@Reflection @TehChron @Lucker13



Francesco frowned slightly. Damn, I would've preferred staying indoor the first day... but I guess starting to move early is a good idea. Oh well. The fair haired mage took a long drag from his pipe before answering. "If that's what you think is best, just wait a few minutes while I check on my garden, oh and change your clothes to something less conspicuous while you wait, I have something that should fit you on the ground floor" And with that he made his way out of the basement, leaving his new companion some privacy.





Hippomenes raised an eyebrow. How bold. His smile returned as he closed the distance between them with cat like grace, watching the Master like hawk for any twitch of his body, he walked past him, brushing so close that their bodies almost touched, "I think I'll take you up on that offer, bold Master".

As soon as the formality of that conversation is over, Archer is back on his feet. No need to continue being on his knees once he's promised his bow to his new Master. "Oh, I think they're leaving," but he frowns at that. They're just leaving? They came all the way up here, linger at the gate, and then walk away? Just how rude can they be? Unacceptable. Unacceptable! They'll take their hospitality - be it as arrow or as... Whatever his Master will offer them. He doesn't know what that is, but he's sure it'll be nice.

"Do you want to chase after them, before they get too far? They have a Servant with them. It could be dangerous, but if they wanted a fight, they would've kicked the door in, not knocked." He doesn't care which she picks. Not right now, at least. Even if he's hungry for blood, he's not actually in a rush to die just so fast after being in this world. Honestly, even if she decided to just let them walk away, he'd accept that. He's make a note of it, but let it go. Regardless of her answer, he's climbing the stairs, to get a better look around the house. Unless she particularly stops him, he's going through every single room, exploring the space, opening closet doors, poking his head around.

Well, that's to be expected. He is a cat, after all. "If they do anything, I'll be there in a flash, Master. They know I'm around, so it won't be a surprise exactly, but that also means they'll be a little more wary of attacking. I hope. If not, then I'll fill them with arrows until there's nothing left!" And - off he goes.

---

In a way, he really should've expected this. It was a mistake to come out here like this, but at the same time, he does have a certain trump card. That is; his trump card is now here. He could dedicate himself to doing battle right now. He has the enemy at a disadvantage, in a way; for one, they don't know anything about his Servant. ... But they have him at the same disadvantage, don't they? He doesn't know anything about this Servant. "Ah, I apologize - I did not realize until the game was taken." Discretion is the better part of valor, he decides. There's no cause to waste energy on an unnecessary battle at this stage, especially since he's disadvantaged being in direct line of sight to the hostile Servant, while the hostile Master isn't right there. Thus, with the deck stacked against him, he'll take the generously offered out.

"Please, keep the kill, it was clearly not mine to take. I appreciate your mercy, and will leave your forest at haste." Pumak is many things, but 'too proud' is not one of them. Many men he's met would've recoiled, or had gone into a fight against the conqueror. But he simply knows better. And even if it goes poorly, and the Servant refuses to let him leave anyway, he has Saber here. He won't walk away before the man gives him leave, but, just in case, he gives his Servant instruction. If he attacks, hold him here while I flee, then retreat.

In some way, by way of a much more faceless entity, he's 'met a man' like this before. He's seen it time and time again. He serves to remind him of home lost to greed and power, of lives trampled underfoot for nothing but the wealth and desires of others. Without a word, he's resigned himself to it. He would give nearly anything to kill him. Perhaps not himself - again, Pumak is not nearly so prideful as to even imagine something so foolish. But to cause his death. But to be able to watch him lose 'his land'. It's an idle fantasy, and one he pushes through as fast as he can. He needs to leave, not fight. Even if every ounce of his being calls for it, it isn't the right time.

Because, in some other way, even if it was unsaid, he's correct. But it isn't that 'might makes right'. It's that it doesn't matter how right you are, if you lack the might to back that up.

---

Pumak: @kyoka @phonic
Archer: @Aoko Aozaki @Phlogistinator

Talia Heigen-Schwertz

---

Fuming, Talia followed after the broad back of Rider, a petulant pout on her face as she walked away from the gates of the Matou Manor. The burning of command seals informed her of the presence of a master nearby, and there was little chance that it could have been anyone but a member of the illustrious Matou household.

Fine, if they were to return grace with rudeness, then Talia would not be so uncourteous to treat them differently.

If it was war they were preparing for, then a war they shall get.

"Very well Rider. Let us depart. The day grows old and there are still some preparations I would rather like to start on at the least before the opening act begins.

@Aoko Aozaki @Gracefully @Kyoka

Not even the taste of the savory meat on a stick she had procured could bring relief from the the bitterness inside. At least her teacher had been looking out for her somewhat, though having come to a grinding halt from her prior excitement had been itself very grating. In other words: Her disappointment was immeasurable, and her day was ruined.

