[IC] Fate/Glimmering Oasis

[Heavy Snark]

"Lancer, I am pleased to see you have kept us tethered to this mortal coil whilst I was busy, Master I suspect you engaged in behavior with risk attached? A treacherous road that could harm not only yourself but the three of us as well."

"You better believe I did Caster, you know how 'passionate' our Master here can get. Plus going out due to a fire hazard would be such a bummer of an ending for a guy like me you know?" He said greeting the mystical king. Out of all the Casters he'd seen since he was summoned he was the only one Lancer enjoyed the presence off. Then again he only met two during his stay so the list wasn't exactly that big, to begin with.

Yasuke cringed as he listened to the 'lecture' and observed the gaggle of Raphs moving around the kitchen in perfect unison, even if they were admittedly remarkable inventions and very good at what they do seeing so many Raphs in one place just wasn't a comforting sight for Yasuke. One self-important painter was already enough, much less a dozen or two of them, especially with how they managed to look as smug as the real thing despite being just faked.

"Well dear Lancer, I must remind you that I am not Michelangelo. Though, I understand the confusion." Raphael corrected, still unaware the mistake was intentional. "Michelangelo was a major inspiration when I was in Rome. Why, his work at the Sistine chapel was a major inspiration, despite our rivalry. I actually scrapped a work I had been growing dissatisfied and used his works as inspiration and guidance. As such, you can look at my masterwork, "Disputa" and see some of the influence in posture that I took from Michelangelo's. OH, but I digress! That stuffy old man isn't here to talk about himself, so why should I build him up before his own appearance?"

"I see, please forgive me for my ignorance. I have to admit I'm kinda impressed with how all of those automatons are so flawlessly modeled after your likeness, but then again it should be expected from someone like you," Yasuke said throwing a hidden jab at the man's massive ego, as he watched him go he handed his plate to one of the copies, might as well let the men clean up their mess.

"Alright... Do you guys have any idea where we could find Archer? I'd really like to find her before that storm Rapahel was talking about shows up."

"Have you tried asking the Saber Daniel summoned?" Yasuke pointed a finger at Don Juan "You two seem like the type that would 'get along' if you know what I mean. No offense," Lancer said as he finished his plate, the Archer was...she was something else alright, and it was just his luck he was summoned in the same batch as both her and the perverted Saber. "Plus I don't even want to know what or who she is doing, that'd be a mental image I'd like to keep away from my eyes thank you very much," He added.

---

@Duoya@Scallop@SSW

[Letter Bee]

Daniel

Daniel looked at Don Juan before saying, “Medb - I should not call her by her real name in a Singularity - probably goes after hot men and the rare woman, apologies for the stereotyping. So is it possible she’s spending time doing… It?” Then to Charlotte, “Perhaps you can telepathically contact Archer? That might be the easiest course of action - You can also see through her eyes, but I personally won’t recommend it for obvious reasons.”

To be honest, Daniel did not like Medb for her genuinely malicious and sadistic nature, yet at the same time saw the need for her skillset. More to the point, he knew that if he was older, he’d definitely be attracted to the Archer-class Servant despite himself, and that was a bad thing. Either way, he’d wait for a reaction to his suggestion.

Once said reaction was given, Daniel wondered, Where is Autocylus, anyway? Did I genuinely push him away permanently? What if I did? Does that make me a bad Master?

A pause. Why am I asking myself this? There’s room for improvement even if I am a bad master! I just have to regulate myself and do self-control and not act like a protagonist even though that last part is hard. Very hard. Yeah, remind myself that I am not the protagonist - I am not Raphael.

Noticing that Raphael was still there, Daniel decided to further conceal his thoughts, then say, “Either way, we can head for the Rayshift Room and then send telepathic messages to the Servants once the start of the mission approaches.”

Another wait for a reaction ensued as Daniel began trying to evenly breathe and calm himself. His hand wandered to the Planetarium Orb in his belt, before suddenly remembering, “If need be, I can always use Divination to find Medb if we’re strapped for time and she’s not willing to listen to telepathy. Is that a good idea?”

Hopefully it was, but Don Juan’s words had made him second-guess himself, which in turn was because Daniel had been acting like Raphael lately, maybe even worse because he had even less of a sense of self-preservation, being a sixteen-year old who thinks themselves invincible because he was addled by immaturity and puberty. Note: Never reveal that comparison between himself and Raphael.

[Red Alice]

Queen Medb

---

Chaldea, Canteen

The life of a commoner- that of the citizenry. What a weird and macabre life that was. A lifestyle like that, definitely wasn't one aligned to a monarch like her, who belonged solely on the battlefield.

The strength of the nation was something that protected those rabble, after all. And her lifestyle and way of being had always been one of war. It didn't matter if it was in the bedroom, grassy fields, court, or the hills of Ulster. Taking all the valuables, ensuring the next generation, and becoming the origin for the 'strength of the nation'.

That was what it meant to be the Eternal Lady.

So . . .

Being attached to just one, singular, person. That was a 'world' 'Archer' never thought she'd tread into. If she had allowed herself to be summoned by that poor attempt at Annwn's Cauldron based on how interesting the result would be, she had succeeded.

Which, she had. Perhaps in another incarnation she would be interested in taking the thing for herself, but this time-

No, that was a thought for another day. She had finally arrived at the canteen. The self-proclaimed Queen certainly held the aura of one, both in physical practicality and spirit. Her clothing was like a regalia, her stride flanked by a intern with a rather stoic look to him. He fit the usual profile of the men Archer enjoyed- something not uncommon within Chaldea itself. This was an organization dedicated to saving the world, so passable enough braves were to be found here and there, even among a sea of bland and uninteresting technicians.

She smiled at her fellow servants as she entered, though not in any particularly personal or offensive way. It was nothing more than pleasantry, a gesture intended for no particular person not unlike like her royal stride, or the odd wink she gave out to the various masses. That was, after all, the essence of what it meant to be a diva- though to those Medb found interest in, she would make a special exception to that rule.

As for those exceptions. . . Among the summoned Servants and assembled masters, she was quite pleased with all of them. Though, not good enough to contemplate those plus points. Perhaps when she spoke to them and they did something remotely appealing, like a cute smile, or a defiant response. For now, all her interest was devoted toward her master, at least seemingly. Devotion. . . that probably wasn't the right word, but it'd do well enough for now.

"It would be easier to find me if we shared a bed, Master." She overemphasized that final word a teensy bit beyond comfort, though not in a particularly unseemly or lewd way. There was no shred of indignation or agitation within it, either. It seemed that her current incarnation was receptive enough to Charlotte's authority.

"But distance play like this is fine every once in awhile, too." Exasperation far too elegant to be called fake, yet practiced and artificial all the same. This was the very essence of one who could be called lewd and pure in the same breath. Not unlike both her body and the rare inviting gesture, her pouty words could melt a mans heart in an instant.

