[IC] Fate/Eternum

[The Red Seelie]

Neophyte of the Mountain

Hassans Present: Asako, Inaya, +3

Currently Enjoying some Spectator Sport

Slowly making her way through the stands to the vacant seat. Hand reassuringly held around the hand of a young dark-skinned child who was looking out to the servants in center stage in complete and total awe, was a nameless girl. To her front and older more mature looking woman would be standing helping them conveniently dodge any would be hurdles making seating a flawless process indeed. Spread out amongst the crowd would be three other Hassan to help gather information.

"Master these are the seats we were told about." The exotic beauty said as she took her seat closest to the aisle. Nodding the Neophyte could only grin as she sat down letting go of her charges hand. "I see your enjoying the view Inaya" The Neophyte said grinning at Inaya's excitement as the young persona rocked in their chair in anticipation.

"Who are those heroes, Auntie!" She asked looking up at her Master to answer. The Neophyte blanked for a moment before coughing a little. As if a small cry for help and to her aid came Asako, The exotic beauty that acted as the main mouthpiece for her servant. "I believe the ticket seller said that the king of knights was in attendance, who would be that rather regal looking woman over there if we as a collective are correct in our information gathering." Asako softly informed pointing out the blonde-haired woman clad in blues. "I want her to win!" The Young Child Hassan said eyes intent to watch.

The Neophyte chuckled. She promised to take her servants child persona to the arena so they could watch servants fight in relative safety. She also would admit that she kind of wanted to watch them too. As a group. Her servant being the way they were made it kind of nice to go out with her adoptive 'family' though she couldn't completely shake the feeling something big might happen today. But then again she felt like that most days, and as her trusty confidant that was Asako placed a delicate hand on her shoulder. She focused herself ready to use her mystic eyes if necessary to learn how other servants, aside from assassins, Fight.

---

[DocRock]

Serene Drakos

Serene had been mostly silent the entire time, only nodding when shown to the location, and allowing Da Vinci, and her...friend to take point. But finally, she decided to speak up. She had been processing all this information, and if even the administration seemed to be concerned...this really didn't bode well.

"It is concerning, although I only know about as much as Alkyrieze has told me, mixed with what Da Vinci and I have discussed, it doesn't bode well. I called my father last night, to see if him or anyone else in the family has dealt with a situation like this. However, given his own response, I don't foresee that as likely, even with his experiences dealing with...rogue mages." Being the daughter of a mage hunter wasn't a surefire way to be popular. But hey, he had had connections she didn't, so if anyone could find something out...hopefully he would. Still, it was clear she was unsure, and nervous despite how calm she appeared.

James Moriarty

Almost as soon as Ruler saw the Wyverns, so did Archer, the mastermind quickly moving so that the creatures would have to go through him to reach his own master. His hand gripped the part of his weapon that had to be, clearly ready to use the coffin like device to fight. He'd told Gilgamesh to have fun, and if these were the first foes they ran into...he could only imagine what lay in deeper, beyond of course a certain Greek servant. At least, if he recalled the traditional definition of a labyrinth, no matter what route they took, they'd eventually get to the middle. Or the final area.

"Master, I suggest you stand back, I am certain that...Holmes and I can easily dispatch these wild beasts." His intent was clear. To fight if they had no choice. While him and Ruler could vanish into spirit form if needed, such a luxury was not open to the two masters. His expression was, however, unreadable, giving away no clue of what was going through his head beyond his first actions.

@KoL@Raineh Daze@PKMNB0Y

[VitaVitaAR]

Saber-Arturia Pendragon

"Indeed, we shall demonstrate an honorable battle."

Fionn mac Cumhaill. One of Ireland's most famous heroes. To think, she had clashed with so many of the foremost of Ireland's heroes not once, but three times now... But the circumstances here would be markedly different. This was to be an honorable duel, a sparring match between fellow Servants. Not to the death, but merely to test one another in battle.

It was an opportunity Arturia Pendragon could not claim she did not take pleasure in. To fight a duel like this...

The King of Knights thrust one arm forth. With a brilliant flash of light, her suit seemed to evaporate to be replaced with a gleaming silver gauntlet and blue sleeve. Then, following that, her other arm followed suit. Then, her body, now clad in an armored blue dress and a shimmering breastplate... the last thing to appear was a sword gleaming with golden light. It was elegant, yet deadly. Razor sharp and decorated with fae letters. A two-handed sword that appeared familiar even to those who had never seen it before.

In a friendly duel, there was no need to conceal the blade of Excalibur.

Arturia smiled.

"Let us begin our duel, Lord of the Fianna!"

The earth beneath her armored feet crumbled. In the blink of an eye, she had cleared the distance between herself and her opponent, dress and ribbon fluttering.

This first blow was not intended to to strike. Rather, Arturia wished to gauge her opponent. Naturally, she knew that the slayer of Aillen would be a skilled warrior, but she had never met him in battle. As such, she wanted to know how her opponent fought. The opening of a fight between two skilled fighters invariably would include their attempts to understand one another, after all.

@PKMNB0Y@Raineh Daze@RolePlayerRoxas@1Charak2

---

Mihama Nanako

Initially, Nanako had been running on the high of realizing she hadn't eaten anything for a whole day, the sheer hunger she felt motivating her to get going as fast as possible. But the longer she went, the slower she became as the lethargy caused by a lack of food got to her. Indeed, by the time she actually left her apartment building she was blearily shuffling along. Naturally, she could only assume that this display was serving to make Meltryllis angrier at her in some way. But she had to eat. She couldn't help it.

She ended up going to an old standby, a tiny nearby restaurant owned by a family from Osaka.

The bell jingled when she opened the door. Behind the counter was the owner's son, an athletic young man with a friendly demeanor.

"Oh, it's you, Mihama-ha-Whoa! You finally summoned someone!"

After a moment, Nanako simply nodded and made her way over to sit down.

@PKMNB0Y

[RolePlayerRoxas]

Kishinami Hakuno

Hakuno was gripping at her knees tightly as Kiara explained her side of events. She was struggling to make sense of anything. Saikawa Mary's actions seemed completely different from Kiara and Jason's views, not to mention her demeanour. It seemed like she had suddenly started avoiding Kiara for some reason, and dragging her friend into this strange situation... Hakuno didn't want to believe she was deliberately placing him in danger, but the events described to her were just puzzling.

She sat there in silence for a moment, crossing her arms as she pondered what to do next. They could try questioning Mary again, assuming she was better, though she wasn't too confident in her interrogation abilities.

Though come to think of it, Kiara said her number had been disconnected. And given the time frame between her call to Jason, and Kiara's subsequent call...

"...What do you think, Saber?" Hakuno turned towards her small Servant with a troubled frown, "I don't know if Saiawaka-san's phone will have any clues, but at the very least, we might need to speak with her again. It sounds like there's two Saikawa Mary's at this rate."

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

Berserker - "Guan Yu"

The chilly Berserker was silent as she watched Chiron, who promptly approved their bout. She stomped after the excitable Gareth, glancing at the other combatants as she passed. To be in such close proximity to these famed warriors... it was beyond exciting! It was an honour! A privilege! She would have to fight beyond her best to earn her position in this fight, to ensure her father deserved to be amongst them!

