@Raijinslayer



The young Assassin blinked for a moment as she took in Charles' reactions to her and such, before a small, seemingly innocent, happy, and somewhat slightly eerie smile appeared on her face after he finished speaking to her. She had a daddy now! It would be something interesting to have, for sure, because she had only ever wanted a mommy to go back to before. Maybe her daddy and her could get the Grail, and then she could use it to go back to her mommy! Maybe she could bring her daddy along with her as well, if she asked the Grail nicely. She had never been able to have something like a "family" before. It has been so cold on the streets of London, the smog and mist hanging in the air and making it hard to breathe or sometimes even see. But she had adjusted to it. Then again, she had never been able to go back to where it had been warm either......that was why she would get the Grail with her daddy. She wanted to go back to where it was warm, that being inside of her mommy, more than anything else. She had to go back to where it was warm...where it felt safe.

But she couldn't dwell on that all the time. She had to kill the other servants to get her wish, after all! She had to make those other heroes go "bye-bye" so she could take the Grail with her daddy! It would take some hard work to do so, but she was not a stranger to that. She had made lots of people go "bye-bye" before! It wasn't even that hard sometimes, though sometimes they had struggled a bit beforehand. Yet this was besides the current topic. People had also even given her, a nameless child, a name of her own for all of her hard work. She liked that name, though now it seemed her daddy was asking her about that name now since he didn't already know who she was since he didn't use a catalyst and all. It wouldn't hurt to tell him, though, right? After all, he was her daddy.

"Our name is Jack, Daddy," she said to Charles, addressing him with his newly-found title as she continued to look at him with her smile still fixated in place on her childlike facial expression, "Jack the Ripper. That was the name the people gave us. It means we're really good at killing people, huh?"

She spoke simply of her identity without even a spark of hesitation on her part. It was as if her true name was a simple fact that she was proud of in the same sort of manner that a young child was proud of some small achievement like being able to build a tower out of toy building blocks, though she knew full well not to tell it to other servant or master. No shame, no regret, no excessive pride, and not even hubris could be found laced within the words the white-haired girl spoke. Nothing like what a normal servant could be expected to have, though it had already been made clear she was a far cry from a "normal" or "traditional" heroic spirit in the first place. Just plain, simple, humble, childlike pride was being expressed in her words, with her sounding in some small part like she was just glad to a certain extent she had been given a name at all in her life.

@ConstantlyComic
KRISHNA

Well if there was one thing to definitely say about his master, it would be that he is very energetic. Not that he could blame him; it's an impressive feat to summon a heroic spirit and for someone to be able to do this means they are worthy to enter the Holy Grail War. It was a one way ticket to fulfill their desires, as well as a one way ticket towards certain death. Hopefully his master was aware of that he may actually die if he isn't careful...but he seemed to be much too naive of how dangerous the war truly is. It only made his job ever so harder to protect him, but alas, that is the role of the servant.

At least his master finally got over his euphoria and finally asked who his servant was. Krishna accepted the handshake, giving him a firm grip though certainly not firm enough to turn his bones into dust. "Clarke Bailey, what a fine name. People have given me many epithets over the centuries and I have been many of them. King, kingmaker, diplomat, philosopher, cow herder, model lover. I am Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu and the slayer of all that is evil. I am of the archer class." He gave him a kind smile, followed by a playful bow. For a hero and being considered to be a god, he certainly had a love for the theatrics.

"So my young master. It's been quite some time since I've walked on the plane of the living. Could you perhaps tell me where we are? Perhaps go out and see what the world is like?" It should've been expected for Krishna to ask that. When one has been dead for centuries and come back to life, there is a tendency to be curious about what has changed in the world.

@hatakekuro

Bailey Clarke

Bailey shook his Servant--Krishna's--hand perhaps a little more vigorously than would be normal, but that could be excused given his enthusiasm. It wasn't every day you got to meet a legendary hero. And by that list of things he'd done, a pretty skilled one too. He hadn't heard the name Krishna before, but he was pretty sure that Vishnu was a Hindu god. So if this guy was his avatar, that meant he was kind of a god too, right? So he had to be powerful! He'd really lucked out. One thing, though...

"Actually, it's, uhh, Bailey Clarke, not Clarke Bailey, but whatever you want to call me's fine, I guess." He sure as hell wasn't going to antagonize his Servant, even if it was over something like his name. The Command Seals on his hand gave him the ability to compel Krishna to follow his orders, yes, but only three times. He didn't want to waste any on saving his life from his ally. Besides, Krishna seemed like a nice guy. Hopefully they'd get along and work well together.

"So my young master. It's been quite some time since I've walked on the plane of the living. Could you perhaps tell me where we are? Perhaps go out and see what the world is like?"

Of course he'd want to know what the world was like. He hadn't had a physical form in who knows how long, and although he should've been summoned with a basic idea of the present world--perhaps a bit more than that, if his clothes were any indication--Bailey knew as well as anyone else the difference between knowing something and experiencing it.
"We're in Cusco," he answered the location question first, "In Peru. South America, although I don't know if that tells you anything." He realized as he was talking that a Heroic Spirit from India probably didn't know anything about the Western Hemisphere. Oh well. He'd have to find a map somewhere to show him.

"And as for going out, I would right now, but it's kind of the middle of the night, and summoning you took a lot out of me, so I need to get some rest," he punctuated his point with a yawn, "I guess you can take a look around in spirit form while I'm sleeping, if you don't go too far."

