Code: PIRULUK

Debronee and Yukine The beast stepped into the apartment, and found itself suspended, midair, in the air beyond the other side of the window. Flash Air. One of the simplest, most basic forms of magecraft, shunned and discarded by mages for its inability to contribute to the greater goal of reaching the root of Akasha. Displacement magic. The magic that allowed the equivalent exchange of two entities' spatial position. When Berserker had entered the room, he triggered the spell which displaced the space surrounding the entrace, replacing it with the space 10 meters outside the window. Therefore, when the creature entered the room, it instead "entered the space 10 meters outside the window of the room", leaving it suspended midair, subnect to the whims of gravity. Still unmoving, still silent, Yukine made no motion to indicate her presence in the room, silently watching the creature from beneath her guise of concealment.

Yukine and Debronee Yukine didn't flinch as the dead body landed next to her. Quite the mess it was, blood everywhere and organs spilling out. Fortunately, her trap wasn't triggered due to the fact that the body belonged to a deceased ordinary individual with negligent amounts of prana, hence not being registered by the spell as an intruder, though even if it had, she doubted her wild adversary would have the presence of mind to understand the process she had invoked. Again, she waited.

Yukine and Debronee Yukine blinked, then narrowed her eyes at the scream that resounded just outside. The line was crossed. Their opponent had killed an innocent civilian. Retaliatory collateral damage was now justifiable. As the door to the room had been dismantled, Yukine reworded her spell, shifting its focus to the space in the doorway instead. Adding another line that would ensure that the spell triggered the moment anyone stepped into that area of space, she tightened her focus, preparing herself, waiting.

Uhhhh can we post IGNs or something so it's easier to find each other? My IGN is アクイ　エストリーク

Debronee and Yukine Yukine shook her head quickly. "Not now. No time. Hiding is the priority." She hurried to the wall closest to the outside, furthest from the door, and pressed herself against it, facing the door, calming her breathing, making as little sound as possible, making her presence as small as she could, the invisibility spell still in effect. If that thing managed to track them down even in these conditions, through the Bounded Field she had created, they would be in a serious pinch. Adjusting her position so she could see both the door and the outside of the window through in her peripheral vision, she raised one hand toward the door, the other outside the window, casting a simple spell - one which any magus would know - but holding back the activation. She did have one trick she could try. She would attempt it as soon as she heard footsteps nearing the door.

Yukine and Debronee Yukine nodded in agreement with her partner's assessment. There was a patch of darkness amidst the rest of the lighted building, what appeared to be a single apartment with the lights off, amidst the rest of the apartments, with their lights on. Possibly a vacant home. As they approached the 7-storey apartment complex, Yukine immediately made a beeline for the unlighted window on the 3rd floor, trusting in Debronee to follow behind. Reaching the door, she tried the handle and found it, unsurprisingly, to be locked. She could ask Debronee to destroy the lock, but that would have made it obvious that they were in this apartment. Grunting slightly, she plucked another of her hairs, sending prana into it to Reinforce it, granting it the malleability of copper, but the durability of steel. With speed and finesse, she inserted the makeshift tool into the keyhole and picked the lock - a skill she had learned early, back when she was still fantasizing about escape. With a soft click, the lock opened, allowing her to open the door. Slipping into the apartment quietly, she held the door open for Debronee as she closed her eyes and focused. All around the city, in the boundary they had earlier marked out, a Bounded Field materialised. The area became instantly flooded with unnatural mist, a fog that drastically reduced visibility. The fog carried the scent of a strong perfume, A sweet scent designed to mask the smell of human lust permeated the air, overpowering in its intensity. The air within the field was supercharged with prana, prana bearing the vestiges of memory. The air was suffused with prana that carried memories of her life: every moan of pleasure, every scream of pain, silent begging, desperate pleading, words of love, shouts of rage, pillow talk, business talk, bland flattery. All of these, mixed together, amplified, looped, repeated over and over, creating a distressing cacophony of sounds and voices, vocalisations and screams. And this cacophony borne on prana, carried by prana, assailed the minds of any who had even the slightest sensitivity to prana. Naturally, this included herself and her Servant. She smiled in bittersweet recognition as she switched on the apartment's lights, the glow heavily smothered by the thick fog. She smiled because, as much as she refused to admit it, hearing those sounds made her feel at home.

Debronee and Yukine As Yukine dropped the final strand of hair to complete the spell, she replied to Debronee quietly, "Blend in. It'll be easier." She had to get the timing just right. The moment Debronee found shelter, she would trigger the spell.

