It was late. Really late. She wasn't sure if it was a good idea to be out and about past midnight; she would have to get up early in the morning for class and then work her rear end off until five. To put it simply, it was no doubt that she would be exhausted when she attended class at nine o' clock that same day.

Akane Inukai fumbled with a chain and lock as she hooked her precious bike to a rack on the beach's boardwalk, making sure it was properly secured before turning to face the ocean. The sound of the waves crashing against the shore sounded like an angry beast's roar that filled her ears to the brim. The moon hung high in the sky, a pale orb that radiated a dull light. The moonlight drenched the beach in silver, displaying how violent the Pacific Ocean was. For a moment, she worried that the cave she had found a few days ago had been flooded, but she remembered she had been smart enough to choose a location that would not become filled with water if the sea became turbulent.

The young woman sighed, running a hand through her hair before looking down at her bag. Assuring that her package was still there, Akane made her way down to the shore. The wet sand closest to the water stuck the most to her shoes and socks, making her trip and almost fall more than once. It's like I'm walking on quicksand. she thought, grunting with the effort of walking to the hidden cave without sinking too much into the sand. I don't know why I didn't pick an easier place to conduct the ritual...

But if she did the ritual too close to Ukatan City University, the mages that went there (if any) would be alerted to her presence. Akane couldn't afford that; she was already trying her hardest to hide the red markings on her right hand. The Command Seals' colors were bright and caught people's eyes, which she hated. In all honesty, she didn't want to be part of this "Holy Grail War" that she had read about in the books. She disliked fighting and seeing people get extremely hurt. All she could do was hide the markings for as long as she could. Then again, fate was a bitch, wasn't it?

Akane grunted as she squeezed into a crevice in the stone cliffs of the shore, sighing in relief as she realized that no water had gotten into the cave. A small hole in the roof of the cave let some of the moonlight filter in, providing her with some vision. It was perfect and hidden; she was pretty sure that no one would expect a ceremony to be conducted here. A small smile worked its way over the brunette's lips as she set down her bag. It's going to be alright. I have this... thing, and I'm going to use it well. I think.

Pulling out a few chicken corpses from her bag, she set them to the side before pulling out a large box. Akane's grin became larger as she opened it, looking down at her valuable possession-- an old looking blade, rusty and dull, sat within the confines of the box. A naginata blade. She trembled with excitement, wondering what kind of "Servant" or whatever would she summon using the weapon. Her blue gaze remained planted on the curved blade some more before realizing it was becoming later. She would have to make this quick.

Akane set the box on a rock, keeping it open so the light washed over the naginata blade. Taking a few steps back, she reached for one of the chicken she had purchased from a local meat market. It was then that her grin fell; she had never used blood to conduct a ritual before. It would be sickening, but... it had to be done. Pulling a knife from her pocket, she slashed the chicken's neck open in the cleanest way that she could. As soon as the blood touched her palm, she whimpered slightly. This is so gross...

It took her a while to make the summoning circle on the ground, but once she was done, she believed that it looked... somewhat appropriate for the occasion. Akane's brows furrowed as she stared at it. I could have done better, but I'm running out of time. With another sigh, she raised her hand, facing the makeshift "altar", the relic, and the markings on the ground. She opened her mouth, forcing her voice not to tremble as she reiterated the incantation that she read from a book as best as she could:

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 approach of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer.
Wielder of the Jade Dragon Lance,
Come forth and stand beside me, your Master,
And let your blade sink into the flesh of the dark-hearted.
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 ―――!"

A bright light erupted from the summoning circle, growing more and more intense until it blinded Akane. She grunted in complaint, raising her other hand to protect her eyes from the whiteness. Is it supposed to be like... this? she wondered. Is it really working?



After the summoning rites were all done and a flash came out of the altar, a single figure, clad in blue armor and with a large weapon on his back, appeared before the girl. Its golden ornaments made it seem even more imposing, as if it was designed only for a king. An emperor. The figure didn't seem to have a face, though. Only his blue eyes shone through the darkness of the night, while his face remained a mystery to everyone. He seemed ominous, almost like a monster, as he looked around to where he was summoned. His piercing blue yes left a trail as he moved his head around.

It was a beach, well, more like a cave in a beach. It didn't matter. Now, as for the one that summoned him.... He scanned the place with his eyes, this time, looking for a human. Obviously, a human that was three times smaller and three times less imponent than him. That's the kind of human he was searching for. Of course, as luck would have it, it was most probable that the one that summoned him there was a man. It was a man, he was fairly certain, why in the seven hells would a woman try and be part of such a dangerous thing as a.... He finally posed his eyes over the one who summoned him. A girl, with long black hair in a ponytail. My, what a surprise. He would despise the Grail, for putting a girl as frail as her as a Master for the Holy Grail War. She was small, well, small by his standars, given that Guan stood at 6''1'.

He started walking towards the girl, not taking his armor off before approaching her. He might have scared the firl like that, but he didn't care. He continued making his way to her, until he was finally in front of the girl. He stretched his hand, trying to do something to the girl. Regardless of what she would do against him, he'd still go on with what he was about to do. What could a mere girl do against a Servant, after all? She might very well be his master, but that didn't change the fact that she was nothing but a girl. He kneeled down and took the girl's hand, the hand in which she had the Command Seals, and then posed his lips over her hand. "What a beautiful gift has the heavens given me. I have been blessed with you becoming my Master."

The man clad in blue armor then took his helmet off, letting his large, purple hair fall down all the way to his hips. "Ni hao, my beautiful master. I am Emperor Guan Yu. However, as formalities would have it, you can call me Lancer, the servant of the Lance. It is a great pleasure, making your acquaintance and being your Servant, wǒ de Zhǔrén." He speaks in his native tongue, calling her master in Chinese. "I look forward to our partnership, and seeing what you are capable of, oh, Master of mine." A charming smile came to his face as he faced his Master, while holding his helmet below his arm.



The light dimmed after a short time, and Akane was able to see once more. The woman blinked her eyes in an attempt to readjust them to the darkness; they ached from the sudden whiteness that had come forth from the altar and dimmed just as quickly as it had started to join. Standing before her was a tall man, clad in armor with a large weapon strapped to his back. In the half-light, she caught sight of his eyes-- an eerie shade of blue, they shone from behind the figure's helmet. For a few moments, she thought it was some creature she had summoned and not some "valiant Servant" that she had heard so much about. Fear was present in her heart, although slight; instead of cowering before the being, she simply stared at it, eyes wide as she took in the sight before her.

The summoned being approached her, the sound of clinking armor filling the small cavern. Akane watched him, cautious about what he was about to do. While he was a Servant, she still felt that she should be careful around him. Though, he did something that she didn't expect him to do; the armored man got down on his knees, taking her hand. Her shoulders became tense, but she remained silent. He wouldn't harm her. There was no way he could... right?

The man took off his helmet, his lilac-colored hair flowing down to his hips. Akane blinked in surprise, realizing that his lips were very close to her hand bearing the marks of her Command Seals. A small blush crossed her cheeks for a moment-- she wasn't used to the compliments she was receiving. "Ah... Emperor Guan Yu?" she murmured, rubbing the back of her head. He was of Chinese origin, at least she could tell that. She would just call him Lancer, to keep it simple. "It's a pleasure to meet you, and I look forward to our alliance, too," a broad smile worked over her lips again. "My name is Akane Inukai. But you can call me Akane."



Guan turned his head up to look at Akane. She seemed of Japanese origin, at least the information he had on him after being summoned as a Heroic Spirit said so. "Akane, huh?" Guan gazed at the mark on the girl's hand. It was of a deep red color. Just like her name. "Is this fate yet again? Yes, it must be." Having decided on his own answer, Guan stood up, letting go of the girl's hand before gazing at her eyes. They were blue, just like his. He seemed sad for just a moment, thinking of what brought this conclusion up to her. Why would such a girl become a Master in the Holy Grail War? Perhaps, she was an incredibly capable mage, and a reliable partner. He smiled yet again.

"I trust that you know the basics of what is about to occur, yes? The Holy Grail War." Guan said, walking past her. His armor was somewhat of a hassle, but he had no clothes on his person right now, and stripping in front of a woman, despite it being a gift from the heavens for them, was disrespectful, so he dedcided against it. He'd change into a more comfortable set of clothes later. "If it is not disrespectful, may I ask what your objective isin this Holy Grail War? Most people do no enter this war just because, you must have some desire you want granted. It shall not sway my alliegance to you, regardless, be sure of that." He continued on walking to the exit of the beach.



As Lancer got to his feet, Akane once again noticed how tall he was. She felt small beside him, and yet, she was not intimidated. The smile remained on her face, thinking about what he said. It was fate that they were together-- she had the method to command him, and she had summoned him from... well, wherever. It was only when he appeared to be saddened that her smile wavered slightly. What was he thinking about? Was he thinking about what they were tasked with? From what she knew, the Holy Grail War was not a pretty thing to be in. They were to risk their lives and possibly die. Yet, she forced the smile to remain on her lips. However, the excited glint in her eye had disappeared. She knew that they would have to prepare to go to battle, eventually.

Guan asked a question, snapping Akane out of her daze. Yes, she knew the basics of the Grail War. Though... she did not know what her wish was yet. Would she ask for the basic "good guy" wish; for world peace, to end world hunger? Or would she wish for something that benefited only her? Her gaze became distant as she thought about his query. "I'm not sure, honestly," she muttered, turning to face him. Her smile wavered to become a small grin on her face. "I don't want to wish for something dumb or crazy. I didn't even know that I was going to be part of the war in the first place..."

Akane paused for a moment, tilting her head. "Do you have a wish, Lancer?" she asked him. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. We only just met each other, after all." She put her hands behind her back, clasping them together as she awaited his answer, following him as he walked to the exit of the beach. It was better to go indoors, anyway. It was getting a little too chilly for her taste.



Guan was now sure of ti, the grail had selected this girl to be a master, and she wasn't the one that chose to become one. It was saddening, yes, but what can you do against fate, after bringing people together like that? "I see. If you are to win this war, which I, the great Guan Di will help you win, then you should wish soemthing for your own benefit. It is only fair. It is the duty of emperors, king and Gods to think of the common good. For a mere girl like you?" Guan continued on walking, before tunring to see his master with a big smile on his face again. "I, the great emperor and later revered as a deity, Guan Yu, allow you to be as selfish as you want. No, I order you to be as selfish as you want. It is your duty as nothing but a part of the masses." He didn't speak at all of his own wish, though, merely brushing off her question. His wish, huh? Well, there were plenty of things he could wish for, but none that wouldn't come in the way of destiny. Maybe it would be better to just wish that he gets his master to gain the grail.

After saying that in an all mighty tone, Guan turned around, to make his way out of the beach. "I hope you aren't standing there for the whole night. You'll catch a cold, Zhu." Guan said to her, not turning around to see if she was actually following behind him. "Now, tell me, what kind of grandiose carriage are we taking to go to our base of operations from now on? I am eager to see what kind of 'car' you have in this age. It must be incredibly interesting and charming." Guan said, until he found his way to a bycicle. He didn't really know how to use it neither had he seen anything like it before, but the information given to him by the Grail was enough.

"....." Guan didn't say anything, as not to be disrespectful to his master, but it was, well, a sight to behold in its own right. A single piece of man's intellect and wit, but the lowest kind of it, with all the technological advances of the current world. Now, how the hell would two people ride a bycicle? Would it be a moment like those of the so-called 'anime' of the current era? Guan was a bit too old to be doing those kinds of things. Perhaps it would also be better to carry the girl on his shoulder. He was capable enough to carry a girl like that with no problems at all. "My, this is... quite a surprise, Zhu. I guess you probably think it would be better now that I was a Rider class servant." Guan laughed a bit at the thought of it, but even he didn't know if it was out of despair or nervousness.



Wish something for her own benefit? The thought seemed foreign to her. If she had to wish for something like that, maybe she would wish for a better life. One where she wasn't a lazy screw up and where her mother didn't leave them. Akane wondered how it would have been like if she was hard-working like her father had once been, striving to live up to her parents' expectations. Of course, it would be stressful, but it was much better than being alone. His words brought an amused look to her face, and she quirked a brow at him. "You might regret ordering me to be as selfish as I want. I might ask for the world to glorify me as a deity," she joked, letting out a laugh at the end of the jest. No, she wouldn't want something like that. Something simple was for the best.

As Lancer told her to explain what kind of carriage she owned, Akane's face became deadpanned. The woman continued to follow her Servant, though she remained quiet. How was she supposed to tell him that she didn't have a car, but a bicycle instead? Before she knew it, they had made it to the place where she chained her bike, and it was then that she became a little embarrassed. Especially with him being quiet and all-- it obviously displeased him. "No, no, it's alright," she blurted out, finding herself becoming more and more anxious. "We can ride the train, or maybe walk back to my place. But it's all the way across town... I didn't really expect I'd have to provide transportation, heh."

Akane blinked up at Guan, offering him another crooked grin. "I'd rather take the train. I don't like to walk much, so," she gave a big shrug before removing the chains from the bike and rack. "So, Mr. Guan Yu, shall we find a way to ride this bike, walk across the city, or take the train?"

---

A few hours later...

Well, that had been a troublesome commute to the university. Getting on the train with the bike and all was a pain in the rear end, especially with the man following her around. Akane was exhausted by the time that she got home, and honestly wanted to pass out on the train several times. Though, she wasn't sure if it was a good idea to let Lancer wake her up once they made it to their stop, as he didn't know the area and things of the sort.

Akane didn't have an apartment or house to live in; instead, she lived in one of the university's dorms. While it was cozy and comfortable before, she had to find a way to hide Lancer's true identity from everyone. She was somewhat proud that she had come up with a story so quickly; when she would be asked who he was and why was he dressed as if he were going to battle, she would simply state that he was a friend who went to a Renaissance Festival or something and didn't have time to change before getting to Ukatan. It didn't sound that suspicious, right?

The woman's feet trudged on the ground as she made her way down the hallway and to her room. Luckily, she was one of the few lucky students that didn't have to share their room with anyone, and instead had the room to herself. Akane pulled out her keys and unlocked the door, pushing it open with a tired groan. Her body ached and she wondered how exactly was she supposed to go to class. "Ta-da," she sang groggily, motioning to the scene in front of her. The dorm room was small and rather well-kept; a window facing some buildings and her bed was to the west of the room, while a television set with several consoles and video games was to the east. A desk was pressed up against a wall, covered with papers that consisted mostly of doodles and other crap she did while she was supposed to be doing homework.

"So, yeah, this is where I stay. Hope you like it. The little fridge there has all sorts of junk food if you're into that kinda stuff," Akane explained, scratching the back of her head. "Ice cream, soda, candy bars... frozen food, too. The small cabinet over by the bed has a bunch of cups filled with noodles. There's a microwave, so you can heat up the food if you're hungry. Make yourself at home, I guess, as long as you don't eat all of the stuff."

Now that she thought about it, she really was a poor college girl, wasn't she? She couldn't even afford to pay for a car, much less go out to eat every so often. Akane turned toward Lancer, blinking tiredly. "Anyway," she sighed, closing the door behind her. "Here's the story. You're my friend, Yu, who has recently come over from Tokyo in order to visit me for a while. If anyone spots you in your armor or whatever, just say that you like to perform reenactments of China's history, mkay?"

Akane smiled at him before she continued. "I have to be in class in an hour, so I'm going to go ahead and shower to get rid of all of the sand and stuff that got on me," she looked down at her feet for emphasis. Thankfully, she had gotten rid of some of the chicken blood, but the sand was still plastered to her ankles and feet.



Luckily enough, maybe for both of them, Lancer remembered that he could actually vanish into thin air and appear again whenever he felt like. The problem was, how to let the girl know now that she had a story set for him to cover his identity? She seemed a bit too fired up and, if it weren't for the fact that she was a woman, Guan would have already crushed the pathetic dreams of his master. But since his master was a woman and he had the utmost respect for them... Well, he was pretty sure an opportunity would arise. Arriving to the girl's dorm room, Lancer looked around with curious eyes. So, students lived in this while they went to college? It seemed to be something pretty good, really well equpped, if they even gave her video game consoles to play in.