Berserker took her position opposite Gareth, her frozen guandao gripped tightly in her hands. She pointed the blade towards the smaller knight, awaiting the beginning of the bout.

[Raineh Daze]

Elferia Bay

... wyverns. The very first obstacle they faced in this little game was wyverns. More importantly, where had they even been acquired from? Phantasmal beasts were quite hard to acquire, even with so many legendary heroes running around--or perhaps especially, the number of famous monster hunters and dragon slayers was quite large. But Moriarty was right, it would have to be up to the Servants to take these things on.

She hoped that the one behind this labyrinth remembered that it was a pair of intellectuals investigating, not great warriors. Oh, they were no doubt far better off now than they ever were in life... but they could only do so much.

---

Alkyrieaze von Einzbern

"My Servant and I were eating crepes when the Berserker came down pulling along his Master," Alkyrieaze started, tilting her head and thinking about how it went, "I liked the stand, so I ordered her to bring him to heel." Unstated was that if they just went for killing every Servant that went out of control, the city would start to have problems, "And in the mean time managed to get the Master to use his command seals to order a halt."

"But the Berserker ignored them. This... is not entirely unheard of; there are Servants such as Heracles that only myself or my predecessor could keep under control. No, what is strange is how the command seals got turned into a strength boost directly for this Berserker.

"As a Berserker in somewhat modern clothing, the chance that he was able to tamper with the Seals himself is absurdly low, certainly not whilst fixated on a fight. Unfortunately, he fled and was likely defeated by part of the Counter-Crime Force, so we can't question him."

[VitaVitaAR]

Saber - Benienma

This...

Benienma was certain now.

This wasn't right. There was something wrong here. The fact that regular contact with the nun had so suddenly been cut off, the complete and total change in Saikawa Mary's demeanor... this coupled with the unusual circumstances of the summoning, with the strange behavior of the Servant and the failure of the command seals. With the fact that Hijikata Toshizo's disappearance after being mortally injured was somehow abnormal, as well...

There was no way that these matters were all disconnected from one another. There was no possibility that they weren't. But how was another matter. What could have caused Mary's sudden change in demeanor, and her insistence on helping a friend summon a Servant in such a manner? There had to be something more there.

Furrowing her brow, the diminutive Saber placed her hand to her chin as she considered the evidence that been presented to her. One particular potential conclusion stood out to her. If Mary suddenly began to act differently, ceased to act like herself...

"... There are many Servants that possess the ability to disguise themselves dechi," she began, "Those that do are often capable of concealing their nature as Servants as well. If that's the case... Masta, the one in that hospital might not be Saikawa Mary at all!"

@PKMNB0Y@RolePlayerRoxas

---

"The Berserker Hijikata Toshizo's death was confirmed in a CCF report," the administrator answered, on the note of the potential defeat of the rogue Servant, "Unfortunately, the threat he posed was too great to attempt to take him alive. But this information will be incredibly useful."

She paused for a moment, looking thoughtful.

"This is troubling. It might be for the best to share this information directly. And besides-"

She smirked, shrugging her shoulders as she did.

"I'm bored. I need something to do!"

With a wink, the Servant turned on her heel and beckoned for the small group to follow her. When they reached the tinted glass doors further in...

"Unauthorized-"

"Oh, you know who it is and why I'm here, don't worry about them~" she sated, waving her hand idly. After a few moments of silence, the glass doors slid open, and most surely a great deal of unseen defenses likely permitted entry as well as the Administrator lead the group inside.

The hallways were octagonal, the walls dark gray and illuminated by lights in the ceiling. They were lead to a stairway further down, and then lead to another, and another... Rather then going upwards towards where the administrative duties were conducted, it seemed as if they were being lead further and further down...

"HECATE can communicate through any terminal in this building, but it's for the best that we conduct a direct conversation," she explained, as they finally arrived at an enormous octagonal doorway. After a confirmation of the Administrator's identity, the massive doors slid open, revealing a truly enormous room.

The pathway towards the center extended over a huge, seemingly-bottomless pit. Suspended above them, in the center of the room, was a massive blue-gray orb lined with lighter blue lights. Beneath this orb, was a small platform emitting a golden glow, an interface console at its base.

And on this platform...

There was a little girl. Wearing rather fluffy pajamas, her pale blue hair extending so long it seemed trail off the sides of the platform itself. Her feet dangled off the side of the platform as well, as she kicked them lightly.

Notably, anything that hung from the sides of her sitting area seemed to be far more translucent...

Her head snapped up, and for a moment she only seemed to notice the Administrator.

"Aaah! Crowley! Are you here to talk about the spa-"

The moment she noticed the others, the mysterious little girl froze, a look of absolute horror crossing her face.

"... Kyaaaa!"

All at once, she vanished, leaving behind only a few blue motes of light.

"... Oh, dear, it appears she wasn't expecting anyone else," the administrator commented, shrugging her shoulders with a smile, "It'll only be a moment."

Indeed, seconds later, another figure appeared on the platform. This time, she was a mature, pretty woman, hair tied tightly in a bun and wearing a business suit and pencil skirt, glasses on her face.

"... A-ahem," she began, "Autonomous Artificial Intelligence HECATE, prepared for interface. What service do you require?"

[FujiwaraPhoenix]

Alter Ego — Meltryllis

Trailing her Master from a distance, Meltryllis leaped from rooftop to rooftop, doing her best to make sure that traces of her travels were left unseen. As far as recklessness went, there was only so far one could go before things became comical, and Nanako was fast approaching that point. In a city full of Servants, after all, there was no telling who could strike out.

Once Nanako had disappeared into a restaurant, Meltryllis sighed and stood where she had ended up. Given what information she had, it was wholly unexpected that there were no signs of active combat. Humans were... Strange in that way, or so she thought.

"A self-regulating society, hm? How wea—"

Before she could finish that thought to herself, though, the purple-haired Alter Ego spotted a shadowy figure kneeling down on another rooftop. Despite the apparent lack of features, it was fairly obvious that they were aiming something towards the building that her Master had just entered.

"Hm. Is this why BB wanted me to follow her?" Meltryllis sighed to herself before immediately leaping over to their perch. Unsurprisingly to her, the one aiming at her Master seemed to be of a similar origin to the two she had taken down yesterday. Without a shred of hesitation, the purple-haired Alter Ego immediately struck out at the Shadow Servant, bringing both them and herself speeding towards the ground at a high speed.

The subsequent crash and crater as Meltryllis and her target landed in front of the restaurant drew far more attention than she would have preferred, though.

Jason Liu

"Might not be..."

Repeating the Saber's words quietly to himself, Jason turned down towards the table with furrowed eyebrows before taking his phone back off of the table. As much as he didn't want to believe it himself, the possibility of what she had said was too large to ignore. What happened to the real Mary, though... Well, that was something that he had to consider if his worries were true.

"...I want to go and visit her," he said, standing up from his seat. "She should still be in the hospital, right? Let's go."

