The Great Misaki Grail War! (With KnK too) (IC Thread)

[Milbunk]

??????????
The Park
11:21 pm, Day 0

The girl charged with all her might, one last attack was all she could stand. She needed to finish her off now!

"Fire!" She used everything everything she could muster with all her might every circuit in her body screamed in pain as the giant steel lance fired directly into the girls chest.

"Warrrrggghhh!!!"

But with a howl the beast jumped to the side, despite her impressive speed it was not enough.

Standing away from the fight a boy still young in age let out a laugh as the attack failed."Hahahahah! what a shame, if you had been any fast you might have been able to hit! But it appears that even now you are still an inferior being. 'Berserker' finish her off now."

The maddened woman inched closer to her weakened prey, with a face of pure rage she intended to finish her off as quickly as she could.

*Booooom!*

A flash of light and a bullet raced through the night air towards the boy. However just as quickly the boy's Servant rushed to his side, with a simple slash in the air she swatted the bullet into oblivion.

"Tch, so even you have friends... This is getting too hectic come Berserker we are leaving."

And so the two left in haste, still alert for any more attacks but finding none. They left the beaten and bruised girl alone in the park and with the night battle concluded she finally passed out in pain.

The Great Misaki Grail War!

Day 1
Weather: Partly Cloudy, Chance of Rain (0%)
Current Masters 8

[SINIB]

9:21 am; day 1

Irisviel: “Saber, I’m bored!”

Saber: “What is the matter, my lady?”

Irisviel: “I want to go outside and play! The castle is boring!”

Saber: “Play?”

Irisviel: “I meant, ummm, scout! Yes, scout! We should go out and scout the competition while the time is right, before the enemy masters have finished setting up.” {nods knowledgeably}

Saber: “My lady, I-”

Irisviel: “Yes, Saber, that is what we shall do. Off we go!”

Saber: “Very well my lady, I will go and tell Sella of our departure.”{Makes his way off towards the door.”

Irisviel: “NO! I mean, there’s no need to inform her of everything I do, Saber.”

Sella: {somewhat annoyed} “What is it you do not need to inform me of, Lady Irisviel?”

{Irisviel Cringes}

Irisviel: {guiltily} “Oh, Sella, we were... Ummm...

{Fidgets a bit}

Saber: “We were going out to-”

Irisviel: {Frantic} “Saber, stop!”

Sella: {fairly annoyed at this point} “Going out?”

Irisviel: “Um, Yes, we were planning on going out and scouting.”
{under her breath} ”yes, scouting”

Sella: “What was that?”

Irisviel: “Nothing, nothing.”

Sella:{softer} “Lady Irisviel, if you wish to go out and explore, as long as you take Saber or Leysritt with you, I’m not going to stop you. All I ask is that you tell me when you go out, so I know were you are. Will you please do so from now on, instead of trying to sneak out?”

Irisviel: {sufficiently admonished} “Alright Sella, I’ll try and do so from now on.”

[SINIB]

11:30 am, day 1.
Just outside a clothing store. Saber is now dressed up in a suit, and is heavily burdened with several large bags of clothing. Irisviel is dancing around him, she is obviously extremely happy with her haul. "Come on Saber, I see an interesting place over there." Irisviel said, while pointing at a store labeled "Candy Plaza."
"My lady, what does this have to do with scouting?" Saber asked.
"Scouting?" Irisviel inquired.
{sigh}"Never mind, forget I said anything." Saber said while shaking his head, but with a slight smile on his face while he did so.

[Vagrant]

9:39am
Happy Views Serviced Apartments
Apartment 305


The young man sighed heavily, massaging the bridge of his nose in frustration. He shot a look at his watch and then down at the lump wrapped up in a blanket in front of him. He kicked the bed roughly, but the shape didn't move at all, instead giving out a little sigh of satisfaction.

Whether that was the satisfaction of blissful rest or the satisfaction of getting under his skin, he had no idea. He thought sourly that deliberately aggravating him was hardly beyond the scope of the idiot he'd been saddled with.

How I ended up with Flatt Escardos as a partner, I will never understand. Fate must hate me, he concluded glumly as he looked around the room.

It was nice enough as far as accommodation went, relatively spartan but spacious enough. The light streaming in the window was certainly very nice, but as he turned to gaze out the window, he thought that "Happy Views" was something of a misnomer. Or more likely, a horrible joke. Staring out into the dingey alleyway, he felt a twist of hatred. Hatred for this ugly view. Hatred for the ugly little twisted-up tree sitting in a pot on the shelf. Hatred for the stupid, stupid traditional painting that hung above his bed. Hatred for the ugly city, the backwater country and the stupid, stupid moron who was now snoring gently in the second bed.

My chances at winning this war are zero.

With a sigh, he stretched and flicked his long hair out of his eyes before turning back to Flatt. Another pang of irrational disgust struck him, and with a snap of his finger a gust of icy wind knocked Flatt from his bed. A small trick, a Single Action spell of low grade, but for someone like himself it was an achievement to be able to cast even that. And he hated himself for that.

A sleepy moan burst from the tangle of blankets that now lay upon the ground beside the cheap bed, and then a bleary face popped up. Flatt rubbed his eyes furiously, and then groaned again. He opened his mouth and the complaints began to flow. The peace of the morning was interrupted as his half-awake speech became faster and more energetic, though honestly no more coherent.

All of a sudden, Waver Velvet realised he had been very, very stupid to have woken Flatt up.

God, he hated Japan.

