@Cojemo

A reaction. Perhaps just for a moment, but within that moment Shinobu realized that her clothing were, in fact, sprawled out upon the floor.

One thing was certain to Shinobu. She had been humiliated by this man. This man had been the cause of a huge commosion she would have likely wished to avoid to begin with. After all, Shinobu wasn’t the sort to actively search for fights. Simply put, she was an individual who acted only within the moment. If that moment were to cause a fight, then that was merely the wheels of fate turning, no? If someone did something she considered “dumb”, she would be very likely to instantly initiate a conversation voicing her grievances like the prior statements she had made.

There is nothing spectacular going on, but it was an exciting battle nonetheless.

“Whatever. I tried to play nice with you, but if you don’t want to accept my ‘peaceful offer, that is also fine. Clearly you have some mental issues. Don’t you know when you’ve come into contact with a beautiful woman like myself? I’m 18 years old, dammit! Even if we are ‘allies’, there is no way I could ever work with a degenerate like you. ”

With the current relationship these two shared, there was little way for Shinobu to consider this man as someone she could easily work with. How could someone be so brutish? So ignorant? There was no way that Shinobu could admit she was wrong.

“Besides, what is this “internet” you are even talking about? I’m a magus, not a magician!”

This man was nothing more than a tusk-wearing barbarian. A disgusting piece of ignorance. A toxic asshole who wouldn’t even take responsibility for his actions. Well, technically Shinobu had caused the action to likely occur in the first place according to his story, but nevertheless, Shinobu knew she wasn’t wrong in this situation. She had been reasonable in her mind. She merely wanted her things back in order from the individual who had effectively sprawled everything in her bag onto the floor, including what was going to be her “catalyst”. Though appearing to be a mundane item, it was the “offering” she would make to pull a powerful servant.

“Even if I were to have caused this situation to begin with, you were the one to escalate it further. You act like I would want some creep like you with my bag? I guess stupid people can believe anything. So you keep believing in yourself. I'm glad to see you're not letting your education get in the way of your ignorance. If I wanted to kill myself I'd just climb your ego and jump to your IQ.”

“But know that I am not the kind to forgive after I’ve given you my ultimatum. It might not be today or even tomorrow, but I will get you to apologize for this transgression. And when you do, I’ll disregard your apology completely and crush you. Then we’ll see ‘who belongs to be here’. But I’ll show you this one piece of kindness. I’ll be the bigger man, knowing you are hardly half of one. Take your damn bag. ”

And with that, Shinobu went to go pick up her things thrown on the floor by the "brutish man".

As more and more Masters arrived, Seyrun entertained herself by watching everyone's idiosyncrasies. Indeed the Wizard Marshal had made up for his reputation of a quirky man, by assembling such a troupe to work on this task. Seyrun took the time to steal a glance of Zelretch, wondering what was going through the head of the ancient magus, but that didn't lasted for long.

"My, my. Perhaps you plan to summon Perveracles? That would certainly be a fatal blow to the chastity of whoever our common foe is." Seyrun half jested, half teased while trying her best to stifle a laugh that threatened to escape her throat upon the "performance" played by Shinobu and Felix. "For my part I think that I'll keep to the basics. I don't want to draw a far too wild card, after all." Seyrun said as she placed a bejeweled silver comb upon her summoning circle.

"Either way, if you would allow me to help you." Seyrun knelt and handed one of Shinobu's bras that fell right over Seyrun's feet, back to their rightful owner, she would continue to help the other girl if not for the fact that she recalled an important thing and proceeded to scoop a candy from one of her skirt's pockets. "I fear it's no chocolate, but you can have this if you want, dear. However, you should not indulge in too many desserts right before lunch, this is as much as I can give you right now." Seyrun turned to Athena as she offered the candy wrapped in a bright packing. It looked like she had taken on more aspects of her teacher's personality than Seyrun would like to admit at first, if this level of kindness toward others was any indication.

"Now then, let us get these back where they belong. A girl's underwear is not something that should be seen by ones who she's not intimate with, after all." Seyrun continued to help Shinobu, while occasionally taking the time to guess the other girl's measurements from the pieces of clothing she gathered. The realization that she was at a terrible disadvantage when it came to bodily shape was a bit of a blow to Seyrun's ego —who would think that being a genius magus would not equate to having a striking figure?— though she made the effort to not let it show on her face. "Though, I have to compliment your taste. I don't think I would be able to wear some of these pieces, but they are beautiful nonetheless." A small compliment maybe would help wash away the sour taste the public shame left on everyone present, especially Shinobu, while, hopefully, the Wizard Marshal would take the chance to set them on the right course again.

That is, if he wasn't dying of so much inward laughing right now. Seyrun though, going back to focusing on her task.

