[IC] Fate/stay Night - War of the Fourteen Magi - High Casual

[Grey]

Berserker
Interacting with: @Turboshitter

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“Hah? No, the Grail granted me nothing of the sort, however inconvenient that truth may be,” Berserker huffed. She formed a particularly unamused expression to convey her indignance at being unaware of something that she was apparently expected to be knowledgeable on. Wounded her pride, it did. “...Anyway. Call me what you will,” she shrugged, followed by a dismissive wave of the hand. “I’m more interested in what could be so troublesome that we should be unable to do something so simple.” She stepped into the threshold of the room once more, interest piqued enough to stop her course.

She made her way back over to her Master, ensuring that she didn’t crush his honeycomb construct any further by gingerly skirting around the obstruction. Then, she fell back into the linen upholstery of the hotel armchair, threw her armored arms over their rests, and crossed her legs atop the matching ottoman. Her armor evaporated into little motes of prana, leaving only the wine-red coat beneath. “So what is it then?” she asked offhandedly, “I’m curious to hear what peculiar happening your spy is detecting.” Surely it would be something dire, but no doubt it was not anything outside of her ability to deal with.

Of course, Berserker was sorely disappointed when she heard his explanation. The dark-haired Frenchwoman inhaled sharply, mouth settling into a hard line. Leaning her head forward, she brought her hands together with a simple shift of her forearms, steepling them in front of her face as if to cover her mouth and prevent any foul utterances. Then she leaned back and directed the tips of her fingers towards Albert with a slow turn of her wrists. "Master,” she said with animated stoicism, “Do you not hear yourself? There is a gathering of Servants and Masters taking place, and you would choose camp out in the shadows?”

Berserker lifted a leg and kicked the ottoman forward, sending it into the opposite wall. At the same time, she slammed her hands on the armrests and forced herself to her feet, armor remanifesting around her. “Save the formalities for the road, Master,” Berserker grinned excitedly, a glint in her eyes that was quite befitting her class. She pointed to the door. “For we march! Let us meet these heroes wholeheartedly!”

The hero known as Roland began storming out of the room.

[Phase Transit]

@Shadow Daedalus
Amina
Amina nodded in affirmation, walking forward slightly behind James. She noted his own preparations for conflict and wondered at them. He had quite the varied assortment of weapons, with many being firearms. So many things to do and so many little things to manage. She couldn't help but wonder how any of it was at all efficient. Firearms seemed clumsy and prone to mechanical error. In contrast, a well trained blade or bow could work wonders with limits determined almost solely by its wielder's own skill.

Of course, she thought, she was probably biased. She didn't use firearms since she didn't need any. Firearms were crutches for humans to use to compensate for a natural lack of strength. Amina didn't have this weakness, so she inherently saw no use for them. Amina shrugged. She could rationalize why humans did what they did, but she couldn't fully understand it. And it wouldn't help to try, so she didn't.

Before they entered, she saw Saber start to give a warning to James. During this, Amina scanned Saber's figure, sizing him up as a seasoned fighter would. She couldn't decipher anything. This was unprecedented, as Amina had incredibly perceptive eyes that could measure up the physical capabilities of an opponent in a glance. Yet when she looked at Saber, attempting to size up his musculature, form, and poise, she found what she saw distorting every so often, preventing her from accurately pinning down what Saber was actually capable of.

Perhaps an ability of some sort on Saber's part. She couldn't dwell on that fact, though, and simply trailed behind Jonathan, curious to see if he would respond to Saber or simply walk in.

Lancer
Lancer sat within the sprawling foliage of a tree. The time was six thirty during the winter, meaning that night's dark greeting had touched much of Fuyuki already. It was a greeting that Lancer welcomed. The night and its darkness awakened the disease that lay within him, causing his ashen white skin to flash with golden streaks as divine microbes danced in his body, altering him at the spiritual level.

The feeling was at once thrilling and uncomfortable. There was a distinct sense that Lancer was losing himself. Knowledge that was not his own swirled in his mind. Physical prowess that was not his own pulsed in his muscles. Even so, Lancer was all too happy to lose himself to this disease, this manifestation of the god he had so faithfully worshiped. To lose his imperfect human self and to attune himself with the Dagda, the lord of life and death, was a blessing beyond compare.

Lancer stretched out his hands and viewed them. They were armored, but he could still see the disease's effects. Claws black and glistening like obsidian sprouted from his fingertips, punching through the metal that gauntleted them. Shadows danced around his hands in wispy curls, spreading out and wreathing them in a haze of black. It seemed that his concealment was starting to activate. As long as the night lent its support, Lancer could move about unnoticed, hidden from the lives around him that worshiped the day.

Suddenly, his master's thoughts beamed into his head. Lancer materialized his spear, a nondescript silver lance, and grasped it. The spear's handle moved like a living creature, twisting around Lancer's left hand and rooting itself to it. Lancer felt pinprick points of pain as the handle injected more microbes into him, sustaining the divine disease that made up the brunt of his power.

"I will keep watch, master, do not worry." Lancer put a palm on the tree he was on and began whispering out a song. The song held words incomprehensible to any person near enough to hear it, with the sounds and enunciation so sharp and jarring that it would be difficult to believe a human being was uttering them. The song drew on for almost ten seconds before winding down to a whisper, then silence.

Lancer hummed. The tree's underground root system expanded rapidly, branching outwards into a ravenous cobweb that spanned almost thirty meters in radius. Unfortunately, the roots were not able to fully penetrate the church due to some interference, but around that area and outside it, the roots comfortably settled. Magical energy flowed through these roots, relaying basic information about the lifeforms on the ground above it.

The tree was now Lancer's familiar, claimed through Druidic magecraft enhanced by the patron god of the mystical arts himself.

"Very, very good watch."

[Loki Odinson]

Interactions: Leon + Father Walter + Keiji Togami @vancexentan, Jonathan O'Connor @BubbleGumKing, (not sure if Amina + James are in the room yet)

The moment Father Walter mentioned teams, her first thought was ‘oh, hell no’. Having fourteen Masters duke it out over the Grail was somewhat acceptable in her eyes, mostly because she was the sort to stand back and watch the fallout. Weaker Servants and Masters will fall within a handful of days, meaning she wouldn’t need to worry about them. The stronger ones would eventually find each other, and numbers will be whittled down. Of course, she wasn’t so naïve as to think she would be the only Master to stand back. Her priority then would be to survive, and kill off the other competitors lurking in the shadows before the mightier Servants clashed. The only ones she was worried about was the two Assassins, who would be the first to hide in the shadows.

The longer the Overseer talked, however, the more options presented itself. The restriction about same class of Servants not being able to team up didn’t matter much to her. As long as she had an alternative, Brynhilda wouldn’t send Rider to face a Servant head-on. As much as Rider’s skills were adequate in holding her own, against Lancer, Berserker or Saber, Rider wouldn’t stand much of a chance. Teaming up with another would be the wise choice. As the Father said, thinking about going solo was suicidal if met with a party. And her wish…it wasn’t something so big nor world-changing. For her it might be the greatest desire of all, but she wasn’t so vain as to say it would rock the world as everyone knew it. As far as she could see, there were more advantages in teaming up than going solo.

When he finished all he had wanted to say, the Overseer fell silent, allowing them a moment’s silence to mull things over using their full concentration. Brynhilda inwardly sighed, peering through her lashes at the other Masters around the room. Togami was most definitely out. Even if no one else wanted to ally with her, she would rather go solo than join with that snotty brat. The Master who stood up against him…she marked as a possible ally. Really, anyone who can’t stand Togami was okay in her books. She could quite get a read on him, but he didn’t seem the suicidal, lone wolf type. Now the pseudo-Master Takumi was another she put near the bottom of her list. Someone who was merely taking the place of another couldn’t be trusted because who knew the agenda behind the one pulling his strings? Jonathan, the seemingly cheerful ad enthusiastic man was another possible ally. Sure, his nonchalant approach to the War and other Masters was unsettling in that he might trust the wrong guy and sabotage the team, but at least he broadcasted his intentions and might not backstab her at the first given opportunity. Although her mind was already close to making a decision, she decided to wait just a little longer, either for more Masters to show up or Rider’s opinion on other Servants.

“So we team up, clear the other players off the board and when it’s all down to that one team, it will turn in on itself until only one remains. What difference does fourteen Masters and the urging to form teams make when the eventual outcome will be the same?” Brynhilda aired her opinion without a care of what the others thought. Agree or disagree with the unspoken nature of men faced with a chance to fulfil their deepest wish, it would at least tell her if there were like-minded individuals within this small bunch, who was the more trustworthy ones and whom would covert the Grail for themselves. For Brynhilda, well…she wanted her wish granted, that was true, but she was not so dishonourable to backstab her allies. When she gave her word, she wouldn’t go back on it. But not everyone was this way, after all. As her teacher once said, her morals would be her downfall someday, and she couldn’t help but think that day might be soon.

“Rider? Have you gotten a read on any of the other Servants outside? Which one do you think might be trouble?” She paused for a heartbeat, before allowing her concern to trickle down the link. “I am afraid this War will be very different from your last experience. We definitely will have no choice but to team up with someone if we wish to stay in the running until the end. However, I would prefer not to ally with someone who slaughters for the sake of it and coverts the Grail for themselves and themselves only. It would end with us being dead.”