((accidental double post. Disregard this one.))

The girl's response to Charles' query was. . . shocking, to say the least. He, like most people, had heard of the mysterious figure known as Jack the Ripper, but to find out that such a vicious killer was naught but a little girl was highly unexpected, and he didn't quite know how to handle this information. Si he decided to go over to one of the beds and sit down, rubbing his eyes as he contemplated how he would continue in this war with his servant. It was most definitely not your average servant, if average could really be used in regards to Servants, but he would have figure this out. Breathing out a sigh, he looked back up Jack and took this moment to pat the space next to him, indicating that she could sit there if she did. Once she was comfortable, if she decided to sit that is, then he'd continue to speak.

"Well Jack, I can't argue with that. Your skills have been well-documented in both history in legend, and your appearance makes it clear why you never seemed to get caught. If you could sit still for a bit, I'd like to look over your stats and skills and what not so I can decide what we will do from this point on, though before I do, I'm going to set a few ground rules, okay?" He tried to make sure his voice was gentle, but stern, taking the tone his father took with him when he wanted to make sure that Charles was paying attention and hoping that what he said would be getting through. "You're not to kill any civilians unless they either witness you fighting another servant or a mage, you're not to engage with other servants or masters without my permission, and you should never be outside of spirit form while going about during the day. Besides your attire likely drawing unwanted attention, I'd like to make the greatest use of your presence concealment whenever possible. Do you understand these rules?"

As he asked these questions, he took a moment to cast the Clairvoyance spell, scanning the Assassin for her stats and skills.

Hmmmm . . . Her stats are as expected, though her skills are very, very useful, especially against masters. Makes it so that day time is for information collection and the night is the time for hunting. Information Erasure is also a very helpful skill to have. Her Noble Phantasms are rather situational, though fairly useful at keeping a target in one place, though if their Servant comes to their aide, things could get messy. We'll definitely have to choose our battles carefully. . . but I can work with her. Definitely.

@Holy Grail

@Raijinslayer



Her daddy seemed to be a little surprised when she said her name, even sitting down on the bed, but it didn't seem too strange to her. No one had caught her before, since she was so good at what she did, so it made perfect sense even to her that it would take a little time for her daddy to process things. Even so, she hoped her daddy was not mad at her or anything. He wanted a good servant, right? So he had summoned her, even if he didn't have a catalyst for the summoning! So he had to not hate her, right? Then again, if daddy was too mean to her she could just make him go "bye-bye" as well though. It would be so easy in that case, and all she would have to do would be to wait for the right moment! Then maybe she could find a mommy to be her master then! That would be nice. But her daddy hadn't been mean to her yet, not at all! So the thought of killing him was not something that dwelt in her mind with any serious consideration, and just as quick as the thought had arrived it was thankfully gone once more as she noticed her daddy invite her over to sit next to him on the bed.

Bounding over to the bed in a happy and childlike manner, the young Assassin class servant sat right next to her daddy, her happy mood still maintained without skipping a single beat. It wasn't too hard for her to get comfortable though. Beds were so soft! She never had been on a real bed before, yet they felt so nice! She knew there were even better beds out there, though, since the Grail had been so nice as to give her so much information about so many things when she was summoned as a servant! She almost wished she could tell her daddy all about it, but that would be silly. Her daddy already knew so much about this stuff it seemed, and they did need to get started making the other servants and master go "bye-bye" at some point!

When her daddy began to speak in very daddy-like tone about some "ground rules", though, Jack listened in intently and innocently, much like like a small child listening to the words of their favorite parent. It seemed to be a positive response to the gentle, parental, and overall "father-like" tone Charles was using, if nothing else. She was perfectly ok working with her daddy, and most of the rules weren't that bad either! She would only fight with her daddy's permission, unless he was in danger, and she would use her spirit form and Presence Concealment during the day as well among the other things he said. It was a little sad she could only kill non-master and non-servants if they saw her making things go "bye-bye", putting a slight frown on her face for a second with her puffing her cheeks in a childlike mannter, but she quickly got past the matter and went back to a neutral facial expression filed with curiosity after rationalizing that her daddy would have a good reason for that. It wouldn't be hard to do that at all anyways!

"I understand, daddy!" she said in a simple, pleasant manner while sitting still as she had been instructed whilst Charles looked at her with his master's Clairvoyance, trying to hold back the childlike temptation to swing her legs a bit while she sat on the bed.

It would be interesting to see what her daddy and her would do in this Grail War, yet she knew enough that she couldn't just run up and kill the other servants and master without a plan. Her daddy would have good plans though, right? She could take care of any people that saw her as well, though it was not like anyone who saw her outside of her daddy would remember anything about her afterwards...

@ConstantlyComic
KRISHNA

"Ah, my apologies master. I'll get your name right next time." He chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. Great, just bloody great. He hadn't been in the real world for ten minutes and he was already making stupid mistakes. Oh well, at least Bailey wasn't taking it personally. It didn't seem like his master wouldn't be a pain in the ass, or at the very least a detriment. Oh how wrong he was.

Krisha scratched his chin as he thought about where he actually was. Sure, he had the basic knowledge of the time period he is living in, but still, it did raise some questions. Such as, where the hell was South America? Where was India in conjunction to Peru? Eh, he'll figure it out later. Well, he would've, but his master didn't have the energy to do it and it was very late. It was a fair enough reason though Krishna was a tiny bit disappointed. Oh well, tomorrow is another day. "Hm, then perhaps it isn't the best time to do so then. I would like to look around when there are more people out so we don't stand out. It wouldn't do us any good if I got caught by a master and servant."

