As the woman in front of him spoke, three things became immediately apparent: Firstly, she seemed completely disconnected to what was going on around her; Secondly, she was apparently underestimating him based on the age difference, 'Kid? I'm 19 and I've probably killed more people than years she's been alive!, and Thirdly, he was faintly aware of the disturbing sensation of crazed eyes on his back. Just to be safe, he gave Archer another warning to be on the lookout. Adjusting his grip on the phone in his hand, he seemlessly slipped on the mask of the polite stranger.

"Strange? I'm surprised you haven't heard about it already. There was an explosion at the docks last night, but they haven't confirmed anything about it."

Flipping the phone in his hand, he subtley dismissed the camera feed and brought up one of the news station websites, quickly finding the story they had reported earlier this morning. Turning it to face her, he replayed the report until it was done before closing the device and making sure it was slipped into a false pocket hidden inside his coat. The malicious eyes still crawled along his back, and he was slowly becoming more convinced that it something to do with the woman he was talking to...

"Archer, can you read any kind of signature from this woman?"

"It's faint, but I can feel a flow of mana between her and someone else, but the other one is too well hidden for my Hunter's Mark to detect."

"Magus?"

"Most likely, Master."

Hidden by a small, polite smile, James grit his teeth. Any Magus in Fuyuki, during the Grail War, was a potential Master. This woman was no different. Ignoring instinct to draw his weapon, he maintained his cover as he smiled again.

"Why'd you ask? It was on the news this morning, so I thought most people would have heard about it from somewhere."

Berserker
Internet Cafe, 1:44PM
Interacting with: @Turboshitter Albert Prelati, @VanceXentan Kurosaki Akabane

---

Last night’s inquisition unfortunately ended without incident. A great disappointment, definitely, but in a way, it suited a Saracen snake to slither off into some cold, dank hole somewhere to worship their false prophet. She would have to have faith that divine justice would be wrought, whether by her hands or by another hero of great honor. Fortunately, great faith was the core making of a paladin. And thus, with the night wasted, they returned to the hotel - now clean due to the heroic efforts of the room-service workers and their armory of cleaning supplies. Even the shattered window had been resealed once more, which was unexpected, but it seemed that a penthouse came with a suitably valuable work ethic.

Yet even as the night wound down and her Master lay still, Berserker upheld her vigil, watching and waiting, but not for Assassin. A Servant required no rest, so such a thing would be a waste of time, and wasting time invited time to waste her. More literally in this case; the Grail War typically came with a two-week timer. Perhaps it would be extended with the involvement of a far greater quantity of heroes? Still, it was not a chance Berserker was willing to take.

But what Berserker, left to her own volition in the middle of the city’s most vibrant district, was unknown to all but herself. What was known, was simply what was observed after the fact.

Seated at the computer next to her Master, Berserker stared intently at the screen. To her side was a notepad and pencil - both courteously provided by the Hyatt. On the pad was a titled list, most of its important identifying qualities obscured by Berserker’s elbow and peculiar shorthand notation.

Green and red flashes were reflected in the woman’s eyes as she watched the figures and streaks on the screen’s darkened backdrop. “Mm yes, he did show up and now they’re dueling, but as equals this time. Quite interesting indeed...” she answered absent-mindedly, not at all paying attention to Ahnenerbe. Her Master’s legion of insects could deal with that sufficiently enough, and engaging her spiritual senses would cover the rest. Her physical senses were unnecessary, and so turned towards her own purpose.

For a few moments, the figure of the newcomer lay in Berserker’s peripheral, but she paid him no mind. Clearly he would be more interested in her Master, or so she assumed. That is, until she saw him awkwardly smiling at her. “Oh, apologies. I hadn’t noticed you,” Berserker admitted, taking off her headphones and revealing the muffled sound of an orchestra and electric humming. She turned back to the screen, moved the mouse, and clicked. This put a stop to the sound for the moment.

“A pleasure to make your acquaintance, sir.” She didn’t hear his name, so that was what she defaulted on. “Anyway, I’m sure you boys have important things to speak of so...” She placed the headphones back on, and resumed her vigilant watching.

At the same moment Albert mentioned something about “‘eazens”, Berserker gasped. Not because of Albert’s suggestion that she’d willingly step foot into the pit, but apparently because she was taken aback by what was unfolding on her screen. This time red on green was replaced by arcs of blue. Getting over her own shock, she leaned forward in the seat, completely and utterly engrossed.

A time passed, until suddenly she cast off the headphones, iconic credits music playing at full volume. She looked almost about to sob as she sat there, staring into the ascending credits. She sniffled, lifted her elbow, and scribbled off the title of the series from her list. “I need a moment,” she mumbled, reflecting on what she’d seen before sobbing grossly into her arms.

“L-Like his father before him… I can’t believe... Even...”

A few more moments passed until she composed herself once more. “What... What were we doing again?” she said, getting out the last few sniffles out of her system. She looked at Kuro’s hand, pointed at it, and looked to Albert. “Something about blood testing right? Are we cutting it off or?” She looked at the crowd watching them, her addendum to that comment unspoken, but obvious. "...Did anyone important show up at the cafe?"

Taka had kept her eyes firmly focused on the man in front of her until her eyes began watching the display in front of her, of the news that she had missed. Interesting. There had been an explosion at the docks, considering the view of the destruction on camera Taka's instincts seemed to lead her towards the fact that it was likely a battle between servants. It was a fair conclusion considering the nature of a Grail War.

