Christopher watched as the sunset finally ended, and inky darkness crept its way through-

Suddenly, multicolored lights streaked through the sky, heading towards the… Einzbern camp? Glancing towards his map, with the data he could gather through his own observations, familiars, and golems, he checked his deduction, and it seemed to be correct.

Well then.

The Holy Grail War had officially begun, then.

But where to…

Going to fight a proper magus in their Workshop was the worst possible idea, even with something as strong as a Servant at his side. The potential Workshops, or at least bases, he could easily recognize were the Temple’s, with its excellent leyline, position, and anti-spirit barrier, the other “fallen” leylines, and the graveyard, a good source of material for any competent necromancer. That’s not to mention the Three Families, but going anywhere near their homes was literally suicide, and was not worth contemplating.

Someone had the confidence to send arrows streaking into the night, and-

An oh-so-delightful individual was smashing one of his familiars in a bag, somewhere around the Fuyuki, as that was where it, a cat, last was. Well then.

So either walk around Fuyuki, looking for a fight or something of the like, or to respond to this individual’s “invitation.” Wonderful.

“Avenger, it is time to commence the battle, finish your preparations and ready yourself. Unfortunately for us, staying in the base isn’t precisely going to win us the war and its prize. I am thinking that we go to the Docks, as someone’s assaulting one of my familiars, and I would think it would be terribly rude for us not to respond to their invitation. However, if you have any other ideas, I would be open to suggestions.”

After saying that, Christopher pulled on his gloves, put on his coat and all of its various “accessories,” and grabbed one of his suitcases. It would be time for him to test himself against other magi, and he would best be prepared, lest he be defeated swiftly and ignobly. And that wouldn’t do, would it?

@UndyingRegret

“Is that so?” Lancer shot another winning smile at his Master — no doubt, he could have gotten a girl to blush with only a passing glance but there was no mistaking the amused nature of it if one looked at him for more than a single second. “I don’t know, Master, you’ve looked pretty human to me so far, especially back when we first met. Was that behavior proper for what you think a soldier to be?”

Perhaps the words leaving his mouth surprised him, as well. Had he not resolved to be careful so as to avoid issues? If so, why was he pushing it?

. . .Because to him, understanding that sort of belief was impossible. Because he was someone that lived for himself and those he loved alone.

Because watching someone limit themselves like that was just sad. And so, he spouted the first thing to come to mind, even if he would suffer for it later, because his heart was on his sleeve and his mouth ran faster than his feet sometimes.

Make that a lot of times.

But that was perfectly fine. Perhaps some would mourn his lack of tact, but he would just shrug and move on — no sense crying over spilled milk.

That was just the sort of moron Lancer was — but at least he was an idiot who understood his own idiocy.

So now that he had said it, no sense in trying to back out.

“In fact, I am pretty sure yelling and trying to headbutt someone like that is definitely not what you think a soldier would have done. Try to show some fire like that more often, Master — and laugh a bit. Being a soldier is no excuse for being so grim — I’d say it’s bad for you. Judging by your smile just now, if we give it a few more years, the moment you try to change your expression, your face will break.”

Ah, but there was another thing to attend to. His head turned to regard the magus that opened the door and greeted them in welcome — and again, he flashed a smile and followed his Master in, spear slung across his shoulders, listening with half a mind while looking around.

To greet them so readily considering the circumstances — even if they should be allies — was either a mark of stupidity or confidence in herself and her own Servant. Perhaps there was the possibility of genuine trust, but he hardly expected that from magi, so he discarded the idea as soon as it came to mind.

His demeanor when the other Servant appeared did not change much — his easy expression did not change even though his muscles tensed imperceptibly, ready to answer to an attack that may or may not come as though it were second nature, but otherwise he showed no hostility and met her gaze evenly. It would not do to answer hospitality like that.

However, something the Matou Master said did catch his attention.

More than seven Servants? He could not help it — he laughed, the feeling of excitement carried by it made almost palpable and, for a second, he lost himself to his fantasies.

“What good news, Master!” His grin showed far too many teeth and he looked more akin to a predator. His grip on the spear had tightened. “This’ll be a battle to remember, I’m sure.”

Lancer was not a patient man, and that characteristic had risen to light with the news — it was obvious that he would much rather be hunting other Servants and vying for battles than standing around while his Master formalized the details of this little pact, but he supposed he would have to bear with it until later tonight.

Still, it was enough to make him feel giddy. His mood improved significantly, prior concern washed away, and his smile became more genuine.

“That said,” His eyes showed amusement as he looked at the girl. “Why so convinced that I might be a Lancer too, miss? You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover so easily. Maybe this is just a sword with a really long handle and a very short blade.”

It was certainly true that appearances pointed toward such, but appearances were just that, and heroes defied common sense often enough, even if his example had been particularly egregious.

Still, he was not wrong — Lancer was a famous hero with claims to various classes and a baffling (over)abundance of Noble Phantasms for a single man to wield. Though he would lack his armor, he could have very easily appeared as a Rider to rampage across the battlefield with his treasured chariot and he would still possess his spear and plenty of other things besides.

However, they were allies, at least for now, and they had revealed their own class.

“However, you were right this time.” He rubbed his chin with one hand as he seemed to think something over. “Hm, yeah just saying ‘Lancer’ might get confusing. . .oh, I got it.”

His eyes lit up in much the same way a kid’s would after finding a solution to a particularly difficult problem and his smile widened.

“You can just call me Lancer Prime. It has a nice ring to it.”

@phonic @ManyThings

---

Ah.

In a way, she supposed this should not be surprising, but it couldn’t be helped — the figure of her Servant appeared before her and, if nothing else, she was suitably awed to begin with — beings such as these, they all had an inherent radiance to them, and this one was no different, regardless of how much they covered themselves.

Regarding their abilities, though. . .from what she could see about them, manifested in her vision as they were, she seemed to be. . .

"It's shoddy. But, it'll do for now."

That sentence confirmed her guess, and suddenly, she felt much like a lamb standing before a wolf. Introduction in that regard would be unnecessary.

A Caster. Of all the potential classes, she had not given much thought to what would have happened if the one to turn up was that one. In a way, it was only her fault that she was at a loss — the decision to compete in this backwater ritual had been motivated entirely for the desire to gather materials, and she had chosen to summon a hero that would be ‘compatible’ rather than procuring a catalyst to call a specific one.