"For example. If I'm practicing my riding techniques, I can always notify you beforehand. That way there won't be any confusion about what I'm doing, or where, or who." It seemed she had caught the tail end of Daniel's words, and not to her masters benefit. At least, from a certain point of view.

She smirked as she contacted her master over their shared connection, though it didn't come off especially lewd- more amused, than anything. After all, she was a woman with some amount of tact.

Well, when she felt like it anyway.

Her deceleration finished, the intern tried to return to his 'job', mumbling some irrelevant excuses about the rayshift- but Medb redirected him back to where he belonged with one wordless glance. She wasn't just a lewd person, but also a Queen with utter and complete authority. If she could dominate even Heroes, an intern was hopeless. It wasn't in Queen Medb's character to allow a possession to slip her grasp before she had thoroughly made use of it.

With that said.

Archer stood uncomfortably close to her master, a fact that wouldn't change until they reached time for the rayshift. Existing alongside her diva-esque personality, a calm 'feeling' always seemed to follow in her wake. It wasn't unlike a good scent- akin to a recently mowed lawn at the height of summer, or something along those lines. This was certainly the sort of calming presence authority gave off, but perhaps it went beyond even that and reached into the realm of motherly. It was. . .weird.

While in the canteen itself, she would take no effort in finding a seat. Charlotte had already completed her meal in the first place- and to go even further, Archer had already eaten quite a large meal just before coming. As rude as that was, she was the Queen in this relationship- Medb would do as she wanted, when she wanted.

Besides. The only time Medb ate a lot was when she got frustrated. And that wasn't good for her figure, unchanging form or not.

It was more a matter of mentality when it came to that, you know? Losing her cutting edge as a beauty would mean she'd lose the cutting edge of braves.

@Heavy Snark@Letter Bee@SSW@Duoya

[Scallop]

King Mu

Chaldea Canteen

Mu gave a light chuckle as he listened to the commands of his Master. She truly was a courageous firecracker who was always down for whatever adventure came her way. It was truly admirable to watch her in her element and he was intrigued to see how she would fare in the coming mission, the other Caster had surely found an interesting scenario for them to embark into, he never seemed the boring kind.

"Oh but of course, trust shall always be paramount in working together, we are all but different shards from different sides of this long history, if we are to work together, we must get to know each other," He gave his usual vague answers as he looked back over to Lancer and gave a light chuckle, shaking his head. "Well you have my eternal gratitude, fire burning us two down would be the antithesis of an anti-climax but of course there's always..." With that, the Archer had deemed it a fit moment to arrive into their small congregation. As soon as he arrived he gave her a wide smile with a closed mouth.

"Archer, I'm glad to see you have arrived, with the upcoming mission, you would not want to miss the show we may be thrust into, I await to witness you in battle, as I have yet to see your combat prowess, perhaps then I can truly believe your status as Queen?" He said, wryly giving her a jab as he made a quick pivot as he began swanning down the corridors towards the rayshifting area, already ready to depart on this so-called mission. Perhaps this would be akin to his campaign to Kunlun and would allow him to achieve pure immortality, his true reason for being here. Whilst he seemed to endure Saber and Archer more than the others, their pursuit of carnal interaction was slightly offputting, but he understood their need to bare an eventual heir and create something of an immortality spiritually.

"Well, master, shall we depart to the rayshift, we wouldn't want to let our dear Artist down, a quest is always waiting and we must be the ones to quell the problems that present themselves to us. Archer, your carnal instincts are second to the mission, if you intend on jeopardising our goals for your own desires, then I will not stop the others to take any necessary actions," he announced giving a wry smile as he adjusted his glasses and began his way towards Rayshifting.

@Heavy Snark @Red Alice @Duoya

[Reflection]

A FEW MINUTES LATER...

This was perhaps the first time Charlotte had ever entered Chaldea's most important room. It certainly wasn't for Daniel, who likely would have visited the room on multiple occasions before he was even considered for a Master applicant. After all, as long as he had behaved there was no reason to keep him out of the room. Still, the room was nothing more than the epicenter of Chaldea's greatest accomplishments. A revolution of work, all centered around a singular centerpiece.

The doors opened to this room, where several men and women in coats shuffled about. All whispering amongst themselves in a hurry, and none even bothering to look at the two masters and their chosen servants. They were all to busy. In fact, it seemed Raphael was quite busy himself, as several automatons could be seen around the area. One per-group, taking notes or even peeking over the monitors to adjust whatever parameters might need to be adjusted. So many folks at work that when the actual Raphael approached one might have been forgiven for not noticing that he was talking to them and not another scientist.

"Well well, I see you're both here on time!" Raphael said, with a broad smile from ear to ear. "I was starting to worry you might be a minute or two late, and then we'd have to adjust the schedule, but here you are! So no adjustments need to be made." Several people within earshot sighed blissfully at that. He didn't even wait for a response for hustling them along. "Now, I know you must have so much to say, or a rehearsed speech, but I insist we move along at a brisk pace, and leave all questions for when you're on sight. If we waited for all questions to pass, then we might end up having to delay until after the storm passes, and we're all too impatient for that!"

He laughed, but it was clear everybody was on edge. Some looming timeline it seemed. This was answered rather snappily by Raphael. "Naturally, I'd say to wait for the storm to pass, but the director was very clear that she wanted you out onto the field, and back before the storm hits. No idea why, but when the director decides, you listen."

Before Charlotte and Daniel lay the most important part of the system though.

The coffins. Based on the principal of Schrodinger's cat, they would be both alive, dead, and for all purposes... Non-existent. Thus, their conscious minds and existences could be projected anywhere else. The past, the future, or even Hawaii. Though a single rayshift was far more expensive than a hundred round flights.

"I see you both put on your uniforms already, so when you're ready we'll seal you in. Your servants have their own pods as well." Raphael said, leaving both masters to get into their coffins. He had scheduled in a few minutes for them to get comfy, and get used to the idea that they were in a suspended existence. They could hear nothing outside those pods as they closed around them. Probably for the better.

------------------------------------------------------------
Outside the Coffins

"Alright, we're ahead of schedule!" Raphael laughed as he took a seat by the controls. Several others sat around him, monitoring the master's vitals.
"All clear!"
"Heart rates are fine."
"Existences stabilized."
"Are we sure Daniel's mom is fine with this? W-"
"Look, she'd be here if she wasn't held up. Trust me, she'd want us to do this with or without her."
"Sir Raphael, can you look at these numbers for me? I think the s-"
"Servant Vitals are coming in clear too."
"Destination is set!"
"Very well, we shall begin!"
"Sir Raphael, can you please look at this report! The storm is a-"

Chaldeas had already begun. The spinning rings. The sounds that filled the air like a blowing wind. Magical energy flooded the room as the process jump started and heart rates soared amongst the watching scientists.