Yet...even so the heroine could not give up totally over one little hardship! Sure not meeting her favorite mythological hero was sad, that much was certain. But not all was lost for this entire 24 hour period! Tonight there would be battles, amazing fights, heroes of legend throwing themselves against each other, and the like! She would get to meet and battle her enemies, seek out allies, and conquer at length the struggles that war would hold for her and her teacher! Of course her brother had said to come home alive...b-but still, going down like a true hero was n-never a bad thing! Right?

Attempting to pump herself back up, Zoe even stopped for a moment and struck a strange pose whilst walking along the bridge...before laughing to herself and returning to 'normal'. Yes indeed, that one manga from Japan had proven to be a fun read with its supremely buff men posing oddly whilst fighting things like vampires and ghosts and the ilk! It was inspiring, even. But rather than strike such a menacing pose on the bridge all day, perhaps, it would be better to get to practicing? She really didn't need her teacher fussing at her later about that in particular.

Looking back ahead of her, however, Zoe found a strange sight. No...it was familiar kind of sight! A bold man, dressed like the ancient Greeks of old, walking alongside a Japanese schoolboy whilst seemingly talking. The command seals on her own right hand were basically tingling already as well! Such could only be the sign of a potential friend or associate! Or maybe a rival! She had no idea which, but before her own conscience could speak up...she had already begun to run at top speed towards what had to be another servant and master pair!

"HEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY, GREEK GUY AND JAPANESE KID, CAN I TALK TO YOU GUYS FOR A SECOND???"

Zoe shouted out to the pair as she ran, at nothing short of the top of her lungs and an excited stint wormed its back back through her. Finally, another Greek servant she could say hi to! Surely the fates had woven in such a fortuitous event, the stars aligning to provide her with the chance to recover her excitement for the day period. Indeed this was an event wrought by the hands of fate, and a part of her fated destiny for sure this time!

@Breo @Yankee

Walter Garbury
Abandoned Shipping Warehouse, Harbour

Walter blinked in amazement at how simply his assassin dismissed the golems and explained everything he didn't know to him. The immaculate eating of the sandwich told him all he needed to know about Hassan, careful and precise were of the highest degree to her. Her hesitance and careful nature of the handshake told him all he needed to know about her powers, as morbid as the concept was to him, deep down plans were already formulating in his little head.

He nodded in understanding, blushing a little, embarrassed at his own overconfidence and misdemeanor. "Hassan it its then! Apologies, I didn't mean to overstep or anything, merely trying to figure out exactly how to fight this war y'know? I didn't have any catalyst so I was just hoping for the best, and lo and behold, it appears I got the best" He rubbed the back of his head with an awkward laugh as he hurriedly got to grabbing his stuff together off the ground.

He looked up at her dazzling eyes with a gulp. She was much more beautiful than he had imagined a destroyer of worlds to be, something he was trying not to think about because there was no doubt that both of them would be slaughtered unless Hassan could save them both from certain annihilation. Yet hearing her foreboding words of keeping his distance, he could tell she certainly meant business.

"That's no bother at all! I wondered what the tingling was, just my mana I suppose. Now! Shall we get down to brass tacks?" He announced, a shit-eating grin on his face as he pulled a map of Fuyuki from the office through into the dimly lit warehouse, placing it on the table and after eventually straightening out he looked up with a flustered face, desperate to impress her but a grin on it nonetheless. "Here's Fuyuki, we're here at the harbor, and over here is Shinto Town, I reckon we check it out tonight since the sun is already getting low, either I stay here and keep the fort warm, or we go incognito into Shinto Town. I suggest we check the bridge for anyone suspicious crossing it also....speaking of..."

Gulping, the Brit looked up with a hesitant suggestion. "Reckon we could use your Noble Phantasm of not being able to touch things on my golems? I can cook two up by tonight, but imagine golems that can't be touched, those things would be immensely helpful yknow? I'd really appreciate it, but if you physically can't then I understand, it's quite a forward question ahaha" Smooth Walt, real smooth.
@Seirei No Hai

'Not as bad as you think,' huh? Well, a compliment was a compliment and Jigen would take it. He hoped it was true. He may not have a wealth of strength... or coordination... or agility... or intelligence, or magic power, or money or - Ooookay let's stop this line of thought, the boy thought to himself, I need to focus on what I do have! Um, spirit! Stamina, sort of! Pluck!!

He tried a confident laugh on, a (hopefully) flattering imitation of Saber. Listening to the man talk was fun, so even if the bold chuckle felt flat when compared to Saber himself, Jigen's laughter soon enough turned to simple mirth as they chatted. Their goal was the academy where Jigen was a student. Saito-san, the boy's father, was much smaller than Saber so his clothes wouldn't work. The clothing shops around weren't really suited to his muscled frame, but he didn't mind checking just to be sure. He thought that surely some loose gym clothes would fit the servant - and maybe even suit him. The thought of Saber dressed as a coach brought a grin to Jigen's face.

