened his gloves once more, readying himself for a bit of a brawl. Right now wasn't a good time to unleash Hyde, and if he did, he would need to adopt a different tactic. Defense was not the strong point of a Berserker, after all.
"Caster, the magic you have currently placed on me should be sufficient. I recommend focusing your attention on the entry points behind me." He recommended, hoping to lighten his burden some. He didn't want to force the poor man to effectively run the mission on top of the roof solo, or feel like the doctor needed babysitting. Ghouls were reported as a very weak entity only proving any kind of threat to humans based on initial encounters by Chaldea. Given that, even in his current state he felt that he could take care of them with some ease. Flexing his fingers and bouncing a little bit on his feet, Jekyll's eyes darted from one hole to another.
Then the first Ghoul stuck its ugly head through, attempting to climb onto the roof. The probe was attracting their attention, combined with becoming aware of the sudden new guests. Without hesitation, he charged the first one and gave a swift kick to its head. It didn't cleanly remove it, but sufficient damage was inflicted and the ghoul plummeted downwards. Another popped out just near by, and he repeated the same kick to the second. "This is much like that game they once had in arcades! I believe it was called 'Whack a mole'."
Despite his joke, he knew it was going to grow out of control quickly. He could only do so much at once and defense, even while sane, was not his strong suit. These were just the 'vanguard', so to speak; they would come in larger numbers soon. "I may need to take the fight to our foe. Shall I unleash my full strength, Master?" Jekyll figured he would get the okay from his Master before making such an important decision. It would very much affect the rest of the mission, and it would also leave him and Caster "alone" on the roof. They would have the fire support of Archer, but they would very much be a man down for those that got passed him. It would be up to Anton to decide how things went.
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Post by topiltzin on Oct 12, 2015 4:13:48 GMT
The whistle of arrows and the soft thrum of Archer’s bow resounded over his connection to his spoken breath. It was the backdrop he had of the mission they were undertaking, as well as a constant reminder of how willing Archer was to abandon the safety of the group in order to best serve it. He couldn’t help but admire the man, and hoped that he too would have made the same decision. Even if the danger was low, it was still quite the bold move, as much sense as it made.
His Master’s order causes him to respond in kind. “Of course. Archer, please, do your best to clear out the ghouls from multiple vantage points. It is clear there is a large gathering of them, and their numbers must be winnowed as much as possible.” His comment made it clear he knew where to go and how to best do so, and so it was not a worry to him. What was more worrying was how individually that Berserker had to fight the ghouls. While his difference in strength was clear, it did not seem likely that he could not handle a greater density...and it was clear that these were beasts of numbers, rather than tenacity. Still…
“Are you sure, Berserker?” Effortlessly through the connection his Noble Phantasm allows him to manipulate Berserker’s life force, he mends the slight tears in muscle tissue and issues of mental chemistry that lead to exhaustion and fatigue. The only limitations in his ability to keep people in full fighting shape were calories in humans, and available magical energy for spiritual entities such as they were. “If you feel the need to unleash yourself, then proceed, yet perhaps caution should be advised for such a plan.” While he could fight in this form, he was not suited to it. And furthermore...it seemed it would be difficult to rein the beast in once it was unleashed.
“In any event, it is a decision for you, Master.” He corrects himself almost immediately. It was not his place, giving orders. “Forgive this old man his indiscretions.” The time they had to last...nine minutes. Not enough time for him to come close to creating his temple...still, it was likely to be unnecessary. At least, he certainly hoped so.
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Post by Ashwatthama on Oct 12, 2015 18:24:46 GMT
"Understood."
Ashwatthama responded curtly to Caster's suggestion, taking a few moments to dispose of some ghouls shambling onto the roof he stood upon before leaving. Several had followed the first out through the stairs leading onto the roof across the building, and now there remained only a small pile of ghoulish corpses laying one atop the next right next to said exit. A few more cunning others had attempted to scale the outer walls of the building itself, but had been deprived of their psuedo-lives the moment they had set foot on the roof. Deciding that waiting around any longer would be pointless, he turned to leave, bounding away to another building.
Turning in the air he did so, he fired another volley at the building his companions stood upon, arrows flying into the building and hitting four additional marks he had seen while traversing buildings.
Landing at his next perch, he had barely touched down before a ghoul lurking in the nearby shadows reacted violently to this sudden intrusion of it's territory. Leaping forward, it hardly even seemed to merit the motion as the Indian archer simply reached out, grabbed the shambling corpse by the throat, and chucked it clear off the building, sending it hurtling through the air in the direction Ash had come from. An arrow pierced the mid-air target and pinned it to the wall of the opposing building, almost as an afterthought, as Ashwatthama remained gazing at the area of interest; He'd never even looked at the offending ghoul.