Until Raphael looked at the report. The storm had accelerated.
Everything... Went white.

------------------------------------------------------------
Team A - Daniel @Letter Bee

FIRE.

Flames raged all around him the world snapped into clarity. Surrounding him were buildings, and each had one thing in common. Each was a blaze, and not a single soul could be seen or heard amongst the raging fires. A world of chaos as a nearby building belched fire, and a chair came flying right out. The flaming chair landing right in front of Daniel, and exploding into bits and pieces of metal and plastic. A nearby billboard that had somehow managed to hang on during the start of everything collapsed finally, and fell onto the burning remains of a nearby car. The pitched screaming of the car alarm filling the air, before it died out a minute later when the heat caused the inside to melt into slag.

One could say with certainty, that he was in hell.

------------------------------------------------------------
Team B - Charlotte @Duoya

It was peaceful... Quiet... And dead. Nothing stirred around her as she woke up. Instead, she was greeted by something else. The feeling of dry clay under her body as she would find herself surrounded by high walls of dirt and clay. Stone and steel. She was laying at the bottom of a riverbed, but where the river had gone was unknown. Instead, it had all dried up, recently she could guess. Perhaps a day or two ago considering there was no fish. Rather, the odd set of bones could be seen amongst the stones.

Welcome to Fuyuki, indeed.

Map of Fuyuki - Date 1994

[SSW]

Hell?

---

After his little speech to the kid, everything got a little rushed. Saber just went along with the flow. It was nice to meet everyone, even if he didn’t get the chance to properly introduce himself. Sure, the gender ratio was a little disappointing, but that one queenly Archer might make up for all that.

Before long, they had begun the Rayshift.

As a piece of debris burst into flaming pieces, he interposed himself between it and the master, allowing the pieces to scatter against his outstretched cloak. Quickly, he snaked a hand through the flames that hit him, and brought it up to his mouth. Another cigarette. Well, nobody would dispute his right to smoke here, at least. There was already enough of that around.

“This place looks pretty busted up, huh? Wonder what happened here.” Saber spoke casually, as if the cataclysm of flames around him was nothing more than a summer breeze.

“Well, the kid’s likely to melt if we stick around here too long.” Don Juan said, looking over his young Master, trying to gauge his response to the heat. “Though I don’t wanna just jump out of the frying pan, into the fire - I guess in this case it would be out of the fire, into the bigger fire.” He looked over towards his fellow Servants. “If you guys check North and South, I can keep the kid company.” It wasn’t that he was taking charge, just a simple suggestion that occurred to him.

For a moment, he considered jumping up to a building with Daniel, but that might end up collapsing on them or something. Better to hold tight for the time being.

“Heh, come to think of it - looks like all us scouting types got stuck together, huh? The others might be missing us, so let’s try and find them as fast as possible.” Yeah, it was a purely practical decision. Not that he wanted to be working as closely as possible with that Archer...

“Kid, can you get in contact with mission control? They might be able to help us find the others - or see if there’s any hostiles in the area. Though something might have gone wrong here.”

Don Juan paused, and took another drag of his cigarette. This separation was probably a bad sign, but it was impossible to know what it meant.

---

@Letter Bee@Cu Chulainn@Yankee

[Letter Bee]

Daniel

Daniel nodded at Saber/Don Juan’s suggestion, and said to his communicator, “Mission Control - Is everything going according to plan? We’re in a burning city and got separated from Charlotte’s Team.” Looking at a billboard, he also said, “It looks like we’re somewhere in East Asia, too - Probably Japan. Is the Singularity set there?”

He looked at Don Juan, then blinked before turning back to his comms device. “Wait a second, are we in one of the Actual Grail Wars? If not for the fact that I’m at risk of getting burned or suffocated or otherwise killed by fire, I’d find that awesome! Especially if it’s that Grail War that Magus Killer was involved in, assuming I remember my ‘research notes’ clearly.”

And by research notes, he’d been going through reports of ‘Magus Killers’ all over the globe, hoping that one of them was the real thing. And he’d encountered a promising lead pointing to a city in Japan, the same city where the actual Grail wars were held every decade or so. Yes, Daniel had been looking up Kiritsugu Emiya, who, though less famous (or infamous) in this world/timeline than others’, was still within his means to find information about.

Either way, they ought to be safe from the fire for now, and mission control ought to respond to them soon. Maybe his mother would even show up, although they’d have to keep things professional between them. But he should still keep himself alert - A raised level of paranoia would be needed now that they were acting as ‘Time Police’.

Then he tried to contact Charlotte, something the boy chastised himself for not doing so sooner, saying to her, “Hey, Charlotte, ya here? We’re currently in a gigantic fire - No civilians around or I’d be trying to help them. Hopefully we find each other soon, although I think you can track us via the smoke and light from the blaze. Oh, and once you get to the blaze, fair warning: finding and saving civilians without revealing who you are is going to be the hardest thing to do which you might find at present. After all, rescuing women and children from fire and collapsed buildings and guiding them to safety is not a normal Magus thing to do, even if it requires skills most normal Magi don’t use or tenacity they don’t have...”

And no, Daniel did not ask Mission Control if he can help civilians in the first place - He was under the assumption that if it can be covered up quickly, then he can help civvies. Note that he couldn’t get the other Servants to do so if they didn’t want to because he had no Command Seals left. Nevertheless, he said to Saber/Don Juan, “Apologies again for using all three Command Seals on you. Otherwise, I’d be able to do more than just ask Assassin and Rider to save others without compromising secrecy.”

And so he did, sending a telepathic message to Autocylus and Crazy Horse, You don’t have to follow this request, but save what lives you can if you find them if it does not destroy our secrecy - If this gets us in trouble with Chaldea Command, I’ll take full responsibility. Either way, it’s up to your individual consciences to respond to this request - I can’t and won’t ask for anything more.

[Duoya]

After Medb arrived, Charlotte quickly relaxed from the anxiety she began to feel. It would have been very unfortunate if the group was going to Ray-whatsit without her, especially considering the fact that it seemed like a big deal. And while Daniels's suggestion was probably the smartest thing to do if Charlotte was not in contact with her servants, Charlotte didn't feel very comfortable using the mental link that she shared with her servants. It always felt... a little invasive? Charlotte just didn't like to use it outside of an emergency.

Charlotte tried to ignore the more lewd connotations of what Medb had told her via their link, and just flashed a smile.

"I'm just glad you managed to find us, Archer."

As Mu began to leave the canteen for the Rayshift chamber, Charlotte made sure to try and remember the word for the next hour or so. She had no idea how long these things usually took, but it would have been pretty lame if she needed to ask her servants for help and ended up embarrassing herself.

"Alright, lead the way Caster! C'mon Archer, Saber - it's time to finally let loose!"

