Gin's mind was still scrambling at the many new things he has learned today. Just earlier this same day he had summoned his Servant, and he has already encountered two others. When Gin had thought of the idea of a Heroic Spirit, they were far different from what he had encountered and seen, especially now. He expected things like knights and samurai clad in armor lugging around shiny swords, not alcoholic cowboys and kids with... well, whatever the hell Troy is supposed to be. In fact, the mere sight of Troy blows Gin's mind to the possible powers Heroic Spirits could possess. The fact that this monster of a fortress could exist outside of his view made Gin feel uneasy. What powers could the other Servants possess, and what will this mean for Fuyuki? At some point, if not tonight, Gin'll have to figure it out and find out, himself.

And speaking of spirits...

"Ey, Ite," Gin had addressed his Servant, rather informally, having been doing so after realizing that his Servant could speak Japanese, "I'm going to head up with the kid and Robaasan, maybe get t'know our new base of operations better. Just uh... gimme a call when the booze station's ready." Scratching behind his head, and trailing behind, Gin carried his bokken in his hands, relaxed and leaning on his shoulder. Gin normally carried his bokken casually as it helped with the many intricacies of his job, including breaking things such as pots, tables, the occasional ribs, etc. To Gin, it's an extension of his body, as he is a warrior, and his bokken is his weapon. Without it, he feels incomplete. It's safe to say that whatever terms he made with Gatekeeper and Baba, it included that his blade stays with him at all times.

While they made their way through Troy, Gin decided to make some small talk. It felt awkward that he was quietly walking between two very different beings that could easily crush him with a flick of a wrist. Not that it scared him or anything. It's best for a warrior like Gin to remain cautious, after all. But for now, though, Gin felt like he should better get along with his new allies, for the time being. Most of Gin's mutterings were questions directed to Baba, mostly about her school of magecraft. Gin was surprised to meet someone else who practiced Eastern Thaumaturgy, as he was only expecting prissy and stuck-up foreigners to make up his enemies in the war. Even the "Founding Families" followed Western systems, so it was something of a pleasant surprise for Gin to meet someone who practiced a school so similar to his, despite how very different the results of their spells may be. Hell, I didn't know I could use this to make damn robots!

When they finally made it up to Baba's workshop, Gin stretched his arms and rested his hands behind the back of his head, letting out a yawn. With his bokken tucked into his belt, he walked over to the window, enjoying the view of the night sky. "Say, Obaasan, if both of us make it outta this war unscathed, and like hell am I letting us die, think ya could use that magic o'yours to make me a ca-..."

Gin had stopped, mid-sentence, as a glaring light catches his eye.

"Aren't those..."

---

"... Fireworks?"

Rider looked up as those bright, flashing motes of light ripped through the night sky. A look of concern washed over Rider's face as they flew in too close for his comfort. Rearing Falke towards its direction, Rider began to follow the lights to wherever their destination had been. And when the ground began to shake as they finally met their mark, Rider picked up the pace to a near blinding speed, speed that only a Servant could ever dare accomplish. On his way, his own Master had notified Rider of what had just happened.

I'm already on my way to the crash sight, Master. I'll let you know as soon as I'm there.

It only took him a mere few minutes to get there on his steed. Indeed, Rider-class Servants are well known for their speeds, due to their high Agility and mounts, and this particular Rider was no exception. As a matter of fact, Rider, himself, could possibly match speeds that could rival even the fastest of Heroic Spirits. Of course, Rider has yet to find an opponent faster than him. Not yet, at least...

What met Rider when he arrived to his destination was... complete devastation. Much of this part of the forest has been razed, with what's left being nothing but dirt and blackened trees, burnt to a crisp. As Rider stepped off his horse, his golden black armor had began to manifest over him, unwrapping the talismans surrounding his cane to reveal an ornate-looking longsword. Removing his bowler hat and tossing it to the wind, a black circlet had manifested wrapping around Rider's forehead, finally revealing himself as a grand warrior-king of legend, a true Heroic Spirit in flesh and bone. Rider began to march through the blasted landscape, but not before waving an empty hand to his horse, Falke, who gave a brief snort in return before riding back to the Einzbern estate.

Master, I've made it to the crash sight, Rider had communicated to his Master as he made his investigation, soot and ash staining his flowing cape. It looks like the work of a Noble Phantasm. That of an Archer, perhaps? I saw streaks of colorful lights zip through the sky before the crash. In his inquiry, Rider had come across one of the many craters, counting as many as ten. Gritting his teeth at the attack made near his property, out of all places, Rider had prepared himself for a fight. While it was unlikely that an Archer would make their way here after delivering such an attack from afar, it still could have attracted other Servants to the location. In any case, Rider doesn't seem to have plans to head back for the night...

There seems to be about six to ten craters all around, but I couldn't find an arrow or anything else that would help us figure out what kind of weapon this could be. It looks like the work of an Anti-Army attack. I don't think the Servant in question is around, but I still suggest staying inside your compound while you can. I've sent Falke to protect you in case the Servant plans to make an attack while I'm away. Stay safe, Master.

Looks like dinner will have to wait.

The man rushed in with the knife. The swish and flash of the blade was sudden, Ludwig being an untrained fighter, he had no idea how to react to this sudden rush. In an instant, he quickly realised the reality of the Grail War. Death could come so early so suddenly with little more than a man with a knife. He tensed up and made a move to fall backwards in a lame attempt to avoid contact and to not get stabbed in the stomach. So some guy actually wanted to kill him straight off the bat? This had to be that Japanese gangster guy with the weird hair.

He opened his eyes to reveal, oh look. He blinked and looked around and got to his feet dusting himself off. Speechless he glanced to Odysseus who had the man in a firm lock, knife inches away from ending the poor guy's life. Ludwig grinned underneath his mask and tightened the straps. Last thing he needed now was to inhale some dirty chemical, no doubt another dirty trick whoever this man worked for had in store for him. He groaned as he thought about his idea. He was supposed to travel inconspicuously and not get tailed or tagged, now this guy knew where he was. But he couldn't kill him! There was no way this guy actually had a servant.

Fingers rubbing his temples, he took his hand way and listened to Archer. She had a good idea. This man probably had information. And judging by his tempremant and way of attacking, he might be a squealer. "Ah it appears you're right.."He chuckled slightly and leaned back on his feet before walking around the pair. "Alright, first off my friend, who sent you? You obviously don't have a servant so you must work for someone...that uh, Gin guy? Wait no...Einzerbn? Tohsaka? Matou?" he cocked his head and moved closer, motioning Archer to keep him in her grip. "Just tell me everything you know about why you're here to kill me, and I'll make sure you leave here without too much time, ja?"

Much of the previous day had gone by uneventfully. Moreover, the two girls had done very little up until the evening. Such was the case of errors in summoning. It annoyed Serafina to no end that they had to waste so much time before evening getting into the bulk of the war, but it was what she got for rushing into things in the first place. If she had thought things over more carefully, they might not have been in the situation they were in at all.

At the very least, she was thankful that the Matou Master was more lenient on their terms than she had expected. “Extenuating Circumstances regarding the Summoning” was the excuse Sera had made for a rearrangement of their meeting, and while it wasn’t far from the truth, “A fuck up on the part of the Master” would have been much more apt. It hurt her pride to be forced into changing the times, but it was the price for her incompetence.

The rest of the evening had been spent sorting things out, both around the Temple and their room. The two narrowly avoided detection by the awakening Monks, brought from slumber by heroes from the past destroying their property. Whether Yoshiki was suspicious of their involvement or not, Sera couldn’t quite tell, but she was thankful he didn’t question them much at all. From that minute onward she spent properly attuning with her Servant, and figuring out just who the hell had come out of that sword.

With that out of the way the two made their preliminary preparations. Cleaned, switched to more appropriate attire for the evening, and continued their minor setups - a couple of bounded fields set around the room, and around the main temple complex, as well as some of the basics for their Workshop. It was far from complete, and the sorry site of a barely even half finished base of operations left Sera in some slight dismay. Still, it was a start, and one they would finish upon returning from the Matou Mansion.

The Matou Mansion, the location they were heading. Three girls, something of a mangy dog, and a beefy, insane hero in spirit form behind them; as much as Sofia had wanted to, the dog was ill allowed with in the temple, and thus its coat had remained the same as it had been that morning. Sera couldn’t say exactly how she thought this would go. In her head, things would go swimmingly, and they’d garner themselves an ally early on with which to utilise as a primary asset, but a part of her wondered if that was merely naive optimism. The Matou Master rejecting the proposition entirely upon arrival was still a very realistic belief to follow.

”You did as I said, right Sophie?” she said, turning towards her sister, who made up the middle of their little entourage, ”It’s important, y’know.”

”Yes Sera, everything; I think.” She said as she raised her hands in front of her face, peering past them to her Saber. “Let’s hope the Hood works.”

Saber tilted her head to look at what appeared to be a familiar, “You will see soon enough.” tugging on her plain clothes, she sighed. “This outfit feels...unnatural though, I don’t get the fashion of these days at all. It’s so...unnecessarily flashy.” because the hood of kismet was still equipped, the current appearance of Saber looked nothing like her true self.

Sera looked over the two walking beside her and smiled.
”I’m pretty sure it’ll be fine. The cloak will work continuously until they can figure out how it works, soooooooo as long as they don’t figure that out, we’ll be good.” her tone was confident, and she looked it, too, ”Just, remember, Saber, do as little talking as you can. We’re going for shy, after all.”