---

Interactions: Rider @BubbleGumKing, Lancer @Phase Transit

He had remained up on the rooftop even after his Master disappeared into the church, not moving an inch from his position as he kept watch. A quarter of his attention was on the information his Master was filtering through the link. At the back of his mind, he managed to pinpoint three mana signatures, Servants all, given their equally vigilant stances and proximity to the neutral ground. He had taken his eyes off the building below for a grand total of three seconds, one for each Servant. The first, the unknown Servant. The second, a flash of long purple hair and lithe body. Assassin, Rider or even Archer. There was no armour to speak of, after all. The third, a tall, armoured man located somewhere out of his peripheral vision, but not his senses. That one would either be Lancer or Saber, as Berserker would not have possessed such calm and patience in waiting on their Master for an unknown stretch of time.

“Rather generous of the Grail to allow more than one victor this time round, don’t you think, Master?” Caster replied in lieu of his Master’s comment about the increased number of command seals. He didn’t deign it vital enough to comment on, as he believed it would not make any difference for him. Rare was it he forced his Master to use a seal, and Jonathan was not shaping up to be a greedy, twisted man who relished in heinous deeds. No, the command seals were hardly necessary, and three more on top of the current three was superfluous.

“If you are not already considering it, Master, I believe it would be ideal to form a team. As a Servant of the Caster class, I am not suited for direct or close-combat. Should we meet a hostile Saber, Lancer or Berserker alone, there is only a fifty-fifty chance I would emerge the victor, and that is not a satisfactory estimation. Should we run into a team of two or more, the odds will definitely be stacked against us, even if I activate my Noble Phantasm.” Caster quietened for the time being in order to allow his Master a chance to speak should be wish to.

“For what it’s worth, we will definitely need to waste more time scouting the others out. Half the War is knowing your enemies and your allies. Could you perhaps ask if any further meetings would take place? Perhaps after a certain number of Masters have been outed? I concede it may sound like a strange query but new game, new rules, after all.”

[vancexentan]

Interactions: @Loki Odinson@BubbleGumKing

Leon sat there and folded his hands together and breathed out before looking up at the ceiling. All in all this would be an interesting stipulation at the very least it meant weaker servants could team up. If not for weaker servants possibly teaming up this would mean much destructive battles. That would mean more possible by standards would be killed during the war. It wasn't a pretty thought to think about but it was inevitable as people always died in the war from what his father had informed him about. But the thought of losing Saber, Satsuko, his family....that was too much for even him. But in thinking about he finally managed to come to a conclusion about the situation at hand. "Don't you see Miss? It's a chance to lessen the blood shed. I'm not some meek child who came into this war thinking everyone would survive. But even I had my reservations about whole sale slaughter. Remember the rules of the war. Innocent by-standards who aren't magi and somehow see the war are to be killed immediately. This gives the chance for people who don't want more death to work together legally and without restraint. The hope for a wish is still there for master, and servant. Even in wars friendship has prospered even for brief moments. People could get together and fight with each other in exchange for a lesser wish. However it also comes with the clause of: 'how much do I trust my allies' any moment could lead to others killing their 'friends'." Leon said softly as he stared up at the ceiling wondering just how exactly this would go down. More over he was aware of him sounding much more like a hippy than he'd like.

Togami nodded simply and looked up at the assembled group, "Indeed this is quite the conundrum that has found itself on our laps. Those who do not seek allies will be at quite the disadvantage. However it would be moronic to trust anyone, including those in this room right now, and just accept that they won't hurt you. This game just got a whole lot more intriguing than I'd imagined it would be when I arrived. It's now a game of knives, and words. Anyone can fight but can you work together is the question presented to us. I don't see assassin working well with others, and I wouldn't trust Caster with a plastic cup of fresh water. As it stands it may be necessary to team up with one another. However I'm not sure if all of you are quite up to par with my own expectations. To be quite honest you shouldn't look at me any other way as well. I'll be sure to keep an eye on everyone for the foreseeable future." Togami said with a professional tone as he straightened his suit's tie. His cold eyes looked around, and gave no emotion away. Father Walter remained silent. "This will indeed be 'pain' if you would. My own lord, bless him, would probably seek to ally with most of you however I will make sure he knows otherwise would be a foolish endeavor. I too will be sure to keep an eye on everyone assembled." Takumi said with a stiff nod.

[Turboshitter]

Albert Prelati

Interacting with: Berserker (@Grey)

Fuyuki Hyatt Hotel - 5:42 PM December 1st, 2012

Hider

The French magus winced as his Servant went about abusing the hotel furniture. It was kind of hard to tell if she was disappointed, excited or mad.

"I-" Albert raised a finger and opened his mouth to protest, but instead of authoritative barking or foul-mouthed abuse, all that came out was a simple sigh. "Whatever you say, ma chère. We shall do as you wish. But just zis once!"

He desperately wanted to say something. He even considered using a Command Seal to get her to change her mind. But that would've just been wasteful, and both options were considerably unwise. It didn't take a genius like him to tell you that Grail Wars were won and lost based on compatibility. A Master and Servant were expected to be a team, and that meant they had to work together, as equals and as partners. He hadn't quite gotten that far yet (they'd just met and it already seemed like he was doing little to impress), but fighting her this early into their relationship would surely set a bad example later on down the line. No, he had to be firm yet flexible, and if winning her trust meant abandoning a perfectly good strategy in favor of indulging her chivalric code just this once, it was a small price to pay. Better now than later when it actually mattered.

He still didn't think this was a good idea. From what little he'd gleamed of Berserker's personality, it was very likely she'd boldfacedly proclaim her name aloud to everyone present just to boost her ego. No, that was almost guaranteed. He'd need to have a talk with her on the way there to make sure she knew that absolutely was not allowed. Albert Prelati had summoned a top-tier Servant, it was true, but as proud as he was of that fact, it would only hurt them to go around flaunting it.

He issued silent commands to his familiars and dressed himself for the winter weather outside. One wondered why Berserker had abandoned her armor in favor of that dress if she was only going to storm out of the room a minute later, but details, details.

"You 'ad better go into spirit form, ma chère," Albert said. "You stick out in zis country even more zan I do, and while zat dress looks lovely on you, I don't zink it will help protect you from ze snow or ze subzero wind chill."

Fuyuki Church - 6:18 PM December 1st, 2012

Hider

On the way to the church, Albert introduced himself, explaining a bit about where he came from and what he could do. He very conveniently left out the part about his being distantly related to Francois Prelati, but Berserker didn't seem to realize the connection or didn't seem to care, so he gratefully left it alone. If she wasn't going to ask, then he had no reason to tell her. It might damage his already shaky relationship with Berserker if she found out what his family's past was like and started jumping to conclusions.

"So, zat is me," he said smoothly, staring at the nothing where he knew his Servant to be. "I 'ope I live up to your expectations. If not, zen I suppose I will just 'ave to earn your respect ze 'ard way, no?"

They arrived at the Church a few minutes after the meeting was supposed to have started. So far it seemed like they hadn't missed much except the chance to smack that Togami twat hard enough to make his head spin, but the Overseer had just hinted at there being a few new rule changes this time around. That... worried Albert. And what was this talk of teams?

"Here we are, ma chère," he said, stopping at the front gate of the Fuyuki church. "Ze 'house of ze holy man."

He pushed against the squeaky wrought-iron gate, holding it open for the incorporeal Berserker more as a gesture than anything. They trudged wordlessly across the yard through the wet, crunching snow, arriving at a pair of inviting wood and stained glass doors that had been left open despite the cold weather. There was no one sitting in the pews, although he sensed a large amount of mana emanating from the basement. He was willing to bet one or two Servants had been left to guard the entrance as well, invisible to the naked eye.

Albert passed the man guarding the door outside with a polite nod. Once inside, he whispered to Berserker.

"Remember, don't tell anyone our names or ze name of your class. In fact, it would probably be better if you just stayed in spirit form for ze time being," he said, silently mouthing "but I know you won't".

[vancexentan]

Interactions: @Grey@Turboshitter

"Hold there master. Only masters may pass beyond this point at this given moment as per order of the overseer. Your friend must wait here and this is non-negotiable. The meeting as already started I suggest hurrying in without your friend." commented the monk standing at the door as he stood their firmly his hair blowing in the cold winter air. Saber likewise stood at ready and looked down at the young strange spoken master before him. "All other servants up until this point have complied please do not cause a fuss. I promise you if you seek to harm none here, none will harm you in return less the other servants be ordered to kill the perpetrator of the crime." commented Saber in addendum to his fellow watch dog's comments that he had so far told everyone else so far. "We mean no offense. Just a rule to stop servants from fighting inside neutral ground. Neutral ground extends for 10 meters in all directions. A wall has been put around the whole area to prevent others from coming in other ways. Likewise the meeting room will be down the hall you need only follow the signs."

[Shadow Daedalus]

Interacting with: Disguised Man (Saber) @vancexentan, Amina @Phase Transit

As the hand landed on his shoulder, James turned his head enough that he could look at the man in the trench coat out of the corner of his eyes but didn't turn around. He observed the man, his eyes searching for every detail he could make out... although he was faintly aware of something blocking off anything beyond physical. Tall. Confident, almost 'knightly' stature. Anachronistic mannerisms. A Servant, maybe?

"Honour is a tool, nothing more, and one that I have no need for. I care little for your sentiment, but I'm not stupid. I am extremely outnumbered by enough magi to potentially level this city, without the weaponry to fight them. I do not plan to start anything but these..." He gestured to where his handguns were hidden. "...are because I don't trust the other masters or the church and I'd rather have something to fight with if needed."

