---

Despite his initial intention to move quickly, Alex and his Servant had spent the following day and night before finally turning their feet towards the tall doors of the Church. He had decided in the end to explore the city first after all, and the two of them had spent the night slowly working their way through the streets of the unfamiliar town. He had considered simply sending his Servant out alone, and perhaps following with one of his Gull familiars, but in the end had chosen to join him personally. It would be best to see the city itself from a human perspective, less by some chance his plan would fail and he be driven out into it. This had taken some time, and effectively finished their first night in the war.

He had planned to visit the church the following morning instead, but to his annoyance, had found the next day in his early Tarot reading, that the Scuttle would soon require unexpected repairs if it were not serviced promptly. The morning then had been spent inspecting the ship, and once the problem was found, in repairing it. The unfortunate incident had burned up most of the day, and between this and catching up on the sleep he had lost last night, the time flew by till the day and most of the following night were used up. It was an unmistakably frustrating start to his war of planned efficiency, but in the end there was nothing to be done.

So it was that it was not untill the dawn of the second day that Alex finally found his feet pointed towards the Church, and the administrator who supposedly waited for them there. He only hoped that they would receive him at this time. Behind him Archer floated, invisible, but unmistakable to anyone with a sense for the magical. He had sent the ancient mariner out to scout the city thoroughly while he focused on the necessary maintenance, and read his cards in the meantime, and so at least he did not count the past two nights wholly wasted.

"Let's do this quickly. I hope you're not an overly religious man Archer, these Chruch Agents can be ruthless, and they don't worship any sea god besides. We go in and out, and hope they write us off."

Alex finished working his way up the gently sloping hill which led to the little chapel and gained the door, knocking sharply three times with knuckles that were still stained with diesel from the night before.

---

@Cu Chulainn @Moonlit Sonata

How to do it? "Take my hand, Lass. Acknowledge me as your Servant."

Norton was fuzzy on the details, as this was knowledge he was only granted a bare minimum of for the sake of participating in the Grail War. But the bulk of the work, he knew, was something the Grail did itself. He'd already been summoned, which was the most complicated part, but he couldn't be sure his summoner was actually dead. A nagging doubt had crept upon him, as he'd realized some bizarre details of the abduction.

For one, it had been an abduction to begin with. He hated to admit it, but it could have just as easily been a swift assassination. Without a Master, he could have been easily picked off while his prana supply rapidly drained. Why kidnap poor Stirner? It made no sense. Moreover, he hadn't felt his connection sever abruptly, it had been a matter of distance. Snapping the poor lad's neck would have been trivial for the...whatever it had been. And that, too, was cause for alarm. That was not a Servant, they fully lacked the magical brilliance of a legend. It maybe could have been an Assassin's doing, but that was fully incompatible with kidnapping rather than killing. But there was no way a human being could exert that much force and speed, to move so quickly that even his senses couldn't perceive them until after their act.

And if his first Master were still alive, yet he was forming a contract with another all the same, that created the potential for him to have two Masters simultaneously, backed by six Command Spells total. All of this was wrong, and that meant he should...

The sun had begun to peek above the horizon, early rays starting to light the sky above them. The streetlight turned off above Norton. For the sake of the secrecy of magi, any longer and- well, no, any longer and he'd fade away pathetically most likely.

"Hurry! Please, your Command Spells! Accept me as your Servant, I accept you as my Master and Contractor! I know what to do!" The shine of her hand's red symbols was encouraging, but he was feeling increasingly desperate as the seconds ticked past!

Between the time Archer had been summoned up to this point, things seemed to remain uneventful. The most exciting thing that happened during the first day of the Holy Grail War for him was when he finally got off that gods-forsaken boat. During his time on land, Archer had focused on mapping out the areas closest to the Docks, including much of the eastern part of Fuyuki's shoreline, and to an extent, some of Shinto. If his Master's plan was to stay on a boat, it'd make sense to get a feel of the areas nearest the water, for any vantage points or places of interest to plan a preemptive strike. Archer figured he'd work on mapping out the whole Eastern portion of Fuyuki come the next few days, his Independent Action skills allowing him to make extensive trips scouting the region while his Master helps the war effort while on his boat.

Speaking of his Master, Archer had formed a rather mixed impression on the man named Alex Bradan. He believes him to be a crude, blunt man, with a hint of tactical acumen in his otherwise unassuming appearance. What makes matters more interesting is the sort of magecraft his Master commands, most notably his abilities in Astrology. Throughout his time lost at sea, Archer had received guidance from witches and prophets that have aided in leading him back home. While their methods may be different overall, Archer had learned to trust the advice of those who work in such mysterious power, and as a result, believes he can learn to trust his Master's insight on the days to come. The overall worthiness of Alex being his Master, however, is still a big question, although Archer does have brighter hopes than when they first met and conversed. He'll see, when he's able to observe more of his Master's magecraft in action.

And now, they both stand, outside the Church.

"Let's do this quickly. I hope you're not an overly religious man Archer, these Church Agents can be ruthless, and they don't worship any sea god besides. We go in and out, and hope they write us off."

Archer had slowly began to materialize, beginning with his grinning face. He chuckled at the fact that Alex might have assumed he was a religious man. While Archer did earn the favor of (at least most of) the gods of his time, he was by no means bound to worship the lot of them. The only sensible god to pray to when lost at sea was the entire reason he was lost in the first place. He shook his head at the thought.

