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Story Updates; The nightly events are documented here
Topic Started: Feb 10 2010, 04:07 PM (304 Views)
Serpit
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Watch the epic tale unravel before your eyes.
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Serpit
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“This is amazing! Is this real? Or an illusion?”
Atma dances around, gracefully avoiding the flood of people at the Great Market, as she vents her excitement.
“I don’t caaaaaare! Kyahaha, whatever this is, it’s gonna be a fun game, no doubt.”
Suddenly, she stops. Several civilians gaze at her awkwardly, but she ignores them and turns to her servant.
“Assassin, come. I feel a tension in the air, someone must be here. Another player, perhaps?”
From the shadows, the figure of Assassin emerges, grinning as broadly as Atma must be under her mask.
“Oh, you feel it too? I’ll search for them. They should be pretty close.”
Disappearing into the crowd again, Assassin quickly discovers his targets. In the middle of all the inhabitants of Akagane with their medieval clothes, those two stick out like a sore thumb. A bespectacled older girl with black hair reaching down to her feet in rather modern, masculine clothing, carting a wheelchair with a bald old man wearing a black robe around. They seem to have discovered Assassin as well, as the girl’s gaze meets his expectant smile.

http://www.youtuberepeat.com/watch/?v=drFoewodiKg

The old man barks some orders, and the girl pushes his wheelchair towards Assassin. He does not want to wait though, and proceeds to leap in front of their face in a single jump.
“Hello there~ Are you a servant as well?” The girl’s expression shows both surprise and annoyance, but it’s the old man that answers in her stead.
“She is. And you should know it, boy”, he snares as he stares at Assassin intently.
“Oh, how scary. Maybe I should let my master handle this.”
As Atma makes her presence known and appears between the passing civilians, the targets of Assassin’s ridicule spin around to greet yet another bizarre figure.
“You found some already? Kyahaha, great work!” The voice from beyond Atma’s mask is brimming with glee.
“Do you want to be my team partner, old man? This game has just begun, but it looks like we hit the jackpot already! What do you saaaaay?” Drawing out the last syllable in a playful manner, she puts her face in front of the elderly magus’ face in an equally intrusive way as her servant.
“How dare you! Show some respect in front of my master!” The girl’s face twists in anger, but the man in the wheelchair raises his hand, signifying her to stop.
“But… Master, I…”
“Enough. You, I will accept your proposal. You obviously lack manners, but you shouldn’t be as stupid if you look.”
“My, my. I’m flattered, old man. Well then, consider this alliance established. Now, let’s search for the other players.” Atma nods at Assassin, who suddenly disappears into the crowd.
“What are you up to now?” The other servant doesn’t even try to hide her distrust.
“We have preparations to make as well, and so do you, riiiiight? We’ll meet you later, my new friends.”
With those words, Atma vanishes into the shadows as well, leaving her baffled new companions behind.

At the same time, Assassin has already chosen his target. He approaches a tall, bearded man with a sheathed sword dangling from his waist.
“This seems like a nice slave. Hey, you!”
Annoyed, the civilian turns around. “What?” He spits the word out in a rough voice and looks at the small, white-haired figure in front of him in annoyance.
“Oh, nothing. But there’s something you should see.”
Assassin grabs the man’s collar and pulls his face down so it meets with his own eyes. There, the electronic drug flares up, feeding the victim’s brain with the madness-inducing toxin. After being released, his target looks at Assassin with a blank, emotionless stare, then turns around and joins the regular crowd again.
“Mission accomplished… wait, what?”
Amidst the scurrying masses, the girl from before appears. She approaches the same hulking man Assassin had just brought under his control, tapping him on the shoulder and whispering something in his ear.
“This can’t be good…” Assassin hurries towards his new ally and new slave just in time, as the man draws his sword and is ready to cleave it into the black-haired girl’s body.
“Stop it! Not this one!”
As he makes his childlike voice heard, the man releases Assassin’s ally, sheathing his broadsword once again.“I’m sorry, but you’ll have to find someone else to play with. This one is mine.”
“You!” She is clearly raging. “What is going on here? Why did your lackey attack me?”
“Haha! I didn’t know you would approach him, you see? Otherwise I’d have just told him to let his fingers of you. Oh well, it was fun, wasn’t it? Quite a scare, right?”
“You… who are you?”
“As if I’d tell you, ahaha! Come on, let’s go, our masters are waiting.”

-End Music-

Meanwhile, Atma has taken refuge in a desolate side alley. Although she enjoys the masses of civilians, she needs solitude and concentration for what she is about to do. She closes her eyes, focuses her magical energy and envisions the parts of the city that are about to feel her power. Softly giggling to herself, the power of her illusion ensnares Akagane, and her ethereal images are sent to the faraway places she chose. As the spell is released, Atma falls into a trance and remains completely motionless.
Suddenly, not even a minute after summoing her phantoms, Atma feels a slight, prickling pain, as one of them vanishes into thin air and the energy returns to her body. For a second, a single thought races through her mind.
“Aggressive, aren’t we? This should be fuuuuuuun.”
Edited by Serpit, Mar 20 2010, 04:08 PM.
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“Stop that irritating jumping around.”
