Fate Texas Night [Quest]

**cooldownnow** · May 2nd, 2019, 08:08 PM

Fate Texas Night

So I've decided to create a Quest. This is my first time doing this but I really hope I create a story people like. Premise:

In the World of Fate Apocrypha there were said to be many sub category Grail Wars where people fought over lesser grails that weren't omnipotent but stull powerful receptacles for magical energy. This story is going to take place in one of those grail wars(although I'm using seven servants rather than the 5 for the sub categories) in a war taking place in a fictional city in Texas San Rio. You will control one of the seven masters to win the Holy Grail and have your wish granted. Although not all wishes will need the Holy Grail to be granted.

Protagonist Options:

Spoiler:

Atlas: The leaders of the Atlas institute are in general dismissive of the Holy Grail War fad that has so many mages going on life threatening adventures. At least they weren’t until they heard a rumor that a member of an upcoming Grail War has in their possession one of the three missing contracts for Atlas. Knowing that they needed to retrieve that contract at any cost Atlas decided they needed you

A.) A Homunculus with Powerful Magic Circuits. You are a naive homunculus with only one order, to retrieve the missing contract the Holy Grail is secondary at best. You have magic circuits on the level of great families such as the Tohsakas as well as some spells preloaded into your memory but you have no magic crest or experience.

B.) A Prodigy at Alchemy. You are a member of the Atlas institute and have dedicated your life to Alchemy. You must find the contract and return it to Atlas at once and it is imperative that nobody knows where you come from before you do because the contract wielder can command your obedience with it. However unknown to your superiors you have another reason for volunteering for this mission. You have a wish you desire to be granted and would let the contract disappear once more to get it. You possess more magic circuits than your fellow alchemists but you are only on the level of an average magus with no family crest. However despite your lack of experience using your magic circuits you are a first rate alchemists and are no stranger to dangerous situations.

The Clock Tower: Everybody knows about the Holy Grail Wars. They are essentially a way to quickly catapult yourself above your current station. There are many stories about dying families being revived from using the grail or great families becoming even greater by using the Grail to enhance their magical circuits. There are also an even greater number of stories of families sending off their heirs to die in a futile attempt to obtain glory. Driven by a desire you are

C.) A Driven Student. You are the latest in a recent line of mages dating back only four generations. However you believe yourself to be the one to bring your family to glory. Born with more circuits than an average magus you have always been in a rush to achieve glory, after all who knows if your children will be able to inherit your lucky genes. Everybody knows that the fastest way to advance in the Clock Tower is to win a Holy Grail War and you will do so. You are a mage of slightly above average capabilities and you are also in the prime of your life able to perform at the level of college athletes even without reinforcement.

D.) A Beloved Professor of the Tower. You have taught in the Clock Tower for many years and seen students come and go. Among the students you are known as the Professor Most Students Want To Be Their Grandfather which brings a smile to your face. You do have a singular regret though and you believe that the Holy Grail might be your only way to fix it. You have amazing magical circuits and a magic crest that stores many powerful spells. In terms of ranking you are ranked at Brand. However your physical condition is very poor sometimes even needing the use of a cane to maneuver yourself.

The Wandering Sea: Those in the Wandering Sea care little for modern magecraft and are obsessed with reaching the type of magecraft that belonged to the Age of Gods. Normally this means that they limit or just remove all contact with the modern world outside their space beneath the texture of humanity but when they heard news of the Holy Grail War it became common practice for Wandering Sea mages to go to civilization and participate in these wars as a way to become closer to the Age of the Gods. It is every mage’s wish in the Sea to summon a caster that will teach them ancient magecraft but unfortunately that hasn’t happened yet. This time the mage going out into the world is you

E.) A Scholar of the Thule Society. You belong to the Thule Society a group of people who have decided to study ancient rune craft. You are an expert in the use of runes and some same that you are coming close to approaching the skills of ancient Celtic Druids, of course even more say you are full of yourself but they are simply jealous. You have decided to participate in this Holy Grail war and use the Holy Grail to gain insight into the Primeval runes. You have average magic circuits but are an expert at using rune craft to devastating effect. Your physical condition is that of a healthy adult human but can be enhanced greatly with rune craft.

The Church: Usually when the Church gets involved in a Holy Grail War it is as a supervisor not a contestant. In fact since the Church has decided the Holy Grail used in these wars is not the cup that Jesus blessed it is considered heretical to attempt to obtain it. However you are

F.) A Member of the Cloth. You joined the Church at a young age and eventually made your way to the Executers. You carry a deep secret through, one not worthy of a member of the Holy Church, one that has driven you to lie to your superiors about needing to participate in the Grail War to serve God’s will. One that you will fulfill without any hesitation. You have weak magic circuits, equivalent to that of a less than average magus and no training in magecraft. Your physical condition however is nearly perfect. You are a member of the elite group of Church assassins and can go toe to toe with almost any human and are able to defeat Vampires with ease.

San Rio Texas: A nice city to live in. It’s a little on the big side but the suburbs still have that nice cozy feel to it. Most people live there without incident but lately strange things have been happening. Six strange foreigners have come to town and with them a rash increase in gas leaks, explosions, and missing person cases. And who in town is the one to get caught up in it but you

G.) A Young Boy Unknown to Magic. You never knew a thing about magic or wizards other than in fantasy books but somehow they are real and in your town. It started when a strange glowing symbol appeared on your hand and the next thing you knew you’re involved in a fight to the death. Thankfully you aren’t alone you have a servant to fight at your side and a help that has been introducing you to the world of magecraft. You don’t exactly have a wish for the Grail but you don’t think most of these people deserve to get it. You have incredibly weak magic circuits on the level of Shirou Emiya and no training in magecraft. You are reasonably fit for a human in their mid twenties but you have no real training. You will however have access to a Rin type character to introduce them to the world and act as a guide/support character. Note that this route starts later in the story and will lock you into a specific servant.