"The time of my gods has already passed, Master. My allegiances are now only held towards us, and to winning the Holy Grail." Archer stated as his materialization completed. He was wearing the outfit he used to scout the city- a plain, grey hoodie, a pair of green joggers, and a pair of slightly used white running shoes. While the idea of wearing something more extravagant came to mind, Archer figured wearing something unassuming would be much better off as he made his way through Fuyuki. Getting a nice jog is also good for the body, too.

Archer figured stepping out of his Spirit form would be wise in their dealings with the coordinators of the war. It would also help in the event that a prospective Master had decided to take hold of the Church and use it as a trap. While the idea itself seemed unlikely, the thought of something unexpected waiting behind the door probed at Archer's mind. Setting up a trap within a place where Masters believe to be safe refuge sounds like something Archer himself would do, after all...

@Beloss @Moonlit Sonata

@Berserk Gene

---

"Take my hand, Lass. Acknowledge me as your Servant."

What, that's it!? Not even tapping her heels three times, or waving a wand, or anything? Nope, apparently Grail Wars are powered by hand-holding and friendship. Learn something new every day.

Being urged along with such ferocity, Airi didn't have much time to really examine the situation. All she really had to go on was how she felt. Which was probably for the better — if she had to sit there and weigh the pros and cons of all this, she may well have come to the conclusion that she shouldn't blindly trust random people that fly out of walls and wantonly destroy city infrastructure while wearing an outfit fitting for a sunday morning cartoon.

But when forced to think fast, her underlying principles shone through. Help people. Save people. Those things are true regardless of the situation.

"...Yeah. Yeah, okay. I'll do it." She decided, pressed for time, grasping the man's hand with her own marked one, her 'Master's Right' almost burning her skin as she did. "I acknowledge you! I acknowledge you...as my Servant!"


There was a tug. At least, that's what it felt like, at first. But then, she realized that it was more like a dizziness, and it wasn't just her hand that was burning anymore.

...Water? Thirst? Hunger?

Something is missing. Some resource has run dry.

As her vision begins to darken around the edges, she can't help but wonder what it is. What it was that she possessed merely a moment ago. What it was that she had held onto for her whole life without knowing its name.

Cold. Her body feels cold...

With a shiver, even in such thick clothing, her legs give out for a moment, and she finds herself staring at the ground with a bewildered expression. Her hand is burning as though she had jammed a fork into an electrical socket, and yet the rest of her body feels like she just took a bath in ice water. Her jaw shakes, as her teeth begin to chatter slightly, and her right thumb twitches in the man's grip.

"F...ffu...ck...k..." Her voice is disjointed, and her head falls over like a plate knocked off of a table, dragging her neck and shoulders downward as it rests in her lap, harsh denim against her brow. The girl's head is pounding, her eyes have gone dark, she's besieged by chills, and nothing makes sense.

The hell...kinda fine print...is this...?

I'm such a...dumbass...

---

Alex nodded at Archers confirmation. He was still trying to work out something of his Servants identity, but the strange man was canny. He seemed to imply himself to be a great master of the sea, and yet he professed a hatred for it at the same time, and seemed more enthusiastic by far when on land. Could it be he was dealing with the titular character from the Rime of the Ancient Mariner? He had read that one at least, or parts of it and certain things his Servant had revealed so far seemed to fit. It takes a good marksman to shoot a bird on the wing, even one as big as an albatross, and the Ancient Mariner would certainly have reason to hate the sea he had once loved.

He wasn't sure that a mere poem could create a Heroic Spirit however. Somehow he doubted it.

Shrugging off his attempts to identify the man he approached the doors of the building directly and knocked sharply three times. He hoped that this was not a lengthy process, or there was some kind of background check. He was after all, technically a criminal, and however else they framed themselves the Holy Church was a political organisation, and one that didn't take kindly to thieves.

He wondered suddenly if he should have set up a safe house a block or two away from here in case they needed to beat a swift retreat, but now there was no time.

---

@Cu Chulainn @Moonlit Sonata

To say that, after the previous night's events, Ruler was not troubled would be an understatement. Given what he had learned of, the war's administrator had been racking his brain throughout the night for an answer as to how to better investigate this.

...granted, the first step towards that would be to deal with that freak and make sure that the man who had killed a Servant wasn't one of its. He resolved himself to do so while the sun was above the horizon today.

Well, at any rate, the second day of the war had come, and with it, a new visitor to the church. The presence of a Servant, an Archer, was something Ruler was of course privy to not merely as a Servant but as a member of the Ruler class. As such, it took little time before the door opened, revealing the Servant who had been assigned with keeping the peace. His eyes flitted from Alex to Odysseus, nodding slightly before he cracked a slight grin.

"Welcome to the house of God, Master and Servant of the Holy Grail War. Servant Ruler, the pleasure is mine."

Time for that song and dance again.

Alice de Arcobaleno
Alice's House > Miyama
Second Day, Morning.

---

@Asuras

She had more trouble than she thought she would with preparing her breakfast.

The eggs were overdone, and the toast was charred more than she would have liked. Had she thought to grab and drag one of her servants along for the ride, Alice could have enjoyed a better breakfast, perhaps even with a tall glass of orange juice to go along with it. The blender could have been a part of the five true magic for all she knew of operating it. Perhaps she should rope in one of her servants from back home.

Alice sighed.

But that was hardly any concern as of now, for she and her Servant was scouting out the town. No Master would think of attacking in broad daylight, and certainly not in front of so many people. There was only a slim chance of finding another Master wandering around like this anyways; the lay of the land was more important to her. So far there was nothing out of the ordinary in the shopping area she was walking in.

If she did find a Master however, there would be a chance for her to whittle down her rivals' number, as her Servant had suggested last night.

