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Post by Rin Tohsaka on Apr 28, 2016 2:11:08 GMT
Though Rin felt ashamed at first from her reckless decision, she now felt a burning hatred inside of her for the servant who had just stole the role of group leader. However the other half of her was angry at herself for making yet another hotheaded and foolish move. How was she going to ever be taken seriously now that she had done something so idiotic and unprofessional? Despite her own frustrations, the anger at being treated as if she were a stupid child probably seared her the most as she watched Atlas strut ahead and command Emiya to act as her temporary babysitter until he got back.
Archer’s defense of her own foolishness did bring her some mild comfort though, at least enough to calm her down a bit from her fuming anger. He was right, using something as valuable as a command seal at that very moment would have been a complete waste, but rushing in after Iscariot was just as foolish if not more so than that. Perhaps it was the cold or the natural stress this mission was bringing to her, but either way the decision was a completely foolish one on her part and she couldn’t do anything more than cross her arms and pout as she stayed close to the Archer class servant. Even Judas seemed to agree before the assassin ran off to do God only knew what with the fortress.
“Hmmph, as much as I’d like to see him get himself killed, you’re right I should at least try to relay him,” Rin said as she tried to communicate with the old fish king. However, before she could set up a proper communication signal, she was once again interrupted by the same sound that almost got her and Iscariot fried. Reacting quickly she clung to her servant as the large burst of flames surrounded the two, Rin feeling the scarring heat upon her back as she didn’t let go of the tight grip she had on the white haired servant. Rin took a deep sigh when the array of fireworks calmed down and it was safe….OR WAS IT!?
“Ughh, trap after trap and misfortune after misfortune,” Rin groaned as she slowly stumbled to regain a solid balance. However, her moment of reprieve was cut short when she heard a cracking noise above her, “E-ehh?” the brunette’s face went pale as she came to notice the ceiling slowly closing in, threatening to crush anyone within the small chamber. It didn’t help that Rin had a severe case of claustrophobia as she began to shutter uncontrollably from the thought of being crushed to death.
“Emiya-kun! Atlas can wait let’s just get out of here!” she yelled before noticing the purple barrier now surrounding the room, “ahhh ohmy god! Help me!!!” Rin yelled before noticing the way down, and without even bothering to explain her thought process, Rin motioned for Archer to follow before jumping down into the darkness herself.
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Post by King Atlas on Apr 28, 2016 4:52:34 GMT
Atlas was staring at the remains of a boulder that tried to fucking run him down. Shattered into thousands of tiny pebbles. "It's like that Indiana Jones movie, only Harrison Ford died in the first five minutes." He chuckled momentarily before frowning, noticing his wall was gone as well. "God that one sucked." He mused. Really, the others were actually enjoyable. He really liked Last Crusade in particular, but God. Oh, and there was the fire going on as well. Summoning Poseidon real quick, he doused the flamed around him, leaving the area rather safe for the newcomers. He wasn't worried. Magic Resistance was a wonderful thing. Of course, he'd forgotten one minor detail and he was traveling much lighter for it, but oh well. As the other two came down, he'd admit that, privately, to himself at least, that there was a part of him that was relieved to see Rin safe. A small part. Not that he'd ever admit it to her after that rant of his. It was always nice to see the Master safe and sound. "Oh, did everything go back on fire for you two as well?" He tried to pass off nonchalantly. Cradling Poseidon in in one hand, he continued. "Well... fine, I guess, stay with me, I'll clear a path." He'd probably need to keep dousing the flames as they came up, and he wouldn't ask where Iscariot was. Part of him hoped the rat was dead. Speaking of rats though, he looked back at Rin. "Tohsaka." Trying to keep that stern, parental tone in fact. He was still supposed to be mad at her. Holding out one of his hands, there was a brief flash of magic as the item was crafted. A long red coat, not unlike the kind that Rin preferred to wear. "Made from a fire rat." He said as he offered it to her. It should offer some protection from the fire at least. The less he had to keep an eye out for them, the better. Of course, there was still that minor detail that he forgot. Namely the fact that Atlas was currently on fucking fire. A Rank Magic Resistance was a beautiful thing. tags: Rin Tohsaka , emiya , Judas notes: party reunion
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Post by emiya on Apr 28, 2016 5:38:59 GMT
Another click, and another trap. This one we remained safe, though nothing could be said for Atlas and the Betrayer. Letting Rin cling to him, I shielded her, taking the hot air on my back. I project my twin swords and simply wait it out, the extra magic resistance preventing much damage to me aside from a slight pricking of the skin from the hot air. When the gusts of wind subside, I look down at Rin, who's trying to regain her balance. "Since we'll be waiting outside, let's put some room between us and the house. Atlas likely has everything under contro-"
Just as I say that, another click. "Just how many traps are we going to have to face?" I say, surprise finally catching me off guard. Still...this didn't seem too difficult to deal with. Slow entrapment with an encircling bounded field, meant to crush them. He has multiple tools for dealing with something like this. I could use Caster's dagger, and it would likely work, or use a red spear that could simply shred it without any invocation at all required. Just as I'm about to project that red spear and cut a hole for me and Rin...she jumps down the hole. Of course.
