[IC] Fate/esoterica

[KoL]

ARCHER

---

”I see,” Euryale said, narrowing her eyes like a predator that had cornered a soon-to-be snack. She was beginning to understand her Master’s motivation, and taking quite a bit of pleasure in seeing the unassuming girl girl struggle.

In a way, Euryale’s current Master remembered her of a younger Medusa; endearing, despite all of her imperfections.

A thin, inscrutable smile graced Euryale’s as she finished dressing up and turned around to address her overly flustered Master once more. “I’m done dressing in a way that will blend with the humans of this era, Master. We can go out and hunt now if you wish. I think that it would be the safest if we avoid the referee’s temple, for the time being, I imagine that there is where most of the other Masters will go first and we cannot win if we find ourselves at a numeric disadvantage,” she said.

The only thing that Euryale forgot to add is that she was unlikely to win even if they were at an advantage. She was sure that her Master knew her parameters well.

---

[RolePlayerRoxas]

-Wrong tab-

[Raineh Daze]

Isabelle d'Antibes

The chicken sandwich was next on the list, and the nun seemed to be picking up the pace as she continued to devour what was left of the food. No glaring weaknesses... good. It mean that she could possibly go for her preferred tactic in this war if they needed to knock people out as quickly as possible: let Saber hold up the other Servants and go for the Masters. Most magi weren't incredibly accomplished when it came down to a physical conflict and the strongest class should have no difficulty holding up anyone else long enough that she could deal with a couple of bookworms.

"Do you mean an overall plan, or simply tonight? All we need to do for now is stay away from the Church whilst the participants finish confirming."

[VitaVitaAR]

Saber

In the time that Saber had taken to finish half of her burger, her Master was already nearly finished. The difference of their appetites was simply astounding it seemed. In any case, she decided to try and wrap up her own meal quickly, to avoid holding anything back. In terms of strategy, the white-haired Servant wanted to know what her Lord desired from her, more or less. Her chief goal was the service of her Master, and in that light the best option she could think of was to understand Isabelle's approach to the Grail War as a whole. That way, she would be capable of fully acting in her Lord's best interests, without any confusion or potential mistakes. Saber didn't want this to end in tragedy.

She wouldn't allow such a sad story to play out again.

"Well..." she paused for a moment, trying to decide how best to articulate her thoughts, "I want to know your approach to the Holy Grail War, my lord."

She gave her Master a small smile.

"I want to be able to use my strength to serve you to my fullest, and so I want to know how you plan to approach this conflict."

@Raineh Daze

---

Caster

There was only a moment's pause. But soon, from the shadows, motes of dark purple light swirled. They gather, fluttering almost like they had a mind of their own, before joining together to form a dark shape. The blackness coating the form receded, to reveal the true nature of the Servant that had materialized.

Caster smiled at her Master.

"Of course, Master," she said, simply, brushing some of her dark hair aside, "It's important to be aware of every option and every possibility. It will be... difficult to do any direct battle against Servants of the Knight classes, so ideally our partnership should be with one of them. Of course..."

That smile turned quite a bit more predatory.

"This approach also allows us to target any... weak links, so to speak," she finished. The intent was obvious. Particularly weak Masters could be exploited, or killed to eliminate their Servants as well. One particularly enticing idea was manipulating such a Master in order to use their Servant as well, but that would depend largely on if there were any susceptible targets. "But I already planned for such an outcome. My eyes are already spread across this city."

Indeed, shortly after being summoned, Caster had deployed her 'eyes' to investigate their surroundings and quickly locate any Masters and Servants who were out and about.

No-one would notice a few extra house spiders or garden spiders around on a warm summer's night.

@KoL

[RolePlayerRoxas]

Kishinami Hakuno

Respectfully - and nervously - keeping her eyes averted, Hakuno tried to keep her thoughts occupied as she waited for Archer to finish changing. A surprisingly strong desire to sneak a quick peek briefly alighted in her thoughts, but that idea was quickly snuffed out. The young master was no historian, but her limited knowledge certainly indicated that it never went well for anyone that tried to watch a divine female clothe themselves, or perform any task that involved a removal of clothes in general.

Granted, those goddesses probably hadn't invited the peeper into an enclosed space beforehand, but it was best not to take any chances.

At Archer's word, Hakuno finally brought her eyes towards the small girl. In all honesty, the attempt at blending in would probably fail miserably - those clothes were not something Hakuno would have pictured her Servant wearing in any situation... yet she looked so natural and resplendent regardless. Once again, Hakuno hadn't the heart to suggest she maybe try wearing a fake moustache to shatter the image of true beauty, and simply nod at her suggestion.

So the church is off-limits, huh? Hakuno grimaced slightly. In all honesty, that would have been her first port of call. The more she thought about it though, the sillier it seemed in practice; Hakuno would be potentially sacrificing her (questionably-useful but potentially life-saving) magecraft and basically announce to the rest of the combatants that she was, indeed, a Master. That would only make it that much harder to blend into the scenery in future. And if it became a free-for-all...