Settled at his new perch, he resumed his task; Sharp whistles filling the air as his arrows fired almost ceaselessly, each one striking a moving enemy and removing whatever threat they might pose.
"This is almost child's play..."
Ashwatthama murmured under his breath.
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Post by anton on Oct 13, 2015 15:27:10 GMT
For being in an apocalyptic pocket time world, surrounded for the lack of a better word hordes of zombies. Things moved more smoothly than he anticipated. Hell he even found the operational algorithms of the Diviner Probe way easier to understand. Who ever designed this knew their stuff and it made the bookwormish side of Anton think Maybe I should ask around to see if whoever made this is still around when I get back to Chaldea.
Of course it wasn't as if Anton was ignoring his surroundings or shying away from it. He had found something to focus on in, where he could be helpful and not get in the way, so he concentrated on that. Still when he heard he was being addressed by Berserker and Caster he had to break away his attention from analyzing the data the probe was gathering. He did so just as another Ghoul got stomped as it reared it's ugly head around, Anton cringed at the sound of bones snapping and muscles ripping. Though Anton quickly shook his head and concentrated again to prevent panicking.
"It would mean less enemies, but without command seals is there a way to revert you back to your normal self?" Anton asked, then there was a bleeping noise coming from console of the probe.
Warning, energy source spike detected. DANGER.
Anton looked at the numbers. "Fuck, fuck on a stick." Anton got up, procuring his grimoir and flipping it open, preparing to cast his spells if need be. "No choice, something big or something numerous is coming from the ground." a bead of sweat began to roll by the side of his face. "Berseker, go to the lower floors and intercept whatever it's coming. We'll find a way to rein you in if you go completely out of control."
"Let Archer know, something is coming from the ground. And Caster... forget what I said about bounded fields, we might be needing it soon, I can work out data corruption afterwards."
Archer would have been the first one to see what was going on, from base floor shapes began to form. Or rather they began to rise up without disturbing the ground. They were translucent and robed. The files from Chaldea would indicate they were Vagrant Spirits. However, it wasn't merely a dozen that rose from the ground it was at least three times that.
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Post by Oda Nobunaga on Oct 13, 2015 18:34:14 GMT
It seemed the world decided it was time for Hyde. The warning from the probe and his Master's words sealed the deal for Jekyll to unleash the beast. Giving another stomp to another Ghoul, he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small vial. It was glass with a pale liquid inside, sealed with a red and gold butterfly-shaped stopper. He gripped it tightly as he dealt with yet another ghoul, though he would not have much time before they truly came en masse. Quickly slipping his glasses into his coat with his other hand, he gave a small nod to his allies. "I should revert back when the time is right; Hyde always did have a sense for timing."
And with that, he removed the stopper and spoke aloud "The Secret Game of Sin, Dangerous Game," as he gulped down the contents. The vial vanished from his hand, and the change began almost immediately. His spiritual presence flared to life, like a flood from a dam breaking down, and his body became cloaked in a thick black haze. There was an audible snapping of bones as his body grew in size, tearing itself apart and rebuilding itself to form the body of Hyde. His muscles expanded, his shoulders broadened, and claws grew out from his fingers. His teeth sharpened into fangs and in the distortion from the haze, he would appear like the image of a werewolf. His body hunched forward, a growl coming from his throat as his eyes shifted to another ghoul popping up. In a single swift motion, its head was removed from its shoulders and the remaining husk fell to the floor below.
The true Berserker had finally been unleashed.
Though his thoughts were clouded, he knew what he had to do. Down the behemoth leapt, cleaving through two more ghouls on the way. There was little blood, but what there was clung to his claws, the rest just rotten meat that fell to the floor in useless clumps. Even in groups now, the ghouls stood no chance. With the strength and speed he now possessed, tearing through them would be a simple chore. These ghouls were the enemy of him, of his goal, of his justice. Everything inside this building was his enemy. Down the hallway, clumps of corpses. They were moving towards him. So he ran up and sliced through them one by one. It only took about five seconds for him to tear through ten of them. Dashing forward like a beast, the berserker continue to tear through the halls of corpses, finding a way down to the lower floor.
As he landed, he saw it. The cloaked face rising through the floor. A claw tore through it, causing the spirit to dissipate. Even though it was a "ghost", Servants too were spiritual bodies, allowing them to interact normally. However, that was just one of the many. From just his proximity, several more rose up through the floor. In a whirl of bloodied claws he tore through some of them, but others drifted just out of reach. A ghostly, bone-like hand emerged from one of their cloaks and a ball of prana was shot at his shoulder. It struck home, inflicting some amount of damage, but it was inconsequential. The damaged area was reconstructed back to its unharmed state, and the spirit that shot it was promptly torn to shreds. The other spirits focused their glowing eyes on the black mass tearing through them. He had engaged one of the groups traversing up through the building, but others were likely phasing through different sections of the building.