...also, he'd had to apologize to Fujimura-san and the other teachers for missing class today. Yeah.

When a comfortable silence fell over the pair, Jigen didn't miss Saber's wistful mention of the name "Herakles." Many groups they'd past had been chatting about a "Hercules," and even Jigen knew who that was. He and Saber were both ancient Greeks, right? Maybe they knew each other. They probably did. The student vowed to research everything he could about his new partner, it'd just be embarrassing if he didn't. Unless... maybe he wouldn't appreciate that? A man was entitled to some privacy, right? Aaaah, this was complicated.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the command spells on his hand heating up again. He idly itched them as he thought about Saber's question.

"Me? Hmm... I guess it would be world peace or... end hunger or something," he replied. Truth be told, he hadn't given his own wish much thought. He was more interested in having a cool spirit pal. He glanced sideways at Saber. "I'll let you know for sure when I decide. Something good though. It would be nice to help people."

He scratched at his hand again. "So that guy everyone's talking about, do you know him? Would you want to meet up with him? Maybe we can go ch-argh, are these marks supposed to burn for so long? I - "

His complaint was interrupted by a woman's shout. Surprised, Jigen looked up and spotted her running towards them. Fair skinned, reddish hair, loud... a foreigner? Obviously not the first one he'd met today. He gave the lady a little wave.

"Er, maybe she's...?" he trailed off, thinking that she of course would be another Master. He didn't see anyone beside her, was her servant invisible? Should he be worried? Nah, I have Saber with me, he said he could take on a whole army. No reason to be nervous. Of course, with the woman shouting right ahead of them, Jigen didn't even consider there might be more than one other master on the bridge.

---

Hercules' words shocked the Pharaoh. He drew his arms a little closer to himself as a chill ran down his spine, but his eyes narrowed and he put all of his focus on the servant before him. It was the case indeed, and a man as sharp was Hercules apparently was could easily see that. This man... whether it was a guess or not, seemed to know too much about him. Were they really kindred souls, or was it as plain to everyone else as it was to Hercules? Did the touch of his curse seep out so far from his core that it was no secret at all?

Am I that far gone?

His offer of an alliance was just as surprising, but he supposed a great hero would think such a thing up. Behind him, his master's tone was much more natural, and his answer...

Not for your own sake, you would take his offer? Berserker privately questioned, turning slightly to meet the man's eyes. At first he'd thought his master was a difficult one to pin down, but little by little he felt he could see the true Markansas, though it'd been less than a day. He had to admit that what Hercules claimed was true, he wanted nothing more than to take the Fate that destiny had given him and tear it to shreds. His father, his grave robbers, even his very self - if erasing them would remove the dark stain from Egypt and the world he would do it.

But it wasn't possible, save for perhaps the power obtained at the end of this war.

"...fine. You heard my master," he said. Slowly, Berserker stood up straight. The quintessential hero wouldn't strike down those that just agreed to join him, would he? Now, the boy king set his cold gaze on the rest of those gathered in the area, daring them to move against the unlikely alliance.

Oh? The Master had accepted in the interests of the Servant. With new eyes, Commodus evaluated that human, evaluated those eyes. Were they the eyes of one who sought his own gain, or the eyes of one who sincerely desired the betterment of another? He could not tell. He could not know. If he tapped into the power of 'him', then perhaps- his guile, his brilliance, they could no doubt see through all manner of deception. And yet, he didn't.

Perhaps it was simple sentimentality, but for this moment, it felt wrong. It felt wrong to use those gifts in this moment, a moment when he spoke not as him, but as Commodus. But, if that were the case...

"I did hear your Master, and yet I received no response from you. We are all born with fate, but it is our choice to accept or deny it. Forcing you to break your fate is every bit as cruel as shackling you to it. Remember, this path we walk, a path of breaking, is an arduous one. If you reach the end, if you escape in full, you may find that your own name has become that of a stranger."

The Faker straightened himself up, towering over the boy king, but there was no sneer or weight that implied superiority. Rather-

"I will take your answer as acceptance in the meantime, however. Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Hercules. Do not feel the need to provide your true name, least of all here, where prying eyes and ears lie in wait. If you have prepared a workshop, we may depart for there- elsewise, we may use the residence my Master has prepared."

Stepping at his own Master's side, a single nod was delivered to those he had allied with. In the first place, this could be considered a foolish move, to make an alliance so brazenly, especially when those of the war knew his name. And yet, he did not regret it in the slightest. The people who had seen him today had cheered, and felt joy. The boy he allied with would not have met him had he not done this. All of these acts had led to 'good'.