The boy smiled at her politely before he came up with a question. He wanted to know why she didn't know. So she played it off casually with a reasonable excuse. "Housing problems, Currently moving and all. My stuff hasn't arrived, don't even have the internet at my apartment." She said with a grin. Her posture looked relaxed as if she wasn't hiding anything. It was mostly true statement albeit purposely changing key details.

She would thank the kid if it wasn't for her paranoid instinct and the fact that the smile was beginning to unnerve her security about the situation. something was off about him. She needed to confer with another trusted individual to get a second opinion. Who better than the only individual she's had any real contact with recently. She decided to tap into her link with Jack, She needed to make sure of something.

"Assassin" She began, speaking formally over the link, just in case anyone nearby could read minds. Before Jack even responded Taka felt the feedback of the wraiths that composed her servant, which was perhaps why she liked to keep usage of the link to a minimal.

"̷͍̤̲̯͓͙͚I̬̻͈t̡s̥̮ ̶̤̠̱͖̻C̘̺o̧̥̠̣͖l̗̩̣d̖̹̖͠ͅ. ̴͔͍͈T͚͇̺̳͖h͈̞̀e͖͉͚ ̜̥̼͎́S̙t̟̼̪͙̘̭̬r͕͖͙̟͓̫͈e̺e̡̝̮̹̦̘ͅt̲͔̘̯̯͝s̬͝ ̥͉̗͘ḁ̙̗͡r͈͔͙̰͘e͝ c̥̠ͅo̴͍̺l͎̪̜̦͔d̢̙̘̻̲͕.҉͍̪ ̹͖̩͝Mo͚͙̟̤̕th̘̙̕e̺ͅr͏̻͍̟,̧̠͉̠̞͔͍ ̣I̟̲̭ ͍̹̰́wa͙n҉̟̬͙͇͔͔ͅt͈͔̩ ͖̭̼̺̹t̶͓̘̗o͍͟ ͚͈̝̺͠s̠e̘͞e̹͍ ͈̮̘̹m̗͇͝y̨ ͕M͏͚̤̠o̟t͉h͍͜ȩ̜r̴͙.̴̱̥̘̭ ͚̺̹̗̞̼H͎̣̮̬͕̖e̛͇͈̻͖͍̙̠lp͖͍̮ ̜͉̬̞̹̘͘m̜̹̟̮͈ͅe͔̪͞.͏͔̞̘̯ ̗̗͓I̴̗͇ ͉͙̝̜͖̯̯͢w̴̲͕̙a͓n̮͠t ̧̞̩̤t̗͎̩̬̠͍o͓͔͔̥̝ ̜̞̞b̤̦̝̫͖̰ͅe҉ ̧͖b̩̫̳ͅo̜͔̹͇̥̻r̪̻̲͚̻̟̲n͎̦̙͚͍̪̗. A͕̭̥̫̤̹͕r̟e̬̪̺ ̙̪̝͈̮̭ͅy͓̳̦̳͚͎̣o̜̭u͙͎͖͔̻̕ ̮m͏̰̣̤̫̟͈͕oț̦͔ͅh̺͕̬ͅe̥̝̼̜̻r̞͉̮? ҉̱͎K̕i͇̩l̨l ̞e͔̦͈͚͉̟ṿ̳̬̬̖̝e̷̪͚̥͈̯r͙̞̗͚y͔̩̗͕̤̜͝ͅo̵̮ṇ̣̬̻͎͞e ̦̝̼̗b̨u̮͙̗̬͎̹ͅt̪̻̯͎̺̣͈ ̫͕̤̦̦ͅM̶̺͎̺̦ͅa͇s̭t̘͚͢er. I͍̤͈͜ ̥w̜̬͍̞a̠͔̫̦̘͝n̙̦̘͎͇̮͡t͈͚̘̣͈͇́ ̵͍̘̬to g̯̝̮̀ǫ̝͙ ̶͍͕͔ho͇̭̩͙̦ͅm͙͎͕̬͈̹̀e̻͚ ̨̺w̢h͙͝e͟r̫̘̻̙̯e̙̞̞͟ ͈̬̮͢i͙t͟s̴̠ ҉w̗͝a̧̪̰r͔̱͚͔͈ͅm̝͚͘.͖͔̻͈̼ͅͅ ̰̲ͅṂ̝̦͖̫̮u͇͢m͎. ̙͇͔̼͔͠T̰̀ͅh̳͔͎͉ę̞̤̼͚̰̼̯y ̞̲̯̟̬̀ͅͅà͚̻͖͓b̳͔̝̟̜̹́a̖͎͇̜͉͎̤n̯̳͙̤͈̼͙d͞o̦̘ņ̝̤e̴d͢ ͎̥̘̠u̥̳̲̼̠͝s̵."

The feedback was reduced to extremely faint whispers almost instantly when Jack responded. Her voice was very familiar to Taka already.

"What is it Master."

Jack was also down to business. If this looked like a fight was going to break out they had to be ready as a servant/master pair.

"I need you to scout any, and all vantage points from this location. Go high work down. Stay concealed, Do not engage until I am also ready. If its all going to hit the fan. Then we do it as Family, Pre-emptive is preferred. So just tell me when your ready."

"Got it Mo... Master." Jack responded almost slipping up, Her childish nature always seemed to manifest itself when they talked alone, even when through a link.