In that case, better to play it safe and continue doing what they were doing. Namely, making everyone in the city burn with jealousy that a cute goddess was leading a piece of cardboard around. Her cheeks tinged pink slightly, Hakuno forced her eyes away from Archer, "Then... let's lay low, I guess."

@KoL

[KoL]

EMILIA WAROV

---

“Precisely, Caster,” Emilia replied to her Servant’s comment with a voice betrayed her building enthusiasm for finally being able to join the Holy Grail War. Unless, of course, such enthusiasm was just another construct, just like the childish body that the blond puppeteer wore at this moment. Even Emilia may not be able to tell, the truth anymore.

“I could expect nothing less of a sublime craftswoman such as yourself,” Emilia added as they continued on their way to the Church.

Once they were somewhat close to their destination, Emilia couldn’t help but feel unrestful, even though her demeanor didn’t change that much. There was a definitely somber aura around this part of the city, whether it was the work of a Servant or just a result of the Church’s influence was something better not to be left to fate thus Emilia said to her Servant, “Caster, I believe that we are about to enter into enemy territory. Can you see anything worthy of note up ahead?”

ARCHER

---

“My my~” Euryale said, bringing a finger to her lips, as she eyed her Master like a cat eying a defenseless mouse—or perhaps was it like a snake? “Your words may say so, but you really do seem to be distressed, Master. Perhaps we should take a break?”

“A Servant like me may live only on Magic but humans need to eat and rest, do they not? Not that I know anything about this since I was born a perfect goddess,” she said while they walked the streets in search of a good place to begin their participation in the Holy Grail War. “I feel the smell of food nearby so, if you need some rest, we can just go there while we think about our next move,” Euryale added as she pointed to a what looked like a fast food restaurant right down the street.

---

[VitaVitaAR]

Caster

It was hard to say that Caster didn't feel some measure of pride in her own abilities when her Master called her a 'sublime craftswoman'. That being said, she wasn't about to let such feelings get they better of her. She could feel pride without being foolish. Her strategy in this Holy Grail War was not one that allowed for hubris, but pride was absolutely allowed. Satisfaction in carrying out her plots. Charging foolishly ahead out of hubris was simply a way to find oneself dead, insofar as Caster believed. So she simply gave her Master a small smile as they proceeded onward.

Of course, when her Master questioned if there was anyone worthy of note ahead, all the Servant had to do was reach out to the numerous spiders she had released all across the city. It had been only moments after the contract had been sealed that she released her eyes, thousands upon thousands upon thousands of spiders, small enough to be virtually invisible but numerous enough to swarm across the entire city. It would be difficult to escape her notice, but even such numbers could not be everywhere at once. She had not yet discovered any enemy Servants, for one, but she was quite capable of of observing much of the city. It was also nearly impossible for her spiders to penetrate defensive bounded fields... at least, the smallest, weakest ones she was using now. Caster was careful, regardless. She could not count on knowing the nature of every Servant even if she was able to locate all of them. There was a great deal of difference between seeing a Servant in action and encountering them directly.

"There are... three individuals leaving the Church. One appears to be a young girl, and is absolutely a Servant judging by that presence," Caster said, "... There is also a... child atop the roof? My eyes are unable to locate a Servant near her, but that does not mean there isn't one."

She could provide her own advice, and would, of course. But for the moment Caster decided to see what her Master's independent decision would be. Based on what she had seen so far, she hoped that it would be a wise one.

Caster would grow to dislike a Master who made foolish decisions.

@KoL

[RolePlayerRoxas]

Kishinami Hakuno

Why did her Servants' gaze make Hakuno feel so uncomfortable? It made her feel like a predator was watching her, smugly content with its' superiority. It wasn't exactly inaccurate, but still! Though Archer's words were at least considerate. The young Master couldn't tell how sincere the smaller girl was being, but she'd take false concern over insults.

That said, she couldn't let herself appear weak before a goddess! Even as the scent of fast food washed over her senses, the inexperienced magus had to show she wasn't some bundle of nerves or something!

"...It's fine, Archer. I'm not hungry," Hakuno offered Archer a small, comforting smile. It would have been a very effective expression, had Hakuno not allowed her body to carry her towards the restaurant anyway. The sudden rumble in her belly certainly didn't help much either. Hakuno's face was frozen as she tried to find a way to recover from that slip-up, "...er... not that hungry?"

[Raineh Daze]

Isabelle d'Antibes

Overall strategy, then. She continued sitting in silence whilst starting to lick away at the icecream; it seemed that either her appetite was satiated or Isabelle had a sweet tooth that demanded the chocolate confection be shown the appropriate respect. More likely the latter...If we're here for long, then I need to come and get some more of this. Or find somewhere else that sells it...

"The strategy is quite simple: identify the Masters and offer them a chance to surrender. When they refuse, you engage the enemy Servant, leaving the Master open for me to engage. Then I kill them. As Saber, I expect you to be able to prevent disengagement for long enough that the Masters are unguarded."