"Find anything unusual, Rider?"

She could sense no one she could recognize as a Master or a magus, at least as far as she was aware, though she did spot a rather quaint little cafe. Her stomach growled all of a sudden. Her breakfast, if you can call it that, had been so poorly prepared she had barely eaten but a few mouthfuls before she dumped it all into a bin.

The two had departed the Church without being spotted, as far as Ernest could tell. That was good. After the chaos of the Grail War's first day he was in no condition for any more surprise altercations. The ride back had consisted chiefly of Ernest explaining the rather peculiar circumstances that had led to their current situation. He had explained, in the plainest terms he could, for he was still rather baffled by the particulars, that Chi-You was the second Servant he had summoned, and that his initial Servant had been destroyed by some bizarre enigma of a man. As a courtesy, he had also informed Chi-You that another attack was certainly within the realm of possibility. The thought worried him, but perhaps not as much as it should have. Nimrod had simply been caught off guard, or at least that was what he told himself. If he and his Servant expected the attack, they would have the upper hand... or at least stand a fighting chance. Besides, Chi-You was, as far as he could tell, more powerful than Nimrod, at least as far as parameters were concerned.

When they arrived back at the small house in Eastern Fuyuki, Ernest had inquired more about Chi-You. He had learned that she was of the Saber class, a detail that came as a welcome surprise. He had told the Servant about the Command Seal that had been required for her summoning as well. In the back of his mind, the thought brought a bit of concern. Command Seals were incredibly valuable, and the fact that he now had one less than the other Masters meant he was at a disadvantage. That was just the nature of things though. Besides, despite her royal demeanor, Ernest had high hopes for his partnership with Chi-You.

The conversation between Master and Servant had been cut short by the crushing exhaustion that was overwhelming Ernest. Anything else could wait until morning... a morning that was already nearly upon them. The magus had retired to his bedroom and collapsed into a black, dreamless sleep.



Ernest arose after only a few hours of sleep. Such a thing had been his habit for years, a constant restlessness preventing him from ever enjoying a full night's sleep. Still, the utter exhaustion from the night before had been at least partially abated by the brief rest. After waking up, the mage quickly set to work preparing himself for the day. The Grail War had already proved itself impossibly unpredictable, and he had no intention of being caught unawares again.

Ernest opened his door, entering the living room of the small house. He was dressed in his usual, highly formal attire, every detail of his black suit prim and proper. He looked considerably more prepared than the desperate man who had summoned Chi-You the night before. Mentally, he commanded one of the Thralls to begin preparing a quick and simple breakfast. Using the undead for something so trivial might have seemed somewhat humorous, but the LaCreux family had long ago abandoned the practice of hiring servant in favor of using the Thralls. It was convenient, if hilariously morbid.

As the familiar set to its work, Ernest greeted his Servant. “Good morning, Chi-You.” The smell of eggs began to drift through the room. “I know Servants don't require food, but you are welcome to breakfast, if it suits you.” A simple meal of eggs and toast seemed quite unfit for a hero, but it was in Ernest's nature to be polite about such things. “On to more important matters, though.” Ernest tapped his cane on the floor, evidently thinking. “I suppose we should formulate some kind of standing strategy. The Grail War has begun, and I believe many of the other Masters and Servants will begin moving now.” The magus began pacing around the room slowly. “On a basic level, we have two options upon which to build the rest of our strategy. We either remain here, and meet whatever threats happen upon us, or we go out and seek our enemies.” He stopped his pacing, turning toward Chi-You. “I am not necessarily opposed to either plan. However, our current location is the one in which I can provide you with the most support.” He motioned toward the door. “You may have noticed last night that there is a cemetery nearby. I am capable of making use of such a burial ground, if the need arises.” Ernest tapped his cane against the floor again. It seemed the motion was a habit of his. "We also should consider how to react if we are attacked by that... thing I spoke of last night. Judging by my previous encounter with it, I suspect that it is more likely to strike while we are in the field, but I can't be certain." A disgusted look crossed Ernest's face for a moment, but he shook it off. “Ultimately, though, I leave the decision up to you. Master or not, you will be the one fighting our battles, and I'd like to give you every advantage possible. I will support you in any way that I can.”

@Holy Grail

In the large bed of her fourth-floor hotel room, the homunculus Lorelei Baggett began to stir from underneath the soft, white bed sheets she had settled underneath the previous night after the previous day's....chaos, to try to sum it up correctly. She had arrived in Fuyuki, acquired a hotel room, and had made her way to summon her servant. Simple, right? At least, it was supposed to be. The location she had tried to summon at had in fact been inhabited, though whoever was there had waited until she had summoned her servant to actually attack. Even after that, whatever had attacked had only aimed for her servant as if they were trying to kill them in one go. Only after her servant's horse had carried herself and the delirious servant she had just summoned away were they safe, and even then...well, things were not optimal. Apparently her servant's desire for the Grail had been fulfilled in him nearly dying upon being summoned, and only after she had apparently gotten emotional over the matter had he seemingly relented and decided to stay by her side. Then there was the the healing to stitch up his chest, and the whining, and the "this hotel is too small" bits, and her taking the honest time to set up a basic bounded field over the hotel she was in before finally taking a hot shower and getting to sleep.