Some of you may have noticed that this isn’t exactly the normal style of create your own protagonist. Each of the seven members of this war are already locked in and ready to fight what you are going to do is choose your protagonist which will influence whether any dark secrets are malevolent or benign, who exactly the ‘big bad’ might be, and other events to make the story revolve more around who you choose. You might have also noticed some plot threads that already exist such as the Atlas Contract. I have used pure chance to decide whether or not any of the protagonists have it and if they do which has it in their possession. Since A and B don’t have it for sure then the remaining master each have a ten precent chance of winning the jackpot and getting the ability to call on Atlas for help and command master B if you find out their origins.Lastly is the reason we are all here, servants. Each protagonist has a 'canonical' servant that they will summon but during the story you will be given a chance to pick your own characters servant from a list of catalysts except for G which as stated has a set servant for the story.

Rules:

So onto the rules of Fate Texas Night. Some people with quests are very good at making things feel like an RPG such as Bird of Hermes and his Quest of Fate or Daneel Rush's Lost Singularity. I am not really like that. This entire thing will be very narrative driven with no numbers involved except for voting. Speaking of voting I'll give each choice a few days to let votes come in and then write the next section of the story. Pretty basic stuff and no real changes from the basic quest format.

So now this quest is open. Reply to this thread with which protagonist you want to choose and any characteristics you'd like to add to them. While the basic outlines are there you will be able to influence minute details like Magecraft style and name, or even defining personality traits.
Characters:

Masters

Naunet Safar

Anhur

Bradán

Professor

Maria

Master of Berserker

Servants

Caster

Rider

Lancer

Saber

Archer

Berserker

Others

**SleepMode** · May 3rd, 2019, 12:11 AM

Hmm, I'll see where this goes.
Meanwhile, first vote:
B.) A Prodigy at Alchemy.

**cooldownnow** · May 4th, 2019, 06:14 PM

AN: So only one vote but I'm not really surprised, so I hope that maybe if I write something people will come. So anyways thanks to Sleepmode for deciding we are an Alchemy Prodigy.

Act 1 Chapter 1 A chance at Greatness

Your name is Naunet Safar and you are an alchemist of the Atlas Institute. You come from a long line of alchemists and are the pride of your family. Many of them even say you are going to be the next head of the Institute and you agree with them. Which is what makes it very annoying that something is going on without your knowledge among the higher tiers.

Lately the higher ranks of the Institute have been having many been having meetings behind closed doors and speaking in hushed whispers. You've been doing your own investigations and found that they have even frozen all contracts for homunculi and begun a rush job on a new homunculus. You also know that many of the more outward seeking members have been calling upon their contacts in the Clock Tower and gathering any wealth they might have access too. You even know that they have been going through the weapon disposal and picking out certain weapons. It all points towards one conclusion, they are getting ready for some sort of mission outside of the Institute, the only question is why.

You've had enough of being in the dark so you're going to confront them and find out why they are hiding their ventures. You have three options to try and find out the truth

A.) The head of the homunculi lab has always had a crush on you. Maybe if you speak with him he'll let slip what exactly the new homunculus is being used for.

B.) You aren't the only curious person in the Institute. You're friends with some of the more morally loose member if the Institute and if there's something going on they would definitely investigate. Anything to get enough blackmail material to push their next project through.

C.) The head of the institute themselves. You've been taking private lessons with the director for years and if you ask in the right way they'd definitely fold like a house of cards.

AN. So as you might tell these are very different options and some of them don't exactly seem like they'd play well together. That's because the moment one is chosen the rest will essentially cease to exist. By choosing which way Naunet chooses to find out the truth you'll also fill in her backstory and abilities. Is she interested in the creation of homunculi and uses her attractiveness to her advantage, does she want to create new weapons more dangerous to the last with morals that frighten even some of the Institute, or is she dedicated to the pure ideals to the pure ideals of the Institute and knows how to play the political system. It's up to you. Of course if you want to write in a different way she can approach these options or even a third way that you think would make sense feel free.

**SleepMode** · May 5th, 2019, 01:21 PM

C. Having friends in high places is one of the greatest superpowers in this world, and networking is far easier to deal with than someone crushing hard on you.

When the Institute is mostly filled with logic-driven people, having one who is surprisingly coy and understands human impulses better than her peers is a neat divergence.

EDIT: Pruss' variant is better.

**King Prussia** · May 5th, 2019, 03:12 PM

C. Having friends in high places is one of the greatest superpowers in this world, and networking is far easier to deal with than someone crushing hard on you.

**cooldownnow** · May 7th, 2019, 09:11 PM

AN. So I was coming on here to put a comment about if one of ya'll wanted to change your vote only to find sleepy already did. So anyways onto the show.

C.) The head of the institute themselves. You've been taking private lessons with the director for years and if you ask in the right way they'd definitely fold like a house of cards.

Zepia Eltnam Atlasia may be one of the greatest alchemist you have ever known. The vampiric head of the Atlas Academy is said to be able to predict the future completely and without fail up to 24 hours ahead. That is why you aren't surprised that he isn't surprised at you coming in his office at this odd hour in the morning.

"Naunet it has been far too long. I take it you have some question for me?" Zepia said with that calm demeanor he always held about him. He was sitting in the middle of his surprisingly opulent office. It looked like something out of the ancient past with wall to wall book shelves, an old globe in one corner, and even displays on the walls from all his adventures outside of the Institute before he became too powerful to leave without the Church making attempts on his life.

"Shouldn't you already know what I'm going to ask?" You say with a mocking tone.

"I have told you a hundred times haven't I Naunet? Just because one can know the future doesn't mean one should. Do you know how boring my life would be if I perfectly divined every day? I wouldn't be able to be surprised by you walking in with toilet paper on your shoe." Zepia points down and you immediately panic trying to get the offending paper off of your shoe...