He slid his hands in his pockets and walked out of the kitchen into what was the living room, which had a TV. "Oh, this is what you people call a television right? Mind if I take a look?" Krishna plopped down on the couch and leaned deep into it, propping his feet on the coffee table. He held the remote and with a click he turned it on and the first thing he saw was an intense close up of Steve Buscemi's face.

Charles let out an internal sigh of relief as he noticed that Jack seemed a bit put off by his rule about not harming civilians without cause. He'd hazarded a guess that such a rule would be needed, and hoped that, given her child-ish nature, she'd be willing to listen to 'Daddy's Rules' without the need of a Command seal. That would've been a waste, truly, but he couldnt have her go around murdering people left and right, as it'd certainly draw suspicion and that was something that he couldn't afford as the master of an Assassin. Right now, his best plan of action was to remain in the shadows, an annoying tactics truly, but it was still exciting in it's own way. Instead of a battle of brawn, it was one of brains, as the entirely of the city became a chess board, one that he had to play very carefully or else his death would likely be swift.

Once the girl had conceded to his rules, he gave her a slight pat on her head, his way of acknowledging her answer while he was still in some thought, planning out a few measures of engagements, but the dulling of the fire in his eyes was a clear sign that he was getting bored with such a tedious task, a fact further supplemented by a rather large yawn that followed, more out of boredom than actually tiredness. Getting up, Charles was about to reach out for his camera, thinking that taking some pictures of his new servant would be interesting, as her cuteness could be well highlighted in several places in the room with proper lighting and what not, when he remembered something about his servant.

Information Erasure deletes all evidence of the servant's presence no matter what from both the minds of witnesses . . . and from all manner of surveilance, which meant that I can't take any pictures of her. The problem was minor, but like a thorn in his side, it was extremely vexing. He stood standing in silence for a bit, before letting out a sigh, putting the camera down as he figured that he might as well get on with the rest of the ceremony, since they had yet to finalize the ritual.

"So, Jack, do you recognize me as your Master?"

@Holy Grail

@hatakekuro

Bailey Clarke

"It's fine, really," he said, "The name thing. My name's probably kinda weird compared to what you're used to." Krishna probably hadn't met any people with English names during his lifetime. Besides, Bailey was sure he'd end up making more important mistakes later on--this was supposed to be some kind of competition between mages, and he would be the first to admit that most mages would have an advantage over him as far as study goes. Unless he could somehow settle a fight with knowledge about apples, anyway. Something like getting a name backwards was small potatoes.

"But yeah, once I've gotten some rest, we can definitely walk around. I want to get a better idea of the city's layout, anyway." He'd managed to make his way to a few shops nearby, but he'd like to be able to walk around without getting lost. Not to mention he could maybe keep an eye out for any other Masters. His current strategy was to lie low and wait for some of the others to pick each other off, but he would definitely like to get an idea of what he'll eventually be facing.

As for the TV... "Sure, you can use it, I guess. Just don't turn it up too loud. I don't want to bother the neighbors." Or leave too much evidence of his presence.

@Raijinslayer



Jack responded well to the patting of her head by Charles, for just a moment beaming with more childlike glee that her daddy was being so nice to her already. Maybe a daddy would work out for her in this Grail War after all! Yet despite this action, he seemed to be thinking a lot even when he had patted her head. Perhaps he was thinking over some plans for the Grail War, or was figuring out who Jack could make go "bye-bye" first! That could be fun! Really, though, Jack did not know what her daddy was planning to do tonight outside of summoning her into this Grail War. If they didn't have enough to do, that could get boring as well. Maybe she could try to sleep on the bed, if she had nothing else to do tonight! She had never slept on a bed before, even if she was well aware that as a servant she didn't even need to sleep! The bed felt so comfy to sit on, if nothing else, and was most likely lot comfier than trying to sleep on in a cold, dark alley with her lead lying on the cobblestone street.

That matter aide, though, her daddy also seemed a little bored to Jack from how he was acting and appeared. He even picked up a camera in the room, but Jack innately knew that her daddy would not be able to take a nice picture of her. Her Information Erasure made very sure of that. It was a little disappointing, as it would have been nice for her daddy to have something that reminded him of her! But he seemed to move on from the matter, asking her the last question that would finalize the ritual of her summoning.

"Of course we recognize you as our master, daddy" the young Assassin class servant said, hopping up off of the bed with her expression returning to a neutral one as the ritual was finalized and completed, though one of her earlier thoughts came to mind and reminded her of something she wanted to ask at the moment, "By the way, daddy, what are we going to do for the rest of tonight?"

While she waited for her daddy's answer, Jack stood by the bed, taking out one of her knives and twirling it about in her hands to keep herself busy for a moment. The knife, strange in shape as it was, was twirled about her hands with what seemed to be a great amount of skill, dexterity, and a certain level of abnormal ease on her part. It was as if she was fiddling about with a favorite toy with a sense of complete, utter, and somewhat eerie calm, though it was very much safe to say she was highly skilled enough with the deadly weapon and its brethren weapons on her person that still remained sheathed that she would not drop the weapon, hurt herself or her daddy with it, or even let it fly out of her hands. She was, after all, a heroic spirit, and was a servant who in life had become rather extensively familiar with her knives and how to use them.

