[IC] Fate/Dark Heritage

[Letter Bee]

Lorenzo Calungsod Emiya

"I see no objection," Lorenzo said. "Although I feel like something is approaching us while we're still being watched..."

Time Alter was ready and his Magic Circuits were starting to run, just in case. He also planned to test out his 'Theosis Magecraft', if it were possible to do so and if it would have any effect on whatever Servant was approaching them; if it was someone not martially-inclined, such as a Caster... He might actually be able to help.

Oleg-Marie Animusphere

Oleg-Marie's mood shifted as he realized Lorenzo was about to ally with them, and said to Puss, telepathically, On second thought, don't kill him! And if you really want to know my actual wish, well, once my father is dead, I'm going to persuade that guy to get himself released from his vows to the Church so he can marry me - Yes, we're both men, but we can just use a surrogate mother or an artificial womb to sire a child. Can you try and secure that future, even without a Grail?

Then to Kayneth, Oleg-Marie nodded and said, "Then I'll keep the scroll for now and postpone the moment I sign it, if that's the case. Also, as for what we should do first..."

He looked at his Mystic Code, the small box containing Mini-CHALDEAS, then said, "There is a Servant, with antagonistic intentions, heading towards a construction site where a bunch of other Servants and Masters have gathered. Let's pile up on her?"

@GOATPlumber@ManyThings@Digmata

Constantine XI Shielder Lily

Boy on a Motorbike

"Sure, I'll be glad to fight beside the both of you, then!" Constantine XI Shielder Lily said, his eagerness returning after Jan's rebuke combined with a pep talk.

@GubGar@Randomguy@Double D

[Randomguy]

---

Gajah Mada watched as Rider smacked Shielder on the head as he reprimanded the young servant. Rider said he was not the wisest of men, but the veracity of that statement aside, even were he the dullest of man, it was clear that he was virtuous.

Gajah Mada respected that. 'To be a human is to seek righteousness and reject evil' she remembered one of her grandfather's lessons. A dullard could mitigate it by learning or having trusted confidants who were wise. An unrighteous man, however, was not a malady that could be mitigated as easily. A righteous man in a position of power, even more so.

Jan Sobieski...he lived centuries after her own time, but she had gathered he was a king. His men and people must have cherished such a ruler. Gajah Mada's lips turned upward, making a melancholic smile. Once, she too served under a righteous liege, before, well...her high idealism and narrowmindedness destroyed what they had been working towards.

Well, none of that mattered, especially if the grail was indeed corrupted. In any case, the first step was still to claim the grail to inspect it. This alliance was a good first step towards that goal.

Soon enough, with Lorenzo and Jan's master's agreement, it would seem that the alliance would be formalized shortly.

"You drove her to suicide!? What is wrong with you!? You were sent there to finalize the marriage!"

The words of her king as he looked upon her with contempt echoed in Gajah Mada's head.

If this alliance were to work, she had best keep herself in check, so that she would not end up driving a wedge between them. No matter how righteous Jan Sobieski or Constantine were...they weren't perfect, and such a perfect king that she had sought did not exist...That was why with the grail, she had hoped...

Her train of thought halted, as she felt a sensation of unease, a premonition from her Moksha skill warned her of imminent arrival that was not necessarily friendly.

The sensation reminded her of the one she felt when dealing with the spiders. Their owner then.

Gajah Mada immediately drew her kris once more, before stepping closer to Lorenzo, who had uttered a similar sentiment of something coming—Gajah Mada noted he had good instincts—and standing on guard.

A moment later, something descended behind Jan, as Saber shouted, "Rider, behind you!"

[King Cosmos]

Berserker

Saber pulled away before Hang could grab his sword, then drew his own weapon and deflected his blade. Not too surprising, stopping his attack was a feat that Berserker would have expected from any Servant known for using a sword, but this deflection did more than just divert his blade; it redirected the force of his swing in such a way as to leave him off balance when the counter attack came and though the sword slid across his skin harmlessly, it demonstrated a severe amount of precision on Saber’s part.

Precise or not, no sword could harm him while he held the Taming Sari and Berserker charged heedlessly towards his opponent even as he prepared another swing. A short chant and a swing at nothing sent a rush of wind towards him. From behind him his Master sent lightning of his own to partially counteract the building storm. Berserker charged through, letting the wind buffet his body that tore at his clothes and his skin, the slight injuries not bothering him in the least.

Shou said something about territory that barely pierced the red veil descending over Hang Jebat’s vision. Closing the distance between them, Berserker swung at Saver again with a heavy overhead strike and prepared to follow up with a roundhouse kick when the strike with blocked or side-stepped.

@Randomguy@Iamme

[ManyThings]

Elsewhere...

---

Although Kyoto was a large city with a population of over a million people, its subway system was quite simple. There were only two lines, Tozai and Karasuma, which crossed one another North of the city's centre. As basic as it was, it was convenient enough to connect through the subway to buses and overland trains, and nearly 400 thousand citizens travelled through the Kyoto underground every weekday.

Squeezing in tight during rush hour, one subway train could hold well over 1000 people at a time. So late in the evening, the train that was running South along the Karasuma line held far fewer. Just then, as it was approaching Kuinabashi station, it was carrying just slightly over 300 people--

--Which was a small mercy.

Because not a single one survived.

The very front of the fiery crash was just barely visible to everyone waiting on the platform at Kuinabashi, as bits of twisted metal slid just shy of the mouth of the tunnel there. Emergency response was immediate. Medical and fire teams were called to the scene. The surrounding stations were evacuated due to risk of smoke inhalation as flames still flickered deep within the tunnel, where the wreckage lay.