---

@Cojemo@ADamnFiddle@AtomicNut

Athena stared attentively at the other woman, her eyes blinking in expectation. Only to be disappointed, as she looked crestfallen. The tap on her head offered a little comfort, but the young kid slumped her shoulders. "Muuu... I wanted some food. But thanks anyway, kind lady." She finished, as gracefully as she could avoiding an excessive curtsy and tripping. Her eyes peered over the room, looking for potential victims.

Mommy ladies. Young gloomy ladies. There was some guy with some girl's underwear. How silly. Athena knew that guys should only carry man's underwear, else they would speak all high pitched and squeaky and turn into that strange hairdresser that used to do her mother's and her own hair. She would need to speak to some of them. And then some other lady came towards her. She spoke somewhat weird, but she seemed somewhat nice.

Well, she had candy and was offering, that was good enough. She accepted it with a huge grin, as a child should have. "Thank you miss." Athena scrunched her little mental cogs hard. Trying to give back something worth back. Maybe an advice? Yes, an advice would be good! She was after all named after a goddess of wisdom.

"I think you and the panties guy make a good couple! You should have kids!" She blurted out, beaming.

She was helpful!

@KoL@Cojemo

@Cojemo
@KoL
@AtomicNut

Thought Shinobu had resigned herself to pick up her own clothing, it was a pleasant surprise when one of the magi within the room with her chose to approach the in-distress young magus. Under normal circumstances, perhaps Shinobu would have said something akin to “this is none of your business”, but she did recognize that it would not be bad to allow for the help of others.

That, and Shinobu appeared to have taken her side in this little spat rather than the side of the perverted neanderthal Shinobu knew as ‘Fericks Whyd’. Perhaps at some point she would convince herself that this wasn’t his real name, but the other had not heard her state his name prior to their encounter nor did she really care to use such a dumb sounding name. Westerners need to have cool-sounding names like in those western dramas! Maybe it was the DNA that made him this way?

And she even complimented Shinobu’s cute undergarments. Of course, as a girl who wished to have a pleasing aesthetic, she did take a lot of time considering each and every part of her outfit to look cute, stylish, and to show off some of her stronger … “assets”. The girl herself was not “beautiful” as the Japanese image of western girls tended to be, with their large hips and busty appearance, on average, but it wasn’t as if the girl was “ugly”. In fact, her somewhat petite appearance seemed to be “cute” rather than a “beauty”. However, there was no one “cuter” or more “beautiful” in Shinobu’s mind than herself. All others were merely fakers. But even a plebeian could have some redeeming qualities.

Well, the clothing wasn't going to find itself into her bag without her involvement, no?

“I appreciate your help and compliments. You are cute yourself. Maybe we could exchange fashion tips? My name is Shinobu Shiratori. What is yours?“

That was about when a certain little girl made her comment.

"I think you and the panties guy make a good couple! You should have kids!" [Athena] blurted out, beaming.

“Eh!? K-K-Kids!?”

Normally able to keep herself composed [poorly] during conversation, the comments from the little girl had caused Shinobu to trip over her words in a flustered fashion. An obvious streak of red came upon her face, and her eyes seemed to dart around the area for something to focus upon as to begin to take back control of herself. She was thrown aback. If she didn’t retake control of the situation, or at the very least attempt to calm herself, she would be seen as weak by those who had observed her. There was no way that someone as great as Shinobu could be seen for anything less than what she perceived herself to be.

The world is full of hardships, there are so many unpleasant things and so much that doesn’t go your way, troubles are only ever piling higher, things which you thought everyday break down all too soon, supposedly reliable rules turn out to be unreliable, and both your body and spirit soon tire and wear out, until eventually you just want to drop down right there. But if one could "fool" themselves into believing the world was more than a monotonous grind through their delusions of grandeur or accept this to be the natural pull of things, one could perhaps live a life they consider to be "satisfactory".

That was the "magic". Shinobu was chosen through her conditions of birth to be a magus. Someone that would have the ability to "change the world". To enact essentially 'miracles".

Perhaps attempting to compose herself once again and regain control over the situation which she had believed herself upon the reins of, she turned away from the girl and continued in a hardly convincing tone.

“A-Anyway, that isn’t something a girl should talk about. E-especially someone as young as you. Don’t be stupid.”

Zelretch glanced around the room as each of the Masters entered, chuckling lightly to himself as Athena entered the room. In a group full of egotistical magi, it was quite strange to have a child running around so energetically... But given their upbringing, it was a bit of a reasonable choice. Shame they couldn't have waited a few more years for that mental state of hers to mature, sadly, but maybe that sort of attitude would do well to keep the boundless narcissism in this room in check.

Like the sort that was causing such a petty argument in the corner over there over a simple mistake. Sighing, Zelretch cleared his throat and looked at everyone to make sure they were paying attention to him at that moment.