The old magus’ tolerance for Atma’s childish behavior has reached its limit. Dancing around his wheelchair while they move through the Great Market’s crows, she is thoroughly enjoying herself. Suddenly, a voice rings out from behind them, and Archer turns around nearly simultaneously with Atma while slowly spinning her master’s wheelchair around. In that instant, a strange, oppressive feeling clouds their heads, like a premonition of a cataclysm about to happen.
“You!” An elegantly dressed man in a double-breasted suit shouts out as he recognizes Atma, pointing his finger at the robed eccentric. Behind him, a rather demotivated figure comes trotting. He seems young, but very tall, wearing a wide black robe in stark contrast to his bright red hair.
“Do I know you?” She seems puzzled.
“You… walked out on me last night! Ignored me! Who are you?”
“Oho? Kyaha, my bad, my bad. I must have just overlooked you, see? Sometimes I just get compleeeeeetely lost in my thoughts.” With an exaggerated pose, Atma strikes her hand against her head.
“Well, at least you’re more talkative than last night.” Turning to Archer’s master, the man’s voice suddenly sounds more polite than before. “And who might you be? Allow me to introduce myself, I am…”
“No need.” The commanding voice of the old man stops him in his tracks and apparently throws him in utter confusion.
“But, I… You see, I… I had assumed we could form an alliance, to heighten our…”
Archer’s master grunts, seemingly in amusement. “An alliance? What a thoroughly… original idea. We’ll consider it, but for now, we have better things to do. Just don’t get in our way while we’re here.”
“I… understand. Well then, excuse me.” The magus’ voice trembles as he walks away, taking his servant with him.

“What a fool…” The old magus shakes his head. “Such a disappointment for the magical world. “
“He seemed fun though, didn’t he? Easy to annoy.” Atma giggles under her mask.
“That reminds me. There’s something I need to show you, my good friends. Assassin!”
From the shadows, the form of the white-haired boy emerges, followed by the bearded man he has brought under his control.
“You called? Can I finally do it?”
Atma nods approvingly. “Show them your power.”
A broad grin shows on Assassin’s face, as his body begins to twist and distort. Apparently repulsed by his change of appearance, Archer takes a step back.
“What the…”
Assassin’s features melt away, the mass of his body elongates itself, and his skin turns takes the form of colorful cloth. As his transformation finishes, the old man’s eyes widen, realizing what is about to happen. In the next moment, Atma seems to have split in two, as Assassin is now a mirror image of his master. Archer rubs her eyes in disbelief.
“Oh, it’s not finished yet! See?” Twisting her hands in an awkward manner, Atma seems to use a technique reminiscent of certain ninja practices… When all of a sudden, a bright flash of light blinds Archer and her master. As the glow vanishes, the two magi have become… four. And they all start to dance around the wheelchair, cackling incessantly.
“I told you, riiiiiight? It’s so much fun, playing with magic, isn’t it? Kyahahahaha!”
“Archer… I’m getting a headache. Let’s do what we came here for originally.” Archer’s master rubs his temples in utter annoyance, sending his servant away. She seems thankful at the notion, probably desiring nothing more than fleeing from this bizarre scene.
Curious, Assassin follows her. Leaping through the crows with fast steps, she seems to aim for a well-dressed woman with chestnut hair. Sneaking up behind her, she seems to put her head on the woman’s shoulders, resting there for a few seconds. Then, she releases the civilian, wipes her face and starts to hum a cheerful tone. In this moment, Assassin spots the duo that approached them before, following the same woman into an isolated alleyway. Archer seems to have noticed them as well, as she quietly walks behind them. Assassin does the same too, amused at the prospect of stalking the stalker stalking the stalkers.
“This will be fun.” Archer seems delighted at the events about to unfold.
“It sure will be.”
Startled, Archer spins around and meets Atma’s smiling mask. “Oh, it’s me, Assassin. Come on, let’s follow them. I want to see that.” Feeling her ally’s desire for blood, Archer smiles.
The two of them stalk the two men into a secluded alleyway, where the woman has lead them. They witness the tall, red-haired servant approaching her, and are thoroughly amused as the woman throws him down on the ground. He doesn’t retaliate until she has already torn his chest open, blood spewing everywhere. With a swift motion of his hand, he pins her against the walls, and a moment later, the sound of a small explosion and a flash of reddish light mark the death of the civilian.
“Well, she fulfilled her purpose. Shall we see what comes next?”
Assassin nods fervently, as the duo tracks the two men deeper down the alley. The magus in the suit stands tall above the freshly killed corpse, then touches her chest with his hand.
“What a pervert~” Archer cackles.
The man draws his hand away again, although it is now attached to a strange, ethereal thread leading into the woman’s body. As he pulls it out, a translucent, vaguely humanoid form can be seen leaving the corpse.
Seemingly disappointed, Archer sighs. “How boring. And I had already hoped for something better.”
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“Did you reconsider my offer?”
In the middle of the Great Market, Caster and his master face off against Soldas, Archer and Atma with her various doubles.
“We have.” The old magus speaks. “And we decline.”
“I figured as much.” With an abrasive gesture, Caster’s master turns around. “Well then, we’ll be on our way. Farewell, gentlemen.”
“Knowing this…” Soldas’s snaring voice sounds out once again, causing the leaving magus to stop. “…do you think we will let you leave?”
“You intend to stop me? I hardly believe you’re fit enough to do that, old man.”
His voice is dripping with ridicule, but he falls silent as Atma, Assassin and her illusory clones step forward and surround them. To add to his shock, a quick sleight of the hand causes the transformed Assassin to split in two, and a total of five Atmas surround Caster’s master, cackling in unison.