Despite such things being true, however, the fact was still true that she was effectively a little girl visibly playing with a knife for a moment. That in itself could possibly be a little unnerving for some people, and perhaps even some magi, who witnessed such a sight in general. Then again, maybe her daddy wouldn't mind it at all!

Christelle was a pure girl, so why was she forced to do such a satanic ritual? She devoted her existence to god, yet, in order to protect the world from true evil, she had to do something so horrid. At the very least, this war was taking place in a good Catholic country like Peru. Sure, it has heathen roots, but at least the people here have seen the error of their ways, and the light that is the lord and savior, Jesus Christ.

Another bright side, at least she was in an abandoned park. That was always good, though hard to come by in such a populated city. In hindsight, getting a hotel room and doing it there was a better idea, but she didn't feel like paying for a new carpet. Plus, where would she dispose of all of these animal corpses? She could just leave them here at the park.

Either way, time to check her checklist.

Made a scary blood circle? Check

Prepared to do some acts a Heathen would commit? Check

Feeling like an actual heathen? Nope. Never. She is a pure maiden of Christ and she always will be.

It was finally time for her to summon a Servant. Her blade for the next two weeks. Out of all the heroes from around the world, which one would she summon? She could maybe get one of the Apostles? They would surely have some power behind them, and would surely have the ability to deal with all the heathens around.

Maybe she would summon Roland? Not only was he always a devout follower, but he possessed The Peerless Sword, Durandl. If not Roland, maybe another of Charlemagne's paladins, or maybe Charlemagne himself. Any of those would be perfect for Christelle, and they'd also have a lot of power to protect her from any of the heathens lurking around.

Someone from the Crusades would be good. Richard The Lionheart might be fun to work with, as he did specialize in slaughtering heathens from all around. He was a true believer through and through.

However, her dream Servant was Joan of Arc. A French pure maiden just like Christelle. If this grail was going to pick Servants from their capability to their Master, Joan of Arc would be the perfect match.

This was not the time to worry about who she was going to summon, and just get down to summoning. Christelle extended her hand out forwards, and began to chant.

"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. Shut. Shut. Shut. Shut.

Repeat every five times.

Simply, shatter once filled.

――――I announce.

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

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

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

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

@OneBehindTheMask

@Raijinslayer

Oliver Hallett picked his way across long dark grass under a clear night sky as the lights of Cusco shone in the valley below. He had come here to lose himself in the ruin dotted hilltops surrounding the city, and to pick a suitable spot for the little experiment he was about to try his hand with.

He had thought about performing the ritual closer to his hotel room, but after the oppressive heat of the day the night had seemed too fine to pass up a ramble, and the ruins of the old city were calling to him.

They crowded around him now, huge blocks of smooth grey stone fitted one on top of the other without mortar or clay, the ancient teeth of a long dead city, row upon row of short terraced walls that cut the hill into sections. He had been to Cusco once before, but he had been in a hurry at the time and the popular sites of the place had passed him by. Now he was determined to enjoy them, even to make something of them. He wondered briefly at the place. He had trekked farther and far more dangerously into the jungles to explore ruins far less impressive than these so easily accessible ones.

The location was of course completely off the mark for the being he was supposed to be summoning, but for him at least it would mean something to summon a figure from the past into a place so drenched with it. He briefly contemplated what the Japanese and Inca would have thought of one another, decided that they would be similar enough, but that of course they would have hacked each other to pieces despite it. It was the way of ancient empires.

Smiling softly he shook away the feeling of foreboding that had been creeping up on him ever since he had learned that land was involved here. Why that would enter the equation on such a project he could not fathom. Still it weighed on him. Magi were as liable to resort to hacking each other to pieces when substantial gain was on the line as any ancient kingdom was. He wondered what idiot nobleman had thought up the land offer as an incentive. He would have approached the man and told him it was a mistake, but he had little real clout with any high family's, so ultimately it was futile. Better to just roll his dice and resolve to stay the voice of reason when the meetings came. It had worked in the past.

Bending over he set to work, laying his sketchbook on the ground and opening his satchel of green chalk powder. He was used to making bounded fields so this circle would be no particular challenge. In fact the more analytical side of his mind insisted that something must be missing here. No circle as simple as this should be able to account for a Mystery on the level of what they were talking about.

"It must be something in the land..." He muttered aloud, gazing at the hills across from him. They ringed nearly the entire city, encircling it like a protective wall. No wonder the Inca had decided to settle here. In the time of bows and spears it must have seemed invincible.

"Or maybe these are the real key?" He looked at the back of his right hand again as he spread the fine powder over the ground. He had never seen anything quite like the spontaneously forming marks that had appeared there, though he could tell out of hand they they contained great power. Thick, segmented and straight they resembled something perhaps like a stylized chess rook. Surely they were a large piece of this puzzle.

Continuing his musings he set to work in earnest, slowly watching the circle take form under his careful hands untill it lay before him, complete and beautiful. He regarded it carefully before he stood again and reached for his scripted incantation. He was passing a threshold of some kind here. His good judgment warned him against going any further, but curiosity and something else he could not quite identify in himself drove him on. He began to speak the words.

As the voice of an old Englishman filled the air with magic the wind began to blow and light began to build, mystical light to challenge the modern light of science that blazed in the valley below him. A smell very difrent from the scent of the land became apparent, the smell of cherry trees and fish and swift running water. It was a smell he recognized from the dig site in japan where he had uncovered the rusted sword hilt that brought him here in the first place, the same that now lay in the center of his circle of green.