Only to find it wasn't there in the first place. "I hope you know that if it wasn't for the fact I still need to steal all your secrets I wouldn't allow you to mess with me like that." You put your hands on your hips and try to be as intimidating as possible.

Of course it is very difficult for a 22 year old to intimidate a centuries old vampire so he simply laughs. "Then all the more reason I should take advantage of you as much as possible while I still can. Now take a seat and speak your mind."

You end up smiling as not doing so around Zepia is honestly difficult. You take a seat in front of his desk and prepare to get down to business. "I know that the Institute is preparing for a large scale operation. I heard about the new homunculus you are having built, and about the funds being pooled together. I deserve to know what is happening in my Atlas."

Zepia simply sighs and stands up. "I knew this was coming but it is much tougher than I thought." He made his way over to a drink cart and poured himself some scotch. "Would you like a glass?"

"No Zepia. All I need are answers." You need to cut straight to the point or Zepia will stall for hours, he's done it before.

"Very well." He quickly downs the glass which you are fairly sure you aren't supposed to do with scotch. "Come with me. I will tell you all you wish to know." He quickly heads out of the room and you hurry to catch up with him. Of course the man would immediately tell you to follow him after getting you to sit.

"Tell me Naunet what do you know of the Holy Grail?"

You suppress a groan. He knows you already know this stuff and is just trying to stall. "Well the original Holy Grail was a cup Jesus Christ used for sacraments but I assume you are speaking of the Lesser Holy Grail. Those are large reservoirs of magical energy that can be used to preform magecraft approaching the level of true magic and people will perform Holy Grail Wars to both charge the grail and claim ownership. Of course there is also the Greater Grail which can preform feats so great it appears to be a wish granting device but it has been lost for more than half a century. Wait is this what this is about? Have we found the Greater Grail? Are we going to use it to further our alchemy, or retrieve the lost contracts, or maybe to give us all immortality so we can perfect our crafts?"

"I am afraid you have gotten ahead of yourself my dear. The Greater Grail is still lost and will be for many years according to me divinations. No what we have found is merely a piece of information. We have found that it is highly likely that a holder of one of the missing contracts will be involved in one of the Sub Category Grail Wars that many magus have found themselves in. I can see by the expression on your face that you understand the importance of that information?"

You are shocked. Nobody has heard anything about the contracts in centuries. They are the only black marks on the Institute. Retrieving them is the highest priority of everyone at Atlas. "You truly have found one! That's, that's incredible! And if we know where he is then it should be simple to retrieve the contract from him and-"

You are cut off by a chuckle from Zepia. "Sometimes I forget how young you are. As members of Atlas we are unable to take direct action against one that holds the contract. We cannot even hire mercenaries to retrieve it for us. Tell me young Naunet how do you retrieve an object that you are not allowed to attempt to take from its owner?"

The answer eludes you for a few seconds but soon it all clicks into place. "You wait until it does not have an owner! That is why you asked me about the Holy Grail, if the contract holder perishes then we can retrieve it while it has no owner. But how will you ensure that he dies? Grail Wars are dangerous but not completely fatal."

"That is why we are here my dear." Zepia stops and you notice that you are in front of the homunculus division.

"The new homunculus!"

"Correct." Zepia opens the door and you enter the lab. "We have created her,"

"She is a bit of a rush job but still for the year she can be active she will be one of the most powerful mages on the planet." A nearly evil grin appears on your mentors face. "The Holy Grail War is an exception to the contracts conditions meaning we can send an agent out to kill the contract holder as long as it is under the jurisdiction of the war. Not only that but this homunculus is technically not a member of Atlas so even if the contract holder gets wise to use they won't be able to use the contract to force her obedience. This is the ultimate being with only one thought in her head, find the missing contract and return it to the nearest member of Atlas! Our ace in the hole!"

You cannot help but share in his exuberance. This really is a nearly perfect system. The contract will be found and retrieved by this creature and then... and then all the credit will most likely go to her creator and they will rise to the top of the ranks maybe even taking your position. Not only that but the miracle of the grail will be wasted. Even if the homunculus gets it she would probably wish for something foolish like quick transportation back to Atlas when it could so easily... You cannot let that happen.

"Yes this is a good plan but sending a lone homunculus isn't that too risky? I mean she will have no experience or knowledge outside of what we can program into her. We need to send a handler of sorts, somebody with experience in dangerous situations that can ensure things go according to plan."

"Somebody like my dear apprentice that takes it upon herself to deal with any out of control tools giving her just the right kind of experience to handle a Grail War?

You give a smirk, you can't risk giving your eagerness away. "You said it not me."

"Yes I did say it. I will also say that the Holy Grail War is much more dangerous than anything that you have ever faced. Many of the mages that you will face are among the most cruel and dangerous, not to mention Heroic Spirits who are levels beyond any living thing in the modern age. Do you understand what I am saying?"

He won't scare you off. Now that you can see this opportunity you can't let it slip away. "Yes I do. Even so it is my duty as the future leader of Atlas to retrieve the contract."

He is still for a moment before suddenly shooting forward and lifting you off the ground. "You understand nothing girl!" His face was going mad, his fangs that he often kept hidden from the world growing out. "You think because you play here in the institute you are ready to go out and face off against a score of dangerous beings each more powerful than the last? You are still a young woman unwise to what it truly means to be a magus, to walk with death. You have been coddled here in Atlas blind to-"

And that was when you shoved a hand covered in fire in his face. Zepia dropped you and stumbled back. "I know what you are trying to do Zepia and it won't work. You may think what you want but it is a good idea to send a handler with the homunculus and the two of us are the only ones here who is capable of doing it. And if you left the Institute to participate in a Holy Grail War it would be the perfect opportunity for the Church to assassinate you."

