"Oh, what's that? A bird...? I was joking about breadcrumbs earlier, but," Alex thought after the sound of something moving in the, otherwise deathly still, alleys caught her attention. She took a peek through a gap in her cover only to notice that it was... "A pigeon shouldn't be around at this hour. Whoever is in control of that familiar should be a little more wary about what kinds of creatures they pick for each task," she silently analyzed the situation as she observed the bird perching close to one of her lures.

"Very well then. I guess that I know what I should do about this," she thought for a moment before coming up with the perfect solution.

Taking her Azoth, Alex took a deep breath and chanted:



A few moments later...

"Hey, psst! Bird Boy, did you lose something?" Alex yelled from downstairs as she barged into the building that Daisuke was using for cover. With her eyes, following the trail that lead back to him was easy after she captured his familiar, which was bound in thin, black iron chains that temporarily caused it to remain in a state of paralysis.

The fact that she knew she was leading with a man that went upstairs was easy enough to guess from the footprints of his shoes. Whether or not he was a boy in the literal sense didn't matter.

"Why don't you come down here so that we can have a talk from mage to mage? If you don't, I'll burn this place down and wait outside to shoot you when you try to get out." Alex shouted in a nonchalant tone. The second part of what she said was meant to be a bluff, but if he wouldn't come out, she was more or less going to be forced to act on it.

"From where I come from, jousting without a horse is already breaking the rules, so I hope you don't mind me breaking them as well! Take flight with me, Lancer! Our battlefield shall be both the earth and the stars!"

Rider's grin grew from ear to ear as he watched his opponent dance across the field, dodging and defending against his arrows with ease. While he had expected to continue their "joust" from the skies, he was happier with this outcome. Surely if they were to continue their bout from before, it would lead to either of them being defeated so early into the War, which isn't something Rider wanted, win or lose. He did not wish to eliminate an opponent who had caused him to react with his strength so early in this war, but he also did not wish to disappoint his Master with losing himself in the battle so early on. Instead, Rider chose to learn as much about his opponent as he could for the night, while having a bit of his own fun.

Based on the state of the battlefield, Rider seems to be getting a bit too carried away. The mana he used to fire his arrows was starting to build up, even moreso now that he was in flight. Rider didn't need to fire away in excess either, having the skill to also qualify in the Archer class container (though his Noble Phantasm wouldn't be a bow, in that case), but he couldn't aim properly even if it were his intentions to; Lancer's remark on Rider's arm hit its mark, still aching from their first exchange of blows. Despite this, Rider's flurry at least gave him more insight on Lancer, namely from Lancer's lack of maneuverability in the air. For sure, Lancer was using a Noble Phantasm to accomplish such bursts given its output of power, but that couldn't be it, could it? Surely, if he were to use that ability to its fullest, perhaps not even the strength of Svyatogor alone would be a match. Rider would need to go all-out from the start with this knight in the future...

For now, Lancer's lack of ability to take to the skies was something Rider easily took advantage of, either batting away at his attacks with an armored fist or using Karushka's advantage of movement to avoid those attacks. His onslaught of arrows was relentless, but even he had a feeling Lancer would be able to break that distance soon. Their next clash filled Rider with anticipation, the strength building up within him ready to meet with its opponent. And soon, that moment came to a realization as Lancer finally intersected with the mounted duo.

"My arms are the columns that hold the Motherland steady, Lancer! Even if bruised and battered, they will never fail to uplift my nation!"

Rider's eyes met his opponent's with an equal amount of resolve, his smile never fading. With all his might and half of the giant's strength that he had built up earlier, he swung his still-armored hand at an uppercut, to once again deflect Lancer's strike. Rider gritted his teeth as their attacks clashed, almost struggling to complete his own, but Rider still kept smiling to avoid showing Lancer his weakness. His bruised arm, dropping his bow as it faded away, was cocked back and curled into a fist.

Are you watching, Milord? This move was not named after you, but I hope you still enjoy it!

Launching his wounded arm forward, Rider's fist opened up to a palm, bulging as it takes in the other half of Svyatogor's strength. Slamming his open palm towards Lancer's chest, Rider screamed from the pain as he unleashed this next strike, veins bursting with blood.

"Vladimir Smash!"

Rider's hand had barely touched Lancer's chest, but it was still enough to slam him back onto the blasted field that was once part of Hibiya Park from its force alone, likely destroying what's left of it should Lancer fail to stop his descent somehow. A defensive attack made with the intention of pushing back all hostile forces, named after a city in Kievan Rus as well as the rightful lord that Rider swore himself to in his lifetime, Prince Vladimir the Fair-Sun. While such an attack with this output of power would normally prove a mere hindrance when faced off on equal ground, its true strength is clearly shown in battles taking place in the heavens, where the aggressor would face both the force of Rider's attack as well as the pull of gravity.

"Your skills at jousting are unparalleled, Lancer! Truly you are the Knight of the Spear! But my steed and I are like the clouds above, and as such the skies are our domain! I don't doubt your ability to pierce the heavens with your drill-like spear, but I'm afraid that will have to wait another day..."

Karushka made its descent once more, staying just above the ground as it made near landfall, as maneuvering through the craters left by their battle would be much harder than just flying over them. Rider could barely move his left fist, though his right was still mostly functional. He used a lot of magical energy in that fight, and if his Master isn't convulsing on the floor in pain like some hobo filled with bugs, he likely would be should Lancer decide that their fight was not yet over. Landing next to Snegurochka, Rider slumped off his horse into a sloppy kneel, a bloodied fist slamming lightly onto the earth below. It was obvious that he was tuckered out, but Rider still maintained a smile nonetheless.

"I'm sorry I couldn't win this fight, Miledi... but I hope Milord is pleased at my strength."