The Rayshift Chamber was truly incredible, even by an institute like Chaldea's standards. Charlotte couldn't even begin to understand the pieces of technology around her, and instead chose to mimick whatever Daniel or Raphael did. After all, They had to have been in this room a few times at least, right?

When Raphael said there was no time for speeches, Charlotte frowned slightly. She hadn't been planning one, but at the mention of them, she realized now would have been the perfect opportunity to give an inspirational speech, or at the very least have a cool monologue! Thoughts of what she would have said were wiped away when she saw the coffins, however. Even if they were all hi-techy looking, they were still clearly coffins...

It only took a reminder of the schedule for Charlotte to go inside, however. She wasn't scared of something like a coffin, even if it was incredibly unnerving. She chose instead to think about whatever mission she was about to do. From what little she remembered when the process of Rayshifting was explained to her, it was kind of like teleporting... just through time and dimensions.

Any thoughts she had were blocked by the Coffin closing and the deafening silence that followed. That was pretty concerning.

Next thing Charlotte knew, she wasn't in a coffin anymore.

---

Charlotte could tell there was fire without even seeing it. It was the smell - choking, but faint. Something that shouldn't burn was on fire, but it was a fair distance away. This suspicion was confirmed when she opened her eyes, seeing smoke rise into the sky from a bridge a distance away. While most would be terrified of the experience, the smells and sights had the reverse effect on the previously anxious Charlotte.

Rising to her feet, Charlotte calmly investigated her surroundings. Clay was beneath her feet, cracked and dry, and there were fish bones scattered all around nearby. A river that had dried very suddenly, and judging by the presence of the bones and the burning city, it was probably pretty recent. Just from the way the smoke rose in the air and the direction of the wind, Charlotte could already tell where the flames were strongest in the city.

When she finally noticed that Daniel and his servants weren't present, Charlotte came back from her almost dream-like stupor. She didn't have time to get lost in the fire around her, even if this was the biggest one she had ever seen. What was more important was finding the others, and more importantly, finding out why the hell they were sent here...

Then again, they could have been sent to worse places, right? At the very least, this was something Charlotte was used to.

The first order of business was finding the others, especially before anything bad happened to them. Just because Charlotte was able to handle fire better than most and Servants were far more durable than a human could hope to be, she didn't know how well Daniel could handle flames this intense. And besides, something that started a fire this massive was probably more dangerous than the fire itself.

Charlotte pulled down her sleeve, revealing a damp cloth bandage wrapped loosely around her arm. One of the symbols engraved on the bandage seemed to smolder and burn as Magical Energy flowed through the Code, and a small ball of fire seemed to erupt from it in a burst of embers and ash particulate. The Wisp quickly began to ascend into the sky, already aware of its Master's desire. Three more burst outwards and followed the first into the air, before splitting up and moving towards different directions. While it was far from an incredible method of searching, it could cover a lot more ground than Charlotte could alone.

When she realized her Servants were only a short distance away, Charlotte jogged over to them, taking care to avoid the larger cracks that had formed in the riverbed. She didn't even need to crouch to avoid smoke, since the riverbed itself was fairly deep compared to the street.

"Hey guys, how awesome is this! Talk about a first mission, this is badass!!"

Charlotte paused and quickly tracked back, remembering what was important.

"Oh, uh - where do you guys want to check out first? I was thinking we could probably go towards the source of the fire. Y'know, to find out what caused all this?"

Unlike her fellow Master, Charlotte didn't even think of trying her communicator. She wasn't used to the device and didn't realize that in most other situations, it would be incredibly useful for finding the location of allies.

@Scallop@Red Alice

[Yankee]

???, Singularity F

---

As awkward as all of the big personalities made him feel in the relatively small canteen, Rider wouldn't say he preferred this over it. Intensely hot flames devoured everything around them, and polluted the sky with dark, thick smoke. During Rider's life, the smell of a burning fire was almost soothing. The burning city was entirely different. The harsh creak of sagging metal replaced what would normally be crackling logs, and the stench of gasoline was not only deeply unpleasant, but it added fuel to the flames. Out of the gate this was an incredibly dangerous situation for their young masters... but even separated, with three servants at their of the children's sides, Rider was confident that they could keep them safe.

Rider nodded along with both Saber and Daniel, but in his full battle dress the motion might have been difficult to see, so he spoke up soon afterward. "Stay focused, Master... if your guess is correct, the situation could get much more dangerous. And quickly."

Rider moved away from the others a little, straining his eyes to see around them as far as possible. It seemed like the flames went on for miles. This kind of devastation was uniquely human. However, now wasn't the time to think about that kind of thing - first they had to make sure their master was safe, then they could wax poetic about mankind's love of war and wanton destruction. Looking back at Saber and Assassin, Rider said, "I will go North, then. Please, do not hesitate to call me back to your side. I can be back here in a flash if needed."

Before leaving to investigate the area, Rider gave his master a kind smile, though it was all but hidden to human eyes between the smoke and the man's hood. "Not to worry, Master. I will save anyone I find."

...of course, Rider never found any living beings.

As promised, he traveled North from their arrival site. Although the heat and debris were little more than inconveniences for servants to move through, Rider was uniquely capable of traversing the area quickly and easily... but he didn't use this power. With Daniel out of contact with Chaldea, he didn't want to burden the boy with any particular mana-draining abilities. At least not until he was in a safer area. Going through area over ground had it's advantages though. He could plainly see the ruined city, the scope of the fire and the damage. He could easily tell that no human beings survived in this hell, at least not in this area. There was no sign of Charlotte in this direction, but Rider took that as a blessing. When the masters were shifted into the singularity, they must have landed in completely different areas. Perhaps their firebrand had escaped the literal fire.

Rider continued until he was a ways out of the burning wreckage, and the smoke wasn't as strong. The sky was smeared black, but without the smoke and flame it was much easier to see. Rider leapt up to the top of a half collapsed concrete structure that seemed stable enough to get a better view of the city as a whole. He still couldn't see the entire thing from this short a perch, but it was enough. To the South where he'd come from was the inferno, and as fierce as it'd been on the inside, from the outside it looked even more hellish. To the East was more ruined city, and it seemed if he traveled further North he would soon hit water. Dutifully, he reported everything to his master in as few words as possible. Ocean far North. Rubble to East. No survivors found.

...

And something...?

Upon being summoned, Rider was equipped with all the knowledge of the modern world he'd need to get by, but that wasn't helping him here. What he was looking at now was something he wasn't remotely familiar with. To the far West, there was a large, wriggling tower. It seemed to be alive somehow, squirming like a spire of larvae or tentacles. Rider didn't know much about 'Japan,' but he was fairly sure that kind of thing wasn't normal. Besides the tower, movement in the sky quickly caught Rider's eye. From this distance it appeared to be a plane, flying their direction.

