Fate/MoeMoe Revival (IC)

[Nihilm]

Saber had been walking throughout the Core, analyzing and memorizing as many details as he could, it was one of the many skills he had learned, to assimilate ones surroundings and then to break them down in the easiest way to process. This seems like simple observation but to him he was dragging out the "best" of the area around him.

The bat familiar of his master landed upon a flower like symbol on his armor.
He nodded and made arrangements to meet her at the train station. He then ran. He was fast. He would get there in no time.

His servant to master bond told him something though, she was moving and fast. So she probably got on the train by herself.
No matter, he could just! He leapt and threw himself onto the train with not a problem at all. He then proceeded to lower himself and then walk towards the carriage he could feel his master was in. He saw her and smiled. The sun shone upon him and his hair seemed to glow.

"Good morning, Master." He looked at her hard and clearly. Her actions and the way she carried herself were perfect for her role as a Master and as a esteemed heir.
He had no problems with that. Though he did feel a need to ask, "Master, I am slightly curious. What would you do first should we win?"

Naomi Nefzen
Atlantis core
17.01.2342 Morning

"Good morning Saber, how have you been? Did you find out anything interesting investigating the core?" I answer my servant's question with a question because I needed a moment to think about it.

The train arrived at the Atlantis core and I got off the train with Saber.

The Atlantis core is a whole new thing to behold, unlike the openness of the forest city, the core seemed to be filled with corridors branching off into other corridors heading towards the middle large central area.

I start walking down the closest corridor heading towards the center, immediately I can start feeling the stronger leylines that lie in the core, rather than the weaker ones that spread to the outer ring of Atlantis.

"Saber, I think the first thing I'd do when I win this is take a moment to relax and be grateful that I was free from the expectation set on me to win, then I'd rule as I see fit like a ruler should, doing my best to care for my people, but not bring any radical changes."

[Sakuraba Haru]

She had set an alarm for a six hours sleep, but barely four had passed when Agatha's conscience was abruptly shaken, along with her physical body, causing one or two moments of panic for the Magus before her eyesight adjusted itself enough to be able to make out the flying pink-ish shape that was repeatedly hitting her with its head.


"By the Root (hue) stop it, I'm awake!", she grumbled in annoyance with the hyperactive familiar. Seriously, it was a given that a familiar would have something of its owner but this guy was a flying, smaller Caster with an even weaker understanding of personal space.
Minor concerns aside 'And at my age one shouldn't sleep too much in any case... Caster's news were worrying, although hardly unexpected.
Even more importantly, for all of a number of reasons, Agatha knew their plans for victory hinged upon an early alliance, and a Caster-Berserker duo was the archetypical brains-brawn division of labour.
It all made sense but... "Forget it, Caster. Limit to observation with your familiars, but make so that that they can clearly see you, that way they shouldn't interpret it as hostility. Keep me informed. Agatha."

The first issue of the day put aside, the prim Master finished the elaborate of putting her clothes on and she prepared for her second meeting with the Overseer.

A knocking came upon the door of the room Agatha was sleeping in. Upon opening it she curiously saw that the Overseer was not in fact anywhere close to the door.
"I hope you had a good rest, sleep is a small miracle. I'm sure you must have enjoyed the luxury of our beds, they are of the finest quality I assure you, but you already know that."
He smiled. He seemed proud of what Atlantis had to offer and it seemed very genuine, on the surface at the very least.
But even if it was only surface thin he seemed to shine with grace and joy when he talked of the land he ruled over he seemed to be a calm and loving ruler.
"If you are the one to replace me, Master of Caster then I do hope you will continue to rule with the best interests of Atlantis at stake. If that is not within your plans well, I do disagree but your victory and hardships will determine if your beliefs are strong. I will say this to all Masters but I truly mean it, good luck. Is there anything you wish to ask of me?"

Naomi Nefzen
Atlantis core
17.01.2342 Morning

"Good morning Saber, how have you been? Did you find out anything interesting investigating the core?" I answer my servant's question with a question because I needed a moment to think about it.

The Atlantis core is a whole new thing to behold, unlike the openness of the forest city, the core seemed to be filled with corridors branching off into other corridors heading towards the middle large central area.

I start walking down the closest corridor heading towards the center, immediately I can start feeling the stronger leylines that lie in the core, rather than the weaker ones that spread to the outer ring of Atlantis.

"Saber, I think the first thing I'd do when I win this is take a moment to relax and be grateful that I was free from the expectation set on me to win, then I'd rule as I see fit like a ruler should, doing my best to care for my people, but not bring any radical changes."

Saber made a small smile, but in that smile there was a warmth that felt like a gentle but powerful embrace.
Answering a question with another question. Smart girl.

"Ah I just got a feel for the place. The whole core is... breathtakingly beautiful. And I can feel it here, everything about this place is rather relaxing to me as a Servant. Though to be honest I don't particularly like the sound of trains because they remind me of something, just a little bit."

Saber listened to his Masters plans and made a light nod but then looked her directly in the eyes, not with aggression but still there seemed to be a hint of... challenge.

"So for the most part you'll keep the status quo? You've shown the signs of a good leader though so if you continue as you are they won't be any major problems. However even changing small things can be seen as radical to others and can be met with distaste, hate and even rebellion. Doing your best to care for people may be dependent on your own morals and some people won't agree with that and people change their beliefs over time. I do have high hopes for you Master. I've only known you a little while but I believe in you. Let's win."

[KitsuneKo]

She had set an alarm for a six hours sleep, but barely four had passed when Agatha's conscience was abruptly shaken, along with her physical body, causing one or two moments of panic for the Magus before her eyesight adjusted itself enough to be able to make out the flying pink-ish shape that was repeatedly hitting her with its head.


"By the Root (hue) stop it, I'm awake!", she grumbled in annoyance with the hyperactive familiar. Seriously, it was a given that a familiar would have something of its owner but this guy was a flying, smaller Caster with an even weaker understanding of personal space.
Minor concerns aside 'And at my age one shouldn't sleep too much in any case... Caster's news were worrying, although hardly unexpected.
Even more importantly, for all of a number of reasons, Agatha knew their plans for victory hinged upon an early alliance, and a Caster-Berserker duo was the archetypical brains-brawn division of labour.
It all made sense but... "Forget it, Caster. Limit to observation with your familiars, but make so that that they can clearly see you, that way they shouldn't interpret it as hostility. Keep me informed. Agatha."

The first issue of the day put aside, the prim Master finished the elaborate of putting her clothes on and she prepared for her second meeting with the Overseer.

Island City

Caster received her Master's order by the familiar as she had just finished concocting another high ranking potion. Continue monitoring the duo, allow them to see you, but do not make any alliances with them. Report to Agatha in case of any updates. Caster didn't really understand her Master's decision, but she wasn't going to disobey either, although she was under no obligation to follow any orders to the letter. If anything, were Caster's better judgement to tell her to do otherwise, she would do so like that. Then again, although Caster was swooned over by Berserker's dashing good looks and couldn't even control her attraction to him, she very much didn't like the Servant on the inside. She left her Temple and levitated herself onto the roof of the City's most visible tower, took a seat and crossed her legs, fashioning a makeshift throne by molding the elements around her. She glanced at Berserker and his Master from the position, and waved some familiars around her to fly around the pair as vultures would fly around a dying gazelle. Caster's eyes were full of haughtiness, but they displayed no malice or anything of the sort. At least, not yet.

***

Berserker noticed Caster almost immediately, and her swarming familiars in particular bothered him. At the core, he wanted to wipe them out with one grand swing and destroy the tower that Caster sat atop, just so that she would face them on the same ground. Although his reasoning was gone, he was still bound by the Overseer's contract to not fight until the week was over. Then again, destroying a tower or two couldn't be counted towards fighting a Servant, could it? He couldn't reason out himself the best course of action in this situation, but this is why it was good to have a Master, right?

"Master, Caster's behaviour is an affront to the beauty that I've presented to her. I really really don't like her. May I have your permission to destroy that horrendously put together contraption on which she sits upon? It's not technically fighting her at this point, is it? Grr...." While Berserker's speech was completely normal and even pleasant sounding, the animalistic sound he made after would frighten even a lion.

Hlaðguðr Merkwürdigliebe
2342 – January 17 – Morning
Snow City

Hlaðguðr woke to the tap of spatula on aluminum pan and the soft bubble of eggs. 7:15 on the battered watch. She rolled her shoulders, greeted - "Mornin, 'sassin" - and hopped outside, picking up a double handful of snow, and plunging her face in.

