Stalkerkain

"Hah! I like you already, Oda Nobunaga! Yes, that's precisely how it should be; enjoying life in the present! That is what it truly means to be alive! It's a shame that you already serve Lexiel, as I'd love to have a Servant like you, but I supposed it cannot be helped. Oh, but don't tell her I said that. As for being affected by my past? You can't be affected by it if you don't have one," Magna said, before letting out a laugh. "There was a time where I existed before who I became today, but I don't remember any of it. I was told not to worry about it, for there was no use worrying about something out of your control. And for once, I could agree on that. I am 'Magna Sigyl' precisely because I didn't cling to my past, and may become someone entirely different should those memories ever return." "So why did the Grail decide that you can transform yourself and summon an entire firing line?" Magna asked with amusement. "It certainly does seem like quite the upgrade from when you were first alive."

'Self control is only half the story,' he thought to himself. Others simply couldn't stand idly by as the few of their kind who could understand one another were being cut down. After all, hate begets hate, and the cycle seemed doomed to repeat itself far into the future. Soryn cleared his head of his train of thought, more concerned with moving on. Staring at Bridgett only made his puzzlement grow, as he couldn't discern why she seemed to be so stressed. "It seems that our interests are not all that too far off from one anoth-" "And? What of it? You trying to pick a fight?" Jeanne replied to Bridgett, as she abruptly cut off Soryn. Tiny flames began to flicker around Jeanne, as if matching her temperament. He groaned, as it had dawned on him that it was Jeanne; Jeanne was the cause of Bridgett's distress, but he had never considered it to be a possibility until now. "I hadn't realized that your group was so weak to have needed to employ children to fight for you. Especially one who seems to have trouble speaking fluid sentences." "That is hardly a fair assumption, Jeanne. I am certain Bridgett is capable of holding her own in a fight, which is why the group is glad to have her assistance. I would hardly consider that to be something a child is capable of. At the very least, if you still consider her as one, perhaps you ought to exercise some restraint," he hinted towards her, all the while trying to maintain as neutral a tone as possible. It was going to be a tall order to integrate Jeanne into a sociable relationship with people. The last thing he needed was to have to confront Jeanne, or at worst, Magna about her capacity to work cooperatively. Though he probably already knew her answer. "I know, how about when we are able to return to our settlement, we could make some pastries. While you may not have tasting receptors Alexandria, perhaps you may find some pleasure in the process of creating pastries, as I have found many others to have known." "This is why I dislike children..." Jeanne muttered to herself.

"Hmm... so the Grail only captures an instance of a Servant at a particular moment. How very... interesting," said Magna. It had turned out Magna's summoning methods worked differently from the Grail's system, as Jeanne had immediately recognized her upon her revival. Meaning, Jeanne was able to retain her memories, and theoretically, her experiences after being defeated. Judging by what Nobunaga had told her, it would then be possible to strengthen Jeanne's capabilities. Magna would just have to find an interlude to make Jeanne more powerful. There was another point that Nobunaga had said that made her rather curious. "Does it bother you, knowing that you're a copy? Some would say that one's existence is defined by their past, like the Grail seems to do. Or do you consider yourself every bit as real as the original, simply by existing in the present?"