An unnatural pillar of some kind in the West, and a flying-plane approaching. Stilted report aside, if his master was to peek into Rider's vision he would see just what the servant was talking about. From where the boy was, it was probably impossible to see the craft through the smoke. It would probably be wise for Daniel to seek shelter before they attempted to regroup with Charlotte and her team with that thing about. The fire engulfed a huge area, but if they traveled enough in one direction they'd make it out.

[Scallop]

King Mu

City of Fire

The Rayshift was an experience Mu was quite fascinated with. The idea of one simply flitting from existence and then appearing in another point within the universe of one's existence was, well, amazing. All of this technology that Chaldea had and he was surrounded by was all too much sometimes, always wanting to find out more about this glorious place, especially the vast amounts of creations that Raphael created and had to wander and overseeing operations around this facility.

As if by magic, they were whisked away to a new world, a world that wasn't quite their world but had always been part of the natural world. he couldn't help but allow himself a slight chuckle as he took in the hellish sights around him and his master, readjusting his glasses as he prepared himself for the coming onslaught that no doubt awaited them.

It quickly occurred to him that they had been separated into what he suspected would be two camps. His master had been toprn from the side of the other, leaving them in two separate locations, where the fellow Master was, a mystery. He couldn't care less to be honest as he honed in on his Master and quickly moved closer to her, protecting his tether to this realm, conscious of danger lurking anywhere, waiting to strike. His hands started to sway as he began to prepare himself to weave together some items to protect him and his master, perhaps if danger was imminent he could create some enchanted objects to keep his master impervious from damage.

"patience is quite a virtue my master, I would suggest we survey the area, get a grasp of what the situation this. Whilst fun and awe inspiring as you say, missions can go south at any moment.." he uttered softly as he knelt down, running a hand over the dry clay, letting out a hum as he breathed in the air and held out his hand to his Master.

This dry riverbed was an omen, something must have caused such a desolation. And if that cause was still roaming, they had best reunite with the other servants. King Mu was a king, but even he knew he was likely to fail if he tackled the cause solo.

"Hmm, upon second thought, shall we investigate the cause? For now, I reccomend we keep a distance and not interfere too much. Shall we progress to the source of fire my master?"

@Duoya

[Heavy Snark]

Lancer
Deja Vu

After the wayward harlot finally joined in Yasuke slowly followed along with his Master and fellow Servants to the Rayshift chamber. He could say quite happily that Archer's...attitude aside the group was quite something, sure it was nothing compared to the retinue from the good old days with his Lord but still, it was quite nice to have so many capable Servants in one place.

Arriving at the place Lancer wasn't exactly that impressed, to be honest. It was all shiny and everything looked extremely advanced, but he wasn't a genius like Caster or Raphael so the delicate intricacies of what made the chamber such a marvel of magic and science were lost to him, In his point of view it was just as impressive as the rest of Chaldea, that is, extremely so but nothing made it stand out from the rest in his point of view. And did the pods have to look so much life coffins? That's never usually a good sign of things to come.

Oh well, foreboding pods aside it wasn't like this was some prelude to things going wrong.

---

It all went wrong.

No, wait, scratch that, it all went terribly wrong. Daniel and his Servants were nowhere to be seen, the sky looked as if it was being consumed by the flames of hell itself and they were currently standing over a river of bones that he hoped were just the remains of some unfortunate fish. It was almost as if they were taken into the depths of Hell itself and Lancer wouldn't be surprised if demons started to crawl out from the ground at any moment.

It reminded him of Honnō-ji in a way, how nostalgic, it appears he has a talent for finding himself in burning wastelands. But if this hellscape believed it could get in the way of his duty it was dead wrong, losing one Master was already enough, and by his honour, as a Samurai he'd not allow that mistake to be repeated. In a burst of flames Lancer's Noble Phantasm enclosed around him, the demonic red armour fitting nicely with the environment they found themselves in, quickly he positioned himself close his Master alongside Caster.

"I believe we should try to regroup with the others before snooping around for the reason for this hellscape, Master. Safety and numbers and all that, plus for all we know they might be fighting demons or something by now, wouldn't look out of place for this sad excuse of a city." He suggested, his voice booming and distorted by the effects of his armour. He didn't sound that the other group could hold their own just fine, but without a way to communicate there was no telling what could happen if something went wrong, well, more wrong than it already did.

@Duoya @Scallop

[Reflection]

@Yankee - Crazy Horse, near the edge of the city district.

It was clear the longer that Crazy Horse looked at the jet that it wasn't following any kind of standard protocol. First, it was flying far to low over the city, nearly striking the side of a building as it flew in close. Only to turn hard. No longer flying towards Crazy Horse or the city, as if it had suddenly changed its mind. Instead, it had begun to fly down closer to the riverbed. He didn't have long to ponder why that was though.

Because a moment later while watching there was a chill. A chilling presence, that echoed only one reality. Death. Death had come for him. In the form of a knife, thrown at his back with only a moment to evade it. If he dodged it, which he likely would, he would notice he had become surrounded. On all sides, on the tops of building, from the windows of blown out stores, and hanging from remnants of some kind of power cable where men and women in black. It wasn't hard to tell who they were. This was Hassan of a hundred faces. The famous man of the mountain with the ability to project himself a hundred times over. And yet...

Why was he only counting twenty?
_________________________________________________________________________
@Letter Bee@SSW@Cu Chulainn - In the Middle of the City District

The one who might notice something was off first was none other than Autolycus. An assassin was best suited to eek out the methods of assassins after all. But even then, the difference in talent from a master thief to an assassin who could clear out a camp in utter silence was still quite large. He was also the closest when the knives went flying. Ten knives from ten different directions. All at once. All aimed at the most vulnerable in the group. Daniel. Angling in from above, the presence of the Hassan assassins became clear. Nearly fifty had gathered around them. Skipping in and out of sight, before vanishing behind some kind of structure. Nearly impossible to keep track of, as another knife would go flying.

It was a fairly obvious tactic as far as the assassin could be concerned. Darting in and out. In and out. If Don Juan or Autolycus looked at one, then another from behind would throw a knife, either at them or at Daniel. Only giving them the briefest window to defend their master.

And worst, they had nothing to say as they scampered around. The flames and warped geometry of the destroyed city was practically their playground, and neither had a lay of the land.
_________________________________________________________________________
@Heavy Snark@Scallop@Duoya - In the Riverbed

The jet that Crazy Horse had seen earlier in the distance was in fast approach. The bridges had all been destroyed, leaving their warped skeletons behind. Their frames twisted beyond repair. But without the bridges, it only made it easier for the jet to fly as close to the ground as possible. Skimming the sides of the riverbed as it flew at incredible speeds down the riverbed. One might even compare it to the trench run from something like Star Wars.