Dirt from a good week's worth of traveling fell away with the harsh scrape of snow like a thousand tiny claws. She scrubbed until the snow in her hands was crushed flat, and then repeated the process, scouring her forearms and hands. Better than a shower, she thought as she stood shivering in the first purple specks of morning sky. Laughing, she quickly made a snowball and nailed a tree branch.

Her hands and face glowed red from the cold. She put on a new shirt - one of the few she'd packed - and sat down to breakfast, holding her dented steel bowl filled with eggs as she perched on the edge of the bed. There'd been only one bowl in the pack, and Assassin had a small hunk of sourdough with some of her own eggs spread on top; she was curled up next to the fireplace, back to the stone. They ate in silence.

"Where'dy get the eggs?" asked Hlaðguðr after she'd finished. "They taste quality." Certainly, she hadn't tried to bring any fresh eggs with her. Bringing out a chalk, she began to sketch an outline of the city on the floor of the cabin.

"They were well preserved in some of the storehouses in Snow City, Master," Assassin responded objectively. "I've gained a lot of information yesterday night. Perhaps you'd like for me to link the knowledge to you through my Servant link, yes? It would help out the details on your map, after all." Although Assassin got some basic scouting done, she didn't have any specific details on the opponents. At least, not yet. "I have not yet utilized that, but I'd like to ask tonight which Servants you'd like the most details on. Anybody who I use that on will more than likely decide for us to be their enemies for the entire course of the war, then and there. Nobody likes the have their souls peered into, after all," Assassin giggled a bit.

Elliot Bellamy
Atlantis - Desert City
2342 - January 17 - Morning

The first thing Elliot noticed when he woke up, aside from the lack of Rider’s in his, was that he was already a day behind his schedule. He initially planned to go to the core, and from there, make respective visits to the six other masters, in hopes of eventually forging an alliance. Somehow. But hey, if there are six masters, at least one of them would want an ally, right?

Unless the six already formed their pairs, leaving Ellie by himself. Which is probably exactly what was happening right now, he thought to himself.

He cleared his mind of panic, or at least he attempted to. He had to make the most of his situation, and so he had to lay out a foundation to work with. He took a pile of sand from the ground, and started to mold it in his hands.

One: He was located near a powerful leyline. Multiple powerful leylines, and he knew their locations.

His miniature sand sculpture took the shape of a tiny blob, with stubby little arms and stubby little legs. For good measure, he gave it a little smiley face, with mismatched pebbles for eyes and a triangular indent for a mouth.

Two: This place was made of sand. Tons of sand. While Ellie was at most a mediocre magus at best, this was to his advantage. Coupled with the massive amount of mana at his disposal and all this sand, he could turn this city into a fortress. Figuratively. And yet…

By now, he had a few little sculptures formed, standing in line like toy soldiers. He took his ceremonial knife and pricked his finger, and one-by-one dabbled drops of blood on their blobby little heads.

Three: Every self-preservation instinct, every nerve of his body, all of it screamed at him to flee this city, to leave and never return. There was something here he did not want to meet.

With his assembly of tiny golems finished, he activated them, and sent them on their way. They marched like toy soldiers, and set out to scout the city and mark locations for him to return to later, after forging alliances. For now, he had to find Rider, and maybe ask for her advice. This city was perfect for him and his craft, a place he could turn into a veritable stronghold. And yet, there was something wrong with this city, its abandoned streets, its ruined buildings…

He stood up. There was no time. It was time to find Rider and move out. Maybe.

An autonomous clay model walked past Rider awkwardly. Normally, Rider would smile, laugh, and tease Ellie because she thought it was cute, but in the circumstance that she was in, she couldn't find herself to do just that.

Crack. Something was wrong. It wasn't something near her, but in the distance something had just cracked.

Move. She could sense that her Master was also becoming anxious. She needed to hurry up and reunite with her Master. Though he knew something was wrong with this city, he didn't know exactly what it was. Not to the degree that Rider had come to understand, at least.

Crack. A louder, nearby cackling sound. There shouldn't be anyone else in Desert City, and yet...

Move. Though Rider didn't believe in the notions of good and evil, the city gave an aura that even she would describe as vehemetly sick and wicked. The streets did not give her a single piece of physical evidence of anything suspicious, but the mana traces in the air felt plain wrong. As if it came from another world.

Ahhh... A sound. It sounded like groaning. It was quiet; no normal human should have heard it. But in the silence of the town, Rider could hear it. There was no life in this city, Rider could confirm that. So why?

Move. Move. Move. Rider suddenly remembered that there was some sort of interference with her exploration. She remembered that she attempted to access the key leyline in this city, which was far stronger than what they had in Plains City, but that when she did, her mind would go into a spiral, and maintaining her consciousness became difficult. She had forgotten each attempt to reach that leyline until now, but her senses have recovered out of the pressure and sheer nervousness that she had felt.

Crack.

Taiheiyou Shoko
Jungle



"Oh, that's a clever idea. Thank you, Lancer."

Well, that was true, so there was no need to be rude or anything. Honestly, she wished she had thought of it herself. Twirling her knives around in her hands, Shoko thought about what else she could do, but then again, the first week had banned all hostile action. She was now currently out of her element, so she reached over to the table and grabbed old fashioned cartographer's maps and a pen. She wasn't a particularly good artist, but she figured her mapping skills were up to snuff, despite never being in a situation where she particularly needed it.

Of course, she also needed to pack. She could just view this as a wonderful hiking experience towards all sorts of terrain. Thus, she would need to pack for everything. Looking around for supplies and her bag, she suddenly stopped and turn to Lancer, a slight twinkle in her eye.

"Since you don't need to eat, I'll go around and get food for myself and other supplies before I embark. You can continue merrily on, alright?"

Mountain City
Since yesterday, Lancer and Shoko had parted ways. Lancer was moving to their rendezvous location at a much faster pace than Shoko was, but it was to be expected of a Servant. That was the one great thing about being a Servant, Lancer thought. Though, there were plenty of supplies in Jungle City, so aside from the mobility issues that was probably the only benefit he was going to get being a Servant instead of a human.

Lancer was moving at a decent pace scouting out the different cities. He had come to understand the Forest and Mountain cities, but he wasn't able to catch any glimpse of the Servant of the Forest. He did come to see that the Servant in Mountain was utilizing her familiars to scout instead of doing it personally. Likely Caster, unconfirmed... He knew, at the very least, that he would be able to meet a Servant. His Master was moving at a slower pace than him, what with her need for rest and sustenance. It gave him time to pay the Servant of the mountain a little visit...

He followed the Shikigami trail to the main castle of Mountain City, where he could clearly sense a Servant and Master pair. Well, no need to be rude or anything. It was just going to be a greeting, after all. He walked to the gate and clicked on the doorbell, announcing to the speaker that he was Lancer, and that he wished to see the masters of the estate.

[Ayakashi]

Day 2
January 17th, Morning
Mountain City
Kyoko Suzuki

Despite managing to sleep last night, his sleep had been anything but peaceful. Archer's words continued to echo in his head, and it was hard to relax himself. He knew, however, that as scared as he was, Archer much be scared too. The heavenly maiden who had smiled, and tried her best to reassure him, she was someone who worried about his fate even more than Kyoko did himself. He breathed, trying to calm himself, replaying the messages from last night as he tried to consider what they should do. Stretching as he yawned a bit, he tried to think if there was anything he could do. He was weak, and no doubt it was due to being partnered with him that Archer might lose. As he got out of the bed he walked out, trying to remind himself of what he had thought of before he went to bed last night.

The doors slid apart, and a somewhat disheveled Kyoko emerged from his room. The boy, even when he had just awoken, had about nothing in common with boys when it came to his physique. His shoulder length straight hair that was colored in a charming pink color and his sleek, effeminate body with such a pale and soft skin covering it all meshed with the sleeping kimono that Kyoko wore, making him girlier than ever...

…not that Archer had a problem with it, seeing her own background. In the end, both came from settings where such a thing could be considered absolutely natural.

“Good morning Master. I hope that you've slept well,” Archer said with her characteristic soft-spoken voice, all while giving a respectful bow to Kyoko. One could think that she was unnaturally well mannered and servile for a person of royalty, but then, if one reasoned of how observing she could be, it was possible to come to the conclusion that she might've just been emulating what others did to her in her life.

