Fate/MoeMoe Revival (IC)

[KitsuneKo]

Atlantis Metropolis – Currently looming over the middle of the Pacific Ocean
2342 – January 16 – Evening



The mighty city looms high above the waves of the Pacific. In truth, to call it a city is an absolute understatement; it is far more magnificent and grand than that. While at its heart is a city that is – was – booming with life and commerce, it is what surrounds the city that is truly a wonder far beyond magic and science. Spanning an area far larger than all other metropolitan areas of the world, a floating city is surrounded by a truly lush and diverse geography of every conceivable environment from around the world. Deserts, Snowfields, and Jungles, to name a few such settings, exist side by the side of immense mountains surrounding the city. Likewise, smaller cities are spread far and wide surrounding the cosmopolitan heart, each bringing with them a unique culture and taste to the grand design of Atlantis. The most amazing part is that this miraculous ecosystem in itself is part of another superstructure; that it is built on the foundations of the great floating island known as Atlantis, hovering thousands of meters above the Ocean. It is a wonder, then, why such a magnificent spectacle is all but abandoned of life.

The truth is that living in Atlantis is the greatest privilege any of the adorable denizens of Moe Moe Land can hope to achieve. It is situated as an ever moving fortress representing the pinnacle of humanity and its achievement of connecting their world with the Root, and the place where the miracle first occurred 51 Akasshic War Cycles ago. It is thus the capital city of the entire world, and the site where every Akasshic War Cycle occurs. A cycle that must be repeated every 50 years to ensure Moe Moe Land’s link to Akasha remains firm and strong. With the coming of every Akasshic War Cycle, the cities of Atlantis are vacated from these premises, with exception to some volunteers, those who would record the spectacle, the supervisor of the War Cycle, and the Masters and Servants of the War…

There was still a week before the contestants were allowed to begin fighting with one another. These Servant and Master pairs would fight in a battle royale in order to see the Cycle come to fruition, as their sacrifice will pave way for the re-opening of Akasha until only one pair remains. While one would expect that such an event would be fulfilled by the sacrifices of those trivial to society at large, the truth couldn’t be further. The truth is, every War Cycle, thousands of the world’s wealthiest and finest volunteer themselves to become Masters of the War. It has become a great spectacle where the elite compete with one another to the bitter end, and a grand theatre for the billions around the world who will be watching this event unfold from their comfortable homes. The Servant Master pair who wins the War Cycle will emerge as the new Rulers of the entire world…

…

Forest City
Atlantis’ Core is surrounded by a ring of land split into 8 sections. Each section is thus governed by the city at its heart, and each of these cities would report to the Core’s governance. The northernmost section of the ring was a place known as the deep forest. A city protected by castle walls reaching the mountains loomed visibly ahead the deep forest of Atlantis. The walls did not serve a purpose to protect the city as Atlantis was devoid of real war, but instead serve as landmark. Inside the walls were thousands of units of apartments that have now been emptied. On the highest floor of the tallest skyscraper was a penthouse of immeasurable class and technology. Inside, Naomi sat calmly on a black leather sofa with a cup of tea on her lap. Sitting beside her was a regally armored shota, with a mighty blade sheathed at his side. He looked as if he were the fragile looking loli’s bodyguard, with a dutiful and stern look to his adorable face. He was the Servant who was summoned under the class of Saber.

Mountain City
To the east of the deep forest was the great mountain area. The mountains formed a wall encasing a beautiful city that was crawling with traditional buildings of Eastern Asian architecture. Kyoko was given a Japanese style castle to make himself comfortable before the war began. Frankly, it was too big for him, and he didn’t know what he would do with all the empty rooms. He was used to company back at home, and he wasn’t sure why he kept on cleaning the massive house despite the fact that he was only sharing this house with one other. Perhaps it was a lingering habit from when he was still serving the main Suzuki house. He headed upstairs to the balcony, hoping to this time be able to strike up a conversation with his Servant, Archer. She had been staring into the distance for the past 2 hours now. His beautiful, shoulder length pink hair fluttered as the shota loli gracefully walked up the stairs.

Jungle City
The deep forest extended into a Jungle of thick trees and moisture in the west. Following the path would eventually lead to a city that encompassed much land, but not much height. A Chapel sat at the city’s heart, wherein a suspicious looking loli was sharpening knives by the dozens. It wasn’t only knives, however. The entire chapel had been turned into an armory filled with conceptual weaponry, each one enchanted and majestic, but clearly designed to kill. The loli sharpening the knives, however, looked like she couldn’t be happier maintaining her arsenal of her personal treasures. She smiled and hummed as sparks flew over metal, and would occasionally ask her Lancer to help her with her errands before remembering that he was absolutely appalling at this sort of business. Still, he was handsome, strong, and approachable, and so even if he was useless with helping Shoko maintain her weapons, he at least served for some tasty eye candy.

Plains City
The easternmost point of the Core’s ring was a plain that led to what was undoubtedly the largest city aside from Atlantis’ core itself. A modern cosmopolitan with elements of a nomadic past embedded with the landmarks of the city, its flavor was a fusing of the old and new to create a unique blend of taste. While he was given permission to use the entire city as he wished, Ellie chose to stay in a simple house near the outskirts of the city because it reminded him of home. Rider did not agree with his choice of lodging, and so took it within herself to stay over at the mayor’s mansion instead. Despite their differences in taste and personality, the two got along surprisingly well…

Island City
To the westernmost point of Atlantis’ ring was an immense lake that reflected the bright sun with vigor. At the heart of the lake was a lone and beautiful island city, without a bridge leading into it. To an outsider, this would look odd, and would make the Island appear as a faraway fantasy left only to the dreams, but the truth was accessing the City would use an underground passage, in order to preserve to mysterious feeling of the island (and increase tourism thereto). A loli dressed conservatively to an inconceivable extreme was taking a stroll near the rims of the City, where it was often advertised in the brochures as being the most beautiful. Agatha felt that for once, the brochures didn’t lie. Caster was too busy making preparations for the war in her workshop, and so chose not to accompany her Master on her stroll. The war wouldn’t start for another week, anyways, so there was no need to worry about her right now.

River City
The lake lead to a large river to its south; the river that connected 3 sections of the ring together. This section of the ring had its city built to honour the great river, and so its buildings were all built at the coast of the River, with bridges and towers creating a long and complex network that made for one of the most unique settings in the world. Beside the river, a tiny loli sat on a floating chair, obviously dissatisfied with something. She had hoped to get some rest and peace of mind before the fighting would begin the next week, but her Berserker would not shut up. He was cute beyond all compare for a shota, yes, and her Master had swooned for him when he was first summoned. At least, for the first 10 minutes before it decided to open its mouth. Weren’t Berserkers supposed to be mechanical Servants who would obey so long as you can supply the mana cost? So why wouldn’t this one shut up? And why could it only talk to its Master about how absolutely and undeniably awesome he is?

Snow City
At the southernmost point of the ring, where the river freezes and ends, is a land of white for as far as the eyes can see. The ground was fluffy with pure white and untainted snow, and the path and river both served a trail towards the warm looking city in the horizon. This was the only place that snow fell in the Atlantis Metropolis, and was it ever a delightful sight to behold. Hlaðguðr didn’t enjoy the scene in particular, but nor did she hate it either. Strange enough, she felt like she could understand the inanimate snow better than she could understand most people. At least Assassin seemed to enjoy the snow. It was sitting atop the tallest tower of the city, closest to the cold origin of the snow. It seemed to make her feel comfortable; as if the cold itself was offering her solace before the inevitable storm.