Zepia doesn't turn towards you and begins to shake. At first you're afraid it might be due to anger but you quickly realize he is laughing. "You truly are the greatest student I have had in all my centuries here at Atlas. You are correct. It my divinations I have seen that the best way to retrive the contract is to send you along with the homunculus here." He stands up and faces you showing no damage on him from your attack.

"If you knew that then why didn't you say so in the first place?" You care for Zepia you truly do but you quickly tire of his eccentric method of teaching.

"Because I had to truly know you were ready. If a weak vampire like me was enough to scare you off then you would definitely be easy picking in the Grail War. Now that that is over with I have already set up a meeting with the rest of the elders to properly fill you in on the details. Are you ready?"

You look at your mentor with a relaxed smile now on his face. Then you look around the room and look at the homunculus, you aren't an expert but it seems she is done 'cooking' and can be let out of her tube at any time. You open your mouth and say

A.) "Let's go" Time to move on ahead to the meeting and find out what you can about the war.

B.) "Wait lets bring her." The homunculus is ready to go and it might save some time bringing her to this meeting, plus meeting your future partner in this war might not be a bad idea. Also write in if you'd like to help name her.

C.) "Screw you!" Zepia just threatened to kill you enough is enough. You're going to ditch this meeting and go out on your own to win the war. You don't need these guys help. (Quick hint yeah you do. This choice is ultra hard mode and only there because this thought would at least run through Naunet's mind)

AN. So the first real part is up. This is honestly really exciting for me and the fact that there were two votes this time is really neat. So some quick rundowns on what this choice has influenced. Naunet is now the golden child of the Institute rather than just the prodigy of one family and climbing the ranks. She is now more temperamental about becoming the next head and as you may have noticed in some of dialogue already thinks of Atlas as hers. Also check out her character sheet because I'm going to put in the magic she specializes in now. Since she's the golden child she very much takes after her mentor. Also I know I might be messing up Night of Walachia's character but I didn't play Melty Blood and only found out about him when I was looking at the Atlas leadership.

**SleepMode** · May 8th, 2019, 01:18 PM

B.) "Wait lets bring her." The homunculus is ready to go and it might save some time bringing her to this meeting, plus meeting your future partner in this war might not be a bad idea. Also write in if you'd like to help name her.

Name: Anhur, based on an Egyptian God of War, meaning the Slayer of Enemies; fitting her role in retrieving the contracts through any means and her incredible magecraft potential.

**King Prussia** · May 9th, 2019, 10:45 AM

B. + Anhur as a name. Sleep's suggestion is good so let's go with it.

**cooldownnow** · May 10th, 2019, 01:37 PM

AN. Time to continue Fate Texas Night a story currently set entirely in Egypt with characters that have Egyptian names.

Originally Posted by SleepMode

B.) "Wait lets bring her." The homunculus is ready to go and it might save some time bringing her to this meeting, plus meeting your future partner in this war might not be a bad idea. Also write in if you'd like to help name her.

Name: Anhur, based on an Egyptian God of War, meaning the Slayer of Enemies; fitting her role in retrieving the contracts through any means and her incredible magecraft potential.

"Wait." You tell Zepia. "We should bring her." You point towards the homunculus. "If we are going to work together we should get to know one another and having her at the meeting could save some time."

"Brilliant idea my dear apprentice. Antoni!" He snapped his fingers and the head of the homunculus lab appeared.

"Y-yes sir!"

"Bring the homunculus out of stasis. It is time to welcome our newest weapon to the world."

"O-of course sir. Right away sir." Antoni immediately went to work on the pod. You weren't entirely sure what he was doing but you knew enough about the homunculus process to know everything was going well. Eventually the containment fluid in the tube began to drain away.

"Pay attention dear Naunet, for what you see now is the birth of a god." Zepia began. "A god made for one purpose and one purpose alone, to slay our enemies."

The tube was completely drained and then the glass lifted up dumping the homunculus onto the ground. "Know this young Homunculus you are a brief existence, a candle in the wind, but in that short time you will be our god of war. What do you say to that; the one I name Anhur Slayer of Enemies!" Zepia reached down and offered her his hand.

"I-" The homunculus started before coughing up leftover containment fluid. "I am Anhur. The contracts will be found and returned to Atlas by any means necessary." She took Zepia's hand and he pulled her up.

"Hahahahahahahaha!" Zepia began laughing maniacally. "The perfect response from the perfect weapon! Now come masters of the future Holy Grail War let us begin out war council!"

The 'war council' was not as exciting as Zepia made it seem. Rather is was simply many of the old fools you will be leading in due time explaining basic concepts of the Holy Grail War as if you did not already know.

In a Subcategory Grail War there will be five servants summoned to fight for the right to use the Holy Grail. Each servant's death will charge the lesser grail until only one is left and is has enough power to approach the abilities of a lesser wish granter. You look over at Anhur to see how see is dealing with this boring meeting. Of course the homunculus is paying meticulous attention and hanging on every word. You shouldn't surprised after all she is programmed to be incredibly loyal to Atlas.

Eventually though the conversation turns to more relevant information. "Now the current Grail War we are participating is in America. Specifically in a small city known as San Rio." The head of the TRI-HERMES maintenance division said.

"If I may interrupt." You say. "Why exactly is the Grail War being held in America. The magecraft there is highly underdeveloped."

"That may be true Naunet but the Holy Grail doesn't rely on any preexisting magecraft, instead all it needs are powerful leylines and San Rio is a powerful convergence of them. Now continuing on this Grail War is a bit different from the other Subcategories. It is the one in a million chance of a Holy Grail naturally forming and calling masters for the war. It is actually quite interesting as this event has only happened twice befo-"

"To the point Malakai." Zepia interrupted.

"Yes of course. So because it is a naturally occurring Grail War that means that anybody can put in a 'bid' to join in without needing permission from the ritual's creator. Thanks to that two of our alchemists have been able to gain command spells and the right to be masters." Two of the other men at the meeting removed gloves they had been wearing and revealed two command spells. "They will be transferring the command spells and rights to Naunet and the homunculus."