"I see.... The modern world is filled with several kinds of surprising things. I shall partake on this 'junk food' you talk about." Lancer says, approaching the fridge and opening it to see what is inside of it. He took one of the sodas inside of it and took a sip out of it. The fizzy sensation going down his throat was unlike any other. Even he, that had tasted some of the best wines and alcoholic beverages all across China was mesmerized by this. "My, this is... I wouldn't call it exquisite, but it is indeed enjoyable. I see why its production had become so popular, despite its poor nutritional value." He said to himself, looking at the can with curiosity.

The girl continued on explaining what kind of story she had come up with to cover up his appearance. Sayign he just liked reenacting ancient battles, well, he was once part of those battles so there wasn't really any need to do so. And this was as good as time as any to let her know that Lancer didn't actually need to stay in his physical form. "Yes, Zhu. I understand. However, there will be not need to do such a thing as I..." Closing his eyes, Lancer disappeared into the air without a trace and leaving a trail of golden lights after him. "Can lose my physical form whenever I desire to. I apologize for all the inconveniences. Feel free to take your shower." Lancer said, before falling silent and deciding it would be foolish to say anything more. This would probably anger his master, in one way or the other.



It seemed like the tall male liked the drinks that lined one of the cramped shelves in her mini-fridge. Akane was surprised that he did-- she would have expected him to ask for better food, at least. Now that she thought of it... she would have to buy more groceries, wouldn't she? Well, that sucked for her. Then again, she guessed that he made up for that fact by giving her protection and some company. It wasn't often that she had company over, and she would give Lancer shelter for a few months, at least. She wondered how it would be like if she had been living with her parents; hiding him would have been a pain.

That was, until he suddenly disappeared, leaving behind a trail of shining lights where he was once sitting. She blinked in surprise, wondering how exactly he had done that. Magic sure was weird... "Oh, I think I read about that stuff, but I don't remember." Possibly because she passed out from reading a few paragraphs that had bored her to sleep. Akane didn't feel like he caused her any inconveniences, as he himself had said. That night had probably been the most exciting night of her life. "That's pretty cool, though. And useful. Don't worry about the trouble I had, though. At least I was productive," the dark-haired girl grinned, turning and beginning to walk to the bathroom. "I'll be out in a bit, alright?"

Akane's shower didn't last long, as she was pretty sure she was going to be at least half an hour late to class-- she was already running out of time. After drying herself off and getting into the clothes that she had laid out on the toilet seat cover, she pulled her hair into a tight ponytail, as always. Even if she did want to fix her hair in a different way, there was no time to. Getting ready for class took her about an hour; at that point, she didn't even care about being late to class anymore. She wasn't going to class looking like a slob, either. Opening the door, she stepped out into the small main room again. "Done," she said idly, pulling on some fingerless training gloves. She had always worn them since she rode her bike a lot. No one would question her wearing them, and she would be able to hide the red marks on her hand without a sweat. Her gaze flitted around the room, not sure where Lancer was sitting or standing due to the fact that he was invisible. "Class lasts for two hours and forty five minutes, so you have that free time all to yourself."

She made her way to the door, picking up her satchel on the way. "I'll see you later, that is, if you don't need anything else explained or somethin'," Akane waited for a reply, her hand on the doorknob. She would tell him anything else he wanted to know before heading off, she had the time. What was the difference of being ten minutes late to half an hour late? None, at least, not to her. After there was no reply, she waved goodbye in a general direction and opened the door, closing it behind her.

Oh, this was going to be a hell of a day to get through...

Hao sat in upright position on the front pew of his church. Ukatan church was constructed during World War I and was a veritable relic. It's stone structure was jammed with invading moss and spider web like cracks, while its inside had not been renovated for more than ten years. Modern amenities barely functioned within the decaying church, and its solemn place on the outskirts of the town surrounded by thick forest gave it an ominous and disturbing aura, as if goading church goers to enter its bounds and be swallowed up by the wilderness. Stained glass reflected the dying sundown light in rays of blood, soaking the interior of the church in a horrid glaze. The air in the church was damp and musky, the type of air that left an acrid aftertaste. Hao gazed at his right arm. With frock sleeve rolled up, Hao could see every nuance of his right arm. Its heavy musculature solid and dense like stone with scars riddling its body to give testament to Hao's experience, and most importantly to Hao, the presence of several pointed black streaks that looked much like tattoos. Command seals that the overseer possessed to keep the war in good course. These would dictate how the war was balanced and sustained, and of course, could provide the catalyst for the war's upturning.

Hao ran a finger through the curvature of his arm, all the while contemplating the future. The grail war was under his supervision. The war that promised a wish to its winner. Perhaps this would be the way to achieve the goal. The goal Hao had set in his eyes with determination deviant from norm in more ways than one. Regardless, the methods by which Hao would achieve his goals would be painted in the shadows of the mirth that laid over this supposed war. All masters had to register to Hao to confirm their status in the war, and within Hao's church no servants would enter. Hao's combat capacity far outshone that of the other masters, but of course servants would defeat him with mild effort. Even so, Hao was considerably trained enough to be atleast able to react and defensively maneuver against a servant, albeit with an inevitable loss. Unless Hao used his trump cards. But those were limited time things, and best left until later. When few masters and their servants were left.

Thoughts circulating in a swirl of organized planning and rumination, Hao the neutral overseer of this war awaited the first conflicts.

Charles was stock still as he sat in a tree, watching the students go about their day through the lens of his camera. He was waiting for the assistants his father gave him to finish checking over the basic circle he had made in the bounded field he had created just a little ways away in a corpse of trees that were put up during the University beautification project, hiding the preparations from view. To pass the time, he had sought to take picture of the local populace, but so far no interesting subjects had come up, just boring run of the mill people. A ding from his phone alerted Charles that the Circle was ready, so he hopped down from the tree. Not caring if anyone saw him because no one could. He was using a mental interference spell, thus anyone that looked in his direction would unconsciously skip over him, as if he wasn't even there. It was a useful spell for avoiding the attention of non-magus, as well as for staking out areas for long periods of time in order to get a good shot.

He set a good pace for the area where the ritual would take place, excitement rushing through his veins as he thought about what was soon to come, a battle royale like nothing he's ever seen before, where the sprits of long dead heroes would rise to fight once more. Just the thought of all that was possible got his blood pumping, adrenaline racing, and his heart rate seemed to triple. He never felt more alive then when he was faced with something that was actually challenging, it was also for that very reason that he didn't want to use a relic to summon his Servant, wanting to leave the odds up to chance. He didn't care who he got, or how much of an advantage or disadvantage it put him in, in fact, he wanted to get a servant that would disadvantage him a bit. It would only make the war that much more fun, but his father forced him to use one he had prepared, some great Japanese Warrior of some kind that his Father was sure would be chosen as Saber, the best of all the class for only the most heroic of spirits.

He stepped into the bounded field, and after walking a ways in, found his two assistants, Mary and Jane, each holding a camera in their hands pointed towards the summoning circle placed in the middle of the circle. He had bought them yesterday while looking around the downtown area, they weren't the best of camera but were still pretty good. He'd been in Utakan City for a while now, working as Security Guard at the local University, prepping for the war by getting a base of operations, a hotel in the downtown area, and taking note of where the leylines were.

But enough of that, the big moment was at hand. He nodded towards on of his assistants, he couldn't tell them apart and he couldn't find the effort to try, and she brought him the relic, an old wooden bokken the warrior was said to have used when he was alive in his duels. A blade that could not kill, so that the battle may never truly end, that is what he saw in this relic. With a wide smile on his face he stood in front of the circle, holding out the bokken in front of him for a second before he stabbed it into the center. Taking out his switchblade, he formed a small incision into his palm, dripping the life blood onto both the bokken and the magic circle around it, all the while chanting the Aria.

"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!”

As he spoke the words of summoning, the circle began to glow with great intensity, a ringing sound emanating from the circle as beam of light blast upwards, momentarily blinding Charles and his assistants as they sought to cover their eyes. When the light began to die down, and Charles' vision returned, he brought his hand down to behold the Heroic Spirit he would have command over.

"Hello, my Servant, My name is Charles Dorvain, and I am your Master for this Holy Grail War. May we know victory in the end of this battle, but if not, then may it be a time of great excitement and glory for the both of us."

----
As the light died down from the ritual, a lone figure was standing in the center of it, wearing a teal yukata kimono with two weapons strapped to his side: a sheathed katana and wakizashi in a dark brown wooden scabbard. His hair was tied into a pony tail though it was still wild and sticking out of place and he had a small bit of scruff on his face. His eyes opened up to the world before him, a piercing gray that matched the steel of blade that showed the true eyes of a killer, a person who make sure his opponent is dead when he wants him dead. His face was that of a man in his mid to late thirties though one filled with experience and abundant of knowledge.

He glanced around his surroundings, a dense forest most likely far away from others as to not draw any unnecessary attention, but that wasn't what was important right now. What was important was to find the person that had summoned him, his master. Well it wouldn't take much to find him for he had to the common courtesy to introduce himself as his master. He was a man with white hair or maybe extremely pale blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. It seemed like he had a good amount of mana to keep himself going as well as enough to maintain Saber's existence.

Saber walked towards Charles Dorvain until he was finally standing directly in front of his master before bowing to him politely as a samurai does for his retainer as it was apart of his way of life. To be truthful, he had expected someone much older and wiser to be his master rather than a young green horn such as this young man, but he didn't have a say in it and could only go with the cards that were given to him. "It is my honor to serve you Dorvain-sama. I am the sword saint Miyamoto Musashi though as this war shall have it, I am to be addressed as Saber, a name for a nameless warrior in this war. I look forward to our partnership. Saber stood straight up once again with a polite, kind smile.

----
Saber, huh, the old coot will be glad to hear that. . . how annoying, but a strong servant will improve my chances of winning, though what I do if that happens is still beyond me

Charles chuckled to himself at his thoughts before giving Saber a similar bow himself. "The honor is all mine, Miyamoto-san, and there is no need for such formalities with me, though I will not stop you from using them if you wish." Charles rose up from his bow and began to walk around Saber, giving him an analyzing look before turning to gesture at the twins. "These are my assistants, Mary and Jane, and will be assisting me in some day-to-day affairs. If you need information on anything that might interest you, please speak to Jane." The girl on the right, a woman with long, flowing red hair and a spattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose, gave a low bow of her own to the ancient warrior. Her green eyes were piercing and her face, while beautiful, was set in a stoic expression that betrayed nothing of what she thought. She wore a casual dress of a white blouse and a black knee length skirt.

"Mary will be assisting me in more in mage duties as far as helping me manage my materials for certain rituals and what not. She has very little skill in magic, but is very skilled in matters of finance and organization." The twin on the left now bowed, her eye looking away to avoid offending the Servant with her gaze. She looked nearly identical to her sister, except for her posture, which lacked the clear confidence and professionalism that Jane had. Even as she rose, her head stayed down and her eyes stayed averted.

"Now then, I have a base of operations near by and we can head there now, but first a question," Charles raised up his camera, "Would you mind if I were to snap some pictures of you? I believe you would make an interesting subject, to say the least."

----
Such an informal master. One would usually think that a master would assert dominance over their servant due to their different statuses, but it seemed like that this was not the case with this young man. It seemed like this man wanted the two of them to be seen as equals, not as master or servant, but as partners, something that Saber could respect and understand, but to him there had to be some boundaries. No matter what the situation is, he is still this boy's retainer and must defend him from all threats whether they are another servant or a master. Those thoughts fluttered away as his attention was brought to two beautiful women with red hair and green eyes, a feature that he'd never seen before on a human being before. It looked like they were twins though the other one was stoic while the other hardly had any backbone so it made it easier to tell who was who. "I am in your care." Saber bowed his head to the two women.

Snap some pictures? Oh yes, as soon as he was summoned by the Grail he gained information on today's society such as their technology and food. In this case he knew about cameras and photography. "Go ahead. I am quite curious of the snapping of the pictures." While he knew about cameras and photography, he didn't exactly know how it worked. Judging by he says snapping pictures it must involve with breaking something? Or maybe it's an instant ink painting?

----
No sooner had Saber given the ok, Mary and Jane instantly set to work taking multiple photographs from various angles, sometimes using the flash if the light seemed bad. Charles took a more calm and calculated approach, taking one picture for every ten the twins did. This continued for about 5-10 minutes, until Charles raised a hand, signaling that they were finished. He then spent another 5 minutes looking through the pictures, deleting the ones he deemed bad, which were a lot it seemed, passing over the ones that seemed passable, and giving a satisfied nod to the ones he liked. He only nodded 3 times in all. Once he was done, he'd give Saber his camera since the servant had seemed keen to know about the technology.

“Here you go Saber, and give it to Jane when you’re done looking it over.” The pictures present on the device where very nice pictures, set to capture the sense of serenity that seemed to flow around the Samurai. Each pic made him look like he was at complete peace with his surroundings. “When you’re ready, we can go to my apartment, it isn’t that far away from here.”

After that Charles would spend his time studying a butterfly that had landed on a nearby bush, Mary’s camera in his hands as he regarded the subject. He didn’t take the picture yet, as he watched with icy eyes at the beauty before him, entering his own form of silent serenity. In about 5 minutes of silence, he would take a single picture just as the butterfly leaped off it’s perch, capturing it in a moment of mid-flight grace.

While Charles was preoccupied, Jane would approach Saber, giving him another bow. “It’s is a pleasure to meet you, Saber-sama, and I hope I don’t overstep my boundaries by asking a favor upon just meeting you, but I feel it’s something that must be said. My, or to better say, our master has a habit of getting over enthused in battle. Normally he has a good grasp of it, but there are times when he can’t control himself, so I would hope you would always urge my master to the side of caution.” The scarlet haired woman turned to look at her master, a hint of concern slipping through the stoic exterior she put up.

“We’ve served Master Dorvain since we were all very young, my sister and I see him like more of a brother than anything else, a brother with a dangerous addiction to excitement and adrenaline. He’s only ever been motivated by what has excited him, and there are times where me and Mary fear he’d kill himself in pursuit of this thrill.” Jane sighed before she gave another bow, this one coming from her personally, she gave Saber her final statement. “Master Dorvain has no real stake in this war, so I urge you protect him as best you can, from both his enemies and himself.” With that, she rose up and stepped back to her place near her sister.
----
The only thing he could see were stars dancing around him as the flashing of lights surrounded him in an onslaught of click, click, clicks. If there was anything that made him feel uncomfortable, it was the constant attention he was getting by the three of them, especially the two women who were taking a picture of him of every feasible angle. It was like every single part of him, every single bit of privacy was torn to pieces by these strange devices. What seemed like forever finally ended once his master was satisfied after taking countless photos of him. He seemed to be very peculiar of what photos were acceptable and which ones were exceptional when he nodded, which was only a mere three times.

Saber received a camera from his master and he held it up the wrong way, the lens was pointing at his face and with a click of his finger a flash enveloped his face, his pupils dilated for a few moments. Technology was a freaky mistress. "Thank you Dorvain-Sama. We'll leave when you say so." Again this boy was again focused on taking photos though this time of a butterfly instead. It seemed like his master had a love for photography. It was his art, his calling.

Oh, Jane has a favor to ask of him already? Despite that stoic expression on her face, it seemed like it was just a mask to just disguise her worry towards Charles. "Jane, as his retainer I am to protect my master at all costs, whether it be enemies or himself. You need not to worry yourself over him. Just worry about you can do for him and I'll do all that I can to keep him from getting killed." He gave her his trademark serene smile before finally turning back to his master.