Little by little the light grew brighter, and as it did the sword hilt seemed less rusty, untill quite suddenly it was a blade again. A long curved sword beautiful to look at, with no sign of wear or corruption.

The light reached its zenith as the incantation ended.

"That . . . is an excellent question." Charles said, paying little heed to the knife-twirling child as he once again focused his attention, hard as that was to do, on how to keep said child from getting bored, as he had a feeling that a bored assassin would be a very dangerous assassin. 'Normally, I'd tell her to entertain herself, but given how she might go about doing that . . . problems could occur. I only now realize I didn't specify how off-limits civilians were so, if this one is off a mind to, torture would be within the bounds of law. Not her first instinct, but I'd rather not give her time to think on that. Think, Charles, think. What could you do to hold her attention till the next day?' Charles would sit down on the bed again, staring out at nothing as he tried to come up with an effective strategy, going over multiple plans in his head for a couple moments before he settled for going with the obvious one.

"Okay Jack, listen carefully. I'm going to go to bed in a bed so that I can be as rested as possible for tonight. While I'm asleep, I want you to go out and scout out the area around the hotel, possibly even look through a few windows if you feel a servant nearby and believe you can get a glance at their master. Be careful though, and remember, no engagements, only recon." He paused for a moment to make sure that this sank in for a bit before continuing on, giving a slight stretch as he did so, a bit of exhaustion flowing through him as he did so. It seemed the jet lag was still effecting him a bit as he tried to get use to being in a different timezone. "After you've felt like you've collected a good amount of info, come back here. I'll leave a window open for you to sneak back in, and if I haven't waken up by then, you should rest as well. Even if you don't need to sleep, it's always good to rest . . *yawn* . . rest for a bit."

Charles rubbed his eyes a bit before he leaned back into the bed, giving Jack a slight pat on the head and ruffling her head a bit like his father had often done to him when he sent the young Dorvain off on an errand. 'Hopefully, she'll be more . . . effective than I usually was.'

"If you do a good job, I'll get you a . . *yawn* . . present or . . . something . . ." And then Charles was out like a light, laying spread out like an eagle, leaving Jack to do as he commanded . . . or whatever she felt like. He was asleep, so how was he supposed to know.



". . . Hmmmmmm."

As the light faded, a lone man stood in the center of the circle, a man dressed in a somewhat loose-fitting kimono, his long dark hair mostly tied in a long ponytail that ran down to the small of his back. The cold icy blue of his eyes bore into the man before him, seeming to stare into their very being before he turned his gaze to the blade before him. Reaching down to pick it up, he gazed at his work with a faint grin on his face, taking a moment to bask in it's presence. He tested the weight of the blade, slashing it this way and that, listening to the sharp song as the blade cut through the air with a sense of satisfaction, before he returned the blade to it's waiting sheath by his side.

"So. . . you're to be my master in this foolish conflict for the Grail." Goro spoke in a soft, yet demanding tone, his head rising to look at the elderly mage with a neutral look, seeming to have yet to make an opinion of him yet. "I must admit that I was expecting someone much . . . younger to participate in such bloody business. Wars like this are usually fought by the young and foolhardy, so if you are not young . . ."

He let the sentence go unfinished, knowing his master would understand, and if he didn't, then he only further proved the smith's point. Taking a look around at the landscape around him, Goro couldn't help but feel impressed by the simple majesty of the lands around him, so different than that of his homeland, so much more . . . primal, in a way. The rolling of the hills, the crags of the mountains in the distance, it filled him with a sense of inspiration. His fingers began to drum against his sides, eager to get back to work after centuries of disuse. However, he had this annoying business to deal with before he could begin such a pleasure.

"So, my Master, my name is Goro Nyudo Masamune, the greatest smith to ever come out of Japan, and my class is that of Saber." He gives the slightest of bows to the elderly man before him before continuing to speak. "Now, what might you're name be?"

@Raijinslayer

As the light from his summoning ritual resolved itself into a solid figure Olliver took a step back and wiped away the beads of sweat which had formed on his brow. Great forces were at work here. In response to his little song and dance a greater mystery, the likes of which the Noble Families could only hope to achieve with decades of effort, had peeled itself off from some distant dimension and alighted in the real world before him.

He swallowed. Somewhere deep in his brain the faith he had cultivated for years around his knowledge of Magecraft shifted uncomfortably. He had been expecting something like a shade, a swirl of a vague apparition that might be consulted as one would an oracle or seeing stone. That the thing would take such defined and immediate form was alarming to say the least. He hopped it couldn't leave its circle.

"A-ah." Oliver cleared his throat and looked the spirit creature in the eye... he blinked rapidly at the piercing gaze that came back at him, and then forced himself to hold it.

"I beg your pardon Sir, I am er... Oliver, Oliver Hallett. Yes. Well." He cleared his throat one last time and then stepped forward, extending his hand tentatively to the Samurai. A shiver went down his spine at the thought of shaking the hand of a historical figure, not to mention one shrouded in such obvious power and mystery. Then he remembered his manners, withdrew his hand quickly, doffed his hat and gave a little bow in the japanese style instead.
"Forgive me if I'm not quite myself, I'm afraid your entrance has me rather taken aback. It's not everyday something like this happens you understand! I was ah, expecting something a little more... spectral."

He straightened himself and replaced his hat. Had the being asked him a question before? Something about young and old fools. He had been too wrapped up in its sudden appearance to catch it all. Drat.