---

Evelyn and Elisabeth

_{Italics are standing in for translated conversation.}
The Master was sticking close to her friend as they made their way back from the church, glad that this useless formality was over with. Sanctuary if she failed...? If she failed, Evelyn doubted that there would be enough left to seek sanctuary. Not if her own Servant was any indication; this war was probably full of monsters rather than the heroes that Elisabeth had said were supposed to be there. The threat of impending violence, though, wasn't getting to her as much as the feeling that the Overseer had been examining her critically... something Berserker really didn't help with.

"Lisa, was she staring at me?"

A shrug. "A bit more than normal, even for you. You think she guessed something?"

"Maybe. People involved in this must be more likely to know what eyes can do..."

It was rude to talk for too long, excluding her Servant, but it was a necessary evil--the teenaged girl wasn't one that she wanted to place her full trust in, not when she qualified for that class. And Elisabeth's English was terrible. She ought to be understanding about that much.

[KoL]

EMILIA WAROV

---

"A Servant walking in the open without a Master nearby, as well as a suspicious child observing from a vantage position," Emilia repeated Caster's words as she mused on her Servant's findings. This setup was far too suspicious. In fact, it had all the signs of a trap of some sort. Needless to say, Emilia was well aware of that but, what kind of mage would she be if she was unable to find a way around such a simple-minded ambush?

"Caster, wait here for a moment, please. You can turn back to your spirit form if you want to. I'll go fetch us a distraction," Emilia said to Caster before taking her leave towards one of the houses closer to the feet of the church's hill.

※ ※ ※

--Meaningful BGM--

A couple of minutes later, she arrived at her destination. The childish-looking Magus didn't bother with pleasantries. After all, the homeowners seemed to be preparing to go sleep, if the dim lighting coming from the windows was any indication.

Emilia unlocked the gate and front door with magic and walked inside nonchalantly. The house's dog barked and tried to pounce her as soon as she crossed the door's threshold, only to be swiftly dealt with; decapitated by Emilia's threads.

The commotion didn't go unnoticed by the owner, who turned out to be a twenty-something, single mom with a boy slightly younger than Emilia's apparent age. Both of them of vaguely European, probably Italian or Greek, descent. When the dark-haired woman came downstairs to check what was the source of the commotion, holding a pepper spray can with shaky hands, she was met with nothing but a splash of blood on the floor. She had to cover her mouth with both hands, dropping the can, to hold back a frightened shriek and avoid both startling her sleeping son and triggering whatever criminal broke into her house.

"I—I don't know what you want; if it's money, everything I have is inside my bag, next to the TV. P—please, take it and leave us alone. I promise I'll not call the police," she said with a teary voice.

Sadly for her, the mysterious assailant wasn't looking for her savings...

ARCHER

---

"While I admire your effort, you don't have to put a brave face just because of our relationship status, Master," Euryale said as she and her Master approached the restaurant. She paused for a moment as her lips curled into her characteristic grin once more before adding, "it's because 'you' are flawed that 'We' are able to be perfect. Please, don't push yourself too hard or you may as well end up breaking."

"I haven't told you yet, but—if my Goddess intuition is right— this stop may as well be able to sate more than your stomach's hunger," Euryale added as the two of them were within sight range of the front of the shop where a midget-in-nun clothes and a strange, white-haired girl talked over what looked to have been a monumental meal. How in the world could anyone that wasn't at least Minotaur-sized eat that much?

"By the way, just for this occasion, I'll allow you to behave like we are on a date if you feel it. Just be sure to treat me well. After all, it's not every day that one of 'you' have the chance to go out with a literal Goddess, right?" Euryale said, in a tone that would leave it for her Master to decide whether the Archer was telling her to play pretend in front what might as well be an enemy duo, or being serious in her offer.

---

[RolePlayerRoxas]

Kishinami Hakuno

Hakuno figured she might as well relent and accept the generosity of the goddess - at least, Hakuno was viewing her suggestion as such. Some may find her choice of words to be infinitely arrogant, but Hakuno could hardly disagree with Archer. A Servant may as well be perfect compared to a pathetic weakling like herself. Heck, even if she were one of the most prestigious mages in the universe, her skills would be laughable compared to a goddess.

She gave Archer a quizzical look at her comment. What was she referring to, with her intuition? It took a moment for the master to conclude that potential enemies were here. Immediately, the young lady tensed, worriedly glancing around the restaurant. Was someone looking at them? Could she sense any magic? Who looked suspicious?!

The mountain of food caught her eye, and she marvelled at the duo who seemed to be tackling the pile alone. Two girls, one of them apparently a child nun, were eating away like it was a normal lunch. Hakuno couldn't help but be dumbfounded at the sight. Still, she had to be on the lookout for enemy mas-

Hakuno suddenly choked at her Servant's words, face instantly glowing red as she rounded on Archer, "D-Date?!"

Was she being serious?! Hakuno never could tell. But... wait, her Servant was known for messing with men, right?! There was no way that was a serious remark! Yet the normally stoic and plain-faced girl was reduced to flustered state, trying to maintain composure.