"Do you know what it is like, to be hunted for what we are? What it's like to be branded, a monster?" Soryn said, as he began withdrawing the previously discarded blood back into his palm. It slowly began to take form in his hand, as a small-sized dagger. "Humans alienate what they don't understand by trying to distance themselves as far away as possible. And thus; the label of a 'monster'. We are persecuted because we are different, because we are incomprehensible. We've been hunted until the ends of time, and while humans are of no threat, it becomes an annoyance to always be hunted. To always be hated." The blood dagger in Soryn's hand had begun to change shape again. But this time, into flowers. "After having to fear being chased and hated, some have resigned themselves to being the very monsters that humans envisioned them to be. But I understand your concerns all too well. For there were times where I have had to fight my own kind, for the sake of humans. Not out of duty, but by principle. It is an unsaid agreement between vampires, that we are to exist outside history, never to interfere," he said with a hints of sadness in his voice. "But newly turned vampires do not choose to be a vampire, and compulsions to feed are not a choice. Elder vampires will normally take in the newly turned and teach them to control their compulsions, but sometimes humans get to them first. And thus they learn to repay hatred in kind, becoming much like the vampires you have described. Your creation to kill my kind is evidence enough of your creator's intentions. So long as you continue with that thought process, I do not believe we can get along." The flowers eventually dissolved back into their base state, as Soryn returned the liquid to the nearby bucket. "I do not plan on apologizing or denying what we are, but I find that we've lingered on this topic enough. It is rude to the others whom are in our presence," he noted. Perhaps as Jeanne had conveniently or intentionally reconvened into the conversation with a seemingly less than willing participant, it was her way of deescalating the situation. He turned to address Bridgett, hoping to calm the nervous girl and move away from the moody topic. "Hello, Miss Bridgett. I am Soryn Èclaire. I tend to enjoy consuming tea and pastries during my free time. Will you tell me a little about yourself? As well as you, Alexandria and Jeanne." Soryn had hoped by switching to a more mundane topic, he could ease into more interpersonal relations. Not like the catastrophe he had talked himself into with Alexandria. He had certainly felt they had gotten off on the wrong foot. "Jeanne d'Arc," she said curtly, rolling her eyes.

"A vampire, to be precise. People's definition of magic seems to differ from their own usages, from what I've seen from our group. While it may not be the same kind of 'magic' many refer to, I am capable of manipulating blood, if that is your question," he explained. Soryn had never thought he would be explaining the differences of a vampire to someone, but here he was. "If I may be so forward, what exactly are you? You walk and speak as a human, but you do not have blood coursing from within you. There is... nothing quite like you in my world." Meanwhile, Jeanne seemed to be staring quite intently at Bridgett, almost as if undecided in what to do with her. "What? I can't make out a word you're saying," Jeanne said, as she loomed over Bridgett. The difference in height between the two was not that much at all, but it was more of Jeanne's overbearing presence that made her feel daunting. After a moment of staring at the timid girl, Jeanne had decided to pick Bridgett up by the scruff of her jacket. It looked rather odd; like a lioness picking up her tiny cub, as Jeanne carried her over to Alexandria and Soryn and setting her on her feet. "Speak louder. You can't possibly expect to be heard if you remain like that. Your name. What is it."

"My, my, ever the dutiful Master you have, Nobunaga. Almost makes me feel like I should be a better Master like Lexiel," she grinned. "Almost." "Incorruptible, hm? Well you're certainly right about how devout she is. Though it seems that your Grail works in mysterious ways," she said in puzzlement. Just how powerful an item was the Grail that it could steal one's autonomy without an external prerequisite? Such trifles were better off in no one's hands. Or better yet, destroyed. Her attention refocused back onto Nobunaga, more curious about the capabilities of Servants and their origins. "Just how much of your capabilities are retained by this... Grail? I ask, because I wonder if Servants could become stronger not by feeding them Mana, but say, by learning new techniques and abilities? Or are your strengths always defined in the moment you're summoned?"

"Apologies for alarming anyone," said Soryn, overhearing the concerns about the mess on the floor. "I had momentarily lost-" "You mean you were startled." "-was not startled, lost control of my abilities, and consequently dropped the blood I was using onto the floor." With a sweeping motion of his hand, the blood rose up from the floor, swirling back into a sphere onto the palm of his hand. He then deposited the excess blood into a nearby bucket, not wanting to reuse blood that had touched the floor. Pathogens and all. "Are the both of you perhaps looking for something?" as he referred to Alexandria and Bridgett.