[Milbunk]

Hooligans
Shopping District
11:37 am, day 1

The rough man was in a bad mood. Already kicked out of several establishments for his rowdy behavior he and his posse were in a bad mood. Then they came across a foreigner.

"Eh guys, Im gunna go talk to er." He hiccuped as his headache continued. It was plainly obvious that he was not in a normal state of mind.

One of his companions a tall skinny balding man with a golden tooth followed up. "Eh, I unno man, dat bigger guy next to er is pretty big. Yu sure yu wanna do dat?"

His drunken smirk turned straight upside down with his friends comment. "O shut it, wat da hell makes you da boss. I'm goin and dat's da end o it ya here!"

Perhaps blinded by intoxication the man stumbled towards the snow white haired women. Giving a small that would scare small children he did his best to look 'nice'. "Eh missy, why dun yu ditch dat loser an come o'er here an hang out with us, huh?."

[Megas]

Satsuki Yumizuka and Lancer
Abandoned Warehouse
12:03 AM, Day 1


Satsuki begins the day with an ongoing argument with Lancer


"But where else can we go, Lancer?" She whined, for what felt like the hundredth time to her servant, "There aren't a lot of places I can stay on my budget, plus I have to be in a place that can block out the sun during the day."


"We won't get anything done by staying here though, we need to find a place that will be safer than here," Lancer reiterated his response calmly, again.


"There are ways to aquire enough money through this war," Lancer placed his hand on Satsuki's shoulder, "I'm sure there are lodges where payment is not required up front. We should eliminate any potential burdens and vulnerabilities to your safety first and foremost"


"O-ok, Lancer, I'm trusting you, but what should I do about blood? I without it I'll get... I'll get...," Satsuki's eyes began to water.


"Listen, the grail has provided me with knowledge of this modern era," Lancer smiled to in an attempt to calm her as much as possible, "There are ways I can go aquire sources of blood to help keep you in good condition, but I'd prefer we moved you to a safer location first."


Satsuki nodded, a slight smile gracing her face for the first time in what felt like too long, "Alright then Lancer, lead the way!"

"As you wish, Master."


The girl and her servant then walked off into the darkness.

[SINIB]

Shopping District
11:38 am, day 1
Saber and Irisviel were making their way towards the Candy Plaza, when they were approached by a rough looking, obviously drunk man. Stumbling his way over to Irisviel, he said "Eh missy, why dun yu ditch dat loser an come o'er here an hang out with us, huh?." Irisviel took a step back, taking cover behind Saber. The man, completely undeterred, moved closer, attempting to grab her arm in the same motion. "Naow c'mon, miss, we're nawt—

"Excuse me sir, but I think it's clear that she's not interested. Would you mind leaving now?" Saber interjected, sticking his arm out in between the man and Irisviel.
"Eh man, I'm talking to the lady er, nawt yu, so why dun yu jus but out?" The man said, with cheap liquor on his breath. Three more men sauntered over, echoing the first's sentiments. "Yea, why dun you just leave, an ever'thing will be fine?"

"I've asked you to leave once already. I'm not going to ask so nicely next time.
Leave. Now." Saber responded in a menacing tone of voice.
"Eh man, meybe we should go, this guy looks—"
"Shawt up, ya coward! It's four awn one! 'Ow could we lose?" The first guy responded to one of his friends behind him.

Saber put down the bags of clothing he has been holding until now, and said: "This is your last chance to leave. I'm not going to let any one of you lay a single finger on my lady. If you persist in your efforts, I will stop you."

"Ok, yu'v made me angry! You'll be sawry when I'm done wit you! The drunken man pulled out a switchblade, and made a lunge towards Saber. Saber easily grabbed the man's arm, and quickly slammed him into the pavement. The man groaned, twitched a bit, before finally ceasing movement and simply laying there. "Unless you wish to join you friend down there, I suggest you leave, and allow us on our way." Saber said to the other men.

"Cawmon, let's get awt of 'ere!" "This guy's crazy!" "Holey sheet!"
The three other men yelled while fleeing the scene.
A pause, and then: "Saber, why don't we go back to the castle now?" Irisviel said softly, rattled from the ordeal. "As you wish, my lady. I'm sorry you had to go through that." Saber responded, while picking up the bags he had put down moments before.
Irisviel laughed softly, and said: "What are you apologizing for, Saber? It's not your fault."
They turned and left for the castle, the only remaining memento of the earlier exchange being a smelly drunk, lying on the pavement while moaning softly.

[Vagrant]

Misaki City La Suite Hotel
Floor 35
Sky North Penthouse Suite

10:30 am

Kayneth sat at his opulent blackwood desk, surrounded by books and odd spindly-looking devices, his attention focused entirely on the shimmering pool sitting in a basin in front of him. He rubbed his small goatee idly as he examined the flickering colours and patterns forming in the scrying pool, tracing the bursts of prana throughout the city as they emerged, blossomed and then faded away. It appeared that there was definitely activity going on, and all seven Servants were within the city's bounds. The Grail War had most certainly begun.

Tapping his finger against his teacup, he furrowed his brow as he observed a particularly vibrant splash of colour, his own Servant. She was an interesting one, to say the least, and he still wasn't certain what to think of her. It had certainly been a surprise to him when he first saw the woman standing in his summoning circle, as he'd rather expected a man, but Rider's explanation as to her appearance was good enough for him. Of course, her appearance itself was slightly more of an issue, he thought privately.