"The final Servant present here, and those familiars of magi which are watching, an attempt to follow us without revealing yourself and requesting such will be treated as a declaration of war. An attempt to assault us, or to attack the populace here, will similarly be treated as a declaration of war. I trust that you understand the weight this carries. Do not force my hand on this first day- enjoy this world we have been brought into, rejoice in its strange beauty. And when the time comes where we must trade blows, let it be a glorious duel."

Uttering those words, the idol of a fool said his farewell.

The grand yo-yo duel had ended.

For now.

The man in the gray suit maintained a stony face despite the absurdity of his situation. This was not how things were supposed to be. The suitcase trailing behind him by the right hand, the briefcase in his left hand, the gucci purse dangling from his shoulder, he looked a mess. That wasn't the problem. Looking a little absurd in front of people he would never so much as exchange pleasantries with on the wrong side of the world for it to matter didn't even phase Maurius Oscuro.

The problem was the man trailing behind him, Caster, and it wasn't because he wasn't carrying the bags. Maurius would have never even asked for him to help with something so menial. No this was a much deeper problem, the sort that couldn't be solved without making more problems. What use was a legendary warrior to champion you in this battle royale if he swore to do no harm? Of course it was not in his nature to acknowledge a problem to anyone but himself until there was a solution ready to be deployed, and so he ruminated silently on the matter.

Almost silently, after several minutes he cleared his throat and spoke up. "Doctor, have you seen anywhere so far that suits your fancy? It would behoove us greatly to be settled in before the fall of night." He didn't look back and he didn't have a free hand to gesture towards the rows of buildings with, so a sort of jilted nod that paid too much mind to the weight of the purse on his shoulder had to suffice. "There is no need to choose a building that is vacant, I am sure we can reach an agreement with the owners regardless of their attachment to it." So just pick one already, for the love of god- he completed the thought to himself.

He cleared his throat again. "...Besides I'd love to see your capabilities firsthand. I'm getting pretty sore lugging all this around, a massage would be most welcome." And a drink too maybe- again to himself, but he had sworn to himself that he would keep his alcoholism at bay during this vacation. At the very least he sounded sincere enough, even enthusiastic, but a complaint of such low bearing levied towards a man of such magnitude was none the less as likely a barb as a real request. Maybe it was at this point, but his shoulder actually was getting sore so there was at least a modicum of sincerity.

---

@wug

Bridge Between Shinto and Miyama
What kind of luck was this, running into another pair during the day. Checking the Parameters of the Servant who looked like a bonafide Hero, he relayed it to Gensai, she had him beat in speed but with the environment it was too risky to chance it. Honestly he wasn't expecting much the first day, getting so much information was pretty great honestly. Chip away at the problem until you got to the point to fully strike it.

He could feel his Servants frustration through the bond and could guess why. This was her at her best, Daylight Assassin that she was, and having to pass off so many targets cause the others Servant would pose too much trouble had to be infuriating. Dimund gave her a slight pat on the shoulder. "I can understand how you're feeling, but we aren't really trying to play for straight fights in the first place. Getting so much out of scouting is gonna pay dividends later on."

Wondering if they should just take a different direction, some crazy girl with red hair came charging across the bridge shouting at the pair. His seals were already tingling because of the kid, and damn if he didn't look out of place in a war, but that had to be another Master. She seemed alone but her Servant could of been in Spirit Form, no one should of been that stupid in this kind of situation.

Today was full of temptations, but the crazy chick was close enough to the Greek looking Hero to not chance it. Depending on the temperament he may decide to save the girl and if not use the moment to strike at him or his Servant. At least it provided a different kind of opportunity, the pair being distracted by her gave them the chance to just walk on by into Shinto as planned.

Giving the group a slight side nod, he and Gensai continued on to Shinto.

@Breo @Yankee @ObsidianNoir @Crusader Lord

Saber continued to smile — he seemed to do that a lot, almost as if he had learned to make the expression come as second nature. But in spite of such thing, it did not feel fake — which was likely the larger surprise.

“Good wishes — or rather, good heart, young man. But I’m not sure if a single person should decide to dictate the course of mankind even if it comes from a good place.”

There was nothing wrong in wishing and desiring for it, of course — he could understand that the notion of such reality would doubtlessly appeal to most, and it spoke of a sense of humanity by itself.

...But setting that aside, Saber was more bothered by the way the young man had talked about said wishes.

He lightly tapped his back (though really, by the standards of a human, it must have been quite the slap) and his eyes roamed to look past the masses, toward the river and the ocean beyond, wistfulness clearly apparent.

“There’s nothing wrong with wanting to help others, but you should think about what you want, as well. Half-hearted desires are worse than having no desires at all.”

That’s right. What matters is that you believe in the path you have chosen — parroting what you have heard and simply going with the flow lead nowhere in life. One must be decisive in following their heart.