While subway trains in Tokyo had begun to see the installation of security cameras, Kyoto was behind in this regard. The stations naturally had CCTV, but the trains themselves were a blind spot. Although people in the city scrambled to learn if their friends and family had been on board the train, it appeared that no-one had managed to get out any final text or video on their phones before their lives had been stolen away.

Because of that, no-one knew the truth. Of the more than 300 mangled bodies that lay in the crashed subway train, not a single one had been alive at the time of the crash. They had been massacred, one by one, in a matter of moments. The driver had been the last to go.

There was no real logic to it, no intention of secrecy. The people who tried to take their phones out had been prioritized, simply because they were trying to brandish something. Even crashing the train hadn't been a true plan. It was an afterthought. Instinct.

After all, the one who had slaughtered those people was--

---

First Night

Kyoto Subway Maintenance Tunnels

---

--A completely mad warrior.

Servants were inherently spiritual beings. Devouring souls was in this Berserker's nature. He knew that he needed magical energy to survive, and to have the strength to kill all the other Servants in the city. He knew he had no Master, no proper source of mana.

And so, he had come to these strange tunnels, found people trapped in a little tube, and fallen upon them like a demon wrapped in iron and shadow. He had cut them down in droves, crushed them with his hands, squeezed the life out of them. By the time he had devoured the souls of the two cars in the back, the rest had known something was wrong. Knowing hadn't changed anything.

His meal finished, he descended deeper. While the emergency operation was being carried out, Rogue Berserker was lurking in the disused and neglected maintenance tunnels of the subway system, far from prying eyes. There was no ley-line or fountain of spiritual energy for him to squat on down here, but the darkness and seclusion let him rest, and await his next move.

Having devoured a subway train full of souls, the Rogue Berserker had sufficient mana to survive for a handful of days. He had sufficient mana to unleash his true power in a few battles. But it wasn't sufficient to satisfy him. Not when he didn't know how many enemies he would have to kill.

For the rest of the month, the Southern end of the Karasuma line would need to be shut down, ending a few stations early while removal of the wreck took place, repairs were made, and blame was assigned. The crash would shake the city in some small way, and subway ridership would surely see a decline for some time.

Yet, people would still come. There were people who needed to ride the subway to reach work. There were people who would work in the tunnels, moving fragments of the destroyed train and cleaning the tunnel. There were people who would try to discover what had truly happened, down in the dark. Inevitably, more souls would come.

I'm waiting.

[Digmata]

---

"And the princess found me so easily to one's surprise." the Caster spoke as she revealed herself from the rooftop behind Rider, she then leaned forward contemplating if she should go down and join them.

Yeah shouldn't, this three would make a quick work of her better make good use of her literal high ground while she still can.

"Don't worry girl, I'm not here to fight you people as weird as it sounds in this war." she spoke digging the conception of an alliance that formed right before her eyes.

She briefly considered her options, she drive the wedge to this blooming group right by showing them her tapestries but with princess around it might be simply back fired to her.

Now that she laid her eyes on her, she couldn't help but notice the tinged of divinity flowing through her, it flows to everyone present but it was laid heaviest on her.

Oh great, the barbarian princess is another demigod.

"In fact this motley crew of yours, I want to join it." she offhandedly offered.

'Sorry Master for taking the choice away from you but I'm not keen on facing this group as it is.'

[ManyThings]

First Night

Near the Abandoned Lot

@Letter Bee@Digmata

---

M-Master! Through the mental link, Puss' voice was mirthful, but not mocking. No, the matter was deadly serious. When you said you recognized that man, I never in a thousand years imagined that!

Assassin was still concealed, perched on the convenience store rooftop that overlooked the unfolding situation. There was a lot to consider, and they finally had a sense of which Servants had which goals, but everything else in their mind was currently taking a backseat to the latest news from Oleg-Marie.

Well, you have it on my honour as the Master Cat. Your stars will cross!

As nice as that was, there was still the matter of the Grail War. Puss had some clarity on who was who, and technically they were part of the growing alliance, but it was messy. Their own Master had an alliance with Rider's Master, but the two Servants had yet to meet one another. On the other hand, Rider had made an alliance of his own with both Shielder and, tentatively, Saber. On top of all that, here was this latest woman. At this point, it seemed like Servants were lining up to lend a hand in the quest to bring down the tainted Grail.

Assassin's vantage point had put them opposite to Caster's position, with a good view of Rider's face. Now, they began circling around, still hidden, getting nearer to the pink-haired woman who had finally made a proper appearance.

Well, well. Everyone wants a sardine from the tin, now. Does she want to get rid of the Holy Grail, too? Or is she just trying to avoid being on the receiving end of this alliance's power?

Although Assassin and Saber weren't exactly friends (they had never even properly met!), they had a lot of faith in her sharp eyes and intuition. This latest Servant didn't exactly have the honest and upright vibe of the other three who had gathered in the lot. In fact, Puss had been pretty certain that she had been moving with aggressive intent when they first detected her presence.

I'm getting in position to make a move against her... We'll have to see if she can sell a good case for herself to the others. They told their Master, slinking invisibly up the side of the building that Caster had landed atop.

[Letter Bee]

Lorenzo Calungsod Emiya

Lorenzo, meanwhile, was glancing at his PDA, which maintained a backdoor to Kyoto's CCTV network and the local news media. As Caster made her offer, he was fast distracted by the reports being funneled into his device, reports of a suspicious train crash where all 300 passengers had died. Now, this could be completely mundane, but Lorenzo's instincts said that such an accident, with a massive loss of life, at this point in time, was very massively suspicious. So the young man looked at Caster and said, "I, and maybe Saber, might consider it; there's been a massive 'accident' and a slaugther of humans that cannot be overlooked so easily, even if the causes are entirely mundane - Which I doubt."