"Umm... Archer?" He spoke in a soft tone, though he knew Archer was aware of him. "I was thinking... you're a Heroic Spirit. You've done a lot in your life, and I've only done a little." He looked down, feeling his nerve fading as he tried to express himself. "I... I'm not really very good. And I don't want to burden you. So I was thinking... maybe... maybe you could help me with training?" He spoke hurriedly now, trying to get all of it out, feeling a bit scared. "I mean, I know I can't do anything like you do, but maybe if I'm a little better, we could... we could... avoid what it said." He tried to hold his head up, unable to look Archer in the eyes. He was scared. Not just of what Archer might say, but also of his own fears. He didn't want to let Archer down anymore than he already had. Archer was going into a war where he was nothing but a liability. Archer said it was alright if he just wanted to be good... but he knew that wasn't the case. He had to get better. If he could learn to manage his magic better, he might be able to do something, anything, that might change the outcome.

Archer was about to offer to bring her Master some snacks and tea once he had greeted her back, yet he was already bringing up such important matters. The Servant figured that he had spent the entire night thinking about the divination's message, which caused her much chagrin.

Not that she'd let it show though.

“Master, you should not burden yourself with such worries after having awakened. Please, I can see that your mind has been allowed little rest during the night; if you could at least do me the favor of having breakfast and trying to relax.”

Archer refrained from adding in bluntness and telling him that it would amount to little for her to train him. Not only wasn't she even a human, but the way she used magecraft was by far above and beyond what anyone of this era could wish to achieve. If both the architecture and foundation were different, how was there any hope of transferring but an ounce of knowledge to Kyoko?

Current Magecraft didn't even make sense to her... and calling Magecraft or Sorcery what she once did in the past wasn't even something close to the truth. Magecraft, whatever it is, happens to be 'payment' towards Gaia so that the planet allows one to perform the supernatural – Archer didn't even have to pay in the first place.

Well, now she did, but the entire system she used was so convoluted it didn't even make sense to her. The Grail that summoned Servants certainly was something impressive to make up for such discrepancies...

…Archer had to wonder why she was even bothering herself about all this. As much as she trained Kyoko, they weren't going to do any drastic change to their fate no matter the improvement that Kyoko had. Even if they did have one week before the fighting began, or rather, six days now, there was no certitude that Kyoko wasn't potentially target of:

'An anchor might be swept away by the cruel tides before the curtain even rises.'

If that was the case though, that contradicted with 'Felled by one of two foes, you probably will be.' Two Servants posed a threat to Archer, but who were they? One Master could vanish before the fighting even began, yet the prophecy didn't say who.

The other part of the divination as well... was it linked to this ominous desert that her Inugami had scouted out? There were seven Masters after all, represented by seven territories in which each of them started. What was this last one in truth? A relic of the past? A no-man's land where people would fight for domination? If that was the case, then it gave an unfair advantage to the Plains and Snowy area's Masters – would it make such sense for an ideally 'fair' game?

What Archer had thought of for the entire evening came back to haunt her again, with the woman not having found a single clear answer to one of these questions... let alone to the last part of the Divination.

'The mistaken will cull each other until it is too late to turn back--'
'...'

If Kyoko was answering, he could see that Archer was listening, but also, that something else was weighing heavily on her mind too. How she could take her Master's words to heart while at the same time thinking so deeply, some could really ask themselves.

There was a time to think, and there was a time to act though. Archer had been thinking too much, clearly:

Mountain City
Lancer was moving at a decent pace scouting out the different cities. He had come to understand the Forest and Mountain cities, but he wasn't able to catch any glimpse of the Servant of the Forest. He did come to see that the Servant in Mountain was utilizing her familiars to scout instead of doing it personally. Likely Caster, unconfirmed... He knew, at the very least, that he would be able to meet Archer. His Master was moving at a slower pace than him, what with her need for rest and sustenance. It gave him time to pay Archer a little visit...

He followed the Shikigami trail to the main castle of Mountain City, where he could clearly sense a Servant and Master pair. Well, no need to be rude or anything. It was just going to be a greeting, after all. He walked to the gate and clicked on the doorbell, announcing to the speaker that he was Lancer, and that he wished to see the masters of the estate.

'Lancer is here?!'

Without needing a word or movement, as if answering to Archer's mere will, one of the shikigami that Archer had summoned the day before materialized next to her. The golden kitsune appeared with her smile ever so present, one much different from Archer's. It was not kind and comforting – rather, it had an eerie playfulness to it; could it be silently ridiculing others?

As expected as a Fox Spirit, or should we say, a curse emulating a Fox Spirit.

“Shall your dear Kuzunoha go greet this early bird My Lady?”

The fox already knew the answer, but a matter of courtesy was an important matter, at least to her.

Archer needed not to reply. She did a small gesture with her hand, and in a flash, the Fox vanished, having dematerialized and being on her way to the palace's gates.

Now once again alone with Kyoko, Archer sought to know what her Master wished for – there was no reason to refuse Lancer an audience with Kyoko and her, but the possible futures that had been laid down before Archer's and Kyoko's paths didn't make this choice feel very safe, even when there was a contract that should theoretically prevent all Servants from engaging in combat during the grace period.

As Archer opened her mouth, this thought echoed one more time in her head, reminding her that Lancer was could be anything from a future ally to a murderer, to the very one that in one of these future possibilities could put an end to her life.

“Master, what is it that you wish to do?”

As befitting of Archer, all her panic and all her worries were stashed away under control in some corner of her mind. The face that she presented to her Master, was always the one of a gentle and fair maiden, always in control, always under the perfect composure.

---

Mountain City
Palace, Ground Floor Gates

The large reinforced wooden doors that acted as gates giving unto the Main Hall slowly slid open, and from behind them, welcoming Lancer with a respectful bow, was this mysterious girl in a shrine maiden's outfit. She was no ordinary shrine maiden though, since she had long blonde hair and golden tails flaring from behind her - if Lancer knew anything about Japanese Myths, then he'd identify her immediately as a Kitsune. She didn't feel like a Servant at all, in fact, he might've seen her before acting as one of the Shikigami that were scouting for their Master.

"Welcome to the palace of Mountain City. I, Kuzunoha, shall be accompanying you while my liege and her Master ready themselves to see you~"

She had a smile on her lips, but it wasn't necessarily one that Lancer would appreciate. It had traits of condescending behavior in it, but even then... there was undeniably a certain form of sweetness to it. This contradiction, while lovely for some, was quite spooky, or even, disgusting for other people.

The kitsune motioned Lancer to come in, leading the Servant towards one of the vast empty guest rooms.... which Kyouko had conveniently tidied up on the day before. To get there, the duo had of course to walk up quite a few steps, as said guest room was in the middle floors of the tower-palace. If Lancer was of the impatient kind, the walk up might've been inconvenient and unpleasant to him. Of course, Kuzunoha, the kitsune, totally did forget that there had been a lift that had been added for convenience's sake to the building.

"Would you like some tea and snacks?" she asked the Servant, even though she knew that Servants didn't really need to eat.

[Nihilm]

Saber made a small smile, but in that smile there was a warmth that felt like a gentle but powerful embrace.
Answering a question with another question. Smart girl.

"Ah I just got a feel for the place. The whole core is... breathtakingly beautiful. And I can feel it here, everything about this place is rather relaxing to me as a Servant. Though to be honest I don't particularly like the sound of trains because they remind me of something, just a little bit."

Saber listened to his Masters plans and made a light nod but then looked her directly in the eyes, not with aggression but still there seemed to be a hint of... challenge.

"So for the most part you'll keep the status quo? You've shown the signs of a good leader though so if you continue as you are they won't be any major problems. However even changing small things can be seen as radical to others and can be met with distaste, hate and even rebellion. Doing your best to care for people may be dependent on your own morals and some people won't agree with that and people change their beliefs over time. I do have high hopes for you Master. I've only known you a little while but I believe in you. Let's win."

Naomi Nefzen
Atlantis core
17.01.2342 Morning
Day 2

“If any of the small changes I think should be made inspire any kind of radical behavior against me then the radicals will simply have to be dealt with. I would of course go the diplomatic route first, but I am not shy to use my power if I deem it necessary, but of course you are right after all you have more experience in leading than I do, but yes let us win this competition and show everyone that I deserve to lead this world.”

As we walk toward the center of Atlantis I tell Saber that we should probably go meet the overseer, the winner of the last war. Perhaps there will be something to be learned from him and there is always a chance we will run into some of our competition.

“I wonder what our competitors are like, did you happen to see anyone when you were scouting alone?”

[Sakuraba Haru]

Naomi Nefzen
Atlantis core
17.01.2342 Morning
Day 2

“If any of the small changes I think should be made inspire any kind of radical behavior against me then the radicals will simply have to be dealt with. I would of course go the diplomatic route first, but I am not shy to use my power if I deem it necessary, but of course you are right after all you have more experience in leading than I do, but yes let us win this competition and show everyone that I deserve to lead this world.”