---------------

Lancer

His presence hidden, Lancer watched closely for their approaching enemies. He could identify three figures drawing closer. Surveying the three girls, the hidden Servant noted what his eye could perceive.

The taller two girls - one of them had to be a Master. He couldn't tell which one, but the chances of either posing a remote threat tohim were virtually nil, anyway. therefore, he wasn't too worried about their capabilities. His main concern, of course, was the smallest of the three.

Even from here, he could feel it; the intense desire for battle. Was she a warrior, or a beast? Regardless, it flared a faint hint of excitement in the bearded general. He made sure to temper those feelings - he wasn't there to sate a lust for combat, he was there to eliminate his master's enemy. Even if that enemy bore the face of a little girl or a demon, his blade should not falter.

"Preparing to attack, Master," Guan informed Estelle, and readied to pounce. Let them move a little closer, and strike at the apparent-Servant faster than she could react. That was the idea, at least...

@KoL @Raineh Daze @VitaVitaAR @Crusader Lord

[VitaVitaAR]

Saber

For a few moments, the white-haired Saber simply contemplated her Master's strategy. Indeed, it was completely strategically sound. There were no immediate faults when the fact that it was a broad outline of a plan rather then a specific discussion of the strategies that would be involved. For this, her Lord could be praised, and the girl nodded to herself. However... There was more to be considered here, that was a fact that Saber couldn't deny, as well.

"... I believe this is a solid strategy to found our approach to this war upon," she began. For a moment, however, she hesitated before deciding to continue. "... I apologize for this selfishness, but if our opponent chooses to engage in honorable battle between Servants, I believe it would be disrespectful to slay their Master as well. Given that only the enemy Servants must be defeated in order to claim victory in this war, is it possible that we can spare defeated Masters under those cir-"

Saber paused. The situation had rather quickly become much more serious. She couldn't determine precisely where, but inside this building there was another Servant.

When the white-haired girl spoke again, her already hused voice was considerably more quiet.

"My Lord, I detect the presence of another Servant. Likely in this building."

@Raineh Daze@KoL@RolePlayerRoxas

---

Caster

"Very well, Master."

It was a wise choice to assume spirit form. While being manifested was somewhat more enjoyable, the Caster-class Servant felt that subtlety was the best solution for now. Her form faded, vanishing into sparks of mana as she took on spirit form, before quietly proceeding some distance behind her Master. Initially, she didn't know precisely what the girl had in mind, as she intruded upon a seemingly randomly-selected home and slew the dog guarding the house. It was only once the magus began to approach the family within that Caster began to quickly understand her Master's goal.

It was cruel, but they would not perish. Ruthless, but there was little that could not be sacrificed for her goals. Was it the choice Caster herself would have made in the same scenario?

Perhaps, perhaps not. Nothing could be guaranteed. And so the dark-haired Servant observed her Master's work in silence, her mind contemplating their course through the war.

There is nothing she would allow to stop her from winning.

@KoL

---

Estelle Varianbec

Estelle nodded, simply, at her Servant's declaration. No matter who their target was, she had absolute certainty in Lancer's abilities. If the Master(whichever of the two girls that was, the dark-skinned girl wasn't certain which) chose to become involved without surrender, she could be swiftly dealt with as well. There was no doubt in the small magus's mind that anything the enemy Master could conjure would pale in comparison to the thaumaturgical artifice of the Varianbec family manifested in her body. All that would be necessary in all likelyhood would to be allowing Lancer to do his work.

That is, to slaughter the enemy Servant unquestionably. That being said, she was prepared to lend her support if it was required. She simply had enough confidence in Lancer's abilities, given who he was, that there would be no risk of his defeat in this situation. To be frank, she felt it was likely he would eliminate the enemy Servant tonight, rather then anything else.

It would be an excellent start to the war.

@Raineh Daze@RolePlayerRoxas@Crusader Lord

[Crusader Lord]

Scylla

Servant Berserker

---

Walking Away From The Redrock Catholic Church

---

As a servant, Scylla was glad she could understand things like all the other human languages that had arisen since her time. So...interesting really when it came down to it. And her master's friend didn't seem to do well with this "English" anyways, but it was a nice thought to think her master wasn't alone in this. It was so easy for humans to want to isolate themselves, societal creatures as they were, but they didn't really know how it was to become something utterly distanced from the rest of the world. To be a creature spoken of only in legend and hushed whispers to scare young human children and sailors into line. Albeit, she had proven that right for the latter, but that wasn't the main point of her train of thought. True loneliness, caused by the immature actions of a petty witch, and the affections of a god whom she did not care for in return.

A normal thing for the Age of Gods.

"Ah. I guess if you could, you'd want to be able to speak without me knowing what's said, eh Master? haha!" the young-looking Berserker said in English as her master and master's companion went on in German, being blunt with what could be considered a harsh guess at her master's thoughts and feelings.