At Jason's declaration, Kiara took her own back and sighed, shaking her head as she rose to her feet.

"As much as I hate to admit it, the possibility of such a thing having happened is far too high. As she did not have a Servant, I wonder why she would have called a friend over to perform the ritual without having confirmed it first. I shall follow as well."

---

The group of four had soon made their way back to the room where Mary had been resting in and, after a brief pause, Jason took a deep breath and opened the door.

"Mary? Are you awake?" he asked, walking inside and glancing around.

The person in question, sitting upright on her bed, was watching a visualization of what seemed to be a shadow being struck by a Servant (or so Jason assumed). The entrance of the four seemed to not register—at least, not until Kiara spoke up.

"...You are most definitely not the Mary that I know," she said, eyes furrowing as she glared at the girl in the bed. "Though you conceal your true nature, that evil that permeates your being is quite evident for me to see."

@VitaVitaAR@RolePlayerRoxas

Ruler — Sherlock Holmes

The immediate movement of Moriarty as he moved between his Master and the Phantasmals caused Holmes to raise an eyebrow out of curiosity. As well as he had come to know his archnemesis, seeing him place the life of another over his own... It was intriguing.

But he, as a Servant, had a similar duty towards his own Master.

As he stepped forward in tandem with the Archer at his side, the wyverns seemed to notice their presence, and after a collective cry, began to rush towards them.

With a nod, Holmes sidestepped the first one striking out at his neck before promptly impacting it with his empty palm. Weaving strikes of his cane into his motions as he began to parry the creatures, the detective took a brief step backwards as the creatures recoiled in pain. As he did so, a multitude of lenses seemed to slip out from under his outfit and shine onto the monsters the light damaging them as it went.

"Well, as things stand, I have no proper weapon, so I leave the dirty work to you," he said, nodding towards the Archer as he began to move around and corral the wyverns into a single region of the cave. Hopefully, that old man didn't take this as an excuse to try and shoot him down too (as much as Holmes felt as if that would likely be the case).

@KoL@Raineh Daze@DocRock

The Arena

A broad grin was readily visible on Fionn's face as his opponent declared her readiness for combat. The audience, upon seeing Arturia reveal her weapon, seemed to collectively 'ooh' and 'aah' in wonder, and the Lancer in front of her flourished his weapon in turn.

"Likewise, King of Knights!" he responded. Just as the Saber struck out at him, Fionn stepped forward, deflecting his opponent's weapon with his spear as he moved to create some small distance between himself and Arturia before returning the favor. It was the hallmark of a good spearman to be able to create space between the opponent's weapon and oneself, and as he pushed the Holy Sword aside, Fionn struck out towards the Saber's abdomen as he laughed.

"Taking the initiative, I see! But I shall not be so easily won over!" he declared, immediately sweeping his spear off to the side regardless of if his hit connected as he leaped to the side. "I have my own pride to maintain, after all!"

[VitaVitaAR]

Mihama Nanako

Before Nanako could even begin to order her food, there was enormous crash from behind her.

The brunette nearly jumped out of her seat, shooting to her feet with wide eyes as she immediately turned around.

"What the hell was that?!" exclaimed the boy behind the counter, leaning forward.

Meltryllis had suddenly seemed to fall from the sky, her knee ramming a shadowy figure into the street hard enough to leave a substantial crater in the asphalt beneath them. Nanako's eyes widened with recognition, and while there wasn't many people in this area at this moment...!

"Ogawa-san, get yourself and the rest of your family to safety! Hurry!"

It was the first thing that entered her mind. The concern for these people that she knew cut through the depression she'd been trapped in ever since her Servant poisoned her. That shadow figure... if it was anything like the others they had encountered, anyone who was even in the area was in danger of potentially being killed.

"Wh-"

"Now! You have to hurry!" she insisted, rising to her feet. Even if Melt hated her... for the sake of the people who could get hurt here, she had to try and offer what little support she could, hurrying out the door as she did and leaving the restaurant behind.

@PKMNB0Y

---

Saber - Arturia Pendragon

As expected. A skilled spearman would never allow the opening blow to allow crucial distance to be closed. Arturia had been fully prepared to see her blade deflected. In fact, it was precisely what she expected. Anything less would have been a disappointing performance from a legendary hero such as Fionn Mac Cumhaill. Her next move was to use the side of her blade, rather then the edge, in her deflection, a shower of sparks flying into the air from the contact of the two weapons!

As she expected, his hit was also experimental and not necessarily intended to make its connection, as her opponent immediately dove to the side. Rotating her body, Arturia immediately readied herself for the next move, the speed of her movement casting dust into the air as she squared up her feet.

"Anything less would be a disappointment, Slayer of Aillen," Arturia responded, a small smile on her face as she watched her dueling partner's movements.

A spearman would keep distance, to use his weapon to its maximum effectiveness. The task at hand for her was to use her weapon to push his out of the way, to eliminate the threat that it posed and get in too close for him to strike properly.

But by no means was that a simple task.

The Saber-class Servant darted forward, immediately meeting her opponent once again. This time, she anticipated the deflection, aiming to slide Excalibur along the length of the spear. She didn't anticipate it being so easily-won, but if she did not begin trying then was hardly fighting her hardest, and this was an opponent who deserved a full display of her skills.

---

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Arena...

Gareth took a deep breath, raising her lance carefully as she did. This was her opportunity... her chance to fight once again for Camelot! For her King! And for her Master! Aah, her heart was fluttering, she couldn't help but be a little nervous with everyone watching, but the fact that so many people were watching meant she needed to do her best! She'd show everyone how strong she was, what a good knight she was, and she'd fight her hardest!

Gareth thrust her weapon into the air.

"Gareth, Seventh Seat of the Round Table, is entering battle!"

The knight lowered her lance...

And one armored foot slammed down, propelling her body forwards as she raised her shield. Create a wall with one hand, and pierce the enemy with the other! Minus the actual piercing! Definitely no piercing happening today! This was a no-piercing zone!

Part of lance began to spin rapidly, almost like a drill as she closed on her opponent as swiftly as possible!

@PKMNB0Y@Raineh Daze@RolePlayerRoxas@1Charak2

[DocRock]

James Moriarty

Oh he was sorely tempted to just shoot Holmes in the back, but that wasn't the point. Besides, he'd look bad. And not the good kind. A huff left Archer, as he hefted his weapon, gracefully sidestepping the bite of the second Wyvern. He could see what Holmes was doing, and flipped the coffin gun around, pulling the trigger, firing off a quick set of bullets into the the torso of the second, followed with another set towards the flapping wings of the third. As much as he didn't want to...defeating them would have to be done. So dazing the second, and perhaps crippling the third would have to do.

"This old man is not your meal! So begone, lizards!" Not the most imaginative phrase, but it was followed up with missiles suddenly being fired from the top of Archer's weapon, zooming up and then into the nearest set of enemies. As he then kept it going, firing more bullet streams off, strafing as hopefully, none got close to his own master. Internally, he just hoped that whatever Gilgamesh decided to throw at them next, it would...easier to handle. He didn't relish crossing weapons with an actual dragon. Or a Chimera.