As we walk toward the center of Atlantis I tell Saber that we should probably go meet the overseer, the winner of the last war. Perhaps there will be something to be learned from him and there is always a chance we will run into some of our competition.

“I wonder what our competitors are like, did you happen to see anyone when you were scouting alone?”

"Ah, well if you're going to go things that way I won't worry about you much, your decisions will be yours... but if you need my help I'll be there, Master.
As or your other question, I didn't see anyone, but I can feel them. One other Master is near the Overseer if you can't sense that yourself.
There's no issue with talking to them if you want... but Master they are not your competitors. They are your enemies. You're going to be... for the lack of a better word killing them."

His gaze burned into Naomi. It felt like the harsh stare of a parent to a child. "It's fine to enjoy this. Nothing is wrong with that and people have different ways of dealing with "guilt", but remember this is a war. If you want to rule and show this world your heart then they are your enemies. Not your competitors or your friends. You can respect and love them but they will always be your enemies."

[Caster]

Day 2
January 17th, Morning
Mountain City
Kyoko Suzuki

Kyoko had expected that Archer would tell him to try and relax. After all, there was little that Kyoko could do to change their situation. Even if he spent his every waking moment training, there was a limit to the potential for magecraft in this day and age. More importantly, there was a limit to how far Kyoko could go in that field as well. Kyoko's shoulders slumped as he considered his position, and decided that he wouldn't push himself onto Archer. If Archer decided there was anything she could teach him, then that would be how it works. And if not, Kyoko would just have to hope that whatever feeble training he undertook would be enough to make a difference. The divination wasn't the same as a prophecy after all. And even if it was... Archer wasn't known for beating fate, but that didn't mean she was forced to follow fate no matter what. So long as he could avoid slowing her down, he had faith she could manage to succeed. There were so many things that could happen though, and it made Kyoko start to worry all over again. It was hard to keep himself from panicking, and his fears were realized as he heard what Archer had to say next.

Lancer, one of the three Knight class Servants, here at their doorstep. Nothing he had considered could have prepared him for this. Kyoko started to sweat, as he tried to clear his head and focus. Lancer was here. Someone was supposed to die before the war even started. Was it himself? Had Lancer came to attack them? Kyoko shook his head, realizing that if he had Lancer would be in their room, not waiting in their lobby. So that wasn't why he was there. But why? Why would someone announce themselves so openly, for a formal meeting. It didn't sound like Lancer's Master was there. And what if this was one of the enemies he had to be weary of? But if they didn't team up then they would all lose to whatever the mysterious force was. Taking a deep breath, Kyoko tried to compose himself. He knew Archer was worried, and was probably thinking the same things. Whatever happened, he would try and be worthy of the trust Archer had placed in him. Kyoko tried to sound more sure than he actually felt as he answered Archer. "I... umm... I think we should meet him. If he already knows where we are we can at least find out what he wants." He knew he didn't really sound certain, but he hoped it was enough to take care of any concern Archer may have. He didn't want her to worry about him more than she already was.

[Kirby]

An autonomous clay model walked past Rider awkwardly. Normally, Rider would smile, laugh, and tease Ellie because she thought it was cute, but in the circumstance that she was in, she couldn't find herself to do just that.

Crack. Something was wrong. It wasn't something near her, but in the distance something had just cracked.

Move. She could sense that her Master was also becoming anxious. She needed to hurry up and reunite with her Master. Though he knew something was wrong with this city, he didn't know exactly what it was. Not to the degree that Rider had come to understand, at least.

Crack. A louder, nearby cackling sound. There shouldn't be anyone else in Desert City, and yet...

Move. Though Rider didn't believe in the notions of good and evil, the city gave an aura that even she would describe as vehemetly sick and wicked. The streets did not give her a single piece of physical evidence of anything suspicious, but the mana traces in the air felt plain wrong. As if it came from another world.

Ahhh... A sound. It sounded like groaning. It was quiet; no normal human should have heard it. But in the silence of the town, Rider could hear it. There was no life in this city, Rider could confirm that. So why?

Move. Move. Move. Rider suddenly remembered that there was some sort of interference with her exploration. She remembered that she attempted to access the key leyline in this city, which was far stronger than what they had in Plains City, but that when she did, her mind would go into a spiral, and maintaining her consciousness became difficult. She had forgotten each attempt to reach that leyline until now, but her senses have recovered out of the pressure and sheer nervousness that she had felt.

Crack.

Elliot Bellamy
Atlantis - Desert City
2342 - January 17 - Morning

He could hear it, feel it. Something in the distance. Cracking noises, from the city’s heart, shakings in its foundations. There was something in the heart of the city. By all means, he should’ve been anxious, terrified even. And yet, he couldn’t feel it.

Crack.

He was morbidly curious, unnaturally so. Every bit of his psyche that cared about self-preservation wanted to run, to leave, to go home, and yet something inside him defied that. He had to see this, whatever "this" was. He didn’t know why. So he pressed onward.

Crack.

He could sense Rider in the distance, and yet somehow he didn’t care. Originally, he was going to go to her, form a plan, yet now he couldn’t think of anything except that presence in the distance. Slowly, he plodded along, moving towards the heart of the city. He sent all of his familiars forward, and tried to connect his sight to theirs. From the corner of his eye, he started to notice some of their connections severing.

Crack.

He could hear Rider’s yelling, the rumbling of horses in the distance, the swarming of his familiars, and the cracking of the earth in the city’s core. He couldn’t bring himself to look. He couldn’t bring himself to focus. He slowly plodded along, in a trance-like state, towards the heart of the city, where the rumbling increased in intensity.

Crack.

He had to see this.

[Bloble]

Island City

"Master, Caster's behaviour is an affront to the beauty that I've presented to her. I really really don't like her. May I have your permission to destroy that horrendously put together contraption on which she sits upon? It's not technically fighting her at this point, is it? Grr...."

"...I agree," Anastasia said. The sea air had done wonders for her sinuses, even if the city itself was little more than a blight upon the lake that bore it. Her headache was gone, and Berserker didn't seem nearly as annoying as he had the previous day. All in all, she was feeling mostly happy about the situation, though with no little amount of vexation concerning the issue of Caster and her absent Master. "Yes, you're absolutely right. There's no need to fight at this stage. But... destroying someone's city, someone's temple, someone's pride... well, that's not fighting at all. It's simply renovation. This duo has been too presumptuous. The first thing they should've done was greet us with the respect we deserve, but instead we get a cold welcome. That won't do. That won't do at all."

The girl grinned. For once, her feelings and Berserker's were fully in sync. Anna didn't care about the mana expenditure or how cross the Overseer would be. She just wanted to see her Servant destroy something, and that something happened to be the throne Caster had built, along with the whole building she'd erected it on.

"Berserker," she commanded, unable to hide the hint of anticipation in her voice. "Go and have some fun."

[SeiKeo]

Hlaðguðr Merkwürdigliebe
Atlantis Metropolis – The Pacific
17.01.2342 – Morning

"They were well preserved in some of the storehouses in Snow City, Master," Assassin responded objectively. "I've gained a lot of information yesterday night. Perhaps you'd like for me to link the knowledge to you through my Servant link, yes? It would help out the details on your map, after all." Although Assassin got some basic scouting done, she didn't have any specific details on the opponents. At least, not yet. "I have not yet utilized that, but I'd like to ask tonight which Servants you'd like the most details on. Anybody who I use that on will more than likely decide for us to be their enemies for the entire course of the war, then and there. Nobody likes the have their souls peered into, after all," Assassin giggled a bit.

"Yeah, uh, that'll work." Hlaðguðr drew out the locations anyways. Seeing was believing. "Let'smmmsay... highest priority is Saber, Caster, and Archer. The big boys. N'vryone should be worried about the first two, should be easy to team up with someone else and get them over a barrel if we have the info."

She was packing up for the day, throwing her mostly empty bag over her shoulder - a knife and gun stayed hidden behind her back. "S'first order, gonna go check out the appointed apartment and see what's left there. I'm thinking just taking the public transport in? Less obvious. Stay within a second's distance but otherwise check out whatever's interesting to you, no use tying down eyes."

[Nihilm]

"Ah, well if you're going to go things that way I won't worry about you much, your decisions will be yours... but if you need my help I'll be there, Master.
As or your other question, I didn't see anyone, but I can feel them. One other Master is near the Overseer if you can't sense that yourself.
There's no issue with talking to them if you want... but Master they are not your competitors. They are your enemies. You're going to be... for the lack of a better word killing them."