Basically, she had left everything up to a coin toss, and only time would tell if the coin had doomed her or not by this point. The silver lining was that they did not seem about to attack — fat lot of good those Command Mantra would do at this distance, regardless of how wondrous they were. Even further. . .was that a touch of interest in her Servant’s voice or had she imagined it?

‘I won’t ignore such cute efforts’.

If it had come from anyone else, perhaps she’d have been insulted, but considering the situation. . .it was praise enough for her. The fact that her Servant had praised her ‘potential’ was a good sign. But what. . .

"However, why don't we drop that little pretense? I would prefer our relationship to be of a 'Master' and 'Apprentice'."

Oh.

Oh.

Her mind almost screeched to a halt as she regarded the offered hand with something akin to wonder. She had certainly not expected this.

Was she being too trusting? Was this a trap?

. . .No. Her prior assessment still held. If Caster wished to break away from her or kill her, this pretense would not be needed, so this offer seemed to be the real deal. Her head felt faint, and she chuckled.

“Well, I could, yes, but that would hardly be proper considering your kindness, Caster. . .though I suppose I should call you ‘Teacher’.”

And with that, it was sealed.



She inclined her head and took the Servant’s hand, uncaring about whether or not she had made a deal with the devil. This sort of opportunity, this kind of gift, was one she could not afford to let slip away.

“May I ask what the name of the Heroic Spirit I have summoned is?” Genuine curiosity filled her tone. “As you can see, I used no catalyst, so I’m in the dark regarding your abilities beyond your class.”

A frown overtook her features, but it was not directed at Caster. Rather. .

“Still, I wish I could have known to try and summon you earlier — I don’t doubt you could have done a better job in an hour than I managed with this graveyard for a week. Geez, this is actually embarrassing. . .”

She shot a glance at the zombies playing the instruments, their services not needed anymore — a wave of her hand caused them to stop just as suddenly as they had begun, leaving the night unperturbed. Her gaze turned toward Caster once again, and she seemed to ponder on what to say.

“. . .I had a pet project I intended to see to tonight, had I summoned a more meatheaded sort, but considering you’re here. . .well, Teacher, what is the first order of business?”

@Red Alice

Pied Piper

So many dead rats...

Such a creative and brutish method in exterminating them... using stray cats as projectile weapons. How sickening.

The noxious fumes from their carcass reaks foul into the air...

A footstep was heard not far where the lancer and his bag of cats left and approach the crime scene. Piper walks over the aftermath of the senseless slaughter of his rat subjects and was sickened at the sight.

This is my kingdom and somebody needs to pay for this treachery. Piper squints his eyes, filled with disdain and rage for murdering his precious familiars.

He takes a deep sigh, before pressing his lips on his magical flute. Piper plays his jovial chords and struck true for those who can hear it. The hymn takes its magical effect and affected the area around him.

The scenery slowly turns gray inside the bounded field. The pile of dead rat's stench turns almost visible from different areas they were killed and evaporates in an unsettling manner, Absorbing their remaining life force, converting it into his own mana, slowly forming a gas of foul energy hovering above the huge radius of the harbor, polluting the airwaves, Separating his domain from any known contact from the outside world, slowly trapping anyone inside it as he spreads his Reality Marble within the port. (Think of Medusa's Bloodfort Andromeda) This was definitely Caster's Barrier-Type Noble Phantasm.

"There was once a brat who wanted to kill rats,
who over welcomed their stay,
His spear strikes true,
disrupting the peace I once knew,
and now I needed his life to end"

As Piper continues plays his whimsical tune, a bunch of dead rats began to twitch and slowly gets up from where he stood, like zombies rising from their grave, despite their deformed figure, they were more eager to serve him as long they have fangs and claw to fight. Their beady eyes glow red, filled with bloodlust as if they were possessed and more rabid and hungrier than ever.

He continues to play his flute as the rabid rats began to form beneath his feet, crawling up his body and began to form some sort of living armor made entirely out of hundreds of disease-carrying rodents scurrying around him.

"Master Enzo, should I pursue and take action in dealing with this unknown servant? A king must protect his castle after all.." Piper said telepathically to Enzo, ready to engage at a moments notice.

@Sageage@Seirei No Hai@DostHou

---

Waaaaaaaahh.... A Saber Class? I guess I high rolled and actually summon one of the knight classes, this is so cool! this must be my lucky day. fufufu. Riyu's eyes widen after witnessing the questionable figure class before her. Her smile was beaming with joy and hope and her confidence in winning this holy grail war just got a massive boost from this summon. It's too good to be true.

That excitement and joy quickly turned into disbelief after the smoke clears and Riyu gets a clear look at what she just summoned. She was dumbfounded at the very least on the way the Saber acted upon her offering and the way on how her servant looks.

Huh? something amiss. Isn't the saber class supposed to be radiating an aura of nobility, courage and such? then why do I have the strange feeling this guy doesn't fit that category? He takes the money inside the wallet like a shady person would, Is he a degenerate like I am? Riyu question herself.

Ignoring Jack's introduction, Riyu gets a closer look and fully inspects her newly summoned servant. A bit too close as the thief girl gets to invade his personal space, briefly lifting his shawl, circling around Jack with judging eyes glued to him without even saying a word.

I supposed this is my fault as well. Oh well, Beggars can't be choosers. She shrugs at what's already been done. Composing herself before her servant, Riyu clears her throat before speaking.

"Okay Jack, first of all, I didn't I mess up, The great Thief, Riyu Formel never mess up! don't you forget that" She proudly said, swiftly pointing her index finger at him.

"Its all part of my ingenious plan summoning you here in this shopping mall, what better way to summon my servant is right under the people's noses amirite? this will be our temporary home base.." She said with the utmost confidence, visibly compensating that the fact she didn't think this through about their permanent hideout in this grail war.

"As for your question, I have no request at the moment but to escort me whenever I choose to go. I'll make plans as we go along" The thief girl said, waving her hand in dismissal. taking a bit her situation lightly.

"For now, we'll just wait for the something to happen and strike when the opportunity is right like the thief in the night. besides I'm hungry, you wanna grab something to eat inside this shopping mall before it actually opens?"