@PKMNB0Y@Raineh Daze@KoL

Serene Drakos

If Serene was surprised by the midget that abruptly vanished, it was visible for at most, a split second before her features locked down again. She was more concerned about not falling down into the probably not bottomless hole, unless they'd somehow passed into a parallel dimension in the time it had taken to get there. The idea that the city's central AI system could project different forms based on who they were interacting with made sense. A child was more likely to put one at ease, or even represented the relative chronological age of the AI, or perhaps there was some other intent from the designers. The adult form made sense for more casual conversation...

She didn't move to say anything however, glancing to her servant and to Alkyrieze, deciding to allow them to take point. They had a better grasp even with what Serene knew. Direct experience, and Da Vinci had her genius self. Perhaps her father had somehow foreseen something, hence why he'd made it clear she should summon Da Vinci. Oh well, Serene could never tell with her father's orders what his end game was until after. Still, she was nervous, this entire matter didn't sit well...

@1Charak2@Raineh Daze@VitaVitaAR

[RolePlayerRoxas]

Kishinami Hakuno

Hakuno's eyes widened with realisation at Saber's declaration. Her own comment about two Mary's hadn't been entirely serious, but if Servants were involved... yes, it wasn't exactly impossible for the Mary in hospital to be an impostor, was it? Hakuno hadn't noticed anything particularly off with her, before, but...
It was decided that everyone would return to visit her, and the young officer agreed uneasily. A part of her hoped this hypothesis was wrong - if that Mary in hopsital was a Servant or whatever, what had happened to the real Mary?

Not long after, the group had entered Mary's room. Hakuno was briefly distracted by whatever Mary was watching, but she couldn't dwell on what she saw - right now, they had to investigate Mary's circumstances. She tried to discern for herself if anything was off about the girl, but of course nothing stood out to her in particular. Kiara, on the other hand, definitely felt something amiss. She heaved a small sigh, and spoke up.

"...Please, tell us," she said softly, banking on their hypothesis being correct, "where is Saikawa Mary? Why are you impersonating her?"

Berserker - "Guan Yu"

The small, heavily-armoured girl was making her move, and despite the simplicity of her charge, it was undoubtedly perfect. Her large shield and the lance made a head-on attack virtually impossible. The slight influence of Mad Enhancement certainly made such a tactic appealing to the icy spectre, but the skill would not encumber her common sense in any meaningful way. Perhaps.

Berserker charged forward, as if to collide with the advancing Gareth. Against that towering shield and spiralling lance, surely she had no hope of winning this clash? Her only advantage was size, but Gareth's position was far too great to be beaten with a mere frontal assault. Even if Frost Fair's full functionality was available to her, it may not be enough.
Guan was not a warrior with honed battle instincts, however - she was a pale imitation of the true god of war, and thus lacked the strength to properly counter this attack. All she could do... was avoid the attack entirely. Barely a second before Gareth could bowl her over, Guan suddenly leaped, arcing over Gareth, twisting her body and swinging the frozen guandao down to strike Gareth from above and behind. It certainly wasn't a graceful combat manoeuvre, but as long as it could score a strike on a knight of the round table...!

@VitaVitaAR@PKMNB0Y

[VitaVitaAR]

Saber - Benienma

Something felt wrong. The moment that they stepped into the room, Benienma could feel it.

Mary didn't respond. She didn't even turn to face them. Instead, she simply kept watching that strange image, a shadowy shape struck down by what looked like a Servant...

Then the small redheaded Servant felt it. Something was surging, some kind of power...!

A flash of brilliant light erupted from around her body, her casual outfit instantly replaced by her kimono, her katana materializing on her hip. She could almost see it, feel it, the pressure suddenly exuded from the direction of the girl sitting on the bed. In an instant, she was already moving, lunging forward, stepping in front of her Master...!

From the darkness beneath the bed, there erupted hands. Hundreds of pale, feminine hands, stretching unnaturally. Reaching, grasping, hands open as they extended towards her Master...!

But the battoujutsu of Benienma would suffice!

Smoothly the enma's katana slide from its sheath, faster then the human eye could perceive. It cut a path through the air as it went, blade flashing through swarm of grasping hands once, then twice, then three times, then four, then five, then again and again and again...!

Just as swiftly, the small girl's weapon slide back into its sheath. The hands fell apart, cut hundreds of times in an instant, blood erupting from the chunks of flesh as they fell to the ground in a gruesome heap.

"Whatever monster you may be, reveal yourself!" Benienma demanded, her hand still on the hilt of her sword. That thing hiding in Mary's shape, whatever it was... it was evil. The aura it held was no longer concealed, it was pure and total evil! "That thing is no Servant!"

The creature that looked like Mary lazily looked over her shoulder, a wide smirk on her face.

"... My my, Judge of Hell... I felt that~" she began, "How exhilarating... the edge of that sword cutting me over and over, ah...~"

The Saber-class Servant narrowed her eyes.

"But I suppose there's no point in this disguise any longer, is there...?"

'Mary' reached up, opening her mouth. Her right hand gripped her upper jaw... and pulled. Slowly, the skin began to peel back, a ugly cracking sound coming as 'Mary's' flesh split at the corners of her mouth.

There was something inside. Green eyes, staring out from within. The figure's left had gripped her lower jaw, as well, splitting it open entirely to reveal what was inside.

Fair skin. Black hair. Dots marking her forehead. It was undeniable the one they looked upon was the same as the one who had informed them of the difference in Mary's behavior in the first place.

"Meeting myself... it's quite a strange experience, isn't it~?" the figure said, cocking her head to one side as she did. "Sessyoin Kiara~"

@RolePlayerRoxas@PKMNB0Y

---

Arena

"Ah!?"

Her opponent...! She had leaped into the air just like that! Aaah, she'd messed up going for a charge like this, it was hard for her to change direction or adjust her positioning, that long polearm swinging down towards her...!

Twisting her body, Gareth raised her shield upwards, the enemy's weapon slamming into it just as she managed to move. Beneath her, the ground cracked and then shattered all at once, a crater opening beneath the small, armored figured. She gritted her teeth, the shock of the impact rocking her arm as she felt the blow.

The impact was enough to knock her off her feet, to send her rocketing across the arena, slamming into the earth and rolling once, her armor clanking.

But the tip of her lance bit into the ground, as Gareth steadied herself.

No way, a Knight of the Round Table wouldn't be defeated like that!

Wrenching her lance free of the ground, she raised her shield once more. This time she was taking a more defensive stance!

@RolePlayerRoxas

[FujiwaraPhoenix]

Jason Liu

At Kiara's near-instant recognition of Mary as 'evil', Jason's entire body seemed to freeze in place. He was by no means talented in any way, but even seeing what she had in her hands was enough to tell him that she was not the same person he had remembered; after all, her own talent with things like that was nowhere near good enough to create something like that without extended preparation—doubly so in a hospital bed.