Atlantis Core
The supervisor merely was pretty eager for upcoming event. It’s almost been 50 years since the last Akasshic War Cycle, and he hadn’t felt as alive since the last Cycle had ended. Despite coming out of the last Cycle as the winner and subsequently becoming the King of the World, it was much less satisfying than he had first imagined it would be. His comrades from 50 years ago now only lingered in his memories, and he had promised them that he would protect the world to the best of his ability in their honour. But that was a duty that was not his own desire; though his accomplishments were plenty, and the people of the world all loved and adored him, he was not satisfied. There was still a week until the Masters were allowed to begin fighting, but they were still allowed to wander around Atlantis as they desired. He was surprised to hear that each Master had spent their time until now in their own designated cities, but he would see them in person eventually. He was looking quite forward to being able to talk to each Master of the war. Hopefully at least once, before they would undoubtedly disappear for the sake of the future.

[Caster]

Mountain City
Kyoko Suzuki

Kyoko took a deep breath, still not used to the enigmatic Archer he had summoned. As he continued to climb up the relatively massive stairs, he tried his best to compose himself. He wasn't used to being the one in charge of things, and talking to people was very difficult. He stood by the door, bunching up the folds of cloth as he waited, watching his Servant stare out the window. "Um... Archer? Wh... what are you doing?" He wanted to run and hide already, but if he was going to try to win these wars, he needed to be able to talk to her. Maybe someday he'd be able to get along with her, but for now all he could do was try and talk to her.

[SeiKeo]

Hlaðguðr Merkwürdigliebe
Atlantis Metropolis – The Pacific
16.01.2342 – Evening

Snow City
At the southernmost point of the ring, where the river freezes and ends, is a land of white for as far as the eyes can see. The ground was fluffy with pure white and untainted snow, and the path and river both served a trail towards the warm looking city in the horizon. This was the only place that snow fell in the Atlantis Metropolis, and was it ever a delightful sight to behold. Hlaðguðr didn’t enjoy the scene in particular, but nor did she hate it either. Strange enough, she felt like she could understand the inanimate snow better than she could understand most people. At least Assassin seemed to enjoy the snow. It was sitting atop the tallest tower of the city, closest to the cold origin of the snow. It seemed to make her feel comfortable; as if the cold itself was offering her solace before the inevitable storm.

"Snow, snow, snow, snow, snoooow, it won't be long before we'll all be there with snow." Hlaðguðr hummed, chilled to the bone even through her overcoat. The paths weren't even shoveled, and even her knee-high boots were having trouble with the drifts. The most hateful thing about winter, though, was that you couldn't be hot or cold. Sweat coated her back, pinned down under the heavy trekker's backpack and multiple layers of clothes. But take off enough to fix your back, and the rest of your body would freeze.

She flexed her fingers inside light deerskin gloves, trying to see how much feeling remained. "Snow, snow, I wanna wash my hands my face my hair with snow," she growled as a tree shook, throwing off a gust of snow. There were more trees where that came from, and she headed for the thick grove, seeking out covered ground. What was the point of being provided a residence if it had been decked out with defenses right and left like a dare? She would collect the most subtle of them later, but that apartment was an invitation for someone to come after you.

This, though, this wasn't. There was a small cabin hidden in the evergreens, a very basic structure with a low-hanging roof meant for heavy snow. Even with a flashlight, it was hard to make out anything behind the dirt-stained windows, but it was abandoned, with a fireplace, and room to work. Great enough.

"Ey, Assassin." Not a shout, not a whisper. "Don't feel like a B&E here, wanna do your thing and open this up for us?" She'd be able to hear.

[Kirby]

Elliot Bellamy
Atlantis - Plains City
2342 - January 16 - Evening

“Saber and Archer to the north… Assassin to the south…”

Elliot sighed a bit, peering over a crudely drawn map, though that term was a bit generous given how it resembled no more than a scrap of paper with a few crudely drawn circles on it. He sat at a desk in a dimly-lit room, surrounded by scrunched up balls of paper and cold cups of tea. The hosts had said that he had a week to relax before the war starts, and yet he couldn’t help but worry. It was a matter of unfortunate positioning.

He was way in over his head, and he needed allies. Badly. He had a list of the Servants and their locations, and marked those that he could possibly ally with given his Servant’s abilities, yet they all seemed so far away. His only neighbors were Archer and Assassin.

Needless to say, he was apprehensive about his chances of forging any alliances during the war, before getting sniped in the head or stabbed in the back. Further complicating these matters was the initial announcement. Seven cities had been named, yet eight surrounded the core. And he happened to be right next to that last, unnamed city.

All in all, Elliot felt like he was going to cry.

Of course, he refused to let himself cry. It was this softness that prevented him ever becoming anything more than just a mediocre magus, that prevented him from receiving the family crest. So he stood up, scrap of paper in hand and case on his back. He would take advantage of this grace period to ride to the other cities and try forging an alliance if he could ride fast enough. All he needed to do now was to call Rider.

Maybe.

[Bloble]

Anastasia Ivanovska
River City

'Shut up.'

There was something therapeutic, Anna realized, about listening to a self absorbed idiot talking about himself. Even if he was the cutest thing she'd seen since sliced bread, the absolutely insane Servant also possessed a turn-off great enough to nullify all the possible points he could've earned from his Master. She knew that he'd probably reveal his identity by accident the moment he met someone else, even though one of the draws of the Berserker class was its inability to do that very thing!

'Shut up.'

As the aforementioned idiot started composing nonsense poetry about his dashing good looks, Anna groaned and rested her head in her hands. The headache she'd started the day with hadn't gotten better at all. On the contrary, it had only gotten worse, and she had a sneaking suspicion that it was Berserker's fault. Her body felt weaker than ever despite the air near water supposedly being good for her, and there was a chilly wind howling through the empty town that she feared would get her a cold. As if she needed that kind of thing. Anna sat down and wrapped a blanket around her small body, coming to resemble nothing more than a lump of fuzz covered in tiny dancing kittens, with two baleful blue eyes peeking out of a hole.

'Shut up.'

"Shut up, Berserker." Her tiny, muffled voice came out of the ball. It wasn't as if she expected him to listen, but in a battle of stubbornness, she would't lose! "You're being too active. If you want to stay materialized, at least think of the one who has to support all your posturing and ridiculous activities." Her circuits were already aching, even as they recovered the prana Berserker wasted at a snail's pace.

"Can't you do anything other than talk and smash things?" she grumbled, not really expecting him to understand a thing she said. "Maybe make some tea? Someone as 'amazing' as you should have no trouble with such a simple task."

[Nihilm]

Naomi Nefzen
Forest City
16.01.2342

"They have a very wonderful view here" I said to my compatriot in armor who watched me silently as I walked around my room carrying a cup of tea. The room they gave me has everything I'd ever need computers, fine wine, tasty cakes and all the pretty dresses I'd ever want nothing like the remote little place I had to live in to train myself for this event.

Of course people expect the best from me and so far I have delivered. Summoning the strongest servant Saber is sure to bring victory to the Nefzen family. I walk towards saber as I finish my tea. "I hope you understand, that I expect the best from you as well. It's a great pleasure that someone so worthy was picked as my servant, I do hope you don't disappoint."

A simple "of course" is all I hear for an answer. "I suppose we should explore this city before the actual fun begins" I say as I put on a coat as it might be chilly. "Saber follow me in spirit form to acquaint yourself with the city as well, let's see if we find any of our competition snooping around."

[KitsuneKo]

Hlaðguðr Merkwürdigliebe
Atlantis Metropolis – The Pacific
16.01.2342 – Evening



"Snow, snow, snow, snow, snoooow, it won't be long before we'll all be there with snow." Hlaðguðr hummed, chilled to the bone even through her overcoat. The paths weren't even shoveled, and even her knee-high boots were having trouble with the drifts. The most hateful thing about winter, though, was that you couldn't be hot or cold. Sweat coated her back, pinned down under the heavy trekker's backpack and multiple layers of clothes. But take off enough to fix your back, and the rest of your body would freeze.

She flexed her fingers inside light deerskin gloves, trying to see how much feeling remained. "Snow, snow, I wanna wash my hands my face my hair with snow," she growled as a tree shook, throwing off a gust of snow. There were more trees where that came from, and she headed for the thick grove, seeking out covered ground. What was the point of being provided a residence if it had been decked out with defenses right and left like a dare? She would collect the most subtle of them later, but that apartment was an invitation for someone to come after you.