"Dorvain-Sama, I believe it is time we should leave." Saber approached his master from behind, his hands were folded in between his two yukata sleeves.
----

Charles rose from his seat, giving a light stretch as he did so, before he turned to his servant, giving a nod of agreement. “Yes, quite right. If you wouldn’t mind, could you change into Spirit form, so as not to attract undue attention from the masses.”

As he made to leave the area, he seemed to remember something as he turned around to face the summoning circle that had been painted in the grass. He pointed a finger at it dismissively, remembering that no evidence of the summoning should be left behind.

"Caesio" He whispered under his breath, and from his finger came a fast moving wave of air that barreled through the grass, effectively shredding it to pieces, before he chanted another spell,"Resorbeo", which sucked all of the grass shavings back to him, condensing it all into a little ball. He made a motion, and Jane gave him a lighter, which he used to light the ball in flames, disintegrating the grass shavings, and leaving little to no evidence of them being here. On the way out, he would use a similar procedure to get rid of the marks he had made on several trees to remove the bounded field he had placed over the area.
----

"As you wish Dorvain-Sama." With that said, Saber had turned into golden dust before finally disappearing.

-----
Charles nodded as he walked, Mary and Jane on either side of him. He had made sure to clear his shift for the day, so he didn't have a duties at the moment. hat in mind, he walked out of the small mini-forest and headed straight to his car, a Jaguar because it made him feel exceedingly badass. He got in the backseat, Mary taking a seat next to him as Jane took the wheel. She drove them through the city, gazing at scenery as it passed by. The apartment that he arrived at was, of course, a very ritzy place, giving off a feeling of intense opulence just from being next to it. Utakan City was a nice get away, and many of the richer long term visitors flocked to this complex, which boasted excellent service and world class hot springs.

Charles exited the car as soon as Jane had parked it and walked up to his apartment, where he put away all of his equipment, before he walked down to the Hot springs to relax. Jane and Mary were right behind him, the hot springs being open to both genders, and stepped in as well. Jane looked at peace, letting all of her troubles fade away in the steaming water. Mary, still wrapped in her towel, also enjoyed the water,, though gave wary glances at Charles, wondering if he would. . .. Crap, he was.

Charles was staring at both women intensely through the lens of a special water proof camera, walking around to photograph the two from multiple perspectives. Mary sinked into the water, giving her master an annoyed look as he continued his obsession. Jane did what she always did in situations like these, ignored Charles knowing that he'd eventually stop. "You're free to join us all if you want, Saber-sama, the springs are nice and we wouldn't mind." Mary managed a nod of agreement, rising a little bit out of the water when Charles finally ceased his photo shoot, looking through the pictures he had taken.

They were all kept extremely tasteful, as Charles believed that blatant raunchiness was unworthy of photography, but each one held a certain sense of hidden sensuality, the steam only serving to highlight it by hiding parts of their bodies, giving them an almost divine look of sensual innocence.
----
"If it won't bother you then yes, I wouldn't mind a dip." Saber said as he reformed into his physical form and he already had a towel wrapped around his waist. He sat on the edge of the spring with his feet dipped into the got water slightly. With his robes gone, he showed a surprisingly well toned, muscular body that he had gained in his past life doing laborious work. While it wasn't body builder proportions, his arms and legs were thick like iron support beams and his abs and pecks were well defined. His hands went up and untied his pony tail, letting his long wild brown hair to fall down past his shoulders. "Dorvain-Sama, it isn't decent of a man to photograph partially nude women no matter how beautiful and attractive they are." Saber scolded his master, his thick arms folded arms together as he looked at his master sternly.

Saber finally stepped into the water and let out a content sigh as he felt every pour and muscle in his body just seemed to be filled with euphoria. He then ducked his head underwater and then came back out, his hair dripping wet and his eyes still closed. His hands slicked his hair back, exposing his handsome, serene face once again. "Now this is just what I needed. All that's missing is a bit of sake and we'd be absolutely golden." He laughed slightly and leaned back against the edge of the of spring.

"So tell me, how is it that a young man such as yourself can afford to live in a place as decadent as this? If you allow me to be so privy Dorvain-Sama."
----
"I disagree with you there, Saber, there is a certain grace in capturing the human form in all of it's glory, especially when that glory is hidden in a way that is also revealing. Besides, I've done this since we were children, they've never complained before. They did make me delete the earlier pictures once I hit a certain age, said something about it not being appropriate. They were some good pictures among them to." Charles said, giving a sulking glare at Jane, who looked not the east bit repentant of her actions. Instead, she continued to wash herself, which caused Charles to sulk even further before he return his attention to Saber as he asked his second question.

"Simple, I'm from old money. The Dorvain family is a very old name in the world of Magic, and is very wealthy as a result. the family has a hand in various industries, most notable of them is that of technology, in which we are the main share-holders. So my family is quite rich, and I've made quite a bit of money myself through my photography, though it's a paltry amount compared to what has accumulated in my numerous bank accounts from my annual allowance." As he spoke, Charles took a dismissive tone whenever he mentioned his family. His parents where hardcore Magus and he had never been close with them, and had never really felt urge to do so himself. He just wanted to live his life the way he saw fit. "I haven't touched that money since my father created it, though I don't quite know why. Some misguided feeling of spite for a poor childhood perhaps."

Charles shrugged before he set to enjoying the feel of the baths, allowing his body to just melt away into the rejuvenating waters.
----
Dorvain-Sama is quite dense isn't he. Saber thought to himself as he watched his master glare at Jane who didn't once mind it and continued to bathe herself. He didn't quite agree with his master. Yes it did bring out the unknown beauty that is hidden away, but that wasn't what he was arguing against. It was more to due with the consent with the two young women, Mary, who seemed to be much more uncomfortable with photography while she was barely wearing anything though Jane hardly cared about it. No use in talking about it still.

So his master came from a rich family, something he fully expected from a mage family that had been involved with the world of magic for many generations. Perhaps it was a good thing that his master was from such a family; bloodline does provide a mage with grander powers. It could explain how a kid like him could obtain an artifact that would summon Saber. Especially if the blood is as old as Dorvain claimed it to be. So his master was actually quite successful even without using his money due to his skills as a photographer. It wasn't that he respected, it was the fact that this boy never touched that money and made a name of himself. "I see. Well I think that's enough chatting for now." He closed his eyes and and enjoyed the bath.

Hao peered into the absolute darkness of the church basement. Since Ukatan church was built atop a hill, the basement extended a good bit underground. It was a narrow hallway of crumbling stone, with a rotten stench permeating its area magnified by the dampness of the confined space. Several stone pillars supported the underground basement, and beside these pillars lay ominous coffins in a neat row. The coffins were all an austere black, made of iron covered by decaying black paint. Chains and restraints lay snugly atop each of these coffins, open and inviting. Spiritual traps to siphon the matter of the soul. Hao knew that they would have to be used soon. An ordinary person would not have seen any of this however, such was the choking darkness within the underground confines of the basement. Within this blanket of black, Hao sat on one of the coffins, looking directly at something inside the shelter of shadows.

Hao called out,

"Everything has been done and established. But tell me, why do you come to me for assistance? Not withstanding the proximity to your abode of course, but perhaps it is a hint of ironic susceptibility that pushes you to choose me, the neutral overseer?"

His voice rang out in the tunnel, echoing his mellow and steady tone into a pitched and sinister ring. There was merely silence for a few seconds, before a reply streamed out from a mouth within the recesses of the sickening darkness.

"Tell me... O servant of Christendom, a kingdom which I have served, what is it that holds the flame in your heart? What ignites the impenetrable steel of coldness that you engender, what ignites your long ashen coals? Think, and understand. That same drive rings with me. Is it duty to Christendom? Nonsense. Honor? Worthless. Generosity? Preposterous. You understand, do you not? The world so wronged and twisted, so filthy in the recesses of what is known as humanity. You understand do you not? To heal is to restore, but the methods by which restoration can be applied range infinitely. But truth has reared its ugly head to me and spoken its words to me. To heal is to lose. To save the head, one must hack off the limbs if one must."

Hao's lips coiled into a frown as he narrowed his gaze at the being before him.

"I understand, I understand, I understand"

He replied sarcastically, mocking the being's repetition.

"But tell me, where do you derive this decision, this judgement oh so fitting to the darker tones of the word? Our goals seem intertwined yes, but the extremes of our ideals differ. Enlighten me, estranged one, as to why the body must lose before being restored?"

The clanking of metal. An abnormal sound that echoed through the tunnel as if roaring out its singularity. A humanoid figure stood before Hao, still wreathed in darkness so as to make his form incomprehensible.

"I initially believed all could be saved. That the body need not suffer to heal. But as time changes all, so too did my views. Through a sea of decay and purification I meandered to grasp the faint light called honor and yet that glimmer turned out to be merely the visage of the truth known as human nature. Our goals are grand in scale, such that we require the aid of this farce known as the holy grail. Grandness is a human value, subjective and prone to change, and how fitting is it that our goals be deemed grand in the context of human nature itself. It is inherently a twisted root, a parasitic monstrosity that only causes strife. To pull out the roots is to save the entire field, while to trim the stem is to allow the pest to flourish in another time."

Hao's frown twisted into a slight smile of admiration as he heard the corrupted one's words. Everything would come to be as planned. The neutral overseer and a relic of the grail would lay down the net by which the war itself would be undermined.

When Cage is talking, Gold is English while Cerulean is Japanese.

*****


Thursday (12:40 A.M.)

In an attic of a house of a once-famous Hollywood action star, a strange symbol drawn in chalk lay upon the wooden floor. A few boxes littered the room but they were nowhere near the strange symbol. A single person paced back and forth in the attic, on one hand a piece of paper and the other, an old sheathe for a katana, a Japanese sword. He repeated the words in the paper silently, sometimes his mouth moving. He needed to engrave the incantation into his mind and memorize it. He never had to do these kind of things in the United States. In the West, only a few quotable lines were said before taking action. He had no idea why the Japanese were so fond of long lines before engaging into battle. They were awesome, that he was sure of but to him, they were sort of taking too long.

Patrick Edward Culiar, or 'Eddie Cage', is a declining action star in show business who had been asked to perform by the Ukatan University Filming Club in a short action movie they were shooting. The actor did not take a second to answer. It was a chance to show off his totatlly-non-special effects skills to the viewing public. They were now shooting the climax of the film in which Eddie needed to summon a samurai spirit to aid him in battle against the evil sorcerer Shung Tsang and his minions. Eddie thought the summoning ritual took a little bit too long to be realistic but he was not the director. So long as he get to show his moves, he was cool with it.

The actor clapped his hands together and rubbed them. This was his last practice take for the night, the one he would recite the summoning incantation completely. "Alright. Let's do this." Eddie went in front of the 'summoning circle' where the spirit should spawn and compared it to the back of the paper which contained a smaller drawing of the circle. "Okay. Got that down." He then took a look at the incantation itself and gave it one last read. The actor nodded and put the paper down on a box.

Inhaling, Edward Culiar held the old sheathe in front of him. The sheathe did not come from the Filming Club however. It was actually Cage's who received it from a part of the payment when the actor worked for a small, indie Japanese director who wanted Eddie as the action choreographer for the film. It was lucky for the Filming Club for Eddie to have it though. They thought they were going to pay a good amount of money to rent a sheathe from the local museum when the actor mentioned he had an ancient katana sheathe they could use.

Cage got into character and imagined his foe Shung Tsang with his evil Kartakan minions in front of him. His summoning ritual was his trump card. Patrick Edward Culiar recited the incantation to summon his samurai ally:



Then, something very unexpected happened. The summoning circle in front of Culiar began to glow, growing in brightness at a tremendous rate. "What the--?!" Cage used the sheathe to cover his eyes from what he had unexpectedly done. "The hell?!"

A sharp pain then tore through Cage's body, along with a pounding headache as the sheath he held become hot. It was too hot to the touch to continue holding the ancient item and it forced him to drop it. "Argh!" He could see a shadow of a figure before himself: long flowing hair, standing straight up and the sheath coming up to its left hand. Cage felt like his strength was being drained as a dark purple aura came up from the circle itself and began to flow around the figure, causing it to cry out in pain. Its voice was female, but quickly was joined by a chorus of demonic under tones.

The woman was howling, beginning to move to grab at her head, but stopped before doing so. She took the sheath in her left hand, a katana to match in her right, screaming now not in pain, but in anger and desperation, a mighty roar that sent shivers down Cage's spine. The woman, bound in a kimono, began to move the sword's tip and the sheath's entrance. This began to draw the aura into the sheath, her shouting slowly becoming the only one of the voices before slamming the sword home into its sheath. The room fell almost dead silent along with the disappearance of the pain and the drain on the young actor, the only noises being the female's breathing and the male's own breathing as well.

She had a slightly annoyed look on her face, but it quickly softened up as she looked down at herself. "I'm.... breathing... walking in this world again....." she said, the knowledge of the grail hitting her like a ton of bricks. "You... you're my master, you bear the command seal on your hand, do you not?" she asked, a mixture of excitement and fear in her voice, one that spoke of wisdom and confidence. She herself was in a white kimono with red accents, rather similar to the samurai warrior he was supposed to summon. She let out an air of confidence and wisdom along with restraint to herself.

Cage, panting from the unexpected pain, looked at the woman with long, flowing black hair and blue eyes dressed in a shrine maiden's clothes who asked strange questions. "Excuse me? Who are you? And what just happened" Cage asked in a surprised and exasperated tone but then it clicked to him that the woman spoke in the local language so the actor asked again in the same panicked tone. "Who are you? Where the heck did you come from?"

Rationality began to return to Eddie's mind. He thought this was some sort of elaborate prank by someone. The Filming Club perhaps? Cage would understand if they did. It was always fun to get one in on ol' Cage.

"I am Berserker. Your servant." she said, the female standing before him with an air of mystery around herself. She took a step forward and began walking around the boy. "You don't seem like a mage... but I can feel the mana being used to support me. To participate in the Grail War... you must also have a wish..." She said, picking at him and trying to figure out just exactly what he was. She closed her eyes and began to explore around herself, visualizing the house and the exterior of it, all the while the actor getting a headache. After a couple of seconds she opened her eyes and the headache went away from Cage.

"Tell me master, what era are we in?" she asked him, turning around and looking at him again. "I will try and explain this to you, because your apparent presentation of lack of information is making me believe you don't know what you've gotten yourself into..." Berserker said with a serious look on her face.

Berserkers. Servants. Mages. Wars. The seriousness of the shrine maiden. These words made Cage give out a hearty laugh. "Okay, okay. You can drop the act guys. But I've gotta say, you've done very well. Congratulations to all of you." The actor said while looking around the attic. No reply came and Cage was impressed at the non-existent pranksters' dedication. "Guys seriously, come on. The jig's up." Still no reply. The actor was beginning to have doubts about his claims. "Fine. Be that way if you want. I'm not playing along anymore."

Cage turned to the shrine maiden who, in his opinion, did a very well job in acting. "Hey, you got nice acting skills. I'm sure you'll make it far in show business." He complimented her. "What's your name? 'Cause I'll be giving you a call when I need a good co-actor.... actress." Cage asked, still believing the entire event to be one big ruse.

Berserker sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Fine... I shall prove it... But before that at least let me explain the situation you're in." She said to Cage, crossing her arms and giving another serious look. "You must now at the very least believe your life is at risk. You're now in a war for the Holy Grail, to achieve a single wish of your own desires and one of my own desires. We are competing against six other pairs comprised of a master and servant." Berserker continued and began to pace back and forth in the room and finally decided upon a test.

"Give me the location of something in this house that only you would know the contents of or what the item is." she asked him, hoping for him to give her something locked away.

Cage was surprised at the sheer amount of effort the shrine maiden was giving in keeping up the act. It was either that or she was telling the truth and Eddie was now part of some war that involved another six pairs like them but the actor was sure that was not the case. Though that belief was steadily breaking. "Alright." Cage took up the shrine maiden's challenge. "There's something in my bedroom that contains stuff that only I know since if anyone else did, it would be terribly embarrassing."