He kept his tone level and cold as he spoke before he turned his head back and walked inside, uncaring of the man's response. He glanced at his partner for a moment as they walked, unsure as to how to approach the subject. While it wasn't the first time they had partnered together, They had never been involved in something this vast. Dismissing the thought for now, he turned his attention to the large hall in front of him. Unnoticed by any of the other masters, the pair had arrived to catch the tail-end of the Overseer's speech along with the following discussions between the masters. Raising an eyebrow at the concept of the allying and forming teams, he turned his head to where Amina was standing. He kept his voice low, to avoid catching anyone's attention, but loud enough that she could hear him clearly.

"14 Master/Servant pairs. Meaning 12 potential enemy servants and at least that many human enemies, maybe more. While forming teams would definitely make it easier to reduce enemy numbers, it can also work against us should they stab us in the back. I'm not a fan of those odds, especially with two Assassins running around, So I think a small team is out best option, may be 3 or 4, but It's your call."

[BubbleGumKing]

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Stalking Victims:
@vancexentan--> (Saber & Servant on Rooftop) @Loki Odinson--> (Caster) @Phase Transit--> (Lancer) @Grey--> (Beserker)

Spymaster:
@Loki Odinson--> Brynhilda

Rider didn't need to be reminded of her duties of observing the other servants that she could sense around the neutral area of the church, as she had no worries about the guard (Disguised Saber) handling anything unpleasant that would enter the church. It seemed to have a great sense of honor in performing its duties and would not be likely to let anything suspicious pass by him under his watch with only limited the areas that she needed to watch. The guard had already stop several threats which she also marked with a red flag and approve in the similar taste of their nature in assessing threats, they would be the best proxy who would be freeing her up for other tasks. Her reconnaissance went more or less well enough as she was well out of the reach of prying eyes and magic that she could detect, even the roots underneath the Earth that have surely watched her movement watched her disappear into a blind spot. She was on her own rooftop that she double-checked before she began reciting her collected information to her master.

With the assistance of her quick nature and precise abilities of detection, what she discovered in the short span of time from separating from her Master was astonishing. A shame that she wasn't summoned as an Assassin which she seemed to have an affinity for, but pushing such idle thoughts aside, she reported her findings to her Master "Assessing the threats from least dangerous and moving up, there is a Servant whom I assume is Caster (Zhuge Liang) from their unimpressive physical form but sizeable possession of magical energy that makes them stand up like a beacon in the night sky. Not too far from that Servant is another one wearing a cloak that I made sure to avoid being clearly seen from which I assume to be a Servant favoring indirect confrontation, meaning the Archer or Assassin class but never count out being an irregular of the other classes like myself. These two are the least likely to take action and could easily be defeated most likely by me should the situation requires me to do so." Rider transmitted to her Master about the low threats that she observed and quickly moved on from as discreetly she could do so, her intimidating speed helping her do so. Defeating the two if necessary was little problem in her belief of her own skills, even if she was thought to be unimpressive in the last war from her limited circumstances holding her down.

"The only concern that I have that is within the two mediums of a low threat and high threat is the guard figure whom we both saw earlier. To be in such a position to freely defend against the likes of our kind would indicate a similar amount of skill or power to successfully defend the Overseer and meeting itself. Whatever they are is something we can not ignore." Rider said as she commented on the guard once again doing its duties as it stopped a new pair that seemed to be late to the meeting and the Servant accompanying the Master was surely worthy of being noted as a powerful entity. Her most defining feature being their armor and its color...

"Moving on towards things we should take notice of with caution, is another Caster (Olydicus) besides the one that I mentioned earlier. Their pride and skill with their ability to manipulate the land are partly envied at from myself, akin to what I once could do." She relayed this to her Master with a strange tone that couldn't be contemplated fully on before Rider overwhelmed what lingering feeling that was given with something else. Opening her end of her senses, as Rider left her rooftop and settled her hands onto the earth before feeling the massive network of roots around the neutral area which allowed her Master to feel the connection all underneath them. Rider herself was barely able to sense the magic as it was a graceful piece of work that was contained only within the roots themselves as they grew, her ability to catch this was partially due to her former nature as an earth goddess. Still, from the direction that they were growing from, she could locate a general direction that the Servant was but their presence itself was hidden. "The Servant itself is powerful as it seems to be an abnormality, a powerful heroic spirit that connects with nature at this level and skill but hidden from detection. I would suggest considering this being during from an Age where magic has not fully died off yet but far from the work of more modern heroic spirits. The most likely heroic spirits of this kind are to be a European, Japanese, or Mythological (Hercules, Medusa, Perseus, etc...) heroic spirit but it can be another country's heroic spirit for all that I know." Rider commented on the nature of this mysterious Servant that for now seemed to be another Caster from the available information. For now, this was her top priority to learn more but going to spy on an opponent that she couldn't detect was disadvantageous for her and would wait until the opportunity presented itself. Once her report on this Servant was done, she quickly ascended to the building that she fell off.

"The other high threat has just recently presented herself (Roland), as I suspect her summoning was just recent from what I felt earlier and now my suspicions confirmed. From her armor... I would like to say that she is a Saber or Beserker-Classed Servant but she seems to aware of herself to be what we may commonly believe to be a Beserker so most likely she would be Saber." Rider commented on the arrival of the new pair, the two being an odd pair with the Master not looking the type to summon one of the knight classes. The possibility of being a Beserker was also on the table with simply her presence that gave, but her intelligence made it less likely. Beyond these servants that she observed and felt, there was little else to comment on as her eyes continued their constant watch for her back and the blind side of everyone else. If everything was going as good it was now, then there would be no problems but knowing the Grail War itself, it was meant to be complicated and cause trouble. This false sense of neutrality would easily be broken and thus her guard also should remain ever vigilant so long her Master was separated from her.

---

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Possible Teammates Interaction:
@Loki Odinson--> Caster

"Yeah that would have been very interesting to see the application of the six command seals per Master, imagine the possibilities with that amount of energy." Jonathan responded to Caster as he pondered the possibilities of having three extra marks of powers which could have been used to experiment or give an edge in battle. "Anyway, Caster remain vigilant in case someone crazy decides to try and blow up the church with a Noble Phantasm or something similar like that. I wouldn't put it past anyone to summon Heroic Spirit who could do that." He thought amusingly to Caster, and if someone did summon a Spirit of that caliber to wipe the church in one go then it would be a smart move even if they got the hate of the Overseer but that wouldn't matter if he was dead (no offense Father Walter)... Beyond that fun thought, he didn't have to focus much now on the church, as everything prevalent seemed to be have been discussed with everyone who chose to come to the meeting was not exciting as only half of the starring members seemed to jump onto the stage. Besides the two lovebirds come in late, there wasn't anything else of note to focus on and thus he was free to delve into his thoughts to think about their situation that they were in. Despite the lack of the other participant's appearance, Jonathan himself would still need to think about who to team up with as Caster wouldn't be able to handle many of the other Servants and would be hard to win with his skill set. The most likely chance of winning was no doubt to be teaming up early against the many other competitors but prepare a contingency plan should it fall to shambles.

To start off the bat, Togami and Takumi were shot down for the most part as he didn't like the former and crossed his fingers that he would get killed early. As for the latter, he didn't trust him for being a proxy to someone who actually controlled the strings and thus the two were the easiest to get rid of on his list of potential allies unless whoever Takumi was representing proved to be a trustworthy ally to team up with, then maybe it could work out. You could also cross out the other half of the other participants until Jonathan and Caster both could see them to determine if they should team up, so until then they were all crossed off as well. This meant, that the only people to team up with this early in the Holy Grail War were inside the room unless a Heroic Spirit wanted to kill their master if their ideals conflicted too much which was unlikely. Part of the summoning process of a heroic spirit was the summoner's personality but he guessed that if they had a relic to summon a Servant, it would be overruled about the conflicting personalities.

The others in the room weren't appealing either as the girl with glasses was right about the nature of humans, they loved to one up each other and stabbing each other in the back was something he wouldn't put pass everyone. She would be a good partner until the numbers thinned out enough to be concerned for her own survival and then go stabby stabby unless he played himself as weak enough to be taken out anytime to stab her back. So, mutual backstabbing... Eh, he'll pass for now. The second best were Romeo(James) and Juliet(Amina) who were probably going to have their own entourage with Mercutio and Benvolio at their side, then everyone would die once the domino toppled the others. The best option right now was the other guy (Leon) whom wasn't naive to not suspect the possibility of being stabbed in the back but worked to reduce the possible dying that would inevitably happen in the Grail War which was respectable... in theory. All of this internal thought were being broadcasted to Caster as simply his train of thought but nothing really specific to be commented on, it was more like since your here you might as well be listening to Jonathan rant... Well, at least until he asked Caster for his opinion after droning on "Well Caster, do you prefer the Backstabber that we'll be planning to backstab, the Lovers whom might topple over each other, or the Shounen Protagonist?" He offered Caster amusingly as the options that were laid out for the two of them to decide on and listed his own preference on whom to chose to team up with "In my opinion, we throw our chips with the protagonist as he seems most likely to summon one of the knight classes and is basically drooling Saber from his ideals rather than the other calvary classes. I'm sure you've seen them when the cliches show themselves, you follow the favorable ones to the source and avoid everything else." Jonathan said with a playfulness you could picture through the mental link that would lead to a grin of him trying to be entertained.

[Turboshitter]

Albert Prelati

Interacting with: Berserker (@Grey), Saber, Leon & Togami (@vancexentan), James (@Shadow Daedalus), Brynhilda (@Loki Odinson), Jonathan (@BubbleGumKing), Amina (@Phase Transit)

Fuyuki Church - 6:20 PM December 1st, 2012

Hider

Albert clicked his tongue. "Well isn't zat just bloody convenient..."

