@Breo

“I-I’m fine. I swear,” Benita stammered, her tongue, while not bleeding thankfully, currently stinging a sharp sting from the events that had recently transpired.

Her head hurt.

Her tongue hurt.

But most importantly …

Her pride hurt.

To be insulted was something that Benita strived to prevent. After all, her entire existence was similar to a joke within itself. A being that had been born to accomplish a goal, amd simply missed the mark epicly, was something to be pitied. But Benita wished not for the pity of others. Even at her short stature, she was not someone to be looked down upon … at least metaphorically. It was just that the situation that had occurred went just as awful as she could imagine. Benita was ready to prove herself to the punk that stood before her, but ended up getting saved by him ins-

Wait.

Something came into instant revelation as Benita looked upward towards her Servant.

… He had never let her go after catching her.

Embarrassment so apparent that even a blockheaded hero could recognize, Benita began to swarm in the heroes hands, attempting to escape, but due to the heroes’ strength, all she had to muster was hardly able to budge from his grasp.

“I should have realized,” Benita said, accepting her fate and stopping her squirming and beginning to introspect on her thoughts. “A human cannot beat a Servant with physical prowess.”

… Of course.

She should have remembered. In her lapse of judgement, Benita had forgotten about the fact that Servants, compared to humans, were at a level that humans, even with the greatest of training and effort, could never reach. One would have to throw away their humanity in order to reach the level of someone who has ascended humanity into the level of a heroic spirit, made stronger by the “idea” of their existence, they have achieved a state of immortality amongst the ideas of humans.

To someone like Benita, who was a replicant of life, and to someone like her Servant, whom even amongst this layer of “greatness” was the highest tier one could even hope to summon, Benita was even less efficient to retain the idea to dent her Heroic Spirit with a simple headbutt.

A lapse of judgement at it’s finest, which had caused her much misfortune.

“Ahhh!” She yells, seamingly to no one in particular, aside from herself. “I should have realized this! First impressions are the most important of impressions! Geez!”
Though she was upset, it was not at her Servant during this time. It was at herself. She had messed up, and it was her own fault she remained in this situation, and while her Servant had not done much to alleviate the situation, she realized for a moment of her clarity

“J-Just pretend none of this happened,” Benita said, somewhat flustered at the level of her stupidity.

“I am Benita Garibaldi; your Master. I presume you to be of the Lancer-class Servants because of your spear. Might I ask whom I have summoned?”

A pretty typical response to a pretty typical summoning. One could expect someone who only had a basic knowledge of the class designations to expect someone with a spear to be a Lancer (spearman). However, this is not always the case. Typically it was a good indicator though.

“And my living arrangements,” Benita said, opening her bag and taking out a map of the city, momentarily revealing her golden instrument to her Servant. “They should be in this location. We are here for reference. If you would wish to travel there, it might take an hour or so. We would have to walk, after all.”

momentarily revealing her golden instrument to her Servant

momentarily revealing her golden instrument to her Servant

momentarily revealing her golden instrument to her Servant

momentarily revealing her golden instrument to her Servant

momentarily revealing her golden instrument to her Servant

"NOW WAIT JUST A GODDAMN MINUTE-"

---

Ordinarily, Elan's familiars surveying the city were to remain out of sight and out of mind. He assumed every Master who had gotten here before today had their own force of familiars that were acting similarly, after all. It was best to simply observe and gather information on those magi who lacked the concealment of their workshops.

This, however, went out of the window when he sighted a literal golden accordion.

Where did one even get that?

How did you make it?

Why would you make it?

Did it even play fucking music?

All of these questions, and many more, ran through the mind of the alchemist as he sighted the absurd instrument, and without so much as a moment to reconsider or convene with his Servant on the matter, he acted.

Evan Strauss was alight.

Without warning, a cat scampered from its hiding spot and into the farm shed, frantically running in circles in an attempt to get Benita's attention. Assuming it had managed to do that, it then moved to claw some words into the ground in an effort to communicate.

"Where did you get that accordion?"

"Is it actual gold?"

"What is its market value?"

This. Was. Important.

The ritual circle began to glow an intense light as it drew a servant from the throne and the power to manifest their form from the grail. As the shapeless thing summoned took form and became the servant, the light began to fade from the circle and they were left standing in the dark room again. Standing inside the circle was a woman wearing a dress of red and gold.

As the summoning subsided, Dido took in her surroundings, and her summoner, her master. The darkness and the cramped space mattered little to her, much less than her reincarnation and the battle for the grail. The grail was what was important, and she would crush and burn all who stood in her way.

"Congratulations, my master," Dido said as she stepped from the summoning circle. She raised her hand and let her black flames dance across her hands with a smirk, "You have brought forth your key to the grail, and I will burn away your foes."

"Some know me as Dido, others as Elissa. You know me as I am now, as Avenger. My fire and passion shall be your sword and the walls of great Carthage your shield. This war its grail will be ours." She paused and looked down at her clothing, "Perhaps we should find something less conspicuous for me to wear. It would be useful to remain material and not draw too much attention."

@BlueHelix

There was something of a long silence as the old lady contemplated the little one's questions. "I'm sure if your brother was summoned we will see him sooner or later. He'll want to stop by home for dinner won't he? And I'm sure he will be impressed with how big and strong you've gotten." It was much easier to indulge his naivety than explain that Hector would be, at least categorically, an enemy of the pair.