Safe to say, she hoped this day would fare better for herself and her servant. A nearly fatal first day and such a close call was not what she had hoped to run into so early, but with this being a war and a conflict it was not a surprise for her as well. Everyone was here for a reason, something they would kill for and fight over just to have granted by this ominous, suspicious wish-granting device known as the Holy Grail of Fuyuki City. It was something that, whether she won it or not, would be a struggle just to simply survive. Beyond this, though, there were many an unanswered question she had about this entire conflict, from the nature of the Grail itself, to how it functioned, to just who was it that had made camp so close to one of the two families seemingly hosting this war. That in a sense was really why she had been sent here, to ascertain the nature of all of this and gather information about it for the Baggett Family.

So to start with, perhaps taking the time to visit the Ruler of the Grail War during the day would be a good idea for her first matter of business, seeing as if she was attacked in broad daylight it would break the "keep this thing secret from people" bit that had been laid down as a rule in this Grail War. Then again, being a war she could not really put anything past the other combatants in this war.

Sighing to herself and giving a roll of her eyes, the homunculus finally pulled the white sheets away from herself, sitting up in the bed wearing naught but the silken blue nightgown she had worn to bed. Stretching her arms, Lorelei somewhat instinctively cast her eyes about the room to see if anything had changed, or if something had perhaps broken in. After allowing a small yawn to then escape her lips upon seeing that the room was the same as it had been the previous night, she pulled herself out of the bed and began to ruffle through a nearby dresser she had placed her things in to get an outfit for the day. She also grabbed a pair of finger nail clippers and nail polish remover, perhaps now more concerned as to the usefulness of her long, painted finger nails if she ran into more troublesome situations in the future.

'Rider, are you awake?' the homunculus messaged to her servant through their mental link as she walked towards the bathroom to clean up and get changed, her set of clothes held under one arm as she somewhat sleepily glanced at the one nearby window her room had before looking back at the bathroom entrance once more, 'Today i think we will be visiting the Ruler-class servant summoned to preside over this war, at least at first, to get some information. What do you think?'

Mmm, as much as it had been obvious that this hotel's accommodation were not suited to the...great size of her servant nor his personal tastes, at the same time he was a great hero that had lived in the Age of Gods. To not fall to him for suggestion and strategy in some amount would be folly in her opinion, though Lorelei partially braced herself for a possible complaint about the lodgings once more as well.

At least with the bounded field up she knew that no other magi or servant had entered the same hotel, if nothing else.

@Beloss

---

After the talking and information sharing of the previous night, the tyrant had found herself bored after the more interesting topics had arisen, and had finally lied down to get some rest in spirit form. Not that she needed any sleep or rest, being a servant after all, but really it was more out of curiosity if she could actually go to sleep as a servant in the first place. Sure, the Grail had given her all the knowledge she needed, but what was the fun in not testing things out on occasion, eh? More or less, however, she was aware of their current situation after being caught up on things by her master. Her master's previous servant had lost to an unknown force, which was of tactical concern to her if it wasn't a human-looking being that was not a servant but had been able to kill one. Though that aside, being down to two command seals in regards to her master could be seen as a blessing or a curse, depending on how the two of them turned out.

While he did seem an amount "boring" to the tyrant, a thing she had not exactly held back on to a certain extent, he was at least a seemingly useful subordinate in regards to his information and ability to set up at a decently advantageous location. If they needed they could retreat towards the woods, after all, and that was one tactic that Chi-You had pondered over whilst trying to fall asleep the previous night. The man somewhat reminded her of a politician, at least in regards to the modern-day equivalents of them that the Grail had informed her about for purposes of granting her understanding of this modern world. It was also nice to know, though, that China was very close and nearby to this land called "Japan". Once she eventually acquired the Grail, a conquest of this land and then using it to wage a war to take back her old turf would be an enjoyable thing, at least if she felt like it after that point in time.

Mmm, but it was tiring to think too far ahead. To win the war, one had to win the battles within it, and she looked forward to savoring all of the battles she could sink her blades into...or arrows for that matter. As she had explained to her master last night, she was of the Saber class, and boasted a variety of very high-rank Noble Phantasms as her arsenal. Where she lacked in raw destructive power in terms of Noble Phantasms, however, she made up for in might, skill, and the glorious weapons that had been crafted by her hand millennia ago. She was the king, the tyrant, the God of War, and these things and more were what she took great pride in as an individual and a servant.

Though on a side note, her master seemed calmer and more talkative this morning, which while a bit dull to her was good for purposes of war. Then again, the roaring passion of crossing blades in the heat of a battle was something she also took pleasure in as well.

"Hmpf, the breakfast of my day would be great feast set before the king at my pleasure, with much laughter to be had among my brothers. Oh, how the passing of time has changed things," the giantess of a servant said as she sat with crossed legs on the floor, leaning forwards on her elbows with a slightly amused and subtle smirk royally gracing her face, before pulling her arms down once more and sitting in a far more regal manner than she had just been, "But in regards to our activities, if we do not discover, pursue, and eliminate our foes, then we will get nowhere. We might even be targeted if an enemy is able to overcome our..."homefield advantage", i think the saying goes these days? That being said, going in without a plan of attack or some kind of strategy is equally suicidal. So perhaps going about, understanding the layout of this land, and scouting from the safety of our base to find where our enemies reside would be a good first step, hmm?"

@DrowsyPangolin

---

At the same time as the girl, now his 2nd master, collapsed downwards, the Emperor was renewed. But, Norton would not allow harm to befall her. Berserker picked up the comparatively small girl that was his Master in his arms. "Not much prana in you, is there? That will make this difficult...but not impossible. Rest, lass."