Before he could recover, though, the Saber with them had moved and, in an instant, cut down the dozens of hands, ephemeral yet apparently made of flesh and blood, that burst forth from under her bed. While that was terrifying enough on its own, Jason himself was not prepared for what came after. 'Mary', after recognizing that Saber's own talent, seemed to 'shed' her disguise. Despite the intense fear running through his body, though, Jason's feet seemed glued in place. With no other choice than to stand his ground, the young man forced himself to stare straight at Kiara—the other Kiara—and speak.

"Wh-what did you do with Mary?" he asked unsteadily, trying his hardest to not buckle under the pressure of the one in front of him.

"Hm...? Oh, do you mean this?" the other Kiara asked, licking her lips as she stared at Jason before picking up the skin that she had just shed. "She was a wonderful treat after I arrived. You see, I had no time to make her mine, so I simply had to make do with listening to her pleas for salvation as I wore her mind into dust. After that, it was a simply measure of assuming her guise and acting in her place. You were a wonderfully naive puppet, by the way; not suspecting a single thing and giving me enough time to work as I pleased in the shadows? I couldn't have asked for anything better~!"

At this, Jason's face paled as he knees failed him. Falling to his knees, the young man simply stared at the ground, a hollow look in his eyes.

The Kiara that was sitting on the bed until now, though, simply turned her attention towards the other three, ignoring Jason as if he was no more than an ant to her.

"But... Ah... To think I'd see you again. Kishinami Hakuno. I see you've found yourself a new partner in the meantime," she said, slowly getting out of the bed that she had been lying in as she took a single step closer. "But... Hm... This city truly is wonderful. If only you hadn't caught on so quickly..."

With a sigh, Kiara shook her head in disappointment before forming a few hand signs. In an instant, a magic circle appeared beneath her feet; an instant later, what seemed to be a giant mass of shadows formed in front of the group before disappearing into the floor.

"Ah... Right. Let me repay your visit with an old friend. You should remember him well," she stated, holding her right palm out in front of her.

This time, the shadows cast in front of her seemed to bubble before an arm seemed to reach out of it. With the arm came a head, then a body, and the rest of the figure made itself apparent.

"Go, Hijikata. Let me see how useful you can be as nothing more than a mindless shell, hm~?"

@RolePlayerRoxas@VitaVitaAR

Alter Ego — Meltryllis

After slamming the Shadow Servant into the ground, Meltryllis sighed and slowly stood up from the crater, taking a short leap to get herself out before turning towards the restaurant that Nanako was in. Despite everything, that idiot Master of hers seemed to be prioritizing the safety of civilians over her own. Shaking her head in mild annoyance, the Alter Ego pushed her way through the door and simply stared at Nanako.

"What are you doing?" she asked, hands on her hips as she spoke. "If anyone needs to get out of here, it's you. Do you think I can fight at my full potential if I have to keep protecting you?"

Ruler — Sherlock Holmes

As much as he had expected to be caught in the crossfire, Moriarty had, by some odd happenstance, left him without injury. It had only been the wyverns that he had goaded into moving as they had that were now lying about on the floor, slowly bleeding out from the wounds on their body. The detective had not expected such creatures in the first place, of course, and had by now begun to examine the corpses of those that had already passed.

"Hm... Odd..." he said, picking up the head of one and turning it from side to side. "Despite living in a cavern system barely connected to the outside world, these creatures have what appear to be functional eyes; furthermore, the presence of wings in a closed underground system—"

Before he could continue his externalized observations, though, the sound of clattering bones caused Holmes to rise from his kneeling position and stand at attention. The light pointed at the source soon revealed what appeared to be a battalion of skeletons, each wielding a weapon of some variety.

All of them, of course, were pointed at the four near the wyverns.

"I suppose that there is no rest for the wicked," Holmes quipped, throwing a sidelong glance at his rival before stepping forward. The moment he had taken a single step, the skeleton soldiers with melee weapons rushed forth.

Compared to the wyverns from moments earlier, though, Holmes had considerably less trouble in simply destroying their bodies with a bout of baritsu, with the occasional whack of his cane weaved in every so often to parry a wayward arrow aimed for any in the rear.

@KoL@DocRock

The Arena

With the two of them sizing one another up, Fionn couldn't help but understand, if only a little, as to why Diarmuid had found himself so troubled while facing Arturia as an opponent. The next strike that the Saber had made was not wholly unexpected, of course, but that didn't make it any easier to deal with. Deciding that moving along with the strike was easier than dealing with it head-on, the Lancer promptly moved in tandem with the blade and, with a spinning motion, redirected Excalibur ever so slightly off to the side before taking that small gap in the clash to pull back once more.

Before Fionn could respond with another offensive, though, screams from the stands—not of awe, but of fear—caught his immediate attention. Turning towards Arturia, Fionn simply nodded before turning towards Chiron, who had already drawn his bow and was aiming towards the stadium itself.

Out of the nooks and crannies of the stands above, spirits that seemed to be cloaked in a shadowy mist were rapidly forming and striking out at those who were viewing the match. Those unfortunate enough to not be close enough to a Servant to protect them were quickly struck down, the shadows engulfing their corpses and leaving no trace of them behind. After that, of course, there seemed to be a brief pause before they formed identical copies, only to repeat the cycle once more.

"Postpone the matches!" Chiron shouted, letting loose a volley of arrows as he struck down one of the shadows that had come bearing down upon a couple on the other side of the arena. "The barrier into and out of the battlefield has been disabled, so I request that you help strike these things down! The restriction on Anti-Army Noble Phantasms has been lifted!"

Needless to say, the entire arena had, in an instant, turned into a battlefield.

@Rune_Alchemist@GhastlyInc@Raineh Daze@1Charak2

[VitaVitaAR]

Mihama Nanako

Meltryllis had taken such an issue with what she'd done she'd broken off from her fight to tell her. But no, she couldn't back down on this. Even given the memories of the pain she'd felt... these people, who were doing their best to escape from the sudden fighting, were people who had given her a warm meal dozens of times over. They'd chatted with her when she felt down, laughed along with her while she made fun of herself for stumbling when she made and order... She wouldn't let them be put in danger. She couldn't.

"... Even so, I can't let them get hurt," Nanako said, finding her voice. She paused for a moment. She knew Meltryllis wouldn't accept that, but maybe she'd at least accept this...

"... And... and besides, even if you don't care about them... I know how Servants work. That thing is probably the same... if it were to kill one of them and take their soul, wouldn't it get stronger?"

For the moment, the shadowy figure was seemingly incapacitated in the crater, but there was no telling how long that would last.

Though a part of her realized something else.

Meltryllis cared enough to think about protecting her above killing her enemy...? To the point of abandoning killing her opponent and going over to her to try and encourage her to get to safety, and to move into a position where she could better defend her...

And on top of that, Meltryllis had come down from above. Had... she been looking for threats while Nanako got her food...?

Did that... mean...

There was a red glint from the crater the Shadow Servant had been slammed into.

"Look out!" cried Nanako before she could think, pointing past Meltryllis!

@PKMNB0Y

---

Saber - Arturia Pendragon

He'd been able to guide her blade just far enough off-course to open a little distance. Just as expected from a Servant of Fionn's caliber! But Arturia's conviction was growing. This would be an honorable duel, and it would be one she was going to win. Perhaps some would say this was her competitive nature surfacing, but the fact was that her opponent's shows of skill had made the King of Knights all the more determined to claim victory!