His gaze growing firmer, he spelled out what he wanted in exchange for putting in a good word for the Servant, "Help us confirm if that accident was completely accidental, and that ought to be proof that you're genuine about your intentions. Is that good enough?"

Then he turned to the rest of the group and said, "Do you guys agree with this as well? So many people dead is worth investigating, even if it's completely mundane, there would be tons of wraiths and ghosts who might be lingering around the area for Rogue Servants to use or consume..."

Oleg-Marie Animusphere

I will hold you to it, Oleg-Marie said to Puss in Boots, I have faith in your honor as the Master Cat. Now, as for that Caster... Let's see if she's useful.

He was already gloating inside about how Lorenzo was going to be his husband, and how all it took was giving the Emiyas back the bones of one Noritaka Emiya through skillful lawyering and skullduggery; Shirley Calungsod Emiya was a formidable obstacle to his plans to marry her son, but once he had overthrown his father (Marisbury Animusphere), taken the bones for himself, then traded said bones to her, she would become as formidable an ally as she was a foe... Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant!

If Kayneth's familiar was still here, he'd speak to it and Kayneth himself, asking, "So, Rider... Is he yours? He appears to be a loyal and honorable Servant worthy of you..."

@GOATPlumber@ManyThings@Digmata

Constantine XI Shielder Lily

Boy on a Motorbike

It was now Constantine XI Shielder Lily's turn to pipe up, "Oh, right, shouldn't we cast something so that mundane police or just gangsters don't come over here and try and find out what we're doing?"

Lorenzo Calungsod Emiya

"What do you think I've been doing in the background?" was Lorenzo's response to that.

@GubGar@Randomguy@Double D

[GubGar]

Rider - Jan Sobieski

Location: An abandoned lot in Kyoto
Interacting with: @Letter Bee @Randomguy @GOATPlumber @Digmata

---

Jan found himself rather impressed with his Master. Beyond the wealth of resources, he was clearly cautious and clever. Eager to ensure the beneficial alliance didn't turn into a knife in the back through contracts of a magical nature. Perhaps if Jan had those, Poland would have benefitted more. "It seems I am in agreement, then. Would that I had fine drinks to toast with, but I hope the lack of refreshments does not offend either of you." But.. no, likely not. He'd have never forced the Pope to sign such a thing. It was his duty to act in service to him, even if it netted few benefits. Maybe it simply was not in Jan's nature to be the clever businessperson. But at least he could be a keen General-

A moment later, something descended behind Jan, as Saber shouted, "Rider, behind you!"

Jan (to his embarrassment) yelps in surprise, hurriedly, especially for his size, putting distance between himself and the unknown entity behind him. While he was a bit lacking in wit, he was clearly not without skill due to how quickly he reacted. Of course, the newly revealed Servant was no enemy (yet), so it was all for naught. The new arrival spoke of putting in her lot with the rest of the gathered Servants. This alliance was growing rather massive indeed.. Would there even be Servants left to fight by the end of the night? He gives his answer to the unidentified Servant.

"I have to confess, it hardly feels sporting to the rest of the Grail War to have a collective such as this. But I suppose I ought not to prioritize my battle lust if there is a danger of corruptive forces at play. I've no objections on principle alone to you joining, I suppose. But I'm not so clueless as to join hands with a total stranger."

Saber was a fairly large unknown quantity as well, but she had put forward much more than this newcomer had. Yet it was fair to be cautious when standing down three Servants on one's own, so he could not entirely fault her for skulking. What mattered now was what she did to prove herself.. And it seemed Saber's master had a solid idea of what. A mass incident was an ill thing indeed.. But what had lead him to be suspicious about it? With so few details, Jan couldn't hazard a guess.

He looks to Saber and Shielder, to see what their thoughts on the matter were. And additionally, keeps his own Master updated on the goings-on, as if his familiars hadn't already done so.

[Randomguy]

Rogue Saber, Higashiyama Ward

---

Tokimune watched as the young Master drew his own sword, sending some sort of lightning slash against his wind blade. Admirable attempt, but ultimately futile. Though he did have good observation to infer some sort of territory skill. Simply knowing it won't secure their path to victory, but it was a good observation, nonetheless.

While his wind blade was not the full release of his Noble Phantasm, it was still a Noble Phantasm, a crystalised mystery, in this case, that of his miraculous victory against the Mongols brought by a thunderstorm, a thunderstorm that had gone down in legends as being the wrath of the lightning God Raijin in the form of a Divine Wind, a Kamikaze, forever etching the concept of 'Kamikaze' into the world. It was not something that could be matched easily by modern magecraft.

He doubted the lightning slash would do much to slow down his attack. Which was why when Tokimune found that Berserker emerged from the attack only suffering minor wounds, he concluded that Berserker's Endurance Parameter must be remarkable. Compared to whatever defensive skill or noble phantasm he was displaying, they made Berserker very durable, indeed.

Tokimune side-stepped the overhead strike, only to find himself suddenly facing an incoming roundhouse kick. His vision slowed once more as he judged the best course of action.

Berserker was already too close for Tokimune to dodge properly even with his superior agility, even were he able to dodge, that would expose an opening for a follow-up attack. He also did not fancy blocking with his katana, it was well made, but it was not his noble phantasm, he did not want to strain the blade unless he had to.

That left...

Berserker did not have a monopoly on endurance, while Tokimune was under no illusion that his Endurance was better than Berserker in normal circumstances, this was not normal circumstances. In this territory, just like his agility and strength, his endurance parameter had been enhanced, perhaps even to the point it was better than Berserker's in pure stats, his special defence notwithstanding.