I had two options at that point. Follow through with Atlas' plan and remain outside, or follow Rin down to the obvious trap and help keep her alive. Only one was something that Emiya Shirou was capable of doing. For a Servant, especially one in his situation, to simply sit back and leave his Master in danger was foolishness. For EMIYA, it was impossible. Jumping down after her, I kick off the staircase, gaining in speed so I can catch her, carrying her down faster and making the barrier a non-threat. At that point, though, the physical barrier made it so that doubling back wasn't a reasonable option, considering the traps that would likely line the funnel they were obviously being forced down. I had to follow through.
Meetinig the Atlantean once again, I set Rin down. In response to his question, I shrug. "First of all, Atlas, you're on fire. Do something about that before your clothes burn off. Second, unlike what some might believe, we're capable of following a basic order and staying away from the insanity. However...doing that didn't end up keeping us away from the insanity, unfortunately." Perhaps his scolding of Rin above and beyond got to me. However, it didn't change the facts of the report. Filing in behind Atlas, I let him lead the way. While Rin might think he was taking the priority of the mission, it only made sense to make the bulkiest, most defensively capable Servant take the vanguard position. It made Master protection easier. His gift seemed to imply he was aware of that necessity as well. While I'd be more comfortable if I could have my old back and forth strategy discussions between him and Rin, Atlas likely was able to uncover more knowledge of the traps they'd be facing then the two of them could combined.
So he waited, and peered ahead into the darkness.
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Post by Judas on Apr 28, 2016 7:35:57 GMT
There were loud noises echoing back and forth inside the abandoned fortress. It seemed Archer and Tohsaka managed to trip up most of the traps on that floor. The decision to leave them behind and use them as scapegoats was the right call after all. Though the searing heat still bothered him, it was not out of the ordinary for Judas to feel "hotness". After all, the damnation that resides within his body was hell itself.
As of the moment, Judas was currently a floor below Atlas. While he kept himself busy with the traps on that side of the stairs, Judas took an alternative route, a rather less noisy path but in a spiritual sense, more dangerous. His high rank in Presence Concealment somehow helped him lessen the number of trap triggers. He doesn't understand it himself but ever since the first fire streaming out of the floor, multiple number of traps have appeared. Since we are talking about a lair used by a magus before, malevolent spirits summoned as guardians were not out of the norm.
He raised his hand and threw a knife across the corridor which awakened tons of blades springing from the floor. After seeing this, Judas raised his eyebrow and walked carefully across. When he was halfway, he was met by a horde of malevolent spirits which came from the succeeding turn.
"Master, as you have listened to all of them, now also listen to me. For I have seen a great vision."
Judas uttered a line from his own Gospel as he held two knives as long as the length of his elbow to his wrist. The pair of bladed weapons gleamed a crimson blade. Judas brandished the twin blades and slashed apart the malevolent spirits coming at him. The precision of the bladed weapons was worthy of the title Assassin. However, he who was an Apostle, might one ask how he came such a skill? In a legend far his time, there was an extremist group notable for their use of bladed weapons. While not necessarily related, one might wonder, as they too originated from the same place and world he was. "Honestly..."
He murmured after finishing up all of the spirits. After exiting the corridor, he was now precisely a floor below where Atlas and co. were at. He ignored his teammates and went on his own. It was uncharacteristic of an Assassin without Independent Action. In short, there was meaning to all of this.
"Dungeon Master, I know you lurk here somewhere. My ability to sense spirits have spiraled the moment I came here. I do not know if you are a spirit or an immortal, however, what I do know is this place has sinister secrets."