"Anhur." Anhur said quickly.

"I am sorry?"

"My name is Anhur. Names are efficient in properly giving and receiving orders so please call me Anhur sir."

"Of course. Naunet and Anhur will be given the right to become masters and we will send them to the Clock Tower to meet with our contacts and receive catalysts that will give them powerful heroic spirits. From there they will catch a flight to Houston Texas and then a bus to San Rio. From there it will be up to you two to find the contract. Of course I have complete faith in the directors apprentice and the homunculus divisions newest creation."

Most of the other council members seemed to agree and were just mumbling that to one another when another voice spoke up. "A-are you sure that is a good plan?" It was Antoni the head of the homunculus division.

"Please elaborate on that Antoni." This time it was Zepia that spoke.

"Y-yes sir. I mean since we are searching for the contract that forces absolute obedience in Atlas members sending one of our own and essentially broadcasting that they are one of us is a recipe for disaster. I-I mean the contract holder can order Naunet to destroy Anhur and then kill herself and she would not be able to do anything. Wouldn't it be best to send them separately allowing Naunet to fly under the radar?"

"That is ridiculous Antoni." Malakai said. "At that point you are simply dividing our forces. If the two of them are together then when the contract holder makes their move then Anhur will have the perfect chance to take them out. Alone Naunet is much more vulnerable to becoming a slave to the contract."

"A-alone Naunet won't be at risk of that. Anhur would be bait for the contract and then Naunet can support from afar. It is the safest option. We cannot risk Naunet in the way you are saying."

The room started getting louder and louder. More people giving their opinions and taking sides. You know what you need to do. You look at Zepia and he gives you an approving nod.

"Silence everybody!" You shout getting everybody's attention. "I am your future director and I am the one who will be going out onto the field. Therefore I shall be the one to decide upon my strategy. I will

A.) be the bait. I will go as a representative of Atlas with Anhur to draw out the contract holder and Anhur will be the one to take out the holder if they make a move."

B.) hide in the shadows. Anhur will appear to be the only representative of Atlas and if the contract holder makes a move I will be there to take him out.

C.) hide in the shadows and so will Anhur. Having either of us be there as representatives of Atlas tips our hand too much. We will both be there as anonymous mages and investigate the identity of the contract holder as quietly as possible. Our advantage here is stealth.

AN. I'm trying to put a horizontal line in but it keeps disappearing when I post. Anybody know how to fix that?

**SleepMode** · May 11th, 2019, 12:08 AM

A.) be the bait. I will go as a representative of Atlas with Anhur to draw out the contract holder and Anhur will be the one to take out the holder if they make a move."

Most in-character with our pride and all, and potential for us to learn from this.

**cooldownnow** · May 15th, 2019, 02:49 PM

Originally Posted by SleepMode

A.) be the bait. I will go as a representative of Atlas with Anhur to draw out the contract holder and Anhur will be the one to take out the holder if they make a move."

Most in-character with our pride and all, and potential for us to learn from this.

"I will be the bait. I will go as a representative of Atlas with Anhur to draw out the contract holder and Anhur will be the one to take out the holder if they make a move." You say addressing the room. "A leader must lead by example. If I hide behind a doll and slink in the shadows like a coward I am reflecting that image onto the Institute."

That seemed to sway the people who were on the fence and quiet those who were against you acting in public. The rest of the meeting was simply semantics. Speaking of when the transportation to the clock tower will arrive and who you will be meeting with. You listen along but you do not have much to say for the rest of the meeting.

Now a day later you had three new command seals and were on a private plane from Egypt to London. In mere hours you will get a catalyst to summon a Heroic Spirit. The thought is honestly a tad terrifying; as you are now any Heroic Spirit is leagues beyond anything you can do. To calm your nerves you turn to the homunculus.

"Anhur." You say getting her attention. "Tell me is there a type of servant you wish to summon out of the seven classes? It might be a good idea to get our bases covered."

Anhur thinks for a moment before answering. "I have no preference when it comes to a servant. I desire only the class that will most optimally get us the contract, and for now the best way tp do that is to support you. Whatever servant you wish to summon I will attempt to summon one that can best support you."

You sigh, there was really no use expecting any other type of answer from a homunculus. "I suppose an optimal servant combination for us would be Caster and a knight class. Caster would most likely be able to create a powerful fortress and any of the knight classes would make a perfect guard. From that position many masters would attempt to face us saving us the trouble to hunt them down.

"As for what knight class, that should probably be Archer. If I summon Archer they have the skill Independent Action which would allow it to possibly ignore my orders if I am compelled by the contract. Yes that feels right. I will summon Archer and you will have Caster. Do you agree?"

Anhur seemed to hesitate for a second then nods. "Very well Naunet. I will attempt to summon a Caster."

You sigh again. It seemed that you might as well get used to a lack of conversation for a while.

After arriving in London you met up with a pair of mages that had some loyalty to the Institute. One was a young man not much older than you named Vaan and the other was an older gentleman named Timon.

"Here you will want these for the market." Timon handed you a large cloak and a gas mask.

"Pardon me but, what is this?" You ask.

"Protection." Vaan said. "If somebody in your grail sees you buying a catalyst then they might have an advantage against you. So as a result it is customary for those going to the Catalyst Market to wear cloaks and masks to hide themselves."

Yes the Catalyst Market. That had come up in the meeting yesterday. Now that Holy Grail Wars were popping up everywhere some people decided to profit off of the need for catalysts. Some acquired catalysts on commission but most would simply hoard catalysts and once a month they would all come together to create the Catalyst Market.

"Very well." You say putting on the disguise. "Thank you for providing these."

"Of course Ms. Naunet." Timon said. "We are here to serve the Institute as well we can. Now this way." You and Anhur are lead to a car and driven to a regular farmers market.