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Post by topiltzin on Oct 14, 2015 2:32:20 GMT
Ce Atl is relatively at peace. Berserker seemed to be holding the ghouls at bay without needing to lose his sanity thanks to his Reinforcement, and the continuous whistle of arrows sounded. It seemed there would be nothing to worry about. However, any serenity he was able to enjoy was interrupted by the loud noise emanating from the machine.
The order to Berserker was somewhat sad for Ce Atl, as it could become an inconvenience and would require his new friend be subsumed by an anger that did not seem to become him. Still, he wouldn’t begrudge it, it was more than likely necessary. “Let’s hope so, Doctor.” The name he let slip was enough for him to piece together his identity. “I hope to see you again soon.”
Watching him transform was a horrifying sight. He wondered if his own transformation would look quite as grotesque...but no, it couldn’t be. At the end, at least, he turned into something majestic, beautiful, the image of his God. Poor Jekyll on the other hand transformed into a foul beast, the likes of which clearly should not exist.
His Master’s command to him was also regrettable, but completely understandable. “I will make the attempt. However, it becomes harder the longer we wait.” Normally, the process of creating a temple is somewhat long and involved. For Ce Atl, generally around 30 minutes at minimum. However...just as he was able to magnify his reinforcement, it was possible, so long as a price was paid.
Cutting open a fairly wide gash in his forearm, he gathers his blood, and throws it out, using a hint of magic to conjure a favorable breeze, allowing the liquid to spread over a decent distance. He winces in pain, the injury was not severe, and a consequence of his Noble Phantasm was that he could not magically heal self-inflicted wounds. Still, he focuses enough to charge his blood with the energy of creation, of power, and of protection. “Quetzalcoatl...dwell in this place.” The blood ceases to be a dull crimson, and glows bright and dazzling.
As a pair of ghouls enter the rooftop and slowly begin to make their way to the device, he cradles his injured hand close to him as he raises his good one. “Begone.” The moment they cross into the bounds of the temple he created, they all but explode, the blood inside of them firing out from inside of them at high pressure, cutting deep lacerations into them that cut them to ribbons. “Master, are you capable of first aid? I can maintain myself for a while, but my injury is a drain on your magical resources and would best be treated.”
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Post by Ashwatthama on Oct 15, 2015 3:28:00 GMT
Caster did not even need to pass Anton's message to the distance Archer; He noticed himself what was happening with a deep curse under his breath. So much for a cake walk. A deep part of him stirred in excitement, eager for something to actually challenge him, but that was quickly squashed. In these times, the less challenge they had to face the better. The goal was more important than even the code of honor he had cherished so much in life. He had a solemn duty, after all. So unfortunately, the approaching threat was nothing but an unwelcome complication.
"Be very wary; There are at least two dozen approaching the roof from what I can see. Considering the number of possible blind spots surrounding the building, it is very likely there are many more than this. I will attempt to thin them out as best I can but..."
He let loose a volley of arrows at the forming spirits, in a similar manner to how he handled the ghouls previous. But the spirits were not such easy or unaware prey. A few arrows found their mark, but many flew wide as the spirits swiftly darted out of the way, using the school building as cover or slinking out of the way. More might have been pierced were Ashwatthama applying enough force to punch through the walls of the school, but he refrained due to their orders to keep the school mostly intact. Which unfortunately meant a good number of the shades were easily avoiding his attempts to disperse them, escaping into the innards of the building. Whether they went to go surround Berserker or advance upon Caster and Anton, he could not tell.
"They are more nimble than the ghouls. Possibly more clever as well. Most of them have escaped into the innards of the building. I will inform you if I detect their movements, I believe they are reacting to the sca--."
Archer was abruptly cut off from his statement, as he realized his folly. A dark shadow passed through the roof he was standing on, emerging less than a foot away from him. Prana shot out even as Ashwatthama whipped around, the attack grazing his arm as he spun around to strike the shade with his bow, sending it reeling backwards a few feet. Enough distance for him to knock and loose an arrow, causing the shade to wither away in a hiss of black smoke.
"It seems there are more of these shadows than I initially suspected. I will provide assistance as soon as I am able, however..."
He watched more shadows rise out of the building he stood upon. He counted eight at a rough estimate, but there was no telling how many lurked within the innards of the building beneath him, nor the other buildings in the campus.
"I may be a few moments."
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