It became audible before it became visible. Suddenly flying from around a corner, nearly a mile up river from where Charlotte and her servants stood discussing and planning. They could only just register the threat before it opened fire. Bullets whizzing through the air and tearing up the earth all around them. The twisted remains of a nearby bridge offered a small degree of protection, that was before the bullets of the jet tore right through it like paper.

Was the jet some kind of servant's noble phantasm!? Either way, bullets whizzed about, and the pilot's aim was only getting better the longer they were sitting ducks.

[Duoya]

Charlotte nodded as King Mu spoke - surveying the area was important, especially when there was so much devastation nearby. Charlotte mentally checked in with her familiars as Mu continued to speak, attempting to find the source of the flames as he asked. They were somewhat difficult to tell from the ground because Charlotte could only use the smoke as an indication, but with an aerial view from her familiars, the flames seemed to be strongest to the East of the bridge. It was also the most noticeable thing about the place they found themselves in and considering Charlotte's natural affinity and the durability of Servants, they would have an advantage in the place where flames are strongest.

When Charlotte unlinked her senses from her Familiars, she was greeted with Yasuke dressed in his Noble Phantasm. She jumped back in shock before regaining her composure, remembering that the man was not some metal demon looking to kill them, and was just her ally.

Yasuke's request was reasonable enough - Charlotte didn't doubt her own abilities, especially in a place covered in flames like this. Daniel however, at least to Charlotte's knowledge, wasn't resistant to fire - and even if he was, he might get crushed with rubble or choke on the smoke before he burns to death.

"I already sent out some familiars, and I know where the flames seem to be strongest. I'll have them keep an eye out for the others, but spotting a single person in this place might be a bit difficult - especially since it's already dark. I'll keep at it, Lancer, but we should head to the most noticeable place if we want to meet up."

Turning to her final ally, Charlotte continued to speak.

"Do you have any ideas for what else we should do, Arc-"

A chunk of clay flew up from the riverbed a short distance away, stopping Charlotte mid-sentence. Followed by another, slightly closer impact. The impacts continued to occur, and Charlotte could see the Bridge that served as a landmark appeared to be collapsing. Well, collapsing more than it already was - several of the impacts tore through it like wet tissues.

Charlotte spotted it, flying high up in the sky and moving incredibly fast. Far, far faster than any bird or airplane that Charlotte knew of - and it was flying straight at the small group.

Whatever the flying machine was, it was dangerous. Charlotte could tell that staying still and doing nothing would get her and possibly even her servants killed. Her mind faced as she thought of possible actions she could take. Her familiars weren't high enough to damage the plane, and even if they were, it was so much faster than them that it wouldn't make a difference. Lancer couldn't fly, and she didn't know if his musket had enough range or accuracy to hit a flying machine that high up. That left only Mu and Medb.

First of all, Charlotte needed to find cover. She was standing in the middle of a barren riverbed, and the minuscule cover that the bridge provided was scattered to the wind. Charlotte felt she could climb out of the riverbed before getting shot, but then she would have to find cover that was stronger than the bridge of metal and concrete.

"Lancer, I'm in your care - cover me!"

Charlotte made a break for the Western side of the riverbed, running as fast as she possibly could. It led to an area that was less destroyed, and which may have even a small amount of cover leftover. In most normal situations, Charlotte would run headfirst into a conflict gun blazing. Whatever the hell was chasing them was clearly not there for a fair fight though, since it was flying thousands of meters in the air. And if that thing wouldn't fight on the ground like a man, then Charlotte didn't feel guilty running away.

As she made it to the wall, Charlotte sent out a message to all of her servants using her mental connection with them.

"Archer, Caster - how many Command Seals would either of you need to bring that thing to the ground? I have three left!"

Charlotte was very thankful she hadn't already used those brands on her hand during her brief stay at Chaldea. After being explained what they did by some Chaldea staff, Charlotte wanted to avoid using them due to the fact it forcefully manipulates a Servant... But if there was a time her servants could use a boost, it was probably now.

If she was lucky, she would have enough to avoid getting hit by whatever destroyed the remnants of the bridge. And if she wasn't that lucky, at least she could use them to help everyone escape more quickly.

@Heavy Snark@Scallop@Red Alice@Reflection

[Cu Chulainn]

Middle of the City District, Fuyuki

---

@Letter Bee@SSW

Ever the defiant troublemaker, Autolycus chose not to follow Daniel's orders. However, this was not due to defiance, but instead because of his mentality as a Servant of the Assassin Class. Autolycus thought it'd be the best that, for now, he'd shadow Daniel until they figured out just who the Assassin of this Fuyuki is... if they're still alive, that is. It seems that Fuyuki had seen better days from a cursory view. Autolycus doubted they would find any survivors as well, but he chose to hold his tongue regarding this fact, for his Master's sake if anything.

As soon as he noticed the presence of the Assassin, Autolycus knew his decision to stay back was the correct one. Quickly, he threw Daniel to the ground along with himself to ensure the thrown knives don't hurt his Master. As he did so, he quickly materialized a smoke pellet, throwing it down to mask both himself and his Master from the view of the knife-throwing scoundrels. He moved with the agility and swiftness truly belonging to the demigod son of Hermes, one seemingly unbecoming of an "old man" like Autolycus if not for his ancestry, let alone his profession. Thinking fast, Autolycus then materialized his Noble Phantasm, taking the shape of a plain, gray, handheld sack. Just holding onto it caused AUtolycus to slowly disappear.

A bit too late, but hold your breath, Master!

By viewing Daniel as a valuable target to the ambushing Assassins, Autolycus applied his mentality as a master thief in order to steal away Daniel from the Assassins, stuffing him into his knapsack. In other words, Autolycus quickly snatched Daniel into his Noble Phantasm with one swift movement. However, despite being filled with the body of a young male adult, the bag itself did not expand outwardly. To Daniel, it felt as if he was thrown into a different world albeit one with a very tight fit. While he essentially saw nothing, he also felt as if there was something else in the bag with him. He just needed to turn around and have a look, himself.

As for the Assassins, they could see only nothing as the smoke faded away. Because he had yet to make any attacks, Autolycus's presence was still masked by his Class Skill. His visual appearance was obscured by his Noble Phantasm, as well. Still, Autolycus opted not to stand up for now, crawling away from the hail of knives before another wave came at him. He clutched his knapsack tightly, although as soon as they left the smoke, Autolycus made sure to loosen his grip lightly enough for Daniel to finally get some air.

You aren't full of holes just yet, are you, Master? Good, good... Keep still for now, and make sure not to touch my toy in there, will ya? Hah!

Crawling away, Autolycus began to gather his thoughts on their current opponent. Skull masks and hit-and-run tactics... Definitely Assassins of no small renown. Why there was an army of them was something that needed to be figured out soon. Were they specialized familiars, or a form of Noble Phantasm? In any case, it was quite strange for an Assassin to have, but still quite nifty! Autolycus slowly began to shift his appearance accordingly as he slithered off, like some sort of concrete cobra, starting with the skull mask and working his way down...