As if on cue, the door to his workroom slammed open and Rider flounced in. She was followed by Kayneth's wife, a sour look on the latter's face. Kayneth glanced up and, not for the first time, marvelled at the similarity between the two. Sola's long hair was a darker shade of red than Rider's own vibrant pink hair and no scar marred the beauty of his wife's face, but nonetheless they looked most similar to Kayneth. It was unsettling in more ways than one for the Archmagus, and the deadly look that Sola shot his way told him all he needed to know about how apparent his thoughts were. To his wife, at the very least.

"I broke the coffee machine!"

Rider beamed sunnily and laughed as she made her innocent statement, causing Sola to shoot her another look of annoyance. However, her disposition changed as Rider continued talking, for it seemed apparent that Rider was planning on going shopping for a new one. While the suite they were staying in was opulent, the idea of a shopping trip was very appealing to Sola, for in this singular facet Sola and Rider were very alike in personality. They both loved spending Kayneth's money.

Kayneth sighed as Rider held out her hand expectantly, and simply waved her off, sighing as he did so

"Sola, dear, please go with Rider and provide the money for her. And please try to ensure that she doesn't waste too much on frivolous nonsense like she did the past four times," he urged. He knew full well that Sola would probably match Rider purchase for purchase, but felt it necessary to at least put on the act.

"I shall do as you have asked," Sola responded, for as much as Rider annoyed her the allure of shopping was far greater. She turned to leave with Rider, but paused and then looked back at Kayneth, who had not yet returned his attention to his work.

"I know that you don't have any interest in the slightest, but I will be looking for a gift to take back to Benthal when we return. Please do try to think of something he would like that isn't related to learning the family magecraft," she mentioned, though the sarcasm in her voice made it apparent how likely she thought it that Kayneth would care at all for anything relating to his son that was not furthering the family's prestige.

Kayneth murmured an agreement, before focusing on his work again as the two women left the room.

[SINIB]

Day 1, 1:27 pm
Einzbern Castle
With only a few relatively small detours, Saber and Irisviel made their way through the forest and over the hills back to the Einzbern Castle. The forest felt very serene, the chirping of the birds and the chattering of the insects were the only sources of noise here.


Meanwhile, inside the castle, preparations were being made for the return of the lady. "Leysritt, grab the broom! We need to finish cleaning before Lady Irisviel returns!"
"Sella." Leysritt returned.
"What? Leysritt, I told you what to do, now go do it!" Sella rebutted.
"Sella, you're too high strung." Leysritt elaborated.
"Ugh, Leysritt, just do your job!"
The sound of a great door creaking open could be heard in the distance, the sounds echoing its way through the corridors.
"Sella, Liz, we're ho'me! I brought presents!" Irisviel's voice musically echoing through the hallways and corridors.

For some reason, these words sent a chill through Sella's spine.

[Mormarth]

The Bad Guys
Day 1, 8:12 AM
Matou Headquarters

In the dark, dank depths of the recently requisitioned safehouse, the being that once was a man named Zolgen Makri lurked. It mused idly on when it had lost its humanity, degenerating from a young man, full of vigor and idealism, to nothing more than an old worm, skulking in the dirt, clinging to what is its by right.

After all, that is why it, or rather, he, was here. To reclaim what was stolen, and reach that precious goal.

The group of familiars united by one mind and wearing a man suit shook their collective head, thinking of its goal made them nostalgic for the past, but time was short, and the being now known as Matou Zouken turned his attention to his Servant.

Assassin awaited, a silent ghost in the dark, ready to move at a moments notice.

"Assassin," Zouken began, "Begin your surveillance of the town, identify all persons of note, notable locations, and, of least importance, the locations of bars around the town proper, I will eventually require sustenance. Continue until Sundown, then return to give your report."

"Of course."

The shadow in the darkness bowed in assent, and the Servant most suited to the mantle of Hashashin vanished from sight, entering the cloudy Misaki morning.

Of course, Assassin would not be the sole working force of this relationship.

The elderly, rotting form of Matou Zouken turned his attention to the Command Spells on his forearm.

"Time to work."

[Vagrant]

Happy Views Serviced Apartments
11:32am

Two hours.

Two hours.

Two hours of noisy, nonsensical hell.

"This place is so boring, let's go go go find somewhere else to be be be let's go go be be be gone be gone go!"

The singsong nonsense of Flatt's chatter was almost enough drive Waver to tears. Instead, he ground his teeth and began mentally reciting the steps for a Grand Ritual of Petrification, feeling his mind become more calm as he pictured Flatt's mouth being turned to stone.

Unfortunately for Waver, the fidgeting Flatt was not the only aggravating presence in the room with him.

"Hwua! Hoo!"

The enthusiastic, self-impressed noises came from the muscular man standing in front of the mirror on the dresser, flexing his muscles eagerly. His shirtless torso was certainly something impressive to look upon, though Waver thought that the man was far too aware of that.

"Man, I'm pretty!" exclaimed Berserker as he turned to check his body from another angle.

"Solid gold, 24 carat perfection baby!"

Flicking his golden hair with a casual air, Berserker held up one of the shirts from his suitcase against his chest, then turned to the others for approval. Waver winced as he looked at it. Not because the shirt was bad, in fact it was very stylish. That was the problem. In Waver's experience very stylish always equalled very expensive.

In this particular case it was definitely true. Berserker had refused to manifest himself unless he had something good to wear, so the entire first day in Japan had been an exhausting day of shopping. It was a good thing Flatt's family was loaded up with cash, because without that dimwit they'd never have been able to afford to placate Berserker with trinkets and nice clothes.

Of course, if it wasn't for that idiot Flatt I wouldn't be stuck with this golden moron in the first place, Waver thought privately.