And so, Tokimune planted his feet firmly on the ground, bracing himself to take the roundhouse kick with his torso. A tactic that would have been utterly reckless had they not been fighting in his territory.

The kick connected.

Tokimune felt the force of the kick, not to the point where it would be fatal or detrimental, but enough that he felt the impact. Still, this was Hojo Tokimune, someone whose mind was laser-focused on achieving victory, regardless of the circumstances. Shrugging the pain, he chanted "Come forth, O' lightning!"

The night's sky was clear, with not a thundercloud in sight, however...despite that, the moment the words were uttered by Tokimune a lightning bolt came down from the heavens above, lighting up Tokimune's katana. The samurai then swung his blade, connecting with Berserker's foot that was currently planted on his torso, as he attempted to channel the lightning through Berserker's body.

@King Cosmos@Iamme

---

---

"And the princess found me so easily to one's surprise." the Caster spoke as she revealed herself from the rooftop behind Rider, she then leaned forward contemplating if she should go down and join them.

Princess...? She supposed she technically was if only by being a descendant of King Kertanegara, but she was never formally declared as one. Well, she was not about to correct the misconception. Thanks to her adjutant's--that is, Gajah Enggon's--antics of carving his face into a piggybank, the surviving piggybank was mistakenly thought to be of herself, and thus history now remembered her differently than in life. Which was a boon in a Holy Grail War, she supposed, as it would be less likely of someone finding out her real identity.

She doubted there were many instances in history where a female was thought to be a male. So she considered herself rather lucky, in that regard.

The newcomer then proceeded to convey her wishes to join the alliance.

Her Moksha skill informed Gajah Mada that the intention was genuine, though rather than driven by concerns of the corrupted grail, it seemed to be more driven by the fact that she wasn't keen on taking on the three of them. Though for some reason, Gajah Mada had the feeling that this servant was somewhat fixated on her. She had little idea as to why specifically though, she was sure she had never met this woman when she was alive, at least.

Gajah Mada was about to convey her observation to the group present when Lorenzo brought up an accident and proposed to use it as proof of their intention.

Not a bad idea...

"I have to confess, it hardly feels sporting to the rest of the Grail War to have a collective such as this. But I suppose I ought not to prioritize my battle lust if there is a danger of corruptive forces at play. I've no objections on principle alone to you joining, I suppose. But I'm not so clueless as to join hands with a total stranger."

Gajah Mada turned to Jan, giving him a nod, "Your reluctance to trust her is a wise one. I can tell that she is less concerned with the corrupted grail than she is about fighting all three of us head-on."

Turning to Caster, she spoke again, "Well, far be it for me to condemn a sound tactical decision. For the most part, only a fool would fight three servants head-on on their lonesome. However...that does bring up a question of your trustworthiness. I assume you are the masters of those spider familiars? In that case, would you agree to send some of them to the location of the accident my Master spoke of as scouts, for starters?"

Of course, Gajah Mada intends to find out as much as she can from how exactly she commanded the spiders, looking for any clue to her identity.

She then continued, "Also, there is one question I wish to ask of you. A vital one, if we were indeed about to work together. Suppose the Grail was indeed corrupted, and there was no way to cleanse it of its corruption. What would you do with it?"

If Gajah Mada's Moksha skill discovered any signs that the servant would still be willing to use the corrupted grail, then...well, she would advocate for her to be eliminated here and now.

@GubGar@Letter Bee@ManyThings@Digmata

[GOATPlumber]

I will not be erased

Deep within the Grail, something stirred, a man- no, an entire lineage of souls - all melded into one body. It was not unlike the machinations of a certain bloodsucker, but far more chaotic. The mixture of the countless thoughts writhed, one moment wishing for death, and the other, utterly disgusted at the thought of going quietly into that good night.

Indeed, it would not be erased. That was the wish that all souls shared collectively - even if they wished for death, they still sought to be remembered in some way - that was simply the depth of their pride that even in this state of undeath, they still wished to leave a mark.

And leave a mark they would. Kyoto would be turned into rubble, that was the last wish of a dying clan. From the very deepest crevices of the Grail’s power, the chimeric existence that was once the Fujiwara clan summoned forth a single soul.

Blackness and shadows would coalesce into the center, the screams of over twenty thousand men, women and children crying slowly getting louder and louder as the swirling vortex of black particles began to speed up more and more. Within the cavern of the Grail’s storage, the holy waters that made up the lifeblood of the artifact stirred, as if it was boiled to the point that the primordial stew within it would separate into different parts.

It was like the heating of a vegetable to remove the starch - the separation of corruption from the pure. For decades, the part of the Grail that had been corrupted and the parts that remained pure were entangled in each other, neutralizing each other’s effects, but now? They had wholly separated with the summoning of the Ghost Liner.

The shadows faded, and the Spirit emerged from the canopy of black. There was a moment of realization, of the circumstances of the summoning as he stared at the pitiful, chimeric mass of flesh and spiritual residue in front of him, but that moment of thoughtful rebellion would be banished the moment its Master opened its many mouths to speak: “With my command spells, I order to you to put a stain on this very land, to engrave the very legend that you so despise into your very existence.”

Many voices spoke in unison - one of the only times they were united - and the crimson flames started to engulf the Servant.

He screamed, his pale skin and hair seemingly stretching and pulling as his body began to transform, and in his last breaths of sanity, he spoke: “I am not a vampire!”

The screams would continue for a while, before suddenly being cut off by an eerie silence. With the emergence of this new form, the chimeric existence began to calm down, and the Servant looked at its Master, before uttering opening its mouth: “Disgusting.”