That was something she was still having trouble coming to terms with in the most general sense. She had summoned a child. A powerful spirit from the throne of heroes but none the less a child. He displayed crucial understanding of the situation on some levels but didn't seem to fully engage it as a reality, like it was all a big game.

Was everything she did from here forward an act of cruelty at the expense of childlike wonder?

Was there anything she could do to make him understand the situation fully without breaking his little heart?

Was she able to send him into battle knowing he could die?

Her face soured as she stared into the fire, before turning slowly again towards her servant. Perhaps this was all another cruelty of the gods, a final laugh in her face.

She cleared her throat before speaking again. "As for a horse..."Baba hopped out of her chair, quite literally since her little legs didn't reach the ground from the sitting position, and headed over towards the work bench she had set up on the far side of the room- braid dragging the ground after her. She had been inside the black lion for so long prior to the summons she had failed to realize how long her own hair had grown.

"I will make for you the most splendid horse you've ever seen my darling. None will compare." The smile crept back onto her face, and the laughter back into her voice. Then those gnarled old hands set to work with a rigor none could expect from an old hag.

@ssw

Gin couldn't help but scratch his head, bewildered at how gentle Archer had begun to treat him, as opposed to just earlier. As Archer's gaze began to scrutinize him, Gin had began to sense a few things from the apparent centaur. His gaze carried both that of a wild animal's as well as that of a teacher, or more specifically a grand master, inspecting a potential student. When a Heroic Spirit with as much esteem and wisdom as Chiron has, even in his currently manifested form, takes an interest in one enough to stop in their tracks and change their disposition, then that one person would assume that there is something of interest about them that they, themselves, have not noticed yet. To Gin, however, his Servant's investigation had only led him to assume one thing.

It's the hair, isn't it?

Scruf, scruff...

Damn it, it is the hair...

"Alright, but I'll be having some of my boys follow us to that bridge, if you really want to check it out..." Gin said as he walked away from Archer, grumbling to himself as he spat a small wad of saliva into his hands, combing his fingers through his hair as he tried to fix the mess that had been nested atop his head into something presentable. At fist, Gin began to walk towards the shed-like building he had used to summon Archer just moments before, kicking the door down as he stomped on in. First things first, he needed a drink...

Gin searched the room for the bottle of sake. Crap, it isn't here, he had thought, to himself, scratching his head. If one of his boys had taken it while he was gone, Gin would have been reasonably pissed... Expecting that the worst did happen, Gin stomped his foot on the ground, as if he were about to shout, before he heard a tell-tale cracking noise after his foot hit the ground. Looking down, Gin had finally realized that the worst, indeed, happened, and that it was an outcome far worse than what he'd imagined...

Damn it, the bottle was shattered during the summoning ritual, wasn't it?!

Gin put a palm to his face, weeping softly into his hand, figuring out that today just isn't his day. He bent over, picking up his trusty bokken from the ground before retrieving a small bundle of talismans he had hidden under the floorboards, containing spells he had written, beforehand, in case he had summoned a malevolent spirit. Thinking on it more, however, something like that would have been a bit better than an alcoholic archer. Does he even have a bow, anyway? Gin grunted to himself, once again, stuffing the talismans inside his yukata before heading out.

"Don't know if you'll want to set up shop at the bridge, though," Gin began, to Archer, closing the door as he walked out of the shed. "If anything, it seems like a dumb place since it's-" Wait a minute. The shed had a sliding door, didn't it. Eh, someone can fix it later. "... Since it's between the city and a whole lot of nothing. But if you insist on it..."

"I've got about twenty men I can call on to help us out, by the way. Don't think they can take on another Servant, and that's not what I plan on using 'em for, but they could help us root out any dirty foreigners lurkin' about. I plan to keep at least ten, here, situated around Miyama, making sure to pay attention for any foreigner activity, with two of 'em checking out the town's best leyline, Ryuudou Temple, while another two pairs head over to the Tohsakas and Matous, two of the three magi families who are supposed to own this city, according to the association. Pft..."

Gin began to stretch, using his bokken to help him accomplish that while he continued.

"Thinking about it more, there might be some rats sneaking around Shinto, as well... I'm thinking of sending over six of my boys to scout out Shinto, if you want to, while I bring the last four of my men with us. Your cave's a kind of bar, and a bar needs some staff, doesn't it? Eh, they've worked through worse. Either way, we still have some daylight left to figure things out."

With a satisfactory pop from his back, Gin lightly balanced the tip of his bokken on the ground, placing an elbow on the bottom of its handle and leaning towards Archer's direction, resting his chin on his raised fist, while raising an eyebrow.

"You're supposed to be the wise guy here, right? My plan sound good, or what?"

After dropping his Master off, Archer passed the time by downing another few gallons of alcohol as the amateur magus went and retrieved his talismans and equipment. As Gin made his return, Archer was far too busy thinking about his own priorities to actually bother to listen. At the very least, it sounded like his Master was confident and ready to go, so that was what mattered.

"Yeah sure kid, sounds good."

A brilliant lie.

With that matter dealt with, it was time to move to more important matters.

Namely, where to put the bar.

"Alright, kid, let's get goin'."

With this simple declaration, Gin was again hefted up and taken away without a word. It of course went without saying that Archer was restraining his speed enough to prevent his Master from being injured, especially now that he'd seen that, but nonetheless being carried around by a Servant was a good deal faster than any of the transport available in the late nineteenth century.

