As twilight faded into darkness, a diffuse rain started across the city of Fuyuki, and the streets soon cleared. In the apartment of one Yukimura Hanako, this presented the additional complexity of needing to find the bucket she used to catch the leak from the ceiling before returning one last time to the notes that she'd stolen to check the design one final time: in her own blood, she needed to trace out a complex circle, then some magibabble about 'magic circuits' and finally a random German chant.

With the set time approaching, the blonde took a deep breath and got to work.

It wasn't for nearly half an hour that the design was complete, and the pale girl sat on the edge of a flattened, decayed mattress to complete the ritual, completing the ceremony with all the cheer of a drowned rat... and waiting to see if her efforts would bear fruit. With her knowledge of magecraft, she didn't think it was likely.

Chieko's Apartment

From Hell...

Now... now this was going perfectly. Chieko had planned. Oh, she'd planned long and hard for this. A few nights without sleep... well, she didn't need it that badly. She was set and focused and now was the time. Her catalyst, an infamous note said to be written by the one she intended to summon, was positioned perfectly. It had taken a long time and further confirmation, but the Servant she desired was hers. Her plan was simple, really. Jack the Ripper. A Legendary Serial Killer summoned into the class of Assassin. The match was almost too perfect, almost too right. The class of Assassin was tailored to those who slaughtered and murdered and escaped unscathed, and Jack had certainly done that. Already, her songbird familiars were scouring the city for the perfect avenues for ambushes. Assassin could not be a direct fighter, that was certain.

And yet, Chieko felt nervous. Jack the Ripper was a killer of women. The note, even if it was not written by him, was a rather intimidating look at what he may have been like. And yet he could not harm her, not if he desired to linger in the world and find success. She was also worried for what such a person would desire for their wish. Though... Chieko would normally not consider this, but it may simply be that forcing her Servant to kill himself was the safer option given who he was... After all, given what Jack the Ripper was in life, allowing such a person to make a wish would perhaps not be the wisest idea.

Chieko was not normally a fan of that kind of deceit, but it seemed like it would be necessary in this situation. It would be hard to feel regretful over doing such a thing to someone who as a serial murderer in life, after all.

At least, this is what she thought at the time.

The circle... everything was set. Taking a deep breath and shaking off some tiredness(sleep could wait), Chieko began her summoning...

Assassin - Chieko's Apartment

"M-..."

For a moment, it seemed like the ritual hadn't worked. Nothing seemed to happen, and no Servant seemed to be summoned. But slowly, ever so slowly, the room began to fill with a thick mist, spreading about until Chieko couldn't see anything.

"...M-m-..."

...And then suddenly, it all disappeared. The mist was gone as mysteriously as it appeared, and in the center of the room was...

...That couldn't be right.

This was no legendary murderer. At least, something like that couldn't look like this. Huddled in the center of the room was a small, silver-haired girl, curled up in a foetal ball and sleeping like the dead. As she slumbered, the girl seemed to be mumbling something in her sleep...

"M-m-m... M-..."

The tiny girl slowly raised her sleepy head, hands gently rubbing her eyes as she stumbled to her feet. ...There was definitely something wrong here. The way she looked, the way she was dressed, her apparent age... Surely, something had gone wrong. And then, as she finally opened her eyes and looked straight at Chieko, she mumbled something, something soft and quiet, but still coherent...

"...M-m-m... M-mother..."

Chieko's Apartment

To be honest, Chieko hadn't been sure what to expect from the actual summoning of someone like this. And so, when the mist came rolling in, she was momentarily startled, jolted and afraid for the briefest of seconds, until she tried to relax and calm herself. No matter how bad it got, the Servant had to accept her as Master. Even if they were someone like Jack the Ripper. Even if Chieko couldn't see them. No, she would keep herself focused and calm. Even if she felt a bit hazy... And then suddenly the fog cleared, almost as quickly as it had rolled in.

There, left in the summoning circle, was...

No.