This, though, this wasn't. There was a small cabin hidden in the evergreens, a very basic structure with a low-hanging roof meant for heavy snow. Even with a flashlight, it was hard to make out anything behind the dirt-stained windows, but it was abandoned, with a fireplace, and room to work. Great enough.

"Ey, Assassin." Not a shout, not a whisper. "Don't feel like a B&E here, wanna do your thing and open this up for us?" She'd be able to hear.

Though her Master had given her the order from over a mile away, Assassin broke the distance between the two in a time that indicated her mobility was clearly beyond even superhuman.

"Apologies for the wait, Master," Assassin spoke hushed and softly. She was beside her master now, inspecting the abandoned cabin. "You are given a city, but instead wish to use a hut? So very interesting." Assassin then disappeared, and within 30 seconds the door to the forbidden hut clicked open from the inside. "Welcome home, Master," Assassin beckoned Hlaðguðr into the hut as if she were maid serving the lord of a western manse.

Island City

Agatha DeKaikalos



The wind picked up, bringing a sudden rush of cold but she didn't care. Engulfed as she was in strata of gowns, corsets and blouses, with a winter cape to add, Agatha was quite certain that she wouldn't have felt a thing even if buried in ice.
'This is me, and that is the outside'. She said it absentmindedly as usual, well past the need to divert consciousness to the repetition of her mantra.

Contemplation was losing its flavor rapidly, after hours spent watching the horizon. There was... beauty, everywhere. A clear sky, a lucid sea, a bright sun. 'But this is not why I am here, I think'.
Caster was busy, and trying to steal words from the lovesick girl had been an exercise in futility for the past few days.

With that in mind, but not to avoid the cold, Agatha made her way to the underground cavern. Maybe the Core would cure her boredom?

Like the glamorous exterior that Atlantis presented, the underground passage linking Island City to the rest of the Metropolis was no small sight to behold. Homes, stores, roads, trains, and everything one could expect to find on land, were easily accessed through the passage. The fastest way to reach the Core would be to take the automated express liner, which was still left in service for the War. There was probably a crew stationed to handle repairs as well somewhere, given that this battle was going to be televised worldwide.

The base that Caster decided to make her Temple was decidedly Greek in architecture. It had an above average leyline that could allow better mana recovery than if she were to set up her base in any of the other houses on the Island, but it still wasn't anything too special. The best leyline to set up a base was, in fact, at the Atlantis Core. She had been busy crafting potions and lining the walls of her base with countless concoctions, all labelled and organized. There were healing potions capable of near miraculous feats, curse potions whose magic would even affect a Saber class Servant, and everything in between. Remembering that her Master had mentioned she might be going down to the Core today, Caster decided to send a message to her Master through a familiar. Caster did have a few locks of her Master's hair with her, and could use the genetic data she obtained to give the familiar a target to track. It would from there relay her message, to let her Master know that she wanted her to inspect a potential new base at the Core. The leylines there were superior to the one she currently had, though obviously the position would be much more difficult to hold. She thought it was kind of haughty, that the Servant was making requests of the Master, but it was for both of their benefits, and to give them the greatest chance at winning the war.

Elliot Bellamy
Atlantis - Plains City
2342 - January 16 - Evening

“Saber and Archer to the north… Assassin to the south…”

Elliot sighed a bit, peering over a crudely drawn map, though that term was a bit generous given how it resembled no more than a scrap of paper with a few crudely drawn circles on it. He sat at a desk in a dimly-lit room, surrounded by scrunched up balls of paper and cold cups of tea. The hosts had said that he had a week to relax before the war starts, and yet he couldn’t help but worry. It was a matter of unfortunate positioning.

He was way in over his head, and he needed allies. Badly. He had a list of the Servants and their locations, and marked those that he could possibly ally with given his Servant’s abilities, yet they all seemed so far away. His only neighbors were Archer and Assassin.

Needless to say, he was apprehensive about his chances of forging any alliances during the war, before getting sniped in the head or stabbed in the back. Further complicating these matters was the initial announcement. Seven cities had been named, yet eight surrounded the core. And he happened to be right next to that last, unnamed city.

All in all, Elliot felt like he was going to cry.

Of course, he refused to let himself cry. It was this softness that prevented him ever becoming anything more than just a mediocre magus, that prevented him from receiving the family crest. So he stood up, scrap of paper in hand and case on his back. He would take advantage of this grace period to ride to the other cities and try forging an alliance if he could ride fast enough. All he needed to do now was to call Rider.

Maybe.

Before he was even given a chance to decide otherwise, Rider grabbed her Master from behind and gave her a bear hug. Ellie could feel Rider's breasts, which were quite developed for a loli, press and squish against his back. Though they were soft, they offered no respite from fact that Ellie almost died from either the strength of the hug or the sheer amount of shock with his Servant sneaking up on him like that.

"It's a bright day out, Master! How about I summon a few horses and the two of us ride around for a bit, hmmmmm?" Rider spoke insistantly to her Master. Although she worded it like a question, her demeanor and actions made it clear that it was a demand. She snuggled her face closer to her Master's, and he could feel her breath on his neck and ears.

Anastasia Ivanovska
River City

'Shut up.'

There was something therapeutic, Anna realized, about listening to a self absorbed idiot talking about himself. Even if he was the cutest thing she'd seen since sliced bread, the absolutely insane Servant also possessed a turn-off great enough to nullify all the possible points he could've earned from his Master. She knew that he'd probably reveal his identity by accident the moment he met someone else, even though one of the draws of the Berserker class was its inability to do that very thing!

'Shut up.'

As the aforementioned idiot started composing nonsense poetry about his dashing good looks, Anna groaned and rested her head in her hands. The headache she'd started the day with hadn't gotten better at all. On the contrary, it had only gotten worse, and she had a sneaking suspicion that it was Berserker's fault. Her body felt weaker than ever despite the air near water supposedly being good for her, and there was a chilly wind howling through the empty town that she feared would get her a cold. As if she needed that kind of thing. Anna sat down and wrapped a blanket around her small body, coming to resemble nothing more than a lump of fuzz covered in tiny dancing kittens, with two baleful blue eyes peeking out of a hole.

'Shut up.'

"Shut up, Berserker." Her tiny, muffled voice came out of the ball. It wasn't as if she expected him to listen, but in a battle of stubbornness, she would't lose! "You're being too active. If you want to stay materialized, at least think of the one who has to support all your posturing and ridiculous activities." Her circuits were already aching, even as they recovered the prana Berserker wasted at a snail's pace.

"Can't you do anything other than talk and smash things?" she grumbled, not really expecting him to understand a thing she said. "Maybe make some tea? Someone as 'amazing' as you should have no trouble with such a simple task."

Upon hearing his Master's request, Berserker only gazed at his Master obliviously. It didn't look like he was processing the words that should have entered into his skull, but somehow, he ended up coming with a response rather quickly. He flicked back his hair and gave a chuckle, before answering his Master to the best that he could.

"Why, Master, would you need anything aside from me?! You are absolutely right when you say that I am amazing beyond all the stars and gods to compare! And so, just being able to look at me should be enough to quench whatever you need from this thing you call tea! That, is what you can clearly see as truly amazing, Master!" Berserker responded proudly. He seemed to have a lot of dignity, given that it didn't seem like he even understood the context of his Master's request. He merely stood there, knowing that in a moment his Master would approve of his wonderfulness. Though clearly not in a normal state of mind, he was patient, and so while waiting he began posing in front of Anna, flexing his perfect muscles and body into strange positions that would leave a psychiatrist bewildered.