His gaze burned into Naomi. It felt like the harsh stare of a parent to a child. "It's fine to enjoy this. Nothing is wrong with that and people have different ways of dealing with "guilt", but remember this is a war. If you want to rule and show this world your heart then they are your enemies. Not your competitors or your friends. You can respect and love them but they will always be your enemies."

Naomi Nefzen
Atlantis core
17.01.2342 Morning
Day 2


We start moving towards the center of Atlantis towards the overseer and the first master we have detected so far, while continuing our conversation.

"Have no fear Saber, I fully understand that all of our enemies as you put it will also be killed, some as our victims. That's just how these things go, but I don't think it's unfair to give them some respect and at least imply that they are worthy to give us competition. Do you think I'm wrong to have respect for the people I'm going to be fighting without having even met them yet?"

Atlantis was like something I had never seen before, there were various computer terminals all along the walls of the halls and if you looked outside the massive hallways it looked like the greatest thing humanity had ever created with technology and magic. All that came to mind for me was that this makes for a fitting fortress for me to rule from.

[KitsuneKo]

Mountain City
Palace, Ground Floor Gates

The large reinforced wooden doors that acted as gates giving unto the Main Hall slowly slid open, and from behind them, welcoming Lancer with a respectful bow, was this mysterious girl in a shrine maiden's outfit. She was no ordinary shrine maiden though, since she had long blonde hair and golden tails flaring from behind her - if Lancer knew anything about Japanese Myths, then he'd identify her immediately as a Kitsune. She didn't feel like a Servant at all, in fact, he might've seen her before acting as one of the Shikigami that were scouting for their Master.

"Welcome to the palace of Mountain City. I, Kuzunoha, shall be accompanying you while my liege and her Master ready themselves to see you~"

She had a smile on her lips, but it wasn't necessarily one that Lancer would appreciate. It had traits of condescending behavior in it, but even then... there was undeniably a certain form of sweetness to it. This contradiction, while lovely for some, was quite spooky, or even, disgusting for other people.

The kitsune motioned Lancer to come in, leading the Servant towards one of the vast empty guest rooms.... which Kyouko had conveniently tidied up on the day before. To get there, the duo had of course to walk up quite a few steps, as said guest room was in the middle floors of the tower-palace. If Lancer was of the impatient kind, the walk up might've been inconvenient and unpleasant to him. Of course, Kuzunoha, the kitsune, totally did forget that there had been a lift that had been added for convenience's sake to the building.

"Would you like some tea and snacks?" she asked the Servant, even though she knew that Servants didn't really need to eat.

"That's fine, thank you," Lancer responded to the shikigami politely. That the Master of this castle would go so far to give personas to expendable familiars... Interesting. Lancer kept a pleasant smile on his face as he walked through the manor. Truth is, he could scale and infiltrate the facility, no matter how high the walls or how complex the mazes, in a matter of seconds, but he decided to maintain his courtesy. It wouldn't do to reveal the extent of his agility, after all...

"You are a Servant's Master's familiar, correct?" Lancer asked the fox. It was impressive work, this shikigami. No doubt for a Master to create something like this, the Master would need to be some kind of genius. But if it was in fact the Servant... Lancer decided to change the subject. "Regardless, it's a nice place you have here. Shall we make haste? I don't want to keep your Master for longer than I need to, after all. The days when we become enemies draw ever so near."

Elliot Bellamy
Atlantis - Desert City
2342 - January 17 - Morning

He could hear it, feel it. Something in the distance. Cracking noises, from the city’s heart, shakings in its foundations. There was something in the heart of the city. By all means, he should’ve been anxious, terrified even. And yet, he couldn’t feel it.

Crack.

He was morbidly curious, unnaturally so. Every bit of his psyche that cared about self-preservation wanted to run, to leave, to go home, and yet something inside him defied that. He had to see this, whatever "this" was. He didn’t know why. So he pressed onward.

Crack.

He could sense Rider in the distance, and yet somehow he didn’t care. Originally, he was going to go to her, form a plan, yet now he couldn’t think of anything except that presence in the distance. Slowly, he plodded along, moving towards the heart of the city. He sent all of his familiars forward, and tried to connect his sight to theirs. From the corner of his eye, he started to notice some of their connections severing.

Crack.

He could hear Rider’s yelling, the rumbling of horses in the distance, the swarming of his familiars, and the cracking of the earth in the city’s core. He couldn’t bring himself to look. He couldn’t bring himself to focus. He slowly plodded along, in a trance-like state, towards the heart of the city, where the rumbling increased in intensity.

Crack.

He had to see this.

Come.

There was an unfamiliar voice in Ellie's head.

Come.

It had a haunting intonation with it. Ellie could feel that it wasn't just his head. There was something around him as well. Something he couldn't see, but he could feel it.

Come to me if you seek the truth.

Ellie wasn't sure if he was understanding what he was being told. He could understand the words, yes, but his mind had gone into a trance where these words have all lose their meaning. Around him, he can see traces of one of his golems. Just how did it break? I wonder...

I offer you a chance to join me at the spiral... The root of all...

Ellie had come to realize that it wasn't that he couldn't see what was around him. It was that what had surrounded him was nothing itself... The absence of light... Darkness had engulfed his surroundings, and everything had turned bleak. Everything except the path ahead...

I will give you the answers to all the questions in the universe. I ask that you accept...

"Ellie!" Rider screamed with so much spirit that it broke through Ellie's trance into his head. There was no time. This place was far too dangerous. Only Ellie's head was still visible now, as the rest of his body had become veiled in a black cloak. If she had delayed even one more second...

Why did it come to this? Looks like I have no choice now but to do this...

Rider took a dignified stance, and readied her ornate Scythe with both of her hands. No choice now... I'm sorry, Master. The very environment around her had began altering, and the air had begun spinning. Finally, Rider spoke, with a voice so great that it could command the very heavens. "I am the Reaper of history, the author of the truth. Through my power, the world has become the sequel to my book. Now, thine darkness seeks to smear the pages, and for that I will not allow. Wo shi Cao Cao, Sanguo Zuochujia! Gaixie!" Rider swung her Scythe in a grand arc. A white dimensional rift was born from the slash, and expanded at the pace of a gluttonous black hole as it swallowed the nothingness engulfing Rider's Master. The air of the entire city had become a chaotic swirl of energy, and it looked as if the world was being altered. No, the very fabric of reality was being rewritten. The dimensional rift had swallowed every bit of the reality in the area, and no buildings or clouds could be seen in the vicinity. The blue sky had turned into an empty white, and the city itself became an empty page. Endless white. But Rider still stood there, as with her Master. Her entire Master, without a spec of the darkness around him. Everything had been deleted, to be rewritten another day. Rider broke the silence, and spoke at her lucky Master. "You idiot."

It was then that the white abruptly broke like glass, and reality had returned. But this time, there was not a shadow in sight. No voice in Ellie's head. The golems were repaired, and continued to make their way to the sections of the city. The same city had returned, but this time with nary a presence nor pressure. "We need to leave, now. I rewrote reality to expel these shadows, but whoever it belonged to is persistent. It's as if it's not a part of this world either, and I simply lifted the anchor. And it's not happy. It's trying to re establish its control of the inner city, and it's doing it at an astounding pace. Rider reached our right her arm beside her, and a spellmark appeared in the air. A great red horse came into existence from the mark, walking gallantly from the gateway into the foray. Rider then reached the same arm toward her Master, who was on his knees, and spoke. "This is Red Hare. A prize among prized horses. Come, we have no time. In about an hour, the evil that is hiding in this city will return at full power. But this time it's going to be really pissed off."

The relaying of the orders to Caster was done by half a hour when a polite knocking at the door made Agatha finally leave the room, only to see that nobody was really close to it: the Overseer was distant, and no servants were in sight.
'This is showing off...' but even so the regent of MoeMoe didn't to have acted on mischievous thoughts. 'Root knows someone please stop me with the end in sight you're not likely to care much about form.'


The Overseer's speech was polite and pre-confectioned much like she expected, but the "kind grandfather" aura he projected was wasted, at least on her. But he was right, wasn't he? What did she want?

"You know," she started talking in a disinterestedly slow manner, "Today is actually by birthday: I turn fifty. Goodness me, I don't look it but it can't be helped, can it? And I don't even feel it, to speak the truth. But I was born on the cusp of the last cycle and... this struggle, that I do feel."