The young magus looked around. The church grounds stood next to a Western cemetery, a very large one by the looks of it. Hallowed grounds, to be sure. Wraiths thrived in environments like this, when they were surrounded by the anger and the grudges of the sanctified dead. If he needed to, he could probably flood the entire church with angry ghosts, enough to overwhelm any Master who might think of trying something sneaky.

Albert sighed. "Fine."

He tuned into his mental connection with Berserker, being mindful not to give anything away that might be heard by others.

Ma chère, it appears we must part ways 'ere. Keep watch outside, but for ze love of God, please do not try and start a fight with anyone just yet. Let's keep zese sacred grounds sacred, no?

Of course his command had nothing to do with respect for the Church. He'd already made a huge concession just showing their faces in front of the other Masters, he was not about to give anything else away that might reveal their identities before the real fighting started. His or Berserker's.

He looked at the holy man stationed outside. "Zere. I've told my friend zey are to wait outside. May I go in now?"

After exchanging promises and pleasantries with the two at the door, Albert quietly snuck into the meeting, sitting down and crossing his legs. Even though it was a perfectly agreeable temperature inside the Church, he kept his jacket and scarf on. He didn't expect to be here long. JK had been listening in on the conversation since the beginning. So far, it looked like there were only a few Masters among them that he could take seriously (of which he did not count himself as one, due to the very fact that Berserker had "convinced" him to show up at all). Out of those, it looked like at least two of them took themselves a little too seriously.

Albert stared at the barely-concealed firearms James was carrying with a modicum of disgust. 'Andguns? Really? Someone's been watching too many action movies. What good does 'e zink zose little toys are going to do for 'im in ze 'Oly Grail War? You may as well bring a bow and arrow to ze Apache 'elicopter fight.

He sat still, waiting, completely quiet until someone, anyone acknowledged his presence. He smiled brightly and waved a hand in greeting.

"Bonjour, mes amis idiots. Je m'appelle Prince Albert dans une boîte. Je suis un sorcier hérétique qui mange des bébés et adore les dieux aînés. Est-ce que quelqu'un veut faire équipe avec moi?" He clasped his hands and cleared his throat in prayer. "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn."

[Phase Transit]

Amina
@Shadow Daedalus
Amina listened to James as he responded to Saber, and nodded to herself. His way of speech and methodology hadn't changed much, if at all, since she had last worked with him. Her hand left the handle of her sheathed rapier, resting calmly at her side now as she felt more reassured by James's reliability as an ally.

When she heard James mention teams, her eyes flitted around the church, taking in those present. She sized them up immediately. Togami represented the quintessence of high class magi. In other words, an overconfident fool. She had spent too much time hunting his kind to really get along with him. Leon, on the other hand, held a certain human earnestness within him even as a magus. Even so, his untrained body didn't appeal to Amina.

Then there was the woman, Brynhilda. She, too, appeared to be a typical magus. On top of that, she also seemed to have an untrained body. Amina realized her criteria in judging people basically came down to the awfully simple metrics of not liking magi and liking physically trained people, but she believed she had good reason for her bias. After all, she herself had rejected the path of magecraft due to how reckless and selfish it was. She could only imagine how utterly self absorbed and amoral those in the higher paths of magecraft would be.

She also held the belief that a well trained body equated to a strong spirit, but that was a personal rule that she could give more leeway to when considering others. As long as a magus appeared to break from the selfish mold the profession typically cast, she was willing to give him or her a chance. So Brynhilda for now was a potential ally, as was Leon. Togami, though, just seemed to embody the magus stereotype a bit too well.

When her eyes landed on Jonathan, she got the impression that he seemed quite similar to Leon. Amina hadn't heard him say anything or doing anything as of now, so she reserved judgement on him for later. The newcomer, a foreign magus apparently, just gave the same magus-y impression. Particularly untrained body. Perhaps a bit eccentric, but eccentricity seemed to go hand in hand with magecraft much of the time. All in all, quite average impressions. Really, this was something Amina had expected. The holy grail war was a ritual for mages, and so mages would make up most of its participants. It was obvious from the beginning that a magus hunter such as Amina wouldn't fit in well in such an environment.

Even if she interacted with these mages, the moment she let out that she had worked with enforcers would instantly raise eyebrows and cautions. Knowing all this, she put a hand on James's shoulder and drew him to her. She stretched her head forward and leaned into his ear, stopping when she was close enough that her breath gently brushed his skin.

She whispered so as to not be heard, "Teams there may be, yes, but I personally am against them. They are all, as you can tell, mages. We hunt, or have hunted, them. We won't get along. That is my opinion, what is yours?"

Lancer
@Loki Odinson
For now, Lancer simply relaxed on the crook of a branch, resting his materialized spear point down on the branch, letting the ecstasy of the disease flow through him. His mind wandered as the disease worked its wonders, flashing him with memories of both his and the Dagda's pasts. It felt like an out of body experience to have his mind shift between his own and another's, eventually all coming back into one mind that drew from both beings. It was a spiritual, and perhaps physical, high that Lancer enjoyed, letting loose a drawn out sigh of satisfaction.

When the high subsided and the disease stopped growing within his body, Lancer sat up. He felt invigorated in both body and mind, feeling like he could challenge the world and come out on top. He placed one clawed finger on his breastplate and began drawing. The black claw easily slid through the armor, creating a neat little inscription that could best be described as a scribble.

Lancer whispered out another song, this time one more melodious and pleasing to the ears, but still full of words alien to modern man. The song lasted almost a minute, and when it ended, the streaks of golden yellow that constantly pulsated under Lancer's skin faded away with the song's passing.

He had to utter this incantation to keep himself alive. By injecting himself with the divine disease, he made himself liable to be destroyed by the world itself, meaning he had to keep the infection in check to a certain degree.

With his life assured for now, Lancer took his spear and pointed it at the ground and focused. He could feel the existence of servants other than himself and record their general profiles, making sure to transfer the information to his master's clairvoyance to update it. From parameters alone, it was obvious that the woman that had just come to the church was superior, with the servant standing guard being of similar stature.

These were the two best candidates to infect, and the two worst to ally with. After all, Lancer performed far better against stronger targets. Letting the strong cull the weak while Lancer stalked the darkness was an easy way to ensure victory by proxy. Then the other servants would be ally material. Or disposable tools, depending on the perspective. Lancer himself didn't give much thought to it. Among these, the one with the weakest parameters would be the best.

Weaker parameters likely meant a support type servant or a Caster, both of whom would appreciate the frontal power that Lancer could provide. To that end, Lancer decided that perhaps he could strike up a little bit of interaction with this servant. With a short incantation of divine words, Lancer caused an underground root to expand and split apart, releasing a Slaugh, an Irish spirit type familiar that was useful to relay messages.

The spirit, a humanoid mass of wispy shadow, phased through the ground and floated towards the servant on the rooftop, releasing a non-hostile aura that hopefully would let the servant consider what Lancer had to say.

[vancexentan]

Interactions: @Shadow Daedalus@Phase Transit@Turboshitter@Loki Odinson@BubbleGumKing

"Ugh....no one's really going to do it? No one? Fine I'll do the honors since none of the rest of you have no spines." Togami grumbled indignantly as he walked forward and walked forward as he jabbed his right hand forward and pointed at the doorway. "Do you think us pathetic children magi? Come forward and meet us like actual respectable individuals. I've felt your presence since you two first got here. Unless you don't have the scrotum for it you blithering ex-" growled Togami as Takumi frowned at him. "Master Togami I must insist that you please refrain from talking like that. How would your parents think of you if they heard you talking like that? After all your family is among the most wealthy in the city is it not?" Takumi scolded Togami who frowned and turned back with an indignant look on his face. "My parents, bless them, aren't a part of this and further more I am the master of my own destiny as of this war. I will not be told what to do by an old cad like you." Togami growled at Takumi who nodded but refrained from speaking any further however despite that he was clearly annoyed, just like everyone else, at Keiji Togami's attitude.

However once the mage known as 'Prince Albert' walked in Leon felt like this was just turning into one big giant mess. It defeated any purpose. Or maybe it was just Togami. "Is nothing sacred? We're in a church people can't we all just keep our indoor voices?" Leon grumbled with a tired voice as he yawned indifferent to anything at this point. He had grown both physically and mentally bored of everyone's talk so he had decided to keep out of it further. "Ah yes I was wondering when Lord of the Squids was going to make his appearance. Tell me 'Lord' Albert how does your disgraced family do this fine day? Same as usual? Squalling in their filth as usual? Look french man, or whatever annoying nationality you are, I do indeed know about you. So would you stop quoting Mr. Lovecraft and get serious? I assume you need to know the details of why we're all gathered here today. If not then Father Walter over there will be more than pleased to inform you." grumbled Togami as he pushed his glasses further along the line of nose upward towards his face. He also breathed outward deeply indicating that this whole matter was indeed taxing him as well. "Does anyone in this bloody cathedral have anything interesting to say whatsoever or are we done here? Because if we don't." Togami said as he pulled out his cell phone for a moment before looking at his messages which had accumulated to 70 in the short time they had been there and then put his phone back into his pocket. "I will be leaving to actually be a real master."

[Turboshitter]

Albert Prelati

Interacting with: Berserker (@Grey), Saber, Leon, Takumi & Togami (@vancexentan), James (@Shadow Daedalus), Brynhilda (@Loki Odinson), Jonathan (@BubbleGumKing), Amina (@Phase Transit)

Fuyuki Church - 6:26 PM December 1st, 2012

Hider

The "Frenchman" snorted. He just had to go and say it, didn't he?

