Rider and Assassin of Purple
Before Judah can land a hit on Rider of Purple, the boat tilted sharply to the left, hopefully enough to cause the Black Servants to lose their footing... Although the Vampires and Oni Mixed-Bloods were caught off-guard as well, almost falling off the ship. Assassin of Purple, however, kept her poise despite the tilt, and gave a small yawn as the ship righted itself a second later. She then looked at her Black Team counterpart, then the Lancer of Black, before saying her next words with deliberate arrogance and condescension.
"Huh, it seems you won't just fall over and die for us," she taunted, "Well, you ocean devils - No offense, Purple Rider - Have made a grave mistake in fighting a captain on his own ship! Valiant soldiers of the Imperial Army," she addressed the remaining Vampires and Oni Mixed-Bloods, "Charge! Sell your lives for your Soveriegn!"
The Purple Team troops charged with renewed abandon, with the Oni Mixed-Bloods losing themselves to their 'Inversion Impulse', granting them increased strength, control over fire, and telekinesis, the latter which was used to try and fling Lancer and Assassin of Black off the decks. Each Vampire and Oni Mixed-Blood can take up to three blows from a Servant before dying, and if they hit, it would be enough to make a Servant feel pain. And there were nineteen (now eighteen) Vampires and ninteen Oni Mixed-Bloods to face the two Servants. So Assassin of Purple hoped that once all of those had been eliminated, that the two Black Team Servants would at least be winded.
Nevertheless, if by some unfortunate chance, Assassin and Lancer of Black were unscathed... That would not alter their next moves. Once the ship's crew had fallen, Assassin of Purple would look at her Black counterpart and say, "It's TIME for punishment - Manual of Accusation!"
Judah would then find himself falling, falling downwards into a black pit, filled with toxic, acidic poison at the bottom, poison which could overcome even the extraordinary resilience of a Servant. To all outside, however, it all seemed as though he disappeared for a second, sinking into a deep dark hole, before being spat out, hopefully damaged.
As for Lancer of Black, he'd find Rider of Purple tipping over the ship once again, no, not tipping, it was actually doing a barrel roll!
@SSW@Yukitamas
@SSW
The bloody haze that they whipped each other into left the boat filled with a haze of slaughter. It was barbaric, it was inhuman... ah yes, it was much easier and better than slaying men by the thousands.
Of course, they were more dangerous enemies. The way one vampire faded into nothingness as he slammed a clawed gauntlet towards his face. The way a lithe lady, looking no less delicate than his niece, Elizabeth... although quite a bit less thirsty really. Locked his arm and dug her nails into his elbow's crook.
Ah, the pain bloomed, the pain bloomed indeed! "Ah, is this a pale moon-night dance?" he asked of her.
"Yes, of course, do you not know? It is always a ball, a party. The moment the fun ends my reason stops as well."
"Then what you seek is not victory, nor defeat, but a dance is it?" he asked of her before twirling the spear in his hand, slamming its shaft into her piercing arm with a speed that exceeded sound, shattering it into bloody gore and pale ivory splinters, all echoing out with the sickly sound of bone shattering and accentuated by... her moan.
"It is droll! To wait for new playmates, to engage with the games with naught but the pawns being exchanged for centuries and centuries. To wait for a talented new upstart that can shift the balance is to wait for a miracle and wish... Is it not better to fight those who have one then?" she asked as she retreated, the arm that disappeared from her body remanifesting, knitting itself together with a reversal of time.
Lancer grinned.
"The dance that simply dances by itself, to end it is to stop being a dancer. If you are no dancer then you are no longer a lady of the night indeed. Then I shall bring the Guignol to the ballroom!"
A laughing aristocratic man lashed out with a blade surrounded by a dozen shackled souls, twelve eyes vibrating and layering their curse upon the man they were made to look upon and hate.
He was no monster in blood, but he held their abilities, their repute and in a way their existence. A man like a vampire who stood against true bloodsuckers.
The blood that flowed from his arm froze in the air before being flung away to paint the side of the captain's deck from the sheer force of Lancer's burst of movement forward. He slammed his spear into the cursed blade while fending off the strikes of an oni with his free hand.