Saber didn't notice the approach of more Servants at first as she was focused on gauging her opponents' skills. She did, however, take notice as soon as Caster made herself known, followed shortly by—Lancer, perhaps?

Saber sighed inwardly as she backed away from her current opponent.

Regardless of the other Servants' intentions, the fact that she was interrupted when she was about to get a good grasp of the other knight's defensive capabilities was a major setback which Saber wasn't pleased with.

"For you to interrupt us like that. I presume you either have no sense of honor or are eager to go back to the Throne," Saber said in a cold voice as she lowered her sword. "This is not a place where my blade can show its true beauty anymore. We'll continue this at another time, Knight of the Hammer. I hope that you endure until then," she added, dismissing her weapon and throwing a especially scornful glare at the possible Lancer who dared try to flank them.

As long as no one attempted to attack her, Saber would go back to her spirit form and retreat to her Princess' side.

"Apologies, My Princess, my duel against the Ironclad Tyrant had to be called off thanks to unforeseen circumstances. I suggest that we retire ourselves for the night before we attract even more undesired attention," Saber said to her Princess over their telepathic bond.

Cleo Forsberg

First Encounter

Cleo’s legs were unsteady as Shielder placed her on the rooftop. The mage lamented her lack of fortitude as she reached out a hand to steady herself on the top of the wall surrounding the building’s edge. Travelling by Servant might have been the singularly most unpleasant experience of her life; the Servant, in his eagerness to battle, hadn’t given much thought towards providing her with a smooth journey and the crook of a giant’s arm was hardly the most comfortable place to be in the first place.

The journey had left her with a pressure in the centre of her chest, a feeling of dread foreboding that had begun to form as they grew closer to Tokyo Tower; even now she found it harder to breathe. She had thought herself made of sterner stuff than this, better than to be brought low by travel sickness or fear or whatever this was and to accept otherwise was a bitter pill to swallow. Better travel arrangements would need to be made in the future; she couldn’t imagine herself winning this war if she arrived at every battle out of breath and barely able to stand.

If this is the most unpleasant thing happen tonight however, she mused, then I suppose I’ll consider this night a success.

Before she could compose herself Shielder leapt from the roof, communicating a war cry of sorts through their link before leaving her to her own devices. A glance in the direction he had gone, towards the ground and the plaza around the base of Tokyo Tower, showed her just how close to the action Shielder had brought her. Spotting the massed ranks of soldiers and archers below her, Cleo ducked out of sight and hastily threw up a bounded field to hide her presence, catching a glimpse of the shining presence that could only be a Servant leading them from the rear before her view was obscured. The brute could have left me somewhere further from danger. This is far too close.

The feeling of dread still hadn’t passed, even as she caught her breath and steadied her nerves, leaving Cleo to think that it was something more than just fear at work. There was a pressure in the air that felt as unnatural as it did oppressive, either the work of another Master or more likely an effect of one of the Servant’s below. Activating her magic circuits Cleo reached for the connection to the spirits she had brought with her, weak apparitions taken from the graveyard before they had left, and sent three of them out from her bounded field. Two she sent out to circle the area around the Tokyo Tower, searching buildings and alleyways for people or traces of magic, while the other she sent straight up so that she could observe the fight between Servants without needing to expose herself.

“Keep them occupied Shielder; find out as much as you can about their capabilities without putting yourself at risk” Connecting her vision to the spirit above her position, the Seidr witch watched as a woman in knightly attire lowered her weapon and began to back away from the fight. “Let her go and focus on the other tw-“ Cleo let out a pained gasp as he link to her spirit was shattered, the feeling of dread in her chest spiking in intensity as the spirit was torn to shreds by the pressure.

She fought to bring her breathing under control as the last image she had seen through the link lingered in her mind, the figure only visible for a brief split second before the pressure he exuded overwhelmed her fragile apparition. “Forget what I just said. Whoever that man is Shielder, end him.”

@Crusader Lord

---

With the fight seemingly over, Caster decided to make her exit. The interruptions of the likely Lancer had prevented her from starting her attack. Saber was already exiting, after a few heated words toward Lancer. Such large fights never tended to be fair, and she had no interest in ganging up against a weak opponent. Caster would fight competently, but some things just weren't worth it. It seemed that this fight and night had been a dud. At the very least she had seen two of her opponents, now three.

All of them impressed her in their own ways. Saber was doubtless a Swan Knight, befitting of their fighting prowess and displayed virtue. The Tyrant-King opposing her was himself without a doubt a man of regal and powerful bearing. Even the likely Lancer that had interrupted the entire affair had an inhumanly shaped and powerful body.

With the battle settled, she took a moment to inform her master across their link. Since Caster herself was immune to this pressure, she imagined that her master was safe through their link. Even if that wasn't the case, her master was abnormal. Caster imagined she'd be fine. With things done Caster suppressed her own magical energy while overlaying a conjuration of herself to leave behind. She bent light using the barrier of wind around her, exiting the battlefield invisible and with full haste.

Charndoisella Ariellitya

---

The past few minutes came like a whirlwind.

To begin with, her Servant mentioned something about both of them being pupils? The full extent of what Caster was trying to tell her was lost to her, but at the very least, this confirmed that Charlie was, in fact, a pupil of some kind. This was cause for celebration! The war had just started, yet she was already the victor! While every other master would spend their time fighting for something they'll never achieve, Charlie already has what she wanted, and within the next two weeks she'll have a cool new chalice.

However, Charlie wasn't given the moment to really celebrate her victory. Enemy servants were near and apparently her fighting style wasn't suited to assist her servant. That wasn't all too surprising for her, as why would a magus such as herself be good enough to directly impact a battle like that? She simply wasn't fit for that type thing, as much as she hated herself for it. Ah well, she needed to listen to her Servant's advice. Instead of hiding in some dark alleyway, Charlie chose to hide inside of a cafe, $t*rbu¢k$. It was a weird name for a cafe, but that was in style these days, wasn't it?