But that was never to pass.

Before either fighters could make another move, a terrible scream arose from the stands. It was followed my many others, and as the blonde-haired swordswoman turned to see what could possibly be happening her eyes widened in shock. Shadows, terrible facsimiles of true Servants, had pulled themselves from the darkness as if they were rising from the mud. Those with Servants accompanying them were defended, but... some had already lost their lives...

Arturia did not need Chiron's words to know exactly what action she must take.

"Knights of the Round Table!" she cried, "To arms!"

With that, she slammed one foot down and exploded forward. The moment she hit the edge of the arena, the small knight placed one foot on the barrier wall and pushed upwards, fragmenting the earth beneath her from the force of her leap and easily clearing the structure in a single leap.

There was a shadowy figure, one with a cloak with some sort of clawed gauntlet, just beneath her...!

Twisting her body as she landed, Arturia cut the figure in two from hip to shoulder with a single blow, blood spraying from the shadowy, misty apparition as both halves toppled to the side! Without a pause, she lunged forward, clearing the space between herself and the next target in and instant. This one was unarmed, a hulking figure with some kind of axe. Before it could bring its weapon down on one of the spectators, Arturia cleaved one of its arms from its body at the elbow before piercing it through the chest!

But there was no time to delay, even a the great, dark corpse faded she was moving once more!

Another Shadow cut down as it raised its weapon! Another, pierced through the chest...!

The final of this group of shadows managed to deflect her initial blow with a swing of its sword, but the followup shattered its weapon and cut a deep gash through its chest, sending it crumpling to the ground and dissipating into mist!

---

"Ah?"

Oh... oh no, the audience was being attacked?!

"Ah... I... we'll have to put off out duel!"

Sprinting to the stands, Gareth took a deep breath. It was the duty of a knight to defend the innocent, and this was under the command of her King! Swinging her arms and crouching, the armored girl hurled herself high into the air and cleared the wall around the arena itself!

As she did, she brought her shield slamming down, crushing the skull of one of the shadows with an earsplitting crack, the impact of the steel on the stony stairs causing them to crumble!

Without missing a beat, she turned on her heel and drove her lance forward, skewering another of the shadows as it attempted to lunge for her!

"I, Gareth, won't allow another innocent soul to be harmed!"

@PKMNB0Y@Rune_Alchemist@GhastlyInc@Raineh Daze@1Charak2@RoleplayerRoxas

[RolePlayerRoxas]

Kishinami Hakuno

How had today devolved into such a gruesome nightmare so quickly?

Hakuno thought she'd been prepared for the worst-case scenario when they visited Mary's room. Perhaps a Servant had been impersonating her for some reason, but the real Mary was still safe somewhere? Maybe this was the real Mary after all, in urgent need of help. If this girl turned out to be hostile, it wasn't something out of her depth as a member of CCF, right? But this...

Saber had acted swiftly, striking down the strange hands erupting from underneath the hospital bed before she could even blink. The floor was littered with blood and flesh now, but that was hardly what made Hakuno want to retch. The very air itself was heavy with a presence of pure, foreboding evil, enough to make Hakuno want to just flee. But even that wasn't what got to her. No, it was when Mary... when the girl seemed to just pull another person entirely out of her mouth. Or... would it be more accurate to say that this woman clawed herself out?

Hakuno's eyes were wide, her body frozen as she tried to understand what that woman was saying. Tried to comprehend who was there before her. Why... why did this woman... this creature look like Sessyoin Kiara?! She forced her eyes to move, as if to confirm that the woman at her side was still there. It... it was another trick, right? Whoever this person was, they impersonated Mary, and now they're using Kiara's appearance to rattle them, right...?

Still, Hakuno couldn't speak. Her face had paled, a hand over her mouth as she stood in place. Jason asked Kiara... the other Kiara where Mary was, and... no, she refused to accept that answer. That had to be a lie! But before the young Master could press her on it, the imposter's words confused her. As if they had met before. But... Hakuno had only known the real Kiara for a couple of days, and Benienma was the only partner Hakuno ever had. Was it mistaken identity? No, she couldn't ponder on this issue, it didn't matter at all. They had to capture this woman immediately.

"Saber." Hakuno's voice shook, but she tried not to let that show in her demeanour. With that one word, Hakuno communicated to her Servant what had to be done: Subdue the fake Kiara. Her hands clenched tightly as she tried to control the shaking. She was an officer of the CCF. That meant she had to take charge somehow, and get the other two to safety. Kiara was doing something strange, causing shadows to appear, and one of them was emerging to fight, it seemed. They were just like the strange shadow the fake Kiara had been watching a moment ago.

"...We have to go," Hakuno placed a hand on Jason's shoulder, urging him to stand, "let Saber deal with this, we need to get out of the way!"

The shadow, apparently based on Hijitaka... even if it weren't as powerful as the actual Servant, it would be a horrible idea to be anywhere near it right now. Benienma needed the space and ease of mind to fight at her best without having to divert her attention.

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

Berserker - "Guan Yu"

Guan landed on her feet with a sense of elation, watching Gareth roll some distance away. Her strike had knocked the knight down, and broken her charge! She grinned underneath the helm, hands trembling with joy at the bout. She had taken a more defensive stance now, and Berserker's confidence swelled. Surely she could break through, now that the momentum was gone! She took one step forward, and then hell descended upon them.

The sounds of the crowd changed drastically. Chiron's announcement echoed, forcing the young warrior to ignore her need to fight. Assailants were wreaking havoc on the citizens, spilling blood. Horror erupted in the icy figure's chest, and she immediately turned, towards the seats her Master should be sitting. Those shadowy things were already closing in on her location...!
Guan felt a pull, as mana pulsed through her body. She understood instinctively what this was, and leapt forward, the guandao wound back over her shoulder. When she swung it down, the blade cleaved through one of the hostiles, cutting it in half. Blood soaked the frozen blade, instantly freezing in place.

Guan's Master had used a Command Seal in a panic, calling her to the stands instantly. It was fortunate she had, as it let Guan save her, and a few others nearby. With a furious roar, she swung the blade at another shadow, forcing it to leap back, although she still managed to wound its face. Compared to a Servant, these didn't feel as powerful, but if they gathered together, it could be tricky...

"Worry not, Master," Guan growled, watching for any more attacks, "I won't let any harm come to you!"
She thrust her bloodied blade at another shadow.

[VitaVitaAR]

Saber - Benienma

Kiara was speechless, her hands over her mouth in horror. What could she say? She had just watched someone-No, just watched herself tear her way out of the skin of a girl she had been counseling. Watched herself speak in such a manner. Watched herself reveal that she was the one who had killed the girl, who had been responsible for all of this...

How did someone react? How did someone respond to something so awful, done by what could only be themselves?

"Hold your tongue."

