#formidablemudball

The thought will not leave him alone. Ever since he woke from those odd dreams, his core has been seized by feelings of conflict and confusion; more than usual, at least. Flashes of the scenes haunt him even when he’s awake: the fragments of that encounter with his predecessor and the sight of Tiamat’s primordial sea. Kingu feels like he’s drowning as he sprints through the city in search of a too-familiar presence.

Even with his presence detection limited, they are easy to pinpoint. It’s like moving in the direction of a towering mountain, or following the sound of a raging waterfall. He thought he’d never do this, never be the one that would seek them out, and yet here he is. He doesn’t slow down until he feels the servant nearby, and Kingu is certain they know he’s there, tracking them. In spite of this being his choice, the child of Tiamat pauses--hesitates, for a moment before approaching. Whether he’s giving himself time to steel himself or Enkidu a chance to leave, he’s not sure. Maybe both. 

What is he doing? “Enkidu.” Had he called them by name before? He can’t remember.

Her saunter had slowed to a halt and eyes skyward. Fascination was rift over the levitating island; firstly, what kept it afloat, and why?

It played distraction momentarily, yet that had been all the time necessary for the street to shake violently. Saber backed from the chattering buildings in anticipation for their collapse. and they did - just not in the fashion she had expected.

they were sinking like concrete had become quicksand, and none seemed to emerge from the doors. It was an alarming sight to behold, with the wonder of how many had gone down with them. But it was not yet over, as replacements arose, and by the culmination of the quake, all was as if nothing had happened. save for the rearranged faces - the street as a whole swapped for another.

She was dazed with effort to process it all, and scoured the street with question as to why none reacted to the phenomenon. The one she approached was another servant; a factor which could wait until after what she deemed more pressing. “What force sunk the buildings that were here? None of the citizens appeared fazed - how can they bear no expression to the taking of entire structures, and those within?”

            What... was he doing here? She was surrounded by all the Shinki she had owned previously, and they seemed to want to drag her down with them. No matter how powerful she was of being able to control this, she couldn’t. She just couldn’t bring herself to harm her family, no matter how much time had passed since their deaths. 

            She could do nothing but stand in front of them; it felt all too real. What lied before her were her mistakes as a god, proof that her past would always come back to her no matter how long it had been.

            It was then when she saw the familiar face of an old acquaintance pop up that she perked up, eyes bewildered as she stared at him in panic. Her hand quickly tried to wave him away, hoping it would keep distance between the two.

This city had no shortage of mana signatures, but there was one in particular that concerned her. It was incredibly strong, and more worrisome still, it was unfamiliar. The strength that bled from this individual (who undoubtedly wasn’t present in Chaldea) felt strongest when she was within her own apartment, which made it difficult for her to relax. Any Servant that wasn’t allied with Gudako and Gudao could easily be an enemy.

Frankenstein’s monster ruminated over this mystery from within the washroom, her damp hair newly braided and pinned up against the back of her skull. She didn’t need to bathe, but it comforted her; it was a human activity, something that she’d been denied for her entire life, and the cool water felt nice on her overheated circuitry. Once she was fully dry and clothed, she opened the door... ... And found herself face-to-face with a green-haired individual.

---- For over a month, the King had traveled the lengths of the city as he willed. He had seen the place in shambles, but even now, with it restored to what he could only assume was its true glory, as he looked down from on high, he stood fairly unimpressed. 

The modern world had taken leave of its sense in terms of design. There was no flow to the towering skyscrapers, no beauty in the place’s design. It was a far cry from the shining streets of Uruk and even the hills and valleys that had surrounded it. Perhaps it was unfair to compare this to the place he’d claimed as his own so long ago, but that was the King’s standard. Anything less simply wasn’t worth his attention.

“It’s  as pitiful as it is grand. But you have come before me. What have you come to learn about this city, my friend?”

@formidablemudball 

✯ Rush, rush, rush through the streets, Maya. The wraiths are coming, they’re coming for your flesh, your life. You can’t go against them, for you’re just a normal human. Even if you tried to use that spear of yours against them, they’d be too fast for you to deal with. So you must just run.

✯ And run she does, up to the inside of a dark alley. She hides herself behind a trash can, in hopes that the creatures won’t spot her. Thankfully, it seems to work. Perhaps she might stay at this corner for a while-

@formidablemudball

this place had absolutely gone to hell since she’d left it.  She’d had to fight a few of the wraiths floating around here, and no matter how many she killed, more kept seeming to pop up.  fortunately none of them seemed to be able to do anything about her presence concealment.  she could simply walk up to a wraith, cut it down with himitsucalibur, and walk away.  it was simple really, almost boring.

well, that was until something interesting happened.  finishing off another of the wraiths she looked over her shoulder, spotting a passerby.  normally she just disregarded them, as they normally couldn’t even see her as long as she was like this, but something was off about this one. removing her hat, and allowing the presence concealment to drop, she pointed her sword at them.

       “YOU’VE BEEN STARING AT THIS FOR A WHILE...”

The Lancer looked puzzled with a hint of frustration. Judging by their choice of fashion or lack thereof, it was a little much to expect literacy from them even if they were now updated with the knowledge of other languages.

        “TROUBLED, AREN’T YOU? I CAN OFFER YOU MY HELP. YOU DON’T NEED TO SOLVE THIS ALL ON YOUR OWN.”