While her Servant was confronting the enemy, Charlie was ordering two caramel cappuccinos. Once she had acquired the cappuccinos from the barista, Charlie exited the building and began moving towards another location. While she was under plenty of spells that suppressed every aspect of her identity, she felt the need to keep moving. Staying in one place for too long was waiting for a predator to attack.

Assassin was the first to notice Caster, and the first to notice when she left. A caster could not vanish in the same way a ninja could. In fact, it was clear from the way the wind moved that she was bending light with it. He had seen such a trick many times, and had utilized similar methods in his own noble phantasm. Still, the differences in level were notable even for him. Caster had not looked to fill the appearance of a master mage. Were it not for the single-minded focus of his spying and analysis, he might have missed it. The slight adjustment in breath, or the sounds of footsteps moving away.

But he didn't follow. Caster would be difficult to chase. He would also put himself too far from his master. Who as he turned his attention to others... Realized she had run off to interact with another master. That... Wasn't good. Or to be more exact, reckless considering they weren't sure of the other master's abilities yet. Much less threatening one. One which was Master of Berserker.

"Well, you could have told me..." He broadcasted at his master, but he didn't blame her. This clearly wasn't the partnership she had wanted. Perhaps she really would have enjoyed a saber more. He raised a hand to his nose, forming a seal, and letting his breath roll out. His breath burst out, and a thin mist began to form. One he vanished into. His form fading as the air warped his presence, and he was gone from the world, moving towards his master.
"Either way, you just poked the Master of that monstrous man outside. If he calls his servant, I am not going to be able to defeat him for you." Did he have to be so negative? What a show this was turning out to be. Already there had been a fight, and possibly two interruptions. If he hadn't been forced to move towards his master's location, he might have hunted down Saber's master during their retreat.



Vladimir wasn't a weak mage by any extent. But even he realized that he was having to put far more effort into maintaining his Rider than he had planned for. His many magic circuits were all active, and while he wasn't wriggling like a cockroach, the damage sustained and all other matters like distance were putting him through the wringer. He'd have to start figuring out a way to ease the magical stress, be it from Rider's constant attack effort, or the use of multiple noble phantasms at once.
"Rider, return home. You've done enough for the night. If you still wish to fight though, I'd hate to have to resort to a command seal to heal you, but considering your injuries, it might be the only way." If he was in a position to laugh through the pain, he might have. Only he had the luck to summon a hero as reckless as Rider. Maybe he should request for Rider to drink a healing drought when they got home, so that the healing cost might be mitigated.
His fingers clutched his staff, and focused what he could on providing more magical energy for his servant. Hopefully enough for a quick run-away if it and mostly likely will be required.
---------------------------------------------------------------
"Do not fret, Rider. You did splendid." Snegurochka said, as if it was obvious. Before the fight had even begun, she had made sure to move away from the fight. Now standing on the roof of a nearby building, to watch Rider's work more directly. "Your accomplishment tonight had made it clear that you are indeed the greatest hero in this war. One who's own strength has managed to knock aside the power of another servant with such ease."

She reached out a hand, as if allowing Rider to take it. "We should go now though. Lancer may not be down for long, and my Moroz may want to talk to you about the similar name of your... Punch. He might very well need to learn more about your life, for research, and to correct the history books."

Archer Actaeon

Fomonar Workshop; Release the hounds

Archer approached the map and stood behind Mercedes as she worked. As she re-read her notes, skimming her hand over section of the map and speaking aloud her plans, the Servant was examining the map in greater detail over her shoulder. The idea of setting up additional bases was an appealing one, because as comfortable and this base was compared to being in the centre of the city it was also impractical. A number of locations dotted around the city, less full bases and more like small rest stops, would allow them greater mobility around the battlefield than having to start on the city outskirts each night; they were both hunters after all, they shouldn’t tie themselves down to one location and instead treat the entire city as their hunting grounds.

As for a perch, I was never the kind of Archer who would use that kind of thing. A good vantage point may make spotting or hitting a target easier, but a hunter can’t track their prey if they are stuck in a tree now can they? Instead they should focus on locations that would allow for quick movement to and from their safehouses; places that were connected to or near major routes of travel like motorways or subways, even rivers. If they happened to be located near tall buildings or areas with good line of sight then that was a bonus, but not necessary; with a hundred extra eyes at his disposal he didn’t need to be able to see a target himself to strike at it.

Mercedes stopped suddenly and it took Archer a moment to realise why. A slip of the tongue and an unfortunate bit of wording had brought the subject of his lack of speech back into focus and the mage turned and walked away from him, presumably out of embarrassment or awkwardness or something else. His Master returned to the table and picked up the journal she had been writing in earlier before turning around and extending a hand towards him.

With a smile and a nod he took the notepad and pen from her, immediately flipping it open to a fresh page and writing down his thoughts from before. When he was down he held the journal out to her, his hasty but neat handwriting visible on the page.

No perches. Routes of travel. Well connected. Hub Areas.

Although she still smiled at him, there was a subtle shift in the enforcer’s demeanour as she looked at Archer. Though the mage wasn’t exactly messing around earlier, the seriousness she showed now was a marked change that showed the importance of the question she was asking. Ah, I guess that’s a fair question. My Noble Phantasm isn’t the type to have a true name however; it isn’t a flashy, magical weapon or a powerful technique as most heroes have. They are just my hounds, nothing more or less than my companions in the hunt. I don’t need to speak to fight alongside them, we have that level of understanding between us.

Archer locked eyes with Mercedes, trying to convey the same level of seriousness as his Master was showing him as he nodded in response. Speaking of which, it seems they have found our enemies already.

