The Hunt for the Vampire

Berserker grunted as Lancer's spear sliced her other leg. She could ignore the pain easily enough; Caster was healing her wounds as quickly as she received them. Her gown however, was showing significant wear.

Berserker
HP: 350/400
MP: 200/200

[[Lancer's turn to attack.]]

Spurred on by her successful counter, she dove in for a follow-up attack.

Lancer attacks:
Damascus carried out 1 launched of one (CLASH.) :

Berserker counterattacks:
Damascus carried out 1 launched of one (CLASH.) :

Berserker lands a successful hit.

Lancer
HP: 240/200
MP: 60/100

[[Caster and Berserker's turn]]

Energies snapped around Berserker's arms, adding more power behind her strikes along with finesse. Caster followed this up with more healing and shrugged off his robe, keeping it ready to give to Berserker should too much of her innocence be compromised.

[[Berserker Rank-Up!!]]
[[Strength: Rank B!]]

Empowered by Caster's buffs, Berserker smirked and dove forward again, swinging the hammer with all her might.

[[With a Rank Up in both Agility AND Strength I'm favoring her for a tie.]]

Berserker attacks:
Damascus carried out 1 launched of one (CLASH.) :

Lancer defends:
Damascus carried out 1 launched of one (CLASH.) :

[[OOHHHHHH

OOOOOHHHHHHHHHH

*bangs gavel* OOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHH]]

Lancer
HP: 200/200
MP: 60/100

Berserker's hammer clanged against her spear, but she was too strong: she blasted it back into Lancer's chest. She coughed and rolled backward. When she saw Caster shrug off his robes, she got even angrier.

"Don't expose yourself like that!!" she shrieked, gripping her spear tight. "You disgusting pig!"

She grimaced. She wasn't going to win this fight. Of course, her Master only wanted her to stall the two of them. But she'd be damned if she didn't get the opportunity to punish them.

Lancer shoved her spear into the roof under her and two huge, dragon-like wings exploded from her back, spreading wide to each side. She jumped and balanced elegantly on the end of her weapon.

"I will show you what it means to cross the Dragon's Daughter! Kneel before your true idol!"

Noble Phantasm

KILENC SÁRKÁNY - Dragon Cry Thundering Voice

Lancer took a deep breath, then let out a piercing, deafening shriek, mixed with the sounds of a dragon's roar. It reverberated out in all directions, cracking the stone under her feet and shattering glass for a mile in every direction.

The sound rolled over Berserker and Caster like a tornado, shaking their bodies and rattling in their skulls. Berserker dropped her hammer and covered both ears, but it was of little use. Stars flashed in her eyes and blood trickled out of her ears. Suddenly, she lost the feeling in her arms and legs. She couldn't move!

[[40 damage to each Servant. Berserker and Caster are also stunned]]

Lancer
HP: 200/200
MP: 20/100

Berserker
HP: 310/400
MP: 200/200

Caster
HP: 60/100
MP: 430/500

Caster dropped to his knees, shaking badly. His arms and legs were like heavy weights, and he could feel rivulets of blood inching down towards his neck. Who knew what this brat was capable of now? Would Berserker be okay without him? He had... to move...

[[Skill: Torture Techniques]]

With a swing of Lancer's spear, an array of knives and long nails appeared in the air, raining down on Berserker. They pierced not her flesh, but her gown, knocking her back and pinning her to the ground.

Lancer landed just beside her, panting from the use of her Noble Phantasm, but grinning wickedly. She placed the tip of her spear on Berserker's leg.

"I'm going to enjoy this," Lancer hissed. "It takes a lot of care to keep a body like mine beautiful and perfect, and there is no better skin care than the blood of a young maiden."

She dragged the spear up her leg, drawing a line of blood. Berserker clenched her teeth and refused to cry out in pain, but her body shook. Lancer gleefuly cackled, raising the spear higher and lifting the skirt of her gown slightly.

"And there's no better look than that anguish! Your blood will make the best..." She paused, looking down at Berserker's leg in confusion.

Stitches. Several rows of stitches. Wrapping her ankle, going up her calf and over her knee. Her skin on each side of her stitches were slightly different shades. Lancer turned her attention to Berserker's face. Laying prostrate, she looked up at her tormentor in defiance, the bangs falling out of her face. One green eye and one blue eye.

Lancer stumbled back. "What... What... Just what the hell is this? What the hell are you?!" She reached down and ripped a sleeve off of Berserker's dress, revealing more stitches, more sewn together patches of skin. Berserker wailed, not so much in pain or fear, but growing rage at her helpless situation.

"You're not human, are you?" Lancer spat in revilement. "You're no maiden. You're just a monster! How could a thing like you exist as a Heroic Spirit?!"

She gripped her spear tightly in both hands and drove into Berserker's stomach with all her might.

Berserker
HP: 280/400
MP: 200/200

Berserker coughed and sputtered as Lancer pulled the spear back out.

"A monster like you shouldn't exist! How dare you stain me with your dirty blood?! Hurry up and die! Die!!"

