*Fate/Heaven's Gate*
RP IRC
It was January 16, 2007 AD, two weeks before the incident that would become infamous in the Moonlit World as the Fifth Fuyuki Grail War. Four times before, a cataclysmic struggle had been fought for the sake of a wish, each occurrence spaced an even span of three-score years from one another - yet this had come in merely half a score. It was odd, unusual - unprecedented - and that made people worry. People like Tohsaka Rin, the Second Owner of Fuyuki, whose father had died in battle against the dread Witch of Calamity and her Servant, the BEAST, and had taken to the bottle like a fish to water in an effort to soothe away those memories. People like the Emiya Shirou, the adopted son of the Magus Killer, who knew of how the vessel could corrupt wishes after it had been cursed by the dying Witch - and who himself was part of that cursed legacy. People like Sajyou Ayaka, an Agent of Atlas and unfortunate sister of the late Witch of Calamity, who had returned to the town she left shortly after the War in order to monitor the situation.
All had powerful emotional stakes in the confrontation to come, with their Fate to be bound up in the events of those winter nights.
Of course, there were others involved in this, though they did not quite know all the details...
Matou Sakura, heiress to the ancient Matou clan, who was determined to make a name for herself and overtake her once-sister as the strongest magus in all of Fuyuki. Illyasaviel von Einzbern, the perfect homunculus, who sought answers from her father for why he had abandoned her - and of course, no small bit of vengeance. Bazett Fraga McRemitz, an Enforcer of the Asssociation, whose only wish was to save Cu Chulainn from his cruel fate. Luviagelita Edelfelt, heiress to the family styled the elegant hyenas of the battlefield, who wished to reclaim the half of the Crest stolen from her family during the Third War....
And these were just the magi.
For there were mundanes too, to whom the Grail had whispered, or whose fates were tangled up with the others.
Himuro Kane, President of the Homurabara Student Council and the best friend of Tohsaka Rin. Matou Shinji, the true son of the Matou family, who had cast aside magecraft as a useless tool and sought favor and power in the modern world. Mitsuzuri Ayako, Captain of the Archery club to which Shirou belonged, his best friend and would be lover. Ryuudou Issei, whose father and brother had died in a mysterious incident that prompted him to return from the circus to become the head of the temple. Kuzuki Souchirou - teacher to all of the Fuyuki magi mentioned, and former assassin of the Organization. Seo Akira, a university student at Kyoto and closet seer.
...and of course, Yumizuka Satsuki, the bad luck vampire, who was getting more and more desperate - or perhaps just more and more hungry.
But something happened that night - perhaps a rift opened between worlds - perhaps Yog-Sothoth had twisted about in his slumber and bent the rules of reality. And whatever it was, these denizens of the Moonlit world were about to receive....rather unexpected visitors.
Our story begins that wintry night, with...
Emiya Shirou (---) taking a nap after a long day of school and work, grimacing and twitching in his sleep as he dreamed of shadow and flame, and of a black sword with red traceries splitting the night. Soon, he must go to Kyoto at the behest of his Master, to take up the mantle of heir to the Fujou, with rumors that more responsibilities may lie ahead. For now, his head is pillowed on the lap of his best friend...
Mitsuzuri Ayako (Kuroyuki), whose fingers errantly run through his hair as she sleeps with her back against the wall. She too is tired after a long day at the Archery Club, and of course, after their vigorous activities in the kitchen. Dinner time was always a big deal around the Emiya household - or at least Ayako made it so, as she knew that without that, Shirou would simply be alone. He was popular with people for his talent - a bit too popular with girls, she thought - but he never really noticed them, his attention elsewhere as if he was part of a different world. Sometimes she thought she could understand him - but she knew it was better just to stay by his side, and so she did - while her brother slaved away cleaning up the kitchen and scrubbing the house clean. She normally brought him along to prevent interference from that homewrecker...