"Hwarrrr, check it out, I am looking flashy as hell. SUPER AWESOME!" cheered Berserker as he finally selected his outfit. Flatt cheered with him, waving his limbs around as he lay on the bed.

"You look awesome, really cool," Flatt enthused as he sprung up to his feet. Now that everyone was ready to go it appeared that Flatt was drawing upon even more energy.

"Let's go explore! Maybe we'll see some cool Japanese things, like maids or ninja or even a samurai! And then you can battle the Samurai Berserker and we'll become friends and then we'll use the mystical Japanese arts to track down the other servants and we'll make friends with them too and then..."

Flatt's rambling continued as they left their apartment, Berserker eagerly listening alongside him and occasionally interjecting about how cool it all sounded.

Waver simply trailed behind them, trying his best to block them out as they headed towards the shopping district.

[Megas]

Brave Vampire: Flying Furniture
Karigiri Residence, Misaki
3:00 AM, Day 1


"Thanks so much for letting us stay here Mrs.Karigiri," Satsuki bowed again and again.


"It's no problem, a good kid like you shouldn't be staying out on the street in any case. Plus, you managed to save me from those Yakuza," The brown haired woman waved off the thanks.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

30 minutes earlier, The Park.....


"Lancer, what do you think went on around here? Everything is a mess!" Satsuki was looking around wide-eyed at the wrecked park. While Lancer had been leading her around in search of a place to stay, they had come across this park and decided to take a few minutes to investigate.


"A battle between servants likely occurred here not long ago," Lancer concluded, "There's not enough evidence to determine which servants fought, but we can probably assume it was one of the melee classes from the nature of the destruction."


"Oooooh," Satsuki politely started clapping, "you can tell something like that from just these toppled benches? You really must have been a super reliable hero Lancer."


"Still, I'm worried, I'd been hoping that we could get more settled before the first real battles of the grail war broke out, we should speed up our-" Lancer was cut off by a clattering nearby. He motioned silently to Satsuki to get to cover, while he himself went to investigate.


At the entrance to the park there were a couple of armed men with there weapons trained on a woman who was had an unconcious man's arm slung over her shoulder.


"Sorry Lady, it's nothing personal, but we can't just let you walk away after what your friend saw back there."


"Please, just let us go, my husband was drunk, he probably won't remember anything in the morning anyway," the woman tried to dissuade her assailants.


"Like we said, it's nothing personal, we were told to erm, silence any passerbys who might blab."


Lancer suddenly realized his master and the bench she was using as cover were no longer there.


"See y-," The gunman was cut off as a bench suddenly came flying at him and his partner.


"Holy Crap! What was that!" The woman was clearly startled from the sudden projectile. She started looking around frantically for the source, eventually spotting a tall, bizarre looking man with a spear accompanied by a high school girl.


"Thanks for the save big guy," a smile of gratitude melted the fear off of the women's face.


"I'm afraid it was my companion over here's killer arm that saved you," Lancer said with a strange sort of resignation as he brought up his right palm to his face.


"Huh?"


The high school girl started twiddling her thumbs, "Uhhh, Hi! I'm Satsuki Yumizuka, sorry about this,"


"Huh?"


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back to Present:


"Jeez, if this idiot hadn't spent all night out drinking this kind of thing would have never happened. Still, that's some strength you've got there. My daughter's the same age as you, she could learn a thing or two about exercise from you," the woman, who had introduced herself has Mio Karigiri, continued on as she unlocked the door.


She led Satsuki and Lancer through the front door into the entryway. Satsuki noticed some hair stand up on the back of her neck and felt a slight shock, but nothing enough to distract her from the fact that she now had a nice place to stay.


"Still, who'd a thought you and your friend woulda have lost your own wallets after the cosplay convention you guys went to. That's some crazy bad luck right there." Mio said as she was removing her shoes.


"Yes, it's been really hard for the both of us," Satsuki looked down for a few seconds, "thank you sooo much again for helping us out like this."


"No problem, listen I have to put this idiot to bed, there are a couple of futon's and comforters over in the guest room, second door on the left in the hall to your right, the restroom's right across from there. My daughter's probably asleep already, so you'll have to meet her when you wake up in the morning"


"Thank you for your hospitality," Satsuki and Lancer spoke in unison, both bowing, then they walked towards the guest room.


Once inside and having turned on the lights, Lancer spoke up. "Did you notice master?"


"Hmmm? Notice what Lancer?" Satsuki looked up at her servant, completely oblivious.


"There is a bounded field surrounding this house."

[SINIB]

Einzbern Castle, Inside Irisviel's room
Day 1, 1:35 PM
Irisviel was excited. She had so many new clothes! And they all were so different! Girls' clothes, boys' clothes, frilly clothes, plain clothes, monochrome clothes, multicolored clothes, clothes of different sizes, There was so much varity! She could almost gurgle in her contentment. And the best part? They were all hers." Hers to do with as she pleased! She hadn't been given them by Acht, they were all hers, strewn across the bed for her to pick and choose!


