Fate/Closure [IC Thread]

[hero]

Yamashita Hiro
Shinto - ​Fuyuki's Central Park
Night phase


"..."

Shocking. What other word could be used for the event that has just taken place? Yamashita Hiro, no, the Fire Demon was granted one chance to stop Luna from doing something she might regret and attacking her newfound friend. The girl, possessed by something as alien as the Fire Demon itself, was not fully aware of what she was doing, and so, she showed no signs of hesitation as she pointed her 'finger gun' at the younger girl. Well, there was one chance to intervene, but the Fire Demon completely wasted it by making some strange demands.

It was then than it happened.

Yes, it couldn't be called a battle, for it was over in nothing but an instant.

A surge of lightning came out of Luna's finger, fired like a bullet at seven times the speed of light. Naturally, there was no resistance, and Yamashita Hiro's body crashed into the grassy earth a moment later, the projectile having hit her right between the eyes, with pinpoint accuracy. Not even the four ears of the Fire Demon could hear death coming for her.

"Ugh... What...?"

Luna shakes her head, visibly exhausted by the whole experience. Whatever managed to take over her body minutes ago is now gone, and she is finally back to her senses. Confused, a weird line about fish and beer lingers in her mind, unable to be stored in the back of her head. Where is she? What exactly is she doing...? Who is the person lying on the ground several meters away from her, and why is smoke coming out of her own finger...?

"...! Hiro!"

The answers to all those questions come all at once like a storm announcing the worst case scenario. Legs with no strength suddenly kick her body into a desperate sprint towards her fallen companion. She covers the distance between the two in a window of time so short that if her focus wasn't entirely on her friend, she would've been surprised.

There is no doubt about it.

The 'lightning bullet' hit Yamashita Hiro's forehead.

It's lethal.

Yamashita Hiro (?) suffers 3 HP damage.

... Or at least it should have been.

Instead, what Luna finds there is a demon seeing stars, a light trail of smoke coming out of its forehead, with skin that has acquired a darker tone at the point of impact, compared to the rest of her face.

"Ummm..." Glad, yet unsure of how to proceed, Luna fidgets a little. "Sorry about that...? Whatever it was...?"

[hero]

Aya Alayana
Shinto - Arcadia Refuge
Night Phase


"Oh? Funny. Aren't you sure it isn't you who is scared of being eaten a second time? No need to conceal it, such feeling is understandable, and I can keep a secret."

Once more, Caren Ortensia proves to be absolutely fearless. Perhaps this is just her base nature, the way she is to everyone she meets, or maybe it's the duration of your bond what grants her that confidence, the courage to stand tall next to a raging fire. Regardless, while you manage to remain outwardly composed, it feels somewhat tempting to change your direction and abandon the refuge just to spite the White Devil. It's a passing thought, a fantasy reserved for another time, as the topic soon shifts to the mysterious 'Gas Leaks' that took place during the years 2004 and 2011. You have already learned that such is the code for a 'covered-up supernatural event' and now that you are old enough, and given the circumstances, you can at least demand to be told the truth.

"... Alright."

Slightly surprised by your request, Caren takes a moment to respond, but ultimately complies. Now, Fuyuki has always been a lightning rod for supernatural phenomena. The ritual the nun is about to explain has never been the only thing going on behind the scenes, as you've been involved in some other ridiculous events given your appointed position as a Second Owner, granted, none of the scope of what you are about to hear.

"Many generations ago, a group of Magi created a ritual which would allow them to reach the 'Origin of all Things, the so called 'Root'. Known as the Holy Grail War, it called forth Spirits of Old to fight for their summoners in a death match where only one would be allowed to remain standing in the end. The defeated Spirits would then either become a bridge to allow the winner to reach the 'Root' or a clump of energy big enough to grant a wish. If someone ever won, I guess we'll never know. For the most part it was a tragic story repeated over and over after a certain amount of decades, until someone decided to put an end to that senseless bloodshed by destroying the 'Greater Grail', the engine that powered the entire ritual, thus ending the cycle as a result. That person was Natsu's mother, Tohsaka Rin. It was the Fifth Holy Grail War that took place in 2004, at a time where I was not even here to begin with."