Thankfully, with the stolen farsight of his future self, scanning over the city largely became a breeze, which cut down on necessary time immensely. Namely, Archer was quickly able to conclude that Miyama as a whole was a tremendous waste of time. There were already bars littering the area, and not to mention that Athena was setting up her bar nearby at that. Even if it was the only properly populated part of the city, it simply wouldn't do. No, the bar needed something with more pizazz.

The bridge. His Master had mentioned a bridge, and sure enough, on crossing into the other side of the city, he saw it. A beautiful thing, he was tempted to call off his search there. It would be amazing, a bar built on and under a bridge. If anyone wanted to cross the bridge, they would need to provide some sort of monetary compensation. Some sort of...toll, like that which one would expect a bridge troll to charge. The foot traffic would be excellent, and the business would be booming. It was ideal-

...that is, until Archer remembered his recent realization and the decision based around it. That was right, he couldn't completely eschew any sense of reason, at least not yet. The bridge was fantastic as a bar location, but it was every bit as much an easy target. Any Servant with an Anti-Army Noble Phantasm could wipe it off the map without effort, and while Archer himself could likely escape that sort of thing, his Master was another matter. And that human had to survive, in order to allow for that to arise.

And so, he continued his search into Shinto.

No, too isolated.

No, not enough defenses.

No, not enough pizazz.

The Servant and his tagalong Master trekked through Shinto at a blitzing speed, the former crossing off every new spot they found. Just as they neared the end of their search and it seemed that settling for the bridge would be necessary, though...

"Is that...?"

He wasn't sure at first. He'd encountered several workshops on his cross-city run, staying away from them to avoid wandering eyes, but this one was something different. At first glance, a Japanese house in the middle of a field, situated on the edge of Shinto, but given his own connection to the world and the strength of his eyes, Archer saw through that farce almost immediately.

Oh yes. Oh yes, that would be perfect.

Yes, instead of a troll toll...

Without even a slight explanation to his Master, Archer charged towards the unassuming house, alerting its inhabitants as he crossed the boundary line and revealing its true form both to him and his Master in the process, and let out a sharp yell.

"Hey kids! I've got a business proposition for ya!"

"How'd you like a bouncer?"

What the hell was a bouncer?

So this is what they meant, to be in the presence of giants. There was a certain... presence around the Servant he had summoned. Of royalty, of one divinely granted the right to rule a people. Fitting, as he had summoned Dido, the famed First Queen of Carthage.

As an Avenger.

He wondered what that meant about him. Christopher didn’t use a catalyst, after all, so Dido must have been the Servant most suited to him. Magecraft sought the truth, after all, and therefore, it didn’t lie. It was humans that lied and erred, not the art.

Anyhow, clothing. Not an unreasonable request. He did have some bolts of fabric and thread that he could fabricate some garments out of. However, there was a measure of gold in some of the chests, and buying something for his Servant would be far from the worst use of currency he had done in his lifetime. But the-

Oh, he should probably introduce himself before he got into any business. Right.

“A pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Christopher Ashbrand, and my talents lie in the fields of golemancy, and I have some measure of skill in rituals as well.”

That was a start, right? Now for clothing.

“As for something less attention drawing to wear, there are two avenues within my means to offer you, both with some measure of benefits and detriments. Firstly, we could go out into Fuyuki proper and obtain for you some clothes. I’ve already mapped out the city, and I have some gold on hand, we could go purchase some clothing. I know where the high quality goods are, and it would allow for you to familiarize yourself with the area, personally. However, it would expose us to attack, and the workshop would have a lessening of defenses. On the other hand, I could make for you some garments. I have a measure of material, and either produce something wholesale or modify some of my clothing. This allows for us to stay within our base of operations, lessening risk and increasing our amount of time to prepare. On the other hand, the quality of clothing is not necessarily going to be as high as if purchased, and reconnaissance would still be limited to my golems, and whatever skills you have that lean towards that field.”

“What would you like to do?”

@UndyingRegret

“Ah, sorry. . .”

Noting her struggling, he let his Master — and wasn't that going to take a while getting used to — go, thinking that the situation could not possibly get more awkward.

At least it seemed that she had forgotten her previous anger, or at least let it go for the moment, which he was thankful for — she could have just as easily exploded again, but hopefully things would go smoothly for now.

. . .Ah, who was he trying to fool? He was no Chiron. It was just a matter of time before he screwed up and she started crying, he just knew it, but at the very least he’d managed to avert a crisis within the first minutes of summoning, so he’d count it as a win.

“Don't be too hard on yourself, Master,” At least he’d try to make light of the situation. It was the least he could do. “Personally, I found your spirit praiseworthy.”

Stupid, of course, and useless since it would have done nothing even against the weakest, much less him, but praiseworthy nonetheless. But he would not say that — she’d just calmed down, no need to bring her irritation down upon him again.

The idea of a child with Command Mantra was almost terrifying. Shaking his head and driving away those thoughts, he noted the information regarding her housing, nodding along as she explained while shooting a curious look to the golden apparatus within the bag.

“I am Benita Garibaldi; your Master. I presume you to be of the Lancer-class Servants because of your spear. Might I ask whom I have summoned?”

Immediately after those words were spoken, however, he snapped to attention. The statement was interesting for more reasons than one

She didn't know who he was?

Come to think of it, he saw nothing that would serve as a catalyst proper around, so did that mean. . .

A laugh came to his lips, unbidden, and he put a hand over his face. The first words he had said were suddenly even more appropriate, and the humor washed away any leftover awkwardness he felt, his features returning to the supreme confidence they had displayed at first.