With the Matou Mansion steadily approaching, She turned back to look at the two.
”Just remember what we discussed and we’ll be good. Berserker, you’re waiting outside. On the off chance their Servant is an Achaean, I do not need to deal with that right now.” and with her little quote unquote pep talk, she continued onto the gate of the Mansion.

Within the front yard of the manor, just beyond the girls’ view, a group of worms quietly and efficiently gathered together into a human shape. A perfect likeness of Reiki Matou. Stepping out onto the main path, just behind the gate, it stood in plain view of the approaching group. Although carrying the full appearance of a human girl and even emitting the correct amount of energy, command seals were noticeable missing from its hand and Sofia was able to observe the strange difference in makeup between a continuous set of circuits seen in a normal mage and the large number of separate organisms up the road from them. Before saying a word, it whistled sharply. Shinji, who had seemingly just begun to recognize the neighbourhood around him, perked up, and the small beagle began to run ahead of the group toward the manor.

The familiar-body opened the gate just wide enough for the little dog to dash inside, leaving it ajar as it knelt down to stroke its pet and murmur a few concerned words about the state of his health. Shinji sniffed the body’s hand, but did not lick it. Nonetheless, he seemed more content than he had been even in his most peaceful moments at the temple steps. “Reiki” rose to its feet and gazed upon the trio. ”Good evening.” The simulacrum spoke through the opening in the gate, ”Would you, by any chance be the Whitehalls?”

Serafina, in response to the sight of the woman before the gate, accelerated her pace, if only slightly, as to position herself in front of the other two girls.
”Good evening to you, too.” she began, ”We are indeed, for the most part, the Whitehalls. Might I assume that you are Reiki Matou, then?”

”Essentially, yes.” The puppet nodded, ”But what stands before you now is not my genuine body so much as a form crafted out of familiars while I deal with another associate inside.”

She gave a cautionary look over the thing stood before her, her eyes betraying something of a paranoid nature. It was obvious that she was attempting to gauge the threat a form composed of familiars would pose.
”I have heard minor tellings of your families… unique, shall we say, branch of Magecraft, but seeing it up close and personally truly is something else. I must say I am impressed.” she then turned back to her sister, ”You’ve always had a greater interest, if marginal, around familiars and the like than me. It’s quite remarkable, no?”

“Owh wow.” Sofia’s pure eyes grew brightly as she inspected the familiar. “There’s so many of them! how do you keep them all in that shape so flawlessly?” Although this was one of the three great families of Fuyuki, Sofia did not seem to be on guard much at all; contrary to the shy girl that hid behind her, only peeking out to speak with a soft tone.

“I-I am Mana, these two girls weren’t very familiar with this town, so I’m acting as their guide for the time being.” If the hood did its job, then Saber’s disguise as Mana would be impenetrable.

”Excellent. All of you are welcome to join me in the gazebo.” Reiki’s form cast both gates open wide. ”Although I’d like your Servant in the back to materialise if they’re going to be joining us. Also, before you enter you should know that unless this meeting devolves into a battle I will make no moves against you as you return to Ryuudou Temple regardless of the outcome of our talks. I can join you in person if you’d like, but then I’ll have to insist on my own Servant coming as well. On the other hand, if you’d like to hold our meeting entirely with me in this form, you’ll retain the privilege of being able to destroy this form with your Servant and end the discussion.”

Sera placed a hand to her chin, listening to the quote unquote rules of engagement for the meeting. They were reasonable, as to be expected, and eventually she lowered her hand and smiled.
”You mentioned dealing with another associate at this time, correct? As much as I would prefer to conduct the meeting in person, if your current engagement is pressing I shall settle for this form.” then she looked back, towards the group but somewhat behind them, as Ajax left his spirit form, ”My sister’s Servant is currently stationed back at Ryuudou Temple as a Guard of sorts, and I don’t think Berserker here has particularly good table manners; he will be remaining outside.”

As she began to round off her list of comments, something quickly occurred to her.
”Ah, I should probably make this somewhat clear now.” she took a step over towards Mana, and placed her hand upon her shoulder, ”Mana here is a friend of our family, and while acting as our tour guide she is also a backup Magus for myself and my sister.I hope her joining in with this talk won’t be much of an issue?

”Of course there’s no issue. Anyone who’s a part of your camp for this war is welcome to join the discussion.” The simulacrum stepped to the side while Shinji followed faithfully at its feet. Overhead, a bird, clearly a familiar, flew off into the night while a set of insects suppressing their buzz carried a small object into the grounds. ”It seems this place is quite popular tonight. Well, if we’re all in agreement, then won’t you come in? I’ve prepared some light snacks in the gazebo.” It gestured to a small, well-kept structure a little ways into the grounds lit by candlelight. Even after having been revealed as a fake body, its expressions and movements were absolutely genuine.

This was the moment of truth. The building was old, and most Magus families would have had protection inbuilt. One of the Three Families was no exception. Sera gave their host a warm smile, and continued on through the gate, gesturing for her sister, and Mana, to follow suit. The moment she crossed the threshold of the mansion, the presence of Bounded Fields struck her, though it wasn’t exactly a surprise. No sane Magus would leave their territory unguarded. But as she looked towards Reiki, she noticed something odd.
”The Bounded Fields you have… they’re Rune based, correct?” she turned around, taking in the Mansion as a whole, ”I can see you’ve put a lot of effort into protecting this place. The fields are… remarkable. Truly.” as she looked back, she smiled, and continued on.

“You’re such a nerd.” Sofia jested, as she walked past Sera, and towards the gazebo. It was almost impossible to stay her eyes from the many familiars that littered the place, and thought it struck her as peculiar, it did seem like they were miss Matou’s specialty. Meanwhile, Mana had followed Sofia very sheepishly, only flinching ever slightly upon entering the bounded field. Her shy nature really shone through as her eyes were glued to the ground, and on Sofia.

If Reiki had detected anything related to Mana upon her entry, her familiar body hadn’t reacted. As it led the trio towards the gazebo, Shinji followed at its heels until the door to the manor opened a crack and a whistle sounded from inside, causing him to dash that way. For the moment before Shinji entered the house and the door closed, the girls could make out a woman with dark red hair and eyes with the unmistakable aura of a Servant holding it open. ”Correct, those are Runes. You have sharp senses befitting your house.”

The simulacrum stepped up onto the gazebo, a fine hardwood piece of construction with a small table at the center and five chairs. On the table lay a tray of chocolate chip muffins, a teapot, and five teacups. The worm-built girl climbed the three steps to the gazebo and stood behind the table with a smile on its face. ”Please, seat yourselves and enjoy.”

The Whitehall Family may not have been an especially powerful house, nor was it a Noble group, but it had still been their dream for a long time to become one of true note; this wasn’t the first evening meeting Sera had attended, and it likely wouldn’t be the last. Entering onto the Gazebo, she took a small look around the table, taking in the decor and muffins, before seating herself.
”Five teacups?” she said, taking one of the muffins from the center of the table and taking a small, cautionary, but still sizeable, bit from it, ”Are we to be expecting another guest at our Round Table, of sorts?”

”The fifth seat and cup were prepared for my Servant if you wished to meet my true body.” The false Reiki picked up the teapot and circled the table to stand by Serafina, ”Do you take one lump, or two?”

Sera looked towards Reiki as she approached her with the teapot. All she had to hope was that she could remember her “training”.
”I’ll take two, thank you very much. The flavour of tea without it tends not to agree with me.”

As Sofia took a seat, she was already chewing on a muffin, as soon as the muffin left the table it was already in her stomach; the Matou’s sure knew how to bake their goods. “Excuse me! Could I have some tea too; without sugar.”

“And I’ll take 3 lumps in my tea please.” Mana said with her eyes flickering between Reiki and the floor.

The simulacrum poured each girl a cup of tea with the requested amounts before standing up straight. For a moment, the natural appearance of the face became rigid. ”On the subject of my real body, I’ve just about finished up dealing with another Master I’m working with. If you’re comfortable with me being the only one with a Servant present, we could join you in earnest for the business. My other associate will be staying in the manor and not joining us for this meeting.” The worm-body’s words rang true as the presence of not one but two Servants emanated from the house.

Serafina took a sip of tea. She was right, the flavour wasn’t exactly agreeable. Under normal circumstances, she might have asked for another lump, but instead she let Reiki continue her message, occasionally sipping from the cup as she spoke.
”Is that so? Well, if you’re finished with your business, I would be grateful to meet you in person. I fear the meeting might have observed something of an impersonal touch otherwise, no?” she took a look across the Gazebo, and then smiled at her sister, ”And, rest assured, we have no qualms with you being the only one here with a Servant. Quite honestly, I had been expecting so from the start, and thus it is the potential risk I am willing to take.” although she looked up from the cup towards their host, ”Not that there is any risk involved, right~?”

”Of course. It still stands that I will not trouble you on your return to the temple no matter how our meeting is resolved.” With that, the simulacrum set down the tea set and made for the house, standing aside from the door as it opened and the real Reiki emerged along with the red-haired Servant seen earlier. The Reikis nodded as they passed each other and the clone entered the manor.