Those were the last words the chimera would hear, before it was enveloped in hundreds of small stakes, all of them piercing the flesh of the gelatinous form, yet it could not recover, unable to regenerate - a curse placed on him by the newly crowned prince of darkness, and the ruler of the Grail.

As the form of its “Master” began to fade away, the Servant would slowly approach the exit to the cavern, the shadows seemingly following him, as if he was their master. As he approached the surface, bats began to become visible in the light of the moon, shining so silently through the forest - oh yes, it was a forest, as he emerged from the entrance of the cavern and quickly glimpsed the full moon high above, illuminating the trees.

“Ha.” He would chuckle, holding his precious spear in his hand.

“Hahaha!” The laughter would not be heard by anyone else, but he still laughed anyway.

“What a wonderful world! Truly, it is ripe for corruption!” He would laugh and laugh, as the corrupted mud of the Grail would follow him, shadowing their master, but in the depths of the cavern, something else would begin to form. As the vampire would leave the scene, a single remnant of its Master would crawl into the pit that still had the purity of the Grail, a single puddle left from the overflowing of the goblet as the corrupted mud rapidly exited its form.

Slowly but surely, nerves began to form, then bones, and then flesh, before finally, over the course of minutes, the form of a human began to finally take shape. He was mature, barely above his thirties, and for a few moments, the only expression on his face was a blank countenance, yet this would of course be a transient thing, as the beginnings of a smile would begin to appear on his face.

“Ah, yes.” It was a matter-of-fact statement, almost devoid of emotion, save for the hint of excitement in his voice.

“Victory… I have claimed victory, yet I have not yet destroyed that corruption.” He looked to the entrance of the cavern, seeing the traces of the vampire who had just left.

“Saint Graph Classification: Ruler - Spiritual Signature: Unknown. Most closely related to Heroic Spirits.” A robotic voice would speak out from within his mind, the knowledge that the Grail provided flooding into his consciousness.

His smile would grow wider, after all he - the last of a dying lineage - had somehow cheated a fate worse than death. Elsewhere, the overseers of the war, the mage from the Clocktower and the priest of the Church, would detect the dissonance in the Grail, and the two anomalies that had just been summoned.

Shortly after, an announcement would ring out through the minds of the Servants and Masters participating in the War: “Two anomalous Ghost Liners have been detected, and corruption has been detected within the boundaries of Kyoto. Cease all fighting and focus on destroying the two threats. The purification of the Grail is paramount.”

[Digmata]

---

The Caster laid her eyes to whoever was speaking at the given moment watching the discussion that might hr life in a single moment. She also patiently waited for her master to give her directives but it appears that she’s willing to leave everything to her.

His gaze growing firmer, he spelled out what he wanted in exchange for putting in a good word for the Servant, "Help us confirm if that accident was completely accidental, and that ought to be proof that you're genuine about your intentions. Is that good enough?"

“Of course I can help with that, an alliance is a two way street after all.” The Caster spoke as she began to call for her familiars, while her reach to them are quite expansive, they are at the end of the day just normal spiders and there is only much she could do in one place.

"I have to confess, it hardly feels sporting to the rest of the Grail War to have a collective such as this. But I suppose I ought not to prioritize my battle lust if there is a danger of corruptive forces at play. I've no objections on principle alone to you joining, I suppose. But I'm not so clueless as to join hands with a total stranger."

“Everyone here is a stranger a few minutes ago, I just arrived late!” she pointed out before the barbarian princess asked her to send her spiders as scouts. “But I see your point, not everyone wears their heart on their sleeves.

She recalled how Athena tried to challenge, did she really need to guise herself as an old crone first. She’s THE goddess, just barged in if she had problems with her.

“I already did, it will take time before they reach however.” she answered dismissively.

She then continued, "Also, there is one question I wish to ask of you. A vital one, if we were indeed about to work together. Suppose the Grail was indeed corrupted, and there was no way to cleanse it of its corruption. What would you do with it?

The Caster gave her question genuine thought, she deserves that at the very least. And not because she didn’t know how her perception works.

“What I truly wish was to live in this world once again, I can accept living as a servant if that’s what was necessary.” she started. “Which means I would eventually need my own source of mana, the Holy Grail was not the only way to achieve that to be honest.”

She then walks at the building’s ledge, clearly not bothered that a misstep can cause her to fall.

“It would be a lie to say that I won’t be tempted to use it regardless but I believe that I would find an alternative by the time we reached the Grail.” she concluded.

She is the world’s greatest weaver after all, if the Holy Grail won’t solve her problems, she will weave her way out of it then,

“What about the three of you, what do you wish for the Grail? What goals do you esteemed warriors fight for?” she asked the three servants in the room.

“On the chance that it wasn’t corrupted.”

After all she’s not the only person who should spill her own story and if she pegged the three of them right, they will oblige her question.

[Randomguy]

---

The Caster gave her question genuine thought, she deserves that at the very least. And not because she didn’t know how her perception works.

“What I truly wish was to live in this world once again, I can accept living as a servant if that’s what was necessary.” she started. “Which means I would eventually need my own source of mana, the Holy Grail was not the only way to achieve that to be honest.”

She then walks at the building’s ledge, clearly not bothered that a misstep can cause her to fall.

“It would be a lie to say that I won’t be tempted to use it regardless but I believe that I would find an alternative by the time we reached the Grail.” she concluded.

She is the world’s greatest weaver after all, if the Holy Grail won’t solve her problems, she will weave her way out of it then

From what Gajah Mada could glimpse, it was seemingly the truth. The Caster saw the grail as a means to an end, and though she doubted she wouldn't use it if she could without incurring any repercussions, she would also readily give it up if she deemed the circumstances made it impossible to use, such as going up against a gigantic servants alliance.