Yukine and Debronee Yukine froze as a large crash resounded through the air, heralding the arrival of something...big...across the street from them. It seemed to be in the shape of a wolf, but it thankfully hadn't seemed to notice them yet. She noted the twitching of the creature's ears, as well as the systematic movement of its head. So... sound and sight. She said a silent prayer in thanks for the fact that the creature was not relying on their scent to track them, that would be far more difficult to evade. Without making a sound, while still in Debronee's arms, she used her left finger to trace a circle in the air. Bounded field. She then pointed her finger downwards and moved it up and down twice. Now. She then drew the letters "M, A", then gave a thumbs up. Magic OK. Trusting in Debronee to understand, she began to silently mouth an aria, a spell which she had used often. "Light of my pledge, heed my call. Hide us from the eyes of all." With a barely noticeable release of prana, a small barrier was created around the Master-Servant pair, causing light to bend around it, hiding them from view.

Debronee and Yukine Yukine glanced around from her new vantage point. Faster, or wider. If she had more time, she would have preferred the wider path, for certain. As it was, she was pressed for time. It would be far more deadly to be caught without the spell fully set, than to be pursued in a slightly smaller area with the spell active. "The quicker path. We'll have to make do." Yukine narrowed her eyes at her escort's suggestion. True, it was entirely valid to leave a false trail behind, but still... her face darkened somewhat. "I'm sorry. It's far too soon for me to go anywhere near that place. Besides, any kind of attempt to plant a false trail would probably lead them right back here, assuming they can follow traces of magic, and pressed for time as we are, I'd rather spend that time finding a good place to hide. If we're lucky, the enemies may even decide my spell is a diversion and won't come looking for us in there at all."

Subvocalisation. Most aria chants in the Nasuverse don't need to be chanted audibly. See Medea's, for instance.

Debronee and Yukine Yukine took the proffered blade with a smile, then grabbed a fistful of her hair and sliced it off. Holding the loose strands in her hands, opening her Magic Circuits, she allowed the od within her to flow throughout her body, circulating, finally reaching her palms, as she began to chant: "Part of myself, I offer here. Part of myself, I leave behind. Take this price, and thus descend, Fog that conceals from mortal ken. With the scent that leads astray, With the mist that hides the way. At the call of hostile stray, Answer quickly, if you may. Echoes shall resound throughout, All through this field may they ring out. May magic then suffuse the air, Surround all who may enter there. Until such time as light returns, Ensure that naught the enemy learns." Concluding the long aria, prana flowed into the strands of hair, causing them to glow faintly before returning to their original state. She turned to Debronee. "These strands of hair will outline a Bounded Field that should be useful in protecting us. Now, we just need to scatter them." She hopped into his arms, making sure to leave her right arm - clutching her loose strands of hair - dangling outside the cradle. Lily and Vance Lily frowned slightly. "Well, you're not wrong in saying that only the Servants have to be killed, but... well, generally, the Masters are much more vulnerable than the Servants themselves. It is usually easier to hunt and kill the Master rather than the Servant, considering the inherent capabilities of Heroic Spirits. As such, Masters are likely to be granted higher priority as targets, as compared to their Servants. After all, a Servant cannot stay long in this world without a Master to supply them prana. Even in the case where a Servant is defeated while the Master lives, it is highly likely that the enemy pair will hunt down the Master anyway, as a precaution against said Master making a contract with a Master-less Servant and re-entering the war." Lily's eyes became gentle, yet hard. "I'm sure you don't want to hear this, and I'm sorry to have to say it, but... it would be best if you moved forward from this point under the assumption that battles will be inevitable."

Lily and Vance Lily tolted her head slightly. "When we die? Well, basically, see, us Heroic Spirits are inhuman beings. We're heroes, people who have transcended the limits of humanity. So, each of us has a lot of power. Normally, this power resides within this place called the Throne of Heroes, an abstract plane where all Heroic Spirits gather. Now, normally, for a Heroic Spirit to assume a recognisable physical form, like what I'm doing now, is impossible. The amount of mana required would kill almost any mage, barring a few very specific exceptions. The only reason why I can sit here like this, in fact, is because you are only contributing a portion of the mana keeping me here, the rest contributed by the Grail itself. Now, usually, when a Heroic Spirit falls while in this form, that power just returns to the Throne of Heroes, to be called again when needed. But in this case, when a Servant dies, that poeer is intercepted and held by the incomplete grail itself, to achieve full materialisation as a true Grail. In other words, when we die, we turn into pure energy and get sucked into a self-sustaining, wish-granting device." She tilted hwr head the other way. "Why do you ask?"