"Is this really it?" You ask. Yes many were in the same type of disguise as you and Anhur but some of them were buying home grown tomatoes from grandmotherly looking women.

"Don't let it fool you." Vaan said. "Look closer and you'll find the catalyst stands. A public farmers market is the perfect place to host the Catalyst Market anyways. Nobody will try anything since it's in a public space plus you can shop for groceries at the same time. Now lets go I want to see if they have any Bok Choy." Vaan left the car and both you and Anhur followed as Timon drove off with a promise of "See you in two hours".

You gave Anhur a little head nod and she went off to find her catalyst. The disguises would help but it would be best not to be seen together. It took some time but eventually you managed to find the catalyst stalls. They were tucked away, hidden in plain sight next to things like organic apples and homemade soap. The first one she found she almost missed because she thought they were just selling trinkets but she caught sight of a faded command seal.

"Are you selling catalysts?" You ask bluntly.

"The man simply smirked. "First of all the code word is Historic Memorabilia and secondly yes." He gestured to his wares. "Now let me show you the highlights of my collection." He held of a piece of golden thread. "You see this, it comes straight from the region that the Phrygians used to live. This is a piece of the Gordian Knot. It is almost guaranteed to summon the servant Iskander. That mountain of a man is a Rider class that can fight on the level as many of the knight classes, and I should know I faced off against him and El Melloi II." He gestured at his faded command seal. "Not even Olivier of Charlamagne's twelve paladins could stand up to him."

That interested you, while it was not an Archer it was tempting.

"Next we have these cow bones from Scandinavia. Now these aren't exactly tested but they will summon either the great king Ivar the Boneless who slew the magical cow Sibilja with two arrows or Eystien who was controlled the cow. Sibilja was known for being nearly invincible in battle due to all who came in range of it being driven mad. It took Ivar creating an ultra long range bow out of two trees to fire from outside its range. Either way you get a powerful servant."

This granted the possibility of getting the Archer you wanted, however Ivar was born in the ninth century which could be a disadvantage in the Grail War given his lack of mystery. In addition Sibilja would be a powerful mount but Eystien was not known for being particularly effective on his own and most Archer class Servants would probably be able to fire from outside Sibilja's range.

The man continued to show off catalysts but none were as promising as the first two. You eventually excused yourself and went on to visit other stalls. The only other stand through that seemed promising was the one with the worst attendant.

"So tell me about these catalysts." You say to the young teenager.

"Old snake skin." He says pointing to the skin. "You'll probably get Adam and Eve, Gilgamesh, or Apophis. All pretty old people. That's good right?"

You nod. Apophis was unlikely since it was a Divine Spirit but the previous three would be powerful. While you were unsure what Adam and Eve could do in a fight their age and fame would surely give them unbelievable power.

"Then there's this." He held up a severed thumb.

"What!" You almost lose your lunch at the sight of it.

"Yeah, this baby was embalmed a couple thousand years ago and still survived. Normally stuff doesn't last that long so this must have either some serious blessing or magical energy in it. My best guess would be some sort of saint they always leave behind body parts. That gives you a good chance to summon a Ruler class and those guys are dope as hell."

You refused. No matter what a Ruler servant may give you in advantages you refused.

"Lastly is this bad boy." He reached underneath the stall and pulled out a small painting. It was of cats. Lots and lots of cats. You feel compelled to count them and somehow the more you look the more there seem to be. "Not exactly sure what this could summon but I've got a good feeling about it. So what do you say?"

You excuse yourself from the table and start walking around to think things over. You don't think that there are any more promising catalyst vendors and the appointed meeting time is coming up. So far the catalyst that has most caught your eye is the piece of the Gordian Knot. Iskander sounds promising. Next would be the snake skin, after all heroes that old would definitely be powerful. Of course getting either Ivar the Boneless or Sibilja would not be a bad move. The cat picture was a complete unknown and not worth the risk and the thumb was just a bit too gross. Especially if the former owner of it couldn't even be speculated on. Of course there is always the option to summon without a catalyst so that your servant could be more matched to you personally but that would possibly compromise power. Lastly an option would be to summon the assassin class which doesn't require catalysts.

You take a deep breath. You've decided you will use

A.) The Gordian Knot

B.) The Snake Skin

C.) The Cow Bones

D.) The Cat Picture

E.) The Dismembered Thumb

F.) No Catalyst

G.) The Word Assassin.

AN. SO now is a very critical point in this story. So as I mentioned in the first post each character has a cannon servant that suits them well and you will get that from picking either A or F. However you are free to choose any of the catalysts as each of the servants have their own strengths and weaknesses. Also onec again the lines I'm putting in aren't working so any help on that front.

**SleepMode** · May 16th, 2019, 10:53 AM

E.) The Dismembered Thumb

can’t help but feel the Snakeskin is a trap, and this honestly intrigued me.

**King Prussia** · May 16th, 2019, 11:55 AM

G.) The Word Assassin.

We're going on an assassination mission, so why not summon an expert to help us plot the whole thing ?

**cooldownnow** · May 16th, 2019, 03:39 PM

Originally Posted by SleepMode

can’t help but feel the Snakeskin is a trap, and this honestly intrigued me.

But did I make the snakeskin so obviously a trap so you wouldn’t choose it and it actually has the strongest servant.

**Faux** · May 16th, 2019, 04:56 PM

A New Challenger is Approaching
Been meaning to post here for a while, anyways

It's gotta be D) The Cat Picture

**cooldownnow** · May 19th, 2019, 01:46 PM

Okay so it's a three way tie. That's fun. I have a friend who said she'll vote which should break the tie but if not I will pick one of the options voted for at random. Of course you guys can always talk amongst yourselves and change your answers.

**King Prussia** · May 19th, 2019, 06:12 PM

I'm going to be weak and change my vote to D., because Faux asked.