He address with a rather unemotional tone. He then proceeded with a call, "How about we converse as fellow devils of our own arts, immortal?"
Even doing this, Judas was not confident the Dungeon Master would reply. Then, he might use something up his sleeve at the expense of his teammates sanity that is.
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Post by Ivan "Koschei" Grobovshchikov on Apr 29, 2016 1:29:02 GMT
One little piggy went off alone and beyond triggering his traps just slightly less than the clumsy three who'd stayed behind, apparently with some intention of contacting me - that being, the fortress, its living, simplistic, pre-programmed conscience, set only to protect and sometimes snark at something so Master could laugh at the replays when he woke up - without the knowledge of its party. While even its simplistic thought process could understand the other three to be somewhat annoying and perilous to stand near, this course of action still puzzled its preset reaction core.
As EMIYA, Atlas and Rin took a break in a room a few sets of stairs and rows of would-be traps dealt with by Judas, the betrayer of the Christian faith was faced with a ghostly form, green and humanoid in shape, yet just barely - it seemed to shift and waver, as if it tried to escape its vessel - its condensing emitting a terrifying wail that could be heard from the distance by the rest of his teammates. Even Iscariot's doubly-colored eyes couldn't rightly perceive it fully, focus refusing to establish itself on the apparent spirit as it clasped two appendages that seemed much like hands.
"GREETINGS, MORTAL."
Said the fortress, voice booming and echoing through the stone halls, the trio of Judas' remaining companions receiving a cacophony of shattered remains of the words that addressed the party's literally redheaded stepchild as they were faced with even more fire, teeny tiny poisoned needles that seemed to have materialized out of the goddamned air and...
A giant chicken. On fire. Running wildly at them, mad as all hell after being woken from deep stasis after hundreds of years.
Honestly the Dungeon didn't even get why they had a giant chicken to run at people. Maybe Master just thought it was really funny.
Oh, yeah, back to the ginger.
"TELL ME THE ANSWER TO THIS ONE QUESTION HONESTLY, AND KNOW THAT PUNISHMENT FOLLOWS THOSE WHO LIE. THE VOICE YOU'LL HEAR IS FROM MY MASTER'S, AND I'LL HAVE NOT HIS WORD SULLIED BY THE INSINCERE."
The spirit paused, still in the air as the audio channel shifted into what seemed to be an ancient recording. There was the awkward pop of someone tapping a microphone, or whatever was its magical equivalent - and then came out a voice, a voice that should only exist in comical villains for cartoons about tiger-riding underclad metrosexual barbarians and their mates.
"Have we gone to space already?"
The voice resonated and reverberated as it shifted and bended to vocalize itself to a thousand languages yet at the same time just the one it needs to be understood, even still coming a little too loud for a question to a dude right in front of it.
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Post by Rin Tohsaka on Apr 30, 2016 7:17:26 GMT
Out of the frying pan, and into the fire was certainly one figure of speech Rin hoped to never see literally happen; though now it seemed the frying pan was an Indian Jones tier trap and the fir was well….a very large fire! So large, it seemed to have already set the great Fish King ablaze, and despite the fact it couldn’t necessarily do him any harm, she really didn’t want his nude image stuck in her mind for the next several weeks. Therefore, Rin waved her hand a few times in a rejecting motion, “No thanks, you should put it on, as great as your body likely is…I think me and archer would rather be spared the sight.”
Rin gave another sigh as she picked herself up and observed the flames surrounding the trio, perhaps the servants could brush it off, but she was in another predicament entirely. When the flames quelled, Rin could finally take a moment to put herself back together and carry on with the mission at hand. Though she was starting to question what exactly made this place tick. Was Koschei the Deathless really situated here or were the traps so advanced that the fortress itself had seemingly developed a close mind of its own? If this place could speak, then could it be reasoned with? What was Archer going to prepare for dinner tonight?
Rin shook these meaningless questions out of her head as she pressed on through the dark corridor, “Hmmph, a sentient fortress? I’d sooner come to believe that the world was flat,” Rin felt a childish smirk cross her face as she made this small jest. Even if it wasn’t that good, she could at least find some source of comic relief amidst this madness of booby traps and evil spirits trying to kill her and her comrades. Thought what was to come next would be the strangest and oddest trap Rin had seen to date…
Though her ears caught onto the muffled dialogue, it was only small bits and pieces of the ancient tongue, but it did cause her attention to rise just in time for the next assault of traps. Rin barely managed to activate an emerald in time to shield them from the darts, however it shattered shortly after. However, Rin readied her arm to fire a Gandr Shot when she heard a frantic bawking up the corridor. Then there it was, a flaming chicken!!!!!