Debronee and Yukine A chill ran through the air. Yukine couldn't hear anything, but she could feel every nerve in her body telling her to run and hide. Not good. Hmmmm... There was certainly something after them, something big. She wasn't sure if it was possible to outrun whatever it was. If Debronee was alone, perhaps. But not with herself as extra baggage. The Assassin seemed comfortable enough with the night. It would be wiser to hide and evade than to try and escape. Getting the money could come later. She could live for a few days without food, and they could break into a house if they needed lodging. Granted, the attention it would draw would be far from ideal, but it was an option. First, though, came preparations. She focused herself on assessing her situation and options, trying to force herself to construct an objective view of the terrain based on what little she had been able to see and infer. "D," She addressed her companion by his initial. The enemy might be near, and she would rather not they find out who he was or what class he belonged to, just yet. "Put aside the money for now. First, we should try and prepare ourselves against whatever's approaching." With the night as dark as it was, it seemed unlikely that whoever was closing in was tracking them by sight. More likely, they were relying upon some other sense, perhaps smell, or sound, or traces of magic. In that case... "Okay. I have a plan. Could you please take me, as quickly as possible without using magic, around this residential bloc? I'm going to scatter delayed-action spells at 50-meter intervals, in a 5 kilometer radius around this area. Then, within this radius, find an inconspicuous spot where we can stay hidden for the night. Could you do that? Also, I'm going to need to borrow a knife."

Debronee and Yukine Yukine took a deep breath and let the clean air enter her lungs. She marvelled at her new surroundings, a quiet residential zone, unpunctured by sounds of lovemaking and its scents unmasked by the smell of sex. She hopped out of Debronee's arms and ran around, feeling the freedom of running in an open space, spreading her arms out, laughing as a child would. "This is amazing! This... freedom, it's... amazing." She turned to Debronee and smiled widely, white teeth stark against the dark night. "Thank you." Calming herself down, she thought for a bit. "Alright, first we should get some funds. So..." Yukine turned to Debronee with a wide grin and excited eyes. "Let's rob some houses!" Lily and Vance Lily was rather surprised at her Master's unwillingness to fight. Not that she particularly minded, of course. "Well... When there is only one Master-Servant pair remaining, an artifact known as the Grail will emerge. This artifact has the power to grant any wish, any desire, without limits. There are no drawbacks, no costs, only the condition that you be the last one standing of the Grail War. That's why people will fight. That's the supposed point." Lily wheeled closer to Vance. "Not that it really matters to me. I don't really have any wishes that I want granted, I'll just do as you desire. If you want to fight, I'll fight for you. If you want to abstain, I'll wait it out with you." Lily's ever-present gentle smile vanished as her tone darkened somewhat. "Do know, however, that even if you don't wish to fight, other Masters who seek to complete the Grail will most certainly pursue you. For all other Servants must die for the Grail to materialise." Lily leaned back again, once more putting on a reassuring smile. "Rest assured, I will do my utmost to serve you, whichever option you choose. If you wish to fight, I will perform the killing. You need not dirty your hands. If you choose to abstain, I will guard you with my life, no matter who the enemy may be. You have my oath."

Debronee and Yukine Yukine blushed as the admittedly handsome man knelt before her, palms open, implication evident. Without a word, she quickly settled herself into his arms, then spoke: "I'm not too familiar with the area, either; I've never really left the building, and I ideally want to get as far away as possible. Let's just get out first, and figure things along the way." In anticipation of her oncoming escapade, Yukine broke into a dazzling, genuine smile.

Yukine and Debronee "Where? Just...anywhere. Away from here." Yukine thought about it for a bit, then revised her answer. "Actually... After we get out, we'll need to acquire money. Most likely by stealing, since it'll be the fastest way. Then we need to find a hotel where we can set up base. But getting out of here comes first." ((Sorry for the short post despite being so late, IRL happened, and I couldn't really think of what to write.))