"In any case! I might not be young but I assure you I'm still quite capable. I have prana, I offer it freely so long as you cooperate with me. I do hope we can get along Mr. Masamune, I have many questions for you."

A Servant did indeed answer the summons of Christelle. However, it was not the purest of maidens that she had hoped to form her contract with. The one who stood before her was rather... different, to say the least.

"Hello there, my lady."

The tall, well-dressed man bowed humbly before his master, his cloak ruffling off to the side as it did. On his side was an old book, one that some might even think of as an ancient tome. No, this man was most certainly not a Heroic Spirit for being a legendary warrior of some sort. He was the storyteller who journeyed through Hell itself.

"I am your Caster class Servant, Dante Alighieri. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

He slowly rose from his bow and began pacing around Christelle, looking over her thoroughly. He wanted to impress her visage into his mind, so that he would be able to aptly describe it in the story these two would inevitably create together. For him, this would not be a simple Holy Grail War. It would be a new journey for him to embark on, along with his Master. As for the other combatants in this War?

They were useless, all useless.

"Might I ask what you used as a catalyst for my summoning, my lady?"

Saber

Then... her wish was the restoration of her family. It was not a bad wish, for there were worse wishes out there. In fact, Saber could understand her Master for wanting to make that wish; she herself was impoverished, and had sought to better her fortunes before. Family was important after all.

Family...

“How about you then, Saber? I had disclosed what I want to an extent, but I had heard that most Heroic Spirits that are summoned desire something from the Grail. What would you want?

Memories of an old castle came unbidden, bringing with it the familiar smell of sweat and blood. The knight before her refused to fall, and had struck her with grievous wounds. And yet she fought on, defying her own battered body screaming in pain, inflicting wounds upon the knight to match hers. By now, both had wounds enough to fell any lesser man, but it was only a matter of time before Balyn...

"What I want from the Grail... You could say it is the restoration of my family." Glancing at whatever arcane things her master was doing, she continued."Apologies, I will leave you to your work undisturbed now."

Of course, Saber did not really leave the room, nor strayed far from her Master. There was that time she had suffered such humiliation from an accursed invisible knight after all.

@RaijinSlayer

Jack the Ripper

The little girl perked up to attention at the word "present", even as her daddy was falling asleep and ruffled her hair in a manner that once again brought an innocent, childlike smile to her young looking face. She had never been given a present before. Ever. From what information the Grail gave her about the world a "present" was usually a good thing, usually given for hard work to to show appreciation for someone among other possible definitions. So if she did a good job with this scouting her daddy was asking her to do tonight, he would buy her a present? That would be so cool! Her daddy was the nicest daddy she had ever had so far, and she had just met him for the first time ever tonight! Of course she would have to see how things went after this initial meeting to really get an idea if her daddy was a good daddy or not.

However, he already was getting the equivalent of "brownie points" in Jack's mind, but with her simple mindset that would easily repay good with good and evil with evil it would probably be safe to note in the future that any bad treatment of Jack could very well possibly come back to "stab" him in the end if he did not choose his actions carefully. With that matter kept in mind, he had just gotten Jack's hopes up for receiving a present the next day. She was counting on getting that present. To get that present, then, she needed to do a good job at looking for the other masters and servant who could possibly be in this hotel. It wouldn't be hard at all for Jack, at least hopefully in her mind. She was good at sneaking around though, so she hoped she would be able to get some good info before coming back. Simply donning spirit form and continuing to use her Presence Concealment that was already active, while not attacking people like her daddy had told her to do that is, would keep her hidden from anyone really. They wouldn't even be able to see her, but she could see them just fine!

With her daddy passed out asleep on the bed, and needing some rest after having given her something to do, Jack decided it was just about time to do some snooping about the hotel. After putting away her knife, she opened the curtains of the apartment's window and cracked the window open just enough to slip outside (and later back into the room of course). She then went into spirit form and climbed outside of the window, hanging on the window ledge with some bit of ease on her part. Taking a moment to look at the city from where she was, she noted first how much cleaner it was than the London of her day and time. Then again, it seemed smaller as well as compared to the big and industrial city she had once lived in as well. Meh. She could ask daddy if they could go look around this new place the next day. For now, she had to do what her daddy had asked her to do so she could get that present the next day!

Beginning to climb the wall in small leaps and bounds, moving as quietly as possible to avoid making noise, Jack began looking in on other residents of the WJ Marriot through every single apartment window she could get up to. If she even found another servant here, they wouldn't be able to sense her unless she tried to attack them! So she could look through the window and see if she could see who the servant was, or perhaps even who they master was as well! Daddy would like to know that, right? But she had not run into another servant yet here. So on she continued her search and investigation for other servant and masters, still being in spirit form with her Presence Concealment also still active.