Berserker closed her eyes and expanded her spirit once more, a minor ache entering Cage's head as she searched throughout the house, rather amazed at how different dwellings were compared to her own. Lots of things she didn't recognize. However, coming to his bedroom, she found his bed and looked under it. Seeing a small box, she looked inside of it and quickly scanned what she could. "Why... you people... this was a serious... why are there humans drawn with animal traits in a box under your bed on paper?" She asked him, looking through them and turning a rather deep shade of red.

Cage's eyes widened and his face flushed when the shrine maiden expressed disbelief at the actor's hidden collection. "Okay, okay! Looks like you know what's in there." The actor could not believe that this shrine maiden found his secret stash of guilty pleasure by closing her eyes and giving him a headache. Now that he thought about it, every time the shrine maiden did something, like when she appeared out on the summoning circle, Cage felt his head ache. It was not severe and completely minor save the time she was being summoned. There was no way the random headaches were normal. Cage wondered if everything happening was actually true.

Cage sighed deeply and covered his face with a hand. "Okay. I'm buying what you're selling. For now." He told the shrine maiden. "It's late, and I need to get some sleep for school tomorrow. Just... let's talk about this whole 'Grail War' tomorrow, okay?"

"And the whole 'animal people' is just between us, alright?"

---

Cage lead his Servant out of the attic and into the house proper. As a rich Hollywood star, Cage had bought himself a large house that was conveniently near Ukatan University. The actor's home has a sizeable living room with a long couch in front of a flatscreen T.V. with a glass coffee table in between. The bathroom was big enough to easily fit three people and filled with several unlit scented candles. The kitchen was no slouch either. It was complete with everything a home kitchen needed: A refrigerator, a stove, an oven, a sink, a dishwasher, a utensil holder and a round wooden table with four chairs occupying it.

"So that's my house. I probably didn't need to show you since you easily found... 'that' but I figured I should anyway." Cage told his Servant. "If you wanna wash yourself or need something to eat or drink, you know where to find them."

"Before I get to bed, you have any questions?"

"Since I'm going to wind up having to protect you from whatever may happen... we need to head to one of the tailors near by to pick myself some more time period-esque clothing. And how are you a mage? since you seem to lack the understanding of what the concept of what one is, it can be anything that a normal human would be incapable of doing, including throwing fire from their bodies and many.... super powers." The Servant asked him, looking around at the bed and other things in his room. "Also... what exactly do you do?"

After the barrage of questions, Cage proceeded to answer them in order. "The tailor thing will have to wait since it's the middle of the night and I don't want you picking anything weird. I've got clothes you can use for the time being. They're a little manly though."

"Yes, that is rather... acceptable." The female commented on the tailor situation.

Cage went to the next consecutive questions. "Well, I can throw weird energy and empower my moves. Does that count as being a 'mage'?"

As for the last question. "And lastly, I'm an actor. I appear in films especially the action ones. Lately I've come under a lot of criticism that my moves are all special FX so I'm going around the world to prove each of them wrong. "

"The name's Eddie by the way. Eddie Cage." The actor introduced himself. "And you are?"

"What my name is, Tomoe Gozen. However, you are never to call me that or reveal my name to anyone, for it could put our plight in jeopardy. Instead you shall call me Berserker. As to your status as a mage, that is magic and is dangerous for the public to know of... we'll talk about it tomorrow among other things." the woman explained to him before looking around his room a bit more.

"You should rest, I shall stand guard over you and apologize in advance for any possible pain I may cause you." Berserker said to Cage, taking up a stand near his door way, ready to head around the house and patrol need be.

"B-but, I've been doing that 'magic' since I was five. Nobody seemed to mind." Cage said. "Well whatever I guess."

"And 'stand guard over me'?" Cage was not sure if he wants someone watching him while he slept. "You sure you're not tired yourself, Miss Gozen? I mean, you're arrival here surely took a toll on you right? You could sleep on the bed or-- something."

"It's your safety that I need to worry about, so please get some rest, Master. I'll patrol the house silently. We'll discuss what needs to be in the morning." Tomoe said to him and gave a bow before leaving through the door but leaving a crack open.

The actor fell on the bed as if he was dropped there. He was tired and he was not sure if everything that happened that night was real or if he was actually just dreaming. Maybe that was it. Maybe he was actually just dreaming and after a nice snooze, everything should be back to normal and there wouldn't be a shrine maiden watching him while he slept.

Or not. If that was the case, Cage was going to have a real, nice talk with the Filming Club concerning props.

~{Millford Residence}~

~{Thursday; 00:05}~

Its never until Jacob does something new that he gains a new found appreciation for Magecraft. The Millford family line was a one trick pony, and while they did dabble in rituals, this was something entirely new. The rush of excitement filled him as he knew full well that he would be one of the few people in recorded history to ever be able to reach the Throne of Heroes. However reluctant he was to be standing here, he was thankful to be able to study something new.

The workshop, if one could call it that, was constructed in the cramp basement he had dug out over the last two years. It was always his intention to make it bigger, but competing in a ritual with some of the worlds most devious individuals was not something anyone would normally plan for. The walls were lined with cabinets and shelves containing books, relics, and various oddities while a small workbench sat in the back corner, upon it a box containing the only necessary part of the ritual. On the floor lay the circle, constructed of steel and silver, a testament to the strength and quality of the bond he was about to make.

Content with his work he stepped over the circle and grabbed the blade sitting in the box. A broken blade of a guillotine from the late eighteenth century would have been the cause of the untimely death of both vile and misunderstood people. With no surefire way of knowing what door this would unlock, he hesitated for a moment, then took his place before the circle.

"Let silver and steel be the essence. Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation. Let my great master Notos be the ancestor. Raise a wall, against the wind that shall fall. Open the four cardinal gates. Come back from the block. Let the winds be at your back and carry you to my side." As the words left his lips he could feel a breeze coming down the stairs, a sign that his words were being heard. With blade in hand be traced it along the back of his neck, opening a wound for his blood to flow out and into his hand. After collecting enough he held his hand over the circle and continued the incantation, "Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill." Uttering each word another drop fell to the floor and he could feel the surge of energy being poured into the circle. "Let each be turned over five times, simply breaking asunder the fulfilled time."


There was no great explosion of energy or darkening of the sky, just a flickering of the light that illuminated the basement. The circle remained empty. Solemn and still. Behind Jacob stood a figure wreathed in shadow, dressed in a old, tattered brown dress. If Jacob turned to face her he would find naught there, only to find her at his back once again. In a swirl of movement the broken fragment of the guillotine was swept up by a hand unseen, finding its way to the base of Jacob's neck, the hand that held it still and unwavering. Though whether from practice or conviction there would be no way to tell. The edge of the fragment still thrummed with residue Prana, its edge holding a pale, transient blue glow. The hand that held the fragment belonged to a young looking woman with Caucasian features with long blonde hair and hazel brown eyes that carefully scanned the room, taking in details both familiar and alien. It took her a moment to reconcile memories possessed in life with those granted upon the summoning. Her neck hurt and she remembered why.

“Who are you?” she said with a degree of uncertainty, her voice spoken in a language that was familiar to her yet non that she ever knew in life. A wealth of knowledge asserted itself, arranged itself, charging through her mind like fire. When next she spoke her voice lacked that uncertainty. “Are you the one that summoned me? To this place, in this time? Are you my master?” she asked without emotion. The blade at Jacob's throat remained perfectly still, awaiting his answer. There could be no doubt as to the result of an unsatisfactory answer. No human was fast enough, even blessed with the gifts of Magecraft.

All was silent and still, even the dust in the air dangled like stars in the midnight sky, the only illumination originating from the blade. It was so expertly placed that a too deep a breath would draw blood and likely cause its holder to become impatient. Despite this, it was hard to hold still for Jacob, his mind running wild. This was his first summoning, and a long forgotten adolescent joy wanted him to celebrate, but the adult in him knew that this was only half way. The Pact has yet to be made. Nothing changed for several seconds, as both awaited a sine from the other.

The first noise to break through was a grunt from the bottom of the Master's throat. "Jacob Millford," he responded to his captor. "Guilty on all three accounts; and might I say most would find it rude to demand information before giving it. Especially toward your host." Despite being in his current position, Jacob knew that an unsatisfactory response was as good as an unsatisfactory answer. His words held a tone of approval, respecting the shadow that held him.

The young man's momentary silence did him more credit than he might realize. It showed his assailant that at the very least he knew to think before answering in haste, even when his life was in the balance. There was some fear there of course but the fact was that he easily mastered it in the heat of the moment. That was a skill that would be in useful during the days to come. The girl slowly drew the edge of the guillotine fragment away from his neck and backed away from him, discarding the fragment as she did so. Once separated she made a deliberate show of gathering up her tattered dress and curtsying, an elegant motion that ill-fitted her raggedy appearance.

“Master, I am so pleased to make your acquaintance, I am your humble Servant,” she said with no obvious hint of mockery or sarcasm, save for the dangerous look in her eyes. “My name is Marie-Anne Charlotte de Corday d'Armont. You may call me Assassin, or any other name that pleases you when in the company of others. I trust you understand why this is the case.” Charlotte looked directly at the man that had summoned her and considered him for a moment. It was impossible to discern his temperament from appearance alone and words were such easy things to craft. A practical demonstration would be far more enlightening. But first there were details to dispense with. “You have questions, Milord?”

"I have several questions," Jacob retorted, as he straightened his suit jacket and took in the sight before him. When he thought of Assassin, the class best known for stealth and killing, the figure before him would not be his first. She struck him as defenseless, not for her gender, but for her attire. The dress was defiantly Georgian era, and was evidence of her struggles during her final days. She said she was Charlotte Corday, and he was familiar with the stories of her, but there was little information, or perhaps few witnesses. Regardless, she was his, and he had to have faith in his servant if either of them were going to get out of the Grail War alive.

Jacob moved past his guest and started up the stairs, beckoning her to follow him. As far as suitable living goes, his house was something you might expect a college professor to live in. The stairway from his workshop emerged into his entry hallway, and once they both cleared the doorway Jacob slid the false wall close, perfectly concealing its entrance. Moving into the home they passed the rest of the rooms and ended up in the kitchen, where the faint smell of warm food was apparent.

Charlotte followed silently in her Masters wake as he led her above ground and into what appeared to be a kitchen of some measure. By now the knowledge granted by the Grail had fully asserted itself into her mind, removing at once any feeling of curiosity or vagueness that her environment would otherwise elicit. After a quick inspection of the room she found what she was looking for. On the counter top was a collection of kitchen knives, arranged into appropriately sized notches in a wooden block. She considered them for a moment before taking hold of one, testing its weight and balance before returning it. She repeated the act until her Masters voice caught her attention, causing her to turn towards him, her hands empty.

"Are you hungry?" the Master asked gesturing to the stove. Upon it sat a single pot half full with a generic beef stew. Next to the stove on the counter was an empty bowl and some silverware. "Please help yourself. I know you probably don't need it, but you haven't eaten in over two centuries."

Of all things he was offering her dinner. Had he been so confident of his ritual succeeding? Regardless much to her surprise she found that the food did indeed smell enticing. Almost enough to eat in fact had it not been for the memory of her execution ‘fresh’ in her mind. She found the idea of anything going down her throat repulsive to say the least. “I have no need to eat,” she replied in affirmation to his offer and no motion toward him. She relented when he offered her a chair to sit upon however, since he was going to pains to be polite. “Fine, I will sit but I will not eat,” she said as she allowed her Master to seat her at the table, a knife missing from the block but not in sight either. “Thank you for the offer,” she said without any particular feeling to the words.

“My next question is what does this contest mean to you?" It was then, with the pleasantries seemingly out of the way that her Master addressed what must have been to him a pressing concern. Her motivation. She was not obligated to answer such a question and elected to do exactly that. She turned her head on its side and smiled confidently at him. “Questions like that may cost you more than you are willing to pay, consider carefully, Master,” she said, motioning with one hand to the top of the other, her meaning obvious in the circumstances.

In turn to her response Jacob chuckled and took a seat across from her. The being before his eyes intrigued him. Was she being coy and playing games, or was she being cautious? Perhaps this was the way she was in life, or perhaps being a spirit meant things change. "Assassin is a particularly interesting word. There are many others like it that we use more often, but we save that particular one for special occasions. For example, you murder your neighbor, you slay your enemies, sacrifice your allies, but you assassinate those of value. As an Assassin you fought in life for a belief, for a cause that you dedicated your body and soul to. And here you are, thought by the world to be worthy of the Throne. I admire this, but therein lies my dilemma."

Taking a moment Jacob undid the buttons on his shirt, revealing the command seals that rested on the center of his chest. It resembled the face paint of a harlequin, the left eye shedding a tear, the right eye in the center of a diamond, and a smile too wide to be natural. "These are all the assurance I have of your assistance in the days to come. My cause is nothing special, I just want to make sure that this town is standing when the victor claims his or her prize. I know full well the damage a few Magi can do, yes there are rules, but I'd be ignorant if I thought everything would be fine. I ask that you stand by my side, or rather in my shadow, all things considered." As he spoke he smiled more, knowing how romantic he was making this ordeal sound. All those years of reading about heroes and here he was sounding like one. His desires were selfish, but it was one he was going to carry out. Assassin was a key part in this, and if she wanted to do things her own way, it would come to a head sooner or later, with Jacob dead most likely.

Charlotte listened politely, her face neutral throughout his little lecture as to the origin of her title and the meaning that it supposedly held. She allowed him to think whatever he would of her, his opinion of her mattered little in the greater scheme of things to come. When he unbuttoned his shirt she saw the exact nature of the command seal through which he could and no doubt would in the days to come impose his will upon her. A total of three commands that she could not disobey. That was the true source of a Masters power over his Servant. Charlotte wondered if that was part of the point that he was making. Whatever the case her Master seemed awfully fond of his own voice. Probably the kind who was schooled in rhetoric as a child.

“Words are pretty, like flowers. But like flowers they can be used to hide a great many things. I would hate to have to remove such an elegant tongue from such a handsome face,” Charlotte said with a pleasant smile and cheerful tone that ill-suited her comment. Like her Master she was also one who was gifted in the way of words, her time in the convent reading the works of Voltaire, Rousseau and the like. Her words had served as a weapon just as much as any blade that she may have carried in life. Perhaps more so. Words held power. Words alone had resulted in the deaths of thousands. “May I suggest that we dispense with the rhetoric, at least for now? Let us speak plainly, Master.”

Charlotte swung her legs up onto the table top, the knife that she had taken appearing in her hand from within the folds of her ruined dress. She began to carefully wipe the blade with her own hair. “I will serve my function in this arrangement. And I will act as you see fit. You are the Master after all.” Her voice was light and conversational, the hint of menace that it had held before absent, even from her eyes. Jacob, however, was becoming slightly agitated, and his eyes reflected this as well as the corner of his mouth. That would be the third time she had implied harm to him, by action or words. How was he to react to this? She called him Master, which implied obedience, but he wanted an ally, not a dog. "The flowers you grow appear to require some pruning as well, but I respect their boldness. "

Charlotte burst out laughing at his growing impatience. “Oh I like that, you have some fire in your belly Master. But like I say, words are pretty but easily crafted things. I suppose that we will see in the goodness of time.” She looked at him and smiled. Silence befell them for a moment, Jacob's fingers tapping the table one after another. “So what kind of Master are you I wonder, how far will you go?”

"I am the kind of Master that plays to win, because the alternative is death. I don't care about the grail, I'll cross that road when I get there. The contest is a different story. I have no qualms about killing a Master because I have no love for other Magi, they are all the same. My specialty in Magecraft is Wind, assume I can do anything. " He spoke in a manner of fact tone, as if this was common knowledge, all the while getting up from the table and fetching a bottle of beer from the refrigerator.