At that point Taka stopped tapping into the link. The whispers back-noise always bothered her with what they said but as long as Jack was the defining voice all was fine. She looked at the kid again. Perhaps she should drop the bomb first. Holding her hands behind her back she leaned forward whispering something. "So are you a Magus?" She asked her voice low to make sure it reached only its intended ears. Her hands positioned in the perfect spot for a flowing draw of her gun if necessary. One of her hands had its fingers curled slightly and would cast Mana leak on him the moment a confirmation escaped his lips, though the way she positioned her hand the curled fingers were hidden beneath the other hand.

If he said yes, It didn't matter if he was good or bad at that point. Mana leak was her safety measure, she wouldn't continue talking if she couldn't make sure her opponent was slowly losing mana, unnoticeably until they tried to cast magic, to which the Frederick curse would do its job and worsen the leak.

@Turboshitter@Grey

"Well yes and no. I am a public school teacher, but only a substitute teacher. I was originally Ryonsuke's, and that girl you heard him mention, Hamakaze's tutor. I've been going from place to place teaching all sorts of kids, and what have you. A few kids in Egypt, a orphan in Kuwait, some poor rich boy in England, and so on and so on. Some had magical potential, some were just poor kids down on their luck, and others just needed a good old fashioned smile. I love Ryunosuke's spirit he'll make a great father one day. He may have been a thug but all he needs now is a few good friends. Hamakaze has a good life ahead of her. Her strength is formidable...if uncultivated. She'll live a long life if she listens to her new friends. And the others Setsuna, and Akihiko are diligent as they are kind. They'll give you the shirts off their backs and or beat you with it if you threaten their comrades." Kuro said as he pulled his own sleeve up and got up and prepared himself to leave.
"And I have changed my number, multiple times, if the clocktower professors were in such a hurry to ruin me then they would've kept me pegged. Don't worry I'll send you a text some other time." Kuro stated as a matter of factually as he began to turn around however he stopped and reached into his pocket. "This belongs to you by the way. Please don't try to track my students. That is a warning." Kuro stated flatly despite himself. He handed Albert his rat back with a cold chuck of his hand. When, and how he got the rat away from Ryunosuke was unknown.
"You remember my vindictive streak when it came to my children yes? How I punished those who hurt them? I extend the same to you, and the others whom I teach and I will save one even if another threatens them." Kuro stated to Albert with a quick one eighty and he exited the building before much else could happen. At the very least he would have no luck bugging any of the students when Kuro was still around and even less so if he began doing checks on them. The man exited the building as quickly as he had appeared and vanished into the crowd like a whisper on the wind. It wouldn't be too hard to find him though.

====

Leon began to wonder how long it would take them to find that Jonathan guy he was pretty ok for an old guy but he still didn't appear to be much more than he already was. Leon kept himself aware however despite his introspection on how he should present himself to Jonathan. He could tell if someone was following him, or trying to pick his pocket which had happened a few times already. The damn Yakuza were a pain in his ass. Luckily he had a supernatural juggernaut who could bulldoze a steel crate.
Leon's own self pride in his magical talents were not weak he could tell a lot about an enemy mage just by their stance. The duels in Chicago, the melees in Idaho, and the mage training sessions with his father let him be aware of more things than others. Still he had some ways to go. However as Leon began to pass through the street Saber grabbed him by the shoulder. He turned around to look at him and raised an eyebrow, "Feel something? Leon whispered at Saber whom nodded his head and looked around. "An heroic spirit somewhere nearby...does this place look familiar?" Saber asked as he looked around and saw the sign labelled Ahnenerbe. He then got a sinking feeling in his gut that he had indeed taken the wrong path towards Jonathan and he may have wandered into a place he hadn't meant to be.

"What should we do? I didn't intend to come here but this is where that 'Squid Prince' Togami knew about told us to meet at the other day. Should we ignore it?" Leon asked in a whisper as Saber shook his head the curly brown hair of his tossing to the sides as he did so. "No...I don't think we should maybe we should give him a shot. Maybe he'll make a good ally despite his described attitude the other day. If it comes to it there's too many people around to fight properly. I don't see anyone suspicious give me a moment I need to concentrate for a moment. If they're honorable they will come find us, I'll let my aura leak to broadcast myself, and if they're not then they should give themselves away in just a moment." Saber said as he pulled Leon to the edge of the sidewalk and breathed out letting his mana signal to everyone nearby that could feel it that there was another heroic spirit nearby. He was confident in his ability to defeat this 'Albert', and his pet servant if they chose to fight him. Still it would be best not to broadcast who he was just yet if he could help it.

---

The light faded, or rather, not so much faded, as condensed into a single shape, the form of a human within the circle. The light shimmered as the Prana being drained from Sosthenes formed it into what he desired, focused by the catalyst. The featureless form became more dense, firmly an outline of a body. Only a few moments later the finer details were added and with one final flash, Cú Chulainn stood there, armored in blue, with his distinctive red spear in hand, the weapon feeling.... some more dangerous than just a spear. Lancer took in the area with a sweep before focusing more intently on his new master, giving the sense of a predator examining potential prey. A well-dressed mage with sharp eyes and the sense of a highly focused individual. "So, you are my master for this war." He said calmly and twirled his spear experimentally, getting a feel for his power in this place. Not the best, but he would make it work. Lancer flashed a confident smile the man's way, "So, what's first?"