Naomi Nefzen
Forest City
16.01.2342

"They have a very wonderful view here" I said to my compatriot in armor who watched me silently as I walked around my room carrying a cup of tea. The room they gave me has everything I'd ever need computers, fine wine, tasty cakes and all the pretty dresses I'd ever want nothing like the remote little place I had to live in to train myself for this event.

Of course people expect the best from me and so far I have delivered. Summoning the strongest servant Saber is sure to bring victory to the Nefzen family. I walk towards saber as I finish my tea. "I hope you understand, that I expect the best from you as well. It's a great pleasure that someone so worthy was picked as my servant, I do hope you don't disappoint."

A simple "of course" is all I hear for an answer. "I suppose we should explore this city before the actual fun begins" I say as I put on a coat as it might be chilly. "Saber follow me in spirit form to acquaint yourself with the city as well, let's see if we find any of our competition snooping around."

Saber enjoyed the no-nonsense approach his Master took to the War. She had been everything he had wanted in a Master; Refined, Sophisticated, Serious, Confident, and Strong. Not to mention she was beautiful. Though it wasn't in his place to do so as a King, he smiled, bowed his head, and spiritualized to his Master's whim.

As his Master was confident that he would bring her victory in the war, Saber too felt confident that his Master would bring him the glory that he had been looking for.

[SeiKeo]

Hlaðguðr Merkwürdigliebe
Atlantis Metropolis – The Pacific
16.01.2342 – Evening

Though her Master had given her the order from over a mile away, Assassin broke the distance between the two in a time that indicated her mobility was clearly beyond even superhuman.

"Apologies for the wait, Master," Assassin spoke hushed and softly. She was beside her master now, inspecting the abandoned cabin. "You are given a city, but instead wish to use a hut? So very interesting." Assassin then disappeared, and within 30 seconds the door to the forbidden hut clicked open from the inside. "Welcome home, Master," Assassin beckoned Hlaðguðr into the hut as if she were maid serving the lord of a western manse.

"Yeah." She dropped the pack to the floor, stripping off her outer gear to a dripping t-shirt. "City's too big that be'en central would be all that much of a benefit, and this way it's easier toooo... keep track of who's watching. Speaking of which, would'ya be able to make sure my tracks get filled in?" The polite tone didn't come naturally; but it was always nice to be nice to the little girl with knives that'd been thrown in her lap.

The cabin had one room - the outhouse probably around the back - centered around a massive fireplace. A table, chairs, a cot, blankets and even some pots and pans in a cupboard, wood... it's be quite the vacation getaway for a couple. Who had apparently vanished and left it nearly stocked. Hlaðguðr shrugged - their loss - and went about making a fire.

It was already roaring by the time Assassin wandered back inside, and teasing the flavor out of a few brace of sausages that'd been strung up over it. Cutting two small rolls in half, Hlaðguðr graced them each with a sausage and then sat back to eat one, curled up on the stone next to the heat. "Tomorrow, we go ransack the apartment?" she coughed out between mouthfuls of bread and mystery meat. "There'shd be some good shit in there, and we'd get an idea of the lay of the city. N'ything that occurs to you as more important?" She held out the other roll to Assassin.

Not that the Servant would need it. But if there was one hard-won lesson that had taken Hlaðguðr too long to learn, it was that the easiest way to camaraderie was the little things.

[Ayakashi]

Mountain City
Kyoko Suzuki

Kyoko took a deep breath, still not used to the enigmatic Archer he had summoned. As he continued to climb up the relatively massive stairs, he tried his best to compose himself. He wasn't used to being the one in charge of things, and talking to people was very difficult. He stood by the door, bunching up the folds of cloth as he waited, watching his Servant stare out the window.

The wind blew gently on this evening, light enough that it felt like the caress of nature. There was without doubt a wonderful moon shining above, showering down a soft and lulling glow onto the scenery.

Archer was leaning on the balustrade, her crimson irises turned towards the buildings that filled the city, most of them having traits of architecture dating back to the Heian era. It seemed as if there was a nostalgic essence in her eyes, burning like dying embers in the darkness of the evening. Her expression was mysterious, not really happy, but not sad either.

As she kept on looking as she had done for the past two hours, another small gust of wind blew, ruffling the long and silky black hair that ran down to her waist. There was a mysterious suggestion of transience in the brief movement of her hair strands; like a butterfly's last flight before its death. To compare her to the beauties of myth wouldn't be out of sense -- well, to be fair, she was one in the first place. As sleek as her frame was though, it didn't make her look fragile: her white sleeveless haori, the puffy detached sleeves and Archer's red hakama combined exceedingly well together with her physique and demeanor, giving her an aura that was beyond the one of a servant of the Kami, in fact, one could say that she actually felt like one.

"Um... Archer? Wh... what are you doing?" He wanted to run and hide already, but if he was going to try to win these wars, he needed to be able to talk to her. Maybe someday he'd be able to get along with her, but for now all he could do was try and talk to her.

When Kyoko approached his Servant, she serenely turned around to face him. Certainly, as interesting and perhaps, as nostalgic as it was for her to look at this beautiful city, there was much more to be gained for Archer in conversing with her Master than watching the dead streets of this gigantic city -- after all, not a single soul could be found within the confines of this city's walls.

A kind smile drew itself on Archer's lips as her timid Master tried to speak to her. She had 'felt' him going about below, cleaning and doing all kinds of works that was more fit for a housewife than someone that'd be entering a competition where one's life was on the line.

Did she think that it was silly? Or was she trying to comfort his uneasiness?

When Archer's crimson eyes met Kyoko's, it wasn't a condescending gaze that he saw, that at least is certain.

"Merely admiring this city and decrying the fact that such effort has gone to waste as there's none to live in it," Archer said.

Even in a body that was forever meant to remain in its teenage years, or so to say, a loli, Archer had a mysteriously regal, perhaps even motherly feel to her words.

"You are most methodical and organized, Master."

[Caster]

Mountain City
Kyoko Suzuki

Kyoko blushed, looking down at the floor as he played with his outfit more. Servants were so much... more than Kyoko, it was a lot to take in. Archer was the only Servant he had met so far, but he got the feeling that no matter what Servant it was, he'd feel outclassed. Archer though... he knew she wasn't trying to make him feel so out of place. He just hoped that he could somehow manage to help out his Servant, even as he knew that he would be relying on her far, far more often than she would on him. "Thank you Archer. I... well, I've had a lot of practice." He smiled, feeling a bit at ease. He didn't know if Archer was the type to care about how tidy a place was, but he got the feeling that Archer was probably used to a much better place than this. "Is... everything alright Archer? I know I'm probably not the Master you were hoping for, but if I can do anything to help let me know."

Sighing a bit, Kyoko went to go sit in a chair, trying to think about things some. He still wasn't even sure why he was chosen over someone else. He had little to offer, especially compared to others in his family. But something in him must have called him to this war. He wondered some if he'd manage to find it before Archer and himself needed whatever it was. He contemplated briefly running some cleansing rituals, wondering if it would be a problem for Archer. It was something he was used to doing at the end of each day, but he hadn't done them since Archer was summoned.

[Bloble]

Anastasia Ivanovska
River City

"Why, Master, would you need anything aside from me?! You are absolutely right when you say that I am amazing beyond all the stars and gods to compare! And so, just being able to look at me should be enough to quench whatever you need from this thing you call tea! That, is what you can clearly see as truly amazing, Master!"

Idiot!

Idiot!

"Idiot!" A cute pink pillow sailed across the small gap between Servant and Master, catching the beautiful Berserker in the face. Anna hid her eyes in an attempt not to look at Berserker, glad her blanket hid her blush. "I don't care that you look amazing! Amazing won't put food in my stomach! Those abs of yours are ab-solutely useless! People die if they don't get to eat, and there's no one here who can make anything!"