Charlotte kicked her feet off of the table and followed him, her movements were light and bouncy and she started to swirl the dress around as if dancing with herself. When her Master had turned around he found that, as per her usual trick, she was already behind him and that he was oblivious to the movements she just made. Of all the traits that defined her Class agility and luck ruled over all else. Staring blankly at her he circled his fingers, and the cap all but flew off his beer without his touch, enforcing his last point about his abilities. "Lastly, " he started after taking a deep drink, "my faith in your abilities are what keep you here. The moment I see a chance to get a better footing I'm going to take it. If you fall I won't run, I will continue to fight and make another pact when I am able to.”

“Faith huh?” she asked with some degree of curiosity. Faith was a concept that she greatly familiar with, having had much of it in life. The moment of her resurrection into this debased form had robbed her of that. It made her pity him. As she swirled around her dress began to glow with a blue glow that encompassed ever inch of her clothing, seemingly melting it away. Within that same glow new shapes started to form, revealing her body for only a heartbeat before clothing her with clothes that would suit the modern day. Last to form was a long brown scarf, tied snugly around her neck, fluttering in the glow of energy as it dissipated. What remained was a modern looking blonde haired woman no different from any human in appearance, save for the knife still in her hand.
For a moment she stunned Jacob when she changed her apparel. He didn't realize how attractive she was, though she was obviously pretty. The moment passed quickly and he knew it would be hard for him to forget. There are certain advantages that a female killer will have that a man just won't, as was just proven nary a second ago.

If Charlotte had noticed her Master’s momentary gaze at her body she made no mention of it, instead examining herself in the nearest reflective surface, appraising her now ‘modern’ appearance. She was surprised by how pleasing the end result was, the clothes both comfortable and practical, a far cry from the clothes that had been common when she was still alive. In fact what she was now wearing would have been downright scandalous in her day. It pleased her to see how things had changed.

"Having said that, which spirits do you think you will have the most trouble with? " Having Assassin was a good place to start by Jacob's book. He could gather the most information and take out the weaker Masters, leaving their spirits to linger for a short time. If she could carry him to the end all the better, but he needed all the options available to him.

“That all depends on how you intend to use me Milord. As a combatant I will serve poorly against any who made it his trade in life, save as a distraction. Against one of your kind, all frail and mortal, I will not disappoint.” Charlotte offered him the knife in a conciliatory fashion. “My Noble Phantasm,” she said indicating the knife. She then swept her arm out to include the cutlery that lined the cooking surfaces. “Those are also my Noble Phantasm’s. Any object that bears an edge or point, no matter how crude, attains certain qualities upon my touch. Qualities that are ‘suitable for assassination’. No being is immune to their touch. None. But such enchantment is transient. As such my Noble Phantasm is nigh impossible to destroy, even by the Noble Phantasms of the might Saber or the Raging Berserker.”

Her disclosure of her talents got his gears turning, he started thinking about various approaches they could make. "Interesting. Berserker and Rider could cause us the most trouble. Caster is the wild card and I'm not worried about Archer." Each spirit would be one worthy of a legend, whose abilities rival those of a Magus, and in many cases surpass them. Between the two of them there was little in the way of brute strength, but when others are so ready to kill all they had to do was stand back and wait.

“You are correct, even Archer will not perceive my presence as that of a Servant, provided that my actions remain unhostile in nature,” Charlotte said as a matter of fact as she turned to face her Master. “Berserker is more likely to kill its own Master than us, provided we ‘encourage’ it a little. We need only prod it at the most opportune moment. As for Caster a knife in the dark should suffice. It is Lancer and Saber who concerns me, for they will be both stronger and faster than I.” She felt her assessment accurate enough, based on generic information gifted to her by the Grail. She would need more information before she could offer a truly accurate assessment however.

You know your potential better than anyone.” For all her poke and play at him, Jacob though he would offer her a challenge. "Perhaps a demonstration is in order, since words are just that." He reached into a drawer and drew a butter knife. Charlotte watched with mute curiosity as her Master made a show of exchanging blades with her, the sharp, broad one replaced by a relatively blunt instrument whose edge could barely cut paper, let alone armor. It didn’t take much imagination to ascertain his intentions.

"Cut the bottle into three sections," he ordered, releasing the bottle before he even finished the sentence. He had used her own words against her. He wanted her to show him rather than tell him. Charlotte was starting to like Jacob more by the minute. “Oh, is that all?” she said innocently. Her eyes narrowed, the dangerous glint momentarily returning.

Depending upon both the speed of the Servant and the perceptive capacity of the observer the movements of any Servant at speed ranged from nothing at all to an indistinct blur of motion. It was no different when Charlotte moved, reaching the bottle before it had barely begun its descent. With two clean cuts the glass was sliced diagonally into three distinct pieces and went smashing into the ground.

Tracking Assassin's movements proved difficult for Jacob to follow. Jacob was able to catch glimpses of her motions, like a poorly make flip book. It was an almost infatuating display finesse and menace, many artiest would have given much could their muse give them an ounce of the inspiration that she just gave him. His face portrayed none of this, on the outside he remained as he was, but on the inside he was in awe.

"I suppose that will," he started, but stopped when he felt the knife get lighter. Looking down he saw that the butter knife was back in his hand, and that Assassin had reacquired the one she had originally picked up. "Do. It would appear that,” he started to talk again, but was interrupted by the sound of something metallic hitting the ground. The butter knife had disintegrate into multiple neatly cut pieces. Not only did she cut the bottle, but she had time to eviscerate the knife he handed her. “I like this one, if you don’t mind I would prefer to keep it, at least for now,” she said conversationally.

I had hoped to find you something more suitable, but it is yours. Take it with you when you return to the Throne."

“Suitability, much like my Noble Phantasm is a transient quality, a sword may serve well on the battlefield, but a knife serves far better in the dead of night. The crux of my ability is that I am bound to no particular weapon and as such, no particular tactic. An Assassin is nothing if not a creature of opportunity after all. The only rule is that the object be possessed of a point or an edge. Some blunt, crude implement will not serve.”

Is that how it is, he asked rhetorically while he pat her on the shoulder as a sign of approval.

“I’m so pleased to meet with your approval,” Charlotte said with obvious amusement while curtsying to her Master.

Jacob moved past her, arriving at the bookshelf he pulled out a pamphlet of sorts and extended it to Assassin. "You're first job, if you can call it that." The paper was a fold out map of the city and surrounding area. "Memorize every street and any place you deem important. For extra credit let me know how many blue houses there are." She quickly glanced at the layout of the town before folding the map back up and slipping it into her coat pocket. An onerous task to be sure but as vital as any.

"When you are done, down the entryway, second door on the left, there is a guest bedroom. Its yours." She had refused his food and most of his pleasantries, but he wasn't just being polite, he believed her to be more than just a familiar. As it was her job to fight for him, it was his job to care for her, or so he believed. "Use it as you wish. Sleep, meditate, exercise, entertain your vices. Or don't. Is there anything else you wish to discuss tonight?"

She had no reason to disapprove of this, even Servants had need of ‘personal’ time, however she had no idea how she would occupy herself when left on her own. She wondered what kind of ‘vices’ this world had to offer. The Grail was not so forthcoming with such non essential information. Not that it mattered to her. There would be plenty of time, provided that all went well. There was only one question that came to mind, however the subject was unpleasant and she would leave it for now. At least until she knew her Masters mind better.

“Goodnight Master, try not to lose your head, we’re going to need it,” she called cheerfully as she waved over her shoulder as she headed toward the door, her pace suggesting no great hurry.

Thomas Joren, Personal Lab, Ukatan University

Everything seemed to be ready, as it was. The summoning circle was drawn on the floor, using a jar of blood he kept on the far back of one of his shelves in case a situation like this arose. What kind of blood, he couldn't exactly say... He'd bought it from someone who claimed it was the blood of a cow, and he'd known better than to ask any further questions. It was blood, and that was what mattered. The relic was in place as well, from a specimen jar that his predecessor had left hidden away behind a cinderblock in the wall of the lab. The pride of his collection, a root from the legendary tree Yggdrasil. Professor Thiverson might have been somewhat foolish and absentminded, but all of his supplies were carefully labeled and always exactly what they said they were. If he thought it was a Yggdrasil root, it was a Yggdrasil root.

Thomas glanced at the mark on the back of his hand and smirked. He was participating in the grail war, a quest for what amounted to essentially unlimited power. And all he had to do was get the right, powerful servant. He cleared his throat, reciting the carefully memorized incantation he had written.

"Let the parchment of legends be the binding,
The shackles that free you from your prison.
Let my power be what keeps you in this world,
Your fury my weapon and your strength my shield.
I call you, Beast, unleash your anger upon this Earth
Free yourself from the past, make the present your new berth
Unchain your wrath across town and field.
End your enemies, your actions my bloody flag unfurled.
From your legends, my power calling you, risen.
No respite from your fury my enemies finding."

A glow came from the circle. Everything, it seemed, was going according to plan.

As the circle began to glow, a foul odor permeated the air, the scent of death and decay. The root began to wriggle and roll in the jar, suddenly bursting through glass and slithering to the center of the circle, burrowing into the floor until their was not a trace of it left, and the glow died down. For a second, it seemed like nothing else would happen, when the circle began to pulse with an ugly red light, the oder in the air growing stronger as the pulsations increased in frequency. From the hole the root had left, a root rose up, blackened and putrid, leaking a foul ooze from gaps in the outer layer, red as blood.

The root rose up to take up a large portion of the room, splitting into a swirling tangle of tendrils, wriggling around like maggots feasting on a rotting corpse. From this slimy entanglement, a pale hand shot out, taking a group of tangles in it's hand and wrenching it to the side, unleashing a torrent of more ooze to come pouring down onto the floor. White eyes glared from beneath lanky raven black hair, a row of razor sharp teeth shining from a crooked smile. The figure was naked, almost as if he was just born, a tall figure that was unnaturally thin and whose skin was such a disgustingly sickly shade of pale white, yet it radiated a sense of power and evil that it would make those of weaker will to be shaken with fear.

As the figure stepped out of the tangle, the roots reared back, only to spear into his back. Surging forth like hungering worms, they slipped into the body, working their way through the body until not a single root could be seen out side of it. One could still see the roots wriggling for a second underneath pale skin, before falling still, settling into place till they were called to rend the flesh of the enemy. The figure took a second to test out his new form, wriggling his fingers, cracking his neck, rolling his shoulders, and even taking a second to stare at the new appendage hanging between his legs, before he deemed it time to actually address his master. His stare was piercing, and it was clear he did not see being worth acknowledging before him, but a meal that had yet to be fermented by the sweet embrace of death.

"And who are you, Boy, to think you can summon and control me? Since you used a relic, I doubt I need to introduce myself, and I doubt I would've bothered to even if you didn't, as you surely don't look like much of a Magus. To be honest, you look more like one of the corpses I used to pick my teeth after a good gorging."

Thomas, on the other hand, felt no fear. Only a slight uneasiness prickled at the very back of his mind. What he was focused on was the almost tangible presence of raw power that the macabre figure in front of him radiated. This... Was a truly strong Servant, even if he didn't look it.

"I'm no one important, really," Thomas said, smirking, rolling his shoulders. "I'm just Thomas Joren, a professor at a University. Not a famous one, either, nor a prodigy of a Magus. Luckily for me, how important I am to the world at large doesn't matter. How important my continued existence to you is what matters, and considering that my magic is the force letting you be here threatening me right now... I'd say that I'm fairly safe from you. Especially since I don't think you enjoy being trapped in a plane of nonexistence."

"I'd demonstrate what power I do have," Thomas continued after a pause, "but I have no wish to get into a contest with an ancient and powerful evil like yourself. There's no point to it, and it wastes energy that would better be spent doing productive activities like winning a grail war."

Nidhogg frowned, before fading out of sight, only to appear in front of Thomas with his hand grasping the magus by the throat. From his skin sprouted a barrage of the blackened roots, which would quickly wrap around and restrain him in a tight embrace, nearly to the point of fracturing bone in some places. There were also roots pressing tightly against his mouth, gagging him and preventing him from using his Command Spells.

"Don't take that tone with me boy, I couldn't give two shits about this damn war to be honest. All I want to do is kill, feed, and rampage. I don't need you to do that, just the prana that you provide me. I could just leave you like this as I go to town on this city, razing it all to the ground, but I won't. I'm sure there are countermeasures against that set by that damnable grail, and while it would be fun, it would be a short-lived fun. So then, if you understand what I'm saying, nod your head, and I might just let you go without seeing how much pain you can take without screaming."

Thomas nodded slightly, that smirk never quite disappearing. He had plenty of tricks up his sleeve, but Nidhogg had no need of knowing them. Not now, anyway.

"You don't seem to understand how serious I am, do you? Much as I would love to make you suffer right now for your continued insolence, I have a hunger to sate, so lets hit a graveyard, shall we?" The roots retreated back into Nidhogg's arm, and he nonchalantly tossed the magus into one of the holding racks for the preserved specimens that were everywhere in the lab, making sure to hold back enough so that he wouldn't be injured by it, but he would be feeling it in the morning. As Thomas crashed into the rack, a number of specimens fell over, only to be caught and brought over to Nidhogg, who took his time opening them and devouring the putrid morsels one by one, his sharps fangs easily slipping into the long dead flesh and meat of the preserved body parts, which included things such as hearts, brains, eyes, and a few limbs.

"Thanks for the appetizers, I do hope they were important in some way." The Beast said with a grin, baring his sharp teeth and staring at him with his deaden eyes, before turning toward the exit. As he did, thread-like roots came out of skin and wrapped around him, soon forming into an exact copy of what Joren was wearing, except it was entirely black, the contrast further bringing out the paleness of his skin. "Come, come, boy, the night is still young and we have much to do, places to be, corpses to eat, and humans to torture."

Thomas shrugged, thoroughly unimpressed by Nidhogg's attempts at pointless destruction, managing to contain the twinge of pain that went through his shoulder. "You just ate a dead duck, three snakes, a frog, a weasel, two human hearts, one liver, and a brain. Oh no, looks like I'll have to put my platypus Frankenstein plans on hold. Luckily you didn't eat my other duck, then I'd have to start completely over."

He rolled his eyes. "The only thing important in here was the root I used to summon you, and that's gone."

A sigh, and he pulled himself up off the ground, dusting some shards off broken glass off of his coat. "Graveyard nearby, though I'd suggest being careful. This is the biggest magic university in town, if the Grail war is happening here there are bound to be other servants. Perish the thought that you might actually be forced to do what I summoned you for."

"Food is food, I'm not to picky as long as it's meat, though my preference is for things that have had time to properly ferment." Nidhogg jotted down Thomas' tone and would handle it later, but right now he was too focused on the thought of his next meal. "So then, lead me to my feast, boy, I'm more cooperative when I'm not hungry. You do want me to work with you, yes?"

"Sure." The magus pulled a hat off of a hook nearby and put it on, opening the door out of the lab and starting out of it, adjusting his coat as he went. "Shut the door behind you, if you would, Devourer of the Damned. Not everyone enjoys the stench of burning blood as much as I do."

***

Getting out of the university had taken some effort, and the walk to the graveyard wasn't terribly short. Still, they made it there without a hitch.

"Here we are." Thomas looked over at his servant, then pulled the brim of his hat down slightly. "Looks like it's about to rain, if that's relevant to you. Eat up."

"Well, since I have a choice, I don't think I will." Nidhogg said as he followed Joren. After a period of time where he was seriously considering just breaking to a home and dealing with fresher meats to sate his hunger for flesh, which had only grown larger with the few morsels he eaten in the lab. When they finally arrived, Nishogg noted that the graveyards of this era where rather nice and inviting, and many of the graves look remarkably well-kept. It's always a pleasure to see put an effort in making your meal options look nice.