Benienma's small frame was trembling with rage. That skin... that was all that remained of Saikawa Mary. The poor girl had been killed and turned into nothing more than a disguise. The enma was not one who rose to such anger easily, even when faced with battle against truly evil opponents. But to speak ill of the dead. To use their remains as a tool to conceal one's identity. To unabashedly take pleasure in recounting their death. The thing that sat before them, no matter her resemblance to the kindly nun who had been assisting them, was nothing more or less then pure evil. Her existence was like a black tar staining the world.

Her grip tightened on the hilt of her katana.

"You recognized me as an enma, didn't you?" she asked, "Then you understand that there's only one fate in store for you, that's the ultimate judgement of Benienma!"

Magical energy surged through her small frame, suffusing her entire being as she prepared to unleash her ultimate strike of condemnation. A blow made to cleave through those judged as the ultimate among sinners. Nothing less could be allowed for this atrocious thing. This black spot of pure evil. This murderer who took pleasure in suffering. She'd cut her down in an instant. She'd deliver the Judgement of Hell and sever her very life apart!

But before she could exact her judgement, a very familiar face ripped his way free of the floor itself.

Benienma's eyes widened for a moment. She had suspected that Hijikata hadn't died, but...!

"You... you add the enslavement of a Heroic Spirit to your sins?!" she snapped, switching into a move defensive stance as she kept her position between the resurrected Berserker and herself. Even if he had been her opponent, the redheaded girl had recognized Hijikata's skill and pride even in their short bout. To see him dragged up as a mere puppet...

"... Mastah, Sessyoin-san, Liu-san, get yourselves to safety," she said, readying her small body, "I won't let either of them to follow. I'll strike her down here and now!"

@RolePlayerRoxas@PKMNB0Y

[FujiwaraPhoenix]

Jason Liu

Until Hakuno had roused him from his apparent stupor, Jason had simply been staring at the ground, his mind almost completely refusing to accept what had just transpired. Not only was Mary dead, but the one making use of her—no, what was left of her—had made her suffer as she died. Not only that, but she had used him and his own ignorance about the situation to...

"...I really am the worst, aren't I...?" he asked shakily as he turned his head upwards, only to see the shadowy visage of an all-too-familiar Servant. Far from what he had been the before, the shadow in front of him (in Hijikata's image, no less) seemed to induce even more despair in his heart.

So, in other words, he hadn't died at that time.

He had simply been brought here to 'die' instead, then?

"I..."

Before he could say a single word, though, the shadow Hijikata clashed blades with the Saber in front of them, and Jason, still half-dazed, slowly followed the other two out as they left the room. Before he had left, though, the Kiara behind the shadow Hijikata licked her lips, staring at Hakuno as she moved before glancing towards Jason.

"You were never going to amount to anything, anyhow," she said, mimicking Mary's voice as she watched the young man visibly freeze up, his legs shaking as he was apparently dragged out of the room by her counterpart.

"Ah, how foolish a child he must be to react to that, knowing all that he does now," Kiara said, staring at the Saber who remained in the room before smiling. Forming another set of hand seals, Kiara raised her arms above her head and created a ball of magical energy, from which hundreds of arrows seemed to come flying out of in an attempt to strike at both Benienma and the humans that were attempting to escape.

@VitaVitaAR@RolePlayerRoxas

Alter Ego — Meltryllis

At Nanako's response, Meltryllis sighed and shook her head. As docile as she had become the day before, the version of her Master today seemed to be more defiant—more self-assured than she had been. It was a bit of a nuisance, really, but if her experiences from the day before persisted, then this would be a one-time thing.

"I don't care about that thing getting stronger. We're Master and Servant, are we not? If you die—"

Before she could finish her lecture, though, Nanako's shout caused Melt to turn her head towards the crater. In an instant, she dove towards Nanako, knocking the girl towards the ground as an arrow whizzed by overhead. It had barely missed her Master's heart, if its current place lodged in the wall was any indication, and that was more than enough reason to finish her job.

"Get to cover now. I can't guarantee that he won't aim for you if my attention is on him," she said, rising from her position on top of Nanako as she turned towards the shadow Servant. "In other words, stop being so foolish, or you'll put both of us in danger."

[VitaVitaAR]

Saber - Benienma

In a single swing, Benienma came to understand the entire fighting style possessed by this puppeted version of Hijikata. Their previous clash had indicated he possessed a high degree of skill. He had been an opponent worthy of respect in terms of his capability with the blade, between two practitioners of swordplay. But for all the power that had been behind this swing, there was little of the technical skill that had once been there. Only the barest hint of it remained.

And the way in which the other Kiara spoke... it only served to make the fury burning in Benienma's heart blaze even hotter!

"The battoujutsu possessed by the enma is said to be used to sever the tongues of sinners," the redheaded Saber said, her eyes narrowing even as she placed one foot down, geta clacking against the floor as she began to redirect the shadow Hijikata's blade, "But it will sever far more then that when I reach you dechi!"

Unfortunately, the slaying of this most vile of sinners was becoming more and more complicated by the moment. Even as she deflected the shadow's blade, forcing it to the side, she detected a surge of magical energy. Kiara had gather a great orb or mana above her head, and from it issues a hail of arrow like projectiles, curving through the air towards the enma and towards her Master and the others as well!

With no choice to to disengage from her battle, Benienma sprang back as the arrows burned their way into the floor where she had been standing seconds later! She had to get there...!

The sheer speed at which the Tongue-Cut Sparrow moved whipped her ponytail through the air as she skidded along the ground, interposing herself between her opponents and her Master, the first Kiara, and Jason.

Smoothly, her katana left its sheath once more. Benienma had to intercept every last one! She couldn't let even a single shot get through!

Sparks flew as the first of the arrow-shaped projectiles struck the side of her blade, then the second and the third as she swung it up and back. Then more, and more, as the small girl's katana cut through the air over and over, back and forth, her feet shifting as as she adjusted her position to keep deflecting the blasts of magical energy. The moment even a few curved slightly to come from a different angle, Benienma threw herself into their path, blade flashing to deflect them!

Not a single one! She wouldn't let even one get past her!

@PKMNB0Y@RoleplayerRoxas

---

Mihama Nanako

"Ah!"

Meltryllis had jumped forward and pushed her down.

Rather then intercept the shot directly, or dodge, the Alter Ego had gone out of her way to shield her body with herself.

For a few moments, Nanako was only able to stare up at Meltryllis. She'd gotten into a position to watch for threats. She'd broken off from the fight to put herself between potential attack and Nanako herself... for everything that Melt had said, for what she'd done with her virus... This wasn't what someone who didn't care a single bit about her would do, was it...?

Nanako tried to run through everything that had happened since she had summoned the Alter Ego.

The way she had spoken...

The way she had worded things...

This whole time, had Nanako missed something? It wasn't adding up. Someone who really thought she deserved that treatment with the virus just for that... Someone who genuinely believed that her only worth was as a bag of magical energy... would Meltryllis have even bothered to come with her and keep an eye on her when she went to get food if that was all? If... if that was really it... if Meltryllis truly had nothing but hatred for her in her heart and no concern for her wellbeing, wouldn't she have simply destroyed Nanako's ability to leave her apartment at all and left her nothing more then a battery? Given what Nanako had seen, she was more then capable of that, but she hadn't.