@Yankee

---

Pterelas and Harpyia

Hibiya Park Field, Chiyoda Ward

Two hounds stood at the edge of what was left of the park field, manifesting physically in the world in order to better witness the end of the skirmish between Rider and Lancer. The fight had come to an abrupt end as the mounted archer drove the knight of the spear into the frozen dirt below with a mighty punch before flying away from his opponent.

It was fortuitous that they had arrived in time to see this spectacle, relaying brief images of the fight to their master, having rushed towards this location as soon as they had seen the flare of ice in the distance. Had it not been for that, or if they had not been as close as they had been when they had seen it, they would have missed their opportunity to learn something of Rider’s capabilities.

As Rider left, one of the hounds left with him, the two trained hunters coming to a consensus without any need for communication as Pterelas raced after the departing horse. The hound would follow the airborne Servant for as long as he could, attempting to keep pace with the flying steed and likely failing, but hopefully keeping pace long enough to learn which direction they were heading before he lost sight of them.

The other hound meanwhile stayed at the park, keeping a watchful eye and a keen ear out for any approaching danger as she waited to see what Lancer would do.

@Cu Chulainn@Reflection@Yukitamas

---

Laelaps

Tokyo Tower

Laelap’s slinked through the alleyways surrounding the Tokyo Tower plaza, nose to the ground and following an interesting scent trail a short distance away from a fight between Servants. He daren’t get any close than this after what had happened to Dromas, the hunting party quickly learning of the danger of Berserker’s aura as the swift hound had fallen, tripping over his feet as soon as the man had become visible to them; unconscious, fainted rather than dead, but forced to unsummon himself as he took the brunt of the Servant’s skill. If they hadn’t been so far away, if they had been closer to the source of the aura he might not have been so fortunate; as it was he still served as a warning to the rest of them.

Following the scent all the way to the rear entrance of a building, the scent of a familiar and mage both, the hound pushed the door open and let himself inside quietly. Now that he was past that barrier he could smell more scents, two mage and many more familiars, inside the building. He sent this information back to her master before proceeding further into the building in search of the scent’s source.

@KoL@Duoya

Edward simply stood as the duel was cut to a close, his opponent withdrawing likely towards her master. He did not pursue. For a moment, hot anger bubbled up inside him, but he quashed it down, gritting his teeth. He had enough presence of mind to fill in Daisuke on the developments. It seems we’ve attracted a lot of attention. If you require it, perhaps we should retreat. There could be an Assassin or any number of Masters skulking in the shadows.

The first one to interrupt disappeared too, as fast as they had come. He barely even managed to glimpse their form. But the other remained.

“That other coward has already scarpered.” He said, anger clear in his voice. “Don’t you know better than to interrupt a duel between knights?” He asked, his aura pressing down upon the enemy. A horrifying pressure of intimidation, of conquest, that pushed against every movement of rebels.

Even if Daisuke required his help, he could afford a quick exchange of attacks with this foe. He leapt forwards towards the spearman, bringing forth his hammer in a crushing blow. A powerful attack that held nothing back, aiming to finish the fight as fast as possible.

@Crusader Lord @Duoya

Daisuke gulped, doing his best to stop shaking - he still couldn't get over it. Four Servants... What the hell was happening?! Daisuke didn't feel safe in the slightest, despite the fact that Edward was only a dozen or two meters away at most. It was ridiculous, and no way in hell would he be staying there any longer. It was times like this where Daisuke wished Survivor had eaten a horse or some other large animal. Then it could assume some large form, hollow out the bones, and fly away while carrying Daisuke. That wasn't an option here. All Daisuke could do was rely on his own Servant to protect him.

T-that sounds smart... We've already learned a lot tonight, so leaving is safe-.

Just as Daisuke finished sending that message, his line of thinking was cut off by the sound of someone yelling. A girl - he hadn't noticed it beforehand, thanks to the other familiars he had deployed, but Tromar had been captured by someone. Why hadn't he informed Daisuke of this? Was the connection blocked by the perpetrator, or was Tromar just too frightened to inform Daisuke? It didn't matter. Someone was in Daisuke's hiding spot, and his only real defense was Edward.

Luckily, fate seemed to be on Daisuke's side. Two of the presences in his connection to Edward were rapidly leaving the area, leaving only a single Servant behind for Edward to deal with. If Daisuke needed it, Edward was close enough to rush whoever this was and at least try to deliver an attack. They were unlikely to be a Servant, based on the second thing they said - the only Mage Servants were Casters, and even a Caster could have slaughtered Daisuke before he really noticed. He had to be dealing with a Master.

Daisuke quickly reached for his Tome once more, releasing another Parrot. This one had yet to acquire a name, as Daisuke had only turned it into a familiar a few days ago. If the master was going to kill a familiar of Daisuke's, then he wanted it to be someone he had little emotional attachment to. He sent the Parrot down the stairs, and remotely controlled its body. With his new senses, he was greeted to the sight of a girl around his age, clearly not of Japanese descent. Daisuke didn't note much other than her Red hair and blue eyes, however - he instantly honed in on the small bird with her, bound in chains.

"Why would I come down when you... Threatened to shoot me?"

It was more difficult than Daisuke remembered to speak using a Parrot. Communicating via a familiar could be done magically, but Daisuke wanted to conserve as much Mana as he possibly could in case he needed to fight. Not that he wanted to fight in the first place - his sole objective now was to call back all of his familiars and get home safely.

"I would like to have my... familiar back if you don't mind."

Now was not the time for pleasantries - Daisuke merely wanted to recover his allies, and leave. Daisuke was about to call for Berserker and had to restrain himself. That was definitely an option, but judging by the chains around Tromar, this Master had him at her will. Tromar wasn't the most important, but he was still one of Daisuke's familiars - if she escaped with him, there was no telling what would happen. And calling Berserker would be the fastest way to get her to start running.