He quickly moved Thomas as he sniffed around, sensing through the layer's of earth, the scent of rot and decay that called to him with a passion. He quickly found one that seemed like a good place to start, an old grave, but not too old, that had a dying bouquet of flowers in a vase near by. Nidhogg kicked it over and summoned his roots, having them pierce the dirt and bring up the coffin in an explosion of dirt and grass. He ripped off the top of the casket, revealing a rotting corpse, the flesh peeling and decayed. It still had a good deal of meat on it, and the Corpse Eater wasted no time in digging in, using his hands to rip of chunks of putrid meat and stuffing it into his face. The clotted blood was like fine wine, the maggot-filled flesh like the most delectable of steaks. It had been so long sense Nidhogg had truly been able to eat, and this new body helped him savor every bite.

Suddenly, a scream cut through the night air, drawing attention to a young man and woman who looked upon the scene in utter horror. For a few seconds, Nidhogg ignored them, continuing to furiously dig into the corpses, but then he caught it, a scent that made him smile a sickeningly gleeful grin, his head half turned to stare at the two with his blank eyes. And then, he was behind them, roots wrapping around both the woman and the man, restraining and gagging the both of them. "How fortune it for us, boy, that I get to not only have dinner, but a show as well. Please don't interfere, since we'll have to kill them anyways. No witness may speak of the war, as you very well know." As Nidhogg spook, his roots went about tearing the clothes of the girl, leaving her naked before his hungering eyes, which took immense pleasure in seeing the fear in her eyes, as well as the rage and desperation in the man's. "Oh don't give me that look, I have no interest in her body. . . at least not in the way you are thinking. Who are you then, her brother, or maybe her lover, coming to visit an deceased relative. How thoughtful of you."

Nidhigg walked over to the casket, pulled out the head of the corpse he had been eating, chuckling to himself as he stuck his hand in through the flesh of it's neck and began using it like a sock puppet. "How very sweet of you both, to visit your elder while I rest. If you had only come tomorrow night, you might've lived." He spoke using a mockingly grandmotherly voice, indicating that the corpse must've have been female. The two looked on in silent horror, tears flowing from their eyes. The man struggled with all of his might, but only won himself an intense tightening of around his wrists and ankles, breaking them. His muffled screams brought forth another wave of tears from the girl. Nidhogg tossed the head back into the casket and walked up to the girl, grabbing her face as he lapped up her tears with his long, blackened fork tongue, hands trailing across her body as his claws slowly began to slice into her soft, supple flesh.

"Tell me, boy, do you wish to join in the fun? Any regrets you have, perhaps a virginity you wish to lose or anger you want to vent?" Nidhogg stepped back to show Thomas the girl, reveling in the smell of fear that came off her in waves as she uselessly tried to struggle against his tendrils, only to cry a miffed scream as the roots began to dig into her flesh, spreading painfully inside of her body. Just like him, the roots loved to kill and inflict pain and will do so on their own accord if left unchecked and unattended. Nidhogg made them pull back, not wanting the fun to end too soon.

Thomas' crimson eyes were focused completely on Nidhogg, his expression entirely detached from everything that was happening. He really didn't care what Nidhogg did, so long as it served his aims. But this show was going on a little too far, and a little too long.

"I desire one thing, Devourer, and that kind of gratification is not it. Stop playing with your food and eat it, before more people show up. No doubt you'd enjoy it, but I'd rather not a police investigation start because too many people have disappeared." Thomas shrugged. "Or don't, but I'll have no part in this."

"You do have a point," Nidhogg said, walking around the girl, continuing to slice into her skin with his claws, "but I oh so love to play. Oh well, there will be time for it later. For now, I shall feed on these, and many more in the days to come. You should be glad, as this places less strain on you in trying to maintain my presence on this plane." Nidhogg then stepped away from the two, black smoke encompassing his form, growing large as he changed.

A primal growl emanated from the cloud, before a blur darted out and chomped down on the girl's body, retreating back into the cloud and only leaving her arms and legs left, which were quickly consumed by the roots, hungrily wrapping around her and dragging the limbs into the dirt. The cloud dispersed to show Nidhogg in his true glory, a black, serpentine dragon that radiated such an intense force of presence that it caused all plant life with in a certain radius to wither and die. The man was dragged screaming into the ground, a meal for later, as Nidhogg finished off the corpse in the casket with a single bite, casket and all. He then went about to eat 5 more corpses, and 2 more mourners that had the misfortune of meeting him. From one of them, he collected a medical mask that was obviously more for decorative purposes than actual use, as it had a drawing on the front that looked like a mouth full of sharp teeth.

Changing back into human form, Nidhogg picked up the mask with a smile, which was quickly hidden as he put it on. "Very nice, I'll be keeping this as a little reminder, until I next change that is, but I can remake it when that happens." Turning back to the mess he had made, he returned everything to normal with his roots, making it looked like almost none of the graves had been disturbed at first glance, and hiding all the remnants of his feedings. His roots would be underneath this place and would grow throughout the underneath of the city at a fast pace, collecting corpses and victims for Nidhogg to feed on in due time. With that down, Nidhogg smiled at Thomas before dispersing into black dust, entering his spirit mode to rest of is meal for now.

"I'll be staying like this until I feel hungry or you need me to do something, I'll stay nearby for the most part, as I can't have you dying on me yet. And you should learn to loosen up a bit, boy, nobody likes a stick in the mud."

"I just let you eat several people without batting an eye," Thomas said, adjusting the collar on his coat and starting back toward the university. "I'd say I'm fairly loosened up. My name is Thomas, by the way, if you ever choose to stop calling me boy, and I'm fairly hard to kill."

Ukatan Graveyard

11:55pm

It was the middle of the night, a few strokes before midnight to be precise, when Dr. Fumio Nakahara, respected member of the city's university teaching staff and genius beyond compare, was drawing the final lines of his summoning circle on the dirty ground. The location he had chosen, was the one he was most comfortable with and at the same time the least likely to draw any unwanted attention from his fellow competitors.

"Hehehe, not that they really are a match for me, whoever they may be, but any time wasted on dealing with them would mean less time for my project and we wouldn't want that, now would we?"

The cemetery managed by Ukatan's church wasn't exactly a place were normal people went in the middle of the night, so aside from some teenagers doing some kind of stupid dare or the crazy priest showing up, nothing could go wrong. However just to make sure, he had erected a small bounded field around the area, which would keep anyone outside from noticing what was going on. Anyone normal at least. Precisely at the stroke of midnight, when the prana inside his body was at its peak, he placed the catalyst he had acquired in the middle of the blood red circle and started to recite the incantation.

"Let silver and steel be the essence. Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation.
Let my great master Schweinorg be the ancestor.
Raise a wall, against the wind that shall fall. Close the four cardinal gates.
Come out from the crown.
Rotate the three-branched road reaching the Kingdom.
Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill. Let each be turned over five times, simply breaking asunder the fulfilled time.
I shall declare here. Your body shall serve under me.
My fate shall be with your sword. Submit to the beckoning of the Holy Grail.
If you will submit to this will and this reason…… then answer!
An oath shall be sworn here!
I shall attain all virtues of all of Heaven.
I shall have dominion over all evils of all of Hell!
From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three great words of power, come forth from the ring of restraint, Protector of the Balance!"

The circle started to shine ever stronger, the further he got with his chant and as the last syllable left his mouth an explosion of light lit up the cold graves around him for just a moment, before he could determine if he had succeeded or not.

---

A beckoning came to him, he who had raised a civilization and initiated the arts of mankind in his culture sphere. He accepted the call of the grail and his beckoner and promptly was filled with the knowledge of the modern world. The grail enlightened him of the basics of the era, and of the mechanics of the grail war. The grand emperor was to seek out and destroy six other entities known as servants to bring forth the artifact known as the "holy grail". It was all so trivial.

As the light settled from the summoning, a single figure stood with noble bearing at the center of the circle. He was dressed in golden robes that shone with a brilliance even under the choking folds of night. Intricate patterns of dragons, warfare and symbols of knowledge dotted these robes, providing a wonderful tapestry of the emperor's life with magnificent craftsmanship. The yellow emperor Huangdi had graced the earth once more, and he immediately fixated his powerful gaze upon the man who had summoned him. He was indeed a magus, and one that preferred the darker arts judging by the surrounding area Huangdi was summoned in. Huangdi himself was capable of necromancy and spiritual evocation among many other things, and so was unfazed and unaffected by the lowly area he was drawn in. The war itself would be of little consequence to Huangdi. He did not have a wish, having lived a millennium rife with success and effort. He would of course follow the heeding of his master to an extent, and confront the other servants if needed. Whether Huangdi would stoop to the work of thieves or lowlives would remain to be seen.

With a clear and resounding voice that flowed words out in a constant and mellifluous stream, Huangdi spoke to establish the contract between master and servant,
"Are you the one who has called upon the Yellow Emperor?"

---

Fumio looked at the Servant that had appeared and tilted his head. 'Yellow' was right, he was dressed in golden robes after all and thanks to the man introducing himself as Emperor, the doctor also wouldn't make the, likely deadly, mistake of calling him a woman.

"Indeed, that would be me. Professor Doctor Fumio Nakahara, magus extraordinaire and future God, but you can simply call me Master. Now that the formalities are out of the way, let's talk more about how you're going to be useful to me. To be honest, I'm not much of a history geek, but judging from your clothes you are from an Asian land, yes? Why Yellow Emperor though and not something like Golden Emperor? Sounds a lot more noble if you ask me...Oh well it doesn't matter as long as you are powerful, so to start from the bottom: What class are you and did you ever create new life? "

Just from how he held himself, how strong and unwavering his gaze was, Fumio could tell that the Emperor wasn't a weak Servant. It looked like the 'artifact' he had brought into his possession, a jade statue of some sort of Chinese dragon, had been worth the money after all. You can never go wrong with dragons, western or eastern. Unless they try to eat you. Hopefully his Servant wouldn't try to do that.

---

Huangdi's brow raised as he heard his new master, and a countenance between consternation and contemplation formed on his face. After a short pause, Huangdi replied with a steady and calm tone,
"You have surmised correctly. I hail from what is now known as China. Golden emperor holds a much more regal tone yes, but it irks on the hearing. It sounds far too prideful a title for one, and there is no pride for being above fellow men. I take my title of yellow emperor due to the peoples being inherently connected with the yellow soil of China, which was held sacred."

Huangdi maneuvered his arms at an alacrity beyond human pace, almost faster than the eye could perceive. He gently thrust his right hand within the fold of the loose golden sleeve of his left, drawing out a paper riddled with crimson red scratch like markings.
"My class is that of caster, though rider would have suited me as well. Creating new life is a goal that I have never envisioned, as I consider it an honor to return to the earth from whence one came after fulfilling all earthly duties. I am of course, capable of granting an essential immortality, but I have not feigned to uncover any method around the decay of the soul. The best I can do in regards to creating new life is to simply restore movement to a deceased body"

Huangdi's sharp eyes scanned the area around him before zoning in on a grave. He had noticed that the gravestone was freshly placed, and had no signs of erosion from wear. He pointed his left index finger at the grave and uttered a divine word,
"Jieshi"
A small beam of light erupted from his fingertip before colliding with the grave, flinging away debris and dirt in prodigious quantities. Within a second the dirt of the grave had been blown away and a slightly decayed cadaver lay. Huangdi strode over to it and placed the paper on the corpse's forehead and chanted another divine word,
"Zhu"

The corpse immediately began moving with its decayed limbs, slowly propping itself up in lethargic manner before gaining its bearings and standing correctly. The reanimation of corpses, otherwise known as the creation of Jiangshi, had been a common art in ancient China, and was not out of the realm of the yellow emperor. The words he uttered were spells of their own, divine words that manifested mystery from their mere utterance. An ability lost to mages of the modern era.
"That is the best I am capable of, though I surmise that creating an entirely new living being would not be an impossible task."

---

A big grin appeared on Fumio's face, as the emperor raised a corpse with a simple word and restored its movement, as he called it, with another. Normal Necromancy definitely wasn't any match for his Servant's power.

"Bravo, bravo! I can already tell that we're going to get along so well, you and I, even though you're so modest that it's almost insulting, haha. Now I'm sure you have a lot more up your yellow sleeves than just creating a zombie army, but we'd better save the strategic planning for later and get back to my place before the priest shows up and notices that you vaporized one of the graves. Wouldn't want to kill the moderator on the first day of the war already."

He picked up the Pi Yao statue he had used as catalyst, turned around on his heel and beckoned Caster to follow him, as he marched past rows of gravestones towards a metal gate, which opened towards a small sidestreet, where an old Mitsubishi van was already waiting for his return. Fumio unlocked it, jumped into the drivers seat and managed to get it started after only three tries.

"You might want to change into your spirit form until we arrive at my place, just in case one of my students is still walking around at this hour of the day. I don't want any rumors going around at a time like this. Oh and your corpse can get in the back, there should be enough room for it. It's a shame we can't pronunce your language anymore nowadays, or I'd have you teach me how to perfom that little trick."

---

Huangdi nodded in acquiescence, his physical form promptly dissipating into a shower of golden particles as he entered spiritual form. The newly formed jiangshi had changed in the few seconds after its resurrection. The decaying muscle and bone had become whole, with taut and healthy skin covering it. The corpse's hollowed out eyes were full emeralds once more, and the bald head was now teeming with thick and full chestnut brown hair. The aged skin was now young and vibrant, rejuvenated completely. Huangdi did not merely enforce movement upon a corpse, he actively brought its physical state to its prime by imposing a curse of restoration much like that inherent to dead apostles. Indeed, this curse would be active constantly, always restoring the zombie to its original state regardless of the damage it took. The jiangshi entered the back of the old vehicle and Huangdi followed in spirit form.

Using the master servant link that provided telepathic communication, Huangdi spoke in response to his master,
"Yes I sense that mages of this modern era have lost the capacity to produce divine words, but regardless it does not have much bearing on the quality of a magus. Experience and talent are still the core tenets of what provides the worth of a magus.

---

Once the, now surprisingly alive looking, walking corpse was on board, Fumio drove into the night.

"Experience and talent, ha! It must have been a joy to live during your times, if our kind was truly judged by these principles back then. Nowadays, the oh so great and mighty association only cares about how many generations your family got under its belt and what race you belong to. At the same time, those who really achieve something grand are given a sealing designation, effectively stopping them from continuing their work without getting their head chopped off."

Fifteen minutes later they arrived at a house on the outskirts of the city, which looked like its best days were already long gone by. The garden was a jungle with all kinds of plants growing randomly all over the place and the grass looked like it hadn't been mowed in ages. Meanwhile the buildings facade had many cracks running along its surface and a few windows on the first floor were barred with wooden planks The only thing that seemed completely intact was the metal fence running around the site, with a big iron gate stopping anyone uninvited from entering.

Fumio jumped out of his van to open the gate and closed it again, right after he had passed through it in his van and brought it to a halt in front of the house. After he had done said things, he quickly entered the building, turned on the lights and let himself fall into a big armchair, judging from the mptiness, one of the only parts of furniture he possessed.

"Welcome to my palace, Caster! It's probably far from what you are used to, but no one will bother us here and there is enough room for you to set up your workshop. Do whatever you want to the house, only leave the cellar untouched. That's where I keep all my personal experiments and materials. Oh and by the way, I'm teaching at the local university at the moment, so if you have any strategies we could apply later on concering that circumstance, tell me whenever. For now though, you should prepare our defenses while I take the couple of hours I have left before my first course, to rest a bit."

With that being said, Fumio leaned back and closed his eyes, letting the sweet embrace of sleep carry him to a land of dreams few moments later.

---

Huangdi observed his master's abode with interest. It was a ramshackle and chaotic thing, mirroring his master's own personality. The house was in a state of disrepair and its surroundings too, but Huangdi did not judge or consider the house's quality. He had always maintained a humble resonance with his surroundings, and firmly believed that to consider oneself beyond the fellow man was merely empty pride. The evolution of oneself, the surpassing of the person you were was what Huangdi considered to be true greatness. It was this philosophy that allowed Huangdi to unite the separated tribes of China and to be renowned as a symbol of nobility and benevolence. He did not have the arrogant poise of most emperors that would have rejected such a shabby abode, and Huangdi merely took the house in stride. It would be his new workshop, no, rather it would be his new temple, as his territory creation was at a sufficiently high rank to do such. The difference between a workshop and a temple of course did not herald an actual creation of a temple, but rather indicated how efficient one was at absorbing the magical energy in the environment. Huangdi's level was at one of the highest, and so it is natural for him to be able to manifest what can be called a "temple" in comparison to a "workshop".