“Kyahahahaha. Too bad, looks like your game is about to end already.”
“You insolent…” His initial shock turns into fury. “You think you can beat me? Caster!”
His servant nods, and his hands start to glow, as he prepares to launch an attack at their assailants – when suddenly, Atma nods towards Assassin, and his form begins to change ocne again. Within the span of a second, he has analyzed Caster’s memory through his facial expressions alone, and assumes the form of a very familiar girl with silvery hair, wearing a white nun’s garb. Caster rubs his eyes in disbelief, but even so, the girl doesn’t disappear. Assassin walks towards him, his arm stretched out, and Caster can’t do anything but step back.
“It can’t be…. No, it’s impossible! IMPOSSIBLE!” Seemingly hardening his resolve, Caster spins around.
“Master! Let’s get out of here.”
Grinding his teeth, the magus seems torn, but decides to follow his servant’s advice. “Let’s go.”
“Don’t you think you can flee!” A shrill female voice makes itself heard. Behind them, Archer can be seen, a maniacal expression etched in her face. “Caster! My target is you! Prepare yourself!” She points her finger at him dramatically, trembling in excitement.
Caster’s master has a hard time suppressing his anger. “Caster! Show them your power! Let us grant them a parting gift!”
“Understood.” Around Caster, a circle of fire suddenly flares up, prompting Atma to step back cautiously.

http://www.youtuberepeat.com/watch/?v=IVS08t8riQs

Caster raises his arm, and flames gather in his palm and all around him. The circle widens as he speaks his incantation, and a pillar of fire rises up in the Great Market’s center. Many of the onlookers take this cue to quickly leave the impending battlefield.
“…the great fire of genesis…
…and the light of judgement which punishes evil…
…which annihilates the cold darkness…”
Only shreds of the incantation an be heard through the sizzling of the fire around Caster, but his words resonate with power. The flames blaze higher and higher, coloring the previously dark night sky in a bright, glowing red. Atma can hardly contain her excitement at the sight of this exceptional display of magical prowess, worthy of her opponent’s class. Assassin seems equally anxious to see the results of this spectacle.
“Show yourself by devouring my body and show your might!”
As Caster finishes the incantation, a roaring explosion resonates through the area, and the few civilians that have not yet fled quickly scurry away. The flaming pillar is gone, revealing a humongous creature of fire, the gaze of his glowing eyes penetrating his master’s opponents.
“Hold them off!”
After giving his command, Caster and his master turn around and use the confusion to break through the line of magi surrounding them. The blazing titan roars, smoke spewing out of his mouth, and sparks are raining down on the battlefield.
“Don’t think you can escape my grasp!” The coarse voice of Soldas rings out from behind them, and in that moment, something seems to grow out of the ground next to Caster. From his shadow, a black mass emerges, shifting into a humanoid form. A dark mirror image of himself is now sewn to his feet, following him as he runs way.
“What the hell is this?” Caster tries to punch through the bizarre shadow creature, but to no avail.
“We’ll take care of that later! Now run!” His master is already ahead of him, pushing his way through the panicking masses.
“Assassin! Maim him!”
Following his master’s command, Assassin unleashes his furious power. His body twists in an awkward manner, and suddenly, his flesh breaks up, covering the ground below in fresh blood. From beyond his robe, multiple arms and legs grow out, deformed appendages with crooked fingers and cracking bones. Making good use of his new repulsive apperance, he leaps at the fire elemental like a predator, wailing at it like a wild animal would. As he tears through the flaming body again and again, his opponent seems to grow weaker, although the immense heat radiating from him burns Assassin’s skin as well. Despite the heavy assault, the fire elemental persists, but its form is already visibly unstable.
Suddenly, accompanied by the sound of twisted laughter, something comes soaring through the air, cutting up the brightly illuminated night sky. Assassin turns around to see Archer, her broad grin showing rows of pointy teeth, her weapon aimes towards the heaven. A glowing blue trail can be seen above her, wildly jerking through the air like a thread in the wind. Then, it descends with incredible speed, burying itself into the fiery titan’s body, and his flame dies down, as he vanishes with a pained roar. However, the blue thread is still sewing its way through the battlefield, now aiming at the fleeing Caster. Suddenly, a ghostly apparition appears and blocks the way, which Assassin identifies as the woman Caster had killed last night. Archer’s attack tears through her as well, and the wraith howls in pain as it is penetrated not once, but twice, and also disappears into thin air. It seems like the sacrifice of Caster’s familiars was not in vain, as the glowing trail of destruction now soars into the air and proceeds to circle around the market aimlessly.
However, Assassin is only deceived for a moment, since whatever destroyed the fire elemental and the Wraith is now speeding towards Caster’s master, just as he was about to leave the market. With a desparate jump, Caster manages to throw himself in harm’s way. The blue thread buries itself through his shoulder before finally disappearing from sight, again ascending into the air. Finally, Caster and his master are gone, hidden among the fleeing crowd.
“Kyahaha! What’s wrong, what’s wrong? You let them get away!” The real Atma turns to Soldas, whose right hand is firmly clenched into a fist.
“Don’t worry!” The previously stern Archer seems to be even more cheerful than Atma and Assassin now, twirling her weapon around acrobatically. “They can’t hide from me~”
Soldas clears his throat and nods. “Very well. Archer, I expect you to track those fools and-“
He is interrupted by a sudden bright red flash that once again illuminates the night, accompanied by a deafening roar.