---

@ADamnFiddle

Elyse

The windows of the hotel room were closed, soft, velvety curtains pulled together and blocking out all light except for the few small cracks of moonlight that seeped into the large and luxurious space. This was indeed a room fit for a king, or a homunculus such as herself who had quite the bit of cash to be able to rent a room like this for her upwards of two week stay in Cusco. The bed on the back wall of the room, large enough for a king and rather comfy looking and fancy in appearance, was covered in royal purple silk sheets, with snow white pillows on it that smelled so fresh they could have almost been just freshly washed about an hour ago. The headboard of the bed was ornately carved wood, carved in a South American style with depictions of Incan warriors on it. A large and expensive dresser sat against the wall to the right of the bed, alongside a desk with a single chair and a mirror of doing makeup of such that was against the same wall. A large chandelier hung overhead in the center of the large hotel room, currently turned off for purposes of performing a certain ritual, though if the lights were on it would have shown to be a lovely, ornate, golden colored piece of furniture. On the opposite wall from the bed was an entrance for a closet. To the right of this closet with large, double doors leading into it was a small kitchenette with an oven, stovetop, and fancy fridge stocked with food that the hotel had put in there for free as part of the price of the expensive cost to rent this room. To the left of the closet entrance was the entrance to the large bathroom the room sported, with clean, white tile floors, fancy shower, a bathtub, a large sink with a sizeable mirror on it and counter space around it for appliances and other bathroom products to be set down, and a fancy porcelain colored toilet and gold color on the rims of it with its own stock of toilet paper just in case.

It was safe to say, this was a very much high-end hotel room that of course was one of the best rooms in this fancy, high-end hotel the female homunculus had decided to stay at. It would perhaps seem vain to some, but she could very easily afford something like this, at least for the short duration of time she was to stay here for the Grail War before either winning....or getting killed. Yet it was something to keep in mind that no one, save for a very rich and wealthy mage, could perhaps afford to stay in the same hotel as her. Further, with this place being a safe distance from the other major hotel, rent-able apartments, and tourists hostels, along with it being a nice bit closer to the Cusco Cathedral where the moderator of this war would most likely be, it gave her a good place to stay in general. Of course, events could cause her to have to move her base of operation at some point, but being given some distance from where the other competitors in this Holy Grail War would be staying and being in close proximity to the moderator of the war were things that were valuable to her. For example: If she somehow lost her servant, whoever they would end up being after she actually did the summoning, then being able to make it to neutral territory would be something a bit easier than if she lived even farther away from the Cusco Cathedral. So in all honesty, the luxury was not the main reason she had chosen to come to this higher-end hotel.

Ah, but facts aside, she was happy to be here and not back on the plane. She had arrived a day ago, using that time to adjust from the jet lag, but had waited to do her summoning until now after she had regained her senses and gotten her things unpacked. The hotel had even provided complimentary breakfast to her and the other residents of the hotel in the morning after she had first arrived. Yet now it was the night, the moon casting its gaze upon the buildings, old and new, that lied within the bounds of the city of Cusco. With the room darkened to the point where only a few candles lit the room up with their dim, almost erie light, she had drawn a magic circle in the large center of her room using red ink mixed with blood. She could clean this circle up easily once she was done to hide the evidence, as a few cleaning supplies had been snatched from a cleaning cart by her on her way up to her room the previous night, but for now it was time to begin.

Elyse adjusted her maid outfit to neaten it, as if to try to look neater for the servant she would summon, though this action was something she also usually did before when she had been stressed in times past. She had no idea if this servant would be someone she could work with, or if they were someone who would look down on her from the beginning and perhaps be the source of unnecessary conflict that could get both of them killed. On one hand, she was nervous and felt a little trepidation as well. Who wouldn't feel such things, when preparing to officially get involved in what would likely be a war that resulted in their own death? Yet on the other hand, a tingle, perhaps a small bit of excitement directed at what she was about to do, ran up her spine in anticipation at the same time. Yet despite all of this going on within her, she held as calm of a stance and expression as she could, trying to hold back the mixed emotions and focus on the task at hand. Once the summoning was over, the contract made, and her and her servant introduced to each other, then in all likeliness she would settle down more easily in all of this. She was rather good at keeping her calm, or at least looking the part at times, though this situation was one of the few that perhaps got to her more so than others. She was going to cross the line, as by summoning a servant she was finally and completely entering the war for Cusco's potent Spiritual Land as well as the secondary objective of the Holy Grail that her servant would likely want depending on who they were.

Perhaps there was time to turn back? She could leave right now, and try to find a job at the Mage's Association or perhaps the Clocktower. If nothing else, perhaps she could study under a professor to try to expand her skills, and use her time while learning to make some more homunculi using her skills in Western Alchemy. That wouldn't be bad, right? Yet she had already set herself on entering this conflict, and had determined herself to persevere through it as best as she could to win and take the prize. She, someone who had been made for a single purpose, now had a chance to leave her mark on the world by becoming a Second Owner by winning a Holy Grail War. She wanted to try to leave a legacy of her own in the world, to do something to make the man she had once cared for...proud. But not just for his sake. This was for her own sake as well. This was to give her purpose, a goal, something to work and fight for until her very last breath. That concept, she had to admit, was something that was also a bit...exciting to be frank about the matter. Exciting and thrilling, like a good roller-coaster or other thrill-seeking adventure she had heard so much about before from the man she had cared for.

Putting one hand to her chest, she felt her heart beating steadily, calming down a bit as she focused her breathing. It was time. The homunculus extended her hand as she stood before the magic circle she had made, before reciting the incantation she had memorized prior to finally coming here to Cusco.

"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. Shut. Shut. Shut. Shut.

Repeat every five times.

Simply, shatter once filled.

――――I announce.

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

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

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

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

The crimson light that began to emanate as the incantation was uttered grew brighter and brighter as it was spoke, until finally it exploded into a burst of light after the last words were uttered, causing the homunculus to cover her eyes to prevent going blind from the sheer brilliance coming from the ritual enacted before her very eyes. Lowering her arm slowly, Elyse tried to get a good look at her servant, whoever they would end up being since she had summoned without an artifact. Yet regardless of who she had somehow summoned, she had done it. She had summoned a servant, and finally, officially, entered the war for Cusco and the Holy Grail.