"In any case, it seems as if everyone has arrived. Now, I know what you're all thinking: that this will be a Grail War not unlike those in ages past, where you are all busy setting up traps and schemes and trying to kill your competitors.
Let me tell you right now: if you take on this mission with that sort of mindset, you will die. This is a trial that spans multiple timelines, each with their own challenges and dangers. With each Grail that exists, there is a singularity that threatens to disrupt the flow of space-time.
You are not enemies here--you are allies that must cooperate to obtain the Grails that lie at the center of each issue, and I recommend you do so without grappling at each other's throats, else you lose an ally to tackle the next challenge with. Likewise, I recommend you try not to keep secrets from your partners, and I do not just mean your Servants.
That being said, I know I cannot change your mind simply by speaking, so I shall simply let you summon your Servants now. If there is any risk of fighting in this room, I will use my own power to handle the problem, but only this once so that you may preserve your Command Seals. There are better places for you to settle your disputes, especially at a time like this. I'm fairly certain you have the incantation memorized, else I would be... Disappointed. Once you are done, go eat and meet me on the seventh floor."

---

Keisuke smiled weakly at the Wizard Marshal's lecture; given what had just happened, all of that was understandable. Having been looked down upon by people with egos that would crush any normal man, something like that coming from the man who was at the top of it all was a bit cathartic. Maybe that lecture would mean something to the ones he was to be working with; he saw one of the more experienced Enforcers here, too, which was nice; at least one familiar face meant one less worrisome individual in the long run.

But something like that could wait. For now, he had to summon a Servant. Taking a deep breath, Keisuke recalled the incantation and slowly began to speak.



As he continued chanting, the circle began to glow brighter and brighter. Even without taking his eyes directly off of the circle he was focused on, though, the other circles also began to glow from their own usage. Smoke was beginning to form on the edges now, and it already seemed like mana was taking form in the center of his own circle.



Immediately, the cloud of smoke flared up, obscuring Keisuke's sight from all directions. Instinctively holding his arm over his mouth, the Enforcer used his other hand to try and wave it away, in some hope that he would be able to see something through it all.

"...Did it work?"

Giving a relieved sigh at the Wizard Marshal's lecture - as well as being more than relieved over the fact she was, in fact, not in some sort of death game with the masters around her - Amedea turned towards her own summoning circle. While she was not one for magic, she had practiced the chant - along with the modifications her father had "gifted" her - and memorized them to the point she did not even need the piece of paper when she arrived. She had it all down by heart.

Taking a moment to calm her heart - and to delay the inevitable for just a second longer, Amedea began chanting.



The chant continued, the circle began to glow with power. She could feel some of the circuits within her burning - in usage or anticipation, she could not know. When she arrived at a certain part, however, she deviated from the chat. Almost hesitating for a moment, she put down her father's "Gift".



The chant continued, but she could tell it had been changed. Altered. She had done something out of the ordinary; her circle was beginning to shine in a way it was not supposed to. Or perhaps it had all been in her mind. Nevertheless, she continued.



With her circle most likely one of the last to finish due to the additional lines to the incantation she had made, the cloud of smoke flared up. Taking a step back out of instinct, she coughed a bit, waving the smoke away from the immediate vicinity of her face as she tried to see if she had summoned a hero or had absolutely failed...

Althienna immediately stood at attention as the Wizard Marshall spoke. It was what she had expected: a reminder that this was not the same as the Grail Wars of the past. That the intent was to work together, use these figures from legend in order to destroy something that posed a threat to not only magi, but everything. It only made sense. Even the most egotistical of her fellow magi could hardly think their work would be aided by the destabilization of reality itself. Well... at least, the ones here, she hoped. Althienna herself considered that, perhaps, her outlook was a bit unusual among magi, but on the other hand... well, her ruthlessness perhaps lay in a somewhat different avenue. And she certainly could not claim she would not conduct herself coldy when need be... but now, well, it wasn't exactly needed, was it?

Now was a time for focus.

Having poured over the book for weeks, Althienna certainly remembered the ritual that was required now. She had no real idea of who she was summoning, but she could identify the curly golden hair as a catalyst. What it would invite, precisely, was something she couldn't say. The idea of so many artifacts being present was almost thrilling, in a way...

But now was not the time for such distraction.



As she spoke, she felt the prana passing through her circuits, the flaring sensation of power as the energy required for such a monumental task as drawing a heroic spirit from the Throne of Heroes was invoked, and the circle began to fill with light...

Post#2
@Flamelord

---

The creature Walgrave listened to the commands of the Grand Marshal with rapt attention. He concealed his disappointment as perfectly as he concealed his simultaneous relief. He had been dreading the murderous games that he had expected to ensue among his colleagues nearly as much as he had been anticipating them. Not that his suspicions were entirely allayed, but surely the words of the great Schweinorg would sway the major part of the young party at least. For the rest of them... well, he would keep a careful eye out as always.

Gazing around the room a finnal time he briefly crossed eyes with one of the older members of the party, a spectacled man in a pale green suit. He would endeavor to draw close to this figure when the time was right, for Walgrave judged that he was of a more stern aspect than the various other youngsters who had congregated here.