As the dawn began to break in earnest, the looming threat of sunlight encroaching, he had no choice but to escape with her. All the same, his previous realizations directed him where to go. The church. He was a pious man, yes, but more directly he knew that something had gone quite wrong, and the overseer needed to be seen. Stirner had already indicated to him where the church was, thankfully. Now that he had a new contract to anchor his existence, he wasn't in danger of vanishing, but the Emperor would have to be frugal in his energy expenditure. Weighing the costs and benefits, he cursed his lack of contemporary clothing, forbidding him from bein- well, carrying a half-conscious girl was even worse, actually, so it didn't matter.

...Speaking of cursing, he'd tell his master later not to be so vulgar in her words, that habit was improper. But for the sake of answers and her recovery, he'd whisk her to the church!

Which would probably take a while, and he'd need a roundabout route to avoid being seen. He couldn't just go into spiritual form, because then he couldn't carry her. At least he wasn't actively draining her prana now, only the initial formation of the contract had done so. Gah! So many factors to consider!

• Secrecy of magecraft and the war itself.
• Protecting the two of them.
• Acting quickly as possible for Stirner's sake.
• Not endangering his 2nd master's life via prana drain.
• No going into spiritual form.
• She was in no condition to travel herself right now.
• He stuck out like a sore thumb, even without his hat and sword manifested.

Norton looked around, wracking his brain for ideas based on what was nearby.

"Ah, perfect!"

The Emperor's eyes had settled on an alleyway that had a few cardboard boxes and trash bags among the rest of the junk set out in it. He'd come to a flawlessly-reasoned solution, in his wisdom as an Emperor. It was possible to go unnoticed while still being seen, and other Servants wouldn't likely attack out in the open in the middle of the morning as people began to crowd the streets. Plus, that would be the most expedient way to travel from where he was to the Church.

In broad daylight, Rider maintained his astral form with unwavering determination. Keeping by Alice's side, he stepped aside even as a ghost when corporeal citizens passed by; his politeness was a bit too ingrained. With less focus on the war, Hugues found his imagination wandering as he looked upon the myriad of buildings big and small of Miyama. Compared to the tiny abodes of his life, these were massive in comparison, and seemed to contain within them countless workers that appeared to have adopted a uniform manner of dress. Alice's voice drew him away from the thought.

"Nothing as of yet, but this city does appear to be quite... Spacious. T'would be a wonder to come across anyone walking about like this aimlessly. I propose we return closer to the Church. A major road leading to it, perhaps. Those Masters less bold to visit Ruler last night may well approach him in broad daylight, thinking it safer. We need not accost anyone immediately, but we may be able to detect Masters nearby. Putting a face to these Masters is a powerful tool..."

And then, Alice's stomach audibly grumbled. Rider fell silent for a moment.

"Unless of course, you would like to eat something first."

---

The door opened, and from the sudden wash of Prana that hit his mage senses, Alex could tell instantly that the man on the other side of the doorway was a Servant. He tensed instinctively, but reminded himself of the existence of Ruler and forced himself to remain steady.

If Archer was a Servant who matched his own preference for simple utilitarian clothes, then the creature who now stood before them in the doorway could not have been more difrent. Dressed in white and gold with a gigantic fur coat thrown over his shoulders the Servant smiling at them through the doorway reminded Alex far more of certain crime lords and pimps he had acquainted himself with in the past than any sort of holy man or Church Agent.

"Welcome to the house of God, Master and Servant of the Holy Grail War. Servant Ruler, the pleasure is mine."

In a bizarre way Alex almost prefered it, imagining one was speaking to a cartel lord was certainly a more familiar prospect than having to negotiate with the odd clerics of the Holy Church.

He paused for only a moment, but then gave a small bow, tipping his hat and making his way inside.

"Alex Bradan. Freelancer. This is my Servant Archer. I am here to register myself as a participant in this war."

---

---

Floating listlessly around the small cramped chamber of the upper story of the apartment, a disembodied Rider watched the veiw from the window with disatisfaction. Upon recovering his strength enough to move, and freeing himself from his minor crisis of motive, he had at first observed the modern cityscape they had journeyed through with fascination.

Rostam was a man accustomed to all manner of outlandish sights, but not even in the demon realm of Mazandaran had he seen buildings and contraptions such as had become commonplace in the modern era. It was truly a sight to inspire wonder in him once more, not a mean feat for one who was over a two hundred years old. He quickly realized that he did not yet wish to dissipate. Even if it simply meant exploring this modern era for a little while, that would be enough reason to stay for now.

His new fascination was quickly tempered however, when he discovered a rather obvious design flaw that seemed almost universal to these modern easterners.

Every single door and interior of this city was far, far, far to short for him.

He had made his displeasure known to the small conjuror who had summoned him, and while he eventually conceded to shed his physical form and enter the building as a shapeless spirit, he had been irritable ever since.

'Rider, are you awake? Today I think we will be visiting the Ruler-class servant summoned to preside over this war, at least at first, to get some information. What do you think?'

Rider rematerialized briefly, laying with his arms folded under his head as though he were takeing a nap. It was the only way he could appear within the room without inflicting structural damage on the ceiling. Even so, the floor creaked dangerously under his supernatural weight, while the twin horns of the his skull helm made ugly scratches in the rug.

"Hmmmm? How tall is the roof in this Ruler's stronghold? If there is enough space to stand up in then by all means, let's go as quickly as possible. You may need to use a command spell to dislodge me from this place however, if I find the ceiling to my satisfaction."