Gajah Mada also had the feeling that if Caster could get what she wanted by her own hands, it was the preferable method for her. But that was neither here nor there. What mattered was, for the time being, Caster was reasonable enough to work with, it seemed. Though it was probably wise to keep an eye on her just in case.

Caster then inquired on the reason why the rest of them sought the grail.

Gajah Mada could tell that her true intention was to find out their true identity, no doubt expecting them to reveal it due to being honour-bound, or something along those lines.

Gajah Mada was not sure about the others, but, well, Caster was about to be sorely disappointed on her account.

"My wish is not one that can be achieved without the grail. However...I swear that should it be corrupted by evil, my first priority will be to cleanse it, or if impossible, to destroy it."

Though, truthfully, Gajah Mada had no idea how to even begin destroying the grail should it come to that. She did have an anti-fortress Noble Phantasm, but smashing a corrupted wish-granter with reckless abandon did not seem to be the wisest course of action. Hopefully, her Master of some of the other magi could come up with something.

She continued, "That is all I will say on that matter. I am under no obligation to reveal the details of my wish at the risk of outing my true name. My inquiry was merely about your intention with a corrupted grail. That you went and described your own wish in such detail was done on your own accord. We have no such agreement in place. Unless, of course, you wish to make that a prerequisite to secure your cooperation?"

Then, suddenly, a voice rang out in her head, announcing a ceasefire between participants and for them to focus on eliminating two anomalies that had been summoned.

...Well, at least they had confirmation of the Grail's corruption.

Turning to the others, she spoke again, "I assume that all of you also heard that? It would appear that for any of us to safely use the grail, we must first purge it of its corruption by eliminating the two anomalies. Let us do just that, shall we? We can return to fighting each other for the grail after."

@GubGar@Letter Bee@ManyThings@Digmata

[King Cosmos]

Berserker

Saber did not buckle under the weight of his kick the way that Berserker expected; there was surprisingly little give to the man, which spoke of how durable the warrior was. Or perhaps just how weak his own attacks were.

It was most likely due to his surprise that Hang did not pull his leg back from the kick as quickly as he should have, giving his opponent the opportunity to strike a retaliating blow at the limb. Unfortunately, it looked as if the other Servant had already figured out that regular sword blows would not avail him here and he had a means of imbuing his attacks with magic to get around that; fortunately, it was not a quick process even when lightning bolt were involved and the electrified attack was well telegraphed.

Berserker’s leg slipped out from beneath Saber’s sword swing like a lily swirling away in water as he pulled it back to the ground. Using the momentum Hang continued the motion into a spin, rotating on the balls of his feet and bringing his own blade around towards Saber’s head even as the Rogue Servant was completing his own attack.

@Randomguy

[GubGar]

Rider - Jan Sobieski

Location: An abandoned lot in Kyoto
Interacting with: @Letter Bee @Randomguy @GOATPlumber @Digmata

---

Jan considers the mystery woman's response evenly. She didn't exactly seem to be as heroic as his two new companions, but she wasn't pretending to be either. The honesty was appreciated, if nothing else. To pretend to be a hero and hide one's true nature would be far more suspect than outright saying that her reason for allying was one of convenience and potentially necessity as well. Once again, Jan thought to himself that this felt rather unsporting. I suppose my sense of honor can take a bit of a battering if it means guaranteeing the safety of the city and purity of the grail.. It still stung a bit, though. He had been eager to test his Lance against history's greatest. Corrupt and evil forces were a more deserving target, to be sure, but they were also less worthy.

Jan tunes back into the conversation as the mysterious woman asks them a question of her own. What did they desire for the grail? Her wish was a reasonable one. Returning to the world.. Jan suspected very few Servants out there would refuse the opportunity if presented. As for Saber, it was clever of her to refuse to answer. Keep her identity close to the chest.

..Something Jan no longer had the privilege to do. But lingering on his unfortunate hand wouldn't solve anything, so he discards that grievance to the best of his ability.

"Er.. my wish. Well, I am no living man. It seems unfair that my wish would come before that of my Master's. But if I were to claim the wish as my own.. Well, it's a bit selfish. Not befitting of a King of Poland such as myself. I'm rather embarrassed to say. But I have no hidden True Name to worry about, so I suppose-"

Before he could reveal his goal, an announcement of sorts was transmitted by thought to (presumably) all competitors. Jan gives a firm nod to Saber. "Indeed, it seems the Grail's corruption has made its move. On the first day no less.. I will of course ride in to battle to meet it, as any proper Knight ought to. But I mislike how bold these corruptive forces are being.. To take to the field so early in a skirmish speaks of confident or desperation. Both of which are dangerous for us."

[ManyThings]

First Night

Near the Abandoned Lot

@GOATPlumber@Letter Bee

---

Caster's motivations were more or less what Assassin had been expecting. An alliance of convenience? It was weak a foundation for trust, but the choice wasn't theirs to make. Nor was it their Master's, really. They were technically part of this alliance by association, but had no interest in directly fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with the Servants here if they could help it.

The announcement rang out, being heard by Servant and Master alike. The Assassin's whiskers twitched.

Well, Master, They spoke through the psychic link, If you want to to keep spying on this little meeting, you'll have to use your magecraft, or ask your new ally what his Rider is up to.

They were already on the move, hopping away from the abandoned lot in spirit form. This new threat, whoever precisely they were, was something that nearly every participant of the war would be going up against. So, if their Master's promised husband was going to be putting his life on the line, Puss wanted to stay one step ahead of him.