Daisuke was too focused on the enemy Master to realize another presence had entered the building. Normally Survivor, who had very acute senses thanks to its various other forms, would have noticed something amiss, but it too was focused on the Master that revealed herself. Not out of fear - but hunger.

@SSW@KoL@King Cosmos

Laelaps should have stayed away. Or shouldn't have attempted to get closer to Assassin's master. Because as the hound was sneaking into that rear entrance, he failed to escape Assassin's eyes. After all, no regular dog would be able to open a door. And if for whatever case this had been a regular dog, Assassin cared little to take the risk. An arrow was fired from the alleyway, through the pushed open door, and into the back of the canine's skull. A quick death, a subtle death. As a ninja who knew how to mask his scent and footsteps, the canine which had been focusing on something else would never have caught the subtle teases up until it was too late.

Even if the canine moved to dodge, there was a second arrow already noticed, and Assassin could fire that one with just as much accuracy. He was not of the Archer class, but his Single-minded nature to kill the dog easily bridged that gap. Well before the canine could hope to identify his master. Mission complete.

"Are you enjoying your meeting, Master? If possible, I can follow him and his servant to their homestead should you not find a way to make them work under us." It was... Just a suggestion. Since he didn't want to try forging an alliance while two mad warriors fought outside.

Rider took Snegurochka's hand with his less injured hand, bringing himself to stand up, rather proudly despite his injured state. Having met such a ferocious opponent such as Lancer filled Rider with hope that his other opponents in this war would be just as formidable, if not more-so. Even if that weren't the case, Rider still had a rematch with Lancer he was looking forward to as well. For now however, Rider had earned a respite for tonight, and likely a scolding from his Master due to his reckless fighting style, though Rider did not mind if he were reprimanded for something like that.

As Rider began to help the maiden onto Karushka however, he started to notice another presence that followed the two of them. At first, he moved to draw his spear. However, Rider quickly realized that this presence was different from Lancer's... something more familiar, at that. Taking a quick glance behind him, Rider noticed movement. Whoever was following them was likely planning to take advantage of the situation, though thankfully it most likely wasn't an Assassin, or at least a good Assassin; Rider could still sense the being's presence tailing him, and relying on spiritual form to hide is a useless endeavor when dealing with another spiritual being such as a Servant. Instead, Rider continued to help Snegurochka atop Karushka before taking a moment to contemplate.

We're being followed, Milord... not by Lancer, but some sort of beast or familiar. Clearly either a weaker Servant or a familiar of a Servant. Perhaps a Caster had decided to watch our bout? In any case, I think I have enough in me to fight it without the need of a Command Spell. I can just continue on my way as well, but it would be troublesome if it followed us. What are your orders?

"My bad, I didn't mean to make it look like I was doing things on my own because I didn't trust you. I just kinda saw the chance to get the jump on them and went with it," Alex said over her mental bond to Emon, answering his rightfully concerned inquiry in a way that was perhaps too relaxed for this situation. "Anyway, yeah, it would be better if you deployed your talents in the way you know best. Just take with this guy's familiars, we never know what they may be able to do. Even though I have a nagging feeling that he's an amateur in just about everything other than making them," she continued, while taking the time to analyze the second familiar in front of her.

After taking a moment to consider the answer she got from it, Alex rested her free hand on her hips and said while raising the chained familiar, "Y'know... I threatened to shoot you if you didn't come down. You mustn't be very popular with girls if you can't understand when they want some company."

"Anyway, you can have this back. I wasn't even thinking about keeping it, in the first place. I didn't even pluck a feather out of it. Consider it an offering of good will," she said as she laid the creature over a counter and snapped her fingers. In truth, she just needed to touch the chains and run some magical energy through them, but the snap was to disguise a tracking spell that she placed on the familiar's back.

Alex didn't have hopes of using it to successfully track this mage. After all, anyone with half a brain would destroy a potentially compromised familiar. But that was actually a double plan. It was best to let him think that she was trying to use the familiar against him, so she made the otherwise they might suspect that Assassin would follow them.

"Anyway, a smart girl knows when she's not wanted. In other words... See ya, Bird Boy. I hope we can talk face to face next time," Alex said before going back through the front of the building, to not allow them any chance to guess who was her Servant. Once she was out of the building, she rushed her way to the main streets, to take another taxi back home, after informing Assassin of her whereabouts.

---

Well, apparently his arrival had scared the other kingly one off! Haha! Though the other immediate reactions were less than enticing at first. The bird-like fighter seemed to just casually stop the battle, talking down upon him before turning to go away. Seeming to be a Saber at that, such conduct seemed so very...blargh! He'd been in duels before, his pride on the line against the best of the Trojans due to the gods' intervening, but how many a time had had been forced to defend against a terrible situation? As a heroic spirit, he felt it would have been pathetic to back off when facing with greater odds! It was a hero's role to face those insurmountable odds, and overcome them through their own strength!

"Should I suppose a dainty and wilted flower such as yourself, Saber, holds all but the most strict of duels as being beneath you as a heroic spirit? Is war a thing made by musicians and artist for your amusement, devoid of strife and surprises? It is pathetic, if such a thing is your definition of battle!"

Shielder let out a booming laugh that shook the air after he had spoken, as such reasons to leave a battle seemed so foolish! Even Hector himself had been a great warrior, knowing when to fight and now, and how to face the situations before him. Admittedly he'd been butchered by Achilles himself his actions, but such was the ways of war. They lived, they died, and they in the end fought for their pride and glory upon the field of battle! But this woman was no Achilles, nor a Hector. Her might physically was real, and she seemed to love the dance of combat, yet such an attitude of hubris about her battles would get her nowhere in his mind!