Reiki approached the gazebo and it was hard for the girls to tell if perhaps her hair was a little brighter, her eyes a little more lively. Probably it was nothing more than the psychological effect of knowing what is genuine and what is not. ”Good to see you in person, everyone. Let me introduce my Servant, Lancer.” She entered the gazebo and took a seat while her Servant paused at the entrance, seemingly focused on Mana. ”There is something different about you, compared to the other mages of this time.” She spoke bluntly. It was a rare talent of royalty to not ask questions, but to make statements that demanded answers. At the same time, although it could not be seen through a Master’s clairvoyance, she was cycling through various Skills for the purpose of magical and mental insight to little effect. Nonetheless, she had detected an entirely distinct energy when this girl had entered her runic bounded field.

“O-owh ,there is? I could leave the settlement if my presence is unsettling.” Mana said with her eyes plastered to the table. Her shyness turned into anxiety as she was not used to these situations; Being singled out by a heroic spirit was a scary thing after all.

To see the two Matou Master’s side by side was an interesting experience, to say the least. Sera watched intently as the two passed, and the former, the Ersatz Reiki, left, leaving her eyes to settle upon her true form, and her Servant. Masters Clairvoyance was the first thing she initiated, just to do a little light reading on the woman.
”Pleasure to meet you too, Reiki Matou. And Lancer.” she nodded to both of them in turn, as the Master of the two took their seat.

However, she continued to eye the Servant curiously. Not only did they not take their seat, but they addressed Mana of all people. A minor note of disappointment sparked within Sera, realising that their cover may well have been blown. Except it wasn’t.
”I must apologise, in that case. I didn’t properly explain the situation, and for that, I am sorry.” she started, looking towards Mana, ”Mana here came to be a friend of our family due to her extenuating circumstances. I suppose in some cases, one could call it a Sorcery Trait, although I might liken it closer to a Curse. Her Magic Circuits are unable to properly process and produce Mana, and so her internal systems tend to… while I hate to say malfunction, I would suppose it is the closest descriptor.” despite the lie, the look she gave towards the girl was sympathetic, ”She was brought to my family to see if we could assist in remedying it. We’ve been friends for many years. I do apologise.”

Lancer remained in the gazebo doorway. Mana was inscrutable, but she detected something off about Sera’s response. As she opened her mouth, it seemed likely that she was about to encourage Mana in her offer to leave when Reiki interjected. ”Lancer, please don’t interrogate our guests. Come and have a seat, won’t you?” There was no sigh, nod, or hesitation as Lancer moved to the last empty chair. At the same time, it was obvious from the very atmosphere that not a mite of her suspicion had lifted. ”Now, it’s about time we got down to business and the matter of our alliance in this war.” She smiled as she poured herself a cup of tea with two lumps, and unlike Lancer who radiated suspicion, it was difficult to identify how in touch Reiki was with the situation.

”I think that would be for the best, yes.” Sera sipped from her own cup, and addressed the table, ”I can tell that Lancer here has some… reservation, regarding us. I hope we can iron those out.” as she spoke, her gaze drifted to the door of the gazebo, and the mansion itself, ”Your duplicate referenced a second Servant on the premises. Considering your own Servant, my sisters, and Berserker, does that make this a four-man coalition?”

“We’ll be unstoppable!”

”That’s exactly right. As far as I can tell throughout the city, there is no group larger than this one would be if we joined forces. With that said, I assume you have noticed the exceedingly large number of participants in this war.” Reiki set down her teacup and leaned forward in her chair. ”It’s my understanding that the cap on Servants summoned and Masters given command seals have completely vanished. With that in mind, have you considered having Mana attempt to summon?” Was that a vicious flash in her eyes as she cornered their deception? No, she looked honestly at the trio with a question on her face.

“Well, as Miss Serafina told you, my magic circuits don’t work as intended. Even if I wanted it with all my heart,” Although she looked timid before, her posture now turned into something entirely obedient. “There is no way that I could summon anything at all.”

Sera simply watched as Mana explained herself as best she could, though what she said left a lot to be desired. She couldn’t help but give a small sigh.
”The fluctuations in her Magical Energy levels would make summoning a Servant dangerous. Sometimes her levels can be high, while other times they can be dangerously low.” she cast a glance towards Lancer, ”I’m not one to risk the lives of my friends just so they can help further my progress. Mana’s life would be at risk if she attempted to summon a Servant, and as her friend I shant allow that to happen.” the eyes with which she scanned both her host and their Servant betrayed a thin line between sympathy and a cold stare. She wasn’t messing around.

The expressions of the two facing the trio couldn’t have been more different. Reiki seemed to express that she had made a grave mistake in implying Sera would endanger a friend’s life. Meanwhile, Lancer’s gaze seemed to say unsatisfactory deception. The question, in that case, was how much information was passing between the two telepathically.

Reiki gave a small cough to lighten the mood before speaking up. ”I’m sorry. Four will be more than enough, you’re right not to endanger your friend. But I’ve gotten ahead of myself in talking about how we should work together. We need to determine if we can work together.” She picked up a cookie and took the smallest bite before setting it down. ”To that end, I’d like to know both of your wishes for the Grail.”

As if on cue, Sofia’s entire posture changed when Reiki asked the question. Slowly, she put a half eaten muffin on the table before peering at Reiki with determined eyes. Completely contrasting her laid-back attitude this entire time.

“I am going to remove the necessity for bloodlines in magi...For as long as I can remember, heritage and family was the most important thing a mage could ever cherish, it defined their future and their past.” Her words rang heavy with a grudge as she spoke. “Well when I get my hands on the grail, I am going to eradicate that concept, so no more children would be thrown away or mistreated by their family.” And as soon as it came, her determined look faded away, leaving her cheery self behind. “Though I’d be okay with Sera winning as well.” She beamed at her sister.

Watching her sister act all confident and determined forced a break in character for Sera, dissipating the serious demeanour she was using for the meeting in favour of a light chuckle.
”You’re funny sometimes, Sophie.” was all she said, before she turned back to Reiki, ”Our family wasn’t kind to Sofia. Honestly, I… No wish I could think of amounted to the same thing she would desire. She deserves the Grail more than anyone I know - her wish is my command.”

A series of short, light nods from Reiki as she looked back and forth between the two girls. ”Entirely respectable. I have no problem with that. My own goal for the grail is the salvation of humanity along with the end of all evil and suffering. Technically, the suffering of those in the situations you’ve described should be included as well, but I expect you’d want to do it yourself to be doubly sure.” Her face fell a bit. ”That’s important to note. Our alliance is to help each other reach the final stages of this grail war before splitting apart. You should be aware that the other Master I’ve allied with is more directly in my service and has pledged to deliver the Grail to me. Moreover, my other intent in our alliance is to eliminate the more unruly participants in the war, such as those who would wish for mass death, chaos, or their own tyranny.” Her expression brightened a bit. ”But as long as your wishes aren’t evil and you don’t expect the Grail from me, I’m more or less ready to discuss terms and plans.” She looked out expectantly at the trio.

”So a two versus two scenario, is what you’re saying? It sounds interesting. Of course, we also want to whittle down the number of potential candidates as quickly and efficiently as possible.” she smiled as she spoke, taking another sip of her tea, ”Do you have any terms you’d like to set out immediately, before any kind of forum begins. I think it would be best if we were to all input into this - including you, Mana - as we’re all members of the same coalition. That way our outcome will be much more agreeable between the four, or five, of us, depending on whether you have anything to input, Lancer.”

”That’s essentially correct. I’d like to end the war just among us, and in the meantime a term I’d like to impose is a certain amount of morali-”

”There is something more pressing.” Lancer stood from her seat. Reiki seemed to deflate and give a slight sigh in a way that indicated she had been communicating with her Servant on the subject to some extent. ”While Mana herself seems quite honest, I am, at this point, quite confident that the previous excuse for her strange aura by Ms. Serafina here was a falsehood.” There was no spear in her hand, but she radiated restrained hostility. At the same time, she was preparing to engage the gazebo’s defences and using Clairvoyance to watch for the slightest danger.

Lancer decided to interrupt the proceedings. Sera was aware that she was suspicious, that much was evidenced by the way she had acted at the beginning of the meeting. That said, she had hoped for things to go on a little longer before she had to intervene. As the Servant stood and confronted her friend, she simply crossed her legs, sighed, and sat back in her chair.
”We’re going to be allies, y’know, Lancer? We can’t exactly be doing with you accusing us of lying every five minutes, we’d never get anything done.” her eyes drifted to Reiki, ”You look like you agree with that sentiment. Why don’t we hear it from Mana, though, eh? I’d sure to love to hear about a supposed liar hiding within my group.” she turned to the girl, with a small smile, ”Well Mana? Got something to say for yourself?”

“I w-well, I’ve been befriended to Sofia and Serafina for years...D-do you remember when I tripped on the balcony of your manor, and Sofia tried to catch me but ended up tumbling over with me!?”

“I did! We were both strapped in bandages for the entire week.” Sofia laughed.

”Okay, you two, that’s enough.” Sera finally said, ”You’re really not convincing anyone with that.” she took another sip of tea, and turned her attention back towards Reiki and Lancer, activating a single Mannaz Rune on her body, ”Therefore I suppose it comes to down to who believes who. We can’t really have a coalition where nobody trusts each other, right Lancer? I don’t want us to fight.” her smile was warm and confident, although her eyes betrayed a certain curious look to them as they watched the Servant, as though waiting for some kind of signal or action.