"I'm sorry, do I or am I supposed to know you? It's just zat I 'ear zis bullshit so often from so many second-rate magi zat I 'ave kind of started to lose track of whose ass'ole it's being shit out of. And pardon me if I find zis whole zing just a little bit funny. If you were really serious about zis, Mr... what was it again? Togami? About being a 'real Master', zen you wouldn't 'ave even bozered showing up 'ere. I know I wouldn't 'ave, 'ad my Servant not made a point of wanting to scout out ze competition."

At least I can only assume zat's what she's doing... he thought to himself, then continued.

"No, what I see 'ere are fools. All of us. We're all great big bloody fools, making complete asses of ourselves sitting in zis church like a Sunday breakfast club when zere's a war to be fought. Isn't zat why we're 'ere? To fight in ze 'Oly Grail War? So zen tell me. What sane Master would come 'ere willingly, wizout being strong-armed," he added hastily in his own defense, "and risk zeir life and limb on ze faint promise zat someone won't just decide to blow zis place to kingdom come wiz us in it when a familiar could do ze job just as well? Hmmm? Zat's what I zought. In fact, I've 'ad a few of my familiars posted outside zis entire time, outside ze neutral zone."

The candle-lit room flickered, distorting the shadows like static on a TV. Albert rubbed his still-frozen hands together, breathing on them in the faint hope that he'd be able to extract some fleeting warmth from the church before venturing back outside. Curse him for not bringing gloves. He looked back up.

"Zey 'ave excellent 'earing, animals," he said. "Did you know zat? No, of course you did. Even a child could tell you zat. A dog hears its master coming home before zey're even at ze door. 'Ow easy do you zink it is for a bird, or a hound, to listen to ze whispered secrets of men standing behind closed doors? 'Ow difficult do you zink it would be to find a fly on ze wall, or a mouse inside one? I already know all your names. What you look like. My plan, and ze plan of anyone not currently 'ere who still has a modicum of common sense, was to simply listen to what ze Overseer had to say wizout risking detection or exposing myself. But now, zings 'ave gone awry and zat plan 'as failed. Mr. Togami 'as said some zings I'd razer not be 'eard, and I 'ave degraded my family name simply by playing along wiz zis charade. Such is ze nature of warfare according to Moltke ze Elder. No plan and all zat business. You know how it goes, no?"

He got up, making a point of leaving before Togami if he had to. Albert turned to face the small crowd of Masters other than Togami who had gathered.

"As Masters, I'm afraid we 'ave all failed already. 'Owever, ze difference between Mr. Togami and I is zat I do not intend to continue making such stupid mistakes. Zat's not how I was raised. Ze 'Lord of ze Squids' as you so elegantly put it," he said, turning to face the snotty little shit, "does not 'ave time to spend talking shit wiz loud-mouzed fools like you who don't know zeir 'ead from zeir ass-end and whose bark is bigger zan zeir bite."

He paused.

"But if anyone 'ere wants to actually start taking zis Grail War zing seriously, feel free to come and meet me at ze Ahnenerbe cafe tomorrow. Eleven o'clock brunch. We'll be in full sight of a few dozen onlookers. We can discuss our future plans, as well as any potential 'team ups' now zat ze Grail 'as seen fit to make us all play nice. I expect I'll be seeing you zere again as well, Mr. Takumi. It seems like you serve a mage wiz some sense at least."

He tuned into Berserker. Ma chère, I've said my peace. Be ready to leave at any time. Ze meeting is winding down. It seems like we arrived a little too late for all ze 'and-shaking and baby-kissing. Did you find out anyzing interesting about ze ozer Servants present?

[Grey]

Berserker
Interacting with: @Turboshitter Albert "Prince" Prelati, @VanceXentan Lancelot, @BubbleGumKing Medusa, @Loki Odinson Zhuge Liang, @Phase Transit Olyndicus

---

Fuyuki Hyatt
Everything was going according to plan.

Is what Berserker would be thinking, if she had thought of a plan. Thus far, she’d been playing this entire war by ear. Leave grand stratagems to generals in their tents; she was just the type of hero who fought when and where they were told, plus a few other places and times, too. Enduring and adapting had always been her specialty, and such a quality would be of great importance in a war of this nature. “You magi an-”

Immediately after stepping out into the night, Berserker paused. The sudden stillness from a Servant who’d been so active thus far was unexpected, but passed as quickly as it had come.

“-d your secrecy,” Berserker laughed as if nothing had happened. “Such a shame that the people will be unable to witness the majesty of Heroic Spirits.” She raised her arms in a ‘but what will you do’-shrug, and in acquiescence to her Master’s wish, she dematerialized her form, following after the magus like another one of his wraiths.

---

On the Road
Formalities were indeed saved for the road. On their way to the church, Berserker was audience to the exposition of Albert’s history and his capabilities. A fortunate occurrence it was that a first class magus had summoned her; the Berserker class was known for requiring the vast prana support to operate at peak efficiency. There was a peculiar tenseness regarding the former subject, but Berserker wouldn’t press. All men and women had things they’d wish to keep to themselves. She was no exception, so she would extend such a courtesy to her Master. There was little information from her side, unfortunately; her nature simply presumed that Albert would have known all that was necessary.

The rest of the time travelling was spent admiring the marvels of this modern world and bemoaning her lack of Rider classification. Her inability to ride the iron horse, the motorcycle, was an especially sore spot when she saw some of them streaking down the street.

---

Fuyuki Church
'What a humble little temple,' Berserker mentally commentated, 'I am used to the cathedrals of my land, but this simple church is fine t- Erm, Master, I am incorporeal. There is no need to hold the gate, as courteous as such an act is.' They had arrived at the church at last!

Unfortunately Berserker’s contention was contested quickly by a pair of observations that had soured her mood. First there was the fact that she had been barred from entrance - by a monk no less! Fortunately it was only a temporary measure; otherwise Berserker would have been more than a tad disappointed in the state of Christendom these days.

She suppressed a wry smirk at the sight of her Master’s silent command. Honorable as she was, she was no fool. She could ensure all the vital information was kept secret, surely. Probably. She decided to take that last comment as permission to manifest and interact with the gathered Servants, however.

'Hrmph. I am a defender of the faith, Master,' Berserker quipped across their connection. One could practically hear her indignant arm cross in response to Albert’s second command. 'You needn’t lecture me on battling upon holy ground.'

Once her Master had left, this led to the second observation that had troubled Berserker: none of the gathered Servants were doing anything. More importantly she wasn’t doing anything! What were they, Heroic Spirits or a bunch of courtiers waiting on their liege? Berserker frowned. ‘This just won’t do,’ she thought, crossing her arms and manifesting immediately.

“So, Mystery Servant (Lancelot),” Berserker drawled, leaning up against one of the pillars at the front of the church. “What brings you here to this war?” She glanced backwards into the treeline, looked to Lancelot, and thumbed behind her, “I doubt all these present Masters came unattended. Shall we set up an impromptu discourse of our own, and invite those lurking in the shadows? Simply standing around seems quite boring, non?”

At that moment, a message from her Master came into mind.

’Oh? Impressions on the Servants? None of them are very sporting. Civilities with fellow heroes seems to have become passe.’

There was a distinct pause.

’But, here’s what I know: there are three potent spiritual existences observing the church. I noted two earlier: one radiating a great deal of magical energy and the other skulking about without Presence Concealment. Caster for the former, I reckon. Likely not one of the knight classes for the latter, and assuredly not a Berserker lacking in subtlety.’

Somehow, that final statement seemed hollow coming from this particular Berserker.

’The other is a Servant using large-scale magecraft in the woods, but I cannot seem to sense their presence. A magically-inclined Assassin? A Caster with Presence Concealement? Who knows? They’ve compromised their concealment; even a non-magus Servant like myself can detect the flowing of prana with only the littlest degree of magical experience.’

Attunement to these types of things was a fortunate side-effect of being a spiritual existence. Berserker continued:

’The Servant at the door is inscrutable, but honorable. I would think one of the three knights by that alone. Clearly he thinks of himself as a tough sort, thinking he can play sentry against up to 13 enemies. Or perhaps he simply believes that others will pitch in should their Masters be threatened - a fair assumption, in my opinion. And then there are others likely skulking about, but they seem to be more subtle than the others. Is that a satisfactory analysis? If not, I may be able to improvise a gathering of heroes.’

Another pause, this time longer.

'Without recourse to violence, of course,' she amended, 'In fact, I shall seize the initiative!'

"GREETINGS LURKERS. CARE TO JOIN US?"

[vancexentan]

Interactions: @Grey@Loki Odinson
"Indeed Lady Knight you're kind is not unknown to me though it is well to see a person who has some honor in this age. Were we enemies, or may we shall be, I would be honored to meet you as an equal partner. However I must insist that you do not distur-" Saber began as he shook his head as the mysterious new servant came out and shouted to all those who would hear her that the others should come of hiding. "I had pegged you as Saber when you came but I'm not entirely sure now that is indeed what you are. Or maybe you are simply not as I expected you to be in which case I apologize." Saber grumbled as he tried his best not to let his guard down. This woman could very well be dangerous. The fact that she openly revealed herself meant she had little fear of the other servants which meant boasting of extraordinarily powerful abilities, and statistics. All the same if it came down to it he could....no he hoped it wouldn't come to that. He would dislike to cut down such a strong woman if he could help it. "I hope for the sake of any innocents around here that you did not draw them with your shouting. Remember we aren't natural beings." Saber admonished the other servant.