Hey, hey! Do me a favor and let Donnie Boy know you're safe, and that I'm not just leaving him to the fray just yet! If he can hold 'em off long enough, I might be able to see if I can find a ringleader for these Assassins... Maybe then, they'll stop giving us a hard time.

[Letter Bee]

Daniel

As he waited, Daniel took out his Planetarium Orb, sending a surge of prana through it in order to cause the planets, the sun, and other celestial bodies represented to move at will. This was in an attempt to divine the present and the future… Only to find the planetary alignment ominous as heck, with a comet flashing through the orb’s exterior for good measure. Bad things were going to happen, and it showed as one of his servants - Assassin? - moved to protect him from suddenly-thrown daggers by pushing him to the ground before snatching him into his bag.

At Autocylus’ instructions, Daniel sent a telepathic message and said, All right. And I’ll alert Don Juan - I want him to be safe as well. I’ll also search my brains for information on the enemy Assassin.

Then he sent his thoughts to Saber/Don Juan, saying, I’m all right! Assassin/Autocylus saved me! Hold out until we can offer help!

((Edits allowed by the GM.))

@Cu Chulainn@SSW

[Yankee]

Edge of the City District

---

Rider's brow furrowed as he watched the plane. It was erratic, and more than likely part of another servant's noble phantasm. He summoned his spear to his hand, a simple but effective weapon. He was no Lancer, but he was more than proficient with it. As the plane got closer, and closer, Rider prepared himself for a battle. His face, partially obscured by a hood, shifted into an expression of determination. Then... the plane and it's pilot swerved hard, flying fast in another direction.

"..."

The disappointment felt only by true warriors threatened to creep into Rider's mind, but he wouldn't have to worry about it for very long. There as a prickle at the base of his neck that ran down the length of his spine. A dagger sailed passed his head as Rider turned, the weapon narrowly missing it's mark. It's origin was easily identified: the skull masked figure staring him down. Or... one of them at least.

Rider counted about twenty enemies surrounding him. They were different genders, shapes and sizes - but they all wore that skull mask. More importantly: Rider hadn't sensed them approaching at all. That meant only one thing.

Master, I've encountered the enemy Assassin.

An Assassin with the ability to clone themselves, it seemed. Or perhaps they were mirages, illusions of some kind. Until he knew for sure, Rider treated each and every one as the real deal. Before he could return to his master's side, he had to take care of these assailants. He couldn't lead them back to the boy. Although, if the enemy had the ability to split themselves apart, what was keeping them from sending a detachment after Daniel and the others...?

Be alert, there are many of them - and they could be coming your way. I will take cake of the ones here and come back as soon as possible.

Separated from the rest of them and with no response from his master, Rider had no idea that Team Daniel was already under attack. For now, he focused on the task in front of him. The way to accomplish that task... go on the offensive. Rider stepped off of his perch and shot towards the nearest Assassin, thrusting his spear at the dark body's heart. The Lakota warrior was confident in his speed and power, and he trusted his protection from arrows to fend off any projectiles the other bodies threw his way. The best way to deal with an assassin was an upfront confrontation, and Rider was prepared to give them just that.

[SSW]

Singularity F: City District

---

The attack came fast. The knives thrown in front of him were easy enough to strike down with a swift flick of his rapier, but they were surrounded. It was only a matter of time before something hit him in the back, or his Master got hit.

Thankfully, Assassin seemed to have a plan. Don Juan stood guard over the pair as the smoke bomb burst into being, protecting them from any desperate knife throws. And as the smoke cleared, naturally, his allies had disappeared.

Don Juan grinned. It still wouldn’t do to underestimate these enemies. After all, they massively outnumbered Saber’s team of misfits. Still, with the point of weakness removed, now he could afford to go on the offensive. He spent a almost a second looking, picking out a target among the ephemeral shadows that flickered between the buildings, predicting a possible path for them, and-

He burst forwards, magical energy burning in his legs carrying him in a blindingly fast leap that carried him into a single one of the enemy Assassins, skewering it with his blade. One down. But he certainly couldn’t shred through all of them like this, particularly if they changed targets or tactics. He withdrew his sword and flicked away the blood, turning to scan the area for the rest of the foes while keeping his sword ready to deflect any daggers.

What do you think, Master? He asked, responding to Daniel’s alert. Should I draw them away to Rider, or distract them so we can reconvene here? It was the type of decision he’d usually make on his own, but he wasn’t sure exactly what Assassin was doing, or where or how secure Daniel was. He needed some input here.

Daggers flashed his way, and he spun into a jump, deflecting the first volley and vaulting the second. He ascended to the roof of a nearby building. The high ground was advantageous here, at least cutting off a number of angles for attack. Once more, he began to scan the area, until his eyes landed upon-

“Ehehehe…” Don Juan chuckled, before leaping again, making use of his Prana Burst to arrive rapidly in front of her. Raising his sword, he began to thrust. This time he wasn’t going beyond his body’s normal strength; using none of his demonic abilities. Rather, this flurry of attacks was all skill, and not intending to kill. It was a dazzling display of swordsmanship, a boast in the form of motion. The rapier stabbed forth with extraordinary swiftness and skill, each thrust hitting not the Assassin, but her outline. Each direction she could move was cut off, point by point. To the target of the flurry, and indeed to anyone who could see it, this was itself an attack - one of intimidation, directed at their minds. In between a pair of thrusts, he winked, and flashed his teeth in a relaxed smile.

Perhaps he was wasting time. Or perhaps he would learn a lot from this. The group’s response to this would tell him how much they valued each individual member. If their minds were linked, he’d likely be able to tell from how they responded to his attempt at intimidation. And above that, he’d be able to tell what state their minds were in - whether they attempted to talk, or surrender, or simply fought to the death. Yes, this was certainly a profitable use of his time.

Or maybe he was just flirting. But that could be profitable, too.

In either case, he was likely to find out soon.

---

@Letter Bee@Cu Chulainn@Yankee@Reflection

[Reflection]

@Yankee - Crazy Horse, near the edge of the city district.

IMPACT! The spear of the Lakota warrior hit home. Penetrating the assassin's heart and sending a spray of blood out his back as it blew a hole right in the center. A killing blow. So why... WHY DID ASSASSIN NOT FLINCH!? Instead, the assassin swung its knife, slicing directly at the warrior's head. Around him, a few more knives flew, but nothing would hit him, and it became clear even to the most daft of assassins that he could not be injured by arrows. Perhaps running in for offense might not have been the brightest move, as the assassins moved around him. Blocking off exits as they swarmed down upon him. His spear stuck in the torso of the assassin he had impaled, as two others had grabbed it when it went clean through the first.