Slowly, he turned and frowned down at the glimmering circle that lay about his feet. This Magecraft in a way, would be one of the greatest that he had ever performed, supported as it was by another entity, it was a moment to remember. He stooped down, feeling the contours of the crisscrossing summoning lines play about his fingers. Under his clothes the numerous cockroaches that were his familiars began to scuttle about as they felt his power activate. He begun to chant.

Light began to fill the room as Walgrave muttered the words of summoning like a dirge. "Blessed Root, iron doorway beyond the world, answer this rotting one. The earth is dying and soon the sun shall fail, but your doors will last long even into the utter dark. Grant us your benediction, send forth a small piece of that eternity..."

His words began to blur together into an unending murmur as the light of the summoning circle became brilliant.

---

Post#1
@ShadowKingman

---

Deep within the Throne of Heroes the words of a mortal were trickling down, drawing up a spirit from the depths of the host of legends. It bounded up from some dark forgotten corner of the spirit's realm, cautiously at first it followed the tendrils of Prana that were drawing it back to the mortal realm and then began to pick up speed, loping eagerly towards the offer of a second life.

In a shower of light a large armored youth stepped into the middle of a summoning circle on earth. He was handsome, tall, thickly built but balanced and decked from head to toe in shining white and gold mail, crowned with a thick helm. The gleaming outfit was offset only by the pelt of an immense black wolf draped over his shoulders like a cape, it's skinned and cured head resting over his mailed breast. Skinned as it was, somehow the empty eye sockets of the cloak seemed to still gleam...

Sinfjötli locked eyes with a strange looking girl as knowledge began to flood into his mind along with his newly gained form. He felt a brief rush of something like rage as the Berserker class was imparted upon him, but then he was grinning and falling to one knee before the auburn haired girl.

"I ask of you, are you my Master?"

Victoria Vandive Velosi

She pulled her hand back as Zelretch gave a speech, admonishing those who were squabbling over some petty thing. There were rarely any 'real' magus in her life that she knew so finding out these so called prestigious mage families can be petty and childish kinda ruined the image she had of them. She had always thought they'd be elegant at all times. Calm, collected and well mannered. But that wasn't what Victoria was worried about right now.

"I'm fairly certain you have the incantation memorized, else I would be... Disappointed."

Incantation? What incantation? And she had to summon something now? There was a slight feeling of panic setting in already, but she had already resolved her will. What happens, happens. She watched the others starting their summons, with one having already successfully called out something. The incantation itself doesn't seem to matter? Improvising her own chant, she mumbled it out, holding her hand expectantly over the circle, and waited for a few moments.

Nothing.

The circle remained glowing as it did, though stronger now considering she was actively trying to interact with it. What else could she do? The others were already summoning theirs, and none of them seemed to be having the same problems she did.

"AH THIS IS ANNOYING! Full count, Magic Circuit!" She slammed her fists together, before slamming it down onto the circle itself. "Come to me, my Servant!"

Almost immediately the circle emitted a blinding light, filling the air around her with a high pitched keening noise.

Cecil Lavernth

Well, beyond the disagreements that seemed to be taking place elsewhere in the room, it looked like things were going alright. Cecil kept himself out of that, if only to avoid adding to a more confused situation than there already was. besides, it wasn't his business anyways and he had no desire to be involved in whatever feud was brewing. The sooner they got on with the project they had been called here for, the better.

But at last the final Master showed up, and Zelretch got things underway. That earned near immediate attention as Cecil focused on what he was saying, an eyebrow rising at the same time. So they were to be cooperating? Fighting some sort of singularity? He wasn't sure what it meant to be honest, but given the way it was described it definitely didn't sound like anything good. Then again, this was an awful lot of Masters to be competing in a Holy Grail War, so that part didn't come as much of a surprise.

"Guess it's time to get going," he said to no one in particular as Zelretch finished, instructing them to do their summoning and prepare for whatever this problem was in the first place. If they needed Heroic Spirits for it then they were definitely in for a ride, doubly so since Zelretch was the one organizing it, and he didn't just pop in because he felt like it. Well, as far as he knew anyway.

He cracked his knuckles before stepping forward, extending a hand out towards the circle and the shard of metal that laid within it. He had a fair idea of what he would be getting, now he just had to see if luck was on his side. "Gold and iron to be the essence, let purity and stone be the foundations...."

Gently the circle began to glow much like the others, a dim red that quickly intensified as he finished in incantation. After a second or so the catalyst would vanish from his sight, with the brightness of what he was doing at the moment. He could only hold his breath and wait in anticipation to see if he had managed to do it, or if he had just made a fool of himself in front of so many other Magi.

@AtomicNut

---

Alexander Nevsky

From that circle appeared a figure in armor, chain mail around his neck, scale armor, a red cloak, gold medallions that designated the royal lineage of the Servant who wore them, as well as an iron helm that nonetheless bore an image of an angel upon it. In one hand was a red shield emblazoned with his own personal crest, while his other hand hovered near the pommel of his sword. Pulled from the throne of Heroes, the warrior answered the call willingly. To fight once again and to serve, that was something no ruler would pass up so easily.