Although she might not have known it, the woman's question immediately confirmed his suspicions of her. Magi and magecraft weren't exactly well-known subjects, so by asking that question it told him, with very little doubt, that was in fact also a Magus. The fact that he couldn't see her hands was concerning at best, but he maintained his mask as he delivered a plausible lie with a sheepish grin.

"You're pretty sharp, lady... Yeah, I'm a magus, but I wasn't really that good with anything..."

A sheepish and a little derisive chuckle 'slipped' out, but behind it James felt the urge to draw his gun. This woman was hiding something, he knew she was. That was the impetus of Magi after all...

"What about you? The only people that usually know about that kinda stuff are magi themselves."

Careful not to let his mask slip, James made sure he had most of his weight on his back foot as he spoke, mindful of the woman's hands. He was keeping enough distance that he would have time to react should she strike, but close enough to quickly counter attack. Just to make sure, he quickly contacted his Servant. He could feel Archer's presence on the rooftops, through their connection, but tried to limit the profile of the link between them.

"I don't like this at all. Keep an eye out for any hostile Servants, but make this woman your priority if she tries anything."

"I'm not sure it's wise to focus all of our attention on one person. As you said, there may be more of them around."

"Hmm... I'll trust you on this one, but be ready in case I need you to attack."

"Of course."

Back at the conversation at hand, James appeared to be waiting patiently for her reply. His eyes travelled across her profile slowly, in a way that wouldn't attract any attention until they caught a glimpse of something steel-grey in colour resting just below the cut of her top. Before he could investigate any further, he moved his eyes back to her face in a bid to memorise her face. After all, she had just turned into a HVT.

Interactions: @Turboshitter@grey

====

Leon waited for a moment longer and before long he found himself staring down a rat that came up to him with a note attached to it. He picked up the rat and put it back down after reading the letter. Saber walked up to him and looked over his shoulder as Leon finished reading the note he put it in his pocket, and had Saber cut off his mana leakage. "Well he's polite if nothing else." Leon said to Saber idly as he nodded to his master. He was ready to use 'A knight does not die with open hands' if/when he needed to do so. However Saber did inwardly hope that he did not need to do such a thing. Leon, and Saber followed the Rat with no other real choice in the matter aware of their surroundings to make sure the thing did not bring them into some sort of trap. Luckily for Leon it didn't and he wouldn't need to expose the innocent people to magic. Leon, and Saber arrived and took in the setting and Leon inwardly started to wonder if Albert wasn't some closet Otaku. A internet cafe? Only nerds hung out here. Well that and Korean vagabonds from the stories he heard of from Satsuko's family trip to Korea.

Lancelot took in the surroundings and as the two of them came up to Albert he welcomed them, in a rather annoying French accent and from what he could gather welcomed them rather nicely. "Well it is a pleasure to meet you personally Sir Albert. You may call me Saber if it peaks your liking. And too you my lady...I assume you don't recognize me from last night but I remember you. I was at the gate. It is a honor to meet your acquaintance once more." Saber said as he crossed his arm over his (Fake) suit and bowed to both Albert, and Beserker respectfully. Leon on the other hand just nodded. "Yeah he's always like that don't mind him. But yeah I, in all honesty, wasn't planning to come here. I was going to meet Jonathan and Saber stopped and said we should try to at least talk to you too Albert. After last night I'm not sure we're particularly compatible as team mates but I wouldn't be living up to my own standards if I didn't at least try to come and meet you. Togami is an ass I'll admit but he oozes confidence, and power. I'm not sure I'd like to fight him myself personally unless it came to it. But that's what Saber's for and I trust him with my life. As I'm sure that you trust..." Leon said as he glanced at the woman next to Albert reading her class. ...Berserker?" Leon said a bit confused at first but he decided it'd be best not to ask how she was so calm with a class like that. He chose not to intrude on her privacy anymore than that. "But yeah I suppose that would be smarter to do so than not considering what happened to Lancer, and that girl from last night. You got the message from Walter right? Assassin isn't playing games. It may be in our best interest to work together regardless of our own personal thoughts on each other." Leon said smoothly without a hint of malice, or ill intent in his voice. He was being purely professional.

Berserker
Internet Cafe, 1:53PM
Interacting with: @Turboshitter Albert Prelati, @VanceXentan Lancelot, Leon Winchester

---

“I was indeed!” Berserker declared, proudly puffing her chest out. “I had made a point last night of catching up with recent developments in the arts,” she lifted up her notepad and flipped through the pages. Each page was a well-organized list with space for review under each tick and a heading designating the type of content therein. From what Albert could read, there was quite an eclectic selection of genres and mediums from the 20th century onward. “The young lady manning the front counter was quite helpful in that regard; she directed me towards resources for ‘modern classics’, as she called them. The “googling” covered the rest.”

Berserker reengaged the pen with a distinct click, before speaking again on the film series she’d just completed. “I very much enjoyed it, actually. The overarching redemption story of the Skywalker family was quite...” She patted her heart, almost about to cry again, it seemed. ”A-And the Jedi are remarkably similar to my own order - though bigger. And we do not worship microscopic bugs or preach stoicism. But a story of faith is a story of faith, I suppose….The quality of their swordplay and effects seems to have degraded by the fourth film, hmm…” At some point she had stopped talking to Albert and was now simply speaking her thoughts as she recorded them on the pad.

This monologue went on until she felt a sudden surge of prana. Berserker stopped dead in her tracks and suddenly turned her head in the direction of the prana radiator. Moments of dead silence passed, before the rat familiar brought back the perpetrator: a Master and his Servant, as expected.