“Wrong, this coalition could provide stability and safety for Sofia and Serafina, and I won’t allow that opportunity to pass by.” Mana said as she adjusted her stature from a shy girl to a bold stance, revealing her real attitude. “I am Sofia’s servant Saber, and though my intent was to stay hidden, I feel that switching that advantage for this alliance will be worth it.” Saber took a step towards Scathach. “Lancer, your ability to notice me is nothing short of remarkable, and I commend you for acting on it; although my intentions were not hostile, I understand your eagerness to protect your master.” Saber took a seat once more, gesturing for the meeting to continue.

“Saber…” Sofia seemed a bit surprised at Saber’s sudden reveal, but quickly regained her composure. “Well I’m actually kinda relieved, subterfuge and secrets are fun and all, but building an alliance really only works with truth and trust, don’t you think Reiki?” She smiled.

Reiki, it seemed, had fallen into something of a grim acceptance as the alliance seemingly crumbled around her. Once the Saber was revealed, however, she brightened up quite extremely. ”Yes, I think that’s right. I appreciate you revealing yourself, Saber, and I promise we won’t share this information with anyone outside our faction. Right, Lancer?” She looked up to her Servant.

Lancer, for her part, seemed to have relaxed somewhat. A thousand potential deceptions had turned into one concrete fact before her. There was still a chance Saber had lied to her, but the response of her Master seemed entirely genuine. The eyes that fell on Saber were unmistakably those of one warrior judging another. ”Indeed. With that, I have no further terms for the moment.” She returned to her seat.

”Well, that didn’t go to plan…” Sera sighed, giving something of a half hearted comment as she slid back into her chair, only to quickly sit back up, ”Ah well, can’t fault a girl for trying. Gotta keep your purse at least partially secret, right?” she smiled and laughed at Reiki, as though she hadn’t just tried to deceive her on a massive scale, ”So, where were we on the whole terms thing?”



Later, information had been exchanged and terms agreed upon. The candles of the Gazebo burned low as the Masters and Servants exchanged goodbyes.

“Alright then, I’ll head into town immediately; we can’t let that thief run around doing whatever he pleases.” Sofia said as she stood up from her chair, and started walking towards the exit with Saber in tow. “See ya.” She waved to Reiki and Scatach as she left the compound, giving a small smile to Berserker as she passed by.

Sera stood back, watching and waving as her sister left Servant in tow. As she exited, she turned back to Reiki.
”I think we can all agree that that went well.” she smiled, ”I’ll let her deal with that problem. I think some reconnaissance is due. This is the first night of the war, after all. There’s bound to be some interesting battles on going.” and with that, she turned to walk away, ”Later.”

As the last of her visitors left the manor grounds, Reiki closed and locked the gates behind them. Purely for visual effect, of course, as the real protections could not be seen so much as felt. ”That was a great outcome, actually.” She looked pleased as she turned back to Lancer and the two began to make their way inside.

”That girl made a good point at the end, Master.” Lancer opened the door and held it open for Reiki, ”This is the first night of the war, and therefore no time to be lounging around.”

”Good point. We’ll discuss moves with Benita inside once we’ve filled those two in on the new alliance.” The door closed behind the pair, and the candles in the gazebo were snuffed out, leaving the yard dark and quiet.

@Breo @manythings

“If my failures seem human to you, I guess I’ll try them more often,” Benita told her Servant, wryly. Perhaps this was a step forward at least. Previously, aside from the aforementioned encounter where she had headbutted a Servant’s body, she had been rather straightforward with her Servant, but even so, one could tell that Benita seemed to genuinely enjoy the statement. Whether it was feeling justified in stating that her actions previously were idiotic and condemning her Servant for suggesting her action in them again, or simply believed it was a rather funny situation was left to be seen though.

Either way, it seemed that Reiki was fine to let Benita do what she wished. After all, so long as the two served the same person, the “master of the Matou house”, Benita was sure there could be no issue regarding her choices within the war Especially given the fact that her Servant was one that could likely defeat most other opponents, regardless of their strength.

Or at least that was the level she expected her Servant to be at.

“If you fail me though, I can’t say I would be too happy after talking yourself up so much.”

Perhaps it was his cocky attitude, or perhaps it was his radiant armor, or perhaps even his insistence on being called “Lancer Prime” that might have caused Benita to at the very least believe he was either completely full of shit or one of the stronger Servants one could summon in a war. Though the basic information given to her by master’s clairvoyance seemed to back up this claim.

At the very least Benita figured she would call a certain someone and let them know she had touched base.



“Jackal” to “Wild Miller”. Letting you know I have touched base and am currently ready to initiate combat with other Masters. I have summoned my Servant and shall begin to look for opponents.”

“Well, I got a few orders from the big guy. Heard about those fireworks from earlier. I want you to go find them and see what they are. Sources say they are likely the work of the war’s ruler, so any information you can get on ‘’em would be good for the war effort. The real question is who summoned a Ruler in this war, or why had a Ruler been summoned to this war.”

“And that is what I am here to go find out?”

“Bingo, little missy,” “Wild Miller” responded in a rather sly manner, perhaps expecting Benita to understand instantly what he was trying to convey to her without too much though. Or perhaps even just expecting her automated response to his statements. “What I want you to do is go to the crash site and recover the object that lit up the night sky like Christmas. Though I understand you have a basic understanding of tracking, I’m a man of the land, so I think I know a more precise location where the object could have landed. I’ll send you the coordinates and the margin for error.”

“Understood, I’ll add these to my map. But don’t call me “little” again or I will block you from contacting me further.”

“C’mon now, it is only a little fun, ain’t it? Oh, and be on the lookout for any redskins. Forests always are crawling with them, ain’t they? Over and out.”

No,

No, they were not ...

“Lancer, I have a job for you. We shall leave post-haste.”

There was something that she had to take care of at this time. After all, it was very likely that “they” had already taken what she had come to wish to retrieve. And if anything, it could result in a fight. But those were the orders. And orders are orders.

Perhaps when Reiki entered the house, she was surprised to see that Benita had vanished from sight. Perhaps she was distracted. Perhaps Reiki had known Benita had left the house. But regardless, by the time she had looked into the house, she was long gone.



@Cu Chulainn @Crusader Lord @breo

It was a simple command.

She had given her Servant the knowledge that was conveyed by “Wild Miller” in his debriefing of the situation. The goal was to obtain the object fired by the presumed ruler of the war. Though it had been a while since the shots were fired, the compound of the Einzberns was rather large. Perhaps they had yet to retrieve the piece. If they had, she could simply leave.

All she had to do was a simple action and it would occur.

“Go,” was the only word she told her Servant. And the only words of confirmation he should have needed. This was a rather dangerous mission, but she was sure that it would be possible to obtain the objects before the Einzberns if she was lucky.

And lucky she was feeling.

Unslinging the Accordion from its position in her bag, Benita prepared for any and all counterattacks she could imagine from her “opponents”. She was an external force and they would likely be swarming to expel her Servant, like a foreign invader in a beehive.

...But she was ready. Taking her Accordion, she had summoned two bodyguards in order to protect herself from invaders and was prepared to summon more if need be.

“Well, failures in general are just part and parcel of being alive, Master. Nobody’s perfect,” He chuckled, accompanying her after shooting the other Lancer a final, curious glance. “That said, I would not consider them ‘failures’ to begin with.”

That much was true. He might have teased her about how the actions did not fit with what her ‘ideal of a soldier’ was like, but they weren’t failures as far as he was concerned. Just a little girl showing a bit of fire.

. . .He better avoid the first half of the statement if he ever said it aloud, he thought as he carried the girl’s piano to the place she instructed.

“Eh, don’t worry about it,” His smirk had regained the cocky undertone. “I can assure you, Master, that my failure should be the last thing in your mind.”

Was it confidence, arrogance, or merely a lack of awareness regarding the situation that gave Lancer Prime the will to make such statements? In a war such as this—

—Where heroes fought each other for supremacy.

—Where what should be a ‘destined outcome’ could be overturned as a matter of course.

—Where even the brightest stars could find a match or a better.

Yes, in a war such as this, the sort of attitude that prompted one to say ‘failure is not a concern’ could be either of those three options, and only time would tell if glory or ruin awaited at the end of the road.

. . .But, if nothing else, the Servant seemed entirely self-assured, and once Benita gave the command, his eyes lit up once more.

“Alright!” He cheered, twirling his spear and following his Master to whatever battlefield that awaited them. “Just watch, Master — I’ll show you the strength of the man you’ve contracted with.”

And so, they departed, Lancer Prime ready to let his spear pierce the chests of heroes in splendid battle like the days of yore. Ready to—



—Be an errand boy?

As they made their way toward the forest and Benita explained the situation and instructions to him, his façade. . .remained the same, almost as if he really did not mind — a far cry from the previously stated desires to ‘show her his strength’ and ‘fight the other heroes of this war’, both of which he seemed to be rather eager to accomplish.

Furthermore, one would think that someone with his disposition would not find ‘courier work’ to be interesting, or even acceptable. However, Lancer Prime maintained his good cheer.

After all, she hadn’t explicitly told him ‘do nothing else’.

After all, he could do some scouting on the side.

After all, he was about to venture into enemy territory.

After all, if he met said enemy. . .well, there were just a thousand ways it would go, no?