Something had gone wrong. This... couldn't be Jack the Ripper, that was for sure. For a moment, Chieko clutched at her head, almost frantic. She had made a mistake? What kind of mistake had she made? How could she have gone so wrong as to summon a little girl instead of a legendary serial killer? She'd been so careful, planned so extensively to ensure she made things right... she even obtained a catalyst! Was it because the catalyst wasn't confirmed to have been written by the killer? She thought it just had to have enough of a connection to their legend...

... The girl was getting up, now. Unsteadily, sleepily... There was something endearing about her that Chieko could have focused on far more if she wasn't desperately going over her preparations in her head to figure out what she had done wrong. And then... she heard it, and stopped dead where she stood.

'Mother?'

That... she had to have misheard. This... still had to be a Servant, whoever she was...

... Well she had to accept, it was a Servant after all, and something after seeing how... sad the girl looked made it difficult to say no.

"... Yes. You... you... are Assassin, correct...?"

It was a start. If this was still Assassin, Chieko could at least salvage her plans... And... and get this girl something to wear that didn't look like it belonged in a strip club.

"Let's begin. I hope we can have fun together~"

Every self has a different way of making a Form. A room containing a set of tapestries which thrum with the life of their crafter. A forest overgrown with Eldritch abominations that only exist within a twisted mind. A flawless sky, overladen with the white-gold light of the sun.

Now wipe it all away. Wipe it away and picture a void. A black void, endlessly expanding in all directions.

Litter this void with stars, stars of every conceivable size and color, myriad to the point where merely trying to understand their impossibility of quantity could break your mind and shatter your soul.

This is the inside of the devil's die.

You stand in the center of this void, an empty husk.

Set.

-Initiate.

The starting penalty is three.

Death by madness. Death by happiness. Death by love.

To begin, understand that the world is an illusion. Understand that you are a sleepwalker, blind. Understand that the web of interactions you believe to have constructed with other selves is a mere falsehood created by a monster dangling a reflective surface before your nonexistent eyes and that the second you close your eyes to escape the monstrosity you have created for the most transient instant when you reopen then to see your good work you find that it has all been wiped away.

You are the Other. You are the world. You are the demon of Laplace who creates the illusion.

You must understand this. You must, because soon it will begin. Soon the damned event of your own devising shall begin and it will all come shattering apart.

You created something. Thus, the intermediate penalty is five.

Death by electrocution. Death by suffocation. Death by burning. Death by stabbing. Death by dehydration.

I am a mere construction, a mere basis for the overseeing of preordained events with preordained consequences. You know this. You've known this your whole life, but if you insist that you have forgotten then it is no matter, for one day you will recall its true nature.

Do not curse your world, for to curse it is to curse yourself. Do not curse yourself, for then this game will all be for naught.

Have you understood yet? I hope so.

If you have not understood yet, you will surely lose to those that have. You will lose to those instances of "you" which surpassed you.

What it means, indeed.

For if the world is an illusion.

If the man is an illusion.

If the knife is an illusion.

There is nothing wrong with it. There is nothing wrong with nothing killing nothing.

So then, go forth. Go forth and explore the depths of depravity you sought to create. Nobody will blame you but yourself.

The end has not yet been given.

The starting penalty was for understanding. The intermediate penalty was for creating.

-But you created something greater than your mind could comprehend.

Thus, the true penalty is one.

The final penalty is a hapless suicide which you yourself will perform in the evanescent dance to the end of eternity.

Let the devil's die roll, and the game begin.

---

Set. Set. Set.

Ten points cut through the world.

Look beyond the veil, beyond the self, beyond the Truth.

Burn all creation. Conquer all.

The golden king who towers above. The sword which is not. The 'she' who split Void into Truth.

I will surpass them all.

Lines drawn in the dirt of the Western Forest.

The ritual was a falsehood, so the circle could be as well.

"Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone.

The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate.

Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill).

Repeat every five times.

Simply, shatter once filled.

――――I announce.

Your self is under me, my fate is in your sword.