---

@Cu Chulainn @Holy Grail @Moonlit Sonata

Ernest nodded grimly at the Tyrant's distaste for the meager, modern meal. In truth, he once had been accustomed to great feasts as well. Though he doubted dinner at the LaCreux Manor in New Orleans could hold a candle to the kingly feasts Chi-You had experienced. Not that he himself had been too familiar with any sort of formal meal as of late. For the last few years he had been almost entirely consumed with research, and meals were scarce, small, and typically only eaten when he absolutely needed them. Thus, the prospect of eating some meager dish didn't particularly bother him. He looked over to Chi-You, nodding again. “I apologize for the simplicity. I assure you, if and when we are victorious in this War, there will be plenty of feasts to be had.” The thought of celebration was so alien to him he had difficulty imagining it. Regardless, food was the least of their concerns.

Chi-You did not seem content to sit and wait for an attack, a disposition Ernest had predicted for the most part. Thankfully, she also didn't seem to be the type to rush in without a plan. Ernest considered the Tyrant's plan for a moment. “Yes, I think you're right... One moment.” The magus left the living room, descending down into the basement. After a few moments, he returned, carrying the map of Fuyuki, which he unrolled on the floor in front of Chi-You. “Here we are.” He began pointing to specific locations on the map. “These are fallen leylines. We are likely to find enemy Masters near these points.” He tapped the location of the Church with his cane.

“There are likely still several pairs that will visit the Church. Obviously, attacking them near the neutral zone would be a poor decision, but we could use this opportunity for some reconnaissance.” A slight shadow fell over the man's face as he drug the end of his cane to the forest. “This is where I was attacked last night. Venturing into that area could be dangerous... but there is also the possibility that we could uncover more information regarding the enemy I encountered.” He looked at Chi-You again. “If that... thing was tied to one of the enemy Masters or Servants in any way, then there's also the possibility of encountering an enemy there.” The prospect of returning to the forest concerned him deeply. Still, this time he would be prepared.

Ernest stared down at the map, evidently absorbed in thought. “There are also the other fallen leylines that we could investigate. There's a chance we could uncover something at one of those...” He tapped his cane on the wooden floor. “Very well, I leave the decision of where we go first up to you. I can also make use of my Thralls for observation purposes, which gives us the ability to monitor one location while exploring another.” He still had one dove left, and both of the human Thralls. Truth be told, though, he preferred to keep those two armed and nearby if he could. He didn't doubt Chi-You in the slightest, but there was always the potential for a surprise attack, and the Thralls were capable of protecting him adequately if nothing else.

@Holy Grail

Ruler? Oh, now this was starting to get interesting. Archer made his way in, following his master after he had introduced himself. Archer had a look of amusement on his face, his hands in his jacket pockets.

"Archer. And here, I was expecting a stuffy priest to greet us." Archer chuckled as he bowed his head, crossing his arms. He looked up at Ruler, the first other Servant he's encountered in this war. Normally, he'd curse himself for not being prepared before walking into the lair of a servant without any sort plan, but luckily for Archer, Ruler-class servants are... different than the standard Heroic Spirit you'd see in the Holy Grail War

"Normally, a Ruler isn't summoned for the Holy Grail War unless the Grail itself senses a threat to its very being... or at least, that's what I attained from the knowledge I was given when summoned. So I take it this isn't a normal Holy Grail War, then?"

@Beloss@Moonlit Sonata

---

He moved with a sort of deliberate slowness, perhaps still tired from the events of the night prior. Though he had managed to do as he had wished even after the setback, he had to admit — it had still been a night he had spent somewhat on edge.

He knew that other Servants scouting — or even assaulting this place — were a risk, but that was a known factor, unlike whatever it was that Lancer had met. Still, it would not do to keep losing sleep over the detail when he had so little to go on, so he simply focused on the day ahead and thought of how to best spend the daylight hours.

...

“Ah, that’s right.” He muttered before taking a sip from a mug filled to the brim with coffee. He had mentioned one thing yesterday night that it would be best to take care of as soon as possible, hadn’t he? It was hardly an absolute necessity, but he figured — might as well make a good impression, right?

Noting that the mug was already empty, he left it at the counter and started walking, picking his jacket on the way out. Opening the door, he had to close his eyes, if only slightly, due to the sunlight reaching them.

He grumbled to himself. A morning person, he was not — he sighed as he recounted this little fact about himself.

“Lancer,” He called out. “We are going to meet the Overseer — better to get the official registration done as soon as possible and then perhaps spend the rest of the day scouting the city at large.”

Perhaps he was foolish, going by himself instead of sending a familiar, but manners were much too valuable to ignore them so. With that thought, he started walking again — should nothing happen on the way there, it would be a relatively quick affair to get there, meet and greet and get out.

…

Come to think of it, this would be the first time he stepped foot in a church in a long time, wouldn’t it? Ah, well — matters for another time.

@Ijoyen

“That alone is reassuring, at the least. The grail is suppose to choose those who are fitting to participate, but it’s good to hear that you’re motivated.”

Even without any true knowledge, or even context as to the ritual it was equally dangerous to have a master who was either too afraid to chase after the wish, or didn’t have a strong interest. Still, the complete lack of ignorance was still rather painful. At the very least the concerns of his master, citing a desire for a rulebook or someone to talk to, while painfully mundane, was actually something that could be provided.

“Since we are in the area there is the Church. The Church is suppose to be the place where an overseer of the war has taken residence. However, that’s only the information going off what was recorded and told to us about prior wars. It could end up as abandoned of its duties as much as that manor you summoned me in. Whatever the case, as I have said before I am fine with whatever you choose to do at the moment, master.”

Still.