Lily and Vance "...huh? You don't know?" Lily tilted her head quizically as she pondered what to say. Then, she spoke. "Magical Space, Access." The air around her visibly warped. It began to shimmer and distort, forming a Bounded Field around her. From thin air, two confetti poppers suddenly materialised over Lily's head, held suspended midair by her telekinesis. She broke into a wide smile. "Well then, it's time for...... Lily's Happy Exciting War Explanation!" The confetti poppers popped, showering the room with multicoloured strips of paper. "So, simply put: by summoning me, a Heroic Spirit, to this plane of existence, you have declared your intention to participate in the Heaven's Feel ritual, more commonly known as the Holy Grail War. The War is a seven-way battle royale, between seven Master-Servant pairs. The Master is a magus who has performed the summoning ritual and has made a contract with a Servant. The Servant is a Heroic Spirit, given physical form through the Master's Od and contracted to that Master. The Servant requires the Master's prana to continue living in this world, while the Master requires the Servant's strength to emerge victorious in the battle to come. For the Heroic Spirits are beings of legends and myths, entities who have surpassed human limits and become something more than human. Basically, Master are magi, Servants are super-strong Heroic Spirits, and we're now involved in a War where we're supposed to go around killing another 6 pairs of Masters and Servants." Lily summarised her explanation with that blunt statement, then leaned back into her wheelchair. "Any questions?" ((I'll get the Yukine one up later sorry qq))

Debronee and Yukine Yukine smiled ever so slightly, for the first time. "Well... it used to be, but I cut the wires years ago. I've never been able to remove the grille with my own strength though." As she said that, Yukine's mind stored the information about Debronee. Assassin. One who struck from the shadows and went for the surprise kill. As she talked, she started formulating strategies in the back of her mind. War, she reasoned, was like sex. It was about two parties, who both wanted something from the other, and was driven often by a raw human emotion. And the strategy of sex was one she had learned in great detail. To please a client, one had to be able to readily adopt different strategies depending on the client. Some men preferred it when a girl was upfront and eager. Some preferred their whores to act coy or embarrassed. In this war, too, one could take a myriad of strategies. One could call out all the opponents to lure them into a battle royale, one could silently stalk their enemies from the shadows, striking when the enemy least expected. One could set up a fortress and wait for enemies to inevitably come to them. With an Assassin as a Servant, the best strategy would be a subtle one, maintaining a low profile and striking or moving surgically, keeping to the shadows. With this criterion, Yukine began planning. As she did so, she spoke up again. "So... I'll trust in your strength, Debronee. Please get me out of this hell."

Debronee and Yukine "Uhm... orders, orders..." This was a wholly uncomfortable experience for Yukine. She had never given another individual any sort of command before. She scrunched her eyebrows in thought, using her newfound resolve to direct the entirety of her mental faculties to the consideration of strategy. "Uuuuuuuu..." Well, if she was going to be placed in the midst of a war, she certainly didn't want to have to stay in the brothel. Wanting to keep her mother from danger was one factor, but the irregularity and frequency of clients, along with the strict no-leaving policy enforced by the management, would hinder any attempts to make any significant plans. Not to mention, it would be hard to explain why she had a tall, white-haired man in her room who was not a client. So the first step was to get out of here. Perhaps this would also serve as a good opportunity to see Debronee's capabilities, along with to observe their compatibility as a team. "Well, um... first of... maybe you could get me out of here? Like, away from this place, with minimal bloodshed. Please?" She described the room to the Servant. They were located on the 3rd floor, with windows that, while they could be opened, had window grilles installed. The side with these windows were on the left of the bed, and they faced the main streets. There was also a large, open balcony, with glass sliding doors and curtains, that could be accessed, but that faced a large, 5-metre deep canal, and any kind of jump from there had a high chance of getting oneself dashed upon the rocks which lined the canal. The door was of mahogany, which could be locked either from the inside or the outside, and led to a long corridor of similar rooms, culminating in a spiral staircase that led up to the 4th floor and down to the lower 2 floors. On the first floor was the main lobby, a single stretch with no cover, and a receptionist's desk at the entrance. Also in the lobby were several security personnel, meant to deal with clients who refused to pay, as well as watch out for any of the girls who were trying to leave without permission. As she finished her rundown of the building's structure, something occurred to her. "Oh, uh, one thing... Servants have classes right? So, if you'd please, could you tell me your class, Debronee? Um...Please?"