“No way…” Archer’s good mood seems to be blown away by the wave of heat that follows.
“So they had another trick up their sleeve? Kyaha! How interestiiiiiiing.”
Before them, the creature of fire they had just brought down and destroyed suddenly rises up again. The flames that had been spread out during the fight gather, and the blazing titan is alive once more. Towering over Atma and her allies, he lets out another roar, his enormous flaming arms preventing them from moving past him. The heat emanating from his body is already searing their skin, and an unending rain of sparks patters down on the battleground.
“Looks like this won’t be as easy as I thought…”
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The incredible heat emanating from their opponent burns Assassin’s flesh, and his the robes he and his master wear are already smoking. Archer also moans in pain as sparks keep raining down on her body, while Soldas seems to suffer equally, but endures it with a stoic expression. The lashing flames cause Atma’s illusions to sizzle and fade away, and the drug victim to Assassin’s side also dies with a pained grunt, his charred body dropping to the floor. Atma clicks her tongue in annoyance.
“Archer…” Soldas’ voice is even more coarse than usual, and he can hardly speak without coughing. “Destroy this thing. I want to be able to breathe again.”
“Certainly! As you’ve already seen, it is no match for my warhead.”
“This is not fair.” Atma is visibly disgruntled. “Infinite lives shouldn’t be allowed.”
Suddenly, she spots the silhouette of a girl appearing at the edge of the market. As she steps closer, apparently horrified by the sight, her features can be made out more clearly as well. She has long, orange hair and wears a rather modern combination of skirt and waistcoat. With every step she takes, Archer can hear the faint sound of a bell chiming.
“An unexpected visitor.” Soldas lets out a muffled laugh, which quickly turns into a coughing fit. “Archer, greet her.”

http://www.youtuberepeat.com/watch?v=9hAKQOcIx7Y

“Walking through the night, all alone… That’s dangerous, you know?” Archer’s words are oozing with contempt. Just as she finishes her sentence, the glowing blue trail of her magical bullet comes soaring through the air, taking the orange-haired girl by surprise. The thread of light seems to lose its shine for a moment upon touching her body, but still leaves a bleeding scratch, as Archer breaks out in cackling laughter.
Ignoring the pain and charging forward with a battlecry, the girl leaps across the market. “Don’t think you can beat me with thiiiiiis!” In her hands, a rather peculiar weapon appears, and she prepares to strike her target.
“Foolish girl.” Soldas puts his hand together and closes his eyes, and in that moment, the light of the flames that had just bathed the night in a blazing red suddenly dies down, as the entire area is covered in a sphere of murky darkness. “Let’s see you fight in the darkness you fear so much.”
“Well then…” With an overexaggerated bow, Atma faces her allies. “It’s time to take my leave.” With a few quick motions of her hands, the illusionary magic is activated,
“What do you mean by-“ Before Archer can finish, a flash of light can be seen, dimmed by the artifical night. As absolute blackness returns, Atma and Assassin are gone.
“Those cowards! What are they doing?” Furious, Archer faced her adversary again.
In the exact same spot they had previously been in, hidden under the veil of invisibility, Atma regains her good mood. “Kyahahahaha~ Assassin, it’s time to watch the show. Who do you think will wiiiiiin?”
Her servant, on the other hand, doesn’t seem satisfied at the prospect of sitting the battle out. “Why do they get to have all the fun?”
Meanwhile, Archer’s glowing blue bullet, now in even heavier contrast to the darkness of the night, appears again, cutting through the air in jerking motions, spinning around the girl and finally diving towards her chest. It tears through her skin, draws a curve and impales her again. After ascending high up into the air, the trail of light comes crashing down once more, but this time the girl skillfully steps aside, and the attack fails to hit its prey, upon which it disappears from sight. What follows is sarcastic applause.
Archer is slowly clapping, her previously vast grin already reduced to a twitching smile. Then, without a further word, she grabs her musket, spins it around artistically and then points it at the orange-haired intruder. As she pulls the trigger, another blazing trail of blue comes shooting out, aimed directly at her target’s head.
“That’s it.” The girl’s arm swings forward in a quick motion, the glowing thread is gone, and her right hand is smoking. As she opens her fist, the bullet falls out, dropping to the ground.
“I thought I told you you can’t beat me with this!” She leaps forward, and a visually terrified Archer takes a step back, trying to evade the incoming attack. However, the girl’s weapon smacks her straight across the face and nonchalantly throws her to the ground as well.
“I don’t know who you are, but don’t you think I’m going to just let you destroy the city, kill its people! I’m going to beat you to pulp!”
Still trembling, Archer finally regains her composure. Her body is still shuddering, but now, she seems to shiver in excitement. The malicious grin from before returns to her face, and she stares at the orange-haired girl with a determined gaze.
“Girl… This earth is not for you to walk upon. If I have to raze it to show you the futility of your existence, so be it!” She throws her arms up and faces the sky, her melodious voice filled with joy. “Comrades! It is time! The new era shall dawn, the skies shall burn!”
“What are you talking about?” Not liking her opponent’s sudden change of attitude one bit, the younger girl steps forward. “Cut it out, or do you want me to smack you again?”