A moment of silence.
"Beautiful things must remain". That was more of a snarl.
"So, well, here I am", a much happier, almost childlike tone, "All intent on saving the world! And talking to the one that did it before! And surely every word of your wisdom, every little help that you could provide would be monumental to those that fight the good fight!"

The projection of the Overseer gave out a sincere chuckle before he took it as his turn to speak. "I thought I would be the one to riddle the Masters, not the other way around. You are very interesting, Agatha." The overseer restored his dignified stance, and his tone turned serious. "It would be unfair to give you information that the other Masters weren't given, but you were the first to see me, so I can part with a some details for you. The 7 day peace is actually up to my interpretation, and can be amended at any time if I feel it. So, say you want to jump a Servant or Master... Perhaps if you do me a favour, I can choose to lift this peace at a time most beneficial for you."

The Overseer chuckled once again. "Assuming that there is anything I want, that is. I already have everything, so you'd be hard pressed to find a favour that I would need. Ah, but of course I do mean it. If I see to it that the dynamics for this War have been well built up, I will announce the commencement of the War prematurely, so long as I see it as my fancy."

Island City



"...I agree," Anastasia said. The sea air had done wonders for her sinuses, even if the city itself was little more than a blight upon the lake that bore it. Her headache was gone, and Berserker didn't seem nearly as annoying as he had the previous day. All in all, she was feeling mostly happy about the situation, though with no little amount of vexation concerning the issue of Caster and her absent Master. "Yes, you're absolutely right. There's no need to fight at this stage. But... destroying someone's city, someone's temple, someone's pride... well, that's not fighting at all. It's simply renovation. This duo has been too presumptuous. The first thing they should've done was greet us with the respect we deserve, but instead we get a cold welcome. That won't do. That won't do at all."

The girl grinned. For once, her feelings and Berserker's were fully in sync. Anna didn't care about the mana expenditure or how cross the Overseer would be. She just wanted to see her Servant destroy something, and that something happened to be the throne Caster had built, along with the whole building she'd erected it on.

"Berserker," she commanded, unable to hide the hint of anticipation in her voice. "Go and have some fun."

"GRAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH" Berserker let out a bloodcurling scream. It even shook the familiars, which weren't supposed to be able to feel anything, much less fear. Berserker readied his massive blade, and charged toward Caster with the fury of an elephant god. Each step was filled with Berserker's rage, and the very ground was becoming dismantled. Not only were the steps heavy, but Berserker's speed matched that of a truck on the gas pedal. He swung his blade in a gigantic arc, letting loose a tidal wave of sound toward the building Caster sat atop. Upon impact, the entire base of the building shattered, and the building came down like a domino.

***

Caster was in a bit of shock at what had just occured. She didn't expect Berserker to even act aggressively, given that he and his Master should know the rules of the War, much less destroy the entire building that she had sat herself atop. Upset? Yes. Stupid? No. Caster had enough control over herself to know that it wasn't worth it to engage Berserker right now. Besides, it was just a building, right? Well, that and Caster's pride. Caster caught herself from falling with her magic and was flying gracefully from where her makeshift throne had once stood. Still, shooting Berserker right now was tempting...

Caster totally forgot about the fact that her Master wanted updates on the situation at this point lol.

***

Although the building was destroyed, it wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough to satisfy Berserker’s newfound rage. Seeing Caster fly like that pissed off Berserker even more. He had destroyed the building to see her on equal ground, not to see this kind of garbage. “GRAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOGGGGHHHHHHHHH!” Berserker screamed. If she wasn’t going to come down of her own volition, he would just shoot her out of the sky. He braced his sword for another swing, and released a storm of sound waves at Caster’s direction. Of course, he was too consumed by madness and bloodlust at this point to remember the rules, but it didn’t matter. At least one of these waves was going to put a serious dent on Caster, and that was going to make Berserker happy.

Hlaðguðr Merkwürdigliebe
Atlantis Metropolis – The Pacific
17.01.2342 – Morning



"Yeah, uh, that'll work." Hlaðguðr drew out the locations anyways. Seeing was believing. "Let'smmmsay... highest priority is Saber, Caster, and Archer. The big boys. N'vryone should be worried about the first two, should be easy to team up with someone else and get them over a barrel if we have the info."

She was packing up for the day, throwing her mostly empty bag over her shoulder - a knife and gun stayed hidden behind her back. "S'first order, gonna go check out the appointed apartment and see what's left there. I'm thinking just taking the public transport in? Less obvious. Stay within a second's distance but otherwise check out whatever's interesting to you, no use tying down eyes."

"Understood, Master," Assassin responded in a quiet and diligent whisper. She then disappeared from plain sight, though this was thanks to her speed moreso than any magic at work. Priority: Saber. Caster. Archer. Closest is Caster. Assassing leaped from rooftop to rooftop in Snow City, where air pressure was lightest and had the least effect on her speed. Her first destination would be the Island City, home of Caster. The City was coming to an end along with the skyscrapers, but Assassin still didn't like running on the ground. She made a great leap into the air in what looked like an eagle taking off from its perch, before making a landing in the very air and running on the sky. Freeze the moisture below my feet to solidify a base in midair. If the timing window is correct, I can run across a nation at next to no mana cost in less than an hour. I should be able Island City in 1 minute and 12 seconds.

[Sakuraba Haru]

Naomi Nefzen
Atlantis core
17.01.2342 Morning
Day 2


We start moving towards the center of Atlantis towards the overseer and the first master we have detected so far, while continuing our conversation.

"Have no fear Saber, I fully understand that all of our enemies as you put it will also be killed, some as our victims. That's just how these things go, but I don't think it's unfair to give them some respect and at least imply that they are worthy to give us competition. Do you think I'm wrong to have respect for the people I'm going to be fighting without having even met them yet?"

Atlantis was like something I had never seen before, there were various computer terminals all along the walls of the halls and if you looked outside the massive hallways it looked like the greatest thing humanity had ever created with technology and magic. All that came to mind for me was that this makes for a fitting fortress for me to rule from.

"A strong answer befitting a strong woman, a good ruler. Yes you're right and you understand so we'll win, I promise by my legacy."
Saber performed a slow and deep bow, the action spoke of such majesty it felt like the place he stood upon transformed into a beautiful ballroom for a single fantastical moment.
His gaze then softened to a small sincere and sweet smiling face.

"Atlantis... it is far more beautiful so close. Magical and powerful, industrious and illustrious... I hope we can see a lot more of it together, it seems to be near perfection."
The place reminded him of his home, not that they looked similar but it was the impact and atmosphere of the area, a beautiful palace among palaces... and he spent so much time away from it, but thanks to that he appreciated it so much more. The work and beauty of buildings was an art to be adored.

[Nihilm]

"A strong answer befitting a strong woman, a good ruler. Yes you're right and you understand so we'll win, I promise by my legacy."
Saber performed a slow and deep bow, the action spoke of such majesty it felt like the place he stood upon transformed into a beautiful ballroom for a single fantastical moment.
His gaze then softened to a small sincere and sweet smiling face.

"Atlantis... it is far more beautiful so close. Magical and powerful, industrious and illustrious... I hope we can see a lot more of it together, it seems to be near perfection."
The place reminded him of his home, not that they looked similar but it was the impact and atmosphere of the area, a beautiful palace among palaces... and he spent so much time away from it, but thanks to that he appreciated it so much more. The work and beauty of buildings was an art to be adored.

Naomi Nefzen
Atlantis core
17.01.2342 Morning
Day 2

It seems like my servant has recognized my right to win this and is behind me one hundred percent now. He is the most majestic person I have ever met, though that isn't very surprising considering the pedigree of a heroic spirit he is.

The rest of the way to the overseer was uneventful to say the least, even here the multitudes of passageways echo with the emptiness left behind when everyone evacuated.

As we neared the overseer's building I sensed that the overseer was not high in his tower, but rather close by in one of the nearby buildings. I also sensed another master with him, sensing them was a lot unsurprisingly a lot easier since there were no other people around, I ordered Saber to go into spirit form and we made our way over to the building with the overseer and the master.

I entered the building as the door was open and made my way to the room they were conversing in and tentatively knocked on the door.

[Umbra of Chaos]

???
Day 2, Morning
Desert City

For the first time in many years, something stirred in the shadows. Mindless and pure in it’s purpose, it would attempt to bring others into its fold. But the enormous power unleashed had awoken something ancient, something so foul that even it was shaken by the being’s purpose. Now, the shadows shared that purpose. Primal hunger was replaced with endless, undying rage. Nothing short of sheer outrage that anything would dare to halt their, no, his advance.