If the Ghost Liners were as powerful as all that, it wouldn't be too difficult to detect their presences with a bit of scouting. And with Presence Concealment, it ought to be possible to get a good look at them without too much danger, and see what they were made of.

With that in mind, Puss set off, searching for the corruption that threatened his Master's wish.

[Digmata]

---

"My wish is not one that can be achieved without the grail. However...I swear that should it be corrupted by evil, my first priority will be to cleanse it, or if impossible, to destroy it."

Though, truthfully, Gajah Mada had no idea how to even begin destroying the grail should it come to that. She did have an anti-fortress Noble Phantasm, but smashing a corrupted wish-granter with reckless abandon did not seem to be the wisest course of action. Hopefully, her Master of some of the other magi could come up with something.

She continued, "That is all I will say on that matter. I am under no obligation to reveal the details of my wish at the risk of outing my true name. My inquiry was merely about your intention with a corrupted grail. That you went and described your own wish in such detail was done on your own accord. We have no such agreement in place. Unless, of course, you wish to make that a prerequisite to secure your cooperation?"

@Randomguy

The Caster gave the idea a thought, exchanging names is not that horrible of an idea considering the requirements of her Noble Phantasm, it is also a good way to garner goodwill before everyone.

But there is no way she is going to agree to it, does that demi-goddess of a barbarian think she could control her? Sorry girl she hasn't lost her marbles yet.

“Tempting but no, I'll figure it out regardless, princess.” she declared as she descended before everyone, arrogance was barely concealed in her face. Not because she can deal with the alliance she joined but because she trusts them enough to not kill her. You could say that it was her twisted idea of trust.

She looked at Saber one more time, inspecting the divinity flowing on her.

It was disgusting, for someone to be revered through nothing but lineage.

"Er.. my wish. Well, I am no living man. It seems unfair that my wish would come before that of my Master's. But if I were to claim the wish as my own.. Well, it's a bit selfish. Not befitting of a King of Poland such as myself. I'm rather embarrassed to say. But I have no hidden True Name to worry about, so I suppose-"

Before he could reveal his goal, an announcement of sorts was transmitted by thought to (presumably) all competitors. Jan gives a firm nod to Saber. "Indeed, it seems the Grail's corruption has made its move. On the first day no less.. I will of course ride in to battle to meet it, as any proper Knight ought to. But I mislike how bold these corruptive forces are being.. To take to the field so early in a skirmish speaks of confident or desperation. Both of which are dangerous for us."

@GubGar

Caster let out a pang of sympathy despite hearing the announcement from the grail, she had an idea of what he’s about to say but kept it to herself. If she was right however, she thinks it was a worthy wish before the Grail.

“I’ll go with you.” she declared as looked at his mount a very decorated scooter, that screams war to anything that looks at it. She admits that it is a very amusing mount and one that she didn't expect from a cavalryman such as Rider. Shielder's motorcycle was more fitting to be honest.

Still no, orders from his master? Well she'll do whatever she wants then.

[Letter Bee]

Lorenzo Calungsod Emiya

Lorenzo turned towards Caster as she left and said, "I know who you are, and to be honest with you, you did legitimately beat Athena herself and her behavior was unbecoming of someone of her 'Wisdom'. I admire you for that greatly, but not enough to refrain from outing you."

He then gripped the hilt of his sword and said, "Now, please stay away from my Saber."

Oleg-Marie Animusphere

Give me a bit, Oleg said to Puss before he spoke to Kayneth's Familiar, "So, umm, giving your Rider any orders, Lord-El Melloi?"

Then he heard Lorenzo call Saber 'my Saber'. and jealousy flared inside him as he exclaimed, in his head, Puss! Make sure they don't get together - Wait, what am I saying, she'll just get desummoned - Make sure she does not wish for anything that would allow her to linger in this world or romance anyone from beyond her grave!

@GOATPlumber@ManyThings@Digmata

Constantine XI Shielder Lily

Boy on a Motorbike

Constantine went back to his motorbike, waiting for the signal to go, scrupulously ignoring the confrontation between Lorenzo and Caster. Why can't things be simple...

@GubGar@Randomguy@Double D

[Randomguy]

Rogue Saber, Higashiyama Ward

---

As his vision slowed once more, Tokimune watched as Berserker slipped past his attack, before going in for another attack with his own blade. Tokimune took note of the blade.

A short sword or a dagger with an asymmetrical wavy blade. A Kris. It was a very distinctive weapon. Tokimune had heard that it originated in a nation down South. It was a start, but he could not specify which Heroic Spirit this was just yet. A Kris-wielding warrior who was famous for invulnerability...that should narrow down the search quite a bit, however.

Tokimune's mind then turned to how best to deal with Berserker's attack. Judging from the speed by which he moved just now, Tokimune would estimate that it was roughly equivalent to his own natural agility. It was not bad, but then again, while agile, Tokimune was not among the most agile...at least as far as his natural agility went. But in his territory, it was not Tokimune's natural agility which Berserker had to contend with. As was the case with Tokimune's strength and fortitude his legend of being the undefeated Shikken who had driven the seemingly invincible Mongols away in a defensive battle meant that within his territory, his speed, too, was increased.

And based on Tokimune's calculation, he was currently about twice as fast as Berserker.

Moving at top speed, Tokimune sidestepped Berserker's swing, before flanking the opposing Servant, his lightning-imbued katana swung at Berserker's back.

@King Cosmos

---

---

Lorenzo turned towards Caster as she left and said, "I know who you are, and to be honest with you, you did legitimately beat Athena herself and her behavior was unbecoming of someone of her 'Wisdom'. I admire you for that greatly, but not enough to refrain from outing you."