She recognized none of them, until the Saber class introduced himself as the guardsman of last night. Clearly this was indicative of some shapeshifting capacity, whether through skill or Noble Phantasm, rather than the concealment one she had believed the night before. Berserker nodded. “Likewise. It is a pleasure to meet you again, Saber,” Berserker greeted, slipping out of her chair and bowing in kind.

“Ah yes. Assassin,” Berserker snarled, hearing mention of the Servant’s name, “Well, that rat will be flushed out sooner or later, especially if this burgeoning alliance and most everyone else will be out ensuring he won’t be a continuing threat. But the sooner we all unite to take him out of the picture, the sooner we can all get to warring like proper heroes.”

---

Prof. Sosthenes Antaeoi Kanakaris
Ryuudou Temple, 10:44AM
Interacting with: @Eklispe Cu Chulainn

---

Sosthenes gave the summoned entity two once-overs, a twice-over if you will. One look with his eyes, and one look with his Master’s Clairvoyance. The first examination yielded not much of note: he was tall, built like a panther, and wearing a full bodysuit which was not at all what he had been expecting of an ancient Celt, but that was hardly anything to make a fuss over. He was also swinging a 2 meter spear around with impunity, which was a good sign that this was at least a Lancer Class, if not Cu Chulainn. His second assessment was far more fruitful: above-average parameters well-suited for a skirmisher, and a versatile, focused supporting skillset. This was a good draw, well-rounded but still capable of excelling.

“Yep. That’s me,” Sosthenes answered, reaching into his pocket for a carton of cigarettes. “I presume you’re the Child of Light?” he asked rhetorically, biting down on the cig to keep it still as he replaced the carton in his pocket. His other hand reached down and plucked the catalyst off the floor before unceremoniously depositing it in its case, which too was placed in a pocket - his breast one this time.

“As for what’s coming first...” the professor shrugged, “Who knows? I’m certainly quite hungry though. Long rituals and even longer plane rides will do that to a gent.” He patted his empty belly with an absent look on his face that quickly vanished. “Of course, that means we’ll have to enter the city. Apologies, but you might want to enter spirit form soon - I’m about to take down this censure barrier.”

Sosthenes paused and scrutinized Lancer for a few more moments before nodding to himself like a fashion designer verifying a particular outfit - which proved to be quite the accurate comparison with his next words: “We’ll also have to get you street clothes, I reckon. Being in spirit form all sounds to me as something quite droll, and regardless of this land’s interest in “super senpai” drama and cartoons, I don’t believe your attire is what passes for acceptable among the laity. So we shall make a point of solving this particular issue first and foremost, then we can make each others’ acquaintance over food and drink, and not standing in the cold in a temple courtyard.” He inwardly nodded, then outwardly scratched out the boundary anchor with his heel, removing the area of ignorance.

After this, Sosthenes, made his way towards the exit of the temple, down the innumerable steps, and into the city with his Servant to get clothes before their planned meal. Based on the guidebooks he’d read, and the anecdotes of his apprentice, Sosthenes believed that he had settled upon the best location for their luncheon:

A place called Ahnenerbe.

Jack was continuing her search at a rather rapid pace. She needed to be fast because if their mother was going to get into a fight she had to be ready to combat any servants hiding from plain view. She kept low, combining that with her instinct and presence concealment she was an effective hunter of her victims. She had everything to prove and nothing to lose but her mother.

She kept her green eyes focused on the rooftops as she traveled from one to the next in a search that had transpired a couple of minutes. Then she saw them. A figure on the far roof. That roof had a full view of the street. An effective hiding hole for sure but nobody stayed hidden from Jack for long. She kept true to her role of the assassin and true to her word. Like the murderer in the night she was, she positioned herself behind her enemy. The enemy's arteries would be filled with blood. She would spill it in service of her master and mother.

She had remained silent. Her eyes had hidden her murderous intent. The hidden potential of the serial killer. The ability to cease all emotion in the act of the hunt.

Taka meanwhile had already closed her fist and cast mana leak, the one advantage it had over any other curse was that you didn't have to chant a single word making it an effective one, if it didn't have something over the competition it wouldn't be a family treasure.

She had cast it the moment the boy had said 'yeah' meaning she had the upper hand in the long term, If she could survive the short. She noticed that he didn't notice immediately or at least didn't show that he noticed immediately, perhaps meaning he wasn't using any passive magic abilities. She watched him move backward was he scared perhaps? She wondered as she opened the link to Jack to check on her progress. She ignored the initial feedback of wraiths to keep an extremely straight face.

"Assassin."

"Found them. roof behind the guy you are talking to. The one with the wide street view. extremely good vantage point. Can I kill them?"

"Not yet but are you close enough to engage?"

"Yes."

"Good, then I have leverage"

Taka cut the link as she responded. "Yes. I am a magi if my question wasn't obvious enough." She spoke softly as if to make sure the small crowd of people that passed them didn't hear a word out of her mouth. They were still in public. If a fight broke out in the streets in the middle of the day, her family would know exactly which street and that would make hiding harder for her to avoid them. This situation was getting tense.

She noticed his weight being shifted to the back foot. She noticed his eyes glancing towards what she thought at first was her chest, which by itself would warrant her punching him in the face, but then she realized and mentally cursed. He looked back up to her face and she met his gaze. Her eyes had lost the facade, he definitely knew, that sudden reaction was one of realization from him. She couldn't take any prisoners.