In accordance with the resort of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer.

Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead.

You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance ―――!"

The wind writhed as a flare of light filled the expanse, debris flying in random directions as the light grew ever brighter.

Such was the world.

Such was the summoning of a spirit of old.

Nothing else needed to be said.

James Minassian, Ryuudoji Cemetery

"Hah, great night for a storm ain't it?" James remarked as the first few drops of rain descended from the dreary night sky. In his hands was an empty vial, small droplets of red liquid still clinging to its walls.

In a clearing before him, near the corner of the cemetery was a summoning circle inscribed with chalk made from dead magi, topped off with a thin coat of his own blood. Within the center sat no catalyst, since he hadn't the chance to obtain one. However, little did he know that the chalk he was using was made of the bones of a certain German magus' ancestor. The time of night and the relatively isolated location - not to mention the non-detection and soundproofing Bounded Fields - solved the issue of mundane interference well enough. James took a deep breath. He knew the incantation, the summoning circle and catalyst were prepared and unobtained(-ish) respectively, nobody would interfere... It appeared all the necessary preparations were done. James moved to the front of the circle and extended the hand bearing his three Command Seals.

Right, then. Time to get this shit started.

"Silver and iron to the origin.
Gem and the archduke of pacts to the foundation.
Let the descending winds become a wall.
Let the gates in four directions close, rising above the crown, and let the three-forked road leading to the kingdom rotate.

Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill).
Five perfections for each repetition.
And now, let the filled sigils be annihilated in my stead!

—Set.
Let thy body rest under my dominion, let my fate (doom) rest in thy blade.
If thou submittest to the call of the Holy Grail and if thou wilt obey this will and reason, then answer my summoning!

—I make my oath here.
I am the person who is to become the virtue of all Heaven.
I am that person who is covered with the evil of all Hades.

Thou seven heavens, clad in a trinity of words,
come past thy restraining rings,
O keeper of the balance—!”

Prana coursed through James' circuits like a river as he chanted the incantation to summon the Heroic Spirit from the Throne and into this world. The summoning circle glowed brighter and brighter as the words flowed from his mouth. The roaring prana raged like a whirlwind as the ritual entered its climax.

The light emanating from the circle reached its apex and burst into a blinding light.

Ryuudoji Cemetery

For a few moments, it seemed as if nothing had happened after the light burst from the circle. And then... then, there was more shining lights. These were different. Grey pinpoints of light, almost like particularly dull fireflies, rose and fell from the corners of the circle. And then they swirled, meeting in the center and converging on each other, rising and slowing assembling themselves into a more coherent form. First came feet, in unusual boots... which rose to reveal the boots had diamond-shaped holes cut into the top. Then a skirt, a jacket... pale skin, blue eyes, platinum blonde hair...

Caster blinked. Gretchen had come too, her friend clutched against her chest, hugged in both arms. The little girl took only a moment to take in her surroundings, casting her blue eyes around the cemetery, before focusing once more on her summoner. Now... what was it she had to do here? There was something really really important she had to say that was absolutely necessary to be a Servant! Oh, but what was it...? Caster couldn't remember, it had just slipped her mind... Oh, wait, that was it!

"Hello! You have summoned me as Caster! Which I think is the only thing I could be summoned as even if it would be amazing to be summoned as one of the knight classes!" she began, smiling widely and her blue eyes almost shining, "Do you think we'll meet any knights?! I hope we do! Knights are amazing they rescue damsels and kill dragons and isn't that the best?! It is the best of course just like milk! Do you like milk?! Do knights like milk?! I wonder if knights ever had cake and milk parties! I wonder if they ever had it with their horses?!"

Caster paused for a moment, deep in thought. Oh yes, this was an important question...

"Do you have a horse?! That would be fantastic! We could ride it and give it ice cream and also we need to try ice cream I've never had it before! ... We're in a cemetery! Do you live in a cemetery?! That's a weird place to live, it really really is! Mostly only dead people live in cemeteries and that's not really living so much as being dead! And-wait... what is it, Gretchen?"