@ReallyDumb

At first it had been the odd sights and sounds Suzaku had gotten from his bird familiar that drew them to the docks, Tesla fully charged up and walking towards the odd boy with the sack with Suzaku following closely behind. Once they were close enough though, the sound of muffled screaming cats had been more than enough warning that something wasn't quite right. Especially since before every scream there was the sound of something heavy hitting the ground at high speeds. Tesla motioned for Suzaku to stay back, confident the dogs would be more than enough to protect his Master while he investigated the strange occurrences. It looks as though Tesla's caution was justified as he ran straight into what appeared to be a Bounded Field, possibly a Noble Phantasm? Either a Caster class Bounded Field or a Noble Phantasm, it was too strong to be a regular Magus's. He shook his head as he turned back to get to his master again. "There is a Bounded Field around the area that gives me pause. Come, we shall find another foe." It was as he said this that his eye wandered over to a path of fallen trees, cut cleanly in half by... something. There was also a curious blood spatter all over along the path.

"Stay behind me Master. The crack of thunder means lightning is sure to follow." What he was trying to say was that a battle was to begin soon, in his own unique way of course. And so Tesla began to walk down the path of fallen trees, stopping once the saw the enemy Master and his Servant. Of course Tesla saw them long before they saw him thanks to his Archer class, so Tesla simply decided to wait in place for them as he created a throne of lightning for himself, sitting in place as he waited for the drunken duo to arrive.

---

Vlado passively observed Caster as he explained his Noble Phantasm, the spark of life that so many Magus sought to claim, yet only one family has seemed to grasp. How would Caster feel if he knew that the peak of his work, his greatest achievement, was mass produced by the Einzberns. Probably not well. It wasn't relevant information regardless, so there's no need to bring it up. Not yet anyways. Caster's face contorted into a twisted smile as lightning burst forth from the lantern, entering the empty cadaver and... filling it. "Yes! YES!! It's ALIVE!! IT'S ALIVE!!" Vlado did his best to hold back from laughing, perhaps the book got more right than Caster would like to admit.

Vlado let out a small chuckle despite his efforts, nodding to himself as he looked at all the corpses in the room. "If you're going to yell that every time than this is going to be a long night Sir Victor."

Baba merely nodded along with the vulgar little horse-man. Of course everything he said stood to reason, the 'End Point' of Troilus' existence was decidedly underwhelming compared to any of Chiron's students. "It will be considered thorughly." Without anything else to add or contest in terms of his warning she merely turned away, back towards the discarded shell of the Great Black Lion.

"Come, Gatekeeper, Gin. We break for tea." She barked out almost like an order. Even with her soft disposition towards Troilus she would not show weakness in front of the others, at least not yet.

As she stepped towards the hulking shell of the karakuri its chest creaked open. Multiple layers of armor, driving springs, and guiding wires folding away in intricate manner to form a set of stairs up towards the opening, from what should have been entirely different components. As she ascended them they retreated, reforming the hull of the monstrous machine seamlessly, as if it had never been there to begin with.

When her voice returned it boomed like thunder, "Do watch your step." Earth shaking steps carried the literal ton of puppet and its little old lady cargo onward, to lead the way through ever-changing the city of peril.



Two steps into her little 'date', literally, and a glint of red lacquer in the distance caught her eye. "Darling, get down!" She said, betraying her usually hushed tone with an uncharacteristic urgency. She didn't give any time for him to comply either. A rough shove, human rough not servant rough, sent Ana sprawling back towards the clearing as Berserker raised her now free hand- body surging with an uptick of mana.

The impact was nothing short of incredible. A sound like thunder, a whirlwind of leaves, all but the stoutest of trees recoiling back as if in shock, and most curiously a sudden spattering of gore across the clearing- especially upon Shuten herself. Had her body not stood between her master and the contents of her freshly returned bowl the high-velocity viscera would almost certainly have killed him. For the Oni it was like a warm rain.

"Darling, it seems I've found my vessel. Please wait while I go and clean it." Her languorous tone returned, punctuated with a giggle and her tongue cleaning the warm blood from her lips.

As intriguing as the returned bowl was, it would not do to bring her master directly into the waiting maw of another. Besides, they were being watched already. Another throw, more of a toss really as far as Shuten was concerned, and the bowl went sailing through the trees again- handily shattering the Einzbern's familiar as it sailed through the forest to land in the waters of the harbor beyond.

Shuten followed shortly after, unburdened by her master and swifter than any wind. Swift enough to strip the vibrant red from her moon-pale flesh, and leave it far behind.



She saw him on the path. That over-dressed dandy on his throne of tamed lightning. Her blood nearly boiled at the sight of it and the mana that comprised her body rose to a fevered surge. The bowl full of meat had been novel, intriguing, amusing even, until now. No, this was a grave insult, this was the worst possible sleight, the excavation of a grudge buried for a thousand years.


A shriek, the shriek of a demon raging in it's hell, pierced the night with a strength and fury that would split the lungs of any lesser creature. There was no trace of Shuten Douji, the oni who entertains the persona of an elegant yet indulgent maiden. There was only the king of mount Ooe, and her boundless rage at being cut down with vile trickery. "SCION OF THE COW! YOU WHO WOULD DISHONOR A PROUD KING OF THE ONI! UPON THE SOIL WHERE YOU STAND I WILL THROW A GRAND BANQUET OF DESTRUCTION! YOUR CORPSE SHALL BE THE SITE OF REVELRY UNBOUND!"

A hundred feet between them, but only one more step. Her bare toes dug into the ground so hard it trembled, and every ounce of power that deceptively tiny body could muster was released in a mighty lunge. An open hand closed around the hilt of an exquisite sword, wrought in gold and peerless steel, easily as big as the one holding it.

She would hear no answer to her fury. The second she closed the distance she would cut him down.

The boy went tumbling backwards, letting out a surprised squeak at the sudden burst of the movement and the power behind it. The backwards roly poly went on for a good couple of seconds before he landed on his front once more, splayed out. It was something of a saving grace, because holding Shuten’s hand was a bit too forward for him. He’d only ever held the hand of sacrifices, not actual girls! Let alone ones with horns!

So yeah, preferable.

He stuck his head up after finally falling flat and still, only audience to the shockwave of Shuten’s vessel returning through his ears, the crack sending a shiver through his bones. He shook his head rapidly, getting some loose grass and foliage out of his head of dark hair.

“Kuwaah! You saw that coming?! Amazing, amazing!” And he was already back on his feet, completely unfazed by his brush with near-death. Whatever shiver was gone as fast as it came, merely brushing off his front of any dirt. “Thank you, Berserker! If you had not seen that coming, I’d be dead meat. Also splattered. Splattered dead meat. Not ideal, not ideal in the slightest.”