“SPREAD! ”

With but a single word to guide it, the dark endless void flooded the city, covered the sands, the very sky was tainted, and under the veil of a false night, a single man followed.

“Brother…”

[SeiKeo]

Hlaðguðr Merkwürdigliebe
Atlantis Metropolis – The Pacific
17.01.2342 – Morning

"Understood, Master," Assassin responded in a quiet and diligent whisper. She then disappeared from plain sight, though this was thanks to her speed moreso than any magic at work. Priority: Saber. Caster. Archer. Closest is Caster. Assassing leaped from rooftop to rooftop in Snow City, where air pressure was lightest and had the least effect on her speed. Her first destination would be the Island City, home of Caster. The City was coming to an end along with the skyscrapers, but Assassin still didn't like running on the ground. She made a great leap into the air in what looked like an eagle taking off from its perch, before making a landing in the very air and running on the sky. Freeze the moisture below my feet to solidify a base in midair. If the timing window is correct, I can run across a nation at next to no mana cost in less than an hour. I should be able Island City in 1 minute and 12 seconds.

And she was off, alone in the snow. That felt familiar. A little more dirt smeared on the windows got the cabin looking old and decrepit again. Hlaðguðr didn't lock up - not that she had the key anyways, but what was there to steal? The floor was wiped clean of any interesting drawings, it was just some camp gear. And if someone found her out here, they were welcome to it. The bluebird sky in front of her was only interrupted by the tall spikes of the city, light breaking on their glass.

It wasn't a long walk to one of the outlying suburbs for a bus, and she stepped out in a street flooded with black slush. There was the city again. She looked up into the concrete valley. The apartment she'd apparently been given was on the middle floor of a middle-quality apartment block. She walked up the stairs to the nondescript door, cold.

[Ayakashi]

Day 2, Morning
Mountain City, Palace
Master's Room

Whatever happened, he would try and be worthy of the trust Archer had placed in him. Kyoko tried to sound more sure than he actually felt as he answered Archer. "I... umm... I think we should meet him. If he already knows where we are we can at least find out what he wants." He knew he didn't really sound certain, but he hoped it was enough to take care of any concern Archer may have. He didn't want her to worry about him more than she already was.

“Very well. Let us be on our way to meet our visitor.”

Nodding kindly, Archer waited for Kyoko to move, gesturing him to lead the way. However, as things were about to be set in motion, Archer recalled that there were a few precautions that she'd like to take in regards to the words both her and Kyoko would exchange with Lancer.

“Ah, Master... may I ask of you not to tell Lancer the class to which I belong? It'd be a waste to lose the element of surprise, especially since Archer isn't often expected to be proficient in magecraft. While gaining an ally would be a good thing, divulging too much information as a sacrifice would be troublesome, especially since at one point of the war, the chances that Lancer and I will cross blades is very high. If we're forced to divulge my class, let us settle with... Caster.”

On these words, Archer awaited the answer of her Master. With the way she pronounced herself, Kyoko would have noticed that there was a difference from the warm and reassuring Archer that he had spoken to up to now. The mystery that surrounded her was still there, but an overwhelming sense of plotting and crude factuality seeped out of her lips as she mentioned that Lancer and her would be fighting sooner or later during this war. In that small fraction of time, there was no real emotion in Archer – it was just her plainly talking about an object, an obstacle to her goals.

The crimson suns that rested in her irises burned with an eerie intensity once she finished.

But that wasn't the continuation of murderous intent or any ill will that Archer could've had.

Something was happening in Desert City.

---

Day 2, Morning
Moutain City, Palace
Guest's Room

"That's fine, thank you," Lancer responded to the shikigami politely. That the Master of this castle would go so far to give personas to expendable familiars... Interesting. Lancer kept a pleasant smile on his face as he walked through the manor. Truth is, he could scale and infiltrate the facility, no matter how high the walls or how complex the mazes, in a matter of seconds, but he decided to maintain his courtesy. It wouldn't do to reveal the extent of his agility, after all...

Lancer was well mannered, obviously a knight of some sorts if his attire didn't already hint it enough. He also had the knack to ask 'good' questions, at least for one that was seeking to know as much as they could from a future enemy.

Kuzunoha figured that if her name didn't incite some sort of reaction from the Servant though, it must have meant that he was either unknowing of the myths of Japan, or he simply pretended not to know; yet it was true that she nowhere had the presence of anything as consequent as a Servant, so perhaps that Lancer simply was thinking that it was a bluff.

Which wasn't that far from being a truth. She was in the end, but an expendable joke, and she had no problem with that, seeing how subservient to Archer she had been made to begin with.

Without any further ado, the fox momentarily vanished from the room, coming back with a platter on which were rice balls and teriyaki chicken for Lancer to enjoy. As she put said platter on the table, the Servant asked her:

"You are Archer's Master's familiar, correct?" Lancer asked the fox. It was impressive work, this shikigami. No doubt for a Master to create something like this, the Master would need to be some kind of genius.

The fox let out a giggle at this question, but she gave no answer. She merely widened her smile towards Lancer for a second before turning around and being content with silently getting seated on the side... or not?

After a brief silence, most certainly as Lancer was either going to dismiss her or ask her why she wasn't responding, Kuzunoha spoke up from her seated position, the fox's majestic tails moving in an elegant sync from right to left; just like a pendulum:

“I serve not a single person, but both the Master and the Servant that reside in this castle. They are equally my Lord and Lady.”

The shikigami wasn't going to be specific - she thought exactly like her Master, and on top of that, was being relayed the latter's will mentally as Archer had a live-feed of what Kuzunoha both saw and heard, thanks to the Familiar-Summoner relation they had.

But if it was in fact the Servant... Lancer decided to change the subject. "Regardless, it's a nice place you have here. Shall we make haste? I don't want to keep Archer for longer than I need to, after all. The days when we become enemies draw ever so near."

“If it isn't very polite of you?”

Kuzunoha spoke with a tint of irony. The way Lancer had put his words, it seemed as if he was here more to get an idea of who Archer was rather than pay proper respects. Manners were after all, one of the many veils one could put on to deceive - Kuzunoha herself would know, being a kitsune, a beast praised as master of trickery and deceit.

“Have some patience. You came here unannounced after all. Who knows, maybe that my Lord and Lady were in the middle of something when you interrupted them with your call at the gates? You should send us a letter of warning next time – better, you should come with your Master.”

The fox let out a chuckle, before finishing with a teasing tone: “Yet I suppose that you would want to know the most about us without revealing anything about your master? Very deviant of you, but a laudable act. Or am I entirely mistaken and are you simply here under the name of 'chivalry'?”

---

Day 2, Morning
Desert city

There was something going on in Desert City. Something foul, something malignant. The golden dunes of sand were losing their brightness, the azure sky was being darkened into an out-of-place night. Energies of a vile nature, embellishing negative feelings and wishes in all of their purest nature swirled. Whatever 'existed' within this space of the world was being violated by an implacable 'evil'.

It was all to the tastes of the Inugami, who had been ordered to hang around and keep on monitoring Desert City. There were two living beings near to it, the shikigami could feel them, but it had not managed to approach them proper – one of these two had the presence of a Servant, and since the shiki wasn't a Servant nor a Master technically, anything could be done to it if an enemy pair found it out. Caution had to be exercised, and it would have paid out...

...if this maelstrom of malice hadn't come.

The connection that the Inugami shared with Archer was being cut, which was one problem, the other being that dog-spirit relished on such negative emotions, as these were what fueled her existence as a youkai.

Luckily, the fact that this Inugami was a materialized curse and not an actual Phantasmal Beast caused it to actually break down from the darkness' effects rather than absorbing the fullness of it all and being corrupted.

There was though, a portion of it that was being eaten by all of this 'evil'. Curse or Phantasmal Beast, its personality by nature was the one of a being that lived on vengeance. Corruption of the Inugami and it turning renegade wasn't out of order... and Archer wasn't going to take any risks with such a possibility.

'Disperse.'

An ultimate order from her summoner. It trumped the distorted expression of sadism that was emerging on the Inugami's face, it trumped all of its thoughts and desires.

It trumped it all, simply because this one command destroyed the ofuda that was holding the shikigami up – it destroyed the core, and without a core no magical entity could endure.

The paper talisman disintegrated before the dark could taint it with relentless malice. Nothing, not even the smallest molecule was left to be nibbled at.

[Kirby]

Come.

There was an unfamiliar voice in Ellie's head.

Come.