“Yeah, sure, I’ll get it for you, Master. . .” A smirk once again made its way to his face. “Just to make sure, though, if someone's in the way, you don't mind if I kick their ass, right?”

Lacking the decency to even wait for her confirmation, Lancer Prime broke into a run, leaving behind only a sound akin to the crack of thunder and a trail of shattered ground.

Moving straight through the forest, he deftly avoided the trees and ignored the rough terrain as though it was not even an inconvenience, shooting forward like a bullet and attaining speed even the greatest among humans would find—

. . .No, that was wrong.

To begin with, Lancers were supposedly lauded for their speed in the first place — it was the hallmark of their class. To say that ‘his speed far surpassed that of humans’ would only be par for the course, and although Lancer Prime boasted of even higher specs, they were not ‘something no other Servant could attain’. Or rather, they shouldn’t have been.

But if anyone were to watch him now, one would have to wonder if even among the renowned heroes of ages past there would be a single one that could hope to match that sprint.

Reaching near the edge of the supposed crash site, he leapt to a tree branch and stopped almost as suddenly as he had started, surveying the area before him and whistling.

“Whoever that was, they sure didn’t hold back.”

Indeed, the craters proved as much, the landscape of the forest blown away around them as though a god had taken offense. His eyes narrowed as he jumped from branch to branch, approaching with more care than he had just a few moments prior and looking down to discern any sort of interesting—

. . .Ah, wait. To begin with, it appeared that he was not alone. Someone had beat him to the place, a Servant in fine armor and carrying a sword — Saber, then? He certainly looked the part of the knight.

Was this another curious party or the Servant of the owners of this place? Regardless, it would not do to try and skulk in the shadows — so he cheerfully announced his presence with a laugh, pleased.

“Well, I would be lying if I said I was fully expecting to meet anyone here, but my luck seems to be great tonight,” Spear slung across his shoulders, he looked at the man before him. “I take it you’re curious about that lightshow from earlier, too? We could compare notes if you like.”

But then, he paused — his smile became sharper, his eyes narrowed, and he brought his spear to bear, pointing it straight at his quarry from across the clearing.

“Or, if you want, we can just skip the pleasantries and start killing each other right now. I’m fine with either.”

@phonic @Cu Chulainn @Crusader Lord

@Reflection @Manythings @Floodtalon @EnterTheHero




Swarms, swarms, swarms.

They were loud, very loud. Loud like the armies of him numerous like the armies of him fast like the armies of him yet to compare them to anything like the armies of him were an insult to him and berserker himself.

They were not even worth fighting something whispered in himself. But that whisper was lost in the torrent of madness that clouded his mind.

His thoughts existed, his thoughts existed. Berserker thought and was the king he always was. It simply was buried under that which was forced upon him as a burden by his container. A Berserker that maintained his humanity to an extent. It was simply buried, unseen and unrecognized by any others.

However it made him a berserker easier to use. He was the large Emperor, the horned-king who fought not as a single hero but as the wielder of the might of a great empire and its even greater riches So he listened, and he moved as though he were a tool. He was a commander, he was a tool, a familiar.

With a roar Berserker burst through one of the nearby walls. His massive axes, almost matching the size of the swarms by their lonesome cleaved through the air,sending shockwaves that pulped their innards through their husks, and cleaved a few unfortunate bugs that drew near him.
▂▃▄▅▆▇██!!!
Perhaps another sort of berserker would have been delayed by such a swarm of familiars.

But he was not of that sort. Prioritizing completely the order of his master, Berserker appeared by the side of the mage swifter than the descent of the swarms. Rubble spraying everywhere from his passage shot like shrapnel, wrecking havoc everywhere save for where Xerxes was as Darius cleaved down the debris headed towards him into less than dust.

Berserker did not take the time to notice the group from the celling, or the various swarms already approaching. Taking Xerxes in one hand he simply retreated. Slipping away with his ability, it was beyond the means of such familiars to chase after him. With a leap that sent ripples through the very foundation of the building and threatened to collapse it like a earthquake, Berserker burst through where no bugs were.

If it were merely a matter of chasing after a servant slowed down by a human then perhaps with careful planning the escape could have been contested. But the Berserker was a legendary soul with many great anecdotes of retreat and rebuilding.

Berserker left nothing but the completely pillaged husk of a bank, ruined and destroyed, both physically as a structure and in its idea with its riches completely pillaged and the notion of its security demolished.

Following his masters orders, they retreated to the church of Fuyuki, hoping for sanctuary. For whoever who discovered them would surely not pursue them into such sacred territory?

The familiars moved through the city, feathers black as night, carefully observing the earth below.

They had spread out, they had been quiet and they had not drawn attention, as they had been commanded — the perfect servants for their lady. Maybe if they did well, she would give them names.

However, a group had different orders.

‘Bring me materials’.

That would be done, too. Whatever she requested, they would accomplish.

So it was that, in separate instances throughout Fuyuki, perhaps one would stumble upon an odd scene of dogs looking at a crow, and then carefully, slowly, they would start moving in a new direction.

Nothing notable. Not even a pattern, properly speaking — but they would all end up gathering in a certain spot, near a certain place.

But not just dogs. Snakes, as well, crawling on their bellies slowly along the riverbank under the cover of the night, hidden by the grass. Slowly, so very slowly, the animals marched.

However, more than anything, they were still spies, to an extent.

And so, while some crows concerned themselves with the gathering of resources, the others continued to observe and send whatever information they deemed useful.

In particular. . .


“Well, that should be it,” She smiled, wiping sweat off her forehead that wasn’t really there as yet another zombie arose. The materials for the other project should be here soon, as well, and that would help tremendously. Ah, she could not wait to get her hands on—

Oh.

Oh.

Tonight was just full of surprises, wasn’t it? She almost could not believe the information that reached her through the karmic link — all at once, she wanted to laugh at the absurdity, cry over the waste and curse the stupidity.

But she could deal with that later. Right now? Right now it seemed that the heavens had smiled upon her once more and gifted her with yet another opportunity.

So thinking, she sent out a few commands to her puppets while she approached the Servant she had summoned—

—No, that title was not befitting any longer. As of now, she was. . .

“Teacher, sorry to disturb you,” She muttered, grasping her necklace as if nervous. “But my cute little familiars have sent me information pertaining the competition.”

She paused.



Necromancers were opportunistic by nature, but this defied even her wildest expectations. But hey, who was she to look a gift horse in the mouth? Besides, sending some of her puppets would not hurt — and perhaps they’d even get something useful out of it.

---

They walked through the empty streets, taking quick and purposeful steps. To anyone else giving them a cursory glance, they would not have looked out of place at all, outside of the hours they had chosen to venture outside. However, to a more careful observer. . .

Their skin was flush and healthy. They did not stumble, they did not groan, they did not do anything that would bely their nature as ‘something that was not human’.

But there was no mistaking those vacant eyes that seemed to stare at infinity, there was no mistaking that lack of something that was crucial to true life.

Still, that did not matter. They had their instructions, and like the good flesh machines they were, they would follow them regardless of what happened to those bodies.

The group made their way through the streets with the sole objective of reaching that church and that graveyard to steal more materials so that their mistress would have what she requested and to investigate the situation further. Slowly, they made their way uphill and stepped forward to face any traps or opposition.

For her sake, they would ‘die’ again.

@Red Alice @EnterTheHero @Floodtalon

And so, in the dead of night, Archer finally finished his work, excitedly ushering his Master into the completed area that had been built into the walls of Troy. Namely, into the quartered-off VIP section that involved passing through Troy's walls to enter. A little bit of insurance if things went south.

Now with the opportunity to see the "cave" Archer had spoken about, it in all its glory was beholden to Gin.

It was a bar.

It just looked like a normal fucking bar. Albeit a pretty damn nice one, in a dive bar-y sort of way.

“Alright, kid, you stay in the VIP section outta sight when I'm outta here. I'm gonna start puttin' up flyers in a bit but if you wanna, call ya boys and have em come by too. Bartender’ll give em drinks if they want, free since they’re ya boys.”

As he spoke, Archer passed a piece of paper forwards, which was a meticulously hand-drawn flyer, one of the countless ones he had been working on during construction to advertise the bar.

As far as the information of the flyer, most of it was rather standard. It mentioned the name of the establishment, “Pelion’s Pub”, as well as noting its location and other such basics. For its grand opening, the flyer also noted that it was “1 Yen shots for twenty-four hours”. Also it was open 24/7 apparently, because of course it was.

Well, and then at the bottom of the flyer there was this.



...wait, hadn't Archer just mentioned a bartender?

When had he hired a bartender?

It was just Gin and himse-

---

The man had appeared in the bar shortly after Chiron’s statement. That isn’t to say he entered the bar through its doors, but rather that one moment he was not present and then the next, he was. What’s more, this was the “VIP section” of the bar, which was invisible from the front section even if one could enter it. It was as if he had teleported in, or rather...

A soft laugh left him as he glanced around at the interior of the bar, shaking his head a bit. “Ha, you madman. You’ve really outdone yourself.”

"Don't I know it."

A jovial smile split the newcomer's face, eyes carrying a softness to them that suggested a recalling of fond memories. After a moment, he let out a brief exhale, before rounding about and facing Gin.

“Aha, I do apologize if my sudden appearance there startled you. Your partner didn’t do much in the way of explaining, but I’ll be helping you out here as the bartender. That Servant you summoned is an excellent judge of character, so I’m sure that since he’s acknowledged you as his Master-"

"-and student, once he gets some lessons from the other kid."