Oh, but that pressure from the other regal figure here! He too seemed angered at the interruption of that battle with Saber, and yet unlike the pansy of a warrior he acted! Indeed, he went on the attack! The weight of the large man's pressure was being exuded so hard against Shielder's own body and mind, and it made the warrior laugh aloud jovially as the other servant charged him with their great hammer in hand. It was not something to shrug off, but neither was it impossible to force himself through. Finally, someone who had the mind to battle here despite it all!

Aias as swiftly as possible held up his shield, already up in a battle-ready stance much like his spear after landing, to meet the blow as his body pushed itself into combat with a sort of zeal. In particular, the man shoved back a bit with his shield in a small burst of his strength as the foe's hammer came down upon it, seeking to make a defensive counter-blow in the process using his own mighty strength.

@SSW@KoL

Daisuke didn't feel this girl's clarification really justified the threat of shooting him. He understood that this was a war, but he was trying to be a neutral party here! At least there was good news - he knew what she looked like, and she didn't know what he looked like. Well, probably didn't. You never knew with mages. After she released the pigeon from its chains, the creature immediately took flight and headed straight for the stairs, going to its master. As soon as it reached him, Daisuke immediately put the familiar back into his Mystic Code - it got captured once, and Daisuke didn't want to risk losing two friends in a single night.

The parrot familiar remained on the first floor with the Enemy Master, until she left through the front door. How the hell she had the courage to do something like that, when there were Servants fighting outside, Daisuke had no idea. Maybe some magecraft to hide her presence? For once, Daisuke actually acknowledged the use of magecraft other than familiars - if only because of how dire his situation was. If he had something that let him hide from Servants than he would have been safe for the rest of the war and could just hideaway.

He couldn't though - no sense in dwelling on what-ifs. Daisuke decided that his big goal at the moment was to recall and store every one of his active familiars in his mystic code - leaving any active would just be inviting trouble like what happened with that one master, and Daisuke didn't want to risk any of his birds dying on guard duty. No - he would just rely on his two most powerful familiars, Edward and Survivor. Besides, minimizing his mana expenditure was smart, since running our of mana was the fastest route to dying in any mage conflict, let alone the Holy Grail War.

Ironically enough, the thought that his familiar was tracked never crossed Daisuke's mind once - he was too busy worried about being nearly defenseless in a building while his Servant fought outside. Clearly, a nearby servant wasn't nearly as off-putting as he thought they would be for enemy Masters - that girl simply waltzed into his hiding spot and wasn't deterred in the slightest. Luckily, even if he didn't realize it at the time, he wouldn't need to worry about the tracking spell. His mystic code put his familiars into stasis, a state where they were placed inside of imaginary number space. Most tracking spells wouldn't continue to function while he stored his familiar inside his mystic code because of this. The tracking spell would come back as soon as he released Tromar again, but at least for now, it didn't pose too much of a problem.

Of course, this was just as much a blessing as it was a hindrance - even though he never questioned his Familiar's status, he also didn't think that Assassin would follow him when he left. Daisuke was too focused on the familiars he could still sense via his connection with Edward, and he definitely didn't feel Assassin, a class specialized in hiding their presence. Maybe he would think about it when he had time to calm down, but given the situation, it would be lucky if he was thinking clearly an hour from now.

Edward, can you escape your fight? I-I managed to scare away an enemy Master, but I'm pretty defenseless right now... Heading back home seems like the best strategy if you can manage it.

Daisuke was doing his best to at least seem calm to his Servant. A lord had to keep appearances in front of his subjects, and the last thing Daisuke wanted, other than dying, was to seem pathetic in front of his sole defense in this war.

@KoL@SSW

"Should I suppose a dainty and wilted flower such as yourself, Saber, holds all but the most strict of duels as being beneath you as a heroic spirit? Is war a thing made by musicians and artist for your amusement, devoid of strife and surprises? It is pathetic, if such a thing is your definition of battle!"

The fool’s interruption was annoying enough, but now the spearman was taunting Edward’s own opponent. He spoke, in a low growl, “Idiot. If you can’t tell the difference between a duel of knights and the strife of war, you aren’t worthy of the title of Heroic Spirit.”

His hammer’s head was forced back by the man’s shield, but he used the momentum to draw the head back, driving the shaft towards his enemy. It snaked under the big man’s shield towards his legs, attempting to further restrict his movement. The head ended up near his chest, limiting his own ability to attack with full force.

Edward, can you escape your fight? I-I managed to scare away an enemy Master, but I'm pretty defenseless right now... Heading back home seems like the best strategy if you can manage it.

“Hmph. It seems my partner wants to retreat. Very well. We shall finish this later.” He found it distasteful, but if Daisuke were to die, his own grail war would end too. He leapt away from his enemy before allowing his aura to dissipate, dissolving into spirit form and returning to Daisuke at the fastest pace possible.

He would reach Daisuke, and they would return to their base. If the enemy were to follow, he would simply deal with them.

@Crusader Lord @Duoya

And so it was over.

The opening act of the Holy Grail War, come and went like a fleeting dream. The whiteness of the snow that began to fall not long after the night's encounters were done for, drowned the vestiges left behind from the clash of legends and those who summoned them.

It was a cold night. The peace of Tokyo's citizenry was yet to be broken.

Even so, a disturbing fact made it to the morning news:

"An undisclosed number of persons, most of them suspected of being homeless people looking for a shelter from the cold, were found dead today close to Fuji TV's headquarters. The Metropolitan Police issued an statement saying that they died of a combination of hypothermia and asphyxiation after being caught in a sudden gas leak tonight, at around 3:00 a.m.

Their report also states that the investigation will continue until the responsible parties have been appointed. Even though their report also remarks that this is an isolated incident, the Metropolitan Police also requested that all citizens be on alert. If you suspect that anything is amiss, please report to the nearest Police Station[...]"