It had a haunting intonation with it. Ellie could feel that it wasn't just his head. There was something around him as well. Something he couldn't see, but he could feel it.

Come to me if you seek the truth.

Ellie wasn't sure if he was understanding what he was being told. He could understand the words, yes, but his mind had gone into a trance where these words have all lose their meaning. Around him, he can see traces of one of his golems. Just how did it break? I wonder...

I offer you a chance to join me at the spiral... The root of all...

Ellie had come to realize that it wasn't that he couldn't see what was around him. It was that what had surrounded him was nothing itself... The absence of light... Darkness had engulfed his surroundings, and everything had turned bleak. Everything except the path ahead...

I will give you the answers to all the questions in the universe. I ask that you accept...

"Ellie!" Rider screamed with so much spirit that it broke through Ellie's trance into his head. There was no time. This place was far too dangerous. Only Ellie's head was still visible now, as the rest of his body had become veiled in a black cloak. If she had delayed even one more second...

Why did it come to this? Looks like I have no choice now but to do this...

Rider took a dignified stance, and readied her ornate Scythe with both of her hands. No choice now... I'm sorry, Master. The very environment around her had began altering, and the air had begun spinning. Finally, Rider spoke, with a voice so great that it could command the very heavens. "I am the Reaper of history, the author of the truth. Through my power, the world has become the sequel to my book. Now, thine darkness seeks to smear the pages, and for that I will not allow. Wo shi Cao Cao, Sanguo Zuochujia! Gaixie!" Rider swung her Scythe in a grand arc. A white dimensional rift was born from the slash, and expanded at the pace of a gluttonous black hole as it swallowed the nothingness engulfing Rider's Master. The air of the entire city had become a chaotic swirl of energy, and it looked as if the world was being altered. No, the very fabric of reality was being rewritten. The dimensional rift had swallowed every bit of the reality in the area, and no buildings or clouds could be seen in the vicinity. The blue sky had turned into an empty white, and the city itself became an empty page. Endless white. But Rider still stood there, as with her Master. Her entire Master, without a spec of the darkness around him. Everything had been deleted, to be rewritten another day. Rider broke the silence, and spoke at her lucky Master. "You idiot."

It was then that the white abruptly broke like glass, and reality had returned. But this time, there was not a shadow in sight. No voice in Ellie's head. The golems were repaired, and continued to make their way to the sections of the city. The same city had returned, but this time with nary a presence nor pressure. "We need to leave, now. I rewrote reality to expel these shadows, but whoever it belonged to is persistent. It's as if it's not a part of this world either, and I simply lifted the anchor. And it's not happy. It's trying to re establish its control of the inner city, and it's doing it at an astounding pace. Rider reached our right her arm beside her, and a spellmark appeared in the air. A great red horse came into existence from the mark, walking gallantly from the gateway into the foray. Rider then reached the same arm toward her Master, who was on his knees, and spoke. "This is Red Hare. A prize among prized horses. Come, we have no time. In about an hour, the evil that is hiding in this city will return at full power. But this time it's going to be really pissed off."

Elliot Bellamy
Atlantis - Desert City
2342 - January 17 - Late Morning

Rider hoisted Ellie up onto her back, though he didn’t seem to notice. Then again, he couldn’t really notice anything. He could barely keep himself conscious, seeing as how he just had over half his mana drained.

In the background, he could faintly hear a few familiar sounds: the galloping of horses, the whistling in the wind, Rider’s string of complaints and worries, just miscellaneous background rabble. However, he couldn’t worry himself with this. He needed to focus, as best as he could. He needed to get to another city, quickly. With his last breath before he lost consciousness, he managed to cough out a few words.

“Rider. Take us… to a nearby… city… Need… to contact… a master.”

And for the second time in less than twenty-four hours, he fainted.

[Caster]

Kyoko Suzuki
Day 2, Morning
Mountain City, Palace
Master's Room

Kyoko nodded, understanding Archer's request. In this war, information was power, and though it would be hard to narrow down Archer's identity with just her class container, she seemed more like a Caster anyways, which helped to avoid revealing too much. Kyoko felt a little scared, looking at Archer's eyes. It reminded him that things were going to be very difficult soon enough, and it worried him that Archer might be ready to fight already. He wondered what was making Archer seem so intense. Though this was a meeting with one of their potential enemies, it seemed unlikely for Lancer to attack them. But if Lancer did, Kyoko being there was just a liability for Archer. He sighed, feeling more concerned as he tried to think of what he could do. He knew Archer wanted to keep him safe, but if he hid the entire time it would mean he couldn't support Archer at all. He had said he would try and help Archer after all, so he couldn't be afraid of meeting an enemy, especially in their home.

Kyoko walked in front of Archer, doing his best to hide his feelings. Insecurity, fear, doubt. All plagued his mind, and made him feel less secure. He wasn't even sure what he would say to Lancer, though he hoped that he wouldn't have to make the first move. It wasn't the most courageous of actions, but it was hard for Kyoko to avoid it.

[Sakuraba Haru]

(No Update available for Archer/Lancer just yet... because of an absence of KT. I'm fairly sure this is okay for an update and Ed won't mind. I'll PM Leo the details after I talk with Ed exactly what info is taken.)

Elliot Bellamy
Atlantis - Desert City
2342 - January 17 - Late Morning

Rider hoisted Ellie up onto her back, though he didn’t seem to notice. Then again, he couldn’t really notice anything. He could barely keep himself conscious, seeing as how he just had over half his mana drained.

In the background, he could faintly hear a few familiar sounds: the galloping of horses, the whistling in the wind, Rider’s string of complaints and worries, just miscellaneous background rabble. However, he couldn’t worry himself with this. He needed to focus, as best as he could. He needed to get to another city, quickly. With his last breath before he lost consciousness, he managed to cough out a few words.

“Rider. Take us… to a nearby… city… Need… to contact… a master.”

And for the second time in less than twenty-four hours, he fainted.

Ellie awoke in a large green field with his back against a tree with Rider by his side.
He was relieved that the dark presence that attacked him was gone... then he felt it. His golems, he couldn't feel anything from them! They were all gone. Or they weren't his anymore...? The thought was scary, he shuddered a bit.
“Where are we Rider?” She let out a breath of relief, “Ah you're awake. We should avoid the desert from now on. We're in the plains right now, it seems safe. Try not to do something so idiotic again, well it wasn't completely your fault.” Her smile was soothing, soft and warm, but strong and concerned.

“Well you should know who I am now. You're lucky to have such an amazing Servant! ...What are we going to do next? ...Any questions?”




@ Agatha/Caster and Naomi/Saber, Hlaðguðr/Assassin



“It'll take a bit more than that but I do commend the attempt.”
The Overseer made sure to speak the moment he was sure she was JUST about to be out of earshot and smirked. He wouldn't let her “win” so easily. As Agatha left the area a knocking was heard at the door and it suddenly flung open revealing two figures outside
The man was regal. The atmosphere of his presence shone straight into her. His face was however dead serious. “A Master without his Servant nearby. I am well aware of the rules and the fact the Overseer is right in front of us, but I could kill you right now in an instant.” Sunlight beamed in to the room and shone upon him as if it was his own stage light.
He drew his sword. “Master, your orders?”

***


Caster began building up a spell, she was going to return the favour at least if only in shock factor. Her pride was hurt by this... but she stopped, took a deep breath and felt the presence of another Master and Servant dangerously close to her Master. At that moment the barrage of sound waves from Berserker flew forth to strike her.


“Tch.”
She waved her hands and her body was covered in a orb of light.
The sound waves were devoured by the orb. Without saying a word she turned and began to leave to head to her Master's side. Maybe the rules were off and she didn't get the memo. Or everyone was a cheater. Regardless she didn't want to waste time with this man clearly out of his wits.
It was a good thing that it was the throne that was crumbled, not her actual base. She may have to leave to go to her Master leaving her base behind... if she stayed she may have to fight Berserker though whether she liked it or not...
But then she felt it and so did Berserker... an large amount of mana blasted a bit of distance away. A Noble Phantasm was about to be used?


They could feel it another Servant wasn't that far away spying on them... to sneak up so close and not be noticed...it could only be Assassin but why would they reveal themselves and like this?

They looked around and saw her, floating in the sky with ice at her feet she was roughly 1000 yards away.
Assassin stared back. “Winter’s Justice – Santa’s Naughty List!”

She knew who they were now and what they were capable of. It wouldn't be that hard to leave now though it would be possible for Caster to run a some interference it wouldn't be anything she couldn't really deal with if she wanted.