It would have been one thing to inform her of success, but to let her know exactly who the awe-inspiring figure she had summoned was, to begin with?

His laughter finally stopped, and he smiled down at her, cocksure disposition returning. He retrieved his spear and propped it against his shoulder.

“Of course — as I said, you summoned a good Servant. Don't worry about the Grail, Master, for you drew the strongest card in the deck. My class is indeed Lancer, and my name is Ac—”

——However.

Once again, he was unable to finish, this time because of an interruption rather than his own confusion.

He watched the cat run circles around them, and then the scratching on the ground — words.

A familiar? He had just been about to reveal his identity to her, surely any enemy observing would have found it more important to keep quiet and learn — the true names of heroes were an important matter in a ritual such as this, and his own more than any other revealed his sure weakness — though he was of the opinion it did not matter. After all, to exploit it they would have to catch the fastest in the history of mankind to begin with.

Still, it was an odd behavior. What could they want, to reveal themselves so recklessly?

"Where did you get that accordion?"

"Is it actual gold?"

"What is its market value?"

“. . .”

Lancer looked down at the scrawled sentences, particularly the last, a flat expression on his face.

“. . .Master, do you know what is going on? I think I’m lost.”

Sad day, when a hero must say that to a child.

@Phonic @Paradox Witch

As Baba got to work, Troilus clapped his hands together in enthusiasm, rushing over to watch his Master’s expert construction. He looked in fascination as the pieces started to come together into an intricate shape.

But then, there was something about constructed horses, wasn’t there? A wooden horse, that opened up to reveal a horde of soldiers, that spilled out into the city like a bloodstain. The image seemed far away, like a half-forgotten dream, but it was there. Suddenly, Troilus didn’t feel quite so enthusiastic, but he kept his smile up anyway.

He knew Troy had fallen; it was impossible not to know that. After all, his wish was to make sure that never happened. And because of that, there was no need to think about why it had fallen in the first place.

The whole war had been so unfair! What was so great about Helen, anyway? She was pretty, but that wasn’t a reason to kill people! Musing about this, Troilus puffed up his cheeks in anger.

At that point, there was a loud disruption, shocking the child out of his thoughts.

“A… Bouncer?” Troilus muttered, placing a finger to his mouth in confusion.

@Froppy

Is this what you had wished for? Is this what you had sought the most? To have the last laugh? You old, vengeful fool...

...

You wanted to win, didn't you? But not like... not like this, huh? Of course you... do. You know... my death won't bring you the satisfaction you are looking for... You might have won, but you will die with that... wretched thing... without ever tasting victory... true victory...

... !

Of course you would... and with my own sword, too...

...

...

...

---

"... If you wish, Master. Perhaps while you are bathing, I could explore the bounds of our territory with my steed? It has grown restless on our way here," The being known to Sophia as Rider had replied, materializing a few paces behind her. It appears he had chosen to blend with the times rather well, choosing to wear a black and dark purple three-piece suit with golden fabric lined within the hemming, complete with a matching bowler cap and a cane. The free time to design his own wardrobe was one of the many things Rider enjoyed during the two months he had since been summoned, and contrary to his nature, Rider was indeed the type to indulge in maintaining his appearance to follow the fashion trends of this era.

Looking up at the cathedral-like compound, more fond memories of his time in Germany come to mind. Having spent most of his days in the German countryside on horseback, Rider has enjoyed much of what his homeland had to offer. What he admired the most is how civilization there has prospered since his time, giving Rider a sense of pride that his kingdom has flourished after his passing. Gazing at the mountains and praising the progress of his homeland weren't the only things Rider was able to enjoy these past two months...

"You were right to say that this is a lovely, albeit small compound for us to entrench ourselves into for this war, Master. It is a shame, however, that we are unable to use my castle as our base of operations, after all..." Rider had lamented, as he followed his Master inside. Having been summoned in Germany allowed Rider to enjoy the full benefits of his fame, with having a castle being only one of the many boons he has received from the Throne. He was also given immense strength, rivaling even Knight class Servants. One could see just by how he conducts himself that Rider carries great personal power, and with a Master like Sophia who could grant him a steady supply of mana, it's all but guaranteed that Rider will bring both Sophia von Einzbern and himself to victory.

It's as if Frau Saelde still is watching over her savior to this day...

Under the empty streets of Fuyuki, A strange phenomenon was about to occur. The night was still and only a few people were in sight. It was way past working hours and everyone seems to have gone into their respective homes.

Mischief befalls under the cover of darkness as a petite silhouette sneak passes through the empty streets and into the close mall of their city. A discreet shattering of glass was heard and one of the mall's windows was carved with precision, enough to get someone inside during these late hours.

"Suck it! Archibalds, fufufu." A girl in a black cloak sneaks down and giggles her way down the closed plaza all lightfooted, disabling the alarms as she goes.

I can't believe I actually pull it off! with this, I can finally restore and bring honor to my family as this will be the greatest heist I'll ever pull! This cup seems worthy to be in my possession and what Riyu wants, Riyu gets. She can't help but put a mischievous smirk on her lips, clutching her chest from excitement and looks at the stolen relic once more.

She takes the stairs and down the basement where she goes her temporary hideout, The mall's parking lot. She then gets to work and placed her bounded field within the area just in case, this is a public place after all and a good thief must know how to take extra caution not to get caught.
"Perfect, now to see if the legend is true." Riyu wipes her forehead and smirks at the finished product. She lifts her hand and began the incantation right in front of the summoning circle.