It was not a guess the Berserker made lightly, but it was an educated one. From the time she had been summoned and noted her class and true name to the blindfolded woman, Scylla had felt a sort of...distance between her and her master. Like a gap, the kind she had felt in life when even he he looked upon her with nothing but scorn and human loathing as he slew her for simply getting in his way. It....was disgusting to feel like that again, but she was more than used to it. Internally it was a little source of frustration, though not something she'd let slip out in her persona outwardly. No, that might just make things worse. So instead she had done her best to be good to her master, but even then such efforts were starting to feel like little to nothing in meaningfulness.

The fact her Mad Enhancement was always off since summoning was perhaps one sign of their relationship as well, for all she knew. Then again it was also logical and made basic sense to not have a wild monster roaring about and messing up things. Haha!

But....to be in this human form again was more than a little nice. The fresh breeze on her skin, the smell of the sea from afar without the metallic stench of blood filling her nostrils at the same time, the ability to eat normal humans foods again. How she had missed those things, and to be able to enjoy them once more was a true treat. Of course in some part it was odd feeling to her, like a wolf wearing sheep's clothing, but that didn't deter her enjoyment at all.

However, Scylla took pause for a moment, her jovial look fading to something...different as they began to pass a certain area. This feeling that seemed to briefly enter the local air, her senses as a servant picking up something on the edge of things that was...familiar. Ah. This couldn't be an Assassin, now could it? Or she wouldn't have been able to pick up anything at all unless they were amidst preparations to attack. Though in any case~

"Master, you and your friend go hide right now, ok? I think i sense an enemy servant nearby," the white-haired teenage servant noted aloud again in English to her master and master's friend, a smile coming back to her face as she finished her speaking, the thrill of excitement thrumming under her veins like a pulse running through her veins and blood vessels.

She was no Caster who could pick things up at a better range than this, but being a servant of course they could sense each other when close enough. And she was picking up something with her senses as a servant, though the faint hint of excitement she almost felt she was noting as well was perhaps her imagination at work. Or was it? Either way she didn't care. Danger was here, and her master needed to get to saftey. Heh. As much as her master might believe a monster saying for her to be safe, eh? Hilarious, really.

@RolePlayerRoxas@VitaVitaAR@Raineh Daze

---

Evangeline Henderson

Master of Assassin

---

House, Near the Beach of Redrock

---

"Ah...so your that kind of person, eh? Haha! It's no problem! Just having someone to drink with is good enough for me!" the female master said, taking another swig of her own bottle of sake after speaking to her servant, her jubilant mood not seemingly ruined by the servant's open threat and seeming lack of care for anything but savoring some drink, with Evangeline herself seeming to not mind her servant's conditions set forth as they were without any complaints.

In truth, Evangeline wanted to get this junk over with, but sitting back and drinking was not something she'd argue with. Much less, she'd not argue again her servant here wanting to sit back. Not with those stats and such anyways, which seemed odd for an Assassin. But the name she recognized, mainly from some mulling about stuck in a library once when half-drunk and trying to kill the buzz so she could drive home. A real damned demon as it were, but considering the apparent love of drink the American woman didn't mind the demon not being something like a loyal knights open to her orders or something. So long as at the end of the day they were alive, she felt fine with the arrangement.

"But yeah, once we get back, i'll do a check on my familiars....then maybe show you some of the harder stuff i brought here with me. Not sure how a demon would think of it, but why not try a swig or few, eh?" the female master said, her words sobering up a bit for a minute, but returning to a jovial sort of tone by the end.

The faster they registered with the person at the Church, the faster they got back here. That she was content with.

Her familiars under the house were growing very well, those on the leyline were spreading even faster than that, and that would be crucial to her survival strategy. Her magecraft revolved in part around these familiars, and using them for various means was the crux of her plan. Having a lot of them around meant that she could multi-task things if needed, spy about the town without having to move away at all from her base, even attack or infiltrate from a range as well. They leyline hid the presence of her familiars that were breeding in it like rabbits on aphrodisiacs, and attempts to use Earth Magecraft to attack them greatly risked harming the leyline as a result...which would be bad for any mage wanting to make use of said leyline. Further, any mage trying to use the leyline there in particular could be traced back by here familiars.

@Raineh Daze

[Raineh Daze]

Isabelle de'Antibes

Poor Saber... to be trapped by such notions of honour in a fight like this one was to overlook how many opponents might not share her values. Perhaps there could be compromise between them in the event that Saber looked set to win regardless but to throw out any chance of victory... Isabelle wasn't going to fail in her duties and miss her chance of redemption for her Servant's pride. Nor did she wish to be one of those killed in the war once her main support was gone. The Fourth Holy Grail war had a reported 70% casualty ratio amongst Masters, from her sources.

The time for planning was cut short by the apparent presence of another Servant, though the Executor didn't hasten her ice-cream one bit, "It doesn't matter if there's another Servant her, the Masters should know that the aim is to keep the war secret, and know better from that than to attack a restaurant in full view of a church representative. They wouldn't like a truce called to hunt them down as a threat to secrecy, would they?"