The light faded away to better reveal the older gentleman, skin toned from a lifetime of fighting yet also worn from age. He certainly did not look lie some peasant, and his gaze swept in front of him before settling on the dour looking individual that had stood before him. While not the most pleasant upon the eyes, it seemed that this was the one who had summoned him, even as the surging mana about him made it obvious that he was not the only one to be brought here this day.

With his focus cemented, Rider took a step forward before nodding, looking upon the magus as an equal until shown that he should treat the man otherwise. "This does not look like Vladimir," he noted before speaking directly to the figure. "And you. Are you the one who brought me forth?"

@Beloss

Even as arguments broke out and egos flew around her, Katenka kept her head down, trying to focus instead on what the old wizard was saying. ...Even if she felt that silver haired women nearby staring at her. At least it wasn't in anger or disgust, or at least it didn't seem like it. She seemed like a much more distinguished mage, too... Someone like her would summon a good Servant, that's for sure. She wasn't like Katenka at all.

Sighing despondently, she began the ritual. She knew it was a lost cause, but there was no helping it. Best to get it over with and try and make the best of whatever Servant she got. In a quiet, somewhat husky voice, she spoke the incantation...

"You, um... S-seven heavens clad... In three words of... Of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence... O keeper of the... Of the b-balance..."

Her entire body was shaking as the circle burst into light. She tried to convince herself that it was just a side-effect, just a result of the mana flowing through her body (she wasn't exactly used to formalcraft, after all), but even if that was the case her nerves weren't exactly helping. For a moment, she kept her eyes shut, not wanting to see what failure of a Servant she's undoubtedly summoned...

But of course, curiosity is hard to contain, and soon enough she found her eyes opening to gaze upon what she'd called forth from the Throne of Heroes...

Post#3
@Flamelord

---

As the tall figure of an armored warrior stood before him Walgrave found himself thinking back on the Mysteries he had seen through his life. It had been more than a few. Though diminished, the modern age was not devoid of wonders. From the extravagant experiments hosted by the nobles houses, to the subtle but immeasurably strong prana of an elemental, to the dark menacing power of the Dead Apostles he had seen first hand Walgrave considered himself well versed in the higher mysteries that yet remained in the world. They were a rare sight these days after all, and he appreciated them.

So it was with a peculiar feeling he hadn't felt in a very long time that he recognized one of these greater mysteries standing before him now. After a moment he recognized it as fear. Fear and excitement.

Every inch of this marvelous creature was pulsing, drowning and simply overflowing with Prana. An immortal, an elemental in human form, it was something beyond anything he had quite laid eyes on before.

It was with a jolt that he realized the being had asked him a question. He had been staring at it vacantly for the past fifteen seconds.

"...Yes. I am the one who... hrrm, called you... up. I am your.. Master." The old magi rasped, his voice barely above a whisper. He fumbled for old formalities that had once seemed second nature, but now made their way past his lips like gears clogged with grime.

He gestured vacantly for the Servant to kneel and ask the question that would allow him to bind this Servant to his prana pool. "Say the hmmm... words. Complete the contract..."

The blue motes of light gather and swirl, rising from the blazing magic circle. They collected and gathered, beginning to manifest something... more. Feet, clad in silvery-armored boots, and then rising further to reveal a blue dress. Further and further they rose, manifesting more of a dress, further armor plating... and still, it rose. The form it revealed was lightly-built, clad in armor, armor worn over a rather elegant blue dress. Two gauntlets rested on the hilt of something invisible, a hazy sheen of air twisting and manifesting around some sort of weapon. It was impossible to tell, however, exactly what was there. As the light rose further and further, it finally revealed the Servant's face. Green eyes, blonde hair, and a girl's face.

Saber gazed at her Master. The memory of her previous summoning was... fresh in her mind. Terribly so... she had been forced to destroy the holy grail. She had been... she'd... Lancelot... She had to strive for victory, in order to fulfill this wish. The crushing loss of the grail and a reminder of all her failures served to tell her that she must win, in order to prevent that suffering from ever occurring in the first place. Her summoner was a girl, perhaps in her twenties, with dark clothing and dark hair. And yet... this was different, wasn't it? The information had swiftly filtered to her as she was summoned. This was unlike the previous war she had been called into. It was a battle to protect the world from a terrible possibility.

And so, Saber pushed her wish from her mind. For no matter what her desires were, no matter what tragedies had come before, she was a knight above all else. A knight's duty was to protect those in need, to conduct oneself with honor and dignity in the face of adversity. No matter what her memories may contain at the moment, no matter how terrible the situation had been previously... Arturia Pendragon would not allow it to sully her knighthood.