Regardless of where that path leads, that is what it means to ‘live.’

“Ah, don’t worry too much about it. It’d be nice meeting him again, but to be quite honest, I don’t know if you could handle—”

He was, however, interrupted by the yelling of some girl, as others passed by him. Looking her way with a clearly puzzled glance, she approached, seemingly undaunted.

Another Master…? And she seemed to have no Servant nearby? Either she was very confident in her abilities or very thoughtless in her approach. There was the matter of some Assassin skulking around, or an Archer aiming from far away — but that would pose only a token threat to one like him at worst, and he was well-positioned to defend the kid if it came to that.

It was the middle of the day in a crowded, public place though. What kind of reckless maniac would attack here, violating the secrecy of the War and potentially putting many at risk? For that alone, he would give the benefit of the doubt.

“...Yes? Is there something you wanted?”

@Yankee @Crusader Lord

"Roger that," The General replied to his Master, walking upwards towards where the change of clothes awaited.

"Heh, not bad." Strategist muttered, taking in the outfit.



"Looking sharp, Doug." MacArthur said to himself as he stared into his reflection, a sardonic smile on his lips. Now, to wait for the CO to finish his preparations and get themselves started.

@Remon

Hippomenes raised an eyebrow. How bold. His smile returned as he closed the distance between them with cat like grace, watching the Master like hawk for any twitch of his body, he walked past him, brushing so close that their bodies almost touched, "I think I'll take you up on that offer, bold Master".

"Bolds a good word for it," Mehdi replied, his eyes looking over the Rider curiously, and an eyebrow raising curiously at the high parameters it possessed.

"Sorry, everyone." He called out to the crowd, "Thats all our coupons for today," And with that he turned away from the milling pedestrians and lead the other Servant inside, ignoring the other employee and Servant Gunner to take his place behind the bar counter. Hands plucked at frozen strawberries, chopping them into cubes. Pale white wrapped around brown and green as kiwis were peeled, and a sharp fragrance breached the air as several leaves of mint were brought into the air.

Ice was tossed into the mixer, along with the first three ingredients, before Mehdi paused thoughtfully, then glanced at Rider thoughtfully for a moment.

He grinned.

"Eh, its happy hour somewhere."

With a practiced twirl the Master of Gunner produced a bottle of rum, splashing its contents into the mixture before turning on the machine.

@Lucker13

Zoe slowed down as she came up to the two men, only huffing lightly as she looked on with a ridiculous grin at the two. Of course despite her rather innocent, if not outright stupid and foolish, approach, she at least up front wasn't up front presenting any ill intent. Not that really anything in this war could be taken lightly or at face value, especially to anyone who had a semblance of survival instincts and tactics. Though as for the city's self-proclaimed heroine...

"Hey, thanks for not, er, attacking me! Name's Zoe, The Great Chosen One Who Shall Save The Entire World...and a Master! Sorry for running up like this, but I wanted to ask if you wanna be friends! Or er, maybe make an alliance? Umm...this is all new to me really. But a hero sometimes finds someone to help, right?"

She then looked between the two males, addressing both of them still while speaking as clearly as possible. That much she could do very well!

"Though I know this is all really out of the blue, not exactly something people can usually trust. Other mages can be kinda assholes sometimes, to say the least. Plus this is a war after all, and there's a lot to worry about I mean. So I wouldn't blame you for being very suspicious...

...but I feel it is fate that we ran into each other on the bridge today! Like the Fates totally wove in this great chance, or something, into the fabric of today!"

Her gaze then moved over to Jigen in particular, a stupid and goofy smile still on her face as she addressed the schoolboy that seemed rather close to her age.

"You don't seem to be the very mage-y type for a master, so if anything so I figured I could try to help ya! Got money and magecraft and all, I mean, so maybe I can try to help ya stay alive! I came to this in the first place so I could defeat evil, protect the weak, and to prove myself to be a great hero!

Don't really have any idea what to use on the Grail, though, if I even survive that long. Though maybe we can all make it out alive together if you want! I've even got a Greek servant myself, and he's pretty cool! Though he did tell me the Heracles people were talking about at the bank was fake...b-but my servant knew the real one, so I have to believe him!"

So sincere were her words, and so utterly genuine her excitement and attentiveness, yet by even basic magus standards she was acting like a grade A idiot. By normal humans standards she was also an idiot, in particular one who had just run up alone to and through potential danger to talk to potentially dangerous strangers. Not just this, but had then spouted on to said strangers about making an alliance based on some first impression and something about 'fate'. Frankly it was an utterly ludicrous offer, and an insane action by any regards in the first place. The sheer fact she hadn't been struck down by a random car, much less something else like a sudden bolt of lightning out of the sky during a sunny day, was nothing short of a miracle. Or perhaps...was it fate?