She moved her arm in one fluid motion pulling out her gun, it was easy enough to conceal. Pointing it squarely at the man opposing her. "You just had to go and do that, didn't you. Couldn't just keep your eyes to yourself. At least you should warn your 'friend' if they are armed with some sort of ranged projectile type attack that they might want to refrain from doing so unless they love having their jugular opened." She said coldly. Her voice being the only one in an unusually silent street.

She had shifted her weight to be able to move into a sprint quickly if necessary. Jack hadn't shown herself, she was in the position to assassinate or at least interrupt the enemy on the roof. Taka calmed her breathing, one wrong move and she would be out of the grail war in this first confrontation alone.

"Now then, whos your friend on the roof." She said keeping her gun trained on the mans figure. "I really hate talking at gunpoint but you brought this on yourself." She sighed as she looked at him with cold eyes, masking the panic beneath.

Interactions: @Grey@Turboshitter

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"On my honor I'd definitely want to take out the less desirable servants in this war. However I would like it if we could contain the dead masters to a minimum. We as Heroic Spirits were made to war on one another not the humans. I'd like it if some of the servants could be perhaps convinced to surrender and live their lives as familiars of their masters. I am aware however of the naivety of that statement. I will not hold my sword back against anyone who comes between myself, and my master." Saber stated solemnly as he shook his head thinking of the fact that he would indeed need to bring down a cherished relationship against the worthy adversaries of this war. He had done enough killing in his life, and he would prefer he do little more of it. Though he meant it when he said he'd just as easily end their lives if they tried anything to hurt Leon, or innocents by extension. Leon himself was more to the point however as "It may very well have been a surprise attack from the Assassin that killed Lancer. Even the greatest kings of history were prone to an assassin's dagger when distracted. But I doubt it transpired anything like that. Whoever Lancer was is none of my concern but he wouldn't be a heroic servant if he hadn't had some sort of legacy to uphold. Whoever Assassin truly is he is not a man to be taken lightly." Leon said as he sat a seat over from Albert for caution dictated he not be foolish enough to get within distance of a trained mage. Leon leaned forward on the surface in front of him as he cracked his neck.

"Well I suppose you have every right to do so. I'm a stranger, and a possible enemy master myself. But I hope you can take my word when I say that I have standards. I have lived my life as a honest man, and I'd like for that to continue. I even allowed Saber to do what he did and signal you of his own volition when it could've been a trap. I'm willing to try it your way but I promise you that I will be keeping my eyes firmly on you. As for Jonathan...I'll try and take you with me to meet him but I'm not going to hide the fact that he singled me out alone to meet him. I can't promise he won't show up if you come with me. And more over about that Geis contract. I already wrote one up this morning. A gift and skill learned from my mother back home. I figured Jonathan would be receptive to an agreement like this." Leon said as he pulled out a scroll covered in plastic to prevent water damage. He didn't move to give it to Albert however. "I think you won't be the one to sign something like this, even if I already have. So I'll test out this partnership trial thing. However I'll give you fair warning; as powerful as Berserker no doubt is, she'll find the man behind the smog of Saber a lot to chew on. I'd prefer not to have that happen so I'll ask that you refrain from attacking me or I may be forced have him retaliate. Likewise I promise you on my pride as a duelist, and a magus that I won't betray your trust in this 'partnership'. My servant would have my head if I did otherwise."

---

Lancer was clearly not bothered by the close examination he was receiving from Sosthenes, standing there seemingly as relaxed as if he was lazing around at a park. "Good to see I'm still remembered." He said in response to Sosthenes naming him as The Child Of Light. "Food certainly never goes amiss. As for clothes I suppose I don't quite fit in as is, try to get me something colorful alright?" Lancer continued with a grin as he took a few steps alongside Sosthenes with his spear resting on his shoulders before his footsteps vanished along with of his physical form. His master seemed to have plenty of magic and seemed rather reasonable, Lancer couldn't wait for things to get started.

Nothing. She was alone in the recesses of her own mind. She had acted in self-perseverance, nourishing herself off the humans in order to sustain herself in this world. Perhaps it was the ultimate form of selfishness. Not that she had much to give in terms of atonement. Her eyes marked her as a monstrosity of this world. Still nothing. She was dreaming, which meant she was asleep. Probably still under that lamppost in the cold.

If she could smile in her dream she would be smiling in a bittersweet manner. This was certainly the most optimal way for a monster to go, without needless bloodshed. She would just vanish back into the ether. She imagined it wouldn't be painful at all. She didn't worry much about what happened to her after she was gone.

Slowly she could smell the smell of aging wood creeping into her dream. Strange. She wasn't near any forests or places that would have any woodwork when she collapsed. Maybe it was a memory of her time on the island. The shrill chirping of a bird pierced into her dream. Did her last moments have to be so cruel? Though that wasn't any bird from her island. Was she not dead then?

With all her effort Rider opened her eyes. At first nothing, it was the effect of her bounding field limiting her sight. She needed to see if the world around her was real. The faint outlines of magical energy were of no consequence to her. She reached up to the cloth covering her eyes and subsequently put her arms down.