Indeed, regardless of circumstances, there were two chief duties held now, within the Servant's mind. One was to fulfill the purpose she had been summoned for, to defend this world from whatever terrible possibility could befall it from this strange grails all across different versions of reality. The other was the protection of the girl in front of her, the Master who had summoned her to this world. Regardless of her previous experience as a Servant, this duty did not change in her mind. The only way she would possibly reject such a duty was if her Master proved herself to be a person of dishonor and cruelty.

And so, hands on the obscured hilt of her sword, her green eyes fixed firmly on her Master...

"I ask of you, are you my Master?"

Amari shut out all outside distractions as soon as she was given the go ahead. All that mattered was getting the summoning right the first time. She had practiced with her mother, gotten advice from her father, and read every book she could get her hands on. She was ready.

The words of the incantation that passed her lips barely registered to her as she focused her entire will on the circle. She knew it wasn't necessary, but she couldn't help being nervous. What if she did it wrong, and her Servant didn't appear? She doubted she could even face her father if she failed her first real assignment. No, she couldn't think like that now. She needed this to work, so it would work. There was no reason for it not to work. She was a mage just like everyone else in this room.

As the last word of the spell died off, the steadily glowing circle flashed brilliantly, like so many other circles in the room. The light blinded her for a second, and she covered her eyes with her arms, surprised for a second, then mortified that she hadn't expected it. Before her eyes could adjust again, she heard movement from the center of her circle, and stiffened in anticipation.

@GreenGoat

The kids were arguing, and Murdoch was there waiting for Kaleidoscope to start the addressing. It would be fun to join in with them, however, with how fast the entire situation turned into an awkward mess, Murdoch restrained himself, and entertained himself just by watching these young ones instead. Ah, youth. A nice time to be ambitious and arrogant without much a care on the world aside from one's self. It's not a bad thing to be selfish in youth, after all. It's how one grows, when one realized that the world didn't only revolve for one person no matter how much they tried to force it to.

And then Zeltretch appeared and finally gave his addressing. The reassurance on how they all were supposed to work together was nice, however...Murdoch looked around, to all the magi that were currently listening to the Wizard Marshal. This was a bit too much people, no? For a team, each masters with a servant of their own...that would be a bit too much people for him to handle. Lots of people to remember, to understand. He didn't even know yet whether he would be able to work with his future Servant. Man, working with people really was a pain. Perhaps he really wasn't meant to be a people's person.

But first things first, he had to summon his Servant.



He could feel the flowing mana. His magic circuit flared up, the lines became clear. The process was vague, but he was sure that magic energy pooled around the area of the circle. Soon, a figure would appear in the middle of the circle, all while Murdoch continued to watch it. For some reasons, he couldn't help but to feel an intensifying worry, an odd anxiety grew inside of him as the obscuring light slowly disappeared from what he had summoned...

@Rin

Richard Montag

There wasn't time for pleasantries to be exchanged for very long when the final participant arrived, bringing an end to a budding squabble and one child's amusing quest for confectionary treats. Richard had been enjoying the rather atypical interaction between magi from the corner of his eye before directing his full attention upon the Wizard Marshall's words. He was relieved to say the least that this summoning wasn't the prelude to a truly brutal battle royale, though considering the prior Grail Wars in Japan had placed a good deal of stock in secrecy, a mass summoning like this would have put severe disadvantages upon everyone present.

Richard was far more comfortable with a joint collaboration, though the panty debacle raised questions on how effective some of the others would be in this endeavor.

He could see the others begin the summoning ritual and knew that the time was now to perform it himself lest the opportunity slip through his fingers. His hand rose, perpendicular to the ground as though reaching out to shake an unseen hand, as he began to pour out his prana into the circle below.



The words spilled forth in chorus to those around him, ultimately unnecessary given the frustrated woman was accomplishing this by punching the ground in a noticeable display of frustration. However, he could not indulge in observation when there was a meeting with a Heroic Spirit to be had, narrowing his gaze to block out the radiant knights entering the hall to focus upon the circle as the light spilled forth from its confines with ever greater intensity.



@GreenGoat

---

Margarita Reynard

A kind smile had affixed itself to Margarita's face as it was drawn to the impossibility of a little ballerina prancing around the hall in search of sweats. It could be said with great clarity that she was the last thing one would expect to find in a gathering of magi, let alone such a civil gathering.

Had Zelretch not given them the command to begin the summoning, Margarita would have gone to sate the child's sweet tooth with her pocketed scone, but it was not to be. Magecraft required all of there attention, and if someone wasn't careful they would be liable to use a woman's undergarments as an accidental catalyst, the result of which would likely be either from another timeline or the sort of person who'd be drawn from the Throne with the promise of woman's panties, or in other words, rather indecent.

With a soft chuckle Margarita raised her hand over the glowing circle of formalcraft and began the incantation, the words well rehearsed and tumbling forth with the activation of her magic circuits.