"Oh, you know, magic. Sort of the thing where something works, but you've no idea why, kind of thing? And as you've said, I've contracted Jeanne," Magna said coyly. She was glad the term 'contract' was so ambiguous, as Magna's methods were more the type of 'eternal servitude' rather than mutual partnership like Lexiel and Nobunaga. "Her autonomy is simply a matter of perspective! Her contract merely ended with the enemy once we defeated her, and I simply hired her before she left! Today's enemy is tomorrow's friend, after all. As for her mental state, it was certainly altered for her time here. She's not supposed to be like this, but I quite like her in here present state." "As I take it, you were able to obtain a servant of your own, yes? Oda Nobunaga..." she mused. "I'm curious; how did she manage to escape the influence of the enemy, when so many of the other Servants did not?"

Esyllt "Transform, right. I'll just-" she said in disbelief before a familiar and calming light enveloped Esyllt's clothing, as it unfolded into her halter neck dress and tattoos. Orbs of light danced about around her, as if in tuned with her breathing. She was hoping that everything was some form of disillusion of ill taste, but there was no point in denying reality any more. Esyllt knew nothing of her abilities, but they had to be able to provide some form of assistance if Riley was requesting for everyone's cooperation. That being said, Esyllt hadn't a clue as to where to begin. Utilizing her powers were as unbeknownst to her as they were to the others. Was it as simple as projecting her will onto a target? There was only one way to find out. With a snap of her fingers, the incorporeal orbs of light that orbited around her began to resonate, forming into many vines. All of which were lashing out towards Katja's hourglass.

Soryn Éclaire "Don't forget, Soryn. You and I are both monsters. No matter how hard we try to blend in." The words echoed in Soryn's mind, unable to escape Magna's statement. He had wanted to retreat to the barracks in order to collect his thoughts. Her words irked him not because of the malice directed at him, but the truth that was spoken behind it. He held out his hand, gathering blood in a rotating sphere before him, in an attempt to distract himself. He had thought that all those centuries back, he had come to terms with casting aside his humanity. That continuing to live as a vampire meant that he would have to exist outside the world's cycle. So after all this time, he only had to ask himself. Why the change of heart now? "So this is where you were hiding," said a very familiar voice. Jeanne d'Arc stood smirking, as the blood drained from Soryn's face. Too absorbed in his own thoughts, her presence had caused him to drop his sphere of blood on the ground, splattering quite literally everywhere around him. One would have to feel bad for the soldier that had to clean that up later. Jeanne had questionably raised an eyebrow in response. "To think this is the man who managed to slay me. What's the matter? Looks like you've just seen a specter." "G-gah! I-, Jeanne-, how-" he stammered, quite like an idiot. He had quite convinced himself that their parting was going to be the last. Immediately recalling the words he spoke to Jeanne during her passing could only describe the situation as no less than awkward. Instead, he decided to talk about something. "I, er- was just conflicted. About being a... monster." "Haah? Is that all? Why is that, of all things, bothering you?" she said in a jeer. Jeanne had a rather incredulous look on her face, not quite certain what kind of nonsense Soryn was spewing. "Just be a monster then, for what it matters. It's not what others label you that defines who you are. Just show them how terrifying it is to be the kind of monster you are. Just as I do enjoy being a 'witch'." Soryn looked over to Jeanne with a ponderous look. 'Be the kind of monster are.' Was... that her way of cheering him up? "A witch, hm? It certainly doesn't seem that way to me," he smirked. Because it had certainly worked. It seemed that no matter what happened, Jeanne was the kind of person to bring hope to people. Even if it's just a glimpse. "Thank you, Jeanne." Luminosité Momentané. "Hmph. I don't ever recall doing anything to warrant your appreciation."