"-we’ll be able to get along rather well.” He explained, not missing a beat from Archer's interruption and punctuating his remark by sparing a brief glance over to the bar.

“In the meantime, if you’d like a drink then let me know. I’m not confident in much, but I can say with some certainty that you’d be hard-pressed to find someone better at making drinks than me.”

Seeming to realize something, the strange man paused for a moment before striking the side of his head with his palm.

“Sorry, sorry. I didn’t introduce myself. Well, Chiron’s taken to calling me ‘Donnie’, so you’re welcome to do the same.”

His eyes sharpened, glinting with mischief as the trace of a smirk played on the edges of his lips.

“Of course, you might know me better by the name of Dionysus.”

Troilus tried his best to listen to Archer’s words. After all, he was a teacher, so they were certainly valuable. But even so, he was a difficult man to understand. Well, all he had to do was patiently listen, and he would figure it out eventually, surely.

Come to think of it, wasn’t he the one who taught that man?

For a second, Troilus froze. For a second, he was pulled into that black pit as he remembered-

-The burning pain in his scalp as he was pulled by his hair, dragged from his horse onto the ground, roughly enough to stun him. The hero that had outpaced his own horse, the hero that raised his spear against the screaming child-

It wasn’t good to think about such things.

Well, now that the Baba was done talking with Archer, he could ask his own questions. With a small grin on his face, he began to speak to Gin, tugging at his clothes.

“Hey, mister. How did you get your hair like that? Does it take a lot of time? It looks funny.” The innocent questions and comments of a child, held back during the serious negotiations, came flooding out. “And why is your sword wooden? Wouldn’t it be better to have one that’s metal? I could give you mine! Oh, but it was a present from my brother, so I can’t. Sorry!

It was a babbling that didn’t really warrant response, a stream of meandering questions and interjections as they moved through the fortress, Troilus taking very little care, even as the fortress shifted around them. His movements were fluid and playful, uncaring as to the surrounding dangers.

Even just with two more people around, this place was beginning to feel more like home.

@Froppy @Cu Chulainn

Whilst Hamel was occupied with further fortifying his workshop, the sudden lack of connection between him and his servant had broken him out of his meandering.

He did not panic, there was no need to. Lancer's skill, troublesome as it may be, would ensure he would not fall easily. And his early display of strength further assuaged any lingering doubts.

No. There were many explanations for this interference. For good measure, he had redirected a familiar to the docks.

And for a good while he patiently observed the territory, waiting for any opening to manifest.

When suddenly, he was greeted by an terrifying horned existence. With naught but brute strength she assaulted the edge of the field, compromising the mystical structure until a hole opened up, inviting her, and unknowingly, getting rid of the interference that plagued the karmic bond between him and his servant. But before Hamel stood an opportunity to gather more information on what was undoubtedly a servant before him.

Utilizing his master's clairvoyance, he gazed at her, taking in every bit of information he could from that brief, limited exchange between servant and boundary field.

Floored by the towering might the servant possessed, Hamel was nearly taken aback before composing himself.

It would not do any good to panic or overthink things. He had to have faith in him and his servant.

Quickly, he shunted his vision away from his familiar, and towards his servant.

Only to be greeted with a great blank spot in his memory. There were no defining traits or events that were present. The only thing he could be certain, was the presence of a servant. It was an alarming revelation, but at the moment he was rather occupied with something else.

Through the connection to Lancer, Hamel began a dialogue with his servant.

Lancer, I have realized that I may have to take a more active approach regarding this war. With that being said, Lancer, as your master I demand to know your next course of actions, and how to secure our victory in this Grail War.

Hmm. My plans?” he asked, more as a confirmation that Hideyoshi had indeed asked what he had heard. Tlilpojuan took a filled gourd and raised to his lips, speaking somehow while drinking. It was a talent on the level of his ability to eat and drink through the mask that was covering his face. “That is simple, is it not, Hideyoshi? The war has begun, the most western of experiences has descended upon the world. The battle that was in the making for 60 years is the one we are enjoying.” He shook his head. “There is no plan, save to simply participate.”

He nodded to himself, content with his own ideas before “Hideyoshi. The designs and dreams of sixty years, of longer than that come here. There are some who planned since the creation of this ritual, there are some who heard of it just recently and came here abandoning the usual of their lives here.”

He laughed. Truly it was like those who abandoned their homes to journey to a new world, to see new things, to conquer new land. Yes, the Grail War with its legends, and with how it brought together many from the world was truly the most western of experiences!

His glass slammed down on the ground. “What are plans in the face of all that? What are our experiences but a single moment of fuel compared to such a torch? Hideyoshi, to burn brighter is what I wish. To truly go west. I journeyed west, I learned many things with your grandfather, and in this foreign land.”

He suddenly leaned over, then dropped to lie on the dining floor of the Tohsakas. Almost like an animal without any sense of consideration for the situation and place, simply resting as he needed and saw fit. “Mhmm.” he said, words taking on a yawn-like quality.

The man who would be considered decently tall in the west in the day of the 21th century was indeed a giant in the eastern island in the current age. The mask only added to the impression of his height and size, and even lying idly, taking a bottle in hand. He looked not like a drunk a normal man would seem but instead like a sage in idleness, waiting for the world to sweep him along.

“I shall simply experience the war.” he said, his words pure in a sense.

What an idiot.

What a satisfied man.

He suddenly hopped to his feet, arms swinging as he landed on both of his feet at the same time. “It was a good meal. It was a good visit. I should however leave now, for the night ends soon. We’ll fight a number of times. Just as we have before the war. Please prepare the usual food then!”

Onto new lands, onto new experiences. Nodding to his student, he left wordlessly. Well, he was sure his student had plenty of responsibilities to deal with as the second owner. Even as a non-magus who was simply a martial artist he understood quite fine his duties.

Well then.

“Saber. Let us simply walk. They shall come to us, or we shall come to them. If we find no one then I will simply show you some more places to drink at!”

Pied Piper

Inside Piper's False Paradise.

Piper frowned as soon as the child servants left his domain. Such troublesome kids. Hopefully, He can reinstate his field in its former glory. His information erasure is still in effect so anyone who pries with his encounter with lancer and berserker would be completely oblivious from their bout.

Little information was gain from this little skirmished, A questionable child lancer whose innocent Piper would love to break and A drunken Oni who is way out of his league in terms of everything, hopefully, that pride of hers will be her downfall. Obviously, their master sent them to hunt other servants seeing their power level, a calculated gamble which pays off quite well if successful.

Piper sighed once more and didn't dwindle with his shortcoming and address the chaotic situation about what the demon left for him to clean up.

He paced towards the moshpit of carnivorous rats and stands before them, Unfazed by their action. He grinded his teeth and looks down on them with such pity and disdain. His lips tremble in anger before he lets out his outburst.

"Insolent rats! is that a way you act before your king!" Piper hissed and calm demeanor complete changes from 0 to a 100 real quick and seems more authoritative towards his bloodlust subject. He watches them tear each limb and seems not to notice him at the very least. They were too busy munching on each other.

He sighed at the lost cause of his former subjects.

"Such a waste of resources, but I have to put you out of your misery rather seeing you in this frenzied state reinstated to you by that hellspawn harlot, insubordination will not be tolerated." The bard presses his flute and plays his charm spell. A different tune from his once before. It was silent as if his flute wasn't producing any sound.

Unlike some king who let things slide that triggers a rebellion amongst her ranks and cause her downfall, Piper is not having any of that. They must be dealt swiftly and punished, Even tho his subjects are merely vermins and creatures.

The rats didn't hear the music at first, but something is happening inside their bodies. The rumbling of tummy was noticeable and began to feel something strange. One by one their ribs began to pry and blood splattered from their disemboweled bodies, Squeaking in pain in unison, A newborn rat was born and crawl out from every dead carcass of across the field, they were tamer than the previous version of themselves.

"I hope that it fixes it.." Piper said, looking at the reincarnated rats that were once affected by the madness enchantment. It's a start for getting back up in this rough night, Repairing what is lost.



He stands at the edge and looks beyond the port and sees one of his rat familiars swimming across the sea and landed on shore, such a brave trooper returning from its suicide mission.

"I hope you have good news, cause I'm having a rough night" Piper lifted the rat with care and press against his ear, like a phone, waiting for what tales the rat has seen from the Einzbern Forest. The rat constantly chirps and whispers to his ear nonstop... Until...

"What do you mean there's another lancer servant who is too fast to see and is on the hunt?" Piper gasped at the statement of his familiar. The rat king can't help but rub his face in frustration after hearing the word 'Lancer'. I swear that word started to irk him started from this night.

"My, that's some troublesome news, but a news nevertheless..hmm" Piper pondered for a bit.

"I need more information, regarding where the location of the other servant and masters are." Piper said, clearing his throat, commanding some of his best familiars to scout the city before them.

"I need you to scan the city, do it discreetly, leave no stone left unturned and if you get captured a rift raft lancer carrying a sack, please explode on without any hesitation," Piper said waving his hand in dismissal

These rats are on the hunt searching for any information about the others' whereabouts while rebuilding his fort.