A mana burst that brought a power on the level of a servant, but an ability and body that could not quite match Lancer, the seasoned blood-soaked knight that he was. A heart caving fist, the circuit burning curse that momentarily brought a pressure to him before he slammed his spear through the vampire's heart and pushed the swordsman through the floor of the ship, hard enough to impale him in its innards.
"I had known him for two centuries. A paltry amount of time. Yet he had never thrilled me as much as you do now!" the lady-beast cackled as Lancer twirled his spear to cut through a volley of ice darts fired at him. He had the skill, Magic Resistance, but he continued to block the spells that would have been mitigated to only a slight amount of damage so long as he had the luxury as he was swamped in this melee.
Ah, the rush of magical energy, the flood of mystery as a legend was reenacted. It was enough to distract and bring surprise to all the enemies that could be aptly called in a sense... fodder, for at least a moment. Assassin disappeared, and yet Lancer did not despair.
"Oh, are you not worried?"
"I ask that of you, lady. As your allies fall to their second sleep... or first in those who were born monsters. But no, you have your eyes only on reflecting the insanity of the moon! I see only the insanity of steel, and of men who profess to love and do not! Likewise, you do not fight for the reasons of your allies, you fight only for your dance!"
Their dance truly began. The vampire who took to giggle weaved through the blows of Vlad, devoting herself solely to defense. Perhaps to the chargrin of her allies as she ended up taking away one of the vectors of attack without providing one herself. The way she weaved into their space, it was like she was trying to get them involved... in fact she very much was.
Yet that did not mean lancer did not attack her at all, even if some other warriors may consider it a "waste" and that he should have focused and dealt with the other warriors. He was chosen as a dance partner, and he was Lord of Wallachia, the Shield of Christendom. How could he let a lady down even if she was so twisted that she burned without love, burned solely so she could find a reason to burn.
She was a longer just like him then. He could not be enflamed the same way by her as a woman who truly discovered their love and stood against the world, even if they were to waste away, or even take monstrous actions. Of course she was no human too which was a minus.
But yes, it was a bit like his cute niece at least.
Armor cracked from inhuman blows, blood flowed from where chunks burst from his body from overcharged explosions of energy from oni. But where they were able to strike him, he slayed them. He created spear after spear, showing his ability to not be tied to simply one spear as he left them all impaled.
Even a stubborn vampire who would not stop with his brain destroyed, his heart imploded, and his limbs scattered was made to kneel by the sheer amount of stake-like spears that impaled him. Dozens of weapons affixing and bending his body.
The battle became rather nasty for Lancer as well when Assassin disappeared as he had to deal with those that remained. But they were finished and only three remained.
A lady who stood upon one leg as her other one was still restoring from being dashed into mincemeat and dust, while her chipped nails that gave way to superior strength failed to prevent her arm from being split in half, and her torso carved away with a quarter chunk stolen.
"My... "
She gasped out in a chortle as though she were told an amusing joke, instead of being chopped up to her final death.
"You are quite intoxicating, knight."
"And you are hungry indeed."
"I do not like that you have eyes for another lady however."
"Ah, you noticed. Then I shall give you a parting gift for the night before I continue onto business!"
They rushed at each other. Lancer's arm wound back, eye confirming the location of the Assassin that had done who knows what to his ally.
The vampire pounced forth, a bloody deluge and a ruined body flung at the servant in a embrace of death.
The two met, but not with fist or blade.
Blood rushed out of Lancer's mouth... not from his wound, but that of hers as he dug his fangs and teeth into her shoulder. Her own fangs in turn ripped the side of her neck like a lovers... yes, kiss.
The spear flew towards Assassin as he entertained the lady for a moment before finally flinging her to the side.
Surprised as she was, she could only giggle and cackle as she disappeared off the side of the boat. "We shall dance again then! I shall bring my attire and proper decorations for such an occasion!" came her voice where she once was... along with the shriek of one of the half-bloods that apparently did not perish from his wound sustained in battle that also flung him off the boat. Instead he had managed to dig his nails into the boat and cling... Well, until his ally ripped him off and drained him as an in-flight snack. What hit the ground was a dainty elegant lady, restored, and a dry corpse.