Though she did seem briefly saddened when talking about the, according to her words, 'fake' Heracles at the bank her servant had told her about. Or perhaps he wasn't still at the bank. Truthfully, she had no idea.

Regardless, it was up to the Japanese schoolboy and his servant to decide what to say and do next. How would they handle a total idiot approaching them like this, however? Only the next few moments would truly show what responses would come to the destined heroine's daringly retarded actions and pleas!

"I can even get you both lunch or dinner if you want! I-If that'd help me prove my words are true!"

At least in all of this she had also only been speaking where Theseus and his master could hear her clearly. Passerby and the ilk would remain ignorant of the heroine's words this day...not that her initial approach had been at all subtle.

@Breo @Yankee

@Reflection @TehChron @Lucker13



With a smile Hippomenes fished some money out of his pockets and put it on the counter. "Much obliged Mr..." His nostrils flared as he breathed in the beverages' smell. Nothing poisonus or magical eeh. "I'm sure my Master will be pleased with your handywork." And with that he made his way back, giving his fellow Servant a nod as he left the building.

Mehdi glanced at the deposited money, before dropping it into the register.

With a dramatic sigh and shrug he glanced towards his Servant

"Didn't even give me a tip," The magus sighs again, palm in his cheek, "Makes it all seem like a waste of time."

As Caster and Master ascended the skyscraper, they both continued their idle talk. Alexandria had not had any building so large and magnificent, at least in terms of size. Points had to be deducted because the modern era had devalued the concept of Wonder, but really, that was nothing new.

Even so. . .

Truthfully, the day had gone well for Caster.

Enough data had been gathered to fuel nightly Calculation. The strategy to divert enemy attention and presence away from Shinto Town had worked perfectly. With just a rumor of that 'Hercules', she had gained what she wanted.

The pathway to the spiritual land situated beneath Fuyuki's City Hall was open. In terms of gathering information, she held no doubts that she stood out among the competition. Indeed, Catherine was poised to seize the night when it arrived.

It only took slight nudges to achieve your desired Future, at times. Even the Holy Grail War, full of endless anomalies, followed that rule.

The pair finally reached the roof, and Caster took a moment to herself. She looked upon the works of modern man in all its glory, from the greatest vantage point in Fuyuki. It was a wonder that not a century ago all of Japan used wooden buildings. This was the power of 'civilization'.

After a moment to survey what she saw, Caster sat down on the edge of the roof. Her legs hung over the side, and she idly swayed them back and forth. There was a certain level of risk, even taking into account the triple layer boundary field Hypatia prepared before their arrival.

That was to say nothing of how she erased their presence the moment Caster decided to head this direction. But, even so. It was an indulgence that the tiny shred of humanity within her 'Brain' demanded. At least, in exchange for it to be repressed in a few moments.

Caster closed her eyes, looking upon the wondrous works of man.



Caster opened her eyes, looking upon the misbegotten works of man.

Analyze.
Compute.
Replicate.

This was the world she had 'drawn' from the infinite multitude.

Selecting/Calculating/Materializing the next one would only be possible with enough Input Data. For the briefest moment, her minds deliberated.
------------
+ Number 1 +
Woman Reported/Evaluated/Assessed missing recently.
------------
+ Number 6 +
Standoff/Meeting/Encounter within Commerce District.
------------
+ Number 4 +
Continued conceptual Degradation/Decline/Regression of Holy Grail System.
------------
+ Number 5 +
Ruler has not acted? Then so be it.
------------
+ Number 2 +
Of course. Something little like this is certainly not the Disaster/Despair/Scourge Ruler was materialized for. Further Input Data required.
------------

She would give 'worth' to humanity. That was her nature as a Magus, as an Alchemist. Yes, that 'endpoint' humanity desired to achieve. Birth, death- all the same origin point. The beauty inherent to striving for the unreachable pillar in the ever distant horizon. It was one not given distance from space, but rather the gulf(abyss) of time.

Yes, one must go up or down the stream of time to reach it. Through 'Will' that surpassed even their human forms, 'Man' hoped to achieve their 'Truest End' waiting at the end or start of the river of time.

Indeed. Tracing upstream was becoming rapidly impossible. The era of Magecraft/Thaumatury/Pseudo Miracle Recreation was fundamentally at its end. The best possible result was nothing more than a quiet sense of nostalgia carried forward by the spirit of man.

Yes, and nostalgia for the Planet/Star/Mother they would leave behind as their star blazed forward. The 'Ideal Possible Outcome' for the 'Order of Primates'. . . The impossible barrier hadn't been surpassed.

But in striving for [ ], it was the journey that gave the endpoint worth. It was surely the reason Magi didn't commit mass suicide to reach it, at least. Could one blame Caster for seeing the city as nothing more than numbers and nostalgia?