As if to prove her point, a muted grumbling echoed through the empty city, with Anna's stomach as its source. The knowledge that billions would be watching her trying and failing to get her stupid Servant under control was probably the most embarrassing thing Anna could think of. She wished she still had her maids, but the War was supposed to be primarily a solo affair. She couldn't very well go hunting by herself, and if Berserker tried he'd end up chasing away any animals in a ten kilometre radius just from the sound of his self aggrandizing idiocy. No, there was only one thing they could do to avoid death by starvation... an alliance with another Master, preferably one that could cook.

Well, it was something she'd been considering for a while, so perhaps the urge to eat wasn't the only thing pushing the decision. Berserker was a relatively straightforward class, but Anna feared an Assassin or a sneaky Caster bypassing his careless nature. As... amazing as he was, he was also too much of an idiot to deal with anything more complex than a simple fight. She had the feeling that if he'd been summoned in another class there might've been more leeway to his madness, but there was no sense in mourning what could never be acquired in the first place.

A chilly wind blew past the empty city and the happily gurgling river. Anna shivered, drawing her blanket even tighter around her body.

If she wanted an alliance, she'd need to leave the city, and there were only a limited number of destinations, only a few of which were nearby.

"Hey, useless amazing person," Anna addressed Berserker with words drier than a desert. "Snow or Island. Pick one."

[KitsuneKo]

Hlaðguðr Merkwürdigliebe
Atlantis Metropolis – The Pacific
16.01.2342 – Evening



"Yeah." She dropped the pack to the floor, stripping off her outer gear to a dripping t-shirt. "City's too big that be'en central would be all that much of a benefit, and this way it's easier toooo... keep track of who's watching. Speaking of which, would'ya be able to make sure my tracks get filled in?" The polite tone didn't come naturally; but it was always nice to be nice to the little girl with knives that'd been thrown in her lap.

The cabin had one room - the outhouse probably around the back - centered around a massive fireplace. A table, chairs, a cot, blankets and even some pots and pans in a cupboard, wood... it's be quite the vacation getaway for a couple. Who had apparently vanished and left it nearly stocked. Hlaðguðr shrugged - their loss - and went about making a fire.

It was already roaring by the time Assassin wandered back inside, and teasing the flavor out of a few brace of sausages that'd been strung up over it. Cutting two small rolls in half, Hlaðguðr graced them each with a sausage and then sat back to eat one, curled up on the stone next to the heat. "Tomorrow, we go ransack the apartment?" she coughed out between mouthfuls of bread and mystery meat. "There'shd be some good shit in there, and we'd get an idea of the lay of the city. N'ything that occurs to you as more important?" She held out the other roll to Assassin.

Not that the Servant would need it. But if there was one hard-won lesson that had taken Hlaðguðr too long to learn, it was that the easiest way to camaraderie was the little things.

Assassin accepted the roll of sausage from her Master, and began nibbling on it immediately. Truth is, Assassin didn't really like meat, but she accepted the gesture of good will regardless. Maybe one of these days Assassin will tell her Master that the reason she is so fit right now is due to her picky diet back when she was alive.

"I think it's important to keep tabs on all of the Masters. Even though we're not allowed to begin fighting until grace is over, we weren't prohibited from communicating with the other masters, or getting as much information as we can while we're still protected by the rules. Especially considering my talents, I think it would be in our best interests to focus not on preparation or fortification, but on scouting and mapping the city. It wouldn't be wise for us to make a base and stay there, given the nature of how we fight. I'm sure you're already aware of what I can do, so I'd like to get your permission to use it while we're able to avoid the wrath of the other Servants through the rules themselves."

Anastasia Ivanovska
River City



Idiot!

Idiot!

"Idiot!" A cute pink pillow sailed across the small gap between Servant and Master, catching the beautiful Berserker in the face. Anna hid her eyes in an attempt not to look at Berserker, glad her blanket hid her blush. "I don't care that you look amazing! Amazing won't put food in my stomach! Those abs of yours are ab-solutely useless! People die if they don't get to eat, and there's no one here who can make anything!"

As if to prove her point, a muted grumbling echoed through the empty city, with Anna's stomach as its source. The knowledge that billions would be watching her trying and failing to get her stupid Servant under control was probably the most embarrassing thing Anna could think of. She wished she still had her maids, but the War was supposed to be primarily a solo affair. She couldn't very well go hunting by herself, and if Berserker tried he'd end up chasing away any animals in a ten kilometre radius just from the sound of his self aggrandizing idiocy. No, there was only one thing they could do to avoid death by starvation... an alliance with another Master, preferably one that could cook.

Well, it was something she'd been considering for a while, so perhaps the urge to eat wasn't the only thing pushing the decision. Berserker was a relatively straightforward class, but Anna feared an Assassin or a sneaky Caster bypassing his careless nature. As... amazing as he was, he was also too much of an idiot to deal with anything more complex than a simple fight. She had the feeling that if he'd been summoned in another class there might've been more leeway to his madness, but there was no sense in mourning what could never be acquired in the first place.

A chilly wind blew past the empty city and the happily gurgling river. Anna shivered, drawing her blanket even tighter around her body.

If she wanted an alliance, she'd need to leave the city, and there were only a limited number of destinations, only a few of which were nearby.

"Hey, useless amazing person," Anna addressed Berserker with words drier than a desert. "Snow or Island. Pick one."

Berserker seemed to actually ponder this question seriously, completely oblivious of his Master's disapproval of his antics. It was as if he could actually understand what he was being asked. Or at least, parts of it. Nonetheless, he did his best to try to make his Master smile. "Snow... Snow is cold, and oh so plain! Unworthy of my presence, truly! But Island... Island is surrounded by water, and there are beautiful people living in the water! Beautiful people like those living in the river" It seemed the only way to actually communicate with Berserker was to talk to him as if he were a 2 year old child.

[Nihilm]

Saber enjoyed the no-nonsense approach his Master took to the War. She had been everything he had wanted in a Master; Refined, Sophisticated, Serious, Confident, and Strong. Not to mention she was beautiful. Though it wasn't in his place to do so as a King, he smiled, bowed his head, and spiritualized to his Master's whim.

As his Master was confident that he would bring her victory in the war, Saber too felt confident that his Master would bring him the glory that he had been looking for.

Naomi Nefzen
Forest City - Outskirts
16.01.2342

As expected from my parents, the only major leyline in this region goes through directly under the apartment I was given. I guess the evacuation procedures were already done, since it's immediatly clear that the place is devoid of life.

I could go looting the stores and houses here, but I don't really see a need since everything I need is already in my apartment.

I feel the presence of Saber as he follows me closely from behind, though I'd never admit it to him, having him around makes me a lot more sure of myself. During our stroll through the city I notice that most of the buildings here are apartment buildings of one sort or another, I suppose this is primarily a residential area of Atlantis.

After a few more hours of wandering we have gotten a good understanding on how this city was designed, finding our way around here should be a lot easier now. Our apartment is roughly in the middle and the city is roughly circular in shape, with 8 main streets leading from the centre to the edge. The city is surrounded by a wall that is mainly decorative rather than defensive.

I climb on top of the wall via one of the many stairs and ladders that lead up there. On top I am greeted to a stunning view of a massive forest that is outside the city with the sun setting on the horizon.

Having walked in silence in this lonely cityscape prompts me to address my servant for the first time this entire outing. "Saber what do you think of this city we find ourselves in?"

[Katie]

Taiheiyou Shoko
Jungle

This secluded armory was perhaps the perfect place for her. Surrounded by jungle, she could easily lay traps and skewer anything that would step foot her. However, first she would have to map the area and make note of places where she could stash more of her precious tools... Not only that, but she also had to keep tabs on her Servant. he was the knightly, honorable sort that she unexpectedly didn't think she would get. Pragmatism was the new king in this era, not chivalry.

"I know you can't do much, Lancer, but would you mind scouting with me? Considering I have an entire city at my hands, I may as well do something with it."

With a sigh, Shoko grabbed a wide variety of armaments along the walls—knives, tomahawks, grenades, whatever worked. Despite her age, she would be ruthless no matter what.

"Alternatively, we could go barge into other people's territory and challenge them that way. Whatever you prefer, Lancer."