**OutlandishAbettor** · May 19th, 2019, 09:31 PM

D. Cat Picture
Come onnnnn! It's a picture that has more and more cats that show up. Have to choose that one!

**cooldownnow** · May 20th, 2019, 02:54 AM

AN Alright you guys wanted to get the Cat Picture so you got the Cat Picture

Originally Posted by OutlandishAbettor

D. Cat Picture
Come onnnnn! It's a picture that has more and more cats that show up. Have to choose that one!

You are not sure what it is that draws you to it but you find yourself back at the second stand and asking for the cat picture. It makes no sense yet simply looking at its infinite amount of cats lets you know that this is what you were looking for. Whoever originally drew this had great power you can tell and they would probably be summoned as Caster. You confirm the transfer of funds from the bank account the institute set up and give him the address to send the catalyst. No need to let everybody know what you bought.

Very quickly after that the two hours allotted for shopping are up and you meet Anhur and Vaan at the parking lot to be picked up.

Once inside you turn to Anhur. "What catalyst did you acquire?"

She opens up a small velvet bag and shows you the cow bones that you had dismissed yourself. "There is a high probability of summoning Archer with this, and if not Sibilja will increase the formability of our base with its aura."

You cannot argue with the logic although you are slightly peeved at the idea of the Homunculus apparently deciding that a catalyst you passed over was worthy of use. "Good job Anhur. With the catalyst that I acquired we will most likely have a very powerful formation. You serve the Atlas Institute well."

"Thank you Naunet." The rest of the car ride is silent with the only noise being Vaan telling Timon what he had aquired at the actual Farmer's Market portion of the Catalyst Market.

That night You stayed at Vaan and Timon's apartment and Vaan cooked a meal using the groceries he had bought earlier that day. "Since we were already there why not get everything to make my famous Vegan Curry."

In the end the night ended unremarkably and the next day you picked up the picture and then boarded a private jet to Houston Texas. During the flight you attempted to center yourself for the upcoming war but then Anhur spoke up.

"Vaan and Timon were nice people, weren't they?"

You give a brief nod. "Yes. They performed a good job to assist the Atlas Institute. That was 'nice' as you might put it."

Anhur hesitated "Not just that. I mean they are good people in general. Did you know that Timon took Vaan in when he was only a young child. That is something good people do isn't it?"

"How do you know about that? I didn't hear anything of the sort at dinner."

"I do not require more than three hours of sleep so I instead took it upon myself to keep a look out for any spying masters. During that time Timon awoke from a nightmare and went to get a glass of water from the kitchen. It is then we spoke."

"Interesting. I wasn't informed you only need three hours of sleep. Are there any other biological functions of your I need to know about?" The sleep thing would be good for when you two have to keep vigilant watch during the war.

"I am based on a model that was to be sent as a womb for a family who desired to not dilute their blood with that of others so my reproductive organs are fully functional unlike most other homunculus and will prioritize the inseminating DNA over my own allowing for minimal change to a bloodline. However considering the duration of the war this will most likely not be a problem. Timon said that Vaan was a member of a magus family on the decline. That his father killed his mother for not giving birth to an heir with more magic circuits."

"Interesting. So you could have been nothing but an artificial womb instead of an agent of Atlas. How does that make you feel?"

"I am happy to serve Atlas. Every fiber of my being is dedicated to retrieving the Contract and returning it to the Institute. Timon has been a vegetarian for thirty years now, and two years ago Vaan had agreed to give it a try again since he had started eating meat in his adolescence. I wonder what inspired him to begin and stop eating meat."

You were getting annoyed now. "Enough about Timon and Vaan. It isn't like you will ever see them again anyways. Just focus on the mission."

"Yes Naunet. Sorry they were just very different from the alchemists I had met in the Institute." Things were silent for a minute. "May I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead."

"Timon said he would sacrifice his life for Vaan. Is there somebody you would sacrifice your life for?"

You scoff. What a foolish question. "Of course not. I am the future ruler of Atlas. A leader does not sacrifice themselves. If I'm gone then who will be left to lead the Institute into a new age of prosperity. No the burden of sacrifice is left to those who do not bear the burden of leadership."

"Oh. I will keep that in mind."

With that Anhur is silent for the rest of the flight.

Houston is nothing but a pitstop. A place to rent a car for the four hour drive to San Rio. Anhur had the knowledge of how to drive already downloaded into her brain when she was made so she took the wheel as you kept a look out for any familiars. Almost the second you drove into San Rio's city limits you caught 'sight' of three familiars following your car. While you do want the other masters to eventually know where you are it will be on your terms. You attempt some basic magecraft to try and scatter them but this truly is not your forte.
"Anhur, can you do something about the familiars following us?" You ask.

"I am afraid without stopping to set up a bounded field or summon my own familiars I do not have the ability to drive them off. However I do have an idea." She paused for permission

"Go on." You say giving it.

"According to the map of the area there is a small tunnel coming up. If we drive in it the familiars will be trapped in a confined enough space for you to simply incinerate them"

"Alright do it." She begins changing direction and you reach into your backpack. You will need extra energy to destroy all these familiars. You fish around for a thermos you've had since you were a child. You unscrew the top and look at the writhing worms within. "Bon appetit" And you scarf some of the worms down. "Activate Vampiric Reactor Core."

The inside of your body begins to heat up as the worms inside of you are burned to fill you with mana. With this you can easily generate a spell that will allow you to destroy the familiars. You take all that excess mana and shape it. Give it form until it sits neatly in the back of your throat. Just in time as Anhur has just pulled into the tunnel.

You check and see that there are no cars behind you and you open up the trunk door. The fire in your throat needs to go somewhere, anywhere, and so just like the dragons you based your reactor core on you give that energy an outlet. You open your mouth and the mana turned fire shoots out and scorches the entire tunnel behind you. You reach out with your senses and do not notice anymore familiars. "Good job Anhur. We got them." You say as you close the trunk.