Archer looks at her again, although she already seems to be gazing beyond her adversary. She doesn’t honor her opponent with a single word, and only a few shreds of soft laughter escape her mouth. Then, she tilts her head upwards again, and a serene smile appears on her face. “Die. All of you.”

http://www.youtuberepeat.com/watch/?v=jQy1GmcXllo

The orange-haired girl looks up again, and despite the darkness, she can make out the shapes of several enormous objects in the sky. The silence that had dominated the night up until now dies down as the air is filled with buzzing, electronic noises and the roaring of engines. “No… way…”
Beyond the black sphere around the Great Market, the inhabitants of the Akagane can see the events unfold quite clearly. Five humongous blimps fly through the starry night sky, circling the city as they take their position. The citizens below run around in panic, trying to flee into their houses, shutting doors and windows in a futile attempt to avoid the attack of those terrifiying unknown entities. Despite the people of Akagane not knowing what exactly it is that throws those gargantuan shadows upon their city, they instinctively know of the impending doom it is about to bring.
Then, the hatches open, and several cylindrical objects drop down. The bombs silently fly through the air, signifying the calm before the storm. The blimps are already leaving again, having done their deed and disappearing below the sea of clouds around the flying city. Finally, their destructive cargo makes contact, and the sky is bathed in bright red once more. With an eardrum-shattering sound, five simultaneous explosions flare up. The Northern Watchtower is hit, half crumbling in the process. Most of the debris slides off the edge of the flying island, disappearing beyond the cloudy plain below. The Spirit Grove is devastated by one of the bombs, and all the vegetation there inflames. The majestic temple of the Seer’s Guild is ruptured and partially collapses, and the ancient building of the High Academy is mostly destroyed. Only the Spiral Skyscraper in the city’s center is still standing tall despite being hit.
“You! How dare you…” Tears of anger swell up in the orange-haired girls eyes, and she trembles with fury. While the darkness around her spared her the cruel images of the attack, she could still hear and feel the detonations resonating through the air.
“I purged. Those maggots had to feel our glorious power to understand!” Archer’s face once again bears a thoroughly serene expression, her eyes closed, seemingly content with herself and the world.
Unable to find any words to respond with, the girl jumps forward with a desperate battlecry. However, she is stopped in her tracks by the pained roar of the fiery giant behind her, as he suddenly dissolves along with the flames surrounding him.
“What the-“
The combatants at the Great Market can’t spend any time being surprised though, as the now further intensified darkness around them is broken by a rain of dimly glowing fire. Hot ashes and lambent flames crackle down from the sky, their searing touch burning their skin. Archer quickly throws herself over her master, hardly able to endure the searing pain, but the orange-haired girl seems to brush it off, apparently ignoring the harm done to her. However, the fiery rain burns the optical illusion Atma has created, and the flames pass through the deceiving veil, she and her servant return to a visible state.
“Oh, Assassin, looks like you can join the game again. Kyaha. Aren’t you glaaaaaad?”
Nodding fervently, Sai’s face under the mask shows a bright smile. “I’ll dissect her completely, master.”
The orange-haired girl clenches her teeth. “We aren’t finished yet…”
With one leap, Assassin blocks her way. He transform his hands into razor-sharp claws in the blink of an eye and proceeds to wail at her ferociously. Despite the earlier assault she had to endure, this is the first time the girl actually cries out in pain. Now Archer faces her adversary again, her features once more etched into a malicious grin. The girl’s words of certain determination only serve as a source of amusement for Atma and Assassin.
“Bring it on.”
Edited by Serpit, Mar 24 2010, 06:46 PM.
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“Two more, huh?” Assassin watches as the duo from two nights ago appears again – the tall, red-headed magician in his black robe, followed by another man in a now torn-up and burnt suit. “These guys… do you think I should take them apart too? It’s been such a long time since I’ve done that.” Assassin, expecting an answer, is disappointed as Atma decides to ignore his question.
“Oh, his suit got destroyed… Kyaha. I wonder if he cried?”
“We should hide, shouldn’t we? Let’s see what happens.”
This time, Atma nods in agreement. “Yes…. Let’sbserve the game from afar, Assassin.”
Taking cover behind some of the ruined stalls littered across the market, Atma and her servant are ready to enjoy the spectacle unfolding in front of them.
The orange-haired girl, Saber, is facing Archer. Their ally’s face is twisted in both agony and rage. “Impudent girl! If you believe you can…”
Suddenly, she is stopped in her tracks. Soldas solemnly lifts his hand, signifying his servant to stop. “But master! I…”
“Enough, Archer. Your battle ends here.”
“Wait! You can’t… You mustn’t…. please let me…”
Ignoring his servant’s pleas, the old man gathers a cluster of magical energy in his hand and points it at Archer. “Your fight will continue elsewhere. Now leave this place, begone!”
Before the woman in black can say another word, she disappears in a sudden flash of light.
“Oh…” Assassin is amused by this sudden development. “Looks like we need to find a new ally.”
Soldas mumbles something incomprehensible, then he faces the other servants present in the area. “I, too, will fight another day… Farewell, brave girl. I fear our next meeting won’t be as pleasant!”
“Don’t you dare run!” Saber, her hands glowing vividly, is already charging towards the old man, apparently fully intent on smacking him out of his chair, when he suddenly disappears in what appears to be a solid sphere of black. The Great Market is still covered in a dark veil, but this bubble of complete and utter obscurity exceeds even the impenetrability of the previous spell.