But as quickly as the bowl had been launched at them, she was gone, leaving Ana alone.

“Hm. Well, good luck, Berserker! Don’t stay out too late! I heard from locals there’s questionable sorts in town!” A pause. “...Wait, that’s us. Nevermind!”

He smiled into thin air for a few moments before turning around and marching off to his workbench, a bizarre looking entwining of tree-bark and vines, completely flat on the top despite its natural ‘legs’ growing into the earth. Atop it rested the reagents for a fierce juice drink.

It was actually an alchemical concoction made to keep him from sleeping for up to six nights nights without any repercussions beyond the need for there to be at least one night worth of sleep after its effect wore off, but it tasted good too. He was probably going to need it for more than just the flavour, though.

“I see you have already lost control of your beast.”

Ana did not even turn around to face the voice coming from behind him, it familiar enough to him that he was hardly surprised at its presence. He could already picture the flickering image resting against one of his trees in his head. He focused on finishing his brew, drawing out one of the knives from inside his jacket to begin chopping up one of the pomegranates he had left there.

“She’s not a beast. I can’t think of a beast that would save me from something like that,” he responded, recalling the shockwaves. “If a dog had tried it, it’d be dead!”

“A beast is a beast, even if it happens to have a shred of loyalty,” the matured voice plowed on, ignoring Ana’s comment at the end. “You are not even aware of the base nature of the creature you summoned into this world. Not a moment into your time with it, and it has already worked to compromise your efforts.”

Ana nodded, not actually in disagreement with his guests assessment. “That’s fine. I’m not really in this for the cup. If she wants to go off and have fun, then I don’t blame her! You should know that, old man!”

“Your minimal regard for your own wellbeing is frustrating, as per usual. But I understand. This whole ritual is nothing more than a farce. Even in this fragmented state, I can as much see that with the same clarity of my prior self.” The voice was closer, having moved from its spot out of Ana’s vision to linger just behind him, looking over his shoulder no doubt. “Nonetheless, I recommend you shore up your defences. How you do so is up to you, but in the face of these Servants and their high level spiritual nature, it may be best to do all you can. You have no means of stopping them, not at your level, but mitigation is a path you can take.”

Ana nodded once more.

The Guest was actually very much on Ana’s wavelength. They disagreed on a lot of stuff, but when it came to plans of action, Ana could bounce off of it easily. “I’ll reconfigure the woods into something a bit more defensive, don’t worry! Once Lucus has spread far enough, it’ll be really hard to approach us…!”
“...But? I feel a but coming on, child.”

“But just staying here is really boring.”

The Guest sighed. “Do not die, child. Being forgotten is one thing, but you do not seek death.”

“I suppose! See you later, old man!”

“...Tch. Youth.”

The presence vanished from behind Ana, leaving him to his work. All the while, he dedicated a part of his mind to keeping up with Shuten, and readied himself to provide her with all the energy she’d need.

The benefits of having a decent workshop!

A boom of thunder from up ahead signaled Tesla to be on guard as he narrowed his eyes, it would appear as if something had been thrown at high speeds at the enemy Servant, and it could be nothing but a Servant considering how it caught something thrown so hard with it's bare hands. How funny, such a small girl can wield such immense power. Probably has a higher strength than his own, avoid getting into hand to hand combat with the girl at all costs. When she arrived it was easy to tell how pissed she was, pissed off enough to forgo all reason and attack off the bat. That's why the moment she began to scream obscenities at him he activated his Natural Born Genius and picked out the appropriate skill to use at the moment.

She leapt at Tesla with a giant golden sword, an ornate piece of gold and silver that tempted him to pick out another skill to try and identify it, but there wasn't enough time. So instead he merely threw his hand in an upwards motion and let loose a blast of lightning from below the horned girl right before she reached him, sending her into the sky as he got up from his throne. "I suppose you don't want to talk then. Very well." He said more to himself than the enemy Servant as his throne dissolved, the magical energy comprising it being quickly absorbed back into himself. "Wait a minute... Horned girl?" Tesla had no time to ponder such things though as he prepared his battlefield, snapping his fingers and letting an arc of lightning shoot from his fingertips towards some very flammable trees, beginning the process of setting the forest ablaze. Whenever she began to descend Tesla would leap backwards, aiming upwards and shooting more bolts of lightning at her as she began to descend.

@Seirei no Hai @Argonaut





A song unheard, a grudge unnoticed.

Well, a certain sort of grudge, a certain sort of many grudges were noticed. Even Lancer, as seemingly oblivious as he carried himself recognized the cut off from the world, and the transformation of the harbor. A Noble Phantasm was invoked and what lied within this territory was without doubt, death. Yet the cheer of Lancer did not fade even as common sense, and even his strange insight all warned him of the situation as a terrible plight to be in.

Lancer continued his work, killing rat after rat until the coming across the man who the master of the vermin, wearing them as an armor. A frightful sight, an odd sight. But to Lancer instead of seeing a strangely armored servant, instead of seeing a massive threat, instead of seeing a fellow legend he simply saw one thing.

A giant pile of walking rats. So he did what he had been doing all night. He threw the sack of cats at it with the full power of a servant.

Poor cats indeed.

Wait... Lancer just realized something as he looked upon the monstrous frame of the Caster.

"Is that a person?" he spoke out loud. "Hang on, I'll save you!" Lancer cried as he took his spear into his hand. Genuine concern was clear on his face, along with a dawning distorted comprehension of the situation. The guidance that brought him to gather fish and cats, to fight the rats... It was all to help someone, to help this person! People were under the threat of the rats and were being swarmed.

See master? he said to the mage that was his anchor over their link. He really is a hero!

A blaze from below, a veritable feast of light and sound that drowned all other senses, followed by a force that carried her into the air against her will and a heat that seared the perfectly milky skin on her legs in erratic streaks of pink and red.

It was not enough to deter her frenzy, and as she was lifted Shuten swung her blade with every bit of power she could muster- towards that outstretched arm. Even a tiny nick from that sword would be enough, and she shifted her momentum forward with the force of her swing to scrape the very tip of the blade across the back of his hand- shearing through that gaudy gauntlet and drawing the barest hint of blood. "THERE WILL BE NO TRICKERY THIS TIME, SCION OF THE MINAMOTO!"