Matou Sakura (---), who was not at the Emiya place that night, citing family obligations. In actuality, she is making various potions and taking care of other preparations before the Fifth War. She is scheduled to meet with Zouken about a catalyst and participation in this event - and has managed to gain some measure of approval from him due to her willingness to fight. She desires to claim Emiya Shirou for her own, but that desire is secondary to winning the Grail War and being recognized as one of the pre-eminent magi in the world. Not a Matou by blood, she took the position of heiress from...
Matou Shinji (---), leader of the Computer Society, who is having a late dinner at school after fixing some issues with the school hardware. With so many people not understanding even the basics of computers, it fell to him to maintain the equipment and advise the Student Council on their purchasing decisions. He is a gaming champion - and a noted player of games, with a rising following on a platform named Youtube.
Tohsaka Rin (Dark Pulse), Fuyuki's Second Owner, and once the great idol of Homurabara, before Matou Sakura began attending the school and grabbed attention for her exotic hair color and temperament. Nervous about the events of the past, worried about Emiya Shirou's intentions (she believes that he is waiting for her to confront him in his workshop, where he will have the advantage and be able to slay her), and uncertain of the future, she has turned to drinking as a sedative. Vain about her image, she doesn't want anyone else to see her drink, so this evening, she is laying on her couch, drinking alone as she peruses a copy of an old text called the Al Azif...
Illyasviel von Einzbern (---), as of the moment, is savouring the pleasures of food outside the Einzbern castle. Specifically, she is at Hongzhou Feast Hall: Taishan, enjoying a plate of mapo tofu, alongside some handdrawn noodles with oxtail. It is her first time away from the Einzbern estate, and she is carefully keeping an eye on the events in Fuyuki. Things are not quite...as she expected, and this worries her. One of the most worrying things is that she has not seen Kiritsugu, and after the trouble she went through to be seen in conspicuous places....
Sajyou Ayaka (mangafreak7793), on the other hand, is simply resting at home, editing some of her observations to report to her superior, Sion Eltnam Atlasia, Director of Atlas Academy. She has been in Fuyuki for two years now, watching for signs of abnormalities, but nothing has been confirmed - yet - except for increased ley line activity. An on the ground has its uses, after all...
Luvia Edelfelt (TheMegas) is in her workshop at the Clock Tower, going over some correspondence with...
Bazett Fraga McRemitz (---), who is en route back to Ireland to summon her Servant, flying business class, of course.
Issei Ryuudou (Caster), is in his cell at the temple, meditating to purge his mind of all worldly desires after a day around the vixens (school girls) of Homurabara Academy. This is needful if he is to get into a mindset where he can serve as a channel for powers greater than himself, to be invoked through the sacrifice of blood. Teaching the students of Homurabara's drama club how to wield rapier and dagger has been a trying exercise, to say the least, and Shinji's enthusiasm is often a bit hard to deal with, but well, that's what friends were for, he supposed.
Kuzuki Souchirou (Milbunk) is enjoying a drink on a calm evening in Georgia, away from the shenanigans in Fuyuki. He sits down to a glass of Khvanchkara, a delicious semi-sweet red wine from one of the oldest wine growing regions in the world, accompanied by Fydzhin, a traditional meat pie made with a mix of minced beef and pork, as well as a refreshing bowl of soup made of new potatoes, cheese, sour cream and dill. It is fortunate that tensions with Russia have not yet errupted in to war...
Yumizuka Satsuki (EnigmaticFellow) has broken into a zoo and is drinking the blood from a recently killed panda, after she lost control from being so very hungry. It is filling for a time - but not what what she truly craves - not...human.
Emiya Residence, Fuyuki
January 16, 2007 AD 11:11 PM
Mitsuzuri Minori was not particularly happy with how he'd - once again - gotten stuck with cleaning up after his sister and Emiya Shirou. If sis was going to use this time to get closer to Shirou, she could at least have left him out of it, instead of treating him like a servant. Granted, the Blind Archer of Fuyuki was one of Ayako's oldest friends, but he couldn't shake the feeling that Shirou was taking advantage of his sister for a cooking service or something. Surely no one could think that someone would stay by his side for that long as just a friend?