"I do not mind your dwelling, as I have lived in such conditions many times in my early life. Regardless, the amenities or structure of one's house cannot be representative of what is truly significant, the attachments imbued with the abode. I shall keep wary of the cellar as you instruct, but all else I will ascertain for my temple. As for defenses, you need not worry. This area will be nigh impenetrable once I am finished fortifying it."

Indeed, none but the servants with the highest ranks of magic resistance would be able to do anything within Huangdi's territory, within which he would be able to mimic true magic itself.

Sinia trembled in excitement as she viewed the intricate summoning circle she had delineated with the blood of two chickens. The chickens had suffered painless deaths, their throats severed and their lives faded away by the swift notes that Uaithne produced, and the ordeal of smearing the blood had been quite unpleasant, but Sinia was used to it as a magus. The time was 1:59, a minute before the time when her mana in her body peaked. The mere thought of particiapting in a grand battle royale with glorious figures of history sent shivers of excitemend down her spine, and simultaneously sent chills of fear as she recognized that death would loom by her side from the inception of the war. Regardless, Sinia possessed a conviction steeled enough to accept such risks. She was not naive, contrary to what her nature might have suggested, and understood with her tacit perception that this ordeal was no light matter. The odds were in her favor of course, her having practiced highly efficient runic magecraft with runes from the Age of Gods passed down from her family that had serviced the elder god Dagda since the Age of Gods. Dagda's harp also lay by her side, a treasure among treasures, a relic that only she could utilize from the tradition carried in her blood. Regardless, Sinia had no experience in combat nor did she desire any conflict. She had the will to stand up under adversity, but she did not have the fighter's mettle to strike back at adversity. She more closely resonated with the saint's ideal of taking adversity with open heart. The very concept of a war struck a ridiculous contrast with her personality so marked by ease and mellifluous harmony, but desperation drove her with its taut reigns. Taking a deep breath and exhaling, Sinia cleared her head of extraneous thoughts and began to start the summoning ritual. She clasped her left hand into a tight fist and held it towards the circle, closing her eyes to channel her focus. The circle began to glow with a gentle golden radiance as she chanted,

"Let silver and steel be the essence. Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation.
Let my great protector Dagda be the ancestor.
Raise a wall, against the wind that shall fall. Close the four cardinal gates.
Come out from the crown.
Rotate the three-branched road reaching the Kingdom.
Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill. Let each be turned over five times, simply breaking asunder the fulfilled time.
I shall declare here. Your body shall serve under me.
My fate shall be with your sword. Submit to the beckoning of the Holy Grail.
If you will submit to this will and this reason…… then answer!
An oath shall be sworn here!
I shall attain all virtues of all of Heaven.
I shall have dominion over all evils of all of Hell!
From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three great words of power, come forth from the ring of restraint, Protector of the Balance!"

The circle exploded in a burst of scintillating golden light, expanding forward and engulfing the small apartment room that Sinia lived in completely. Thankfully she had contained the area with a bounded field to not leave traces of the summoning for other magus to pick up on.

_________________-
After the words of the summoning ritual were chanted, the bright, golden light spread throughout the room. Its intensity faded after a few moments and revealed a sturdy-looking man who stood in the center of the summoning circle the woman had made. A bow was slung over his shoulders and he was adorned with both leather and steel armor, the former making most of the protective padding that he wore. Some of it was trimmed with beige-colored fur. The man also brandished a helmet that covered his head, but pieces of his long, ebony-colored hair poked out from the bottom of the helm and drifted in slight waves to the base of his neck. His sharp, reddish-brown eyes stared at the one who summoned him as his brows furrowed slightly.

The man took a few steps forward, his gaze remaining firmly planted on the woman before him. "Greetings," his voice was a deep one, as one could tell as he spoke. He removed his helmet, letting the rest of his black hair escape the confines of his helmet. "My name is Genghis Khan, or Temujin, if you are not familiar with my more prominent name." He paused for a moment, watching to see how she would react. In those few seconds, he took in the sight of his Master; it was obviously a woman, with light-colored hair and eyes. She was thin, and at first, he wondered how a woman like her was going to survive in this war. "Though, you may call me Rider."

His gaze flicked around the room, raising a hand to scratch the side of his stubbly face. Where was he? It seemed as if he was in an apartment, or something of the sort. He wondered why she chose to summon him here; she didn't appear to be dim-witted or dull, so he expected her to have prepared the area for a summoning, as well. It appeared to be a simple apartment, suited for one or two people. Of course, he could be mistaken.

Rider looked at his Master again, his face serious. "What do I call the one who has summoned me?" he questioned her.
_____________________________-

The catalyst that Sinia had acquired from a dealer in the association had paid off well. The great conquerer who had constructed the largest land empire. A man also known for his brutality and cruelty in conquest, and yet respected for his tolerance of foreign culture and respect of all social classes. A man of contrasts deep and great that coalesced into a magnificent whole that left an indelible mark on history. Quite the imposing figure, with solid and sturdy build marked with an aura of distinction. Sinia took in the being that was now her servant, and viewed him with contained awe. Such was her engrossment that she had not realized he had asked a question.

Containing her amazement at the historical legend, Sinia responded with a surprisingly calm voice that rang out with a melodious flow,
"You may call me Sinia or anything you so desire, since I won't really mind. It is an honor to witness you so alive even if you are but a spiritual body manifested in a container."

_____________________________

His lips curled upwards slightly in the beginning of a smile. His Master was a respectable one, wasn't she? At least she seemed to be an honorable ally, which pleased him to the fullest. Rider wasn't sure if he would be able to tolerate someone who disrespected him so. Her name was Sinia, but oddly enough she did not provide him with a surname. Not that he cared-- a name was enough for him. "Very well, Sinia," he began, bowing slightly in a small gesture of respect. The Servant's small grin remained on his face as he straightened up. "I cannot wait to see what you have in store for us." He really couldn't. Sinia seemed like she had potential, even though she was a woman. There had to be a reason the Grail chose her, right?

Rider's gaze wavered around the room again, the shadow of a curious expression falling over his face. "Where exactly is this?" he questioned her. All he had seen so far was the inside of her home, which was small and cramped for him. Would he be able to call this his home for the time being? Or would he become impatient within the walls? He would have to wait and see in order to find out how he would fit into her lifestyle. "It is... a small apartment, or so they call it. I wonder if you feel restrained here. It is like a cage."

He didn't mean any offense when he spoke; Rider was just stating what he thought about her humble abode. He had been a nomad when he was alive, wandering the world as he conquered tribe after tribe. It was natural for him to feel constricted within an apartment.

___________________________________

Sinia nodded in response to her servant before briskly opening her door and venturing out of the apartment complex. She was dressed in casual attire consisting of jeans and a white wool sweater while her hair hung in slightly frayed cascades from not being attended to regularly. She carried a satchel around her right shoulder which contained most of her necessities such as her academic materials and performance dress. They also contained stones, crushed gems, and other strange objects to act as catalysts for her runic magecraft. Runic magecraft was a highly efficient and versatile one, and the ones Sinia used from the Age of Gods were vastly superior to those used by most modern magus.

As Sinia traversed down from the second story of the respectable and modest apartment she resided in to the entrance, she explained the details of the world in a quick summary,
"This is a small area, but its next to the shopping district so there are a lot of small services and stores around. Many more people exist now then in the pace, so urbanization has forced high rise buildings, so it isn't uncommon to have "business" buildings extending several floors with a different service on each floor or area. The shops of course vary infinitely because they are so common, and the vehicles that pass are ones without living power. They subsist on fuels not related to mystery or magecraft, but are just as effective."

Sinia exited the apartment and admired the cityscape around her. The air was brisk and clean that day, and mellow sunlight streamed in from all directions as a gentle and cool breeze soothed the area.

____________________________-

The invisible man followed his Master down the stairs, wondering what exactly he would find outside. While Servants understood the world around them no matter what time period they were brought into, he was still interested in seeing everything with his own eyes. Rider perked up and listened to what Sinia told him. So the area was small, but they were near the shopping district, eh? That meant there should be a lot of people bustling around. If he had time,  he would look around the shopping district on his own. His Master probably had things to do, and when she did not need him around, he could very well do some "window shopping". There had to be a lot of things to see, after all.

The day was a nice one. It was the first thing he noted because of the sun shining down on the Earth below. The sound of birds and cars in the distance reached his ears, and he uttered a low laugh as he looked at the cityscape. "Impressive," he told her,  his garnet-colored gaze flicking to and fro. It was interesting to see how humans had come along in history. They had built such large buildings and the like. It certainly was different than the time when he was alive.

Rider set his hands on his hips, taking in the view with a pleased look. "So, where exactly are we off to?"
____________________________________

"I'll be off to the university of this town. You may stay where you wish as I'm sure the freedom is quite the blessing for you. You need not worry about my safety though I may use a command seal if a situation does become desperate if you do not mind."
Sinia said this as she entered the entrance of the university and meandered her way through the area to find her classroom. She walked with a brisk and energetic pace, her pale yellow hair flowing behind her in slender strands twirling in the light breeze. Her eyes were lit full of life and anticipation for the day, and a radiant smile gave the appearance that Sinia was living the best day of her life. Of course, there was not much out of the norm for the day other than her summoning of Rider, but it was Sinia's habit to enjoy every nuance and moment of life fully, and therefore nothing ever looked the same for her. The road she always crossed changed from day to day as she noticed it from new perspectives and appreciated it in different angles, and so on for all her other constants in life. She was prepared for battle at all times of course. Sinia had no room for naivete and understood fully the gravity of this war. She was not overconfident nor was she too humble, instead stirking a balance most attuned with practical action.

Sinia could easily defend herself from even servants, it was true. Uaithne was no mere artifact for a modern magus, it was quite literally a Noble Phantasm of an elder god of the Celtic pantheon, and though Sinia had not mastered Uaithne to large extent, she would still be capable of repelling an attack from a lesser servant such as Assassin by striking the harps notes to cast a melody of spells weaving together in harmony unsurpassed by modern magi. A boundary field, mental interference, elemental defenses, and barriers could be set up all together within a few notes. Runes inherited since the Age of Gods such as ressurection, Ansuz, Sowilo, and the ilk would provide formidable deterrence against servants. Of course, Sinia had no reliable offense. If she had been a different person, one more inherent towards violence or combat, Uaithne would have transformed these emotions into deadly offensive spells. But she was incapable of manifesting such intent, and as such her capacity as an offensive fighter was almost null. Fortunately, Rider would be able to provide her with an offensive edge.

Hao looked out from a crimson stained glass window within the foreign room he was in. When his face looked out, the crimson color faded and the fractures in the glass melded to form a crystal clear view of the outside, almost as if the window had not been there. The window was hewn into the black mortar stone of the room, which was circular in shape. The room itself was vast, being over thirty meters long in diameter. The floor was made of the same depressing dark gray shade of mortar but was polished and smooth to form a pleasant walking surface, with some areas being covered by velvet carpets. The walls too were smooth and polished in the inside of the building, though on the outside they would still be pointed and rough rocks stick together in circular arrangement. Upon this wall was pinned a magnificent tapestry stretching almost half the room's circumference depicting a mystical winged man crowned in emerald having his heart skewered out by a knight clothed fully in radiant silver armor. In front of this tapestry stood an empty and solemn throne of what appeared to be emerald effusing a light green glow through the room. A round table majestically poised itself at the center of the room, but oddly there were but two seats of pure gold beside it to keep it company. Upon this table lay dishes of exquisite quality and culinary expertise, as well as fruits and meats of the utmost succulence.

The entire room had an aura of majesty and opulence, but yet Hao could not feel anything but loss. It was utterly silent and everything was untouched. Not even dust had dared to settle on anything, as if the room was frozen in time. Jewels embedded in the walls kept the temperature in the room stable and freshened the air. But this constancy unnerved Hao. Everything was too orderly, completely still and pristine.

The view outside was what grasped Hao's attention. For perhaps two or three miles, all Hao could see was a field of roses. Roses full of life and in full bloom, proudly puffing out their vibrant blood red shade. The roses were extremely numerous, packed in one huge clump that ran in a circular field all around the building Hao was in. They were so packed and numerous that they appeared to be a literal sea of roses. No soil could bee seen anywhere. Yet among these roses lay decaying corpses by the dozens. Corpses of winged men and women ethereal in quality, as well as carcasses of armored knights still armed. The roses grew over they bodies, entangling them and taking life from them for their own. It was all to surreal a view, but it captivated Hao with its beauty. Outside this field of roses was desolation. Rotting corpses of fauna and man in advanced stages of decomposition, attracting all the pests and scavengers of the world. Withered and dying trees formed a bony forest, empty and without life. A river of blood ran through the forest, singing its stream of death.

"Wonderful..."
was what all Hao could utter. The scene had an exceptional quality to it, as if Hao was viewing an alien world full of unknown wonder and beauty. The death, the life, the decay, the growth, all of it lent to a picturesque scene so surreal that Hao felt as if he was hallucinating.

"Wonderful yes. Do you know why? Because you do not see the harms of "higher" existence. Your taste is sublime. It is not the beauty of the roses nor the decay of corpses you find so captivating, but it is the emptiness. The solace engendered by nothingness."
A cold voice. It was at first impression, a friendly one with mild tone and clear enunciation that flowed like a steady stream, but a light rattle in the tone injected an unnerving impression. The voice belonged to what appeared to be a majestic knight, armored completely from head to toe in brilliant metals forged and shaped with peerless craftsmanship. A cape of sky blue fluttered by the knights side, heralding his kingly presence. The knight was tall, slightly more so than Hao, and had an agile and slender build. A bejewelled scabbard lay strapped his hip, revealing the hilt of an undoubtedly exceptional weapon. A weapon that had eradicated mystical beings beyond human comprehension with ease.

Hao nodded in agreement, still absorbed in the view. The sun shone brightly, illuminating the canvas of oddity perfectly. The knight began to speak once more, in a more formal tone than before,

"Outside the church in the graveyard there have been four intruders, thought you may already be aware. Two of which are servants. One observed vast magical capacity but did not show more than a small show of his ability. The other, as you know, held a different aura form the other servants. A significant power and capacity unknown to regular heroic spirits. Both can be dealt with, and do not pose such a threat that we must stray from our original intentions and plans as I am sure you are aware. The carrion devouring beast has more raw power than I possess, but fortunately in a test of tactical battle, I will surpass it regardless."

Hao took his gaze away from the window, and it assumed its crimson stained glass composition once more.
"It is as you say. Though I am surprised that you are so perceptive in such knowledge despite your original capabilities, your knowledge is excellent. Though in your wait I am sure you have learnt a vast amount, especially with your resources. You are currently both superb warrior and powerful magus. I do not think we should ponder about combat, considering your capabilities and mine. I myself have the capacity to defeat all other masters in this war with relative ease should I be pressured, but we are limited by the veil of secrecy. It is not that we lack the power, it is that we must have the perfect execution."

The knight stood silently before responding with a calm tone followed by an gesture of pointing behind him with outstretched left arm. The clank of his armor echoed through the room in a harsh tintinnabulation.
"You are right. It is unwise to stay here however. I merely wished to show you the vision of "the world". Stay within the bounds of the church, and I will seek to ascertaining the identities and capacities of the other servants and masters myself. And I will continue to work on the modifications you have asked of me. Go, priest."

Hao sauntered past the knight with a glimmer of agreement in his eyes. He continued walking and walking, and did not stop even when he was but an inch away from the wall. Hao simply walked through it, and saw only darkness. In the next instant, he found himself in the basement of the church once more. Hao smirked in anticipation of what was to follow.