Caster tilted her head, peering down at Gretchen clutched against her chest. She was... Oh! That really was important, way more important then the other stuff! Caster had nearly forgotten that part!

"Oh right um... are you my Master?!"

Hakuno

Even with a Servant at her beck and call, Hakuno felt uneasy.

Brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear, she viewed the street before her with an ice-cream cone hovering just before her lips. Well, obviously, the mage herself held the cone, but... well, anyway, the point was that a teenaged girl sat, apparently by herself, on a bench and simply looked at the people passing by. Thanks to her specialty, barely anyone even so much as glanced at her. She was effectively invisible to the common people. Thankfully, none of the other Masters knew who she was, either. ...Hopefully.

Honestly, Hakuno was a tad paranoid that she was just advertising herself as a target at the moment. Sure, she should just look like a forgettable face, and with her Servant hidden... but what if another Master saw through that and blind-sided her? She'd be dead in, like, the first five minutes of this war! Se just had to keep reminding herself that there was surely no way she would be discovered.

...Though that begged the question: How was she supposed to identify a Master by just sitting there and waiting for one to pass by?

"...Archer," Hakuno spoke softly, to avoid attraction the attention of passers-by, "if my plans were dumb, you'd tell me, right?"

---

Lancer

With the usual, flashy entrance typical of newly-summoned Servants, a tall and imposing figure loomed before the mage that had summoned him. Silently, he observed the girl, a hand stroking at the tall, magnificent beard that adorned the Servant's face, as if pondering. After a moment, he stepped forward, placed a fist within his other hand, and bowed his head respectfully.

"...I am Lancer, and I have answered your summons," he spoke, his tone surprisingly gentle for such a large man, "If you will have me, I will be honoured to serve you."

James Minassian, Ryuudoji Cemetery

Did... Did he make a mistake? The blinding light of the ritual finally dimmed, and the roaring prana was made still. But yet there wasn't even anything in the bloody circle! Did he miscalculate the precise angles of the circle? Did summoning in a cemetery result in interference? Did the use of biological matter from someone other than himself to create the circle end up summoning the spirit in, say, Europe? Dammit, he was a necromancer! He should've done better than that at calling up spirits, Heroic or otherwise. James sighed. Whatever. Looks like he might as well start cleaning up. Leaving a ritual circle made of blood and bone around for monks to find in the morning wasn't very good etiquette, no matter who you asked.

Not even two steps forward and the circle began to glow once more. Well, it was a good thing that he hadn't broken the circle yet, or perhaps he really would've screwed up. The corners of the circle released grey light, coming to the center of the circle, slowly but surely forming a body. Boots - strangely designed and rather miniscule for a supposed hero of old, but perhaps this was just the first stage of the spawning? - were first to arise from the nexus of light. Next came a skirt and jacket, followed by the completion of the body topped off with caucasian skin, blue eyes, and blonde hair the shade of one of those names he didn't quite know. She was rather small at the moment, like a child. Now to wait for the body to size up to the proper age of the hero...

...

...It would happen any time now, he was sure!

...A-Anything?

...Wait. Did he actually summon a child as his Servant!?

James looked at his Servant with a look that could only be described as 'hopelessly confused' on his face. Perhaps he could try to rationalize this... Yes, that's what he'd do. Obviously he'd summoned a particularly powerful Servant if they'd managed to have reached the Throne as a child. Obviously....Hopefully. At least he knew it definitely wasn't just some wraith or anything. Though that knowledge just changed his expression to give him a confused smile along with his general confused-ness. He examined the Heroic Spirit, trying to discern something about her that might prove of use. Her appearance suggested that she was European, or perhaps American, and definitely wasn't a super ancient spirit. She had a doll that she seemed rather attached to. Perhaps that was her Noble Phantasm? He was about to open his mouth to speak, maybe ask a question or two, when this strange Servant beat him to it.

Upon hearing the first few sentences dispensed by the girl, the only thought in James' mind was a flat, resounding: 'What.'