'Arachne?' Gajah Mada thought. While Arachne was the most famous figure associated with spiders, there were others...What prompted her Master to declare it with such certainty?

It was then, a train of thought passed through Gajah Mada's head. Perhaps it was a bluff, to take advantage of her own Moksha skill to gauge the reaction of this new servant so they could either confirm or cross Arachne from their list of possible identities. Arachne was a reasonable guess, considering the spider, she supposed.

Gajah Mada was not sure if this was what her Master intended, but nevertheless, it seemed worth a try.

She turned her head at the Servant in question, gauging her reaction. It did not take long for her to sense that the Servant was angry—no, livid, at Gajah Mada's Master.

So she was Arachne. That would explain why she was somewhat fixated on Gajah Mada. It was probably her divinity.

Gajah Mada gripped her Kris, just in case Arachne's anger led to a confrontation. Suddenly, Lorenzo spoke again,

"Now, please stay away from my Saber."

'Huh!?'

Of course, through her Moksha skill, Gajah Mada had determined that her Master only meant it in the technical sense as in a familiar contracted to him rather than anything more. However, the Palapa Oath she made included abstaining from worldly pleasure, which meant that she had little to no experience with such a thing, leading to the Saber-class Servant flustered for a split second before composing herself.

Stepping forward in front of Lorenzo, she spoke "Master, please refrain from challenging a possibly hostile Servant yourself, if you would. It is my duty to protect you, not the other way around."

Then, in an attempt to divert Arachne's ire from her Master to herself, she turned to Arachne, "A word of advice, Arachne, you should temper your emotion more. The anger I've observed from you all but confirmed that my Master's deduction was correct. You are Arachne, it seems. Well, then, Arachne...would you be able to find anything out regarding these two anomalous Ghost Liner through your familiars?"

@Letter Bee@Digmata

[Digmata]

---

Lorenzo Calungsod Emiya

Lorenzo turned towards Caster as she left and said, "I know who you are, and to be honest with you, you did legitimately beat Athena herself and her behavior was unbecoming of someone of her 'Wisdom'. I admire you for that greatly, but not enough to refrain from outing you."

He then gripped the hilt of his sword and said, "Now, please stay away from my Saber."

@Letter Bee

Caster’s eyes went cold as her name was revealed and the tension suddenly rose once again, no skill was needed to determine that the woman was contemplating the odds of her getting away with murdering the master right now.

She made a step closer to the young man, and took another before suddenly stopping as she made his clothes tighter with a string.

Stepping forward in front of Lorenzo, she spoke "Master, please refrain from challenging a possibly hostile Servant yourself, if you would. It is my duty to protect you, not the other way around."

@Randomguy

“Listen to your servant kid, I would go for the head if not for this deal.”

She then diverted her attention to said Servant her scowl only deepened as their eyes met

“Just shut your damn mouth.” She spoke as she concentrated on the senses of her spiders.

Where are they, there!

“There’s two of them, they are near the center of the city.” she reported as she commanded her spiders to keep watch. “Happy?”

[GubGar]

Rider - Jan Sobieski

Location: An abandoned lot in Kyoto
Interacting with: @Letter Bee @Randomguy @GOATPlumber @Digmata

---

This had become quite an eventful first night. Were all Grail Wars this hectic? How vexing that if Jan did have experience in past Grail Wars, he didn't have that experience to draw on. Perhaps that was for the best, though. It meant every time he was summoned was the first time. The Wars could never become dull. But.. well, he had to confess he wasn't much of a fan of this one. For one, it seemed a great many innocents were in severe danger due to the corrupted nature of the grail. And for two..

Well, honestly. He was just kind of uncomfortable with the energy created in this alliance at the moment. Watching the stand off between Saber, her Master, and the newly revealed Arachne- How on earth are people so good at guessing identities..? I recognize her now that he's said the legend, but I'd never have gotten that just from an affinity towards spiders... -Well.. it was very tense. Using the Grail's modern knowledge, Jan was able to compare it to watching an argument occur that you were not involved in, but could not walk away from. Such as when you were a guest in someone's home.

Seeing Saber's master attempt to defend her was rather odd, and clearly the other Servants felt the same. Saber was clearly a powerful warrior, she needed very little protection. But Arachne putting her hands (or strings, rather) on Saber's master felt like it was about to cause things to escalate, non-violent or no. So Jan hurriedly intervenes. He had a few words for Saber's master as well, namely that revealing a Servant's True Name while in an alliance with them was a bit uncouth. But he had no desire to pile on and escalate things.

"Near the center, you say? Wonderful! It seems we have our target, then. Time to get going, I'd say!" Jan declares as he physically interposes himself in the center of the conflict, body blocking both sides from one another as best as he was able. Not moving to defend either, but simply attempting to form a physical wedge to end the stand-off. This.. was actually not new territory for him. While Jan was not politically savvy, he was a friendly enough face that he was able to prevent arguments from escalating. That didn't mean he missed doing it, though.

What was a bit awkward was that while he disapproved of the reveal of their new ally's name, he.. didn't have anything else to refer to her by when speaking to her.

"Ms. Arachne, you said you'd be going with us, then? I notice you do not have a vehicle of your own. You're welcome to catch a ride with me on my steed. She isn't as mighty as the Warhorse I once rode, but I find it quite the charming modern vehicle. Ah, of course if you have your own method of transportation I will take no offense." He was of course referring to his electric scooter. A very non-threatening, unimpressive vehicle. Though Shielder might have been aware that Jan had some ability to allow it to go far faster than it ought to have been, since he saw it briefly in action on the way over. "Either way, we ought to conclude the conversation and make our way over. I doubt our newly revealed foes will be content to wait patiently."