Simply put, she wasn't in the mood to do anything, so best that she let fate lead her to the right choice.

[Kirby]

Before he was even given a chance to decide otherwise, Rider grabbed her Master from behind and gave her a bear hug. Ellie could feel Rider's breasts, which were quite developed for a loli, press and squish against his back. Though they were soft, they offered no respite from fact that Ellie almost died from either the strength of the hug or the sheer amount of shock with his Servant sneaking up on him like that.

"It's a bright day out, Master! How about I summon a few horses and the two of us ride around for a bit, hmmmmm?" Rider spoke insistantly to her Master. Although she worded it like a question, her demeanor and actions made it clear that it was a demand. She snuggled her face closer to her Master's, and he could feel her breath on his neck and ears.

Elliot Bellamy
Atlantis - Plains City
2342 - January 16 - Sunset

On one hand, Elliot no longer had to scour an entire mansion in search of his Servant, as he planned to.
On the other hand, he couldn't talk. Or breathe.

For the scant few days he had known her, he had quickly discovered that Rider was a touchy-feely sort of person, the kind he would have little-to-no control over, especially when it comes to her disregard of personal space. Specifically, his. While at one point he had considered, in a flash of annoyance, using a command seal to make her stop her touchy-feely antics, he concluded that his half-hearted command would yield a half-assed result.

It wasn’t as if he enjoyed it or anything. Not at all. At least, that’s what he tried to tell himself. He just didn’t find it unpleasant.

But now, there was no time to waste. Fewer than seven days remained to secure key alliances, and even after that, he would have to scout out the cities, search for leylines, and do whatever it was that Masters were supposed to do in preparation of the war. All he needed to do was to escape Rider's spine-crushing hug and give the order to move out.

“Mmph. MMMPH”

Well, if he could speak or breathe, that is.

“MMMMPPHH!”

[Bloble]

Anastasia Ivanovska
River City

"Island it is," Anna said without any fanfare. "Berserker, we're going. You can stay materialized, but don't do anything silly."

The floating chair turned slowly in the air and, headed deeper into the city. Anastasia knew enough about the Atlantis to know that the Island City was reached through an underground tunnel rather than any aboveground passageway. Given its vicinity to the River City, the path wouldn't be particularly long, especially with a more advanced means of transport than most possessed.

After moving through a dreary building, they came out into a large, open road that would've resembled a highway had it not been completely underground. Despite its dreary location, it had been fitted with lights and attempts had been made to give the passageway an open feeling. The success of those attempts was partial at best, but Anna was just glad that the chilly wind was gone.

"Berserker." A single finger followed by a frail hand extended from the floating chair, pointing down one of the directions the tunnel went. "That's where we're going." She tossed her Servant a rope, affixing one end to her chair beforehand. "Here. I want you to grab this and run... er, jog that way until I tell you to stop. This is faster than normal locomotion. If I fall out of my chair or the rope breaks, you are to immediately return to spirit form, or let go."

[Ayakashi]

Mountain City
Kyoko Suzuki

Kyoko blushed, looking down at the floor as he played with his outfit more. Servants were so much... more than Kyoko, it was a lot to take in. Archer was the only Servant he had met so far, but he got the feeling that no matter what Servant it was, he'd feel outclassed. Archer though... he knew she wasn't trying to make him feel so out of place. He just hoped that he could somehow manage to help out his Servant, even as he knew that he would be relying on her far, far more often than she would on him. "Thank you Archer. I... well, I've had a lot of practice." He smiled, feeling a bit at ease.

The effeminate boy was getting slightly confident in his speech, but nonetheless, he was still displaying traits characteristic of shyness. It didn't necessarily bother Archer, but maybe, maybe she that thought it'd be better for Kyoko to not have such a lack of confidence?

'It would be a good change from the past.'

But his situation was understandable; he had said that he has been serving for a long time, probably ever since he was born. Taking this into account alongside the fact that Archer herself couldn't stop from having that air of hers most suggestive of a ruler's, it was obvious that the already timid Kyoko was going to have trouble feeling comfortable, feeling like an actual Master.

He didn't know if Archer was the type to care about how tidy a place was, but he got the feeling that Archer was probably used to a much better place than this. "Is... everything alright Archer? I know I'm probably not the Master you were hoping for, but if I can do anything to help let me know."

Sighing a bit, Kyoko went to go sit in a chair, trying to think about things some. He still wasn't even sure why he was chosen over someone else. He had little to offer, especially compared to others in his family. But something in him must have called him to this war. He wondered some if he'd manage to find it before Archer and himself needed whatever it was. He contemplated briefly running some cleansing rituals, wondering if it would be a problem for Archer. It was something he was used to doing at the end of each day, but he hadn't done them since Archer was summoned.

"You shouldn't present yourself as such, Master," Archer answered quickly, not giving any second thought to her words. "That I was summoned by you is more than enough for me to be grateful. Besides, I believe that you undervalue some of your qualities - it takes just as much to be the head of a family when one aims to be a dutiful, unfaltering servant."

Just like her appearance, Archer's talk was very smooth, yet even if soft, anyone could with no mistakes pick up the strength behind her words.

Archer walked up to Kyoko, following him as he had gone to sit on a chair. Was he running away? Was he tired, having strained himself by being overly sensitive about his conversation with Archer, drained out of energy by simply talking to her?

He was the shy Master, yes. A shy Master that Archer constantly had to remind herself to call him a boy, for Kyoko's effeminate frail looks, shrine maiden clothing and girly behavior screamed anything but 'boy' to her. Archer would in fact have thought that he was a woman if it wasn't for his spiritual energy, which leaked more yang than yin.

'Not so different from...'

For a brief second, when she thought about all this, the image of someone else that Archer had known in her life flashed over Kyoko's, the two of them superimposing; how well they matched, was most probably one of fate's most whimsical pranks.

Yet 'that person' was 'that person', and Kyoko was Kyoko. They were two different people, and in fact...

...the roles had been reversed.

Not that this vision didn't give her an idea. That image reminded her of one thing that any vassal should do when they pledged servitude to their liege. In fact, Archer thought of many ways to make Kyoko understand that she didn't mind him ordering him around, she didn't mind serving him no matter who he was - the only thing that she'd ask of him, would be for him to treat her like a normal person.

In a sudden move, but with an ethereal grace that was sadly reminiscent of a cherry blossom's withering petal as it falls down to its death... Archer fell to her knees next to Kyoko, and she gently put her hands on his, telling him:

"Master, I do not linger on to the past. Whatever my rank was, whatever luxury I once resided in, they're all gone - I make with what there is in the present. That is why I ask of you, as your Servant Archer, not as who I was in the past: do not bother yourself with being an incompetent Master, for you aren't. Even if you are hesitant, even if you are fearful of many things... I will be there not only to help you accomplish what you can't, but I will make sure that in time, you'll be able to do these yourself. Ultimately, even if I can do many things... I am no different from you."

For the young boy, it must have been quite the experience to have someone of Archer's caliber kneeling in front of him and saying these words.

As hard as she wished to appear normal and be taken as a 'normal person', Archer could never rid herself of her regal aura, as well as her otherworldly beauty, which once again, did not solely radiate human beauty, but was ingrained with a Kami's essence.

The fires in Archer's crimson irises endlessly flickered as she awaited Kyoko's response.

[Caster]

Mountain City
Kyoko Suzuki

Kyoko looked into the beautiful light of Archer's eyes, the words of Archer just washing over him. As he did, he thought back to his own family, and his raising. All his life, he had been raised with the expectations of someone else. He had his own desires, but at his core he still cared more about the feelings of others than himself. As Archer's cool hands gently held his own, he tried to imagine what may have prompted the kind maiden to make these statements. He knew only a little of her legend, and it was hard to imagine himself in her place. But she was kneeling there, trying to reassure him. Startled, he felt tears starting to well up in his eyes, as he sat down beside her, uncertain of what had come over him. The calm and solemn Archer, with stronger statements than he thought he had deserved... as he thought that, he realized that it was her strong compassion for him, a stranger whom she barely knew, that had brought such a reaction from himself.