She had detected another person close to her, extremely close to her. Propping herself up she turned her head downwards to them. A man? In bed with her? She cocked her head sideways, he appeared to be a magus. "Who might you be." Medusa said her voice low and full of false sweetness due to her assumption of age. The boy in front of her could be anyone. A hero, a criminal, or just a stupid child that brings home monsters. In the worst case scenario, he was a simple source of mana. In the best case scenario, he was a replacement Master. "Why did you bring me here to this..." She moved her head around to get an idea of her location. "Room." she questioned.

James's initial reaction to the woman's draw of her gun was one of minor surprise, not unwarranted considering that few magi saw the value of modern firearms, that quickly gave way to icy hardness as he dropped the mask of the polite stranger for one he was more comfortable with. The merciless Assassin. Seemingly ignoring the woman's question, he pulled the collar of his coat up around his face. At the same time, he relayed a quick message to Archer.

"Archer, stay sharp around your immediate surroundings. The enemy is definitely a servant, one relying on close-range attacks. Worst case, you're fighting one of the Assassins."

Up on the roof top, the Heroic Spirit of Van Helsing gave a curt acknowledgement as he gave one final glance towards his master's blatant enemy. Releasing his grip on his crossbow, the weapon seemed to dissolve into blood-tinted black smoke before he made two drawing motions, his left hand drawing a non-existent pistol and his right hand drawing a sword. The blood-like smoke coiled in his hands as they took on new shapes, forming into two new weapons, a vintage revolver with a hexagonal barrel and a silver longsword with a 3-inch wide blade. The strange symbol on his left arm began to glow a dull, smoky red as he activated his Hunter's Mark, his senses opening up to track the shadows for any sign of attack.

James, without saying a word, slowly raised his hands in a surrendering gesture, stepping closer to the woman with controlled steps while remaining mindful of the gun's position. When he was within arm's reach, he sidestepped quickly and darted his hand forward in an attempt to grab the weapon, only for her to fire in retaliation. A round passed worryingly close to his ear as he barely managed to tilt his head in time, but he managed to close his wrist around her firing hand and twist it away from his face so that it was pointed at the ground by her feet. He attempted to use his free arm to strike at her face with his elbow, only for her arm to come up and take the worst of the blow before she tried to counter with a straight jab. Using his own forearm to redirect most of the force, he pushed her arm away and grit his teeth before slamming his forehead onto hers.

The strike managed to achieve part of its intended goal as it gave James the chance to finally knock the firearm from the woman's grasp, but his own stunned hands couldn't get a grip on the weapon and it clattered to the ground between them. Intent on gaining the upper hand, James pressed the attack with a series of the punches that forced his opponent on the defensive until she suddenly countered with a straight jab that connected with James's left cheek. Stumbling from the blow, he barely had time to block the follow up right-hook and step back to avoid the low kick. Readying for another strike, he ducked out of the way of the next punches before bracing his arm to stop the finishing kick, using that moment to land a blow to her midsection.

Taking a step back, his eyes landed on her fallen gun. Quickly glancing at the other magus, he saw she had spotted it too, and was already moving to grab it. Her fingers just closed around the grip as James used a side-kick to knock her off-balance. Capitalising on that, he kicked at the back of her leg, near the knee, with enough force to drop her onto one knee as she tried to turn the gun on him a second time, only for him to close the gap while she rose to her feet and strike at her face with his elbow again. He grabbed the gun and pulled, the two struggling for possession until the woman's elbow swung across his vision and impacted the left side of his jaw, but exposing her other arm. Using a downward elbow strike, he hit the softer, more sensitive inner arm and her grip loosened. With a final growl of effort, he finally managed to wrench the weapon from her grasp.

Spitting the blood resting in his mouth onto the ground beside him, he raised the stolen gun with both hands and pointed it at the space on which her command seals rested as she tried to get back on her feet. He spoke with a cold and unforgiving tone as he made his demand between heavy breaths.

"Call off your Servant. Now."

As he made his demand, he was acutely aware of the part of him that called for him to pull the trigger straight away, to eliminate an enemy Master as soon as possible, but he ignored the voice as he waited for her answer. This war was much bigger than the last, and it was vital to gain allies. If he could somehow salvage this and convince her to work with him, they would both have a better chance of winning this war, or at least make it out alive. Besides, he had a few questions for her, namely why she didn't just shoot him when she had the chance...

"I'm giving you a chance to stand down so we can talk, but I will not hesitate to kill you if you try something..."

Interactions: @Shadow Daedalus@1Charak2

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As tensions flared neither of the magi in question could've picked up on either of the approaching enemies. Both of them cloaked in their own magic one more primal than the other's trickery. One honed sense of skilled killing, and the other spent hiding from those who would do him harm. It happened in a moment and only a moment as Jame's hunter's mark flared up three arrows were sent barreling towards him with killing intent each one shot very precisely. Meanwhile a dagger was flung towards Taka, and Archer as a man emerged from the shadows behind Taka a dagger brandished in his hand aiming for the vital artery in the neck. The arrows had come from an unknown area but they didn't seem to have come from that far away and the assailant likely was waiting for another chance to attack. "My master dictates your death has come. It shall be as wished of me." came the smooth voice of the servant who only could've been assassin as his outfit signified his Middle Eastern heritage with a green turban, a red cloth covering his mouth, and the tight fitting uniform of a man who left nothing to chance. His cape blew with the wind as he already began to contemplate what he would do to the other one once he finished with the girl. He felt nothing. If she tried to dodge him he'd just hound her more, and if she somehow managed to counter that knife thrown at her surely he'd at the very least hit his mark in some form or another. Of course there was the enemy servants to deal with but he wasn't worried.