This was not enough for Berserker, she would not even reach the apex of her arc before she cancelled the rising momentum with another burst of mana. "NOW." She barreled through the air at mind-numbing speed just before she reached the intended ceiling of her climb, evading the bolts loosed in anticipation of it in the process... and right back into range of the Archer. "YOU." Her speed was better than his by such a factor as to render such pursuit child's play, and her fury allowed her to hold nothing back.

Again the blade would fall, to bisect cleanly of her hated foe from shoulder to hip. "DIE!" The shriek would easily cover up the sound of splitting bone.

Queen of Carthage
Outside of Fuyuki, Workshop

Avenger finished straightening her jacket, then set to fixing the tie. Satisfied with how she looked for now, she admired how she looked in the suit in the mirror. It was a surprisingly good look for her. However, she tired of looking at the reflection and returned to her master.

Since her summoning, Avenger had set up her defense and helped her master prepare the workshop when he wasn't tailoring an outfit or two. In the short time since the summoning circle had been used and the servant had donned her new suit, the workshop had been prepared to ward of unwanted guests.

Since night had fallen, it was about time to go out and either gather some info on the enemy or pick a fight to get to know the abilities of some of the others. Of course some might be out for blood, but it'd be a good bet the other servants were testing their opponents or plotting and preparing for the real war to come. Sure the war was on, but it was too early to start planning how to beat your enemies without any real information.

As Avenger finished her preparations, her master began to talk about the beginning of the war and heading out to fight others, particularly the one attacking his familiar. "I am sorry Master, but I must have forgotten my manners. I would rather not accept such an invitation." She paused and added, "I would much rather not walk into another master or servant's arms when there must be others in the other parts of the city. Maybe we can get the drop on one of them, and it shouldn't be too hard to either fix or replace your familiar depending on its condition later."

Avenger took on a more authoritative voice and said, "We should spy on one of the other masters in their workshop, perhaps the power players. If we don't do that we should explore the city and find another servant, one who is not calling us out."

@BlueHelix

The moment the blade nicked Tesla's hand he knew he was in for a bad time as his head erupted in pain and his arm went completely numb. The usage of Mana Burst only solidified this feeling as he narrowly avoided being bisected by the golden sword the Oni wielded, and she was definitely an Oni judging by the knowledge he was receiving from the Throne of Heroes. 'Master, we're going to be retreating immediately. My opponent is not one to be fought at this current juncture, also I am in immense agony. Meet me at the spot we agreed upon.' He stated factually as he raised his currently useable hand and pointed at the Oni, letting loose a bright flash of lightning within his hand to hopefully blind the Berserker as he Disengaged.

It was a good thing he had set fire to the forest before hand as he dove into the burning trees with no regards for his own safety, barreling through the smoke and flames away from the maddened Oni as he thought upon just what the fuck happened. Hatred for the Minamoto clan, King of Onis, poisonous blade. Judging by what he had from the Throne, this was either Shuten Douji or Ibaraki Douji. At least this wasn't a complete loss, as long as she wasn't chasing after him in an attempt to murder him in a horribly gruesome manner. Tesla looked over his shoulder to confirm if he had escaped or not just in case. As he looked away from his apth the migraine in his head throbbed as he stumbled over a burning branch, but he powered through with the Single-Mindedness that had carried him through his lowest points in life. The flames licked at him from all sides, but ironically they only fueled his escape as he Galvanized the flames into Mana to use. If nothing went terribly wrong he would escape and regroup with his Master near the shopping mall that they had agreed to use as a regrouping point.

She couldn't tell how narrowly she had missed by, thanks to that brilliant flash, only that she had missed. The feel of her sword carrying through the air without meeting flesh and crunching through bone was like bile in her throat, but it was only a fraction of the raw emotion elicited when the flash faded and Archer was merely gone. Berserker looked around, head whipping back and forth as she tried in vain to locate any trace of Archer through the burning trees, all in vain.

"COWARD! WEAKLING! BASTARD! AS IN LIFE SO IN DEATH, A TERRIBLE WHELP WHO DEALS IN TRICKS! CURSE YOU AND CURSE YOU AGAIN! LET THE POISON IN YOUR VEINS ROT YOUR WORTHLESS HEART IN YOUR CRAVEN CHEST!" She shrieked to the heavens so loud her throat hurt. Thud. Thud. Thud. The ground shook in the ferocity of her tantrum, stamping her food like a child- the angry child of an angrier god. "AGHHHHHHH!" With her free hand she tore the nearest tree from the ground and chucked it bodily into the forest with that overwhelming strength, and then another, and anotherm flinging them in random directions as if she believed one of them might strike and crush the hiding insect, but to no effect.

It wasn't until the fourth tree was uprooted that she stopped, holding it idly over head as the realization dawned upon her. That lightning, it had glanced off her flesh and left little more than paltry burns, and when she closed the distance this man retreated. This was not the strength of the one who threw her drinking vessel. No, whoever had returned her favored vessel had bones much firmer than this coward... And yet he had stood in her path, as if waiting. She tossed the log over her shoulder like one might discard a piece of trash, and began to walk the path again. "...So then Cow of Heaven you would send your subordinate in your stead? Did you only bring one helmet to this war?" She had spotted the barrier, where the cup should have landed.

She never once thought to ask her master's permission for even a second... Such a troublesome servant.



Kick. Kick. Kick. Kick until it breaks. How long could it possibly hold up against the terrifying strength of an oni?

She hoped, no she prayed, in her terrible little heart of hearts that when the barrier finally collapsed there would be three more heavenly kings inside... and that they would stand much taller than the pathetic imitation of the blue eyed boy from her days on Mount Ooe. She was calm enough now to look forward to a fight, to plan her revenge properly and revel in the idea of it all.

"Come out now, come out, come out! Don't you know? If you play hide and seek with an Oni it will only be more hungry by the time it finds you!" That playfully languorous voice had returned, a startling contrast to the deafening THUD of her sole repeatedly impacting the barrier as she spoke.

Pied Piper

Outside the bounded field.

After all that kicking and banging from the drunken Oni at his front door, The bounded field warped and shifted, opening a small portal right in front of demanding small demon. A bridge materializes right in front of her feet, connecting the real world to his false territory. The hymn of his flute was faintly playing as soon as it opens and was alluring those who can hear it. An invitation was set for the berserker to step foot in this strange new world that Piper has created.

Could this be a trap? Maybe. But would she pass this opportunity opening the gates for her? @Froppy

---

Inside Piper's False Paradise.