"Let silver and steel be the essence.
Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall
Let the four cardinal gates close.
Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate.

I hereby declare.
Your body shall serve under me.
My fate shall be your sword.
Submit to the beckoning of the Holy Grail
If you will submit to this will and this reason…Then answer!"

Hmm, Maybe I should give my offerings, just to add extra to the summon, to please whatever it is coming out of this circle. I mean everyone wants money right? Riyu thought to herself while performing the incantation. she reaches down her pockets with her other hand and tossed in a stolen wallet, a couple of loose change and some fancy looking watches she stole earlier from today right into the circle. There, I think that should be enough. The thief girl sighed and prepares to recite the final verse. She can feel her mana circuits surging through her and reacting to her doing.


"From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three greet words of power,
Come forth from the ring of restraints,
Protector of the Holy Balance!"

@ReallyDumb

---

Pied Piper

"Such a considerate and business minded you are, Master." Piper said gesturing a bow once more and tips his own hat.

"Very well I shall do my part as well, I will cultivate this limited resource of land to establish our base, My offer is still on the table if you ever want to change your mind." The rat king said with a playful smile.

"You don't have to worry about me consuming your mana with my tedious spells, I'm sure you're a busy man, planning ahead for the things to come. That's why I brought my own reserve." Piper said, pulling out his magical flute out of his coat.

"I shall call upon all the rats within this port, for the glory of your name! feel free to contact me anytime, if my services are needed" His voice lingers as Piper dematerialized and fades away. He didn't question his master's motives or desires, to him, this was all business just like he did when he accepted the king of Hamelin's proposition in catching the rats there.

The Stylish Caster materialized and stands tall on top of a crane and placed his flute on the tip of his lips. Piper can feel the light breeze as He oversees the view of the port, the city and the bridge between it. How ironic that a bridge is separating his territory and the city before him, I guess history does repeat itself. He snorted at the thought.

Piper began to conduct his tune and whistles out a low-frequency sound only within the radius of the port could hear. When the Piper plays his tune, rats are sure to follow. As he conducts his playful symphony, Vermins began to pop up from different corners of the land, from their hiding places to the infested waters of the bay to answer his call. The harbor is now infested with an army of rodents from different locations and under the influence of Piper's charm spell.

The construct of Piper's territory has just begun and claimed this port under Enzo's name, A place where rats and intruders check in, but they don't check out.

@Seirei No Hai

@Phonic @Paradox Witch

Being released from the grasp of her Servant was something she hardly even considered at the moment of her monologue, almost forgetting this was the case until he had allowed her freedom once more. Landing on her feet like some sort of small white cat, Benita recovered for the moment only to see the familiar that was attempting it’s best to obtain her gaze like some sort of children’s toy attempting it’s best to persuade a kid to pick it up and ask their parents to buy it for them.

It appears that someone, whoever they were, wished to communicate something to Benita, but they were not things she really understood properly. Of course, she was outfitted with this accordion by her Mother, but what was this about “market value” and if it was “actual gold”. Those concepts were irrelevant to someone like Benita.

At the very least her Lancer-class Servant had chosen not to reveal his name in the wake of this familiar. Perhaps he wasn’t as much of a block-headed Heroic Spirit as she originally thought, though this was a thought coming from the person who tried to headbutt a Heroic Spirit once they were summoned.

Turning to her Servant, Benita began to speak in a matter-of-fact manner that seemed almost dry, yet there was a sliver of wit that seemed to shine through analysis of the situation, despite her lack-thereof knowledge of the concepts the ‘opposing” magus was discussing, perhaps comparable to a puzzle missing a few pieces to complete.

“If they are trying to communicate with us and they are a magus, it is clear they are also a participant in this war. What they want from my instrument, I don’t really know, but it is clear they are interested in it. Never met a Magus who cared about these ‘market values’ he speaks of though. The hell does that even mean?”

In the daylight of the shed she had summoned her Servant, musty and dirty and smelling like ammonia or some other kind of compound, Benita scrawled her own response in the dirt below with a stick she had seen next to the familiar. Detailed was simply “Tomorrow, meet me at this location” as she took out her map and pointed towards the commerce enclave. After all, she was interested in another Magus, who she assumed was simply another Master. Of course, it was merely the general location. It would be foolish to reveal a true location for a meeting, less either of the two use that time to prepare the location for their fancy. In addition, she would likely send a familiar to monitor the situation in the area, in case any treachery was afoot.

Though perhaps dangerous and a bit stupid, she was sure that her Servant would protect her. After all, she has summoned what was clearly a shining existence of humanity, and though she was not sure as to the nature of her opponent, his motivation, nor his Servant, assuming he was a Master, but to the honor of her ‘household’, she would meet with this mystery man and figure out his objective.

“Either way, Lancer, we are to leave. This barn is not the greatest place to continue our conversations, and I would dread to contact another Master before first touching base. Besides, I have someone I was supposed to meet already and I'm not the sort to leave someone waiting."

Perhaps if Benita wished to harm the other Magus, she would have ordered her Servant to split the familiar in half, but if he had gone out of his way to contact her without concern for his own wellbeing, most certainly most magi could use his rampant familiar’s actions to their advantage, she would consider him someone who was “non-threatening” for the time being.

And who knows, perhaps a bit of tea with a mysterious person could lead to an interesting situation?

Queen of Carthage
Outside of Fuyuki, Workshop

Dido paused and offered an apologetic look, "I got ahead of myself. We should have gotten introductions out of the way to begin with."