The circle surged with power, a call for the aid of a hero most suited to the aged Enforcer.



@VitaVitaAR

"My, you saying such things certainly embarrasses me. However, I don't think that he knows enough about the proper way to treat a girl. Either way, excuse me, I guess we all have something more important to do now. Let's talk again during lunch, shall we?" Seyrun replied to Athena before briefly addressing Shinobu again. "And I'm Seyrun, heiress of the Leviathan household. It's a pleasure meet you."

With all pleasantries said and done, Seyrun got back to her feet. She dusted her knees lightly, despite the cleanliness of the summoning room, and proceeded to her own circle. Seyrun began the chant while pouring the contents of a vial of mercury on the circle, causing it to take on a silvery shine unlike any of the others.


Seyrun's summoning circle shone even brighter as she spoke the final lines of the ritual. Contrary to some of the others it didn't produced any smoke, instead the mercury on Seyrun's circle evaporated into tiny sparkling motes, mingling with the ether.

Soon enough, it all ignited in a flash of silvery light, forcing Seyrun to close her eyes instinctively. And, as soon as she opened them, she Seyrun was sure that before her would stand the most magnificent Servant between them all... right?


From the depths of the Throne of Heroes where many legends laid, Atalanta, heard the call of a weak voice. It asked for her services in exchange for the chance to take on a physical form once again. She was being summoned to fight for another Grail, but not like the other times she recalled more and more vaguely as piece of her consciousness was fragmented and coalesced into her incarnation as a Servant, naturally of the Archer class as most befitted her.

Before long, Keisuke and all the other present would be able to see within the dispersing cloud of smoke the twitch of a pair of feline ears and the swishing of a tail as Atalanta's form was made manifest. She waited until the smoke settled, not because she couldn't discern perfectly the location not only of her supposed Master as well as that of... "Huh? That's unexpected," were the first words to leave Atalanta's fine lips.

Her feral features now unveiled for all to see, Atalanta turned to Keisuke with a serious gaze, before asking. "Can you explain what's happening? I don't think any summoning I have ever been through was such as this one." Atalanta said in a serious voice, skipping the confirmation step most of the other Servants were going through, the shared link she felt with the human in front of her was enough of a proof for Atalanta that Keisuke was her Master. "Why are there so many others being summoned at the same time and place?" Atalanta made clear what was it that she was asking about.

Only the occasional blink served to show signs of life from the homunculus whilst the other Masters came in. Even when the bickering started over misplaced baggage, which showed a distressing lack of attention that made her more than glad that the Masters hadn't been left to conduct their own summons, all she did was briefly look over. Waiting patiently was all a part of proper social conduct, which it seemed many here were sorely lacking.

Svetleaze paused, delaying the start of her incantation until the other Masters had already completed theirs. The old man was using a completely different incantation for no reason. Did he wish to show off his ability to redo someone else's work? Or did he believe that the process of summoning a Servant could be improved upon or refined when the Master was just a trigger? One other girl... how did she know those lines? None of her family would hand that knowledge out, and the Tohsaka were represented by just an out-of-the-way child...

Something might have to be done about the Matou.

Returning attention to her own circle, Svetleaze rolled through the process with an ease that came with long training. Or, for a homunculus of her heritage, from being born with the knowledge and skills already implanted. Though even she couldn't suppress a feeling of excitement at seeing what hero might be summoned...

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

---

Despite the excitement that had been going on elsewhere in the hall, the blood-using magus didn't dare deviate from her careful layering. One misstep and all of the preparation would be worthless or the ritual could fail entirely. Ghyslaine was so cautious, in the end, that she almost didn't complete the second circle of blood by Zelretch's call to begin the summons.

The bandage was hastily wrapped around her hand once more and the scarf gathered up, then she began the process of summoning a Servant: visualise flowing blood and activate her Circuits. Thankfully, the shining red circle began to burn, taking up most of the work as Ghyslaine incanted.

"Let silver and steel be the essence.
Let the stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation..."

A Servant that would appreciate the gift of a scarf, one not obsessed with swords and glory. If they were going to be together for weeks or longer, then it had to be someone that she could tolerate.

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

---

Already, compared to the other Servants, Altheana looked to have gotten the short end of the stick: no hulking brute, no rippling muscles, and nary a trace of armour. What could be said for certain, even with the hooded cloak, was that her Servant was female--and probably Caster, from the way she looked.

Medea turned her head to take in the other Servants summoned, noting those that probably had more muscles than brains and some others that caught her interest. One Servant's face induced irksome feelings before she took action to counter it. Such disgusting magic... it would have to be solved soon. Whatever venture called for so many heroes would be scuppered if forced infatuation was allowed to run rampant.

The facility itself was of interest--not for what was on display in this room but for the amount of mana present. With time to prepare, what could be achieved with this amount of mana... or how much easier many items could be made... she would have to find a way to put her talents there to full use.

Finally, she actually addressed the one to summon her: "You are my Master?"