“Gah!” Frustrated, her weapon disappears, and she turns to Caster and his master.
“It’s our chance! If we take her out now, she will have no chance to retaliate!” Assassin seems eager to just jump at her and rip the flesh of her bones, but Atma stops him.
“Assassiiiiiiin, behave yourself. We have another problem.”
“Huh?”
“There appears to be a cheater among us.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvBjnyBnxPI

A dim red glow shines through the already fading veil of darkness. The night sky, previously illuminated by nothing but the stars and tinted in a frosty blue, is now filled with a blazing red. Over the Watchtower to the north, a faint silhouette can be seen, foreboding the events about to unfold.
“This is… we need to take cover!”
However, while they could certainly obscure one from view, most of the stalls around the market had been burned down in the previous nights, and several houses are already destroyed and fragile themselves, making them hardly a good protection against an attack of such a scale. Before they can find a fitting hiding place, a myriad of flaming objects comes raining down from the sky. As they pass through the obscuring barrier cast around the area, their shapes become clear: Spears, made of pure, searing flames, about to crash down on Atma and Assassin like a fiery tempest.
“Tch. It’s always me…”
Assassin quickly throws himself in front of his master, who is starting to see the futility in evading the attack through quick reactions alone. As the burning doom descends upon the battlefield, a violent pain shoots through their body, as one of the blazing weapons makes contact, and a series of roaring explosions shakes the surroundings. Assassin’s cells have a hard time regenerating fast enough to protect his organs, and Atma’s robe is already set ablaze.
After a few seconds, the onslaught is over. Apparently unfazed by even the pain she received, Atma rolls around on the ground. Assassin can’t determine whether she enjoys playing around in the dirt or is actually trying to put out the fire. As she stands up, her robe still smoking, but she can’t stop giggling. Assassin spots the solid black sphere of Archer’s master, apparently unscathed, as it starts to move and slowly vanish from the battlefield. In the distance, Saber tries to give chase, but suddenly stops and collapses in exhaustion. Atma, now once again focused on her enemies, steps forward to bid them farewell.
“We will have to continue our game some other time as well, but it was just woooooonderful to make your aquaintance.” Saber looks up in surprise upon the arrival of the two identical figures of Atma and Assassin.
“Kyaha. I like you, girl. You got the spirit. Oh, what great players there are… But you’ll have to entertain me some other time. Bye bye.”
Waving like a little child would, Atma leaps away, Assassin following her in silence. They quickly make their way across the charred battlefield, disappearing into a convenient alley. Suddenly, Atma’s body convulses, and she rips her own mask of her face, breathing heavily. She coughs, spits out some blood and quickly hides her visage again. Assassin, disappointed at having a chance to discover his mysterious master’s identity slip by, kicks a few stones away in annoyance.
“Kyahaha… This is fun.” Quickly resuming her previous behavior, Atma seems delighted at the display of power she just witnessed. “To think something this interesting exists here… Ahhh, I love it, I love it…”
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Serpit
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The area around the Spiral Skyscraper is completely devoid of humans. Some charred debris that must have fallen off during the bombings is littered across the ground, but the tower still seems unwavering, its metallic exterior almost sterile.
Excited at this amazing sight, Atma dances around the skyscraper while looking for the entrance, but after several minutes of fruitlessly searching, she finally realizes that she had just circled the enormous structure several times. No door and no window could be seen, just a bleak metallic surface.
“What’s this?” Atma seems annoyed. “Aha!” Apparently realizing something of crucial improtance, she returns to her servant, who had been searching the surrounding for any civilians he might enslave.
“Did you find something? There’s nobody here at all.” His voice is filled with heavy disappointment, and the eye containing the electronic drug twitches.
“Nothing to see her. Kyahahaha, I get it already… The final dungeon isn’t unlocked yet, you see?”
Dramatically pointing at the enormous silvery tower, she puts her right arm around Assassin and continues to speak in a grandiose manner. “What else could this be? We aren’t supposed to be here yet, Assassin. When we defeat everybody else, we can face off against the ruler himself! Doesn’t this sound fuuuuun?”
“…of course.” Assassin, unfit to be the voice of reason in such a scenario, says nothing else. He isn’t sure if his master is kidding or not, but as long as Atma is set on wiping out the opposition, her servant will gladly follow her and carry out the bloody deeds.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEix95KZxNo

“There’s so many of me… Kyahahahaha~”
Atma seems delighted, prancing through the Crystal Cavern while adoring the uncountable mirror images reflected in the glass-like surface of the walls. It looks like a parade of colorfully dressed magi is marching through the corridors, and even Assassin is visibly amazed by this extraordinary sight.
“Someone’s here. I can hear footsteps. And one of them is really loud.”
Atma stops. “You’re right… Kyaha, let’s see if they noticed us too.”
Prying around the corner like curious schoolchildren, the quirky duo watches an equally odd procession pass by. A blond young man in dark clothes is the first to show himself, followed by an older man with a white ponytail and strangely empty eyes, his leather jacket tucked up tightly. Behind them, what appears to be an enormous spider in a metallic shade of blue appears, incessantly chattering away in a childlike voice.
“The big thing looks fun… Like something from a carnival.”
Assassin is amazed as well, although for a wholly different reason. Whatever this humongous creature is, a monster, a machine, or something else, he has to study its insides. His hand twitches, and he has a hard time suppressing his urge to just jump at his target and rip it apart.