She quickly crossed back across the room to her master, "Golem creation though. That seems it would be a very useful skill, especially for one who also practices rituals." She gave her master a smile and added, "I was married to a priest and know something of the arts myself, perhaps I could help you later, if there's time."

"Back to the subject at hand though," Dido said and gave a thoughtful look for only a moment before saying, "Adjusting some existing clothes would probably be easiest and fastest, so let's do that. Perhaps the garb of a man would help disguise me, at least until we have an idea of who we are fighting."

"Now let's see here. Silver and Steel, color of the catalyst... eyes clouded in chaos? That doesn't sound good, I can probably just get rid of that verse. Alright, I think I have everything settled." Vlado threw his notebook onto his bed nonchalantly as he rolled up his sleeves, looking over his magical circle one last time to make sure everything was perfect. The warehouse he resided in at the moment was filled to the brim with all types of metal his family had been able to procure, the perfect material for the Servant he had decided to summon.

It was just a week ago that Vlado had read the fascinating story by the recently deceased author, a story about a mad man who had grasped the spark of life and created a living being! A horrifying living being sure, but a very strong one too! Vlado thought to himself after finishing that book, 'That will be my servant! I shall summon the monster so I may judge it for myself. If it is strong as the book says it is, we shall crush our enemies beneath it's heel with ease!" He laughed boisterously as he closed the book with a mighty slam, before abruptly pausing as he realized he had no idea how he would summon the beast.

Of course he would need a catalyst if he was to summon Frankenstein, but there was no time left to find a suitable object linked to the monster. All his time would need to be dedicated to setting up in Fuyuki and establishing his workshop. This was quite the conundrum indeed, so Vlado did what he would always do when stumped. He began to drum his fingers together with a book in between them. An hour passed like this as he thought, before his eyes settled on the book between his hands. Of course! So Vlado just decided to use the book itself, an hefty novel with a white cover. With that decision hastily made, Vlado made the rest of his preparations for his stay in the small town of Fuyuki. Quite curious that such an important magical ritual would take place in the east, Vlado knew how much the Association despised easterners. It didn't matter to him though, everyone is equal in the eyes of Gaia. He purchased a house near the local graveyard, he also purchased all the houses around the house he was staying in as well. It's amazing how easy it was to convince non-magi to do whatever you want with a little bit of money. Well, except for that one stubborn old man. He needed to be dealt with a bit more permanently, luckily they were right by a graveyard. It was all worth it though, you can't put a price on privacy. Also the empty houses made for good backups in case this one was destroyed.

That brings us to here and now, with Vlado rubbing the red command seals on his hand as he nodded to himself with a confident smile. The circle was complete, the catalyst was in place, and there was definitely nobody around to interrupt him. "All right, time to get started." Vlado held out his hand and gathered his Od, waiting for the exact moment in which his magical energies were at their strongest. Then he began the ritual. His eyes narrowed, a sharp determination resting within them as he recited the words to summon his Servant.



And with a bright flash of light, blinding Vlado as he felt his Od drain from his body, his Servant appeared. Vlado dropped to one knee, panting heavily from both exhaustion and pure excitement. This was the beginning of his path to victory, he just knew it. He had summoned Frankenstein's Monster, a powerful beast who would tear about the weaker heroes summoned like wet paper. Funny how life works though, if he had just kept in the verse he had taken out, he definitely would have gotten the Servant he wanted. Instead as he looked up to the man he had actually summoned, his face morphed into one of confusion. "...You're not Frankenstein." And with that, Vlado's began his Holy Grail War.

The second the bounded field was violated the wall above Baba's workbench let out a series of loud chimes and a flash of light erupted. Without ceasing the work of her hands, which were still working on the central gearbox for what would soon be a horse, head jerked upwards.

A mechanical facsimile of the multi layered fortress stuck out crudely from the surface of the wall- updating constantly with the position of her familiars, among other things. At the front gate of the simulacrum there was a bright glow, the detection of a powerful spiritual body. No doubt a servant had arrived, and with that the elderly magus stopped her work.

A quick pull of a lever, a flip of a switch, and another gearbox on the table whirled to life and set a wheel covered in tiny twinkling crystals spinning. Spinning. Spinning. Faster and faster as they began to twinkle and glow. The increasing revolutions and the twinkling of the lights formed a picture of the fortress from above, and as Baba punched in another switch that corresponded with the gate on the castle map the twinkling light show zoomed in until, clear as day, the image of Archer banging on the door was before both of them. Crackling, gritty, mechanical, his voice came through to the pair clear as day.

When she spoke into the projection device her voice boomed through the entirety of the fortress- cold and cruel with a mechanical backing. "Coming into another's territory uninvited eh? You've got a lot of nerve, that or you're wet behind the ears with a head full of nightsoil...." It wasn't the method of projecting her voice alone, the tone itself was completely unlike the way she spoke to Troilus.

The ballista bristling along the crenelations of the wall all swiveled about at behest of the puppets arming them, to face the unwelcome guest. "Go on then, let's hear it. Pique my interest."

{Discussion from here out will be carried over private channels so that the terms of any alliances formed are not public knowledge}

@SSW@Cu Chulainn@Paradox Witch

---

The man standing in the middle of the summoning circle raised an eyebrow at the first words his... "Master," said to him, following his summoning. He was tall, young, impeccably dressed, with long, lustrous brown hair and golden-brown eyes. Certainly not the image of a monster, and certainly not the monster his summoner was anticipating. But perhaps he would be less disappointed in the figure seemingly hiding just behind the man's shoulder? She was at once unyielding and solid, and yet also ephemeral, dressed in what almost looked like bridal wear, with electrodes installed in her forehead and temples. The air around her twisted and warped slightly under the pressure of some... hidden power. One perhaps emanating from the massive mace clutched in her grasp, despite the fact that she seemed far too small to wield such a massive weapon. The damn thing was nearly as long as she was tall...