She threw away that sense of nostalgia and truly prepared for the Holy Grail War.

---

"Assessment: Master, chance of victory increases by 15.5% if your Physique/Body/Hardware exceeds that of normal Primates." The situation would definitely get out of control if combat was entered with a frail master. And combat must be an eventuality accounted for in every single moment. Such was the nature of Assassin. Such was the burden of a Servant.

Spiritual hacking. Caster seized control of her Masters body using the affixed Etherlite, in combination with magecraft. Hypatia was anything but careless, after all.

". . .Before this Era of Primates, there was once a to-be Sky Father betrayed by a certain usurper." Her voice was not human. She should not exist. Even by the standards of a Magus, even by the standards of this war-

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+ Number 1 +
Removal of bodily limitations. Enhancement of bone structure, senses, optimization of basic human functions.
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"That was his own brother, naturally. Tonight only, I'll take on that role in this tower, which is close to the heavens He was to rule." Increasingly, Etherlite began to surround Casters master.

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+ Number 7 +
Expansion of mental process and bodily processing speed. Enhancement of nervous system with Etherlite.
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"But I'll also take on the role of the sister who revived him. Such is the nature of the organization that created me."

One of Casters auxiliary minds wondered why Magi outside of her Institute neglected their bodies so much. Truly, they were over reliant on a simple mutation. If they weren't, perhaps this wouldn't need to be so drastic.

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+ Number 4 +
Restoration of Magical Crest. Perfection/Repair/Regression of Thaumaturgical Formula.
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"There are rules and limits to this era. But, Child of Man, I will see you crash through them just as Osiris did with the Gates of the Underworld." After all, she was-

Improvement of hardware, software, and formula. The actualization of an existence that reached into a realm beyond humans. In combination with her Noble Phantasm, that much should be possible.

After the beginnings of this process were to be finished, she would set off for City Hall. The lively ambient energy of Shinto would be better served as a catalyst for her desired future.

The first day of the Holy Grail War had come to a close, and with it came the night. He was surprised that no fights had broken out during the daytime, truth be told. With the true names that he had witnessed over the course of the day, he had expected there to be bloodshed, but there was none. True enough, those words had been correct. He would have been a fool to doubt them.

That didn't mean that nothing troublesome had happened, though. The ruler who devoured the land, the myriad eyes of the Giant's Pit, the emperor wearing a hero's garb, they and many others were beings who could undoubtedly turn the Grail War's premise on its head. They were budding calamities who, if given the opportunity, would undoubtedly become beings with the 'Authority to Eradicate All Heroes'.

No matter. If they acted in such a manner, then he would strike them down. This was the only path. There was no sense in laying down a sentence simply for a potential crime. Rather than spinning his wheels like that, it was more productive to work out the remaining unknowns that were present here. As Ruler, he needed a top-down view of the game board. That was the priority, above all else.

"-I announce, the third helm. Be crushed."

The mundane clothing he had been wearing fell away from his right arm. From the shoulder down, replacing it was a portion of armor, a midnight black metal that gleamed in the moonlight. The true arbiter of the Holy Grail War thrust that arm down into the earth below him, meeting something that did not exist in the physical land, and gripped. For all of a split-second, there was a flare-up of magical energy in the area, so small that even comparing it to a single-action spell might be a mistake, before it faded away.

"...verification complete. That is the last of it."

Ruler's hand was pulled from the earth, the armor not having lost even a portion of its polish. That armor then melted back away, back into mundane clothes, back into normalcy. He nodded, seeming to be satisfied. There were no issues here, either. Good, he had felt concerned, but now that his search had turned up nothing, he could feel secure.

Now that the war had begun, he would witness the great conflict that would be to come, and would pass down judgment.

"Good luck, participants. May your wish be granted."

That was the nature of a Ruler, in the end.

A steady flow of party supplies found their way into the now deserted Homurahara High School. It would be where the nights Banquet of Kings would take place, so it had to be up to par.

Loafing around in safety, E.E. watched the preparations through her Servant. Just using mundane supplies and resources had made it a safe enough affair for the Einzbern to execute. Wealth was a non-issue for them, as it was. The furnishings on display would probably make some of the poorer masters cry in envy and despair-certainly, the homunculus looked forward to that.

It was a meeting of Kings, or, as Rider liked to call it 'the Banquet of servants'. It was difficult to not be disgusted, even if it was her beloved Rider. Such were the sacrifices one made for those that mattered.

Allowing the competition to openly reveal themselves was nice, but in truth, she just wanted to watch the drama unfold.

After a time, preparations were nearly complete. Considering the distances required to be covered, sending the invitation out early would be for the best.

Eventually, fireworks were launched into the air as an open invitation to the entire war. Any Magus would recognize their meaning; a declaration of 'Parlay' between Servants. And, also, to settle who among their servants was 'Greatest'.