James silently waited for Caster to complete her long, energetic speech about such things as knights, milk and cake parties, horses, and how a cemetery was a peculiar place to live. However, his expression was now less confused, and more 'what the actual hell is going on'. Another pause entered her speech, but to be frank James was busy trying to wrap his head around what she had previously stated. In fact, it took a few moments even after Caster got 'serious' (so to speak) for James to shake himself from his baffled stupor.

"Err... Sorry 'bout that. I... Yes. Yes I am your Master," James answered, scratching at the side of his temple. Fortunately his expression was now a lot less pathetic than before, though there was the distinct presence of confusion in his furrowed brow, "And, ah, as for your previous questions... I think milk is perfectly fine, but I don't own a horse, sorry to say. I also don't live in a cemetery, since that would be weird." He left out the words 'even though I'm a necromancer', just on the off-chance that Caster wouldn't approve and... do something detrimental. "Unfortunately, I can't guarantee we'll see any knights here. Buuuuuut I suppose - if we get the chance - I can try to ask for you...?"

'...Well, this's already shaping up to be a strange night.'

Archer, Fuyuki Street

"Obviously. Especially since it will be my neck on the line for the majority of the time, after all," Archer spoke from spirit form. Materializing himself at the moment would be a pretty useless endeavor for multiple reasons. He would paint his Master as a target should her choice of magecraft fail her, he would be wasting prana on something that he could easily do now, and he'd be advertising their location to any half-decent magus since he didn't have a change of clothes to make use of the skill, Guise of Anonymity.

"Speaking of which, I may as well fulfill that duty to you now," Archer added after a moment's delay, "If your plan is waiting for Masters and Servants to walk past this specific street in order to defeat them or persuade them into alliance, it is indeed what I would consider a dumb plan. No offense intended, of course. Perhaps having you wait in your home, getting a good sleep away from any dangers, and just having me scout out the town for you would be a safe idea."

A pause.

"...Heh. But I know how well constantly hiding behind a wall works. I would much rather prefer to have you close enough to not waste a Command Seal on something as preventable as protecting you while isolated."

Ryuudoji Cemetery, Caster

Caster titled her head. Why, her Master looked confused! What was so confusing about cake and knights and horses and milk? If you lived in a cemetery that wasn't a very-ohhh, he didn't live in a cemetery. That explained the confusion! If you didn't live in a cemetery you wouldn't be as used to weird things or even normal things like what she was talking about! ... Even though Gretchen said she was being kind of confusing... Well there could be other reasons but Faust was sure this was the one. As her Master answered her questions, Caster's smile grew broader and broader.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, "That's nice, you seem like a nice Master even if you don't have a horse! Oh oh oh, Gretchen says hi too!"

Caster raised Gretchen up, took a hold of one of her arms, and caused her hand to wave back and fourth using her fingers, at the man who had summoned the both of them into this world. Gretchen was promptly returned to Caster's preferred place for her, clutched tightly against her slight chest. After all, she had to be safe and secure and ready for anything! "... But if you don't live in a cemetery, where do you live?! Do you have a mansion?! I like mansions mansions are nice! They're all amazing and big and stuff and they have plenty of room to store sweets in! Like cake and ice cream and we need to have a party! With all the modern stuff I didn't get to have before because it didn't exist yet! ... Wait... what if it did exist and I never found out about it?! That would be terrible! Like... like... King Arthur getting hit in the head by a rock while drawing the sword from the stone terrible! Because it would be really awkward if that happened wouldn't it?! Like if your skirt got fli-oh you're a man you don't wear a skirt... your pants got flipped! Or you got hit in the face with a pie! And-oh Gretchen says I'm getting distracted what were we doing again?"

James Minassian, Ryuudoji Cemetery

Oh?

The doll could communicate with Caster? That was certainly very interesting! Could it be that the doll was sentient? Perhaps it was a summoning Noble Phantasm, like the bound form of an extremely powerful being. Or maybe an indication that Caster was a skilled Puppet Master and this was her greatest achievement. Either way, he had to treat this thing with respect and dignity it probably deserved.