And with that heavy weight on their backs, the dance of life and death of the Holy Grail War was about to begin anew.

Just as the Second Sunset dyed the city streets in blood-red shades once again. Bringing an even colder night with it. With the snow beginning to fall slowly even before the Sun had fully left on it's nightly journey...

---

Nightly Report:
• After Archer summoned 20 Hounds for an extended period of time, and spread over a large area, in the previous night, Mercedes had a sizable portion of her magical energy reserves drained and is still recovering from the strain.

• None of the other Masters suffered a similar level of strain. They all can be in their best condition for the night.

• No casualties on either side happened yet. Neither has the secrecy of the Holy Grail War been threatened.

• The second night will begin with a light snowfall that will keep on going all the way until the next morning. The wind's intensity will slowly rise, reaching its peak (very strong, near gale force winds) around 11:00 p.m. and slowly die down as the morning approaches.

---

A... Petshop. No, it made sense. Assassin's master had made it clear that the master of the monstrous hammer wielder was a familiar user. The dove alone was pretty obvious. His analysis over the night had been fruitful to a degree. Particularly in the livelyhood of the master 'Daisuke.' He relied heavily on familiars, and seemed to have no other apparent talents. He was shy, nervous, and a bit grand when he was alone. It was certainly entertaining to watch him as he no doubt stomped about his house, and was even more tempting to slit apart in his sleep. But...

Kirigakure had received no orders yet to kill Daisuke, and as such had no interest in doing so. In truth, being able to control him would likely have far more benefits. But... The how seemed to be in taking control of the boy's familiars. Judging from what his master had summed, the boy had a connection to his familiars that most mages didn't. In particular, he didn't simply self-destruct them when they became compromised. He could do something with that. That something... Might be the book he saw the boy carrying around.

All of these observations he sent to Alexa, who no doubt had a plan for it. Blackmail perhaps. After watching the boy for several hours, Assassin moved on. He had others to hunt for before the night was over. And over the day, he barely rested. Instead, he practically scoured the city for the other masters. His sleep came only in small spurts, as he would find a hidden spot in a garden, or in an abandoned building. Catching up on the rest he would need for the night that would come soon after...
_____________________________________________________________
Tokyo Tower

And then night came. Assassin returned once more to Tokyo Tower. He doubted any masters would return. After all, the night before had become a mess. But he did not return here that night for them. No, Tokyo tower was a great vantage point. In that regard, it would give him an advantage in spying other conflicts. Whoever had controlled the beast the night before may arrive. Drawn in to seek out whoever had hunted his hounds. That might allow Assassin to put a face to a name. A benefit for sure, and possibly a way to remove a dangerous enemy on the second night.

After all, he could guess that it was not Caster, or Saber who possessed the hounds. Shielder likely had no reason for them... He could only guess, but Archer or Rider were the best bets on who would possess animals like that. He leaned more towards Rider, but servants were certainly strange people. They could surprise him.

In the mean time, he had a song to hum to himself. _{"It's my life... And it's now or never..."}



"I'd say... Last night was a great success!" Vladimir had taken the day to clean up his mess. As well as complete quite a few healing droughts that would no doubt serve to help Rider if they fought Lancer again. "Now, I have notes, but they aren't important. They are merely for myself. Maybe I should come up with a way to be more involved..." He mused on this, but otherwise he was unsure what he could do directly. After all, he found little need to get directly involved, since he had Snegurochka to handle such things for him. But...

"Tonight Rider, I shall join you. So that I can accurately determine the best course of action with my own eyes. Much better that way, wouldn't you agree?" Vladimir said, as he adjusted his coat. "I have the means to protect myself. Snegurochka can command my familiars for the night, wouldn't you agree? Much easier on the both of us. And, it shall give me a chance to inquire more about the world of your time."

"Well, that went out better than I thought. You really are a cool guy, Emon," Alex said over her mental bond to Emon as she perused Daisuke's tome, after Assassin handed it to her earlier in the morning. It was an interesting type of mystic code. Employing imaginary space to store familiars was actually very thoughtful in a way.

Even though her alchemist instincts told her to, trying to dissect it further would have to wait. After laying her hand on it once and getting familiarized with the book she could just replace it with Flash Air whenever she felt like it. "Though, that kinda makes me feel like I'm the villain here," she thought as she scratched her cheek while embedding silvery glyphs all over the book, covering it in multiple layers of spells.

Once she was done with the tampering, Alex used one last spell to make all the glyphs disappear, leaving only a magic circle, in the shape of a star chart, drawn with silvery ink into the book's back cover.

After that, Alex took a trip to the nearest post office, taking the care to use magecraft to disguise, or rather, eliminate her trail, after being informed by Assassin about the magical hounds that were tracking the area near Tokyo Tower yesterday.

Upon arriving at the post office, she sent the following urgent telegram to Daisuke's address:

"Hi again, Bird Boy!

You really should take better care of your toys, y'know. If you want your book back, come to OOO at 17:30. Don't make a girl wait~♡

PS: No tricks. I know how the real you looks like."

The address she gave was that of a cake shop a couple streets away from Tokyo Tower, a rather busy place where not even the most brazen, or inexperienced, of mages would try anything.

Just to be sure, she contacted Assassin to let him know that she would be close to the Tower as well.

Once every preparation she had to do was completed, Alex took a taxi to her meeting point with the ever-so-mysterious Bird Boy. "I'm sorry, Bird Boy. You're probably gonna become my toy now. Well, it's better that than being killed, I guess..." Alex said to herself as she took one last look at the book.

"Sheesh! I guess that I'm really becoming the villain, huh?"