The scenery change and port that they once knew were already unrecognizable, it is now replaced with a scenery of a misty graveyard filled with several tombstones and a carpet of dead dried petals scattered everywhere. Vicious rats roam and scurrying from every corner, looking for scraps, rabidly fighting over a piece of mangy meat they can find. It was a place where grudge and hate reside from Piper's infamous tale of kidnapping children, a similar concept of Jack the Ripper's The Mist.

"Master, It seems we have another uninvited guess. my, what a busy night we are having." Piper sighed with a bit of smugness in his tone.

"It appears to be a girl who seems to be the Berserker class. This troublesome servant keeps demanding to open the gates and is clearly intoxicated. A drunk berserker? heh, A most dangerous combination if I do say so myself." He scoffs

"Perhaps I could pin her against this meddling lancer to fight one another, killing both birds with one stone to save us the time, This side of the country has too many nosy servants for my liking" Piper mentally said to Enzo, scheming his next move.

Piper then shifted his attention to Lancer.

Still covered with rats all over his body, The Rat king looks down at the lancer before him. Before he can even utter a word to the boy, Lancer keeps doing the same thing that irks him, tossing a bag of cats right at his familiars. How Rude.

Piper nonchalantly formed a giant arm made out of rats and swatted the incoming bag of cat right into the sky. The poor cats shrieks in unison and flew high above the air and was never heard from again.

"I appreciate if you don't do that" He frowned, reinstating his rat-made arm and revert it to its normal size.

"Besides,I think you have the wrong impression my sweet summer child, I'm not in trouble, on the contrary, these swarm of rats are my beloved friends.They would never harm me.." The infectious rodents continue to squirm and latch to his body, a grotesque sight to say the least.

"My, I never knew my intruder was a mere child, I for one love children, especially those who wander off in these late hours." Piper said with a creepy smile.

"Come, drop your wooden lance, abandoned your master and stay here with me, You'll make a fine addition to my collection...I'll even introduce you to the other children in this place and even let you play with them" Piper bluntly offered, extending both of his arms as some of his rats latching into it started to drip and falls to the ground from the excessive amount of rat trying to fit onto his arm.

@Sageage@Seirei No Hai

@Seirei no Hai @Argonaut





Ah... it exploded. The gore of animals splattered across the harbor as the sack met with the construct of rats, both pretty much bursting apart from the force. Oh no. Without the bag he didn’t really have a thing that killed rats... not specifically anyway.

Still despite the problem it was with a light smile that Lancer responded to the strange rat man. “Well, I need to kill them, so I guess we’re enemies! So that means I need to fight you too.” the boy said without any malice. “If I have to fight you I can’t go and stay with you. I guess I could drop my spear however.” He nodded to the Caster before doing just that, tossing his spear to the ground. After all, if the strange old man was not in trouble and he was an enemy, then the spear could deal with it. A cat was what killed rats, but a spear was something that killed boars, deer and people.

A rune flashing to life on the spear similarly brought the spear to whip about itself. It moved slightly towards the Caster by its lonesome, a noble phantasm happy to cut down any rats that advanced. Primarily it seemed concerned with preventing any ill intent being directed to the Lancer himself as he scrounged for one of the scraps that used to be the sack. Running his hands across it, soon it was restored, back to normal save for a couple of frayed spots where it had burst open before a number of times.

Now there was only one problem, there were no more cats. “I’ll have to get some more!” he declared loudly. There were no more around so there was only one thing left to do.

“May I go now?” he asked quite bluntly.

Berserker's leg stopped mid-kick, hanging there in the air as she tilted her head to the side. "...Eh? It's open?" She didn't understand why anyone would in fact just let her in but hesitation was like sobriety, an entity wholly foreign to Shuten douji. She lowered her foot, slung her sword over her shoulder, and walked right in through the newly formed hole in the barrier.

From there she gleaned the whole of the situation pretty quickly, the nature of this unnatural world created by Caster quickly apparent on at least some level. "Oh me, oh my!* such a scary scary place!" She tried and failed to feign a look of shock as she looked around further, doing her best to sound afraid despite the inability to stop grinning. It was like a kid in a candystore trying their best to look like they didn't want to be here.

Her gaze stopped on the two other servants though. "Ohhhh and there are others here too? Well, of course there are, but neither of you is the Cow are you? No, no, none of you are that disgusting by half." She sounded disappointed, but she was smiling despite that. The boy with the sack, the man covered in rats, both were certainly interesting but there wasn't a proper candidate for a heavenly king between them. No, not even remotely close, they were an even worse fit than that soft-boned thundergod she had nearly mowed down... Though the boy looked strong at least.

She placed a hand on her hip and jutted her posture out to the side in a way that, with her draping robe, exaggerated her figure and evoked a certain idea of the shape of a woman far more endowed than herself. "I don't suppose you boys would be willing to help me find her, would you?" That same quiet languorous tone but heavier, deeper, almost hypnotic. Her breathy words hung almost visibly in the air, sweet and hot in a way that overpowered the stench of the plague. Sweet and hot in a way that was almost Fascinating. "...Or maybe, if that's too much to ask, you could just kill each other for me? Fufufu~!"

It was time to see how firm their bones, or at least their minds, were first hand.

*Translators note, "Oh me, oh my!" means "Ara Ara!"

Sensei had not changed a bit since he had last seen him, Hideyoshi continued to smile as the man who he had called teacher responded to his welcome, his mouth may have parted for a soft chuckle if he did not recognise what was about to happen next and so out of respect he simply continued smiling. He knew that Sensei’s love for martial arts ran almost as deep as his own families and it was something Hideyoshi admired the man before him for. As Sensei swung out his might fist he calmly followed it, despite seeing the movements clearly he did not react to them, keeping his body still as his old teacher carried out an impromptu lesson, it was a rather nostalgic feeling. The fist rushed towards his face with a deadly force, it was definitely something that could make a man lose his nerve but Hideyoshi remained unphased. He respected Sensei’s technique and approach to martial arts and it was something he was more than confident with applying the descriptor of “masterful” to. But the style was something that he felt was incompatible with himself, he was not suited to the oppressive killing intent that could be sensed from the movements and strikes. As the air rushed over his face he maintained his cool and composed look. Nothing could be sensed from Hideyoshi, he was merely taking it in and listening to Sensei speak wholeheartedly. Hideyoshi remained in his relaxed and welcoming position throughout the entire flurry of jabs and seemed to be grateful for seeing Sensei in some kind of action so quickly again.