As Kyoko's tears slowed down, he wiped them on his sleeve, only realizing now that his outfit was a mess from his outburst. He sniffed, then laughed a bit at the thought of how bad his clothes must be. It was just something to try and focus his mind, but he found himself slowly more relaxed, able to control himself enough to answer. "I... I'm not special Archer. Or at least I don't feel like I am." He took a deep breath as he continued. "But I'll try and be your partner. I don't want to be your Master. I want... to walk with you, together, to a better tomorrow. I know I'm going to make a lot of mistakes, and I know you must have something you want, but... please try and be patient. I... I'll try and do the best I can, even if I think that isn't good enough now."

He took another deep breath, not sure of what else to say. He had only known Archer for a short time, but it was all he could do to keep himself together in her presence. She had an intense aura, and Kyoko wondered if he was going to have a hard time interacting with the other Servants because of this. But he didn't want to embarrass Archer. He wanted to do his best, for both of their sakes. He just didn't have much confidence in his ability to do that.

[SeiKeo]

Hlaðguðr Merkwürdigliebe
Atlantis Metropolis – The Pacific
16.01.2342 – Evening

Assassin accepted the roll of sausage from her Master, and began nibbling on it immediately. Truth is, Assassin didn't really like meat, but she accepted the gesture of good will regardless. Maybe one of these days Assassin will tell her Master that the reason she is so fit right now is due to her picky diet back when she was alive.

"O.K then, road trip." She hammered down the rest of the sausage and gathered her clothes, laying them out in front of the fire. "First thing tomorrow, we grab transport, s'I don't feel like we want to be flying around the whole day. Then, I think, ah, break into the police and see if they got n'thing interesting? We'll figure it out. 'Nd yeah, that's okay, they'll be bound to know someone's watching them anyways.

The sleeping bag at the bottom of the pack was still dry and went straight on the cot, dragged in front of the fire. "Oh, hope I don't forget, let's mark out other bases when w're out. Like you said, we can pick up and go so we may as well start prepping them." Slipping into the down bag, the final remains of sausage grease sizzling on wood, the cabin almost felt like a home. "Sorry I didn't bring a bag for you; y'should feel free to sleep. Or whatever, can you still? First day, nothing worrying."

[KitsuneKo]

Naomi Nefzen
Forest City - Outskirts
16.01.2342

As expected from my parents, the only major leyline in this region goes through directly under the apartment I was given. I guess the evacuation procedures were already done, since it's immediatly clear that the place is devoid of life.

I could go looting the stores and houses here, but I don't really see a need since everything I need is already in my apartment.

I feel the presence of Saber as he follows me closely from behind, though I'd never admit it to him, having him around makes me a lot more sure of myself. During our stroll through the city I notice that most of the buildings here are apartment buildings of one sort or another, I suppose this is primarily a residential area of Atlantis.

After a few more hours of wandering we have gotten a good understanding on how this city was designed, finding our way around here should be a lot easier now. Our apartment is roughly in the middle and the city is roughly circular in shape, with 8 main streets leading from the centre to the edge. The city is surrounded by a wall that is mainly decorative rather than defensive.

I climb on top of the wall via one of the many stairs and ladders that lead up there. On top I am greeted to a stunning view of a massive forest that is outside the city with the sun setting on the horizon.

Having walked in silence in this lonely cityscape prompts me to address my servant for the first time this entire outing. "Saber what do you think of this city we find ourselves in?"

Saber decided to materialize to better answer her Master's question. Although doing so was decidedly a waste of mana, they weren't on a tight budget of any sort because there was no pressure on either the Master or the Servant right now. Plus, as a prime example of what the pinnacle of men should be, what else could he accept but to face the lady and speak to her eye to eye? "It is a good place. Comfortable, fresh, and full of class." He paused for a second, before continuing onto another subject. "Master, I'm sure you already know, but the war may unfold anywhere in the Atlantis Metropolis, not just the Forest City. While we have this location mapped, that knowledge likely won't be put to much use, unless an opponent is fool enough to attempt to take us on our home turf." Saber took a look beyond the forest, at the floating colossus that yielded the largest city in the entire world. "In comparison to the Core, our Forest City may as well be labelled as a village. I suspect most of the fighting will take place there, as it is where the best leylines of Atlantis lie. However, it may take us the rest of the week to finish mapping the place."

Underground channel

Agatha DeKaikalos



There was almost no change, and it grated on her. One moment she was sightseeing a perfect natural beauty, and now she was underground, express-traveling to the Core and yet... perfection again. "Logic", for what feeble meaning the word could provide anymore, suggested that humans wouldn't waste too much time or resources in embellishing a terminal between places, a "where" devoid of inhabitants.
'But why shouldn't we? It's hardly costing us anything.'


Time past, objectively fast and yet heavily felt, and the sullen Master had her beautiful eyes in a restless pursuit, for there had to be something, and she knew it more than anybody else...! A frivolous thought had her almost activate her Circuits, but even the slight support her reason gave her "Well, we could use some training..." wasn't enough to win the plenty negative considerations that came with the idea.

'Behave your age, woman, 'tis most unsightly'.
She almost thanked the Heaven's Feel when Caster's familiar reached, as it gave her something to do. Caster was right, both of them could hardly lament a lack of magical energy, but they still were far more reliant on it than any other Master-Servant duo.
She conveyed her gratitude to the familiar and prepared to exit the liner, as the arrival was imminent.

Ascending from the tunnel through the train, Agatha reached the edge of the Core in no time at all. From here on, she would need to take one of the sky trolleys or use one of the light bridges to get inside the Core. The Core, however, was another spectacle altogether. Not only was it massive beyond imagination, but the architecture of the city was 200 years superior to anything else on the face of the planet. Agatha could sense that there wasn't just one leyline superior to the one they had established in Island City; there were at least a dozen. Especially notable were 3 particular signatures that seemed to mark themselves at the Core's North East end, South West end, and the Center. Though from what she could recall, the Center line was prohibited for use during the war, as it is where the Overseer is supervising the War Cycle from. But first, Agatha would need to enter the Core...

Taiheiyou Shoko
Jungle

This secluded armory was perhaps the perfect place for her. Surrounded by jungle, she could easily lay traps and skewer anything that would step foot her. However, first she would have to map the area and make note of places where she could stash more of her precious tools... Not only that, but she also had to keep tabs on her Servant. he was the knightly, honorable sort that she unexpectedly didn't think she would get. Pragmatism was the new king in this era, not chivalry.

"I know you can't do much, Lancer, but would you mind scouting with me? Considering I have an entire city at my hands, I may as well do something with it."

With a sigh, Shoko grabbed a wide variety of armaments along the walls—knives, tomahawks, grenades, whatever worked. Despite her age, she would be ruthless no matter what.

"Alternatively, we could go barge into other people's territory and challenge them that way. Whatever you prefer, Lancer."

Simply put, she wasn't in the mood to do anything, so best that she let fate lead her to the right choice.

Anything would have been more productive than standing and watching his Master sharpening knives that he was certain she already had thousands of. He had been waiting for the command, but he was a little surprised that of all things, his Master was giving him the power to choose their next action. While he would have liked to learn more about his Master, he knew it would come to eventually naturally through the course of the war. Right now, what they needed was speed and efficiency. Less than a week remained until this quiet and peace would be replaced with ceaseless chaos.

"Let us inspect Atlantis' Ring while we are still able to roam without fear of death. Granted we should be able to access one another's knowledge, it would be best if we split up and investigated each of the realms. I will head north east and continue on my path from there, while you head south west and continue down the path to get a good grasp of all the cities. Make sure to map out the key locations and areas that you suspect the other Masters will choose as a base of operations, and move on to the next city. We should rendezvous at the Desert City once we are finished with our task. From there, we can go to the Core together."