"You know fancy pants. I think that's my cue to leave. Things aren't going so well over here. Maybe I'll come back with my master some other time. Regardless if you go down there with that oaf, and whoever those two losers are then I wish you the best of luck. For now...I think I should go check out what's happening over there." the orange haired servant said with a simple and casual tone as he walked off the edge of the building with just a minimal wave of his hand to say goodbye to Caster. Where he went was of little importance but the interesting note is that he made no noise as he left, and he made no noise as he presumably landed. Wherever, or whoever that servant was in specific was to be found out at a later date as the chances of chasing him where slim to none.

====

@Turboshitter @BubbleGumKing @Loki Odinson @Phase Transit @Shadow Daedalus

Father Walter had stayed silent for far to long as he raised his hand up, and asked for silence for a moment. "Please I ask that all of you remain frankly within the boundaries of calmness. As rude as Mr. Togami is, and as indignant as Prince Albert may be this is still a holy place. I ask that all of you treat it with respect less consequences you do not foresee will come to reap those who fail to respect it's glory. Young masters, and sir Takumi I am an old man. I have seen many things in my life, not all of which I enjoy recounting, but for the moment all I asked of you in return for allowing you a warm room to come and discuss this exchange of information with each other is a simple politeness and respect for those inside this cathedral." Walter said as he coughed twice heavily before nodding his head. "Sure father I understand. I apologize if I've been rude. Well look guys I'm all the more willing to discuss this but if no one has anything nice to say then I don't think we're going to get anywhere." commented Leon as he stood up from his chair and stretched out his arms. "As I said I have important matters to do so unless you people have more to discuss I'm leaving. As for Albert I have the slight inclination to believe that he was trying to correct, or insult me but I could barely understand every other word out of his mouth so for the matter as it stands I will let it go. However as it stands I believe I can correct him on some of his misinformed opinions. We all did indeed make a mistake about revealing ourselves. However Takumi is a servant, the old bag over there is more experienced than any of us by age, I'm more than capable of defending myself, the fools who arrived just before you did seem to have the air of well honed killing machines, and Leon over here must have some sort of ace in the hole otherwise he wouldn't be here like he is. Unless he is indeed a fool in which case I'm sorry Leon but please leave the war immediately. As for me making more mistakes...well everyone does but I make very few of them. Feel free to look up my name on the internet Prince Albert, if you like to know more about me I'm not a very hard man to find. To kill is a different matter all together. If you want to come for the strongest mage in this war Prince then feel free to visit me in my penthouse so I can kill properly. If not and you'd like to not part with your head so soon I'd say you're better off waiting. I'm sure we will cross paths inevitably. And then we'll see if your servant is better than mine." commented Togami as he looked his shirt's cuffs and adjusted them, and his glasses slightly. His eyes focused on Albert with a dull disinterest in him, and everyone else in the room. It seemed like all he wanted to do was go home.

====

Meanwhile on the other side of town...

"You know I really should've seen that coming. A big guy like that with those eyes shouldn't be all that mentally sane." grunted the brown haired servant with a dirty scruffy looking beard beard on his chin, a red cape, long black boots, a pair of white Pantaloons, and green armor as he ran around the corner. Shortly behind him was one of the other servants. She kept pace with him rather well but was clearly very unhappy about their shared situation. She was very scantily dressed with loosing fitting samurai armor that showed off her rather poor midriff, and her black cape floated behind her as she ran. "____-San I thought I told you that this whole endeavor would end badly." said the woman with a calm flatness in her voice. "Hey it was worth a shot you know. It worked with you figured it may work again. Let's just focus on-" the male servant ducked quickly as his well honed instincts kicked in narrowly dodging a flung object that would've landed him firmly on his ass if he had gotten hit with it. "Regardless the sooner we're done with this the better. We must keep going be sure not to die. I will need you in this fight." stated the female servant as the male one chuckled. "Grown fond of me that quickly have you?" laughed the male one as the female one snorted. "No I'd just prefer not to die so quickly before the war has even truly begun."

[Turboshitter]

Albert Prelati

Interacting with: Berserker (@Grey), Saber, Leon, Takumi & Togami (@vancexentan), James (@Shadow Daedalus), Brynhilda (@Loki Odinson), Jonathan (@BubbleGumKing), Amina (@Phase Transit)

Fuyuki Church - 6:31 PM December 1st, 2012

Hider

Albert frowned at the priest. "Mon dieu, ze 'Prince Albert' zing was a joke. You know, 'do you 'ave Prince Albert in a can'? 'Onestly..."

Then he received the feedback from Berserker and just about died standing up.

"GREETINGS LURKERS. CARE TO JOIN US?"

Stunned by both the volume and the sheer audacity of his Servant's exclamation, Albert had to take a moment to recover before he hissed, Ma chère! What ze 'ell do you zink you are doing?!

That's when that obnoxious brat Togami opened his rancid croissant socket again. Frustrated beyond belief by the persistent annoyance, Albert couldn't decide what would take priority, chewing out his overly-excited Servant or plumbing Togami for information. The sooner he could be free of that bloody twat the better...

Concentrating, Albert divided his mind into pieces, two chambers realizing their existence with a ripping sound he could hear with a sense beyond his own eardrums. One he devoted to continuing his conversation with Berserker. The other he used to continue listening to Togami.

Ma chère, he said patiently, despite his obvious frustration. What did I say about remaining inconspicuous? I appreciate your enzusiasm, but zis is not ze time for zeatrics! We aren't going to learn anyzing if you blatantly start making zem parade before you like a goddamned circus troupe! Zey would 'ave to be idiots for zat to work!

He thought about it for a second, looking back on the circumstances that had brought them here.

... on second zought, I'll leave you to it. Report back to me if you learn anyzing else useful.

He considered what she'd gathered so far. The man at the door was a Servant, hmm? He hadn't gotten a good look at him. Hadn't bothered to, but it was surprising he could pass for human so well. Come to think of it he hard a time recalling even the most basic details about his face. Presence Concealment, perhaps?

No, more likely some sort of personal skill or Noble Phantasm. Presence Concealment functioned more like total invisibility, not obfuscation. Besides, the description of some honorable yet inscrutable knight given to him by Berserker made him doubt the involvement of Assassin. Assassin would never just stand out in the open guarding a door. But a knight class with limited stealth capabilities... that was a terror-inducing idea. A bit of paranoia might be justified going forward.

What was almost as worrying was the Servant using large-scale magecraft that Berserker assured him was most definitely not Caster (at least not a normal one). Presence Concealment and magecraft? What kind of heroic figure fit that description? Even more worryingly, they had the gall to use it here? That mean whatever they were doing, which even Albert was becoming aware of, was far from what they were truly capable of.

A knight class with stealth abilities and a Servant proficient in both magecraft and the art of assassination. These were not foes to be taken lightly. He'd have to make an effort to either ally with them or discern possible signs of weakness. Both would be preferable.

Other than that, she'd detected another Caster, which may aid in discerning the class of the mystery Servant looking in the woods, and a number of indistinct others "skulking about". Others which she'd attempted to summon in the least subtle way possible.

He sighed. At least she'd taken his command about keeping their names a secret to heart. As a matter of fact, he'd been the first one to break that rule. Better not tell her...

He became briefly aware that Togami had ceased his endless expulsion of verbal garbage, and decided to merge his two rooms of thought, absorbing the knowledge he'd gathered from listening to the other Master prattle on.

A pent'ouse suite... and I can look you up on ze internet. Very kind of you, Mr. Togami. I'll be sure to do zat, he thought, trying to repress a smile. For a man who says he doesn't make a lot of mistakes, you sure are letting zings slip tonight, aren't you?

"Hmm?" he said, appearing convincingly distracted as he set aside his own thoughts for later. "I'm sorry, what was zat? I wasn't listening. It's 'ard to 'ear you over all ze caked on layers of insufferable smug. I guess being nouveau riche like your family is means you take a lot of pleasure in 'earing yourself talk, no?"

Of course he could be dropping him false hints. Could, but he doubted it. Besides, he could always check it out first if he was unsure about anything. When it came to surveillance and reconaissance, his abilities were top notch amongst the Masters in this war. Of that he was already sure. They'd need to bring in Caster or Assassin if they wanted to deceive his eyes (all 160, 234 of them), and Togami didn't look like the type who'd be satisfied summoning anything less than Saber.

Albert turned and looked at the priest.

"Well, Fazzer Walter, while I can't say it 'as been a pleasure, I zank you for your 'ospitality nonezeless. My Servant seems to like it 'ere for some reason, so I suspect I shall be seeing you again soon enough. Until zen, au revoir. I 'ope you'll forgive me if I send Mr. Togami 'ere first. I can only imagine what living wiz 'im must be like." He chuckled. "Zen again, you might not have to. Depending on what state I send 'im 'ere in, zat is."

With that, he walked out into the night, surprisingly eager to see what kind of trouble his Servant had stirred up.

"Remember!" he shouted down the staircase. "Eleven o'clock! Be zere!"

[Shadow Daedalus]

Interacting with: Lancer, Amina @Phase Transit

James didn't respond to his partner immediately, instead waiting for the rest of the people in the room to interact further. The insulting outburst from Togami attracted his attention in the form of a withering glare before his eyes narrowed towards the french boy, a child barely half way into his teens, and the aristocratic teen as they continued their verbal spar but remained silent. He couldn't help but concede Togami's point about revealing themselves being a mistake, but he still took note of the blatant proverbial gauntlet tossed at Albert. His eyes followed the french magus as he departed, his hands subconsciously brushing against the handles of his guns as Albert crossed the threshold of the hall. A small, instinctual voice in his head told him there was something wrong with that boy. He closed his eyes and tapped into the mental connection with his servant to warn him of the young master's departure.