"G-great... they keep on... c-coming..." said Rosalvya, shivering. "I'll just have t-to cut them down as many t-times as it takes!" Move to B7, equip Scimitar, and attack Undead Bandit 1

Magna Sigyl It took Magna a while longer to return to the castle, and in quite the jubilant mood. For those who didn't linger to watch Magna after the fight with Saber, it seemed like an anomaly that Magna was skipping. She was even humming too. Well of course she would be happy, because Magna had a new toy to play with. Ever since she landed in this world and had learned of the existence of powerful enemies, she couldn't help but wonder: what if ? In all her spare time, she had been perusing Silef's library, and learning more about her world. If Magna's theories were correct, she could perhaps adapt this world's magic with her own methods to create her own summoning ritual. She had even come up with a name for her own adaptation. The Compendium of Lost Souls. By saving the soul data from her enemies into a grimoire, she could use it as a catalyst for a summoning ritual. Of course, there are limitations to her abilities; she couldn't quite replicate such powerful beings with full vitality, but that was in exchange for their unquestionable servitude. She just hoped that her many changes to her summoning formula wouldn't result in any undesired alterations. As soon as she found enough space in the courtyard, she materialized her scythe, and began etching a summoning circle into the ground. As soon as it was complete, she began her own variation of a summoning chant. The circle began to glow, responding to Magna's call. Before long, something began to materialize within the circle. "Why, hello Saber- or should I say, Jeanne d'Arc," Magna said with a grin. Her experiment had been right on the money. "How would you like to save the Multiverse with me?" "...You've got to be kidding. It's one thing after the other..." said Jeanne. Jeanne was staring daggers at Magna, and seemed ever so close to setting her aflame. "Very well. But I'd advise not showing any weakness, 'Master'." "Magna Sigyl," she grinned. "Charmed."

Esyllt "Wait, slow down just a second..." she said in a daze. She was having a hard time wrapping her head around the recent events. An explanation just wouldn't cut it in this situation; there were too many things happening concurrently that it would seem far too troublesome to even comprehend. Esyllt decided that it just wasn't worth it to rationalize what was in front of her, lest she begin to question her own sanity. Rather, it might be worthwhile to deal with the current progression of events. That being, everyone else being eagerly willing to be complicit in murder. "So you're telling me just about everyone here can... transform."

Esyllt "Riley, Alva, we're clearly way in over our heads here," Esyllt said nervously. The entire bit about torture seemed a little too surreal to be true, but Katja didn't deny it either. And there was no need for verification to know that anything else related to someone tied to a cult of torture would only spell bad news. Kaede's transformation felt inexplicable to Esyllt, but that was honestly the least of their worries, so long as she wasn't trying to harm the rest of them. They would have to worry about that later, when they were far, far away from here. "I don't think remaining here any longer would be wise."

Soryn The strange mist that Soryn had transformed himself into had made its way to Magnum's bus. It gathered itself upon a seat on the bus, before Soryn materialized himself back into his humanoid form. "I think I'll take you up on that offer, Magnum. Thank you," he said graciously. He considered making his way back to the castle on his own, but decided it was for the best not to keep brooding on his own. On the exterior, Soryn was trying his best not to let his mood show. "I do apologize for not properly introducing myself earlier. My name is Soryn Éclaire, and as you may have already noticed, I am a vampire. I sincerely hope that no one was significantly injured in the fight." Magna "My my, I thought he'd put up more of a fight," she mused. By how he was acting, she thought Soryn would be opposed to Magna reanimating Jeanne, but it had turned out she was wrong. Either way, she would be able to bolster her army's fighting force. She did find it a shame that Soryn decided not to fight. He would've been an excellent specimen for her collection. In the background, Magna's remaining officers could be seen wrestling with one another.

Esyllt She stood, dazed at Riley's... temporary lapse in sanity, as she thrust her sword into the ground. She seemed to be talking to someone other than them, someone whom she seemed to be aware of, but lacked the means of finding their observer. Esyllt's eyes darted around, searching, but never finding. It was hard to believe they were being followed, but two of the girls seemed rather rattled. Esyllt felt like she had been missing a lot lately. First on the hike, and now in the woods, she began to question her own memory. The aforementioned observer that Riley had seemed to be addressing, finally stepped forward. A girl of immeasurable mystery, as even her words were lost to their group. But it seemed she wanted something to do with Alva. Without a word, Esyllt remained motionless, curious at the turn of events. Observing.