“Aaaaaand they’re gone. Assassin, come, didn’t you want to visit that other place? Hey, Assassin?” Atma shakes her head and grabs her unresponsive servant’s arm.
“Ah…” Assassin winces as his master drags him away, his body still frozen in excitement anticipation.

~~~

The Seer’s Guild is an impressive temple, dwarfing all the building surrounding it. However, the interior mainly consists of narrow stone corridors, scarcely furnished and hardly lit. After passing through a heavy wooden door though, Atma and Assassin reach a beautiful little garden at the temple’s center, dominated by a small pond surrounded by tall fruit trees. There, a small man in an oversized brown robe can be seen, staring into the water.
“The seer… is you, correeeeeect?”
Without hesitation, Atma sneaks up to him, and the fright nearly causes the seer to fall into the pond. His heart still beating wildly, he turns around, and is once again startled by the bizarre smiling mask greeting him.
“We have a question for you, okay?”
“A-a question? But I…”
He is stopped by two hands being put on his shoulders, and the transformed Assassin’s face whispering into his ear. “We would be really thankful, you know. Otherwise, we might get really angry though.”
Sweat drips down the small man’s face. “F-fine. What did you want, good Sirs?”
Atma chuckles. “Will you understand this, I wonder…? Whatever. Tell us about the one called Rider, and his Noble Phantasm.”
“Noble… Phantasm…?”
“I told you, you wouldn’t understand it. Just dooooo it, okay?” As she speaks those words, Atma dances around the seer, throwing him in even greater confusion, as he is unable to properly face the person speaking to him.
“I’ll see… what I can do.”
The seer asumes a meditative position, leaning over the pond. To gather his thoughts, he closes his eyes for a moment, then flashes them open again. For the next few minutes, his stare is directed at the water, while the rest of his body remains motionless. After having penetrated the surface and found the truth beyond, he finally awakens from his trance. Then, he faces Assassin, who he mistakenly believes to be Atma.
“This word… Noble Phantasm. I did not hear it, but I was told about a mount… That it is just one among many, but Rider’s favorite nonetheless. Is… is that sufficient?”
Assassin looks at Atma, who nods. “Thank you, my friend! Kyahahaha, I hope you will enjoy your reward.”
“Ah, a reward? Oh no, I did it only out of obligation… to my profession, and…”
“Oh, no, no, no. We insiiiiiist.”
Suddenly, the seer’s head is twisted around with a terrifying force. Assassin’s face now shows the white-haired boy again, smiling broadly as he gazes at the small man intently. Then, the electronic drug flares up, and the mesmerizing images are burned into his victim’s mind. The seer’s expression turns vacant, and drool runs from his mouth.
“This is your reward – freedom.” Assassin is delighted. “Freedom from your obligations, freedom to experience your own violent nature! Won’t that be enjoyable?”
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“I liked the other cave better. This one’s so boring.”
Atma and Assassin make their way through the endless corridors of the Underground Labyrinth, lost in a maze of identical, featureless stone walls. Strange echoes reverberate through the cavern, and their faint footsteps sound like an army of mice scurrying across the floor.
Suddenly, Atma stops.
“What is it?”
“There’s an amazing magical presence ahead. Kyahahaha, this will be fun after aaaaall!”
Assassin’s master can hardly contain her excitement and skillfully leaps through the darkness on silent feet. Her servant can only follow, hiding in the shadows. At a particular intersection of corridors, two small girls can be seen. One of them wears a long purple skirt and has her ginger hair tied in a ponytail. Her most peculiar feature is a pair of long horns on her head though, adorned with colorful ribbons. She lazily rests on a large slab of stone which the other girl leans against, bearing a vacant expression. This one isn’t nearly as outstanding in appearance – her short, light blond hair seems as pale as her skin and the tattered clothes she is wearing. However, just looking at her sends a shiver down Assassin’s spine, as a constant flow of enormous magical power emanates from her body.
Under her mask, a broad grin covers Atma’s face,
“Assassin. What do you say? Let’s greet them… our way.”

http://www.youtuberepeat.com/watch?v=CF5XEunUpaI

In an instant, the servant is gone. His master doesn’t have to say another word. With a quick leap, he clings to the wall, his entire body trembling in excitement. He skillfully crawls along the cragged stony surface, digging into the ceiling with his hands transformed into razor-sharp claws. Like a bird of prey, he assumes his position over the dozing horned girl, then finally lets go and begins his descent.
The sound of breaking stone resonates through the cavern. Assassin’s palms are buried into the girl’s stomach, her makeshift bed shattering under the pressure of his blow. However, despite this dynamic entrance, both of the girls seem completely unfazed. The stoic one just tilts her head to the side and eyes Assassin, her gaze devoid of emotion, but strangely penetrating as well. His target’s reaction is even more bizarre, as she just yawns and slowly gets up, rubbing her belly.
“Lum, what happened? My stomach hurts.”
The horned girl rubs the drowsiness out of her eyes.
“Did I drink too much last night…?”
Then, she spots Assassin. Her face finally lights up, and a broad, cheerful smile can be seen.
“Ooh~ Did you attack me?”
The girl jumps off the shattered rock. Not counting her horns, she hardly even reaches up to Assassin’s waist, but still looks at him with an unwavering expression.