Lancer had made plans from the start, though he didn't expect that his Master would allow him the freedom. Well, if she's like this, then I think things can go pretty well...

Elliot Bellamy
Atlantis - Plains City
2342 - January 16 - Sunset

On one hand, Elliot no longer had to scour an entire mansion in search of his Servant, as he planned to.
On the other hand, he couldn't talk. Or breathe.

For the scant few days he had known her, he had quickly discovered that Rider was a touchy-feely sort of person, the kind he would have little-to-no control over, especially when it comes to her disreno homod of personal space. Specifically, his. While at one point he had considered, in a flash of annoyance, using a command seal to make her stop her touchy-feely antics, he concluded that his half-hearted command would yield a half-assed result.

It wasn’t as if he enjoyed it or anything. Not at all. At least, that’s what he tried to tell himself. He just didn’t find it unpleasant.

But now, there was no time to waste. Fewer than seven days remained to secure key alliances, and even after that, he would have to scout out the cities, search for leylines, and do whatever it was that Masters were supposed to do in preparation of the war. All he needed to do was to escape Rider's spine-crushing hug and give the order to move out.

“Mmph. MMMPH”

Well, if he could speak or breathe, that is.

“MMMMPPHH!”

"Eh, what are you trying to tell me, Master?" Rider asked Ellie innocently. No response. Rider loosened her grasp, and her Master would have fallen to the floor were it not for Rider's quick reflexes. Still no response. "M-Master...?" No good, he had passed out from the intensity of his Servant's affection. Rider quickly took note of it in her head. Noted: Make sure not to interrupt Master's oxygen flow, even if the cause for it is my priceless love.

"Geez, now what are we going to do?" Rider puffed and moped. Well, he would wake up in a few hours. Rider could sense that nothing was damaged, though her Master may have just been traumatized. Should she wait until her Master regained consciousness? Wait...

A wonderful idea sprang into Rider's head. It could very much be a replay of one of the romances she had known in her lifetime. She quickly pulled her Master onto her shoulder and carried his body as she ran outside at speeds dangerous to the hapless Ellie, and raised her left hand to command her Master's mana onto it, in order to bring forth her Noble Phantasm. "Heroes of the Three Kingdoms, I beseech you! Come forth to your master's calling, and let us ride to glory! Yingxiong Ma! Wo Zhao Huan Ni!" At the majestic girl's calling, a two dimensional rifts shaped beside her, and with brilliant speed and grace galloped out two of the finest horses one could ever expect to see in history. "Oh, I've missed you cuties~" She called out as she smothered her face on the greater of the horses', all the while caressing the other's chin. She placed her Master on the bigger horse's back, and jumped on the same horse, tucking Ellie safely behind her as she prepared to ride. With a call, the horse ran at mystifying speeds, with the other horse perfectly following in tow. "Let's ride until the sun sets! What do you think, Master?!"

Right, Master is unable to answer at the moment...

...

The sun was a dim orange as Ellie began to open his eyes. He couldn't remember much of what happened, but he had an awfully comfortable dream... Why am I laid out in such an uncomfortable position? He thought as he noticed his body was hung onto a horse's back stomach first, with the rest of his limbs flowing majestically to the wind. Why are my arms flinging around? Why is everything so bumpy? Why is it that despite everything around me smelling like animal, there's a fragrance that reminds me of that pleasant dream?" Ellie had finally managed to open his eyes. He was being kidnapped into a strange land he had no idea by a horse, with its plains barren not with grass or anything of the sort, but sand, canyons, and a breeze that was too hot for his comfort.

"Oh, so you're awake now, Master! You see, I tried to head North West first, but it ended up being a mountainous region completely impractical to ride through, so I changed our course South West and we ended up in this interesting desert. We're close to its city now, and I'm a little hungry..."

A hot breeze carrying warm sand flew into Ellie's face.

Anastasia Ivanovska
River City

"Island it is," Anna said without any fanfare. "Berserker, we're going. You can stay materialized, but don't do anything silly."

The floating chair turned slowly in the air and, headed deeper into the city. Anastasia knew enough about the Atlantis to know that the Island City was reached through an underground tunnel rather than any aboveground passageway. Given its vicinity to the River City, the path wouldn't be particularly long, especially with a more advanced means of transport than most possessed.

After moving through a dreary building, they came out into a large, open road that would've resembled a highway had it not been completely underground. Despite its dreary location, it had been fitted with lights and attempts had been made to give the passageway an open feeling. The success of those attempts was partial at best, but Anna was just glad that the chilly wind was gone.

"Berserker." A single finger followed by a frail hand extended from the floating chair, pointing down one of the directions the tunnel went. "That's where we're going." She tossed her Servant a rope, affixing one end to her chair beforehand. "Here. I want you to grab this and run... er, jog that way until I tell you to stop. This is faster than normal locomotion. If I fall out of my chair or the rope breaks, you are to immediately return to spirit form, or let go."

Berserker didn't understand what his Master asked. Of course he didn't. Yet, he was able to understand what his Master had expected of him. Though the words didn't penetrate into his skull, his link with his Master gave him a sort of telepathic message along the lines of 'Rope. Carry. Charge. Protect Master.' Berserker smiled knowing that his Master was finally going to rely on him for something none could do better. He patted his Master's head, carrying on his face a gentle smile that seemed completely uncharacteristic of his egotistical and completely unaware self, and opened his mouth. "Of course I can do that, Master. I am, after all, the great-" Anna quickly covered her ears as Berserker spoke out his identity with such uncanny ease. "-and I will make ensure that my dear, cute Master Anna is protected and safe from all the evils of this world."

Did he just say something nice? Berserker left Anna to bewilder at his words, completely unaware of the damage he may have done to the young maiden's heart. Before she was given a chance to really think on it, however, Berserker grabbed the rope with his left hand and lifted his massive sword from his back with his right, and began charging forward like a mad bull, swinging his sword in wide, powerful arcs all the while screaming something completely incoherent at the top of his lungs. No signpost or water hydrant was given any mercy in Berserker's trail of destruction, as the underground passage became a graveyard littered うぃｔｈ poor and innocent infrastructure who were just at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Hlaðguðr Merkwürdigliebe
Atlantis Metropolis – The Pacific
16.01.2342 – Evening



"O.K then, road trip." She hammered down the rest of the sausage and gathered her clothes, laying them out in front of the fire. "First thing tomorrow, we grab transport, s'I don't feel like we want to be flying around the whole day. Then, I think, ah, break into the police and see if they got n'thing interesting? We'll figure it out. 'Nd yeah, that's okay, they'll be bound to know someone's watching them anyways.

The sleeping bag at the bottom of the pack was still dry and went straight on the cot, dragged in front of the fire. "Oh, hope I don't forget, let's mark out other bases when w're out. Like you said, we can pick up and go so we may as well start prepping them." Slipping into the down bag, the final remains of sausage grease sizzling on wood, the cabin almost felt like a home. "Sorry I didn't bring a bag for you; y'should feel free to sleep. Or whatever, can you still? First day, nothing worrying."

Assassin's Master exhibited a pretty carefree attitude given the nature of this War. Well, it didn't matter much, as Assassin was perfectly capable of keeping tabs and staying on top of information all on her own. Besides, her Master was far from useless.

Hraolguor was right that even though she was a Servant, Assassin needed rest, and was perfectly capable of sleeping to attain that rest. However, in the spirit body she now possessed, the only real purpose of sleep was to recover Mana, and her body no longer fatigued like it did when she was alive. Assassin wished her Master a good rest, and made way outside the cabin and locked it with a spell so complex none bar herself would be able to enter.Well, the lock would deactivate if the door were opened from the inside. Assassin kept it that way so that she wouldn't inconvenience her Master when she woke up. Assassin then took what resembled a sprinting stance, and leapt forward into the air at a speed barely short of sound.