Surrounding him, all began to wave their knives around, almost haphazardly. Crazy Horse even noticed that in their wild swinging, one or two would slice at an ally, though they never seemed to notice. It was almost as if their bodies were puppets. Controlled rather than directly in control of themselves. Each attacking. Hacking, slicing, unwilling to let him escape without first trying to drive a knife into his chest or some other exposed part of his body.

But then... Crazy Horse would see that the mask on the one he had attacked had slipped off. But as that porcelain mask fell to the ground, what Rider saw curdled the blood in his heart. What the f-

_________________________________________________________________________
@Letter Bee @SSW @Cu Chulainn - In the Middle of the City District

Clever Assassin. The smokescreen, combined with Don Juan's defense did exactly what they had planned for it to do. Spiriting their Master away from an assassin's blades, and vanishing him almost entirely from their eyes. To say it worked exactly as planned is simply to state the obvious, leaving the remaining assembly of masked Assassins to turn their eyes upon Don Juan.

The assassin he targeted with his blade was impaled as he planned. Though it wasn't nearly as dead as he might have expected, with the assassin swinging his knife, missing by what must have been an inch as the talented Saber pulled his sword away. Despite the wound, the assassin hardly seemed to mind it, instead leaping back, knife hurled right at his chest. Not that it wasn't anything Don Juan couldn't handle. It became increasingly clear that despite their strength in numbers, each individual assassin was far slower and weaker than he was. Not that it did him much good when they didn't seem to care at all when a blade pierced their chest.

In fact, it became remarkably clear that none of them seemed to really care for their individual safeties, as Don's display of skill found itself completely unappreciated. In fact, so unappreciated that the assassin still attempted to attack him when he pulled of his daring display. At best he was holding her in place, at worst he was also frozen in place as knives sailed at him from all sides. The assassins uncaring cruelty to each of their possible immortal brethren.

Until... BANG!

A bullet whizzed into view, and struck the assassin Don had been 'flirting' with a moment earlier. The body jerking as an inhuman shriek echoed through the air. All other assassin's paused, echoing this shriek of disgust as their member fell to the ground. The female assassin writhing and wailing as her skull was nearly destroyed by an enchanted bullet. The mask she wore fell from her face as Don finally came to realize why exactly his target seemed impervious to his charms.

How disgusting.

[Scallop]

King Mu

City of Fire

The tides of chaos were swirling around them, the beasts of the air were stirring from their sleep and he could feel the anger boiling above them. Whilst he trusted Lancer, and his master, of course, he worried about the safety of his master. She had not yet proved herself in the area of combat and seeing how she might fare when the danger comes rushing in, that was one of his many worries for their series of missions they would undoubtedly embark on.

Bullets shot through the sky, bringing into the surface around them as he reacted almost immediately, rusted pieces of metal gathering around him as a makeshift shield, forming it with his magic to mash together as a shield before Caster, kneeling down behind it as he felt the bullets bounce off and undoubtedly beginning to burn through and decimate his shield. Likely, time was of the essence and he held his hands together in a clasp as he called out to his master.

"I will have to test the extent of this attack! I could have the means to rid us of this nuisance but I will perhaps need to activate one of my Noble Phantasms if we are to stand a chance, allow me to test the limits," He called out, looking to Lancer to ensure he was also secure before quickly dropping his defense, stretching arms out before him and openings his palms.

Focussing on his magic, he summoned sharp brass strips to shoot out from the ground, and to glance and strike the aircraft he could see making another go at them. As the brass shards went flying he took a moment to breathe in the air around him, of course, it was devastated and horrendous but at this moment he felt bliss for the gifts he had received in life, allowing him this miracle of brass and magic that he could defend himself in this modern age. Of course, such a crude machine would not be the thing to kill the immortal king, it would require much more than just a brutish weapon to sever the tether of immortality.

So of course, his Master's safety was his main priority, he had a quest to fulfill.

As his tentative attack died down, he quickly raised the metal around him to create another barrier as he called out to his Master and Lancer. "Lancer perhaps you ensure our master's safety, me and Archer shall endeavour to quell the airborne threat, Archer, perhaps you have a projectile that could fell this metallic beast?" He queried before looking back into the sky, readying himself to counter an attack or to form another barrier should his prior be destroyed by this onslaught of attacks.

This new world was still quite an enigma to King Mu, a far cry from the land he was used to, this land was not China that was one thing that was for sure. But even then, he wondered how his kingdom would fare in such times, was it too a molten wasteland, patrolled by beasts of the sky and those who would dare wander to the open, had his rule allowed such fate to occur. Cause and effect, it was quite an interesting theory, was his being here enough to undo cause and effect. The grail itself would allow such regret to bloom and for those who wish to change history the chance to affect the cause and the effect. Ripples in time.

He chuckled as he awaited, reminding himself the reason for him being here and he had no time to change the fate of those he ruled.

@Duoya @Reflection @Red Alice

[DELETED08737]

Diarmuid Ua Duibhne

City of Fire

Navigating through the ruined and burning city, was child’s play even in its current state. His lowered agility in his Saber container was more than made up by his access to Mana Burst (Jump) and higher strength stat. And yet Lancelot was proving to be an opponent that was incredibly hard to pin down while he was using a modern vehicle as a Noble Phantasm. The shimmering but violent lights its thrusters were expelling making him quite antsy in his first real fight in this war.

The Knight of Madness carving a path of mayhem and destruction at where his master said their new allies would likely be, Diarmuid hastened his steps with more activations of his legendary leaping ability. Bouncing and pirouetting from debris to ruin to build up enough speed to finally reach his target. Three servants barely living through Lancelot’s weaponry, the Knight’s battle instinct, and experience clearly not hindered by his own madness or the control Caster had placed upon him. An unfortunate trait no doubt for everyone on their side, but a small part of him couldn’t deny a spark of joy in his heart at the prospect of crossing weapons with one of the most famous Knights of the Round Table.

Pumping his legs full of as prana much as what could be reasonably spared form his reserves without taking from his master. Diarmuid leaped off the collapsed building he was on and flew straight toward the flying war machine like a comet.

"Lancelot I shall be your opponent and free you from this mockery of a state!" He challenged the mad warrior with a shout, a hail of bullets baring down on him was the response as the Berserker turned to face him deeming him the more pressing threat. Beagalltach, his shorter yellow blade more or less controlling his hand into the perfect defense and drawing power from the prana filled bullets to assist in his jump. Reaching the apex of his leap Diarmuid swung Móralltach at the jet’s wings, the blade enlarging and cutting through the wing by the application of Mana Burst to his weapon.

Only for numerous magic fueled flares to surround and detonate on his prone airborne form as a parting gift.

BOOM!

The force of the explosion immediately knocked him down below and even with Beagalltach's protection, his form was heavily damaged shown through multiple wounds blooming on his form while he was falling to the ground. Truly the Knight of the Lake was a dangerous opponent indeed.

@Heavy Snark@Scallop@Duoya