As with many of the other circles, light streamed from the edges of this one, as well, in front of the older blonde woman. It twisted inward, a grey hue to its illumination, as it began to collect and reveal something more. The thin legs of a young girl, delicate and doll-like. A red skirt with frills, a green, frilled coat over a white shirt, a pendent... the pale, childish face of a little girl with blue eyes and long, platinum blonde hair. In her arms, she clutched a rather distinctive doll, simple, with blue hair and angelic features. A halo and a set of wings.

Caster blinked, looking around the room for a few moments. So she had been called... Here? With all these other Servants! Oh, oh, this was different, wasn't it?! It wasn't what she had been ready for, but it was something new and exciting! Oh oh oh, she had to do something right? Right? That was right, wasn't it?!

"So this is what it feels like to be summoned!?" the little girl asked excitedly, smiling brightly as she looked around. "It's really different! Really really different! And it's even more different since we're not trying to kill each other since it's not like a regular grail war right even though that's what I was expecting it's not like that at all is it so that means everyone gets to team up together and be friends and have a part does that mean I'll get to be friends with knights that would be the best thing ever Gretchen thinks so too right Gretchen?!"

Caster held up her Gretchen. Ah, yes, of course Gretchen agreed! Gretchen was so smart and wonderful and pretty, so of course she would want to meet all kinds of cool knights too!

"If I knew how to bake I'd make a cake for everyone," she little girl continued cheerily, "But I don't know how to bake cakes I only know how to eat them and eating cakes isn't really a skill like backing even though I really like it and it's really tasty and do you have any milk I'd like some milk it'd be nice and I'd get all energized by drinking it!"

Caster paused for a moment. Wasn't there something she needed to do...?

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

---

Althienna inclined her head to one side. So, whatever that curly golden hair had called, it was clear the class of the Servant was not one of the more combative ones. Which left... Caster or Assassin? Perhaps in a regular Grail War such a circumstance would be disadvantageous if forced into direct combat, but in this circumstance, surely that skillset would be complimented by the others? A cloaked woman, who didn't exactly seem the most intimidating sort... but still, a Servant was a Servant. She likely had a great deal of power as a magus from... well... who knew what time she originally came from?

"Indeed I am," the silver-haired magus said with a smile, curtsying as she did. "It's a pleasure to meet you... Caster, I assume?"

She didn't look like an Assassin, though on second thought, Althienna guessed that it was likely that any good Assassin would hardly look like an Assassin. Then again, during their initial summoning, wouldn't they embody the class they had been summoned into? Ah, regardless, she was expecting a Caster given this appearance.

Keisuke coughed a bit as he accidentally breathed in some of the smoke, attempting to wave more of it away so he could get a clearer view of his Servant. With the smoke finally settling down, the Enforcer could now make out the faint outline of whate-
...
Were those cat ears? And a tail?!

"...Ah... So it did..." he thought to himself as the Servant in question immediately poked him with a question--two, in fact--while everyone else seemed to be dealing with a customary 'Are you my Master' sort of thing?
...
Well, he could work with this. The Wizard Marshal was placing emphasis on teamwork and jolly cooperation and whatnot, and at the very least their relationship would kick off a lot less formally. After everything was said and done, Keisuke didn't like holding authority over others, anyhow.

"Ah... It's... A bit complicated. Rather than a standard war for the Holy Grail, all these Servants have been summoned to deal with some issues across time and space, because of some strange singularities and multiple Grails altering the flow thereof... Or so I've been told. You can make of that as you will," he attempted to explain, nervously rubbing the back of his head. "Apparently, the threat's big enough to summon all of these Heroic Spirits at once, so... I guess it's a good thing we're not at each other's throats here, or else half of us would be lying in a giant pool of blood right now."

With a bit of half-forced laughter, Keisuke's gaze immediately refocused on his Servant, whose name he still hadn't exactly picked up on.

"Right, my name's Keisuke. Kumozaki is my family name, but given the language, just Keisuke is fine. It's a pleasure to be working with you," he said, extending his right arm for a handshake.

"...We should move to get some food, though. Zelretch wanted us to eat and move off to the bottom floor so we could handle our first job... Whatever that is..."

---

With a grand flourish and a giant explosion of smoke, the summoning circle in front of Svetleaze seemed to glow a golden yellow as the incantation finished. It only took so long before the Servant within took form, and with electricity now crackling through the air and around his weapon, it was no wonder that things seemed so... Flashy.

"Yo, miss. Certainly a strange way to summon, huh?" the Servant asked, casually glancing around the room to see the plethora of other Servants formally completing their contracts. "Well, whatever. With me around, everything's gonna be just golden. So, uh... How did it go again? Oh, right, right. Are you my Master?"

With a broad smile, Kintoki looked at Svetleaze, his axe swung over his shoulder as he attempted to look as cool as he possibly could.
...
Well, as cool as he could look in his head.