"AKUSEPUTSU NO SABUSUTATUUUTSU!"
To those starting their workday, there was a maniac on what could have been a scooter speeding down the road, enthusiastically shouting the slogan of his delivery service. This was pretty much the best that the Emperor could do. Concealment proper was not an option, so he figured he'd hide in plain sight by being so obnoxious that nobody would WANT to pay attention to him. He was even speaking in heavily-localized "English" rather than natively.
"HAI PURAISEZU ARU UNFORUGIVABAAAARU!"
Shouting more ridiculous slogans at passerby, he continued taking advantage of how few people wanted to put up with this normally, let alone before caffeine hit their system. Norton had packed his unconscious Master into a cardboard box in the alleyway, snapped a bicycle lock with his bare hands, and then loaded her box onboard as if it were his cargo. He lacked the Riding skill properly, but more rudimentary bikes had existed in his time, and it was quite simple for a Servant to correct their balance. Physics also lent a hand: it was easier to balance at high speed.
"ARU AITAMUSU GARANTIIII!"
As for his appearances... well, he'd strategically piled extra, empty, smaller boxes on the bike. Sure, magi would be able to tell how much prana his base nature entailed, but he was hiding most of his appearance, right? This was the diametric opposite to stealth or secrecy. On the other hand, it did genuinely keep lay civilians away!
He probably had a ridiculous number of familiars following him now, after screaming his way across a quarter of Shinto or so, but once he had cleared the city and was heading for the Church, he beelined for the trees to hide.
"I apologize for the rough ride, lass..." Norton sheepishly glanced at the bent and mostly-ruined state he'd left the bike in.
"And I apologize to you, unknown, unwilling patron." He wasn't the Emperor of Japan either, so it couldn't be called impromptu tax collection.
She'd gotten some color back in her cheeks, and she'd peeked up from outside the box once the sound of passerby had abated. As his Master, even if she couldn't read English, the statistics of Berserker, and his Noble Phantasms, had been revealed to her. Norton shoved some of the empty boxes on himself, finding it undignified but prudent. His clothing as a Servant was just too distinctive, even without his noble hat. This way he was at least able to cover up, even if it looked absolutely stupid. What kind of a Hero would do THIS? Well, it wasn't stupid if it worked, he supposed.
Her voice was, despite time having passed and his best efforts to limit his usage of prana, woefully quiet. Her contract with him was itself life-threatening if he did much in the way of exertion. The price of a Berserker. However, what he heard shocked him.
"I- yes, of course. We're almost there. Lass- Master- Lasster! It's still dangerous here."While the Church was neutral ground, the periphery hardly was. Scooping her up in his arms, the Emperor had to weigh the choice of rushing at full speed and risking her further harm, or proceeding slowly to prevent that, yet be far more open to possible ambush. A worst-case scenario, from a tactician's standpoint. But he also had Stirner to consider... So what she suggested then and there was a clear compromise, but also a dangerous wager.
His
Kindly Alms Noble Phantasm was simplistic, even rudimentary. A function that would be automatically executed upon him:
That which is given to Emperor Norton becomes part of his legend. After all, he'd earned his fame mostly due to the people's reception of him, and he'd prospered due to their kind gifts.
But for her to attempt this, there was no telling if it'd work. Could that even count? Would Ruler object, even if it did? Still, her hand was raised up to him, and he froze as she intoned her words.
"I hereby bestow this Command Spell's energy to my Servant for use at his discretion...!"
There was a burning, chilling sensation shared between them both. Ordinarily, something like this might not work, but given the miraculous powers of the Command Spells, this was hardly beyond them. Either way,
Kindly Alms likely played a part in efficiency of transfer.
The Emperor didn't wait, and regardless of his concerns for her, he hurried as quickly as he could for the Church, able to see the road leading to it. His eyes flicked down to the enfeebled girl he held, keenly aware of his track record thus far since being summoned.
It was, fundamentally, gradual release of a Command Spell's enormous supply of prana, rather than all at once, and since it was now seamlessly part of his existence as a Servant, he had the control she'd relinquished over its flow. Whether or not he could use it in full potential as a Command Spell upon himself, he had no idea. Something like this didn't seem far-fetched, but he was wary of potentially wasting a critical asset.
Berserker very nearly barged right through the door, but then halted, politely knocking instead. This was a Church, after all, and he would show proper respect to a house of The Lord.
"Pardon me."@Moonlit Sonata@Beloss@Cu Chulainn@SIGINT