---

Evelyn and Elisabeth

"Maybe you would understand standard German?" the blindfolded girl suggested, swapping back to English. Having Berserker angry at her was hardly going to be a good idea... but it was inevitable that the language barrier would cause some friction. At least it reconfirmed the obvious: if Evelyn needed to get a message only to Elisabeth, then normal speech would probably do it... she couldn't imagine people in this town were too familiar with the dialect around Bern, if they knew the language at all...

"She says we need to hide."

The result was pretty immediate: the brunette took hold of her wrist and pulled her to one side, slightly down a dip in the ground. Not that being in a ditch would be terribly helpful against Servants but... it was something. And the itching of the blindfold was getting worse now, with the threat of battle approaching... but would it even be safe to look at something like Servants? Let alone give away her one strength in this entire conflict on the first night...

---

Assassin

The unlikely assassin giggled, finding some amusement in her Master's words. "Oni will drink anything, and among oni there are none that will drink more than I." Of course, that fact was in both her myth and name--to think that an oni would shy away from hard drink showed a woeful lack of knowledge on the topic by her Master... and she couldn't complain about having more variety, even if it was bad.

But she'd best finish the drink that she already had, first. "Oh, do remember to take precautions against excessive drinking, Master. It's not going to be good if you're drunk before we even break the sake out~"

[RolePlayerRoxas]

Lancer

They were within range, now. He would need to strike quickly, if there were to be any chance of ending it one stroke. Even with his presence hidden though, the opposing Servant was already close enough to discern his form, if they were paying any kind of attention.

And so, Lancer leapt, gaining magnificent , eyes locked on his target. He began to fall, rapidly gaining speed as he formed a solid body. In his hand, the glorious guandao formed, curved blade adorned with small, scale-like blotches that were quickly growing. Grasping it in both hands, Lancer let out a roar as he swung the weapon into the ground with enough force to split the concrete below.

During his descent, he had noticed the quick departure of the other two figures, which most likely meant the ambush was not a success. That was fine. Lancer found it highly unlikely that the Servant before him was a martial artist to surpass his own abilities, and in close-combat, the abilities of a Caster were nigh-useless.

[Crusader Lord]

Scylla

Servant Berserker

---

As the armored man came speeding down towards her through the air, his scaled weapons aiming to cut her through in one go, Scylla's smile spread wide and toothy. Eerily wide, as if the excitement and bloodlust was finally rising to the surface in a visible way. The smile was perhaps...unnerving, able to send chills up the spine or easily call up a sense of unease. It was like the gaze of a great predator, looking upon prey with a quite horrifying Cheshire grin. In a deft motion, the smaller form of the white haired girl darted to the side in a leap, her reaction time [Agility: B] up to par for the move. Then as she moved back, her right hand gripped the dirt below, rotating her body around to face as her fingers made tracks in the dirt. That was something a servant was capable of in general without having to be too strong, perhaps, but there was one assumption her opponent had made that was not quite right.

This was no Caster-class servant.

From her landing spot, Scylla activated one of her skills [Monstrous Strength: A], launching herself forwards at the enemy with the ground as her launch pad. And in the wake of her great exertion of primal, monstrous force to launch herself at the enemy with great speed, the ground cracked and ruptured below her feet, a small crater forming as a large hail of dirt and rock was sent flying back (this being not in the direction of Scylla's master and master's friend) from the sheer force alone. As she flew towards her opponent at top speed, her left hand was balled into a fist, one ready to connect with the enemy if it could. If she was right, the man would hit the ground and stick his weapon into it. Potentially, in her mind, this gave her a moment to strike with hellish force [Strength: B (A rank due to Monstrous Strength)] and try to send her opponent flying.

Of course, this was merely her own perceptions and actions being put to the test. However it would work out would depend on her opponent as well, just like in any actual battle.

@RolePlayerRoxas@Raineh Daze@VitaVitaAR

---

Evangeline Henderson

Master of Assassin

---

House, Near the Beach of Redrock

---

"Haha, well said from the lips one of the great demons of Japan. I would expect no less! But it takes a lot to get me pretty drunk, after that liver enhancement i had a friend do to me!" the female magus said, laughing as she took another swig of the sake in her hand, which by now was getting pretty low unfortunately, though according to her body something else seemed to be almost picking at her like it was trying to get her even more drunk, "But yeah, i wasn't sure if demons had picky tastes for a moment there, but i do think i was wrong! Heh. I like you already! Yes, we shall save room for the sake later. Gotta be able to take in the good stuff!"

Evangeline then tipped up her bottle, drinking the last of the sake she had in it before dropping the bottle down at her feet with an audible "crack" of breaking glass. It was a rental anywho, and if she died she had no business worrying about leaving crap around the place. Not that she was some pig-sty lover, no even she had standards, but in this case she felt she could be a bit lazy with a servant like this. Demon or not, she was a fellow legendary drinker who seemed to have an array of skills and-...ah. That was the particular skill trying to get to her head too right now. Neat. Especially if she was ok with the crap Evangeline has stocked the whole place with. Course' there was enough food and such to get herself by for a couple weeks too, not to be ignorant of bodily needs beyond the joys of hard drink and companionship in enjoying that hard drink. Haha!