He wondered if his master could truly back up his words of apathy if he learned more about his past. Memories brimmed below the surface and he found his eyes taking even greater note of the world about them even as the darkness become so absolute. It was not like back then that he was given the privilege of simply being chased after or raising the ire of others in the sunlight.

What would have come if his blades were celebrated instead of feared and seen as bringers of death and calamity? If his blades were praised like those of Masamune, or the famous holy blades of the west. Would he have accepted the summon to such a ritual even then?

In the end all that he could ask for was to see those who had the light shone on them on more proper paths, wielding holy blades and glowing with heroic legends.






“Wha’dya know? Well, it’s better than nothing. A church huh? I guess it isn’t too surprising that a city like this has some Christians. We never had anything like that back where I came from however. It’ll be weird, I guess. Churches usually aren’t anything good in stories you know, it’s all about priests actually being demon summoners or bringers of darkness all along nowadays.” He let out a derisive sort but kept a grin of sorts up. “Well, that’d be a stupid plot twist, wouldn’t it? Well, whatever. We’ll head there first. We can go home and eat something before hitting the hay, or something after. Doesn’t really matter, but I’m too tired to go off looking for fights.”

Toshi became quiet as he adjusted his path. Retracting his steps, heading back to the graveyard, back towards the Church. Ah, this really was going to be a long night, wasn’t it? Forget the fighting, patrolling the city, scouting out the enemy, all those things that just meant a lot of walking, that alone was going to be a lot of tiring work wasn’t it? Well, as long as it was night-time like this it wasn’t really much of a bother, and it was not as if he had that much to do anyway.

The two walked in silence for the most of the remainder of the night, and it was as the new day had begun that they noticed that it came with a dawn of Twilight. The sheer energy that came with the arc of light that illuminated the sky blazed bright in the dark morning, and to Toshi who looked upon it the sense of something that should not be struck him. What he saw brought wonder and shudders. Even more than the summoning of Berserker, even more than his eyes and what he saw throughout his life. It was this light that brought him to awe, that made him stop and feel the plung the into something so alien and beyond his imagination. There was a world that he could not comprehend, not yet. And as the light blinked out into nothingness, every ray disappearing like the target of the blade, he found that his curiosity was roused.

Perhaps it was only fitting that upon joining a war for a wish then one would see the crystallization of imagination, wishes and reverence.

“Berserker.”

“Yeah, master?”

“Change of plans. Let’s go see what that light was.”

How else could one contextualize their dreams and truly learn the weight of a wish?

The night had taken its toll on Marguerite. Between the adrenaline spike brought on by the encounter with the insectoid thing, the use of Saber's Noble Phantasm, and jet lag finally catching up with her, she was, to put it simply, tired. For the first time she could remember, she had hit snooze on her alarm not once but twice. Once​ she finally woke, however, it was down to business. She climbed out of bed, got dressed--impeccable as always--brushed her teeth, then stepped out into the main room, addressing Saber as she did. Breakfast could wait; she had things to address.

Last night had been... less than successful. They had survived, yes, and their attacker was gone, but the cost had been steep. If anyone had been watching--and they almost certainly had--then they would know Saber's identity. Admittedly, even knowing his weak point, it would be difficult to hit one leaf-sized spot on his back, but it was still a liability. Not to mention the identity of their attacker. The thing had looked and acted like an animal; she doubted it had just been wandering around. But that would mean it had likely been sent, which was far more problematic, especially if whatever had sent it was watching. Addressing that should be their first priority.

"I'm thinking we should go to the church today," she said, "Whatever that thing was last night, I'm fairly sure it should not be part of a Holy Grail War, and I'm sure the Overseer would appreciate an eyewitness account. I'd also like to try to get a look around the city without being attacked by a giant insect."

@Breo

Ruler's eyes scanned over the Master and Servant who had appeared at the church, lingering on the latter for a moment. Ah, so it was that Heroic Spirit. Ruler could only find it amusing, that he was so easily allowing that sort of man into his territory. Well, he didn't seem to possess the capability to recreate that feat of his, so it was hardly like it mattered regardless. Nodding, the Servant simply allowed the magus and Servant entry into the church.

Ah, so it seemed like this time there was actually a better grasp of the circumstances of the war by this pair. Well, that made this easier if nothing else.

"Half-right. A Ruler will either be summoned if the Grail War is deemed unusual enough that the Holy Grail deems an overseer necessary to supervise the chaos, or if the Grail War has a chance of causing distortions to appear in this war. At the current time, even I don't know which it is, but the former is certainly involved." He explained, shrugging slightly. "Thanks to the work of those two, the Grail has much more magical energy than it should. The usual constraint of seven Servants has been lifted, but-"

-Wait.

Wait wait wait.

He'd forgotten to tell those other pairs who'd come before about the most important part.

...well, this was a problem. This was a rather large problem. This was a tremendous problem.

After freezing up for a moment as he realized that he had, in fact, fucked up, Ruler managed to recompose himself and resumed speaking.

"But it should still be that a wish will manifest after seven Servants die. Even if the amount of Servants summoned is greater than seven, the fact that the Holy Grail 'requires the death of seven Servants' shouldn't have changed."

In other words...

In other words, this fight to the death did not have to function as such.

---

Alex shook his head slightly, the beginning of frustration starting to make itself known. He hated complications, and now it seemed the original premise of the tournament was a false advertisement. He briefly considered how this would affect his chances, and did not like the conclusions he reached. He had planned to hold out in an obscure corner of the city, using his boat to redeploy as necessary, and sending Archer out to harass and finish off Servants as the chance presented itself. Now though, apparently permanent alliances were on the table...