She drove the spear in again.

Berserker
HP: 250/400
MP: 200/200

[[Caster and Berserker are no longer stunned now!]]

Caster gritted his teeth, rage flaming in his eyes. "She is more beautiful than you could ever hope to be, you damned fiend!"

Clutching the sword in his hand, mana flowed from it into his body, bringing his health back. After a second of chanting, points of flame coalesced in the air and rushed towards the winged Servant.

[FLAMING DAGGERS: RANK C]

fuyumin carried out 1 launched of one (CLASH.) :

Lifting up her spear to strike again, she was too slow to turn and defend against the magical attack coming at her. The flaming daggers struck her and knocked her off of Berserker.

Lancer
HP: 170/200
MP: 20/100

Lancer howled with rage. "You disgusting piece of--!!"

Berserker, having also regained control of her body, managed to rip one arm free of the knives pinning her down. She seized the handle of her hammer, and whipped it with all her strength into Lancer's face.

Lancer
HP: 130/200
MP: 20/100


[[fukng get rekt]]

Blood pouring from her nose, she released an incomprehensible shriek of rage, diving forward and thrusting her spear toward Caster's chest.

Damascus carried out 1 launched of one (CLASH.) :

Oh hell no is this obnoxious diva going to get a hit in - or at least, he tried his best to make it that way.

fuyumin carried out 1 launched of one (CLASH.) :

Too shaken up in her rage, her swing went wide.

[[Caster and Berserker's turn!]]

Berserker's attack:
Damascus carried out 1 launched of one (CLASH.) :

Caster smirked as soon as Berserker pulled herself free. She had always been capable, and he was proud. The smell of ozone filled the air as sparks of lightning gathered together and flung themselves in a solid bolt towards Lancer.

[LIGHTNING BOLT: RANK C]

fuyumin carried out 1 launched of one (CLASH.) :

Lancer stumbled back out of the way of Berserker's hammer, then tried to dive out of the way of Caster's magical attack.

Dodging Berserker:
Damascus carried out 1 launched of one (CLASH.) :

Dodging Caster:
Damascus carried out 1 launched of one (CLASH.) :

Lancer managed to dodge both by a hair, then repositioned herself for another attack. "I will not..." she panted, "be bested... by a pig and a monster!"

She lunged toward Berserker again.

Lancer's attack
Damascus carried out 1 launched of one (CLASH.) :

Berserker's counterattack
Damascus carried out 1 launched of one (CLASH.) :

Berserker, quickly gaining her steely confidence back, spun out of the way and smashed her hammer into Lancer's side.

Lancer
HP: 90/200
MP: 20/100

"If we're pigs and monsters, then that must make you..." Caster's smile was satisfied and matter-of-fact. "Absolutely nothing! Prepare to crumble, false idol."

He began chanting, closely watching Lancer's footsteps. As long as he kept the area large enough, he might just have a chance...

[EARTHEN TANGLE: RANK B]

Lancer noticed the ground under her starting to mutate, and tried to dive out of the way.

Damascus carried out 1 launched of one (CLASH.) :

She wasn't fast enough to get out of the way, and vines exploded from the stone under her, curling around her legs and holding her in place. Sucking in her breath, she could do nothing as Berserker came in and slammed her hammer into her chest.

Lancer
HP: 50/200
MP: 20/100

She couldn't even fall out of the way as the weapon hit her, the vines holding her in place. She doubled over and coughed up blood.

Berserker stepped back to take another stance, giving Lancer enough time to look up at both of them with an expression full of hate.

"Pigs... Both of you disgusting pigs..." she coughed, blood still dribbling from her mouth. "This isn't over! I promise you, this isn't the end!"

[[Skill: Battle Continuation]]

Her form shimmered for just a second before she returned to spirit form, disappearing from view and leaving the vines wrapping around nothing but empty air. Her spiritual presence quickly faded away into nothing.

Caster let out a deep sigh and tossed his hair before picking up his robe and wrapping it gently around Berserker's shoulders. "What a pest. Are you all right?"

Berserker relaxed, letting her hammer slip just enough to rest it upon the ground as Caster wrapped his robe around her. She didn't look at him for a moment, frowning sadly at the ground, but she eventually took a deep breath, drawing confidence from their clinch victory and nodded at him.

She then noticed that he was topless for the first time. She stared for several seconds, then looked away, blushing slightly.

"I know she said some cruel things to you, but that's the kind of person she is. She didn't say it because it's true." He smiled softly, hands on her shoulders. "If she knew you like I know you, she'd know right away that you're incredibly lovely, inside and out." He parted her bangs with his thumbs and pressed a fond kiss to her forehead.

"Come, let's go home, I'm sure Yui and Lazarus would like a report."

Berserker gasped with mild surprise, then lowered her head, hiding her face beneath her bangs as her face turned even redder.

"Hmmnmm..." she mumbled, with a cadence that seemed to be saying "thank you."

She held on tightly to Caster as the two returned to the mansion.

[[moving to mansion thread whenever you're ready]]