"Ah, but we should get going to the church first. Gets us back here quicker, then i promise to crack out the good Vodka for us. Hurts like hell, but the burn keeps ya warm on cold nights like nothing else but another woman's body snuggled right up-...ahem, anyways," the American woman said, before giving a hearty laugh at what she had been just about to say. She then stated to walk away, off in the direction of her car that could take them (or at least herself if her Assassin here decided otherwise) to the church, "If ya want you can drop that sake in the house till' we get back, probably safer that way if someone comes snooping around. Or hell we could carry it with us if you want, or something else since it's all up to what you want to do with that really."

@Raineh Daze

[KoL]

EMILIA WAROV

"Very well then, this shall be enough", Emilia said to herself after she finished her 'work'. The blonde had done a complete rework of mother and son's facial structure and hair color to have them look more like her and had the mother pack some of tonight's dinner, to take it to the church.

Emilia knew that the Overseer was new in this area so it wasn't going to sound that strange for one of the families around to try to socialize with whoever is their new clergyman. There was only one thing that could make her plan fail; if one of the other Masters was feeling like involving civilians in the battle they were having right now. It wasn't that impossible considering the lack of morals for with the Clock Tower magi were known for, which is why Emilia was going to play it safe, by using numbers to her advantage. Explaining one person's sudden disappearance was easy, but a whole family? Not so much.

"We are done here, Caster. Let's have our puppets go a little before us, if they aren't attacked, then we will be safe as well", Emilia said to her Servant, as she commanded the mother and son to go to the Church while she took her time to 'fix' their dog, by turning it into a puppet familiar. If this plan worked, they would be able to get a closer look at their enemies before they disbanded and, if not at least it wouldn't cost Caster and Emilia's lives.

ARCHER

Euryale smirked as she and her Master found a seat in on of the tables close to the counter. "I'll go order something for us, please wait here", she said before going to the cashier. The tiny Archer followed her verbal declaration with a telepathic one, "Please don't let your worries show on your face, Master. While we don't know our opponents' identities yet, we are the ones at an advantage here, given that you are so good at being... how should I say it... inconspicuous? And I don't need to use any Servant powers when my charm is enough to bend the will of even the greatest heroes of the Age of the Gods. We can outsmart anyone as long as we remain calm."

As soon as she arrived at the counter, Euryale realized that ordering something would be much more of a problem than she thought, considering that her head didn't quite reach it. Thankfully, a nearby gentleman who was also waiting to make his family's order offered his 'assistance'—to his wife's chagrin— pulling a chair for Euryale to stand over.

Euryale thanked the man and wrote her Master's and hers order in a slip of paper, along with an extra request to the cashier: "Please, wait until we have our orders and then drop all the fries in the oil and have them burn to trigger the fire alarm~♥" As expected, the man didn't even think about refusing Euryale's request, especially after the tiny goddess gifted him with the greatest present of all; a smile from the bottom of her heart. The same smile that she was sure that the kitchen staff could see as well.

After she was done with the orders, Euryale skipped back to their table and dropped on her seat. She had a snake-like grin stamped all over her face as she said to Hakuno, "I hope you are hungry because I ordered a super combo with extra crispy fries."

---

@Crusader Lord@RolePlayerRoxas@Raineh Daze@VitaVitaAR

[VitaVitaAR]

Saber

Saber hesitated for a few moments. Indeed, her Lord's words were hardly inaccurate. There was no way another Servant would initiate a battle here, unless they felt they could take the entire war as well as the forces of both the Mage Association and the Church. To be frank with herself, the white-haired girl doubted that would be the case unless both Master and Servant were... unhinged, to say the least. That being said, she couldn't help but feel somewhat wary now that she knew there was an enemy pair in this building. The mind of a warrior quickly analyzed the possible outcomes.

They could, theoretically, part ways without coming into direct contact at this point. It wasn't impossible, but it was unlikely. It was also possible they could be attacked immediately, which was extremely unlikely for the reasons that her Lord had discussed. That left a few different possibilities. That the opponent could attempt to engineer a situation in which a fight could commence undetected, or that they could attempt to organize a different outcome then battle.

Regardless, Saber couldn't help but be wary.

"Very well, my Lord," she replied, bowing her head slightly as she spoke. And yet...

"... My Lord, I smell something... burning?"

@KoL@Raineh Daze@RolePlayerRoxas

---

Caster

Interesting... Her Master's handiwork was skillful, as it now appeared as if the woman and her child were her immediate family. It was difficult for anyone to recognize that they were not, and therefore that allowed for them to approach the Church with subtlety. It was unlikely a random family would be attacked, even if a Servant's presence was detected. After all, simply detecting a Servant's presence near a group of seemingly unrelated individuals hardly indicated that one of those people must be a Master. It was an effective plan. Ruthless on part of the family, but they were not dead. It was a well-constructed ruse.