Dietrich stood out in the open, in the midst of the crash sight, looking towards the horizon. Having spent most of the night investigating the attack had seemed to be fruitless. There was, indeed, no signs of any sort of projectile in the area. At this point, Rider was just waiting. His Master has yet to give him any other commands at this time, and if anyone were to make an attack against his Master's compound, Rider is certain that Falke, along with the other homunculi, could make a sturdy enough defense to hold whoever attacks back until Rider himself arrives. His only fear was if there happened to be another attack by the same Noble Phantasm aimed at the compound... In any case, Rider turned away, to make his way back home.

That is, until he showed up.

A green-haired man, adorned with armor so finely crafted, it surpassed the craftsmanship of even Rider's own. A slight feeling of jealousy washed over Rider, although his stonewall expression successfully hides it. Indeed, it looks like something no mere human could craft. Something only the likes of a Servant would be wearing. And judging by the spear slung at his back...

"Lancer," Rider muttered, under his breath, before turning around to face the opposing Servant as he armed his spear. "Is that a challenge?" He had asked, a slight smirk appearing on his face. Many times has Rider been challenged in his life, and many times he has found himself the victor. Out of all the victories he has received, however, none of them were as satisfying as he had hoped. And the rare times that he has been defeated?

We don't talk about those times...

In any case, all of Rider's challenges, whether they ended in him winning or losing, all ended with the same result; devastation and destruction. As a reply to his challenge, Rider merely swiped the ground in front of him with his sword with all his might, causing dust and dirt to explode outward. As the dust obscured his movements, Rider manifested a shield in his off-hand, bearing a golden lion with its mouth open as if it is perpetually roaring at whoever dare faces it.

As the dust settled, Rider could be seen bearing his shield in a defensive stance, ready to receive any of the attacks his opponent plans to deliver to him. And in front of Rider, a line in the sand, both metaphorical and literal, as to call it a line would merely be understating it. The strike Rider made to the ground a mere foot in front of him had created a ditch seven feet deep. The intention wasn't to make a trench in order to defend himself from his opponent, no. A Servant, with their bursts of speed, could easily traverse it should they decide to make the leap. Instead, it was merely a display of Rider's strength.

"This is merely a fraction of my full power, Lancer. Leave, now, or be struck down." Rider simply stated to his opponent, awaiting whatever response he should make in return, either verbally or physically. In truth, however, Rider was bluffing, if only slightly. The strike he made made into the ground was, indeed, his natural strength, and an A-ranked attack, nonetheless. Of course, it could be said that it isn't his true strength, as he's able to further enhance it by using a burst of his own magical energy. At any case, Rider's might is indeed nothing to scoff over.

I've encountered another Servant, Master. A Lancer, it seems. I wasn't able to locate his Master, however, so be wary. Rider had communicated, to his Master, as he began to think of a course of action. If this Servant was truly a member of the Lancer class, he will have to adapt to his speed. Luckily, Rider has chosen to wear the armor of Ortnit before this specific battle, so the only strikes he will have to worry about are the ones made that aren't against his armor. And reacting to his speed should be easy for Rider to accomplish, as well...



All that aside, Rider had made sure not to be overly confident in his own defenses against his opponent. He has learned a few times before that even the most lowly of commoners could defeat him, especially if they had the right weapons. If the best possible outcome happens, however, perhaps Rider could add yet another treasure to his collection...

All he wonders is if it would look good in black.

“Hm, I wonder. . .” He made a show of rubbing his chin as if in thought. “I was ordered to investigate whatever it was that happened here, and I can’t very well return to my Master empty-handed, especially considering it was such a simple task, you know? I got my pride riding on it.”

His tone deceptively light, he simply observed his enemy striking the ground with a relaxed countenance. He made no move to attack just yet and remained in his position, cocking an eyebrow at the display, his smile still firmly in place.

“. . .Was that an attempt to scare me away, Saber?” His opponent had not introduced himself with any class, but considering that attack just now, Lancer Prime judged that to be the likeliest — after all, Sabers were famed for their high specs in general. “You’re very confident in your ability.”

It was a simple comment — nothing incredibly insightful. Most heroes were confident in the first place, they had to be, especially if they qualified for the class that was touted as ‘the strongest’. It was just something to fill the silence while he analyzed his opponent.

A shield bearing the emblem of a golden lion.

A jet-black armor, not on par with his own, but the fine craftsmanship could not be denied.

And. . .

Ah, it was still too little to go on. ‘Great armor and wielding some sword’ could very easily define a thousand heroes, and a shield with a lion’s emblem was nothing new, either. Trying to figure out his identity from just that would be laughable.

So that only left one choice, then. His eyes — sharp and piercing like those of a raptor — met Saber’s gaze in earnest, and his spear was brought back just a touch, as though he would initiate a thrust from this distance.

. . .Madness. Even for a Lancer, when facing an enemy that was ‘roughly on par’, the distance between them was too great to launch that sort of attack without enough warning that they would know where and when to block, and if Saber’s other specs matched his apparent Strength, then he would doubtlessly see it coming.

However, Lancer Prime was not a normal spearman.

“Well, I still have my orders and you’re in my way. If you won’t just let me get through to investigate. . .”
His muscles tensed, ready to explode in motion at a moment’s notice.



And then he exploded forward, practically materializing in front of his enemy. Even for a Servant, even for a Lancer, that speed was just absurd.

His spear, similarly, was a blur of black and teal seeking to bite into the enemy’s flesh, poised straight for the throat. It seemed that his speed did extend to more than just his legs — now it was only a question of whether or not the opponent could keep up.

@phonic @Cu Chulainn

Baba entertained any fielded questions about her craft with short terse answers, teetering on the very edge of politeness with her mannerisms. It wouldn't do to be rude to an ally, but she was not particularly endeared to him either. He was green as could be, but he had an aptitude for asking the right kinds of questions, it was a shame she was too bitter to give the helpful kinds of answers. Likewise she had to show a stony face to Troilus in this time, metaphorically speaking given that her face was quite covered by the monstrous cloaked clockwork puppet she inhabited, but his own demeanor quickly showed that to be an entirely fruitless endeavor since he himself was so welcoming.

When they reached the workshop proper she again disembarked from her great wooden shell, and upon hopping out of it set about to putting on tea. After preparing the cups and the tea itself she stared like a hawk at the kettle, waiting for it to boil. As she had been quite thoroughly ignoring the window the sudden light show that put pause to Gin's question didn't peel her eyes away, though it did cause one of the tiles on the giant mechanical map of the area to turn over, displaying possible servant activity in that sector.

"Once Gatekeeper and I win the war you will be rewarded for your loyalty, do not concern yourself with that. In the meantime you sho-" Her voice was interrupted by the appearance of Chiron, unbidden and uninvited despite the agreed upon terms.

There was any number of things she wanted to say about that to both ARcher and his Master but instead she bit her tongue. In her own workshop and with her servant close at hand he was not a concern, and he only wanted to drag his master off. As it were, letting the two of them unattended was a poor idea for a number of reasons, so she re-invested into the Black Lion and followed suit.

"Troilus, sweetheart wait here. I'll have sweets aplenty upon my return if you behave." The contrast between the statement and the cold echoing metallic voice of the puppet would be amusing if it weren't so eerie.

---

The massive form of the puppet slumped and shouldered through the entrance to the bar directly after two less imposing but similarly intimidating figures and two more followed suit after. Despite the wide brimmed straw hats and the long sack-cloth cloaks the clicks and whirs that accompanied their movements as they went to properly flank their apparent boss confirmed they too were karakuri, though they stood only a little over half the size of the greater puppet. A lord should have an entourage, even if it's just for show.

There was certainly a lot to unpack here. It truly was just a bar to the eye but that was only to the eye. More importantly though. "THE Dionysus?" Even with the heavy mechanical filtering there was a tone of incredulity, such was the sheer weight of disbelief. A cranking, ratcheting noise filled the bar as the Great Black Lion threw its arms wide open, tattered black cloak all aflutter to reveal...

...The little old lady grinning ear to ear, showing all three teeth. "If that's true then you had better pour me a drink and prove it." She pulled a long pipe from one of the many hidden pockets inside her haori. "And while you're at it, got a light?"

With a smile, she disengaged. Olivier did not want to ruin the preparations that she and her Master had made prior to their arrival. With grace did the Countess of Aix clicked on the mechanism once more, turning the spear into a sword as it disappeared in blue light. The same goes for her armor, she thought it best since that since her dear Roland was a close friend and ally, he wouldn't do something as rash as betray them on the spot for the sake of some holy cup right? Even though that everyone is a potential enemy she believes that at least some of them has an ounce of honor. "Should we be the last people remaining then we should duel the same way we did so in life."



And there she was, a pretty face with that resembles sapphire personified. Her long, silky, white hair fell down with flair and would greet Roland with one of her signature smiles. "I don't suppose you would do the same? There's no need for armor or weapons on the dinner table." Olivier cleared her throat and lead the guests to their seats on the table, it was time for a celebratory feast, maybe not so much of a feast but it's still worth celebrating about their reunion. She turned to her Master and followed his lead as he discussed with his horse-faced mentor.

@Kyoka@Sageage@Reflection

---

"I apologize for the lack of responses, Caster, the men and I were busy scouring the area for those Servants' Masters." Spoke the mafioso as he approached with a handful of other men in suits. He looked around at the damage of their base while he didn't mind too much about the blood, the parts of rats and the smell of spilled guts in the air it did however bother the man which encouraged fear.