He didn't like it. Undoubtedly the affluent Clock Tower lords who most likely comprised the majority of the participants would now barter and negotiate their allegiances as was their wont. It was a market of expensive favors that he didn't have the resources to participate in, and besides, they would look down on a simple freelancer and most likely band together to edge him out of the war.

He felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead as he reconsidered his chances. Before he had counted on such alliances forming, but had banked on the rule of one last standing on eventually forcing such allies to turn on each other in time. Now, there was no such incentive...

He cursed aloud softly, unable to prevent himself.

"I see." He said, turning back to Ruler and nodding neutrally. "Thank you for the heads up. Now, as I understand, if my Servant dies and I make it back here I can claim sanctuary?

It was a pertinent detail, though one he was unlikely to make use of. If the war went south for him, there was a far more simple exit stratagy he planned to make use of. In fact...

The first genuine question he had suddenly occurred to him. "Does this war have a geographic boundary? If I were to take a... car out of town say, and I kept driving till I reached the next city, would I still be valid mark? Or would the other Masters have free reign to hunt me down so long as I don't cross these doors? Would I be able to phone in a notification of my withdrawal?"

---

@Moonlit Sonata @Cu Chulainn

"AKUSEPUTSU NO SABUSUTATUUUTSU!"

To those starting their workday, there was a maniac on what could have been a scooter speeding down the road, enthusiastically shouting the slogan of his delivery service. This was pretty much the best that the Emperor could do. Concealment proper was not an option, so he figured he'd hide in plain sight by being so obnoxious that nobody would WANT to pay attention to him. He was even speaking in heavily-localized "English" rather than natively.

"HAI PURAISEZU ARU UNFORUGIVABAAAARU!"

Shouting more ridiculous slogans at passerby, he continued taking advantage of how few people wanted to put up with this normally, let alone before caffeine hit their system. Norton had packed his unconscious Master into a cardboard box in the alleyway, snapped a bicycle lock with his bare hands, and then loaded her box onboard as if it were his cargo. He lacked the Riding skill properly, but more rudimentary bikes had existed in his time, and it was quite simple for a Servant to correct their balance. Physics also lent a hand: it was easier to balance at high speed.

"ARU AITAMUSU GARANTIIII!"

As for his appearances... well, he'd strategically piled extra, empty, smaller boxes on the bike. Sure, magi would be able to tell how much prana his base nature entailed, but he was hiding most of his appearance, right? This was the diametric opposite to stealth or secrecy. On the other hand, it did genuinely keep lay civilians away!

---

He probably had a ridiculous number of familiars following him now, after screaming his way across a quarter of Shinto or so, but once he had cleared the city and was heading for the Church, he beelined for the trees to hide.

"I apologize for the rough ride, lass..." Norton sheepishly glanced at the bent and mostly-ruined state he'd left the bike in. "And I apologize to you, unknown, unwilling patron." He wasn't the Emperor of Japan either, so it couldn't be called impromptu tax collection.

She'd gotten some color back in her cheeks, and she'd peeked up from outside the box once the sound of passerby had abated. As his Master, even if she couldn't read English, the statistics of Berserker, and his Noble Phantasms, had been revealed to her. Norton shoved some of the empty boxes on himself, finding it undignified but prudent. His clothing as a Servant was just too distinctive, even without his noble hat. This way he was at least able to cover up, even if it looked absolutely stupid. What kind of a Hero would do THIS? Well, it wasn't stupid if it worked, he supposed.

Her voice was, despite time having passed and his best efforts to limit his usage of prana, woefully quiet. Her contract with him was itself life-threatening if he did much in the way of exertion. The price of a Berserker. However, what he heard shocked him.

"I- yes, of course. We're almost there. Lass- Master- Lasster! It's still dangerous here."

While the Church was neutral ground, the periphery hardly was. Scooping her up in his arms, the Emperor had to weigh the choice of rushing at full speed and risking her further harm, or proceeding slowly to prevent that, yet be far more open to possible ambush. A worst-case scenario, from a tactician's standpoint. But he also had Stirner to consider... So what she suggested then and there was a clear compromise, but also a dangerous wager.

His Kindly Alms Noble Phantasm was simplistic, even rudimentary. A function that would be automatically executed upon him: That which is given to Emperor Norton becomes part of his legend. After all, he'd earned his fame mostly due to the people's reception of him, and he'd prospered due to their kind gifts.

But for her to attempt this, there was no telling if it'd work. Could that even count? Would Ruler object, even if it did? Still, her hand was raised up to him, and he froze as she intoned her words.



There was a burning, chilling sensation shared between them both. Ordinarily, something like this might not work, but given the miraculous powers of the Command Spells, this was hardly beyond them. Either way, Kindly Alms likely played a part in efficiency of transfer.

The Emperor didn't wait, and regardless of his concerns for her, he hurried as quickly as he could for the Church, able to see the road leading to it. His eyes flicked down to the enfeebled girl he held, keenly aware of his track record thus far since being summoned.

It was, fundamentally, gradual release of a Command Spell's enormous supply of prana, rather than all at once, and since it was now seamlessly part of his existence as a Servant, he had the control she'd relinquished over its flow. Whether or not he could use it in full potential as a Command Spell upon himself, he had no idea. Something like this didn't seem far-fetched, but he was wary of potentially wasting a critical asset.

---

Berserker very nearly barged right through the door, but then halted, politely knocking instead. This was a Church, after all, and he would show proper respect to a house of The Lord. "Pardon me."

@Moonlit Sonata@Beloss@Cu Chulainn@SIGINT