She sat up suddenly, and began to look at the clothes in earnest. "Oh, what to wear? Hmmm..." Irisviel pondered.
"Oh!" She exclaimed as a blouse caught her eye. Picking it up and examining it, she said: "This one looks nice. Not terribly formal either. That's nice!" Hmmm, what would go with it thought? Irisviel said as she continued to search...
************************************************** *****
Elsewhere in the castle...
3:05 PM, Day 1
Sella was worried. After hearing about the events with the hoodlums from Saber, who wouldn't be? And how many items of clothing could one buy, anyway? "Oooh, does she know how much trouble she gives me? Of course not. Why did she try to sneak out earlier? Why? Then, she comes back with Saber staggering under the weight of all the clothes she bought!" Sella ranted, not talking to anyone except herself. "{Sigh} And now she's locked herself inside that room!"
In fact, Sella was on her way to her room right now. "She needs to understand that it's important to tell me what happens when she's out," thought Sella.
************************************************** *****
Inside Irisviel's room
3:02 PM, Day 1
"Oh, I like this. This looks nice," Irisviel mumbled to herself. She was wearing a burgundy blouse with little white frills on the cuffs and collar, which matched her eye color; a black brooch with a cross design. Contrasting her blouse and brooch was the snow-white thigh-length skirt she was wearing. Her legs were covered by the black tights and white boots, completing the outfit. Looking at herself in the mirror, she thought "I like this."
************************************************** *****
Just outside Irisviel's room
3:05 PM, Day 1
{Knock, Knock, Knock} Sella knocked on the door, and after a moment, said: "Mistriss? I need to talk to you. May I come in?"
"Sella? Is that you?" Came the reply from the other side of the door.
"Yes Mistriss, I have need to talk to you. May I come in?" Sella repeated.
"Yes, hang on, I'll let you right in." The reply came through the door, and footstep could be heard, a lock turned and the door flew open.
************************************************** *****
Inside Irisviel's room
3:06 PM, Day 1
"Hello Sella, come right in," Irisviel said in a sunny voice.
"Thank you Mistriss, now I have to talk to you about going out..."
Thirty minutes later...
"And that's why I need to know when something like that happens," Sella finished her lecture.
"All right, all right, I'll make sure to tell you from now on what happens when I go out. Are you happy now?" Irisviel pouted.
"Thank you for understanding, now, unless you need me for something, I'll take my leave—"
"No, wait. I want to ask you, why do you insist on wearing that boring maid costume all the time?" Irisviel interrupted, a grin growing on her face.

[Megas]

Attack of the NEET
Karigiri Residence, Bedroom
3:15 AM


"A bounded field?" Satsuki looked up at her servant from her spot sitting on top of her futon.


"Yes, I felt it as we were entering the house, it doesn't seem to have had any harmful effects on us so far"


"Well, will we be ok? I don't really know what a bounded field is,"


"It's a form of topographical magecraft, it's usually set up to defend the Caster from intruders." Lancer explained.


"M-magecraft? Are you saying there might be another master here??" Satsuki looked panicked.


"Potentially, but I doubt it, I don't sense any servants in the immediate vicinity," Lancer spoke as calmly as possible, trying to keep her master from potentially losing her cool, "it's far more likely that we've just stumbled into a magus's territory. From what I saw of Mio, I doubt that it's her, so it's either her husband or her daughter."


He sighed as he squatted down to face level with his master and put his hand on her shoulder.


"We should be fine for the time being, I'll keep watch and make sure that nothing happens to you. Just concentrate on getting some rest, you haven't slept since your initial transformation. Quite frankly, it's amazing you haven't passed out on your own since summoning me."


"But what if there really is something wrong, and this magus person isn't related to Mrs. Karigiri. We can't just..."


Lancer interrupted her, making sure to look her directly in the eyes. "The physical and mental stress will make you collapse if you don't get rest soon. Your general wellness affects how I fight as well. We'll recover your strength for now, then we'll look into both the magus and how to get you fed in the morning."


Satsuki stared at him for about half a minute, clearly wanting to object and do something now, but eventually she gave in. "Alright Lancer, I'll head to bed for now"


"Good. Don't worry about the Karigiris, I won't allow anything to happen to them or to you." Lancer got back up, and walked into the hallway.


She lied down in her futon.


"Hey, Lancer," She said.


"Hmm? Something else" He said through the door.


"Thanks for helping me." She closed her eyes and fell asleep.


'There is no need to thank me,' He thought 'I will serve and protect you and your wishes until the very end'




---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Karigiri Residence, Hall
7:30 AM


The floor panels creaked again. Lancer had been keeping an eye on the brown haired girl peaking around the hallway corner who was very cautiously, and obviously trying to get past him without him noticing for the last 15 minutes.


"Just a bit more..., Just a bit more.....!" she kept saying quietly to herself.


"Is there something wrong?" Lancer finally decided to speak. Walking over to the end of the hall and bending over so that he was at her eye level. "I'm guessing from your skittishness, you're either the magus who constructed the bounded field around this house or you're very skittish about going to the bathroom."


"Awawawa.., Awawawa.., Awawawa!" Her shock at being discovered caused her to slip and fall on her rear end. "I'm not a magus, you've got the wrong person!"


Lancer narrowed his eyes, "Really?"


"Awawawawa..," the girl put both her arms in front of her face, "Jinako didn't do anything wrong! The bounded field just identifies intruders and their capabilities and warns me when they cross into it. That static shock you felt on the way in is literally all it can do~!"


"Really?"


"Really! Really! Jinako was mega surprised that a servant and a dead apostle were coming into her house and wanted to get a look without being noticed! I wasn't suspecting that a dead apostle was going to command her familiar to help her devour my family or anything!!!"


She removed her arms from in front of her, revealing her bespectacled face with brown hair and watering brown eyes that looked like she was about to cry.


"Oddly specific, but all right, I believe you. How much did your bounded field tell you about us?" Lancer continued calmly.


Jinako let out a huge breath, then after a couple seconds, she began to explain.


"Well, it told me your name, what you are, and who you are. That's about all it can do." she started to relax after figuring that he wasn't going to show her aggression. "I'm a first-generation magus, the limits of what I can do are pretty low. Jinako is a computer whiz though! She has an I.Q. of 200! She can do puzzle circles around you!"