"I've sent out the invitation, Rider."

Shinto Town to Hilltop Church

Night had come and with it the start of War. We closed off the shop, Master preparing himself with all sorts of manor of Flora and dressed rather flamboyantly but blending in with his surroundings. I kept to my bought clothes for now and we made a winding path from where we were back towards the summonings in the trees, Mehdi taking care to 'plant' some of his creations on the way.

Walking through the trees, I became giddy even while trying to cool my nerves. Like the first day I flew in the War, I anticipated what was to come, if we would succeed in our plan or have to abort wildly. My fingers twitched while keeping a grin off my face.

Finally we came upon that same clearing this morning, moonlight painting it a light blue. We split up briefly, me heading towards to center of it and my Master walking more to the side, squatting in the dark while cooing? Yes, cooing softly at something in the shadows while petting and feeding it.

Stopping I looked up at the Moon, and below me a shape was taking form. Slowly it grew, a bright red seen beneath the glow with black crosses surrounded in white on both sides. Smooth to the touch, it was not the Plane I flew the most in but the one people all over knew me for its iconic three wing design casting a new shadow. While I normally flew by myself, I had some leeway in how it could be formed and Planes from my era had plenty of two seaters. I ran my hands over it and checked it over by habit, small bombs at the side of the front seat and machine gun full to bear with no need to reload as well. Fuel was no concern as well with Mehdi's ample reserves. What a great thing that.

I turned back to my Master who had finished his own preparations, a toothful grin on him. I stood wearing my brown Aviator uniform and hat and jestured.

"The Red Devil is ready once more for War Master. Where shall we go first?"
@TehChron

"Time to close up shop for the night," Mehdi muttered to himself as night fell, fussing in the garden at the back of the Fruits of Ecstasy. A thoughtful hum saw a box being picked up from the ground. A sideways glance saw a sinuous green vine wrap itself around his arm affectionately.

An affectionate pat and surge of energy through his Magic Circuits, filling a flowering herb with love, and a Bounded Field snapped into place; warded against poison, insects, disease, and all magecraft of hostile intent.

The front door was locked with a careful click, and Mehdi looked towards the silvery moon, luxuriating in the feel of it on his skin before it faded away, numerous leaves bursting from his flesh, a silver cast indistinguishable from moonbeams.

Passing through Shinto Town, a length of green snapped loose, burrowing into pliant earth beneath a tree where birds slept.

As Mehdi walked upon the Hill with the Church, a second length snapped loose, burrowing into the grounds just beyond the iron fence which marked those hallowed grounds.

And so Mehdi continued walking alongside his Servant, approaching that first clearing, and with it that last vine slithered into the unnamed trees beyond the outskirts of Fuyuki.

While Gunner began preparing his noble phantasm, Mehdi leaned into the field of new growth, and pleased with the nutrient rich soil drew deeply upon the cultivation spells put together over nearly a millennia, and a certain, gnarled limb reached out to the magus in greeting.

"Hey there little guy," Mehdi cooed affectionately, "Enjoy your day?" He nodded l, stroking the plant and infusing it with the growth inducing magecraft, and beneath his feet Mehdi felt the plant take further root, drinking deeply of the meals that had been prepared for it

"Alright, now be a good kid and keep yourself hidden for when daddy gets back. He's off to make a certain young ladys night."

With a wink of crimson pupils, Mehdi nodded towards his Servant, snapping on a helmet and goggles that completely obscured his features. Let's have ourselves a nighttime rendevous, Captain. Give our hosts in this city something to remember us by in the morning.

"To the Foreign District."

@Lucker13

Hilltop Church
His Master got into the back cockpit while he sat upfront, memories of that last flight, pain in his chest and the slow final descent to ground. His last thoughts of his Brother and Country, hoping they could still pull through in the a War that looked so bleak. Now he readied the old machine once more for a new War, one of crazy Magus and upfront Servants who would sooner hold duals then actually do War on the enemy. Fights were unnecessary, just objectives to be meet this night with the potential of resistance.

Gripping the wheel, Manfred pushed his plane across the field gaining speed and then over the trees. A low whine carried in the air as they climbed and climbed farther into the sky. Wind rushed by his face and Manfred felt alive again. Eventually they broke cloud cover and evened out. Shouting to Mehdi "I do hope you aren't airsick Master, for if that caused discomfort I'm afraid the rest of the night will not favor you better!" Gunner took deep breaths of the air around him, different from home but carrying that hint of nostalgia nowhere else would.

Bringing the plane around he started to approach the Foreign District while keeping to the forests on the edge of town to draw as little attention as possible. Soon they entered it from the South East and settled over it, making gentle loops to keep themselves there sticking to what clouds they could.

The Red Baron Flew Once More.

8,000 Feet Over Foreign District

@TehChron