Lancer in turn created another spear before slamming his foot into the ground to launch himself at the Assassin. His steel flashed, batting the splinters that erupted from his jump at her as a projectile
"The sinful must taste their own pain do you not know?" He rained down with his blows, his punishment and return gift for the Noble Phantasm. "It seems your noble phantasm is of that shape and form, then you yourself must know that you too must share in that as well!"
@HiddenBlue @Sakaki Chizuru @Unoedipal
"Curious that they are revealing the abilities of one of their servants, even if it is Assassin is it not? I suppose they wish to try and make us fearful of being able to fight them even without their Knight Class Servants. Indeed, it seems that it is a bit of a struggle but... certainly not hopeless."
The man chuckled as he did his work. Despite his regrets, Rider was quite good at rounding up people and helping him deal with the natives. To deal with their ailments, and to burn away... ahem, metaphorically (and in a few cases not so metaphorically while no one was able to notice of course) the threat and illness that was threatening to spill wasn't very difficult. Especially as coordinating with the one he sometimes called and talked to as much as Rider. It was a trivial effort to figure out which cases to treat first. How to snip the potential spread.
No doubt the Faction of Purple utilized a charm spell, or a sort of charisma skill to convince the villagers to take these gifts... Still, it was a sort of strange sense of humor. Not that he didn't find it funny.
"Rider, what do you think, looking upon the modern people of what was once your land? Do you find them interesting? pitiful? or are they the same as always. The coward in the background, the Greek Choir in a play. To care for the people is the role of a hero, but the people is just the people until they rise up to become a person as well. I'm afraid no one here is very entertaining... they simply live their lives, not swimming against a river, nor awash with blessings. Yes, there is nothing to stir or change here with fortune or misfortune. Well, I suppose Purple has given them some sort of misfortune that we are now correcting. After all, it'd make our dear-" he raised his phone to his face "-Hearthrob happy, to help them."
He lowered the phone as he turned towards a new presence that he knew was coming. Well, not just because of his eyes but-
"Speaking of helping, our help has arrived."
"I've picked up the samples, and I am now here to deal with the ailments. Where are the sick. Do make sure they know their position, and the gravity of their situation in a way that does not encourage abnormal reactions of stress and distress. Orderly reactions and conduct as befitting their place as patients is important after all..."
"Ah, you've arrived."
It was a familiar face, one who was famed, and well known through the world. The doctor that defied death "Medicine will be advanced more with the sample I collected you know. All we are doing in these villages is staving the spread of something that has long failed to be a problem. Even mundane doctors of this era would be able to handle this... They are far inferior in skill and understanding, but this is a matter a child could deal with."
Asclepius, the doctor of the Argo, Paean, he whose corpus laid within Ophiuchus.
"...Heh, or so he would say no? Oh dear sister, oh dear captain!"
The doctor twisted, his visage twisting and wobbling as it changed into someone else's face.
"HOHOHO, Do you not enjoy my ability? my one and greatest talent! that is... to fill the stage and become all the stars within the sea of the sky. Call me Aether Dodona. But I am simply the Argonautica's Theater. I am not sure if my father has told you of me, but consider me a sister to your dear vessel. She requires a crew does she not? and it is the role of family to fulfill that! Well, I was made with that catalyst that brought you to this world you know..."
"Ah, you've arrived. Please, help us with our duties before we return to deliver the samples of the dead vampires and half-blood you salvaged from the battle with Purple to dear Heartthrob."
"Antonio has come as well, father."
"Oh, quite good. It has been tiring and hungry travel really. Are you hungry Rider? not in a physiological way of course, but would you enjoy some cheese too?"
He then finally took his phone again to return to his first conversation.
"A few corpses and pieces were able to be collected. They'll last long enough until you have a chance to take a look at them, dear. Is there anything else you'd like me to pick up from the corner supermarket?" Heckling her as though this were a normal piece of everyday life... Ah yes, it was fun indeed. For the man who hardly looked at anything normal, this mockery and dance of the normal was quite special indeed.