The man cleared his throat, and the girl snapped to attention with record speed.

"Franziska, my dear. Inspect the... 'accomodations.' See that they are sufficient for our needs."

"Yes, Father," the girl chirped, calmly walking away to do as instructed. The man himself, however, stayed, directing an unamused scowl at his so-called Master.

"As for you... perhaps you are mistaken, young man? Perhaps you have confused me with the hulking monstrosity of that... ridiculous fiction written to slander me?" He looked down to find an copy of such offending literature at his feet. With a gesture, a small, lantern-like device at his hip sparked to life, a bolt of electricity arcing from the device to the book, reducing it to ash. Giving a small nod of satisfaction at his doing, the Servant looked back at his summoner, disdain still clearly etched in every line of his face.

"Allow me to clarify, then. While I am Servant Caster for the purposes of this war, I also am Frankenstein. Dr. Victor Frankenstein, to be precise. The charming young lady who will be thoroughly inspecting the abode you have for whether it suits our purpose is my creation, my Firstborn daughter. The... 'monster' that you were told such lies about. And if you are to be so caught off guard by the mere act of summoning your Servant, Master-" Here, he spit the last word out as though it were a vile taste on his tongue- "...Well. I think, perhaps, you are in for a very unfortunate experience with this war."

It took a few moments to sink in for Vlado, but he was not alone with the Servant he had summoned. No, behind the tall gentleman with the brown hair was a beauty unlike anything Vlado had seen in his lifetime. Pink flowing hair, hiding eyes of azure and gold behind the curtains as she looked around in curiosity. Clothed in flowing bridal wear, her veil covering... electrodes? It was as he observed what appeared to be massive screws sticking out of her head that he began to fully comprehend what he was seeing as the girl scurried away with her oversized mace. His attention turned back to the man scowling at him, the one he had summoned along with the beautiful wraith who was currently looking over the large boxes of metal that Vlado had stored throughout the warehouse. The man scowled at the book used to summon him, vaporizing it with a flash of lightning. "Allow me to clarify, then. While I am Servant Caster for the purposes of this war, I also am Frankenstein. Dr. Victor Frankenstein, to be precise. The charming young lady who will be thoroughly inspecting the abode you have for whether it suits our purpose is my creation, my Firstborn daughter. The... 'monster' that you were told such lies about. And if you are to be so caught off guard by the mere act of summoning your Servant, Master- ...well. I think, perhaps, you are in for a very unfortunate experience with this war." Caster finished with a vile look on his face as Vlado forced himself onto his feet. Well now. That was quite the earful he had just received.

Now most mages in this position would probably do something horribly regretful and hasty due to their prideful nature and ever constant need for respect. Something stupid like striking their Servant despite seeing the very dangerous bodyguard who was less then 20 feet away. Or maybe using a Command Seal to try and force their Servant to respect them. Luckily, Vlado was not most mages. Instead he began to laugh. It took a few seconds for him to stop and catch his breath, but he quietly waved in apology as he straightened up and dusted off his clothes. "My apologies Sir Victor. I do not mean to insult you in anyway, I am just very surprised. The story does you no justice, I came here prepared for the worst. Instead I find myself confronted by a rude doctor and his beautiful daughter, it would catch anyone off guard no?" Vlado let out a warm smile as he forcefully grabbed Caster's hand and shook it vigorously, letting go quickly and turning towards Franziska with a grin. "As for accommodations, I have spared no expense in preparing for the Holy Grail War. As you can see I have gathered many metals, originally for repair purposes in case Frankenst- pardon, your daughter was injured." After correcting himself he walked towards Franziska with a large smile on his face, grabbing her hands and shaking them as best as he could, despite the large mace that was in her grasp. "But I suppose you can do much more with this Sir Victor. We are also located near the local graveyard, so you will have all you can work with and more. Very good am I right?" Vlado clapped his hands together as he turned back to Caster with a smile, walking towards the man and wrapping his arm around his shoulders with no regards for personal space or boundaries.

"As for sleeping arrangements, I have procured many houses for us, plenty of space for everyone. I do hope we can all get along despite a bad first impression! This Holy Grail War is ours for the taking, no doubts in my mind! Now come, let us eat dinner early! I feel we have a long night ahead of us." With that Vlado dragged Victor off towards his house, motioning vigorously for Franziska to follow as they exited the warehouse.

The manor was almost suffocating, the place he called home had always had a rather cold atmosphere but what he had grown accustomed to could not be compared to how it was now. Anyone who entered would be able to sense the tension immediately. But after all this was to be expected. For everything that had been done, had been done for these coming days. His grandfather had become restless, dedicating all of his time to the pursuit of the Holy Grail. This could very well be his last attempt at it for he has already grown old, older than most in fact. Of course through the use of magic one could extend their own life, however that was not something the Tohsaka's had any interest in. It was simply good health that kept him alive. But it was not only his grandfather, his mother had been putting all of her effort into the pursuit of magecraft in order for it to be passed down to the future successor of their family. The blood, sweat and tears of over 100 years had all been for these coming days. So again, the immense pressure around the manor was to be expected.