...Of course he didn''t take into account the possibility of it being just Caster's imagination. Something like that wouldn't work for him. A Servant summoned with a nameless, powerless sword would be understandable, but a generic doll with a pet name? Probably not.

"Hello there, Gretchen," James said with a smile as he waved to his Servant's probably-sentient doll before Caster began speaking again. Well, at least he knew she'd have enough energy for the both of them. Always good to think on the bright side, even if it was mostly just sentiment and not particularly practical when planning. Fortunately he'd managed to somewhat adjust his mentality to deal with Caster's ramblings. At least enough to maintain an outward appearance that didn't make him look like a doof. On the inside though...

Oh, nevermind that. Here was his chance to bring the conversation towards something more relevant!

"Well Caster, that's kind of funny. I used to live in a mansion, but then it burned down," and everyone died James answered, "I actually don't live in this town, but I did take a walk around this morning to look for nice places to set up at. Like using the temple over there, or maybe borrow like, a well-positioned home. Y'know, for the whole Grail War thing we're supposed to be doing." 'Nice segue James. Nice segue,' he mentally patted himself on the back before continuing. "Speaking of which, Caster, you or Gretchen have any thoughts on that?"

Ryuudoji Cemetery, Caster

Caster smiled as her Master greeted Gretchen. Yay! He was nice to Gretchen too, this was the best master! Well maybe at least, he could turn out to be an ancient dragon dinosaur murderer vampire who eats children and horses and castles and is made of fire and swords in disguise, but Caster decided that was decidedly unlikely. Why would an ancient dragon dinosaur murderer vampire who eats children and horses and castles and is made of fire and swords need to disguise themselves? It simply didn't make any sense at all! As her Master explained about his mansion, and his surroundings, and where they could go, Caster considered this...

"Well I like the temple! Is it a temple to cake?! Wait no cakes don't get temples..." The tiny girl trailed off for a moment, the errant hair poking up from her head bobbing as she rocked back and fourth on her feet, thinking things over. "I need a good spot for a workshop, and a temple might be really good! That way I can get to summoning all my friends so they can help us out! They're all really nice even though they're demons so don't worry okay?! Okay!"

Caster smiled warmly up at her Master. There! That was the kind of thing Gretchen wanted her to say, right? So that they could get working on the Grail War, on attaining victory. That was... impossibly important to Caster. Incredibly so. For a moment the little girl didn't speak, or even move, as her thoughts cycled to just why such things were important to her. Gretchen needed it, she needed it, so desperately...

"... Gretchen agrees! We need a nice big space with lots of room and stuffed animals and magecraft things! Well I can handle some of those at least... but also ice cream we need ice cream. Because we need to have an ice cream party and invite knights and horses and dragons and all kinds of amazing things!"

It didn't take long for her to bounce back.

Hakuno's posture slumped as she let out a soft groan. Se may have asked for it, but being told her time was wasted still stung a little. Well... it wasn't like she being graded or anything! As long as her methods didn't end in horrific death - via battle or sickness - it didn't matter too much! ...Maybe.

Still, the idea of twiddling her thumbs at home wasn't the most appealing option, either. Sure, there was the possibility of being found and attacked while Archer was scouting, but... she also didn't want to be left alone with her thoughts. Lately, they hadn't been the cheeriest, and being with her Servant at least opened the possibility of... well, any other topic of conversation.

Pondering for a moment, Hakuno slowly rose to her feet, brow furrowed as she slowly licked away at her ice-cream. Eventually, she came to a decision, muttering, "in that case, we'll patrol for a little while, see if we can find something suspicious. Maybe we should avoid direct contact with opponents for now, though..."