Esyllt Esyllt was about to ask the girls a question, but before Esyllt could utter a word, Riley had already driven her sword into Alva. The rapid development of events left her at a loss for words, before registering that Alva had been stabbed. By the time Esyllt had recovered from her shock, Kaede's reaction left her blinking in awe. It wasn't until Alva had yelled for them to run that Esyllt had finally snapped back into it. Deciding that this was too much for them to handle, Esyllt turned an immediate one eighty and began to dash back to camp.

Esyllt "Woah woah woah, let's uh- let's all calm down here..." Esyllt said nervously. Riley was acting delusional. Suddenly paranoid of something out there, and then threatening an injured person? Something just wasn't right. Esyllt was at a loss as to how to defuse the situation. The hilt of Riley's blade had begun to glow; the thought of it being a toy sword had crossed Esyllt's mind, but no, the steel of the blade looked very, very, real. On top of being injured, Alva wasn't even armed. She couldn't see why she'd pose a threat to Riley. "You said you had um, something to talk about, right, Riley? Let's lower the sword and we can talk things out, all right?"

Esyllt "You can count on us, Miss Filhem," she said nonchalantly, rather glad to be leaving the field. Alva seemed to be shaping up fine, so all Alva needed was a little rest, and then all was well. Since Kaede and Riley had either side of Alva, Esyllt slipped back in to her mind and pondered. She had her eyes closed when the injury occurred, so she hadn't a clue as to what had happened. The other girls hadn't seemed to be able to given a comprehensible testimony; at least not one that she'd have believed. Still, there was no arguing that the result had been a dislocated shoulder. The entire incident had just left Esyllt puzzled. She shrugged, figuring that everything would resolve itself in time. Most things did, anyway.

"God, hm..." he said, letting out a sigh. He was just about done with fighting ghosts. "What an odd thing to be saying to a vampire." Soryn disregarded Snow's act of spite; well aware of the fact that he shouldn't expect anyone to be able to sympathize with the enemy. Though he still found rather rude. He felt wearied after this entire ordeal. Being transported to another world, fighting otherwordly beings, it was certainly a tiresome state of affairs. But because of his selfish actions, an overwhelming sensation came over him. Catharsis. "Sounds good, Edmond," Magna grinned, as she began walking, and clapping slowly towards Soryn. It sounded rather... sarcastic. The hollow thuds of her applause through her gloves were muffled, but oddly managed to carry the same weight to them. "Well done, Soryn. It seems you finished the deed." One needed not to look at Magna, for even from beneath the cold, steel skeleton mask she always wore, none other than what could be described as sheer malice emanated from her very being. "What is it, lich?" "Why the hostilities, vampire? I merely wanted to congratulate you on a job well done." Tensions rose quickly between the two of them, both wary of one another's intentions. "What business do you have with me?" "Not you, particularly. But since you already know what I am, you should know very well why I'm here," she let out an eerie laugh. Not a vocal laugh, but the clattering of her skull. The sound echoed dully in their surroundings, becoming lost among the ambient noise. Soryn's pupils narrowed, his eye color turning blood red. Bloodlust began to consume him, as he slowly rested his hand on the hilt of his blade. In turn, Magna extended her hand to the side, as her scythe gradually came into form from the shadows. "My, my, are you going to persecute me for what I do? Could you blame a lion for hunting other animals? A vampire for feeding on humans? But if you're still roaring for round two, I wouldn't be hard-pressed to oblige." Magna had struck a nerve within Soryn, having just about enough of her idle banter. Soryn sprung up from his seat, grasping his blade from the ground blazingly fast. Before anyone could blink an eye, he was already behind Magna. "Do what you will," he said in a cold tone. He sheathed his sword, his bloodlust subsiding. He started walking away, not bothering to turn back. "You're not worth my time." "Don't forget, Soryn. You and I are both monsters," The laughter of the skeleton, signaled by the clattering of her skull, echoed once more. "No matter how hard we try to blend in." Soryn stopped in his tracks at her words, before vanishing into a hazy mist. Magna let go of her scythe, as it disappeared back into the void. As soon as she confirmed his disappearance, Magna had begun her ritual.