However, the current head of Tohsaka remained carefree, with a relaxed smile he filled up his glass with his beverage of choice, milk. He had never developed the taste for wine and other alcoholic beverages but could stomach them if the situation demanded it. The table had been set for four, a variety of food was set out for the participants of the meal to choose from. Various plates of different meats and vegetables had been gathered, perhaps to show off a little of the Tohsaka wealth. But it was more of a little celebration for the event he had spent all his years preparing for. The Holy Grail War. He looked to the window with his warm brown eyes, this was not necessary as he had already seen his visitors as they were making their way to the manor. Their familiars granted him many eyes but he would prefer to use his own when possible.

"Saber. It seems our guests have finally arrived, wait here it shall only take a moment. It is my duty to welcome any guests personally." his deep resonant voice filled the silent room. He purposefully made his way around the table, this time filling up the glasses with a red wine before making his way to the front door. Even his casual movements were noticeably efficient, even in a task such as walking to the door Hideyoshi moved in a manner that not only carried him to his destination the quickest but also used a minimal amount of effort. He opened the front door of the mansion and stood out into the walkway where he saw an old family friend and a new face. It was a servant no doubt but even so there was no sign of worry or anxiousness on Hideyoshi, he was an open book right now and all that could be read was a still calmness. With a smile of sincerity he welcomed his guests, "Sensei, as always it is a pleasure to see you. Please come in and make yourself at home, you will be glad to find plenty of food and drink await you." Delivering a respectful bow to the pair he welcomed them into his own, he stepped back inside expecting them to follow him so he could guide them to the dining room.

“You sure it’s wise?” Lancer called out. “Well, if it turns out to be a trap I can just beat them into submission regardless, but it’s more the principle of the thing.”

Absurdly confident. Indeed, that seemed to be the defining trait of this Servant. Overconfidence was a sin that one paid for dearly, especially in a conflict such as this, but Lancer seemed thoroughly disinterested, as though to him talking about ‘killing other heroes’ was akin to commenting on the weather.

That was just the sort of man he had always been.

Regardless, he would listen for now — the girl had not given him any reason not to, and if the negotiations turned sour he would get another battle out of it, so it wasn’t like it interfered with his own wishes for this war, so whistling, he set out to follow the girl. The day was not yet over, and so perhaps there would be a chance to bathe his spear in blood tonight — and show his Master the sort of man she had contracted with.

. . .The fact that she had not even planned for it was far too amusing, even now, but it would only make her face once he revealed it more amusing. After all, even without a catalyst, she had managed to summon one of Greece’s greatest heroes — that sort of luck was simply incredible.

“Hm, so you have acquaintances in the city?” He asked. “I assume my spear won’t be piercing their hearts tonight, then — it would be bad form, unless you mean you’ve arranged for a duel.”

Walking side by side with her, he wondered what to do or say after that, before deciding it was as good a time as any to try and fish for more information about his Master.

“Come to think of it,” He began, consciously refraining from asking about her parents again — it would only serve to set her off again. “Mind telling me what you want the Grail for, Master? It’s a fancy cup, but I wonder what is it you want so badly to stake your life on it.”

He would rather know, at least. Lancer was the sort of moron that didn’t need the Grail for much anything at all, and his only stake in the war was merely out of a desire to fight other heroes and prove himself by obtaining victory.

The ‘omnipotent wishgranter’ guaranteed as a prize was nice, but not something he would lose sleep over. Most people weren’t like him, though, and he would like to know what the cause he was supposed to be fighting for was.

It wouldn’t make much of a difference so long as he got to fight strong opponents, but it would let him assess his Master’s character.

Still. . .

He resisted, he really did, it was just so hard. Her face when she had tried to attack him after calling her a kid had just been too funny. Kids throwing tantrums always were, especially when they tried to act mature for their age.

But he still remembered that she had three absolute orders at her disposal, and that she could make his life very difficult if she wanted, which was something not all kids could. Teasing was sadly out of the question for now.

So he fought the urge to ask if she wanted a lifetime supply of candies.

The sun has finally settled on the first day of the Holy Grail War. The moon was slowly rising over a intact landscape. Not a single fight had broken out over the daytime. It was uncharacteristic. It was unlikely. It was just the beginning. And most of all, it was to be expected. The true starting point of this war began now. It was in Rulers best interest to show it. After this point, the murder-game was to begin in earnest.

Hence, the figure standing on some metallic object many miles away from Fuyuki city. It was far beyond the range of any familiars, and he had spotted no Archer's watching his position. It was now the correct time to make the 'announcement'. He drew back on a massive bow that used an ancient and weird looking kind of arrow with some clear modifications. The string was pulled back to a point beyond the bows breaking point. This was of course, natural. What he was about to use was a Noble Phantasm, after all. After uttering some words(A true name?) only to himself, the figure released the string and with it a bolt was fired directly over Fuyuki. The figure assumed spiritual form, leaving nothing but a now destroyed bow to float on the ocean.

When the bolt reached Fuyuki proper, it broke apart into multiple missiles. Each individual bolt was a luminous and amazing color- a hue of blue, reds, greens and so forth flew over Fuyuki. It was Ruler's way of announcing the Grail Wars start- that conflict was now inevitable, if not desired.

Moving at extreme speeds, the bolts flew out of view within thirty seconds of appearing. Only a slight tremor in the ground near the Einzbern camp would tell where they finally landed.

So begins the Second Holy Grail War, farce as it is.