James Minassian, Ryuudoji Cemetery

Aha! Now they were finally getting somewhere, both in the literal and the metaphorical sense. It seemed like they'd both decided upon using Ryuudoji Temple as their headquarters for the War. It would definitely be useful, especially with that Bounded Field funneling any spirits - Heroic or otherwise - into the path and front gate at risk of severe power reduction. Something - or someone - to cover that weakness would be useful to have, but they could deal with that problem later. It was only the first night after all. As for lodging without suspicion....

...Perhaps the head monk would suddenly have an 'old friend' stay for a while with his... Sister? Niece? Daughter? Screw it, he could figure that out later too, but there was definitely no way in hell was he going to introduce Caster as a Servant. Concealment of the Moonlit World aside, having a mid-twenty-year old man refer to a preteen girl as a servant, capital S or otherwise, would surely raise more than a few eyebrows. Digression aside, after that announcement, the aforementioned head monk would then leave on a sabbatical - monks had sabbaticals, right? Maybe a pilgrimage to some far off place would work better - sadly preventing anyone from asking about the details of their nonexistent relationship. Such a plan, even with all its kinks, would surely be both easier and more efficient than wide-scale memoy manipulation or mass hypnosis.

Now back to his Servant.

James looked down to see the little ball of energy smiling up at him. Did he miss something important? Was there a question he was to answer? A suggestion to praise or refute? Truthfully, all he'd manage to catch during his thought process was the bit about cake and temples, as well as a little bit about friends and demon summoning. The latter of which was significantly more interesting to him than the former two. Not knowing what exactly to do, James just returned the smile and hoped it made sense in context.

He then noticed movement from Caster's mouth. He'd have to listen intently now. What she said could end up being truly important, like what she'd said earlier.

...Nope. No it wasn't. Well, truth be told, the first bit was fairly relevant, but it went downhill from there. Just more talk about ice cream and kni- There was an idea!

"Hey Caster, wanna go out to town, see if we can grab some ice cream and fine one of those knights?" James asked, pausing for a moment to let his words set in before sticking his finger up in that 'not too fast' sort of way, "But only if we get all the preparations set up fast enough."

Archer, Fuyuki Streets

Archer thought on Hakuno's alternative plan. It was certainly more proactive than sitting on a bench with their proverbial thumbs up their ass, and surely had more of a chance to result in something beneficial. It also had a much higher chance of ending horribly, but it was a calculated risk. At least his Master - as low as her self-esteemed seemed to be - was able to see the value in not attacking the first person they see. Now if only she could be just a bit more sure of herself...

"...Oh, don't look so glum, you made a good plan," Archer said, "Good job, Ma- Hakuno."

Let it not be said that Odysseus didn't care for other peoples' feelings.

"Although, if we do happen to encounter any Servants and avoiding confrontation is no longer a possibility, I'd prefer to form an alliance... Or at the very least, a pact of non-aggression."

Truthfully, Archer left out the exact reasoning for this choice on his part, but his Master didn't need to know that he was doing this so there'd be less work and more play, so to speak, on his part. Dammit, he was a tactician, not a soldier! Well, technically he was a soldier too, but more so the former than the latter.

"Also, I wish to address the problem of a lack of disguise for myself," Archer added, "So I would like to get some clothing if the chance arises. They'll likely end up being very useful in the near future." Not to mention that remaining in spirit form was oh so boring. Practical, but still lacking the same freedom that came with a corporeal form.

Ryuudoji Cemetery

"... Waaaah..."

Caster leaned forward, eyes wide and her tiny body shuddering with excitement as she thought of all the things they could do if they met knights. The girl had always been fascinated with knights, their exploits, their chivalry and honor, how they fought evil... Oh, it was so exciting! She used to tell Gretchen about it all the time... well, she still did too! Almost immediately she went to run forward... but then her Master held up his finger. They had to set up first? Oh, that was easy! She'd do it nice and quick and then they would go out and meet knights!

"OKAY I'LL DO IT RIGHT AWAY!" declared Caster excitedly, her hands almost shaking from how eager she was. "And then we'll have a party but we have to get ice cream to share with the knights okay and I need to decide what friend I'll get first oh I'll summon Edeltaud and thank you Master let's go!"