Though Rin was so terrified at this point, that she shot madly at the flaming chick madly with various blasts of red bullets. “Ahhhhh I’m too young to die!!”
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Post by King Atlas on Apr 30, 2016 8:09:53 GMT
Atlas blinked at EMIYA for a moment before looking himself over. Ah, so he was on fire then. Then for the moment he wouldn't comment on Rin rejecting the item he'd so lovingly crafted, swirling it once around him as the robe quenched the fire around him before tossing it to EMIYA. Maybe she'd take it from him then. His clothes were still scorched, which meant they were ruined. Ugh, he'd have to bug Vlad into repairing them. Like hell he was summoning another set of clothes, no mission was worth risking two sets, especially when he went through the hell of getting Vlad's handiwork. For now, he'd have to make do with the clothing damage. Still, he blinked at Rin a couple times over her comment, as if there was a sense of curiosity. But then things started to get weird, Atlas noted the flaming voice. As the darts appeared, he moved to conjure a barrier, but stopped when he saw that Rin already beat him to the punch, the barrier keeping all of them safe. Okay, this was starting to make up for her earlier screw up. Maybe he shouldn't have been so harsh. But then the chicken appeared! This place was fucking amazing! Not to mention that chicken could be taken back to Chaldea. They did say to raid the place, so when Rin started shooting, he jumped in the way, stopping the gandr shots with the palm of his hand like Darth goddamn Vader. "Don't shoot it!" He yelled as the chicken drew near, turning to face his feathery foe. "We're supposed to bring these things back!" Dismissing Poseidon, he held his arms out as the chicken clashed into the Atlantean, Atlas taking the moment to lift the chicken up over his head and slam it down behind him in a suplex. The chicken was out cold. With the newest threat taken care of, he turned back to look at Rin. They could continue in a moment, but Atlas awkwardly scratched his cheek with his index finger. "... Do you really think I have a great body?"What Atlas didn't notice was that once again he was on fucking fire from the chicken suplex. It was quickly destroying what was left of his clothes. tags: Rin Tohsaka, emiya, Judasnotes: ultra mega chicken suplex
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Post by emiya on May 1, 2016 2:11:29 GMT
It was a good thing that most of my responses were instinctual, otherwise I likely wouldn't have been able to comprehend, let alone protect myself, from the absurdity of what happened. Of all things, our next obstacle was...a giant, flaming chicken. Immediately I go through a simple flowchart in my mind. Can I kill this? Not immediately. The mission wants us to bring...whatever...back. Second, can I fight this non-lethally? Again, no. I don't have sufficient protection from fire, nor the strength to engage a monster like this. So my objective is to leave this to Atlas and keep Rin safe.
I run over, scoop her up, and make a dash back by the stairs. This split-second decision was well-founded, as Atlas' technique for bringing the burning bird down was...a suplex. An effective technique for the absurd Atlantean, but his positioning meant that the lethally hot animal was plummetted right where they had been just a few short seconds ago. Setting Rin down once the danger had passed, I glance at Atlas, unsure about how much I should push him. In the end, I settle for something simple.
"If you don't douse the fire I'm going to do it for you. And Rin is likely going to command spell you into getting new clothes if you don't take that step yourself." I don't offer opinions, I merely state facts. That was all I needed to do, anything more would be detrimental to the mission.
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Post by Judas on May 1, 2016 8:01:07 GMT
Judas raised his head upon hearing a large clang across the corridor. Then, as if his entire shivered, he could feel a terrifying feeling as something ghastly manifested just before him. It was somehow humanoid but green, just like a slime, yet at the same time trying too hard to maintain its form. It was as if the spirit which had been sheltered inside wished to come out. It was an unnatural being he has never seen before. But the sensation was close to the Devil he and the Apostles had come about. Something...not that close but at least in terms of sinister, like Beelzebub. Or , it has to be the magus that had produced it. Nonetheless, it was definitely no simple creature.