"Lancer? One of the masters, Prelati, is leaving the church. Look for the kid and see which Servant leaves with him. We'll talk about your findings later."

He opened his eyes again and looked back at Amina, her face still close to his.

"I don't like it either, but as it stands we're too out-numbered. At least two of the masters here have their head on straight, the woman with glasses (Brynhilda) and the brown haired man in his early twenties (Leon). The black-haired one (Jonathan) is also an option, but he seems a little too naive. Prelati seems a little too unhinged and Togami is going to be nigh-impossible to work with, so both of them are out of the question. The rest of the masters are unknowns, but considering they didn't show up to the meeting we can only assume they're not interested in teaming up."

[BubbleGumKing]

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Featuring:

( @Grey as Berserker / Roland ) ( @vancexentan as Saber, Leon , & Overseer Assistant ) ( @Loki Odinson as Caster / Zhuge Liang )

Taking a deep breathe in before he let it all out in an instant. "Alright if that's everything we are going to do in here." Jonathan said out aloud with an expecting look on his face to no one in general "Then I'm gonna take my leave, okay?" Before he stood up from his bench and gave a small little stretch to the left and then to the right before taking a glance at everyone once more. There was nothing else important here besides making up the teams and frankly he doubt that was going to happen anytime soon unless someone started it, but after that, he would leave as it seems this meeting had worn itself out.

With a playful glint in his eyes and smile that seemed to be more fun than simple business or politeness, Jonathan approached Leon as he pulled out two pieces of paper like a card and marked both of their fronts and backs before extending the glowing card to Leon. If he did decide to do anything with the card, it would read Jonathan's number and then underneath it 'Would you like to team up with me?' on the front side of the card. On the back side, was the 'ᚷ', 'ᚲ', 'M', and 'ᚨ' runes placed on there but to the untrained eyes of those who were from the Mage's Association or other Thaumaturgy Theory besides his was simply decorations but made sure to keep the front side facing him and away from everyone as well. It had been activated upon Jonathan extending it to Leon and was obviously active but its effects were unknown to him unless he accepted it. However, a strong feeling was induced from Leon upon the extension of such a gift, from a cheery person like Jonathan himself who made it, was hard to refuse but was free to decline it if he didn't mind the guilt. But even beyond that, there was a general feeling from Jonathan and the magic itself that it wasn't sinister or misleading but something that might be of interest if he accepted it.

Spell Context on Card

The intent of the spell clearly written for those who understood it, for the 'ᚷ' rune of Gebo signified 'gifts and exchanges' while the 'ᚨ' rune of Asnuz represented 'communication and truth'. The 'X' Rune of Gebo increased in power proportion to the amount of effort given to making the gift it's imprinted on, and the consumption of half of Jonathan's ability to use runes was significant enough to create a strong effect. Along with being fueled by other shallow emotions from Jonathan himself that only add tinder to the flames that the spell had already created.

From the 'ᚨ' rune, upon accepting the card it thankfully explains the simplistic nature of the spell, explaining that the 'X' rune of Gebo represented the contract itself and the general functions of the other runes. The 'X' rune of Gebo itself made a simple agreement of 'Being a team for the Holy Grail War' for the two to accept.

The 'ᚨ' rune explains that to initiate a contract, one must give their consent to begin (Jonathan) the target is then determined to who is intended to accept the contract and all magical effects are placed on them. To complete the contract, the other must give mutual consent for the other card to glow for the 'X' rune of Gebo also represents 'balance' and thus mutual agreement. Together these two runes are a mystic code holding the physical contract of their agreement and determine if each party follows the decided subject.

The 'ᚨ' rune also explains that if either party consciously deciding to break the contract will notify the other party of their intentions from the 'ᚲ' rune of revelations and knowledge'. Until then, this mystic code also serves as a communicator of sorts between the two through the 'ᚨ' and 'ᚲ' rune which supports communication if given the sliver of magical energy to activate itself.

All of these advanced function of the contract are held together by the 'M' rune of Mannaz representing many of the previous functions of the spell such as 'Friends and enemies' and 'Awareness' along with 'creation and skill' to weave a complicated spell of this manner of sentience. However, the most important of all functions was 'Intelligence' and 'Forethought' which gave such flexibility for the contract and its many different ways of operating.

(-8 Runes to Jonathan out of 16)

Looking a bit drained as if the meeting at the cathedral had taken a bit of him, Jonathan seemed to perk up once after exhaling as if stress seemingly melted away "If you want to team up, well... Here you go. I doubt anyone will be more direct or..." He took a quick and almost unnoticeable glance to the other Master from top to bottom before saying that flowed smoothly into the conversation naturally "this 'friendly' for the rest of the war." Jonathan told him before flashing him a smile and gave him a friendly wink before turning heels. The notion that Jonathan gave was definitely questionable but if Leon was holding the card and had accepted the contract then a vague sense of... 'sensual wanting' could be felt on his side coming from the card but little else except maybe for a hint of... fatigue? Either way, it wasn't long enough before such mental thoughts were blasted away by Jonathan's own cheerful tone.

"Alright then... Adios amigos, hasta luego si?" Jonathan replied strangely which was clearly Spanish but to a native speaker was some half-assed and disappointing jumble of words but Jonathan knew that. However, they were some of the most common phrases that shouldn't pass anyone by hopefully even if they didn't learn Spanish, it was prominent enough in social media and culture to understand. Either way, after that Jonathan clearly made his way out the door taking a glance at everyone that he went by. The first on his way was Togami 'Ugh, even my mind has had enough of the prep boy (Togami) for today and his constant complaints. I don't even have anything to say for the time in the church where he didn't complain' He told Caster on the mental link as he almost forgot he had someone to listen to his lonely ranting, poor him. Then there was the Overseer 'Man how does the Overseer stand this, I bet you he's been meaning to yell multiple times at everyone to shut up and be respectful, which is respectful but please the meeting should've ended a while ago.' He said to Caster before making his way down the rows to the other Masters that were there.

'Ah- its Glasses (Brynhilda)! I hope she was on the same page as me when I rolled my eyes when Togami and the squid boy (Albert) were fighting, I know I was.' He tossed into the mental shute which was sure to have annoyed Caster by how talkative his Master surprisingly was when judging people by their covers, it was a skill honed through years of training as Jonathan calls it himself. 'Also was it me or did that boy say during his garbled nonsense Cthulu? I'm pretty sure my occult savviness and selective hearing hear that' Jonathan curiously remarked as he knew the mental link with Caster was indefinitely open so that the two could let the strings of mental conversation and whatever else they heard, felt, and etc flow through. It wouldn't be surprising if Caster had completely ignored the prayer the other Master made when Jonathan himself seemed to run the communication line burnt. 'The Lovebirds (Anima and James) seems to be ahead of the game, having each other...' Jonathan commented seemingly too tired to make a snarky remark about them after the stressful spell he just cast only a moment ago or at least that was the excuse he had...

Finally, he made his way to the front door and remembered to pick up his shoes, it was Japanese tradition after all and made his way outside the church. He conveyed the action simply to Caster as he was beginning to leave the Church as he observed the snowy city of Fuyuki. Looking around, he saw the guard (Lancelot) earlier now will some snow on his physical form as Jonathan came very loudly and looked at him. "Man..." Jonathan sighed looking at him as he rubbed his head and sighed before friendly brushing off the snow off his black coat which contrasted with the white snow flurries. "I swear it's like you're trying to get yourself sick. I assume the Church would give you sick days to compensate right?" Jonathan said to disguised Saber as he truly was the first time he was naive enough to be tricked, blended in as if he belonged more or less that his status as a Servant went unnoticed from his Master senses. Leaning against the wall as he looked at the other servant who clearly was a Servant from her blackened armor. "I assume nobody wants to come out and greet themselves?" He said to the Knight (Roland) who he had heard earlier in the Church and was surprised by their bluntness. "I agree, this whole thing is too much Cloak and Daggers for me" As he sighed before letting the snow bury him in a few centimeter. 'Caster shall I come to you or you come to me? I'm terribly tired from what happened inside' Jonathan said as he tossed it to Caster and waited for his response, he had all the time to burn here.

There was also the Overseer's assistant next to the guard who were waiting for any stray Masters but that wasn't likely. "Hey, what you guys usually do during this whole thing when you are not setting up meetings with us? Of course, that's if you're able to say anything about it or well... anything really. I just wonder what you guys are doing when everyone else is scrambling to pitch everyone's head on a pole. With seventeen of us, it's only going to be longer than usual." He asked the Overseer's assistant and the guard, he wasn't too concerned who gave out the answer. He himself was much tired than expected from the mass execution of his magical abilities as the two mystic codes he created was draining from him, maybe a quick nap once Caster decides to take him home.

[vancexentan]

Leon looked at Jonathan hesitantly as he accepted the card with a curt nod, and told him that he'd consider it but he'd need to talk to his own servant about it. Leon put the card into his jacket pocket and looked over everyone still assembled and it seemed most people were indeed leaving for their own places. Whoever had any questions left to the assembled few mages whom had arrived would have to seek other ways of finding people it would seem. Leon himself had decided it would be best to leave as well as he turned to Father Walter and bowed his head to him. "Thank you for having us Overseer have a nice night." Leon said to him as Walter smiled at him and nodded. "Impartial I may need to be I still wish that you have good luck in the war young Leon." Father Walter said gently as he patted the boy on the shoulder and bid him a good night as Leon walked out so did Togami. He did so with a grunt and a hastily bid farewell to the Overseer.