Fumio Nakahara's House

6:30am

There he was, standing together with his Adam and Eve on a hilltop, overlooking his very own Eden. The paradise he had created for his race truly was a Utopia, where nobody lacked anything at any day of the year. Everything was full of color, the birds were singing their typical ringing and...

Fumio slowly opened his eyes and stared at the alarm clock on the table next to him. Like every day he had to go to work, this hellish instrument of torment had destroyed his dreams and returned him to the cold, harsh reality.

"If that damn thing was alive, I'd kill it just so I could raise it and then kill it again..."

He looked at his arms, to confirm that not all memories from the night before were merely dreams and smiled when he saw the seals that granted him so much power. As if he already had his daily cup of coffee, Fumio jumped out of the chair and made his way to the bathroom, after pulling some fresh, yet identical clothes from a nearby wardrobe. One could heare him take a quick shower and brushing his teeth, before he came out again, still putting his clothes on.

"Caster, I'll have to go to my job in a bit, so you should quickly decide if you want to come or not. Either way I'll take the zombie if you don't mind, it might be useful as a bodyguard. Does that thing even follow my orders or is it completely bound to you?"

Since they had a mental connection and so there was no need to wait for an answer, he grabbed a folder with some printouts for his students and walked out of the door. Outside he pushed open the gates and then got into the van, where he uttered a short "Mornin'" to the creature in the back and drove away to the university.

Ukatan University

7:00am

Pulling into the university's very own parking lot, Fumio brought his to a halt on one of the spaces for staff members. He grabbed his stuff and made sure that nobody was looking, before he opened the back and let the walking corpse jump out. After closing the doors and locking his trash heap on four wheels, he entered the main complex, exchanging a few greetings with teachers and students who had been here even earlier than him, hoping that the zombie wouldn't stand out too much.

Once he finally had reached the teachers lounge, the first thing he did, was to grab a cup and start to brew a fresh pot of coffee. While the machine was doing its work, he sat down on one of the many empty chairs and went over his plan for the day again. Thankfully, he had always managed to get the more...sophisticated classes in the recent years, so hopefully he could spend the day by simply giving out stacks of paper and think about the more urgent matter at hand, while they were working.

Chemistry Department, Rooftop.
Morning
Louise and Archer

Louise was in a surprisingly good mood this morning considering her current circumstances now that she had had time to analyse the situation from a less emotional perspective. That was not to say that she was no longer emotional, simply that she was currently less emotional. Less erratic and more like her normal self, more logical and cheerful. Which was why she was laying on top of the chemistry departments roof staring up at the sky in a very carefree manner. The stairwell had been locked but that hardly mattered considering that she knew broom magecraft. In fact she was quite the experienced practitioner of that particular form of transportation magecraft. Archer would have had no issues ascending the building either, for entirely different reasons. Not only did the chemistry department’s main building give a good view of the surrounding campus but it was very centrally located. Both were very useful features for Louise and her Servant.

“For now I think we should concentrate on gathering as much intelligence as possible. After all, what we don’t know can and will kill us. Plus I don’t like not knowing things. We should find out who the other Masters and Servants are as soon as possible,” she knew that she was stating the obvious but it made her feel more in control. “I also think that we should avoid getting into a pitched battle with anyone so soon. Instead we should concentrate on drawing out their abilities under controlled conditions so that we can analyse and come up with suitable countermeasures, maybe even derive their True Names. It’s no secret that as a team we lack outright power, so we need to make up for that as much as possible by being resourceful.”

Louise raised a hand toward the sky and watched as the clouds appeared to drift through her fingers. “What about you, Archer, is there anything particular that you need? Materials? Items? High explosives?” Louise asked in a cheerful tone that seemed to make light of the obvious gravity of her intended meaning. In short, what did Archer need to kill another Servant, beyond his Noble Phantasm.



Charlotte stood against the wall to her Masters residence, choosing to wait for him outside rather than seek him out inside. There was one very simple but important reason for this. Appearances. Though there was no Servant watching the house it would not be ideal for her to be seen either in her Masters residence or leaving it with him. Not yet anyway. Far better for both of them if she could control exactly what it was that people saw. Which would be this; a young woman in her early twenties, brown eyes and long blonde hair, waiting outside of Jacobs house. People may speculate as to their relationship, in fact it she expected as much, however nothing they saw would lead them to suspect the truth. Girlfriend, associate, colleague, student, mistress but not Servant and Master. Rumour would aid them in masking the truth.

And so she stood outside waiting for her Master, staring at a phone screen to complete the illusion. The fact that the phone was not on was irrelevant, the impression was all that mattered to the illusion. This was a basic tenant of subterfuge. Of course with that said it would have been easy enough for Charlotte to come and go as she pleased, unseen by mortal and Servant alike due to a combination of speed and inate ability. It was simply that she hoped her Master understood why it was important that they be seen together. It would allow her to hide in plain sight. That way she could gather information from more than just the shadows, allowing her to make use of not just her wits but her charm as well. Of course if he desired her presence than she had no doubt that he would summon her regardless of her personal preferences. Such was her role in this relationship. The loyal, dutiful Servant. And that was exactly what she was, at least for now.

Ryuuguu Apartment Complex->Utakan University

Charles Dorvain

Charles, after waking up and getting dressed, was walking from the complex to the school, a spots bag hanging from his shoulder that carried his sword and buckler. He was being accompanied by Jane to the University, half because Mary had proven to be a prime target for horny college guy's taking advantage of her mute nature. This had led to a few bad situations, and many, many broken bones as Charles went to town on the poor fools. Jane, on the other hand, had such an intimidating presence that only the most confident, or fool hardy, approached her. If her first rejection was ignored, and they put their hands on her, she made sure they would have much difficulty spreading their idiotic genes through reproduction.

When they arrived at the college, he noticed the creepy doctor, Fumio Nakahara, preparing for his classes in the lounge. "Good Morning, young Frankenstein, how has your day been?" Charles gave a wave in greeting, wearing his trademark black gloves that he always wore on duty, and also did a great job of hiding his mark. Speaking of that, he wondered were Saber@hatakekuro was. He had told the servant that he had free range of the area in the University when Charles was at work, that way he wouldn't have to automatically use a command seal if something happened. They were valuable resources, and using them for something like that was a bit of a waste in his opinion.

@YandereClock



Nidhogg, upon returning to Thomas' hidden lab, had decided to make himself a place of rest, relaxation, and torture. In one of the deeper sections of the lab, he had created a long tunnel, supported by a vast network his roots that he had cut off from himself, freezing them in place and making them unable to be manipulated again. As one went deeper into the lair, they would find a few bodies, engrained into the walls of earth, most being dead and decayed, but a few still living, as can be seen from the slow and painfully rise and fall of their chests. These were his sources of Prana for the roots he had spreading throughout the area, the tunnel being a sort of central hub and holding area for all of the bodies he had stored for later consumption.

At the end of the tunnel would be a large cavern were a pile of decaying corpses lay, taken from some of the numerous graveyards through subtle means, having his roots pull them to this place from the underground, and filling up the empty space with roots to keep the ground from noticeably collapsing. The pile of putrid flesh was currently being taken apart as Nidhogg began to place them against the wall, letting the roots coil around them and hold them in place. This is what he had been doing for awhile, that and finding a few homeless beggars to torture and devour, which made up a majority of the living people currently held hostage, with the only exception being the man from the graveyard, who was among those being slowly drained by the rots as they dug deeper and deeper into his body.

Nidhogg had also taken Thomas' phone, working out a deal with him so that Nidhogg would try his best not to get overzealous in his corpse collecting anymore, then he would get to listen to music from the device. So, as the beast was set about his grisly business, he was singing along to a particularly fitting song, as well as a few songs from the heavy metal genre, or so Thomas had called it. It was quite pleasing to the ear, and the subjected matter was delectable inclined to his tastes.

IC: Thomas Joren, Classroom

Thomas scrawled his name on the blackboard, being extremely careful to not trigger his abilities. No need in his students knowing what his capabilities were. Nidhogg had his phone, that was an inconvenience, but at least it kept the Devourer away and somewhat occupied. Lord only knew what he was up to down there, but it would be far worse if he was in Thomas' class, harassing his students. Plan B was to set him on the Anatomy and Physiology department, but somehow Thomas thought they wouldn't appreciate their cadavers being eaten. He cleared his throat as he finished drawing a simple summoning circle on the board, letting the class quiet down.

"I'm Thomas Joren. Welcome to Occult Studies. You have a syllabus on your desks, but that's mostly just scrap paper to practice drawing circles on, and a basic schedule. I don't require a textbook, but if you wish to have one, come see me and I'll give you the name. The point of this class is to instruct you on various matters dealing with the more... Mystical side of folklore and myth. I will reiterate time and again that Ukatan University does not encourage a belief in the occult, but I frankly couldn't care less what you personally believe. A large section of our focus will be on the ritual circle, as it's a primary element in much of the old mystic "magic". We'll also have lectures on runes, sacrifices, and incantations."

"We'll be spending a lot of time outside, primarily because the druids didn't cast spells in a stuffy lecture hall. You will have a midterm and a final, though I prefer to keep the exact composition of those secret until the actual exam. Welcome, again, to Occult Studies. Are there any questions?"

@Raijinslayer
True to his word Saber indeed stayed on the campus of the university as to not waste any of the few precious command seals that his master had. It would've been troublesome wearing his worn yukata, wooden sandals, and rope that tied his ponytail together so he had taken it upon himself to try a new clothing attire that seemed to suit the modern era. He wore black, loose jeans held by a black belt with a gray metal buckle, a tight teal t-shirt shirt that molded around his well toned body, and brown sandals. His hair, while remaining wild and in a pony tail, was now held by a hairband that Mary lent him so that his hair wouldn't get in the way. While he didn't have his swords one him, he could simply summon them when he he has too. Both Jane and Mary tried to comb his hair this morning and the results were more or less...disastrous. There were just too many knots in his hair and it was just much too painful and difficult to do. His scruffy facial hair was also given a nice trim to make it look neat and have a better shape.

Right now Mary and Saber were both in the cafeteria of the campus having breakfast, sitting by a window as they enjoyed a small meal. Saber was certainly curious about the many different foods that they had and wanted to try whatever appealed to him. He ended up getting a stack of pancakes, bacon, sunny side up eggs, sausage, and coffee. Okay, his meal wasn't small. Mary was just having oatmeal with brown sugar. The two ate in silence, a most awkward silence due to a few reasons: Mary was a very shy person who almost never talked, they didn't know what to talk about due, and it seemed like Mary wasn't very good with being around the opposite sex, even if the opposite sex was just a phantasm brought back to life by supernatural means.

"Er, so..." Oh lord what is there to talk about?

A small voice rung out. "Um Saber-Sama, what was it like back in your previous life...?" By god this was actually the first time he ever heard Mary talk at all. She still couldn't even look up a him though. Her gaze was still downwards, no confidence in her posture.

Saber sighed and sipped his coffee. "It was a violent time Mary. Wars between Shogunate was common and duels between samurai's were daily activities for some of us. It was a time when wronging a samurai meant a justifiable death. I remember I've killed a lot of other samurai, I was young and reckless so I never really cared about the other party. When I got older, killing seemed to be much more detestable so I made sure that I left my opponents alive." He leaned on a propped up arm, holding his head with the palm of his hand. "When confronted with no other choice, but to kill however, I always made sure that my strikes weren't hesitant."
"I-I see...."

(I'm switching Cage's English to orange since Twilight claimed gold.)

*****


Thursday (6:50 A.M.)

Cage had woken up. He thought it was all dream. It was not. The woman named Tomoe was still there. She insisted in coming with him. He refused. She insisted further. Cage knew better than to argue with a woman. Unfortunately he lacked information about Command Seals. He had not even found them while he bathed. He was too frustrated. Thus he walked to the university with a shrine maiden in tow, turning heads as if he was super star. Which he is but Cage would bet good money that was not the case.

After the two had reached the gate that lead to Ukatan University, Cage faced his Servant. "Look here Miss Tomoe, I've gotta go to class and I really appreciate it if a shrine maiden didn't follow me in there." He bluntly told Tomoe before pulling out a wad of yen bills. "Take this. Use it to... do whatever the heck you want." The actor gave Berserker the huge amount of money. "Since you're some awesome Servant, surely you can find me even when I'm in Brazil right? Come find me after a few hours. Then we can shop for your clothes."

With that, Cage left Tomoe to her own but before he did, he faced Berserker one last time. "Oh and if anyone asks about you and me, tell 'em you're my girlfriend." The actor realized too late he was about to stir up some intrigue in the showbiz world because of that.

Chemistry Department, Rooftop
Morning

The sun hung in the sky as morning arrived, heralding Archer's first day upon Earth in this new life of his. It was definitely a change from his old one, and he was left to wonder what the day would hold. Certainly he could not have predicted being perched upon a rooftop, his keen vision scanning the area and the city beyond, recording where everything was why also looking for any Servants that might be around. He wasn't the best at that, but he would try.

At least Louise, his Master, had recovered from the shock she had been dealt last night, and was now all business. Energetic and cheerful, but there was nothing wrong with that. Certainly he could appreciate the good mood, and it was her who had suggested coming up here, both for the view and for the privacy.

He listened quietly as she outlined what she thought they should do, before giving his own opinion. "Seems reasonable," he agreed with a nod. "Especially Caster and the other knight classes." Caster was the biggest problem, since the nature of his summoning made his magic resistance basically nonexistent beyond that which was provided by the Grail itself. And the other knight classes, Saber and Lancer, were always a worry in a Grail War.

A hum of thought then, before he looked over at Louise, expression thoughtful. "Well, I haven't had the opportunity to catch up on recent science and such in this world, so it might take a bit before I can come up with some modern devices to help. But I would say things to make bombs, and gasses, if we can get them." He might use guns, but he'd bet that some Ancient Hero wouldn't expect gas. And otherwise, it could be of use against a Master as well, which would do what they wanted just as well.

When the alarm clock rang at the Millford residence Jacob had already been awake. Most of his attention in the past months had been about the summoning, past that he didn't have much to go on in the way of a plan of action. Now that he had Assassin, planning was all the more important. He didn't have the strength of one of the knight classes nor the wealth of knowledge that caster would provide. It was a relief that he didn't have to go on the offensive just yet. If they let the others fight and tire themselves out then action would be easier. But that was wishful thinking, they would have to strike when they get their opportunity, because one might never show up again.

The alarm continues for five minutes before he turned it off, and he laid there for another five minutes. Finally getting up he went about his daily routine. A simple breakfast of scrambled eggs with smoked salmon all the while preparing lunch. Buying lunch at the school would be unwise for some time. Anything he put into his body would have to be made by him and kept within sight. As such he prepared a thermos of coffee as his late night and lack of sleep would likely catch up to him around two o’clock. It took him longer to prepare and cook everything as, against his better judgement, he prepared food for Assassin. He knew she would likely refuse it again, but if at first you don't succeed and all that.

With all that done he went and got dressed, conducting the stranger of his morning rituals, tongue twisters. If Assassin, or anyone for that matter, was listening, they might think him mad as he strung words together in a hasty manner, trying to trip himself up. As a teacher he would be talking all day, and how could he hope to properly inform his students if his tongue was not loose enough to be understood. This was also vital to his Magecraft, as words are indeed power, and as his servant said, delicate.

With his effects gathered he left the house and found Assassin. She looked a convincing part of, whatever it was she was trying to portray. From her appearance she was collage age, so she would have no problem being at the campus, before the day was done he would have to get her an ID, but the chances of someone stopping her were slim. Even then she would likely come up with a convincing lie. "Ah, good morning." Handing her the separately bagged breakfast and lunch he nodded toward his car. It was nothing special, it’s most redeemable quality being that it had four wheels. "I need to get going. Do you want me to drop you off in town or are you coming to the campus with me?"