The stream of words that came from Caster's mouth was said without a single pause, and they were barely intelligible. Barely. Caster turned on her heel and dashed off for the temple without a second's pause.

Marks Family Mansion.

Rain. Rain and rain. He liked the rain, despite it's dreary and depressing connotations it also brought life. These were the thoughts of Richard Marks as he stared out his window, stared out into the dark, dreary, damp landscape outside. He turned from the window, his hand drifting towards his mustache. Yes he still had preparations to make, very important preparations. His dark, intelligent eyes found the command seals branded upon the back of his hand, so many preparations to make if he was to win the Holy Grail.

A few hours later and his work nearly complete. All that was left was to place the catalyst and begin the incantation. A giant pentagram drawn in blood defaced the cold stone floor of the cellar he now occupied. No windows, no light save from the sole torch on the wall. Richard didn't even know if it was still raining, but in the end he supposed it mattered very little. He took the wooden box sitting on a nearby table, slowly opening the gilded wood to reveal it's contents. A rusted, ruined piece of cloth and metal that is said to be the hilt of one of the many swords of the great Japanese hero who died standing. The mighty warrior who defeated 999 samurai in single combat. This ancient, rusted piece of metal, was said to be the hilt of the sword of Benkei. And it would be the ticket to summoning one of the most powerful servants in the Holy Grail War.

And so he placed the hilt in the exact center of the pentagram. He stood before the sigil, right hand extended and felt....Pride? At what he was about to achieve or what he had already achieved he was not certain. But surely with the summoning of this Saber, the Holy Grail would most certainly be his. And so his deep, booming voice began the incantation, the long ancient rite that would summon and bind this heroic spirit to him.


"Silver and iron to the origin.
Gem and the archduke of pacts to the foundation.
Let the descending winds become a wall.
Let the gates in four directions close, rising above the crown, and let the three-forked road leading to the kingdom rotate.

Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill).
Five perfections for each repetition.
And now, let the filled sigils be annihilated in my stead!

—Set.
Let thy body rest under my dominion, let my fate (doom) rest in thy blade.
If thou submittest to the call of the Holy Grail and if thou wilt obey this will and reason, then answer my summoning!

—I make my oath here.
I am the person who is to become the virtue of all Heaven.
I am that person who is covered with the evil of all Hades.

Thou seven heavens, clad in a trinity of words,
come past thy restraining rings,
O keeper of the balance—!”

Richard could feel his prana being expended as the circle glowed brighter and brighter at his incantation. He could feel the raw power emanating from the light and he smiled, he smiled like a kid opening his first gifts on Christmas morning. Surely this would be the servant that would win him the Grail. And in his excitement, as the light was reaching it's brightest he couldn't help but call out. "Arise, Saber! Arise and fight with me for the Holy Grail!" And he laughed, a deep booming sound that permeated the air until the light turned dark. The laughter immediately ceased as Richard tried to determine what was going wrong. The power he felt before was only a mere fraction compared to what he felt now but this was different, this was sinister.

Finally the dark light exploded and his creation could be seen. Richard could only stare in awe before finally uttering. "What......What are you?"

As the circle cleared, a figure stood up in the middle, rising to a full seven feet tall and revealing a massive frame to match his height. He wore robes that could be vaguely recognized as those worn by sohei, warrior monks of a bygone era and though the massive man hardly seemed to be a religious type his towering body did seem like it fit a warrior.

He looked down at the small man who was regarding him with a mix of shock and awe, though in truth most men seemed small to one as large as Benkei. As he reviewed him and took in the man's exclamation of surprise, a puzzled look came over the giant monk's face as if there remained some element of the situation still beyond his understanding. After a moment of silent study of the magus before him, a grin like lightning suddenly split his face. The voice that followed was thunder.

"I...AM...BAHSAHKAH! Now, you who would call yourself My Master I ask you...What is your ambition, your goal, your dream?!"