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@grey@Turboshitter

Leon nodded in polite acknowledgement of his 'friend' and his kind words. "My parents always taught me that a prepared mage is a good mage. I wasn't raised in no fancy setting just a simple college in the middle of the U.S.A. I learned a lot there and I intend to use that knowledge as much as possible here. I suppose going through a life with few friends was worth it in the end. Friends wouldn't be much help here if I just leaned on them and not sought to win on my own strength. Don't get me wrong having a friend is important and all. And numbers are not something to scoff at. But when the cards are set down and you need to make a choice for yourself then it's always better to have studied a lot before hand." Leon stated as he stared at his contract and then his hand that he typically put his glove on. Use the right hand for wind, and freeze the water with the left. That was his signature combo in his fights back home. So many magus focused on one element of training and when they see that coming they aren't expecting something else entirely. A hail of water turned into a icicle death trap, and or a water shield that suddenly froze could end up with an opponent who's arm was trapped leaving them open to another blow. Magic was complicated, and dangerous but simple mechanics such as that let Leon win his magus duels back home. "My mom also use to say when the first order of business is done with then you should move onto any semantics. I believe those words should be used here as well. If you don't like that contract there then how about we find out what we should do to cement this deal? Beating around the bush doesn't help anyone." Leon concluded as he looked Albert in the eye without hesitation. He wasn't going to be put on some back seat in this deal. Saber was called the best of the classes for a reason. He'd not let that role be diminished.

His eyes suddenly catching movement, James barely had time to leap backwards far enough to dodge the three projectiles as they clattered off the concrete he just had just been standing on. A smooth Arabic accent caught his attention and he darted his head back to where the other magus was standing a second ago only to spot a new figure emerge from the shadows. He glanced to the woman in time to see the thrown blade nick at her neck and for her to begin moving away from her new opponent before he fully registered the identity of new arrival.

"Assassin."

The name slipped from his mouth in a low growl, his iron grip on his emotions slipping a little before he closed his eyes and took a long, singular breath. He sharply chanted a short two-line incantation as he slipped the weapon in his hands into the grip of his right hand and his left was cloaked in a mix of purple and black flames laced with lightning of the same colour. Channelling his Blast, he thrust his hand outwards the enemy servant and the spell shot forwards, peeling from his hand as a lightning-clad bolt of flames that shot towards the Assassin like an arrow from a bow. Not waiting to see the effect the attack had, James quickly set off after the woman. If he wanted to make an ally of her, she needed to live through the rest of the day.



On the rooftop, Archer turned his head sharply as his Hunter's Mark picked up the signature of an attacking servant before it faded away again. Using his instincts as a hunter, he deduced from the arrows at the hidden enemy must have been his opposing counterpart in this war, the other Archer, and that they must have had a hiding skill of at least B+ rank to hide from his Hunter's Mark. The grinding of metal close behind him caught his attention and he turned rapidly to see a curved throwing knife clatter to the ground as it was deflected by the savage knife of... a child? Where had she been hiding and how had he not detected her before? An Assassin class maybe? That would explain the wicked looking knives in her hands... A sharp glance from the girl brought him out of his surprise and he tipped the tip of his tricorn in thanks before she leaped from the rooftop with impressive speed.

"Archer, I've engaged an enemy Servant on street-level and I need some back up. One of the Assassins. Look for the Turban and red cloth on his face."

Archer gave another glance to direction that he suspected the enemy Archer was hiding before he turned back to where his master was previously, searching for his mark. He quickly spotted the Assassin he was looking for and dispelled the sword/pistol combo in favour of his trademark crossbow.

"I see him. Master, I believe that there are two more servants near by. From what I can gather, we are facing another Archer with a highly-ranked hiding ability and I just made contact with a young girl I suspect to be of the Assassin Class."

"Two of them? Damn it, things just a lot harder... One of them has to be that woman's. Probably the Assassin you made contact with... Hold fire on the female assassin for now, but the other two are confirmed hostile."

"Understood, Master."

Feeling the link close, Archer raised his mechanical crossbow as two parallel pairs of limbs opened and he closed one eye as he lined up the sights of his weapon, leading the target until he gently squeezed the trigger, a bolt flying towards the Arabic Assassin's head before the buildings broke his sight line, making it unclear if the attack had managed to connect. Taking a final glance towards the enemy Archer's approximate location, Van Helsing tapped into his natural B+ Agility and followed after the white-haired assassin, leaping towards a lower sloped roof and sliding towards the edge. Grabbing the ledge to stop his fall, he dropped gently into an alleyway before setting out of find his master.



James watched from behind the corner of a building as the young Assassin girl arrived to engage the Arabic Assassin. Using the distraction to move out of his cover, he spotted the woman as she shouted for a truce between them. In response, he ran to her position and slid to a stop beside her. Flipping the gun in his hand so that he was holding the barrel, he offered the weapon to her.

"Truce. For now, we need to help each other out..."

He paused to pull the sleeve up from his left arm, exposing the three dark red marks on his forearm. The two on the sides were roughly 'L' shaped and line in the center ended with a diamond at one and a chevron at the other. If someone where to draw a comparison, they took the shape of a stylised crossbow with a bolt notched and ready to fire.

"...As fellow Masters. My servant told me that we're not facing one Servant but two. An Archer with a tricky stealth ability is hiding somewhere nearby. What do you say we show them who's the better Archer/Assassin pair?"