"Alright...," Lancer sighed and stood back up, "Well I can guarantee you at the very least that my master and I have no intention of causing anyone in this household any harm. So please, relax."


"So Mr. Karna, can I ask you why you're here in my house?" Jinako had gotten on her feet, as well, and was looking a little bolder.


"As you've probably already gotten from your bounded field, my master and I are participating in the Holy Grail War," Karna began to explain, "She summoned me last night on accident after being attacked by a dead apostle two nights ago. She apparently had enough potential to skip straight into the final phase of being a dead apostle."


"Wait wait wait...., does that mean that she...?" Jinako started to get a scared look on her face again.


"Yes, it was her going into a frenzy of blood thirst and drinking on her first day that summoned me. Rest assured, I will endeavor to make sure that it never happens again." Karna said in what he hoped was a soothing voice.


It apparently worked, since Jinako's face relaxed again. "Last night, we saved your parents from a couple of armed assailants, and your mother offered to let us stay here after we explained that we were effectively homeless."






"O-ok..." Jinako stuttered, then she went quiet, going into deep thought. About 5 minutes later, she decided to ask a question, "If you don't mind me asking Mr. Karna, what is your master's plan for the Holy Grail?"


"I do not know exactly how she plans to phrase her wish, or by what means, but I am certain that she plans to use her wish to return to being a normal human," if Karna had any doubts in his mind, they didn't show on his face.


"Alright then, Jinako will help!" Jinako suddenly got a mischievous look on her face, "If she promises to be Jinako's magus apprentice and help Jinako do all her magecraft so Jinako can focus on gaming!"


"What?" Karna deadpanned.


"The truth is that while Jinako likes being a magus so that she can boost her computer performance and keep down the electricity bills, doing upkeep on her spells and stuff is a pain." Jinako's smile widened, "If that Satsuki girl could jump straight to being a dead apostle, she's probably got totally awesome circuits, so Jinako can just teach her a few things and then piggyback off her success!"


"What?"


"It's decided! Karna, or I guess I should call you Lancer since we're working together, got to keep your identity a secret, Jinako looks forward to working with you a Satsuki to achieve greater relaxation. Now if you'll excuse me, Jinako needs to use the restroom, please and thank you!"


Jinako walked straight past Lancer, into the bathroom.


"What just happened here?"

[SINIB]

Irisviel's room.
3:36, Day 1
"I wear this because it is the traditional garb of an Einzbern maid. You know this, so why are you asking?" Sella responded, a cold sweat breaking out on the back of her neck.
"But it's soo bor~ing. And it can't be comfortable, don't you ever want to wear something else?" Irisviel asked, slowly advancing towards Sella.
Sella took a step back. "M-Mistriss, what do you m-mean? Th-this is perfectly comfortable."
"Sella. I don't think that's true." Irisviel was right in front her now.
Sella took another step back. "Mistriss, why would I lie about thaaa–" As Sella was speaking, thin metal wires came shooting out of Irisviel's sleeves, binding Sella's arms and legs.
"Leysritt~ will you come and help me?" Irisviel called out into the castle.
"Lady Irisviel, please, stop this foolishness immidietly!" Sella intoned. "This is extremely improper!"
As Irisviel completely ignored Sella's plea, she began musing over what to have Sella wear.
Hmmm... Maybe the yellow dress...
At that moment Leysritt came in, asking "Irisviel, what is it you require?"
"Leysritt, help me!" Sella exclaimed.
Irisviel pointed at Sella, saying "Don't listen to her Liz, grab her and hold her down!"
"Okay." Leysritt obeyed at once, grabbing Sella and holding her down on the bed.
"Leysritt, whyyyy?"
"Iri asked me to." Leysritt explained robotically.
"Whhhyyyy?" Sella screamed at the heavens.
"This would be nice. Oh! And this too! Oh, this is all coming together~! Irisviel happily exclaimed, holding a dark blue shirt in one hand and a purple ankle-length skirt in the other. "All right Liz, remove Sella's uniform!"
"Rodger." Leysritt replied.
about 19 minutes later...
"Alright, Sella, you look great! Much better than that boring maid costume, don't you think Liz?" Irisviel, proud of her handwork, seeking Leysritt's approval.
Leysritt nodded, and made an affimative noise.
"Lady Irisviel, what is the matter with you!" Sella yelled, absolutlely livid at Irisviel. "Was it really nessecary to destroy my uniform?"
"Ehehe, I guess I did get a bit carried away..." Irisviel responded sheepishly.
"A bit carried away! A bit? Well, I guess you must consider this war 'a bit' dangerous!" Sella, her fury unstoppable, responded. She then stormed out of the room, with Irisviel following, saying "Sella! Sella, I'm sorry..."

[Caster]

Len
Abandoned Apartment
Day 1, 8:00 AM

Len's tail flicked back and forth, unable to keep still. She had lost track of the amount of days since her master had last been seen, or even the amount of days since her new friend had arrived. Though she did not wish to, she also knew that just sitting around wouldn't help her find out what was going on. It would be going against her master's order, but there was only so long she could go without feeding as well. "I think it's time we head out. I'm sorry for how long it's taken, but I want us to try and find a safer place." Her Servant remained perched in the corner and shook her head, her hair shimmering as she did so. "It is alright. Where do you wish to go Master?" Len thought for a moment, as she considered the layout of the city. It had been a while since she was out, and who knew what was out there.