---

Mercedes nodded, her posture relaxing just a little bit at Archer's assurance that his lack of speech did not equate to a lack of power. "Good," she acknowledged, her placatory grin melting into a more genuine one. All in all, she felt pretty lucky to have summoned Archer. He was a nice guy, and it seemed their skill sets meshed well together. She jotted down the notes Archer had given her about potential bases, wholeheartedly agreeing. Though she supposed some pairs would avoid public transit, Tokyo was a big city - sometimes it was unavoidable if you needed to get somewhere quickly but unremarkably.

As Archer filled her on the progress and findings of his hounds, she also made mental notes of that information. Two servants battling in a park, both bulky blondes. One, unmistakably the Rider class servant of this war. By the tower, a servant with some kind of dangerous ranged ability, though they hadn't seen the spirit in question. The scent of a magus with many familiars... that seemed familiar.

As the night continued, Mercedes felt herself drifting off much earlier than she had planned. Were Archer's hounds that much of a mana drain for her? Are my magic circuits really so out of shape? she thought to herself, making light of it. The man had manifested twenty huge dogs, and sent them running all over the city to collect information. Supporting them - and a servant on top of that - might prove a little more difficult than she'd first thought. I'll live, she thought, her last before drifting off to sleep at the table. Whether this was true remained to be seen.

---

Mercedes awoke much later than she normally did, blinking her eyes open and furrowing her brows. She had no issue recalling the events of the last night - summoning a servant, Archer, planning strategies with him, and dispersing his hounds - but she really hadn't expected to be so tuckered out by them. The long sleep had recovered most of her mana, especially after Archer had dismissed the hounds at some point in the night, but she knew she would have to take it a little easier tonight. Today, though, they had work to do.

The young woman stood, stretching her arms over her head and looking about for her ancient partner. Today they'd be traveling into the city while she arranged for some new places to operate out of. She was fond of the workshop they were currently in, and particularly glad they'd used it last night when the other pairs had seemed to jump at their eagerness and all met for battle. They'd learned a lot of information in relative safety thanks to Archer's noble phantasm. Although, they'd also let some know about the existence of the hounds. Someone, presumably a servant, had even managed to kill one without being seen - most likely the Assassin class.

"Archer," she addressed, somewhat sheepishly, "Look at me, worrying about whether you could use your noble phantasm properly last night when the real issue is gonna be me." It had taken it's toll on her, but she was confident she could bear it. "But don't worry about me. Use it to your heart's content." After all, they would need to use it if they wanted any serious chance at winning this war.

With that, Mercedes got to preparing to leave. She gathered anything particularly important, including her notes about potential masters. Just before she fell asleep last night, one had come to the forefront of her mind during Archer's reports. Nakahara Daisuke, a master of familiarcraft, though familial reject. Well, it only made sense that someone with a magic so focused on familiars would want to acquire a servant. Mercedes communicated this to Archer as she went about the room doing her final sweep, drawing runes on the walls and on the back of the door. One set of runes served as a very weak bounded field, visible to even the most junior magus. The second set were explosive in nature, crafted to resonate only with Mercedes' (and by extension, her familiar Archer) mana. They would detonate should someone that wasn't their creator walk into the room. It probably wouldn't do very much damage to a servant, but a cocky master? They'd be obliterated. The runes outside she reworked, making the small shed looks completely uninviting to any layperson. This way, if any mage had sensed the mana hole that was this workshop and came snooping... well.

With that, they were off into the city proper. Mercedes very much doubted that any of the masters would be doing a lot of moving during the day, especially those whose servants had been fighting. She found it more difficult to move herself after last night. Still, she had a pretty good pain tolerance, and found herself consuming a lot of food and bitter drink throughout the day. She visited the site of Laelaps' death, taking care to mask not only her presence as much as possible, but also her facial features - with a small rune physically drawn on her cheek that could easily be mistaken for a tattoo to the untrained eye. Inside, she placed her magic cards in the crook of doors, warding people away. She made the visit quick, making a circle with her hand and drawing a rune inside with her other, holding the circle up to her eye as a means to see the vestiges of mana leftover from last night. It was easy to distinguish the mana of different magi. Two mages, just as the hound had reported, though it had seen neither. Hm hm, if we play our cards right, we might be able to find both, she thought, letting the words drift to Archer through their telepathic bond. We can't confirm it just yet, but I'm sure one of these mages was Nakahara. There are no signs of a fight here, so they both left alive. If they meet up again tonight... she trailed off, though there wasn't any need to finish her thought. With Archer's help, it would be possible to track Nakahara through his familiars.

---

The delay in waking had pushed back her plans a bit, but ultimately she had acquired two new bases. One was in view of Tokyo Tower, the site of most of the activity. It was a fallen leyline, and even though last night had drawn so much activity, she surmised that the temptation for traditional magi to claim such a source of power would be too strong to keep all of them away. The base was about a mile away, though with a servant's superior senses, Archer would have no problem seeing the area from the base. The new safehouse wasn't the most well fortified, as Mercedes had to compromise given her lessened amount of time during the day. She would have chosen one a bit closer to the tower, but the room was just nearby to the train station serving as access to the area - travel hub, as Archer had suggested. Barely. Really though, it was the best she could do for the day.

The second new base was a little hole in the wall, unassuming, and drawn up with concealment runes and bounded fields from the inside out. If her assumption that the familiarcraft magus was one of the masters in this war, then this - the largest animal seller in the immediate area, just down the block - would be the best place for him to hole up. If her hunch was wrong, then she and Archer could just move to the base closer to the station, gather more info and all in all have a boring night. If it was right, though... well, there were a lot of possibilities.

And so, Team Archer found themselves in the small room tonight, waiting. Most of hunting involved waiting, and she didn't mind it. She idly infused her deck of cards with new spells, and on a whim flipped on over for a reading: Ten of Hearts.

"Ready to go on the hunt tonight, Archer?"