“You’re getting up after that hit? That’s quite commendable. I thought I’d get rid of you easily, but-“
Assassin’s monologue is suddenly interrupted. The girl’s tiny hands grab his leg, and with an absurd strength, completely unfitting for her stature, spin him around. She throws him through the air with incredible force, but he narrowly manages to regain control and land on his feet, his legs absorbing the impact.
“What the-“
Childish laughter resonates through the cave, as the horned girl rushes towards her opponent. She extends her arms in an awkward manner while running, making her look like a kid imitating an airplane. Confused by her strange behavior, Assassin doesn’t even realize the threat until the girl’s fist is already in front of his face. He barely succeeds in jerking his head around to avoid the blow, but the stone behind him shatters in an ear-piercing explosion.
Before he can realize what just happened, his opponent is already spinning around furiously, and with an enormous leap, she plants herself right in front of his face once more. Her happy laughter still sounds in Assassin’s ears, as another fist whiffs and breaks a flowstone behind him apart.
“It’s been so long since I had that much fun~” The horned girl pats some dust off her skirt and faces her opponent again, still smiling brightly.
“This is ridiculous!”
Assassin isn’t a stranger to the exhilarating thrills of combat. However, this girl’s lust for battle and her monstrous power took him completely offguard. He cannot comprehend how such a tiny, frail body can house such unbound, violent urges. Before he can even finish this train of thought, the front end of the stalagmite his adversary had just split in two comes flying at him. He quickly steps aside, and the stony missile crashes into the wall behind him, once again shaking the entire Labyrinth.
“Wait.”
Suddenly, a faint voice rings out. The inconspicious girl from before stands up, watching the events with her face still hidden under an emotionless mask.
“Ah-“ The ogreish girl seems to calm down upon hearing that single word. “But I was having fun~”
The bizarre duo falls silent, and Assassin just stands there, panting. He has not sustained any serious damage so far, but the experience alone was enough to give him a good scare – and fill him with even greater excitement. This extraordinary girl must have an extraordinary body structure, and he shivers at the thought of taking her apart.
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“Oh, this was a welcome diversion. But I fear I’ll have to leave now.”
Ignoring the baffled expresison on the horned girl’s face, Assassin quickly spins around and disappears into the shadows. In a dark corridor, watching the fight from afar, Atma waits for her servant, barely able to hold back her laughter.
“What?”
“Kyahahaha! This was such fun to watch! You ran so much, I didn’t know which one of you was the little girl!”
“Cut it out. That girl was scary.” Assassin sighs, but quickly regains his good mood. “…But so very interesting.” He cracks his knuckles. “I wouldn’t mind to keep fighting her…”
“Soon enough! We should take care of the other players first. The best always comes last, you seeeee?”
“I guess.” Assassin scratches his head. “So, where are we going?”

The Fountain Plaza is a vast square, a serene retreat at this time of night, and only a large black flower in the center stands out. As they pass the great fountain, Atma suddenly stops, spins around and bows in an overly dramatic fashion.
“Ladies and gentlemen…”
“What are you going on about now?” Assassin groans. His master’s escapades are starting to annoy him.
“…I will show you my greatest trick! I shall summon now two, not three, not four, not five… but SIX of myself, at the same time, at the same place!”
“…six? I thought five was your limit.”
“Kyhahaha. Of course noooooot. Now just wait and see.”
Assassin is almost sure that she just winked at him under her mask.
Atma puts her hands together and twists her fingers around, quickly forming a series of magical seals. In the next moment, the shadowy image of Assassin’s Doppelgänger separates from his body, and a third identical figure is born.
“So that’s three. Where are the promised six?”
“For that… I will have to borrow the magic of the fountain! Come with me!”
Atma starts to walk. Curiously, Assassin follows. He knows of the magical properties of this fountain’s water, but can they really enhance his master’s magic like that?
“It’s done!” Atma and stops and stares into the water. Assassin does the same, still not sure what to make of his master’s words.
“So?”
“So? I’ve kept my promise, haven’t I? Kyaha.”
“…”
Three Atmas stand around the fountain, gazing into the water. Their reflections look back at them - three more Atmas behind the mirror.
“See? It’s an illuuuuuusion.”
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“Good boy. Now come with me, there’s some work for us to do~”
The swaying figure of a teenaged boy in rags follows Assassin. The now mindless slave had been relieved of his cruel existence, forced to spend the night outside, sleeping on the cold floor of the Fountain Plaza. At the very least, Assassin likes to think so. Whether or not he prefers his old life was out of question anyway, and the boy’s expressionless face doesn’t show any thoughts running through his head, as only a thread of drool leaves his body.
“Where are we going now? I’m tired of sitting around.”
Atma is silent, facing the direction they came from when they fled the Underground Labyrinth.
“You know what might be fun?” She speaks again, her voice strangely hollow. “Going back to that labyrinth.”
“What do you…” Assassin wants to protest this highly illogical decision, but suddenly, his motivation to do so is gone, replaced by a sudden urge to take a stroll through the dark corridors of the Underground Labyrinth again.
“You’re right…” He follows his master, who is already leaving the Plaza. “Let’s go there. Hey, you come along too!”
The silence of the night returns. Atma, Assassin and his slave slowly walk towards their destination without losing another word. The sole thought of returning to the labyrinth has taken complete control of their minds.
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Touphi
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I want to print all of this out in fancy font, bound it in leather, tie a rose to it, and give it to Atma.
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