"I think we should split up, and cover more ground. I need to try and recover magical energy, so try and conserve as much as possible." Caster nodded, her eyes glowing. "Yes Master. If you need me though, be sure to call. I'll head towards the east for now, if you do not mind." Len shook her head. "That's fine. If you get into any trouble just run, we'll meet up back here within a few hours." Caster nodded again before she bounded out the window, leaving Len by herself. She wondered if this was the right thing to do. She hadn't ever had to take action on her own, not like this. She started out the door, as she tried to keep her composure.

[Milbunk]

Nrvnqsr Chaos
Dark Cavern
Day 1, 2:00 am

In silence the man waited, he watched and he knew all that went on. It was in this silence that with a laud caw a crow came fluttering into view. It flew directly into the man and he absorbed it once more before giving a smile he hadn't felt in ages.

"So he returns once more."

He once more released the crow along with numerous others allowing them to take flight into the night sky and out of the dark cavern.

"I must prepare..."

Just as quickly the man set to work on his own actions a nostalgic twinkle in his eye amongst the hundreds of chaotic ones.

************************************************** *************

Mysterious Man
Dark Room
Day 1, 12:12 pm

In the dark apartment a quiet figure silently stared at a blinking television. He had been doing this for hours not even bother to blink just stare. Finally after hours of silence passed he broke his silence.

"...Archer."

A silent figure completely cloaked to hide his identity materialized into view right behind the sitting man. "Yes, Master."

"...Initiate phase 1 on pair 4." This was all he said but it was enough for his Servant to immediately understand what had been ordered.

"At once Master..." A quick nod and the servant dematerialized once more this time leaving the room and into the city itself, leaving the man to continue staring at the blank and flickering television.

[Megas]

Need to Feed
Near Misaki Memorial Hospital
11:30AM


"I'm telling you Mr. Karn- I mean Lancer, you need to remember these instructions, the walkie-talkie won't phase out with you," Jinako gave her instructions over said walkie talkie. As Jinako was of great use for information, but nothing else, she had elected not to expose herself to the battlefield directly. Rather, she had boosted the range on a trio of walkie talkies that switched frequencies in tandem using magecraft, therefore keeping both normal and magical third parties from listening in.


"Let's go over the plan again. Sacchin over here can't really function without getting some blood, therefore we need to acquire some," Jinako decided to re-explain once more just in case,"Here in Misaki Memorial, a lot a larger operations take place for patients. Do to the potentially large amount of blood loss that can take place during an operation, a large amount of spare donated blood is stored here in case it's needed for transfusion. Your mission is to essentially make your way to the blood freezer undetected, acquire as much of it as you can move with effectively, and escape before being noticed. Any questions?"


"Yes Jinako, as I have asked several times, how am I to make it out and away without causing a commotion?" Karna sounded slightly agitated, "You keep on saying, 'leave it to Jinako!' and 'it'll be fine', but you haven't gone into any detail."


"That's right Jinako! How is someone as big as Lancer supposed to escape without being noticed from a hospital as big as this one? They'll try to arrest him on the spot, and then there'll be manhunts, and-, " Satsuki looked like she was about to go hystarical with worry. She had elected to stay with Karna, but she was carrying a rather large and heavy beach umbrella just in case the sun suddenly got to be more than she could take.


"It'll be fine, it'll be fine, calm down you two, Jinako's got it covered. Even if things do start to look really bad, Sacchin has a full set of command spells right? There's nothing to worry about," Jinako was cool as a cucumber throughout the whole thing. It seemed like keeping her out of the front lines and away from danger allowed her to think a lot more clearly.


"Alright Jinako, we'll trust you," Satsuki finally yielded. Looking directly at Karna, clearly still worried, she added, "Be careful in there Lancer."


"I'll be fine," Karna looked down at her with a calming smile, "I've dealt with much worse than this."


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Back at the Karigiri Residence
Jinako's Room
2:30PM


"I can't believe you hacked the computers to cause an electrical fire in the hospital Jinako!!" Satsuki was clearly unhappy with the chaos that Jinako had created to make an exit for Karna. She had seemed to gain a bit more anger/spine after drinking the first pack of blood.


"Someone could have been hurt, Lancer could have been blamed, there were police and fire-fighters everywhere! I was questioned for almost half-an-hour before coming back here to meet up!" Satsuki looked furious on the verge of tears.


"Calm down Sacchin, Jinako used the cameras to make part of the fire, so there won't be any evidence of our involvement... and besides, we've got enough blood here to keep you fed for months now." Jinako attempted to pour ice over the fires of Satsuki's rage.


"That's not the point. What if someone was in the middle of an operation and they had to evacuate, what if they couldn't get back in time, what if, what if..." Satsuki's rage flowed straight into worry.


"I'm sorry to point this out Sacchin, but you're in no position to be worrying about other people in surgery. Much of the blood you'll be using might have helped them get through their hard times. A couple of the patients might not recover." Jinako's features suddenly turned somewhat serious, "this is the burden you have to bear in going after the holy grail. That prize can potentially put all the pieces back together well that you break on your path to victory, but you have forge that path on strength and resources, and sometimes the misfortune of others."


"B-but, that's not what I..." Satsuki looked like she was about to cry.


"This only really matters if we don't win the Holy Grail," Karna once agin trying to defuse the situation, decided to refocus the conversation towards strategy, "Jinako, I take it that our blood quest hasn't been the only thing you've been gathering info on since this morning."


"As expected as the heroic spirit Karna, you saw through me right away. Yep, Jinako has been collecting information about the other Masters and Servants" Jinako's glasses suddenly began to glow. 4 pairs of faces along with extremely basic status info came up on her computer screen.