"A complete waste of time indeed. People here clearly don't like me so that limits my possibilities for allying with any of them. I'm also probably on their hit list now. Still they're welcome to try. Leon I recommend you not follow them in doing so however. I'd hate to lose someone who at least tries to understand others so quickly into this war. Of course if you think you can take me, and my servant however you know who I am, and where to find me if not then you have the resources to do so. As I said I am not hard to find." Togami commented to Leon simply as he walked out the doors and past the gate and just as he did a white limo pulled up with a giant family crest on all of the doors. Togami opened the door and got into the back seat without so much as another word to anyone else. Leon meanwhile was putting on his shoes and getting all of his gear back onto his body to prevent frost bite.

"Hey you got everything right? Well let's get home and forget about our troubles for now. We can talk things over with Satsuko when we get home. She may have an idea or two to add to our own. Besides today isn't the day I'd like to mess with anyone here. More over.... I haven't eaten dinner yet." Leon mentally said to Saber who grunted in acknowledgement. "I understand I will leave before you as to prevent anyone from guessing I am your servant." Saber said affirming his master that he had indeed been listening mentally alongside Leon. "Perhaps the church has it's own benefits and that one's own body is a small price to pay. Regardless my shift is over and I shall be leaving." Saber said to Jonathan and turned to the other guard whom had stalwartly been standing at the door with him. He nodded at the other overseer and left briskly walking away before Leon could so much as leave the front door.

"I am a mere brother good sir but I can tell you that we enforce the rules of the Great Grail Wars. If some servant steps over his or her bounds, and or abandons the war in a bid to kill the city then we will stop it and call upon the rest of you to do so as well. If someone tries to flee the war without consent of the church then we're obligated to tell the rest of you as well. We have other duties as well however we've been bidden not to tell anyone about them for the time being until it is needed. The number of you now constitutes that we have two overseers in order to function properly and as such some may consider me as assistant or a second to the overseer Father Walter. Suffice it to say if you play by the rules, and you don't cause too much issues for the mage association then you will have no need to worry about the Father, and I. As well as anyone else who is associated with us. However overstepping your bounds will not be an intelligent move if I do say so myself. We will stay here for as long as the war lasts and then we will leave once the winner, or winners, is crowned. Remember in the War of the Grail you win.....or you die." the brother said ominously as he continued to stand there but he gripped his cross that hung from his neck ever so slightly..

[Turboshitter]

Albert Prelati

Interacting with: Berserker (@Grey), Saber, Leon, Takumi & Togami (@vancexentan), James (@Shadow Daedalus), Brynhilda (@Loki Odinson), Jonathan (@BubbleGumKing), Amina (@Phase Transit)

Fuyuki Church - 6:31 PM December 1st, 2012

Hider

Albert watched, slightly dumbstruck, as Togami's limo pulled up. Being of an older family simultaneously persecuted by the Mage's Association yet coveted by them for their research, he'd always had a unique perspective on other mages. He was all at once totally immersed in mage culture, yet lived just far enough outside it to watch with amusement some of the utterly asinine things they did.

"Merde. Could zat zing be any more garish?" he muttered to no one in particular (perhaps Berserker). 'Ow does 'e expect to win ze Grail War making 'imself zis fucking obvious? Eizer 'e zinks 'e 'as one 'ell of a Servant, or 'e's a bigger idiot zan I zought. Zen again, zis meeting's proved both of zose zings true already.

He set off into the snow, calling Berserker to him.

Ma chère, we are leaving. 'Ave you finished all your business 'ere? I 'ave wine and a fine champagne waiting back at ze 'otel zat I was saving to celebrate tonight. You wouldn't 'appen to be interested in zat, would you? he suggested cajolingly.

Albert hoped she'd say yes. They'd had a bit of a rocky start, but it was looking like he'd at least smoothed things out enough to have her cooperation if nothing else. A Master was in a rather privileged position, after all. Being one of the only seven (in this case fourteen) people alive who had conversed with someone from the distant past, it'd be a shame for him to waste any quality time with his Servant he could get. The questions he had to ask her could fill a thick tome all by themselves.

Besides, he thought privately, is it not in ze very nature of a Frenchman to want to spend time in ze company of beautiful women?

He laughed. Oh, if not for everything else he'd ever done as a mage, he was certainly going to hell for that one at the very least. A Frenchman mocking Frenchmen... next you'll say the priest turns out to be evil. Actually, that was surprisingly likely. Retract that statement.

---

JK delicately collected the bees which Albert had placed inside the walls of the church, flapping her wings and preparing for a long fly-by around Fuyuki. Her flight path through Shinto would take her about an hour, perhaps stretching the bees' ability to tolerate the cold, and would intersect with the Hyatt long after any enemy Masters had stopped looking.

The bees would return first, reporting back to Albert and the rest of hive, while she took another group and covered the rest of Miyama Town before returning to rest at dawn. The maneuver would cover most of the city, giving JK ample opportunity to survey the local geography and disperse little black and yellow spies in warm places where their master thought they might survive. Meanwhile, the rats would take to the streets and sewers, conversing with the local population and learning all the best places to nibble on garbage and watch the humans where they gathered. Albert would begin work on his new cat familiar, and by morning a fully-functional spy network would be crawling and flying throughout Fuyuki. Widely spread perhaps, but a hundred thousand compound eyes could see a lot. Plus, he had plans to... expand his arsenal a bit in the days to come.

JK hadn't been told if this meant Goliath would be joining the fray as well, but she was definitely curious. If Master Albert brought Goliath here to Japan from overseas, it might mean things were about to get hairier than they'd been told. But what good would a Guardian Spirit do when you already had a Servant? No, it wasn't likely. Still, her master involved her in most of his operations, so she was excited to learn what he might have planned. Owls could be anywhere without raising suspicion, so her part in this war was just beginning...

[vancexentan]

Meanwhile at the Fuyuki docks....

The two had finally arrived at the battlefield of their choosing as they looked around panting heavily hoping their masters would stay hidden away while close enough to continue giving them support. They could act without them but they certainly would be at a massive disadvantage besides that...the other master from what they saw of him wasn't exactly a normal person..."Well at least we've managed to get to the field of our choosing..." commented the male servant as he turned around pulling out his weapon from it's place on it's back. It's golden blade gleamed brilliantly as he got into a fighting stance. "Our enemy is not to be trifled with his power, and his raw ability is terrifying. I have never before encountered a servant with his talents. Let us hope it is enough ____-San. Though I do admit there is a part of me the relishes the chance for a true fight against this enemy." the female servant commented as she pulled her bow from her back. She quickly moved upward easily jumping and grappling the crates as the male stood vigilant. "Look sweetie I intend to win this battle no matter what if not that then I'm gonna survive. Just try not to trip over yourself alright?" sarcastically commented the male as he smiled over at the female who nodded.

They had given him the slip momentarily but only just as suddenly from out of the darkness from between two storage warehouses arrived their enemy. His body covered in head to toe in scars each more gruesome, and telling than the last each telling of a war fought and won. His blonde hair blew in the air as a dark aura surrounded his body and permeated the air itself. Power. Raw but not uncontrolled power raged from the servant's body. As he entered the docking area he stopped and looked directly at the man in front of him. His grin widened and he chuckled with malice intent as he grabbed two swords from his back and prepared for the upcoming combat. "Hey big guy. Beautiful night for a walk on the docks right?" commented the male servant as the other one nodded his head.

"Enough talk. Fight me!" growled the enemy servant as he charged forward as fast as any man could have however with tactical grace the female servant shot an arrow at the enemy who deflected it with his left sword all the while slamming into the male one with his other hand sending the male servant onto his back foot dust kicking up into the air as he tried to prevent himself from being pushed back further as they clashed. The female shot another arrow quickly with deft ease and it would've pierced the enemy's skull if he hadn't simply deflected it once again before kicking the male servant in the chest. In reality though the male let him do so in order to trick him into thinking he had the upper hand as he quickly pedaled backwards with controlled footwork and stood at ready. "Show me a REAL FIGHT! Enough with this show me your real power!" growled the enemy servant in annoyance as he charged forward only to be met with a stalwart and practiced defense from the enemy male servant who did all he could to prevent himself from being ran over. The enemy's black blades danced and caused sparks to fly from the brilliant golden weapon of his enemy as the two danced a brutal but fascinating dance for the ages. Two heroes of calibers that made them legendary in their perspective eras clashed. Tales sung about these two were passed down for millenniums and finally now they clashed. It was beautiful sight of black flashing, golden gleaning in the moon light, and the skill of two men who knew war down to it's basest principles.

The female tried to aim her next shot in once more but couldn't because the enemy was going too quickly. "I can't get a shot!" grumbled the female servant to herself as she considered taking the shot and leaving her friend for death regardless. It was sound tactically...but how would she face her master if she did that? It wasn't her pride she was concerned about it was her master's. Still she could do much better living through this ordeal. "Not a chance bub! A guy can't pull out all his stops out of the gate! Gotta impress the ladies somehow!" growled the male as he parried as best he could given the ferocity and power of the enemy's blows. Each one felt like a modern piece of machinery was being plowed into him. Cars as they called them. His only reason for survival was because he was slightly more faster than him and his footwork let him keep up just as it did back when he fought as a soldier. Ducking quickly and running off to keep his distance the enemy servant smashed his sword through a solid steel crate like it was cardboard and kept coming after him as his friend took another shot this time the shot hit it's mark but it literally barely phased him as he ignored the arrow prodding from his back. "RAAAAA!" the enemy growled not in pain but in excitement things were finally getting good.