Interesting, Master, she commented, Quite ruthless, but interesting. There is little reason to suspect that any of the other Masters would attack a family at random.

And so, still dematerialized, Caster followed her Master and her little faked family.

Within the Church would be whatever individual had been appointed as Overseer...

@KoL@Crusader Lord@Raineh Daze@RolePlayerRoxas

[RolePlayerRoxas]

Kishinami Hakuno

Hakuno's face was still burning when she took a seat, gaze fixed on the table before her. Even if it was a joke, Archer's jokes still made her so flustered... she was surprised when the servant gave her a telepathic message, one that helped calm her nerves somewhat. Archer was right, after all. If she didn't act suspiciously, and simply acted like everyone else here, then whatever other Master was there too could never find her.

Hakuno inhaled deeply, the redness slowly fading from her cheeks. Her back straightened, face neutral. Right now, she wasn't some embarrassed girl who happened to be eating with a goddess, she was just a normal, plain, completely inconspicuous person with no notable traits whatsoever. Her brown eyes fell upon the sight of Archer requiring a chair to reach over the counter, and instantly she was bent over double, tying to hold back her laughter.

That's too cute! the Master commented internally as she struggled to regain her composure. She didn't want to risk losing her life this very moment because of that adorable image, and with considerable difficulty, raised her head with a painfully forced grimace upon Archer's return.

After a few moments of ensuring she wouldn't break out into giggles, and doing everything she could to block the image from her mind, she managed to squeeze out a reply, "...Good. Sounds... good."

What was with that strange burning smell slowly washing over them, though?

@VitaVitaAR@KoL

-----------------

Lancer

With a resounding crash, the tarmac shattered from the force of the blow. His target had managed to evade; as he had suspected, this Servant had foreseen the strike with plenty of time to spare. That was fine by him.

The movements of this Servant were resoundingly swift, giving almost no room to ponder. His blade was still lodged in the ground when she bounced back, looking ready to punch. The bearded warrior, having experienced decades of battle in life, could understand from this fleeting exchange, a few key details. Mainly, that the probability of his opponent being a Berserker shooting way up.

He was unfazed by the strange, seemingly unhinged smile that approached him like a force of nature - there was simply no time. This was a battle, so he would answer this bloodlust with his overwhelming might.
With the ease of lifting a feather, Lancer's blade was freed, debris sent flying as he arced his weapon upwards, as if to swipe the enemy once she was within range. Lancer was not helpless if someone was too close; anyone within his guard would still have to deal with a hulking giant of a man.

But his instinct told him that even this small girl was going to be dangerous in melee combat. He couldn't allow himself to be complacent or arrogant right now.

@Crusader Lord@Raineh Daze

[Crusader Lord]

Scylla

Servant Berserker

---

Battle Commenced: Engaging Evasive Maneuvers

---

As the younger-looking girl rocketed through the air towards her target, she perceived the movement of the armored man's weapon jerked out of the ground and sweeping up towards where she was headed. Contorting her body in the air, Scylla narrowly dodged the swing weapons, albeit small bits of pavement and dirt and such pelted her to no real end than dirtying her clothing a bit. Albeit, it was a close call, one that the small monster was not wont to ignore even amidst her bloodlust for battle. However, her trajectory sent her flying past the tall man, landing again on the ground with a great and loud 'CRASH' that created a small crater where she had landed. The noise was such that, due to the battle's close enough proximity to the Church, would be able to be heard despite not occurring on the neutral territory itself.

As the dust settled from the impact, Scylla was there, hand on the ground again and in a stance to charge or attack or otherwise move as needed. Her eyes darted across her target, carefully observing movements, noting how easily the man had pulled his blade from the ground. A Lancer is what he seemed to be to the small Berserker, if the polearm he wielded was of any indication of his class.

'Master, be careful. Where there is a servant, an enemy master could be nearby.....damn vultures,' the small girl communicated quickly to her master through their link, hoping to keep the blindfolded girl prepared for what could happen. Albeit, her tone seemed more...bestial, almost growling, with her bloodlust audible in her mental communication to boot.

After all, vultures usually hung around where the action was. Though not always. That was the best comparison she could make at the time anyways, considering her experience with a magic user was being preyed upon when in a vulnerable position.

Though truthfully, Scylla had no idea if the enemy master was here or not. Someone could have sent a servant from a far away location to here if they wanted, and for all she knew to boot an enemy mage was on the other side of the city commanding this servant. Albeit she was no strategist by any means, though experience as a monster hunting others she had some sort of experience that could potentially be applied to a Grail War. Maybe it was something, maybe it wasn't enough.

Not wanting to skip a beat, though, the young-looking servant grabbed the trunk of a tree with one hand, tearing it up and out of the ground with a scary sense of ease for someone her size. She then chucked the large hunk of wood at the enemy servant, hoping to elicit an action she herself could take advantage of in return. That and it was preferable to the enemy servant looking for her master potentially if Scylla herself didn't act right now to keep him occupied.

@RolePlayerRoxas@VitaVitaAR@Raineh Daze