Cu Chulainn, Lancer

@Holy Grail

It was a simple ritual. In fact, it was hardly anything fancy considering what one summons.

A Hero.

A being that is the idealization of humanity, from it’s worst to its best. After all, what was a human without hope. Hope for the new day is what drove humanity to tame the world with its tools and machines. Hope which drives one to protect what one cares about.

But heroes aren’t without flaws. Even the most idealized hero is to have something which caused them to lose their way. Some sort of chain holding them down, and a wish to change what they had wronged.

Anyone would want to do so. After all, what is wrong can be changed to something that is “right”, and the “right” trumps the “wrong” in every instance.

Caring to change the wrongs to write is a different story though. After all, Heroes were being that are idealized by humanity. If they are to regret their choices, they have failed that pedestal which is so favorably granted to them.

The man before the homunculus was definitely strange looking for a hero. Though muscular, his frame was lean. His [jumpsuit] armor was a deep blue which seemed to match his hair, hard to imagine that something like his armor would offer much protection. His eyes a deep red, as if to show some sort of “difference” between himself and the commonfolk. If anything, one could definitely state that he was exceptionally pleasing to look at. Perhaps enough to make men scared for their wives’ sake.

His face had a beastial grin, and his stretch mirrored the same. Perhaps it wouldn’t be wrong to say that there was a degree of humanity about the person before Elyse. At the same time there existed a more bestial existence. A hidden rage and passion perhaps buried behind the smile.

For the time being, he seemed satiated.

But the most important thing about the man before Elyse was the spear in his hand. A weapon that seemed simple at first glance; a spear died a crimson red. But one can see what appeared to be barbs on the pole of the spear.

“Yo, Master, I’m your Servant. Pleased to meet ya.”

A simple greeting at best. Despite it’s simplicity, it seemed to convey the message just fine.

“I can see by the seals, the contract that bounds us. Hope we can get along.”

Every servant understands who their master is. It is as a child who looks at their mother’s face the first time they are born, or a similar idea at least. A Master held a “bond” with their Servant. One that drew deeper as time went on.

A Master merely acted as the anchor for the Servant. The "power of the grail" is what had been successful in summoning the Servant. Under normal circumstances, Magi are not able to supply the sort of prana needed to sustain such a being, of which not even the 5 Mages would be able to make a familiar contract with. Being that overpowered the existences known as Masters were important to keep in line. Hence the creation of the command seals. At least, every Servant knew of these. They were the “time out” button a Master could use to enforce a demand upon their Servant.

“But I gotta say, I didn’t really expect to have such a cute looking Master in a maid outfit. Perhaps it is my lucky day?”

Well, every dog does have his day.

The sun hung over the sky, the light breeze of noon wafting through Cusco.

In the common day, unmanned aerial vehicles had become a somewhat common existence. All the same, seeing them in one's day-to-day life was a strange occurrence, especially for those who would call themselves magi.

As a result, their appearance could only be called abrupt, as ridiculous an arrival as a familiar kneaded from fantasy.

For those among the Masters of the Holy Grail War who were modern enough to possess cell phones, a text message from a phone number they did not recognize was received. For those who did not, though, they were greeted by something else. Those who had summoned their Servants inside of hotels or apartments received a call from the front desk, informing them that they had a letter dropped off for them. Those who had gone as far as to prepare their own building heard the dull whir of a machine and a knocking sound on the door, and would be greeted with an envelope when they answered it.

Regardless of if they had received it by text message or envelope, each of the Masters who had currently summoned their Servants had received such a message. How the one who coordinated this had found their locations so soon, given that many had only just done said summoning, was certainly up for debate. All the same, the message they had received was also worth giving some attention to.



A location of "Plaza San Francisco" without any additional detail was scrawled onto the back of the message.

So that's how this was going to go, then.

The morning came soon, and with it the annoyance that was the alarm on Charles' smartphone. The loud ringing that he had set it too rang out for a few seconds before his still form lazily reached down towards his pocket, pulling the small device towards his face, his eyes still closed as he did so. He absent-mindedly pressed the screen until he must have hit the snooze button, and then he set it down, getting ready to drift off back into sleep.

. . . Only to be greeted by another droning alert, this time right in his face, that alerted him getting a text message. WHile he wanted to just shut this one of as well, the fact that he didn't now anyone who would communicate by text stopped his finger just before he did so, slowly opening his eyes to glare at the screen. With a swipe, he was presented with the message, his eyes opening slightly as he started to wake up a bit, the content of the message making him completely skeptical of the whole affair. . . and yet, as the master of Assassin, this provided a rather tantalizing opportunity to take out some master's early in the game.

But in that same vein, as the master of Assassin, that means it's imperative that I don't reveal myself as such. . . this holds both benefits and downsides, but I think I should go. Not only would I get a chance to scope out the competition, but I'll also get a chance to rack an early kill. Still, should probably prep some familiars first to scope out the area with Jack before I show up myself, just to make sure this isn't a trap.

With his mind made up, Charles finally rose from the bed, reaching into one of his travel bags to collect some clothes to change into before calling out to his Servant, who he hoped was in the room resting as he said.

"Hey, Assassin. If you're here, get ready to leave. We've got an invitation, and I plan to scope the scene before we commit to this."

@Holy Grail