'Or maybe he's just that dense. I mean, he is blind...'
He cut himself off there, as his unkind thoughts really wouldn't be fair to Shirou, blind people, or such. It was true that Shirou had been through a lot, and he didn't think that the Blind Archer asked for any of the attention he got, but still...he was a little protective of his sister.
'At least sometimes when she brings me, Matou Sakura shows up..."
He had a kind of goofy grin on his face at the thought of the stern, purple-haired girl...who also had a crush on Shirou, or so it seemed. At least Ayako usually made him run interference with Sakura, a role he secretly relished, for who else got to see the idol in a non-school setting?
'I don't know how the Matous do it, but they seem to be perfect at everything...'
Grades, charisma, Sakura's cur--his mind screeched to a halt as he took a deep breath, steadying himself as he put the last of the pots, pans and dishes back, and packed lunch for tomorrow. Chicken Katsu Curry Udon with a side of gyoza for dinner, beef sukiyaki for tomorrow, and of course rice - everything was aromatic and beautifully made, but a pain to clean up after. Especially curry.
Sakura hadn't come today though, and his sister and Shirou were both asleep - and he knew how cranky Ayako got if he just woke her up.
"I guess I'll just go home first, and leave a note. She'll probably be safe staying the night."
Mountaintop Graveyard
Kyoto, Japan
January, 16 2007 11:11 PM
Save for the presence of two college-aged women, the mountain was deserted, just as Akemi Yamase desired. It wouldn't do for others to witness the dread rituals she was to perform here, after all, as she sliced her palm and let blood drip down onto the ground, in a pattern had defined earlier. This was it - that which would prove her worthy of continuing her craft.
Her catalysts - bone dust, spirit essence, the blood of a virgin - had all been prepared, as had a suitable vessel, and now she chanted, with the wind whipping about her under the light of the moon, her hair wild and untamed, like the robe she wore.
"Blood and bone be the essence,
Earth as the clay to fill the flesh
May the darkness below be the darkness above
and the breath without become the breath within.
May the gates close - may the Will be invoked
may the cycle be overturned at last."
Her eyes were bright, almost too bright, as the blood she spilled began to glow, reacting with the catalyst she had used in a reaction of raw power.
"I declare this now - that your flesh will serve me,
your fate will be bound to mine
Submit to my call, from the world beneath
by the power of blood and spirit ties, now I decree...
...Undead Rise!"
...light shone both from the catalyst and from her grimoire - and when it faded...
"Meow," came a cry from Akemi Yamase's feet - when a creature once dead moved again. She'd followed the instructions of the book - and it had worked, just as V-san had written.
"It worked," she panted out raggedly, looking over at the friend she'd brought along. "Akira-chan, see? I wasn't lying. It works! I can do magic - I can bring back my sister!"
Location Unknown
In a pure white room, the Lady Amber sat in her chair, petting the white animal in her lap. It had been some time ago that she'd risen to power as the leader of a new faction, and since, she'd reached out to others who she'd found of interest. People in Mifune, Misaki, Fuyuki and others - people that could help her fight back the encroachment of Entropy.
"Yes, Inky-san?" she asked, looking over a great map of the region with her available assets displayed. Those bound by Contract, Oath, or Lien - or by lesser ties like friendship. She would need them in the event the worst should happen.
"The artifact is present and intact, but appears to be activating ahead of schedule," the creature responded telepathically. "I had not thought humans had mastered the art of Wishcraft, most fascinating. Wish-fulfillment is but a secondary function, similar to my own. The energy buildup is likely to serve a different purpose, though its current nature is unknown. Residual data does not match the residue of any known Witch."
"Fufu, is that so?" the redhead spoke, her golden eyes looking off into the distance. "Well, I suppose you would know the feel of a Witch best, Inky-san. Thank you. But perhaps it is time we contact our student, since it is better to have eyes on scene, so to speak."
She smiled then, a bloodless, hollow thing.
"After all, information is our trade - and debts must be repaid."
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by alfheimwanderer