As Sensei stared into his eyes Hideyoshi stared back, as his eyes displayed warmth and kindness to his teacher he searched for the meaning that his Sensei was presenting him with. The fact that Sensei was hard to understand at times made him feel an even stronger sense of kinship with the man, as similar things could be said about the Tohsaka family and has been by certain people in the Mages Association, in fact his grandfather's teacher even suggested that his grandfather was “crazy”. They may be considered a rather odd bunch but Hideyoshi wouldn’t have it any other way. As his Sensei made his way into the manor he bowed to his other guest, Sensei’s servant. Another Saber is it? He thought to himself, he already knew that something was off about this war. To Saber he responded with a hearty chuckle. “Thank you Saber but a bloody nose is the least of my worries right now.” He returned Sabers beaming smile back to him.

For a slight moment a surprised expression was clearly displayed on the face of Hideyoshi as the two Sabers began to greet each other with their weapons. Shaking his head he quickly got ahold of himself. It was likely he was going to see much stranger things than this during the war, he had just been caught completely off guard. After the old allies had reunited Hideyoshi approached the table and took his own seat at the table, encouraging the others to join him and Roland at it. “Please eat and drink to your will, it seems that there are several things worthy of celebration tonight.” Hideyoshi started, the chances of any of this happening had to have been incredibly small. “Although first I would just like to inquire about your plans for tonight Sensei? Of course if you would rather have this conversation afterwards that is all fine and well but the Holy Grail War has begun.” Finding out Sensei was chosen by the Grail to be a master was not very surprising to Hideyoshi but it did complicate things. He would rather not fight his old teacher at all if he could but it was unknown what the future would bring. As he waited for a response he briefly looked out of one of the windows of the dining room to see a familiar perched outside of the manor. A letter attached to it nonetheless. He wasn’t sure whether it would be considered rude by its master to not go to it immediately after noticing it but he already had his hands full at the moment and so he would have to apologise later if that was the case.




She nodded to her master as she donned the long coat that had been given to her by her master. "Thank you master." she spoke politely to Ludwig. There was no complaints with the man who had summoned her.

Although rather frustrating, the surprise of the other Servant had been only a minor inconvenience. Really the state that he was in had been rather pitiful, to be so mentally compromised must be excruciatingly painful and likely the other Servant wouldn't even realise it himself. Its fine Odysseus, he likely didn't even know what he was saying. Athena had been as taken aback as she was when it happened. Yeah I get it and I let him head off didn't I? That's more than considerate enough after what he said about you. But before Athena respond something triggered in his mind. There was someone here. How could she have not have noticed? Clicking her tongue she scolded herself for letting her guard down. It was best to forget everything that had happened up until now.

Luckily Ludwig had already noticed and exposed the hidden man himself. The man approached them talking to Ludwig, seemingly making an attempt to appear as friendly as possible. Speaking in a friendly manner and making use of polite gestures he positioned himself to attack her master by surprise. She almost felt insulted by the ploy but for that very reason she had no doubt that there was more to it than this. It was definitely on purpose. Perhaps as a master the man wanted to have a glimpse of Ludwigs servant. If that was the case then it was probable that their servant could be very close by, perhaps an Assassin was in position to attack her own master. But as he made to throw his knife and move forward towards Ludwig it became evident that was not the case. Perhaps he was suicidal, it wasn't insane for there to be a man with nothing to lose in this war. But again. It was most likely a test.

She let out an unamused sigh as she deftly caught the knife that had been thrown at her master by the handle. Twirling it around in her hand she quickly closed the distance between her and the stranger and took hold of him. Placing his own knife to his throat. "I don't know what you thought you would accomplish with that silly move but you have your life in our hands now." She looked towards her master. "If you wish to question this man then please do so Master. If not I will dispose of him immediately for his actions against you." It would have been simple in life to have slit this mans throat, as a servant it was a task that required no effort at all. But something told her that perhaps something could be gained from this.

Xerxes stood up, his short work nearly complete. The cup was emptied of water, and found itself hanging and hidden from sight once again. After all, a great deal of work was required for this upcoming war. So many fights, so little time, and such a chaotic event it would be. He heard the creaking of the door, and had already turned, on the defense. The next sound was the door flying open, the sounds of buzzing insects flooding the air, and he knew one thing in an instant. The Matous weren't happy. Cross them off the list. But action first. Action first. The Persian master grabbed the banker by the scruff of his collar, and with a toss, the poor man found himself awake and screaming as the initial swarm of insects crashed into him. Xerxes was already running, towards his servant as the bugs tried to move around him.

He had to act fast, and that required Berserker. "Berserker, come to me!" Xerxes shouted, grabbing a wooden chair and tossing it into the insects that attempted to flank him. Disrupting their motions for even a moment was more than enough, as Berserker would come to him. The insects still hadn't full surrounded him by the point as he had the sense to be on his guard of invaders. Despite how Xerxes operated as a 'doctor' of sorts, he was still physically fit. He had already reached his servant by the time the insects would have worked their way over the banker. "Retreat, break down a wall if you have to." Xerxes shouted, tossing his jacket back into the insects that attempted to attack, relying on Berserker to carry him away from the attack. In that moment the golden rod and chalice he had used before the insects came in were clearly visible. And then... There was another set of two items. A handsized jar, firmly attached more than any other item, and a disc. A disc that could fit in the palm of the hand. Mystic codes? Possibly.

But, Xexes had to make sure the insects didn't follow him. In Berserker's arms, he had already placed a hand onto the golden neckleace he wore beneath his coat. Visible to the insects, a thick smoke erupted forth. A horrifying smoke that engulfed the first division that had gotten too close to the persian. A thick black smoke that clung to them. Their eyes, their lungs, the places under their armor that became exposed. They became blind, and the smoke clung like a powder to their wings. They would fall from the sky as the smoke burned through their wings, landing with thuds onto the ground. They became useless to the collective as the gas lingered, spreading out slowly to fill the bank's stale atmosphere. And by that time, Xerxes and Berserker would be gone.

One thing was learned, the Persian had some tricks up his sleeves, and the Matous were watching.
"Berserker, we retreat to the church. Follow my directions. Move quickly." He had one more place to hit. The Department Store. A desire of sorts, or a need to power his servant more. To feed it more material gains? But, he wasn't willing to risk being attacked again, and the church was a proper place for him to hide out for the night. A place that wouldn't attract attention for himself and wouldn't allow any spare eyes to track him to his base of operations. A good enough place for now.