As Judas scattered his knives across the room, one after the other at least putting a knife in his 3 to 9 o'clock, a voice that echoed seem to address him. It was a straight response to his question. As if a challenge to see his intentions, the fortress spoke to him with a monotonous tone of statements. And then, as it had ended its address, a different voice surfaced. A voice filled with age at the same time, if not wisdom, madness. A question he did not expect. Have we gone to space already? He was eyeing the weird creature as this question was thrown. Is this a question requiring a literal answer or a metaphorical one?
Before replying, Judas produced two more knives from his thin sleeves and held them as if they were short swords, like that of the red robed Archer. He glared at the spirit and whispered some incantations that seemed to be sacraments. The knives gleamed into crimson light, they now enhanced to purge spirits or demons, to a point of being fatal on the level that had exterminated Beelzebub, as Judas opened his mouth to reply. "Keeper of the fortress, I have two answers to the question. But before that, let me first introduce myself. I am a man known as simply as Iscariot." He said while maintaining his composure. "A literal answer would be, as of this year, we had come to space yet exploration had stopped due to the need to restore the foundation of humanity. That's their goal."Judas answered glancing at the trio he had left behind. "My other answer would be, if you see the vast galaxy as the Root, seeing as you are a magus, then unfortunately..."As he was about to say the finals words to his statement, he pointed of the knives he held at the creature "...you have yet to reach it."
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Post by Ivan "Koschei" Grobovshchikov on May 1, 2016 16:14:02 GMT
Descending deeper into the fortress, the party was made whole once more after a quick hop through a corridor of ground-blades, Judas visible even before crossing it. He was right there, go grab him!
Meanwhile, in the room right there (go grab him), the ghastly spirit seemed to waver in contemplation of the young man's words. First of all, it did not ask your name asshole. It really didn't care. It literally didn't have the memory allocated to store a shit to give. But fine, fine, whatever, reddy had a name. Then he said yes.... but no.... but yes... but no... that's - it just wanted a clear fucking answer. It did say we went there, so the main processor was saying yes, definitely. And if they stopped it for some reason, well that was both stupid AND Master's problem.
Oh, he was going to be mad.
"ANSWER: YES. PROBABLY."
The ghost in the machine seemed to sigh even in its monotone, one-track voice.
"INITIATING WAKE EM AND SHAKE EM PROTOCOL."
The wall in front of Judas began to shudder and crumble, solid stone bricks that had stood solid for hundreds of years suddenly vibrating in such a small, powerful molecular level that it was grounded into dust, a sand-like constitution made of the minerals that once composed it flowing on top of the original traitor as his heterochromatic eyes perceive the grave that had been hidden in plain sight.
There stands a simplistic stone slab surrounded with inscriptions in odd, alternating languages, some of them in cyrillic and others way more ancient, a single blue stone in the middle shining brightly against the torchlights (which had been lit by the fucking blazing inferno from before, the crypt in a comfy living temperature by then). Out of nowhere it detached and floated over to Judas, circled around him and returned, barely dodging the falling seal of Master's grave, heavy stone slab shaking the ground with its descent.
A magus who had been laid to sleep for years. A Lich of powers untold, so mysterious he had taken an old myth and worn it as a mantle. A Dead Apostle whose hunger shuddered his stomach awake.
Well, if he still had a stomach.
A skeleton walked out of the grave in old, decrepit robes, most of the fabric ravaged by time and critters.
"FUCKING FINALLY!"
The voice that had been in the recording spoke with newfound vitality as his bony fingers picked up the crystal and laid it atop a wooden staff that had been grasped with his hands, the jewel beginning to glow as his mana infused it with newfound energy once again. "HEY, YOU. THE REDHEAD." The Lich half seems to mind Judas' presence, dusting off his robes as he began to walk out of his grave. "WHAT YEAR IS THIS? GREGORIAN CALENDAR. YOU STILL USE THAT? MINE KINDA ROTTED AWAY." As did his little thaumathurgical program to count it, so it seemed. "DON'T BE AFRAID, I, THE GREAT KOSCHIR, WILL NOT EAT YOU, BECAUSE HONESTLY, YOU'RE KINDA THIN AND MORE OF USE SPEAKING."
Fucking heterochromical eyes, Koschir hoped that was fucking natural. The people of the future better not have become edgy genetic modifying trygards.
"ARE YOU JUST GONNA STAND THERE SLACK-JAWED, MEATBAG? TAKE ME TO MARS, SHOW ME YOUR SPACESHIP. AMUSE ME."
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