"Thank you Naunet." She responds never taking her eyes off the road.

You are driven out of the tunnel and you finally let yourself take in San Rio.

The city is bigger than you would have thought and you quickly figure out why it is called San Rio when you see that there is a river running right through the town. Right now you are on the edge of the downtown district and where you want to go is in the very center of it. The tallest building in the horizon the McArthur Tower named after some famous Texan or something. Due to the connections of the Institute you have access to the penthouse as your base. Floors 35 to 36 are yours for the taking.

Once there you enter the parking lot and find yourself allowed in a spot for VIPs only. Truly the Atlas Institute did not spare a single expense for you. This was the optimal place to set up your base. It was built right on the center of the cities leylines giving you access to as much mana as you needed, your actual position is high enough in the air that many servants would have difficulty attacking them up there especially if Anhur summoned Archer, and the buildings security system was state of the art making it difficult for the masters to infiltrate by themselves. It is the perfect place to draw in the other masters like flies.

You and Anhur take the elevator o your floor and you take in the scenery.

You can see all of the city in front of you the lights looking like small jewels yours for the taking. You can't believe you are here, so close to achieving your goal in days when normally you would need to have worked your entire life. That combined with the honor that getting the contract will give you. Your time is now.

"Anhur, go upstairs and begin the summoning ritual. We will let the power of our servants act as a beacon before we set up our bounded fields. The time has come to officially start the grail war."

"Yes Naunet." Anhur said and quickly hurried upstairs. You begin to take out your supplies for drawing the magic circle for the summoning ritual.

You place the painting of the cats in the center of the circle "Now we shall begin!"

"Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone. The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg.
The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate."

The magic fills the circle, you feel a connection to a world beyond your own opening up.

"Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill).
Repeat every five times.
Simply, shatter once filled.
――――I announce. "

Something is coming you can feel it. Energy filling the room, power beyond anything a mortal mage has ever held.

"Your self is under me, my fate(doom) is in your sword.
In accordance with the approach of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer.
Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead."

Almost there. Your servant is calling to you, begging to reach out drawn by the painting.

"You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance ―――"

He's here! In an explosion the room is covered in smoke and you cough as you try and blow it away. You feel a tug on your mana, as if you are casting a spell and then you see him.

His features are Japanese and his head is topped with two cat ears. Not only that but he is completely ignoring you. He was currently taking a pen to a plain leather bound book."

"Excuse me. I am your master, and you are?" You say with an authoritative voice.

"Servant Catser. I'm your servant, you’re my master, meow let me draw." He doesn't even look up as he says this waving you off. You go towards him and see that he is drawing cats on each of the pages in the same way as the painting where somehow there are an impossible number of cats that seem to grow even without him drawing more. The very idea seemed to make your brain hurt. Then something clicked.

"You said servant Caster right?"

"Nyaa that whatever. Will you let me work meow?"

You need a second. You just need a second. Unfortunately you don't get that second as that is when you feel an oppressive amount of energy come from upstairs. Anhur must have summoned her servant. Hopefully this one is a more traditional heroic spirit. At least from the energy you feel it should be quite powerful. You rush to the second floor and find chaos.

The entire room seems to be on fire, Anhur is on the floor hyperventilating, and standing in the middle of it all was a man holding a bow.

This must be her servant. It definitely wasn't Ivar the Boneless of King Eystien. Whoever this was he was leagues beyond whatever those servants could have done. You smile as you realize how lucky you may have gotten with Anhur. Then the servant speaks.

"I am sorry but I must ask you to leave. While I hate to fight my contractor is in no condition to have dealings of any kind and I do not yet want to leave this world. So if you would disappear." And from behind him a red blob of energy comes into being and almost immediately shoots out at you with heat that feels like it is melting your face off.

There is no time to dodge, nobody could possibly dodge this insane onslaught of energy. You are about to die and you don't even have time to process what that means when something latches onto the back of your neck and pulls you out the window which had already melted with the heat. You look up to see what has saved you.

A griffin. A Phantasmal Beast that had long since left the world. A sight that should be impossible in the modern day holding you in a single talon; and on top of the impossible beast is your servant Caster. "Please don't get yourself killed so easy master, I still have a lot more cats I want to draw." You are too shocked to breath, the air has been driven from your lungs and you can't say anything as Caster drags you onto the griffin. "Now it seems that I have to defeat a servant before I can get back to my art, let us get this done."

You look toward the tower and Anhur's servant rides out on a chariot pulled by a lion and a boar, in the chariot as well was Anhur still gasping for air. "Leave this place servant Caster I assume. My contractor appears to have fallen ill and I require peace and quiet to assist her."

"I think nyaat Rider. We were here first and this is the perfect place to practice my art so take your sickly master and leave right meow."

"It appears I must use force to make you leave." Rider drew an arrow. "Do not worry I have no desire to kill you two, I shall simply send you home with your tail between your legs."

"Well I am going to kill you and use you as a new scratching post!" Caster opened his book and energy began to pour out in droves.

End Act 1

AN. So no vote here. Basically I just split the chapter in two thematically for the end of act one and act 2 will begin in a day or two without need for a vote. Also as some of you may have noticed this chapter was very picture heavy. Let me know what you thought of that. And go ahead to try and figure out who exactly we summoned. Go wild.

**BnEl15** · May 20th, 2019, 02:03 PM

First post here, interested in joining in. For Caster, I speculate it might be Natsume Souseki, based on his Japanese features and love for cats, although I'm not sure how he could qualify as a foreigner as his alternate class. Idk about Rider though.

Thread: Fate Texas Night [Quest]

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Fate Texas Night [Quest]

Act 1 Part 1: A Chance at Greatness

Act 1 Part 2 The Truth

Act 1 Part 3: Introductions and Strategy

Act 1 Part 4: Choose Your Fighter

Act 1 Part 5: Welcome to San Rio

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