@ManyThings-@Yukitamas

Moving to - The Church

Pied Piper

Inside Piper's False Paradise.

As Shuten enters the bounded field, The vicious rats all over the field halted from their actions and gazed upon the newcomer, her intoxicating aroma somehow gets to them in a way their beady red eyes where glued upon in her every step. This one is definitely not human for them to sink their fangs into.

"Oh? Another child has entered my field, how delightful.." Piper's Rat like helmet shifted and turned attention as soon as he heard the seductive demon's voice, examining the half-dress newcomer from head to toe, raising a brow in suspicion.

Wait minute... this servant actually has horns...
First, this lancer child wants to kill my rats in the most questionable way possible...
Then this seductive hellspawn girl wanders in here, looking for... a Cow?
I swear, Kids these days are getting weirder and weirder. Piper sighed at the thought.

"Am afraid I do not any cows of which you speak off, But I'm willing to the provide the later of your request..." Piper said in a jestful way as the infectious rats gather around him and lifted him upon a hill of made of their bodies.

"You are my guest and the other one is an unwelcome intruder..." He said shifting his eyes to the lancer before him.

"That's too bad, lancer. my children are getting lonely and my rats are really hungry, I really hate to disappoint them.."

With that, The Rat king casually tips his hat and The wave of infectious rats rush in towards the lancer from every direction, overwhelming him for their numbers, I'm sure under that brown cloak lies some juicy mana to gnaw their fangs into.

@Sageage@Seirei No Hai@Froppy

@Seirei no Hai @Argonaut @froppy





“Hmm, hungry, and lonely. Well, that's not fun at all. But I'm going to have to go.” Lancer held a finger to his lips and began to sway from side to side in contemplation.

As for what he thought of that new girl?.... The strange new girl felt odd to him, and it was obvious that she was a powerful servant. Her words were intoxicating, or should have been. But to the mind of Lancer they were simply words. Words he listened to, words he simply shrugged at. Lancer opened up his sack and held it up towards the new servant, showing off its emptiness.

"There are rats all over that I need to kill. There used to be cats in here…. There aren't any cows here either, and I can feel that there aren’t any in the harbor. So looking with you would be dumb… I think” He shrugged. “It would probably be fun however.”

His eyes returned back to the hostile Caster who seemed quite eager to throw down… and realized something all over again!

“Oh, I need to get more cats speaking of." The spear returned back to his hand and he shook his head with a smile. “I’m here to kill his rats. I can kill him, but I can’t kill his rats without any cats.

“Master. I’m heading home.” he spoke out loud, and through their link, only now noticing that the interference was gone. Sack and spear firmly in hand. Lancer did not turn into his spiritual form to leave, but instead simply began to walk away in the flesh. Waving innocently at the Caster and the new woman as though he were simply visiting for a casual affair, he called out to the Caster with his unshaking sincerity. “I’m Lancer. I have to kill those rats, so make sure they don’t die before I get enough cats!”

He then began to skip his way out, leaving the harbor if fortune smiled(?) upon him.

Well, if fortune’s frown was a horde of rats then it certainly didn’t. So Lancer instead swung with his sack as if it were a fan, sending a gust of wind strong enough to send the swarm around him flying. To join them he leapt up into the air himself. His knees hunched over and he gave a final wave to the two before he jumped. The force of his legs shattered and cratered the ground, and the shockwaves released only knocked away the airborn rats even further. In his wake a cyclone of rats blew. Some of them luckily simply fell to the streets, not too harmed with the enhancements granted to them by the Caster. Some slammed against the walls and posts of the warehouses and storage containers, bruised, or even crushed from the impact. A few flew far enough to even fall into the ocean!

In the end it would not take long for Lancer to make his way to the outside world.

Yet as he moved something strange happened. Or rather, something strange had began to finally settle in.

The bag that contained the dying cats, the bag that slaughtered rats by the hundreds, the bounded field that was a place that gathered the dead and grudges. The breaking and remaking of the sack.

The element of the bounded field imparted, the grudges of the beasts collected.

Something moved along the surface of the cloth. The shape of a rat.

But there was nothing inside.

That explained it, that explained everything. Without ever actually knowing he was under suspicion to begin with Lancer confirmed all of her suspicions through his deeds and words. The thing in the bowl had been too large to be a rat, it must certainly have been one of the cats from his bag, and he demonstrated clearly the might required to throw it. He also was completely un-phased by her otherworldly charm, which was somewhat troublesome.

Regardless as the disgusting new weather pattern emerged due to Lancer's mighty sack Shuten snatched one of the flying vermin out of the air. Holding it firmly by the neck Shuten turned it over for a moment, examining it, before turning again to watch Lancer make his departure. He, like her, was something that wholly defied the expectation of the eyes.She heaved a sigh of disappointment, it seems she had been wrong about nearly everything she had assumed. Perhaps this whole mess with Archer, and now Lancer and Caster, had been one big misunderstanding.

She spoke again, with that same honeyed voice that reeked of alcohol and sounded like a mandate from the depth of the heart. "Well this has all become really boring hasn't it? Boring and ugly. Everything about this is disgusting really, and you bard... Your bones are so soft the idea of dining on them makes me want to vomit." She punctuated that last sentence with the loud crunch and pop of her decapitating the rat in her palm, using nothing but the raw pressure of her fingers closing around its neck, and another heavy sigh. "All of it should just be torn apart and eaten, eaten by those disgusting creatures." Her eyes flashed with a sudden cruelty, and her lips curled into a smile. "Especially you."

And so it would be, a sudden surge of primal bloodlust and cannibalism erupting among the ranks of the vermin as they turned on each other. For the rats created explicitly by his noble phantasm resistance may have been possible, but for all those mundane that merely heeded the piper's call the overpowering command of the words of the king of Mount Ooe were as the beating of their very hearts... And perhaps for Piper as well, for he had already allowed lowered his guard and let her voice in once before.

Berserker merely turned to walk away, slinging her headless rat into one of the many converging piles of chittering death. "Enjoy the feast, Caster." Whatever happened from there was not her concern, the revel of rodents was not a party that warranted the attendance of a king. She was off to retrieve her bowl from the sea, and then go whine to her darling about helping her track down Lancer.