Esyllt A blood-curling shriek had pierced the air, jolting Esyllt from her idle daydream and spontaneously onto her feet. "The hell?" she exclaimed in confusion. Everyone had begun into a frenzy, as several girls started crowding around something on the field. Esyllt jogged over in her curiosity, to find Alva squirming in pain on the ground. Her eyes were drawn towards Alva's arm. "And.... yikes. That looks like it had been dislocated." But in a game of dodgeball? There wasn't really a reasonable rationale as to how she could've dislocated her arm, even if she had taken a nasty fall. Kaede appeared to be dead set on relocating Alva's arm, Esyllt being unsure if that was such a good idea, even if she had done it before. But Kaede seemed rather determined, making it all the harder to dissuade her otherwise. Rather than wasting time, Esyllt went to go find a teacher, who would at the very least would be able to deal with the aftermath.

"H-hopefully moving a-around will warm m-me up," she shivered. Move to A6, Equip Iron Blade and attack Bandit 1

Esyllt "I have to say that I wouldn't mind sitting on the sidelines. The hike yesterday took more out of me than I had expected. But it seems that I won't have to worry about that. " she said almost gratefully. Esyllt was beginning to become a little impatient, wondering when this would all be over, so that she could have some free time to perhaps take a little nap. "So who do you think will pull out on top? Going to pin your hopes on Riley?"

Magna Sigyl (40/54) HP. RES: 4 (6 vs. magical attacks), SYN: 11, INT: 10, CON: 2 "One step closer to a zombie apocalypse!" Magna's Officer A (27/100 HP, Res: 8) uses Ignite on Lahmu B, dealing [1d6 + SYN(10)] + [Magna's SYN(11)/2 rounded up] (Summoner's Influence Perk) for a total of [1d6 + 16] damage, and inflicting burn damage of SYN[10] for 3 turns. Magna's Officer B (27/100 HP Res: 8) uses Ignite on Lahmu A, dealing [1d6 + SYN(10)] + [SYN(11)/2 rounded up] (Summoner's Influence Perk) for a total of [1d6 + 16] damage, and inflicting burn damage of SYN[10] for 3 turns. Magna's Bel Lahmu A (15/80 HP Res: 0) uses Flyby on Lahmu A, dealing [1d12 + DEX(8)] + [SYN(11)/2 rounded up] (Summoner's Influence Perk) for a total of [1d12 + 14] damage! Vengeful Curse is active on Bel Lahmu B! Its remains begin to twitch, and will revive on Turn 6 under Magna's control with 15 HP! Magna uses Reave on Wyvern B, dealing (1d10 + INT[10]) damage! Soryn Éclaire (50/90) HP. RES: 4, INT: 9, CON: 11 Soryn was beginning to feel a little light-headed after using so much blood. With the nature of their opponents, Jeanne was the only one whom he could target for blood. The Blood Well is full... (34/102) Capacity Soryn uses Impale on Saber, sacrificing (8 HP) to deal ((1.25INT[9] + 65% of Soryn's missing health (after health cost) [31]) + 3 damage from accessory: Salience)*1.3 (Nocturnal perk damage modifier) for a total of [59] damage, ignoring 40% of target RES (Vampirism perk) Thanks to Magnum's Hustle Play, Soryn follows up with Blood Siphon on Saber, dealing [(1d8 + 1.5INT[9] (rounded up)) + 3 damage from acessory: Salience)*1.3 (Nocturnal perk damage modifier)] for a total of [1d8 + 17]*1.3, ignoring 40% of target RES (Vampirism perk). Blood Siphon restores 0.75[damage dealt] to Soryn and Mitsu. Spicy HG's Flamebind will grant him [13] fire damage to his next attack, next turn.