Debronee and Yukine Yukine relaxed a little as the man's - Debronee's - tone lightened and he pledged his service. She was more than slightly confused. It was, perhaps, the first time anyone had treated her with anything resembling respect, and thus she knew not how to react. "Uh... well... I'm happy that you're willing to fight for me, but this whole War thing... I'm not sure how useful I'll be in a fight... I'm an illusionist, not a battlemage. And physically I'm not very strong either... I'm afraid I might just turn out to be a burden..." This, she said while twisting around uncomfortably and fiddling around with her fingers. Then, she nodded, and resolved herself, taking a deep breath. "But. If you're okay with that burden. If you're willing to ally with a useless Master like me. Then I'll try. I'll do my best to reach the grail, for the both of us. I will fight alongside you as your ally and friend. You have my word."

Lily and Vance Lily suppressed a giggle as she witnessed her Master attempting to skirt around the issue of her disability. He may have been choosing his words carefully, but she could clearly see him staring at her stumps. She had, after all, recieved many such stares in her life. "Well, I can clean and sew, and I can sort of cook, though I'm not particularly a great chef. I'm also good at arithmetic and music. I'm usually terrible at dances though, for evident reasons. As far as Servant abilities go though... I am adept in various styles of martial arts, and I am really good at handling and understanding machinery. Furthermore, as a Rider-class, I can handle most any mount with ease. My current mount would be... this wheelchair, I suppose, but I've ridden other mounts in my time. A steam engine, for instance." Lily looked upon her Master with gentle eyes, awaiting his evaluation. Debronee and Yukine When Yukine came to her senses, there was a tall, white-haired man standing before her. She stifled a gasp. She had no memory of the ritual, or of the brief period of ritualistic magic she had just engaged in. Therefore, she was understandably surprised to see this tall, silent, intimidating man appear before her. So taken aback was she that she missed his introductory four lines completely. As he gazed upon her with cold eyes, she instinctively shrank back. Is he the next client? Is he angry that I'm making him wait? As she mentally prepared herself to apologise and address, the man broke the silence with a surprising query. "You summoned me, Master?" "M-Master?" Images flooded Yukine's mind. Information, pictures, ideas, concepts mingled and mixed in her mind, information about the Grail War. Information about the Master-Servant system. Information about the reward that presented itself. "I-I suppose I am..." Yukine honestly had no idea what to do with the information she had just somehow attained. She had never really wanted for much - or rather, she had been raised to not want for anything. Her only truly desired reward was companionship, which - it dawned on her - might have been granted her in the form of the Servant standing before her. But to get to that point, some basic steps had to be taken. Like introductions. "Um... I'm Yukine, 18 years old. You can call me Yuki, if you'd like. I like the color red, I love reading, and I'm a magus specialising in illusion magic. And...um...I'm a...prostitute." Her face turned red. It hurt to admit it, to identify herself as such. Tears pooled in her eyes. It hurt to say that, to say what had recently become the truth, the newest truth of her life, but it would not do to try and start a friendship with mistruths and deception. She braced herself for the man's inevitable derision.

Lily giggled as she witnessed her new Master getting flustered and apologetic. "'Tis fine, dear sir. Such comments are hardly the harshest to have graced my ears. It would astound you how creative people can get when insulting others." Lily cleared her throat and bowed her head ever so slightly. "Perhaps we should introduce ourselves? Courtesy dictates I curtsey, but that is somewhat difficult for me considering my state. So, good evening. I am the one called Lily Voirgaire, a Servant of the Rider class." She smiled, a gentle yet radiant expression. "Are you my Master?"

Lily and Vance A bright flash of light filled the room, originating from a point to which Vance's back was turned. Then, as abruptly as it appeared, it dissipated. Left behind was a singular girl in a wheelchair. She looked no more than 16, with emerald green hair and ruby red eyes. However, the most distinctive features of her appearance were her limbs. Specifically, her lack thereof. Her arms ended at her shoulders, her legs ended at her thighs. She sat comfortably perched atop her wheelchair, and took in the room around her. "Ooooh, this is a pretty nice place." Using magic to manipulate her wheelchair, she spun in circles several times, testing the extent of mana control she possessed as a Servant. Satisfied by the result, she turned towards the man on the couch - presumably her Master - and began to introduce herself. "Dear sir, are you my Ma-...oh." The man was fast asleep. Lily wheeled herself closer to see his face. He was pretty cute, if a little unkempt. "I suppose I'll just wait then." Lily contemplated retrieving and affixing her prosthetics before the man woke up, but decided against it. It would be fun to see the man react to the fact that he had a limbless Servant. Settling down comfortably into her mount, she looked at her new Master with a gentle smile, waiting for him to awake.

Don't worry about it, I have the perfect response. ^^