This did not do well for the Heir of the Crime Family and sighed. "I don't suppose your flute can erase the fear and worries of fully grown men?" This was both out of mere curiosity and a reason for his men to shape up when facing Servants as distractions or meat shield.

Of course with their location revealed and identity blown and not to mention the mess made at the harbor. Enzo no doubt believes that not only the attackers will come back but the locals will react negatively as well. "Seems we'll have to regroup. You suggested the town across the bridge before, I suppose we can set up a new base there if we wish. What say you Caster? Think we can hold off another attack in this disgusting stench? Of course, if we do move, it's time we go on the offensive."

He wasn't happy, he wasn't happy at all.

@Argonaut

Lancer had assumed that Rider was a Saber. It means that his Master's plan was working, so far. That assumption, along with Lancer's own confidence almost brought a smile to Rider's face. Seeing cockiness to that degree meant one of two things to Rider: that either his opponent was a fool who was looking to die, or that his opponent was a fool who could match his strength. Either way, Rider knew well that his night was about to get interesting just from the look in the fool's eye-



With a burst of prana through his shield arm, Rider raised his shield up to meet Lancer's blow, ducking down to make sure the shield protected his head and neck. While his instincts have already informed him that Lancer was going to charge, that burst of speed was just... ridiculous. It's as if Lancer, himself, was a shooting star, an arrow fired by one of the greatest of Archers aimed for his neck. Whoever his opponent was, he must have been the fastest of his era, if not of all time, narrowing his identity down to a handful. That being said, this speed was going to obviously be a problem, and both Rider's instincts and common sense directed him to attack one place; his legs.

Rider took a step forward, lowering himself further into almost a kneeling position into Lancer's guard before swinging his sword towards his inner thigh and keeping his shield up to ensure that his head and neck remained protected. Unless Lancer's spear sported similar qualities to that traitor's sword, Rider trusted that his armor was able to protect him from an attack directed anywhere else, allowing him to focus on defending his vitals. Quickly following the swing was a bash from his shield as Rider lunged forward, sending another blast of prana to his shield with the intent of blasting Lancer back and letting his blade slide clean through his hamstring.

If his attack were successful, then Rider would have disabled one of Lancer's legs for the remainder of the fight. If Lancer's speed were truly his own, it would work at a limited effectiveness now that one of his legs has been taken out, which leaves Rider to only really worry about the strikes of his weapon. Keeping his shield up, Rider awaited his opponent's next strike, or strikes would probably be more accurate given his speed, now taking to account the sheer swiftness of Lancer's movements. Truly, this fool was indeed one that might prove a match for the likes of the Decimating Dragon King.

Pied Piper

"Don't fret master, as long as you're safe, I say nothing of value was lost, I am willing to sacrifice my rats or myself for the greater cause of your success." Piper said with the utmost sincerity and humility once he saw Enzo and his goons approach him.

"I doubt that there are masters around here, those two servants come here alone, seeing how unhinged and powerful they are. As you can see, not all servants are created equal, and my performance tonight is my worst one yet. and for that, I apologize." Piper said and puts his hat on his chest.

"I did get some info from our short exchange. As for berserker's case, her ability to cast madness enhancement on my rats is an incredible feat and was totally unexpected, overlapping even my own charm spell. That Oni is a real mana-guzzler and I do believe only a capable high-rank mage is able to sustain her like that. One of the participants somewhere fits that category." Piper deducted from his encounter.

"I have no information regarding lancer's master or what lancer true identity, and I do believe neither does he or she about us. so it's a stalemate, but I'm sure we won't be seeing the last of him" He finished his report to Enzo, just letting the mafia boy know what his up against.

"My apologies for your man to see this gruesome sight, but to be blunt, it only gets messier from here." Piper sighed.

"We could stay a few days or so, just to wait to armed you man with the shipment of your guns," Piper said to his master. "And don't worry about the locals nor your identity of you or your men, consider their memory erased," the bard said with a playful smile.

"Yes, I do believe the offense is necessary, and we should target the masters instead of engaging in a grandiose senseless fight with other servants which i for one am lacking" He snorted, looking over the city across the bridge. "Let me scout the city first for a suitable location if that is what you desire. I was thinking of a school or something equivalent to that.."

@Seirei No Hai

The soaring spearhead was stopped by the shield, and Lancer Prime’s delighted laugh echoed in the forest as the song of steel meeting steel began once again.

Certainly, it appeared his opponent was not to be underestimated — to begin with, not many heroes could claim to be able to keep up with him like that. Saber must have been a great warrior indeed, to be able to even raise his shield in time — exactly the sort of enemy he wanted to face, exactly the sort of hero he desired to clash against during this second life.

Just as he stepped forward, so did Lancer Prime step back and to the side in turn — it was not an unexpected strategy. After all, one of the basics he had gotten beat into his head during his formative years was ‘kill the enemy while they are at the wrong range’.

In this battle, his spear offered him the advantage of reach compared to his opponent’s sword, and if he could circle to the side his shield did not cover he would only make it harder for Saber to properly defend himself. Furthermore —

His opponent’s strike was solid, doubtlessly breaching the Rank of A, as expected of any Saber worth the name, and if it hit, the damage should be worth noting even for someone like Lancer Prime, who boasted of great natural sturdiness. The only natural course would be to attempt a block.

He should be able to reach. After all, whether it was a sprint or his attacks, his divine speed remained the same as ‘the fastest of all heroes, without a doubt’. Even if Saber had already begun his attack, Lancer Prime should be able to outpace him.

—However, he instead took the ‘chance’ Saber had offered, sending a lightning-quick thrust with all the strength he could muster toward his exposed sword-hand. Did he intend to sacrifice his leg for it?

No.

To begin with, Lancer Prime’s body was one that had been endowed with ‘immortality’. His armor was something that took that characteristic and augmented it, in its own way, to make him ‘a hero that did not know death’. But that was far from its only function.

The greatest work of the renowned artificer of the gods. The final gift of someone who might as well have been his foster brother. He would trust it, and like many times before, it would not fail.

Even if Saber’s attacks made contact, they would not be met with blood and severed flesh — but stopped by the sturdiness of the armor his enemy donned. It was not the ‘immortality’ showcased by his skin that forbade all attacks but those that carried ‘Divinity’ from harming him, but simply the quality boasted by a masterwork courtesy of the greatest blacksmith of Greek mythology.

He was not the great hero that could even get back up after being killed. Lancer Prime had but one life to give. But Hephaestus had guaranteed that taking that single life would be the greatest endeavor his enemies would undertake.

—Saber’s attacks doubtlessly reached the rank of A.

However, the Rank of A alone would not be sufficient to breach his defenses.

Are you watching, Master? This is the strength of the man you've contracted with.

@Cu Chulainn @Phonic

---

That cocky warrior, 'Lancer Prime' had left with such speed that he was no longer within the city, having barely even been noticed by her Master's familiar network before leaving their territory altogether. Unfortunate, as she had wanted to see him in action to judge his mettle, but as long as he and his Master weren't collectively so inept as to have him die on the first night, there would be other chances for that. "It seems we cannot collaborate with those two tonight, Master. With that in mind, I will be heading out."

"Try not to stray too far, Lancer." Her Master seemed distracted as she carried a sponge and a large empty metal tub outside while the filthy Shinji followed timidly behind.

"Very well then. I will keep in touch."

And that was all. One, two, three steps and she was over the gate. Despite this, she was not rashly leaving her Master unguarded, as the bounded fields produced by myriad runes around the property would prove an immense obstacle even for a Servant while also making it nearly impossible to be sure how many Servants were inside, or if there was one at all.

Thus, the Lord of Spirits left no worries or regrets behind her as she took to the streets, making her presence as a Heroic Spirit fully known.

It was time to hunt.

---

---

With her Clairvoyance, the pair could be seen from a great distance away. There was no particular rush, so the rather imposing, if oddly dressed woman simply walked towards them at a pace brisk enough to catch up to what was clearly a Servant and a Master before they reached their destination. With her abilities there were numerous ways she could have approached them advantageously. Stealth, magecraft, and ranged attacks were all available to her, but instead she approached her enemies directly, overtly, and without haste.

The Master's attire was something on which the Holy Grail had granted her no knowledge whatsoever. The Servant, however, was of an easily discernible ilk. A gleaming, noble, boyish sort of knight. His sort tended toward qualities slightly distinct from those of his beloved pupil, but the man ahead was, by her initial judgement, far from mediocre.

If he proved to be capable of such a thing, Lancer would accept an immortal-killing attack from this man graciously. Of course, there was a fine line that had to be walked. It would be rather unbecoming to leave her Master on the first night of the war, and she would never forgive herself if she fell to a insufficient attack and was forced forever back to the Land of Shadows. Therefore, the conclusion was to apply careful pressure in combat that would force the enemy to release their strongest attack, then to judge that attack's chance to end her existence.

"Warrior." She was still nearly a block behind them, at the top of a mild hill, but her voice rang out with a rather imposing tone that echoed off the buildings and easily crossed that distance. Unless you seek a second death, come at me now with your full might."

She produced one of her spears, holding it at her side as she continued to walk down the slope towards the pair at a pace that could only be called brisk by a human. At the same time as her eyes looked carefully at the present and future for the enemy's next move, they projected information as well. A clear message.

When I reach the bottom of this hill, I will kill you.