She'd gone with her even when she thought it was a bad idea...

The others had escaped.

"I'll get out of the way and let you fight, Meltryllis," Nanako said, finally, getting back to her feet and quickly heading for cover behind the nearest wall.

The figure in the crater sprang out of it, raising a shadowy crossbow as it sprinted, firing crimson bolts far more rapidly then any human could have!

@PKMNB0Y

[Raineh Daze]

Sir Lancelot, Knight of the Lake

As the arena descended into violence and the shadows rolled in, Lancelot did the only thing that made sense for a knight of his stature and position: he called upon his armour and summoned Arondight to his hand, racing up the stands to fight the shadows. His King's order was unnecessary; every instinct drove him to answer the challenge as soon as it was available.

Innocent people were in danger, and nothing was to be held back.

A shadow with a katana was the first to be cut down, showing that for all these numbers, the abilities the shadows presented were a mere fragment of the abilities of the original. Another almost-familiar figure with a spear was parried, only to be bifurcated in a blaze of released energy. Weak, so weak... but numerous. Even if they could all be cut down one by one, there were simply too many and too many possible victims to work through them so methodically. The restriction on Noble Phantasms was listed, but how many of those attending had true anti-army capabilities? Arturia might, but restraint would be the problem...

Adjusting his target, Lancelot moved for the most unlucky section of the stands, those who had the least Servants on their side when this began. He hoped that his Master could keep up, could reinforce after this action... but even if it meant his dismissal, there was no other choice. His blade shone with a pale light that steadily grew, trusting the others in attendance to more than cover for the weakness...

A dagger-wielding shadow fell.

The gathered energy would only be unleashed at the most desolate portion of the stands.

[ghastlyInc]

Assassin-Lucius

Lucius stared absently at the fights, not really engaged with it all. Oh sure, there was no denying the skills of the Knights but it just felt....hallow. Maybe it was just in his nature as a servant of the assassin class, but for some reason a fight not to the death, however reasonable that may have been, just didn't thrill him like a real battle might. He had no real context for that though. He was sure he saw such mock fights in his life, but he couldn't remember any of them in any significant degree.

He was about to ask Marietta if she wished to leave when something caught his eye. Thin wisp of black mist flitted between stadium seats below them, congregating for moments then dispersing. "Master..." He said softly, standing up from his chair and summoning his spear, the weight comfortable in his hand as he felt his boredom subside. "Step away from the window a moment." He sighed dreamily, standing in a lax guard as he took position.

Honestly, he felt insulted. For a variety of reasons. Firstly it wound his professional pride (even if he disagree with the profession) as an assassin that this attack was so open. Where was the elegance? Secondly...that he doubted he or his master were the target. True they'd not actually DONE anything to warrant such aggression. But it hurt his ego just a twinge that the forth coming fun was probably made specifically for someone else.

And then...the stadium exploded into chaos. Lucius watched for the half second he was allowed, witnessing as several masters (or just those lacking the skill to be ones atleast) were struck down before being absorbed. Most were in the stands, where they were more exposed. 'Suffer the cost of paying for the cheap seats I suppose..' He thought idly, waiting for his target. With the public seating area now in chaos it only made sense they would begin their assault on the private booth in three....two...

He thrust his spear forward, the steel shattering the window and embedding itself deep in the throat of a hammer wielding wraith. It gurgled for a moment before crumpling back into mist, a faint sense of surprising radiating off it as it 'died'. "I'm afraid this bets a tie my dear master." He said, not sounding the least bit disappointed. "The fault lies with these folk. I can deal with them if you wish at say...30 cents a head?" He asked, shooting his master a gleeful smile.

His priority would be her safety, of course. Finding a new master would be rather difficult in this chaos....and frankly finding one as loaded as his current one would be harder. Still, if she'd no objections and was willing to pay his toll he'd gladly wade in. He pauses a moment, looking back where he'd killed the first intruder (both to make sure nobody else was making an immidate attack and to consider his work). "....first one is free of course."
@Rune_Alchemist

[The Red Seelie]

Neophyte of the Mountain

Hassans Present: Asako, Inaya, Zayd, Gozour, Macour

The Assassins descend upon the battlefield

The fight had been quite remarkable for what it was. It was quite spectacular to see servants going at it, watching as each one tried to outmatch the other in combat. It was also vital info in order to garner a measure of potential targets of interest. "Woah!" Inaya, the young Hassan would say in amazement as she watched the fighting. Much to the happiness of both Asako and the White Haired Homonculus whom were both smiling content at both the relaxation of the scenario and the fact that the innocent child Hassan was still having fun.

Looking at to the stands at the two other hassans present, Gozour and Macour, They were both concealing themselves in a thick trenchcoat and hat combination, it wasn't the best of disguises but the neophyte had came to the conclusion that at least some sort of normal outfit would be better for making the people around them less uncomfortable...

Then of course everything had to turn for the worse...

The Shadows spilling over from the stadiums roof would of caught many of guard, In fact it did. The Neophyte was completely unaware until Asako would stand, Mask on, and block the first strike, becoming almost immediately preoccupied with dealing with this first attacker. The other two Hassans would tied up for the moment but were trying to fight their way over. Black coats against black shadows. Inaya would be scared of the sudden bloodshed.

"Macour! Get over here immediately, Get Inaya to safety and call for help!" The Neophyte would yell at the top of her lungs. Hoping her voice would carry over to the hassan amidst all the fighting. Turning quickly she barked a second perhaps more important order. "Gozour! Get over here and clear a path!". Wait where was Zayd.

Woosh The flicker of steel deflected by another similar flicker as the two thrown projectiles clammered to the floor beside her, as Zayd leapt over to join Ayako in protecting his master. His accuracy with his rocks unparreled, He'd prevent any stray projectiles from finding their mark.

"Master! Focus!" Ayako would say as she went to deal with the projectile wielding wrath. Inaya still clutching to her side scared of the fighting. Gozour forcing his way over through powerful punch after powerful punch, Leaping powerfully over and hammer-punching any beneath him as he punched away a large Shadow from his masters flank before it had a moment to charge, leaping at the next shadow immediately in a combat-frenzy.

Macour meanwhile was leaping across, dodging all the fighting and commotion as much as he could, before leaping in to pick up Inaya, Continuing his mad-dash with the child hassan. Leaping up and over. If any Hassan could make it safely by just running as fast as possible, it was Macour the Quick, the fastest Hassan personality.

The neophyte took a long breath and throw off her mystic eye killers. At once her senses would be assaulted with information, each movement, each subtle flick of the wrist. Each fast moving projectile as if moving like still-frames as the information poured into her mind like a clear-set of photographs. She didn't know if she could fight these shadows herself. Let alone kill them herself, but with her eyes she could monitor the flow of the fight better then anyone, and hopefully with that she could secure time enough to get to the exit... Or at least until the rest of her 'family' came

She hoped they would be here quick...

@PKMNB0Y@Rune_Alchemist@GhastlyInc@Raineh Daze@VitaVitaAR@RoleplayerRoxas