"Irisviel von Einzbern and a tall impressive male companion, Flatt Escardos and a man with golden hair and attire, Kayneth Archibald El-Melloi and a red-headed woman, a worm mage and an mysterious figure draped in robes." Jinako suddenly went into explanation mode. "All this information was collected through various security camera footage saved over the past day throughout the city and application of my identification magecraft cross referenced with records the Magic Association has. Naturally, without the bounded fields my identification magecraft doesn't do much, but I can at least pick up the names of most of the masters."

"So this is our competition," Lancer's eyes narrowed at the screen, "I'm guessing the ones left unnamed are the servants".


"There's also this bit of footage," Jinako pulled up a video and clicked play.

Standing away from the fight a boy still young in age let out a laugh as the attack failed."Hahahahah! what a shame, if you had been any fast you might have been able to hit! But it appears that even now you are still an inferior being. 'Berserker' finish her off now."


The maddened woman inched closer to her weakened prey, with a face of pure rage she intended to finish her off as quickly as she could.

"..I couldn't get any information on this last one, but he appears to have a berserker class servant" Jinako ended her presentation.


"So, this is what happened at that park before we arrived last night." Karna folded his arms, "I could probably take her if push came to shove, but we'll need to plan to take down something with that kind of raw power without incident, plus the master was obviously powerful enough to interfere with your magecraft, although it's not like that's hugely telling of course."


"What should we do Lancer?" Satsuki's eyes looked hopeful for a proactive answer, she clearly had been influenced by the violence in the video along with the blood she recently drank. She was likely experiencing a sort of battle-hunger as an outlet for her blood-lust.


"We should head out tonight, try to find one of the masters or servants Jinako has spotted, and potentially engage them in an attempt to reveal the identities of the heroic spirits they wield." Karna spoke calmly and carefully, so as not to excite the emotional roller-coaster that Satsuki Yumizuka was after drinking blood. "Information is everything in this type of war, these first couple of nights we should focus on low output skirmishes that will cause the enemy to reveal their noble phantasm. My armor should be able to withstand most heroes' trump cards. Provided Satsuki is well fed, she will be able to provide me with ample prana to engage with 3 or more servants in a night."


"But Lancer, we can't let these guys get away. What if they cause more damage?" Satsuki seemed slightly disappointed at the prospect of a prolonged conflict.


"The damages are the moderator's responsibility to clean up, not ours. Rushing in with the intent to win every battle with brute force will likely lead to an early demise for us, so this is our best approach."


"Okay, you're right Lancer," Satsuki started to look down again.


"Well then, if the game plan has been decided, I'm starving, so it is decided that Mr. Karna will get us snacks from the kitchen while Sacchin and I play games!"


"What! But you just ate two hours ago Jinako! Don't we have more important preparations to do?" Satsuki whined, completely shot out of her oncoming depression into surprise at Jinako for switching modes so fast.


"A NEET's work is never done! Wait, something sounded wrong with that. In any case, Mr. Karna if you please."


Karna sighed, "As you wish," and began his descent downstairs to the kitchen.

[SINIB]

Einzbern Castle
Day 1, 3:40 PM


"What was she thinking? Seriously, what made her think that could possibly be a good idea?" Sella thought while she stormed down the hallway, furious at Irisviel for what she had done. "Scratch that, she obviously wasn't thinking. She had just given into the first impulse that came to mind, and gone crazy with it. Does she have any maturity?"
"Sella, I'm really really sorry. I'll never do it again, I swear." Irisviel called out to Sella, following behind her.
30 minutes later...
Sella stopped suddenly and turned around, "Lady Irisviel, what is the matter with you?" Sella exclaimed, almost glowering at Irisviel. "Do you not posesess any common sense?"
"Sella, I'm sorry. I didn't mean any harm, I swear!" Irisviel replied.
"Misstriss, the problem is that you did it in the first place. I thought that you would have enough common sense to understand that this was a very bad idea!" Sella continued her lecture, "This shows a complete lack of control, which is very worrisome. What if you get another such impulse on the battlefield?"
"That's completely different, I'd never do something like this while fighting!" Irisviel interjected.
"How do I know that? Just a few hours ago, I'd have though that you'd never do something like that, period. Furthermore, while I wasn't going to say anything about it before, why in the world did you buy so many clothes? Saber was literally staggering under their weight! That's no mean achievement! I know that the outside world is new and exciting to you, but please, show some restraint! You're the representative of the Einzbern, you need to act like it..."


This continued for a few hours, with Irisviel repeating that "She'd never do it again," and Sella continuing her tirade. Eventually, Sella relented, and accepted Irisviel's apology.
7:00 PM
End of day 1

[SINIB]

The Late Arrival:
Day 1, 11:40 PM
It was dark when Fiore Yggdmillenia finally arrived at her destination in Misaki City. Preparations for the war had taken longer than expected. The Yggmillenia had been unable to obtain a catalyst to summon the heroic spirt Gilgamesh, and as a result, she'd had to use a backup catalyst. "No matter, I've summoned a fine servant." Fiore thought. "Although he is a bit of a womanizer..." Fiore sighed.
"Master, what is the matter?" Archer asked while pushing Fiore's wheelchair.
"Nothing's wrong Archer, I'm just thinking." Fiore responded. "Because we've arrived late, all the best locations have already been claimed by other masters. As a result, we've had to choose from the leftovers. All things considered, we got a pretty good base of operations."
"I completely agree, master. This temple has been built very well. We should be able make very nicely with what we have."
"Mmhm." Fiore responded, as she began the prepareations to set up some bounded fields around the perimeter.
End of day 1