Tohsaka Rin is a person plagued with secrets and powerful knowledge that may be dangerous on the wrong hands. Though strict, she's also kind and understanding, and above all, wise. So it comes as to no surprise that she would keep something like this from you, especially if the issue was resolved more than twenty years ago. It's not that you haven't heard a word about this particular tale, you lived in Fuyuki and the rumors were always there for you to dig them, it's just that the grand majority of Magi would brand the story as nothing more than a myth. Hearing it from Caren's mouth, now you know such thing was in fact, very real.

And, given her tone, you can already see where this is headed.

It didn't really end in 2004, did it...?

"The Sixth Holy Grail War took place here, in 2011, mere months before we met for the first time. It was... A strange occurrence, and one I decided to supervise, in the name of the Holy Church, though, in the end, no official report was ever written. As I've already told you... The 'Engine' was absolutely destroyed and dismantled during its previous iteration, so there should have been no way to reenact the ritual. Several decades would be needed to reconstruct such thing from the scratch, assuming one could find someone with the necessary talent and knowledge to do so. Yet, a man who somehow formed a connection with the 'Holy Grail' back in 2004, managed to 'trace' it into reality in the span of seven years and kickstart the nightmare once more. Even if his goals were noble, as he just wished to use it to make everyone happy, he was temporary blinded by his obsession and allowed himself to be overcome by despair. That person was Natsu's father, Emiya Shirou."

Emiya Shirou is someone you never had the chance of meeting, but you heard his name be thrown around several times through the years. Said to be someone well-mannered and diligent, as well as a really good cook, and a self-taught Magus. Given such description, it always puzzled you just how the relationship between him and Rin could ever be strained. But then again, both were said to be busy as bees in the past, and that probably could have gotten in the way of the relationship.

Now you know that this 'Holy Grail War' might have had something to do with it.

One brought it to its end... And the other brought it back from the dead.

Complicated.

"The Holy Grail has left Fuyuki with scars, and the Fifth and the Sixth were no exception. But the case is closed and any attempt to even investigate the topic has been forbidden by the Magic Association, or so I was told. You think it might be related to all that's been happening...?"

[Tobias]

Yamashita Hiro
Shinto - ​Fuyuki's Central Park
Night phase

”M-My beautiful hair...!”

The young girl said. It was understandable, in a certain sense. What once had been the long thin hair of a pure Japanese noble now frizzed up around her like some kind of bastardized fuzzy Afro. The type that would make a hard core ganguro green with envy and wouldn’t look out of place in a scuzzy American bar frequented by truckers and ladies of ill repute who did not charge especially high costs for their services.

”Hey! Sorry isn’t going to cut it missy, how are you going to take responsibility for my hair?! You better be prepared to buy the salon ticket. And a spa treatment. And....ooooooh...”

The demon god trailed off, shaking her head woozily. It had seemed like she had been ready to spring to her feet for a righteous tirade, however it just ended up being a half roll and a disorganized thump when the arm she placed behind her to brace herself simply collapsed bonelessly underneath her.

”I...! You need...hair...uh...I...think I need a cat nyaap.” She trailed off again with a loud yawn.


...And then things seem to change once more. A boy returned. A girl left. ...Or perhaps passed out.

”Oh...my...I believe I have shown something quite unsightly.” The young boy said, making a visible effort to compose himself. “My apologies of course, and yours are of course accepted as well, even though I’m not sure they are even warranted. What I felt within you did not seem to be you yourself, so it’s questionable whether or not you could be held accountable for its actions in the first place. Come.”

The final word was accompanied by the small boy’s outstretched hand, by which he offered a silent entreaty that Luna help him to his feet. When the older woman did so, their was an obvious flash of electricity that courses between them, a static shock on steroids and amphetamines.

...Hiro himself wasn’t sure if it was generated by him and passed to her, or if the reverse was true.

A moment of silence passed between them, chilled by a gust of the night cold that reminded Hiro that time was a valuable commodity.

”Very well then. I shall tell you what I experienced, as much as I understood.” The young boy did so, while trying with at best partial success to use his hands to comb out his suddenly intractable hair.

”I know you have been through several shocks metaphorically and more literally, but does any of that help you to understand your purpose here? It is my hope that as your memory and powers return, you will be able to fight with pride. ...Even if it’s against me.” The young boy finished sadly, his thoughts turning towards what he had experienced in the mysterious woman’s mind.

It was still almost unfathomable that even the most sacred of bonds could not be considered invincible.

[RoydGolden]

Alicia Rosenkopf (& Servant Assassin)
Miyama- Homurahara Academy
Night Phase


Alicia just stood there speechless. So much new information was bouncing around in her head she felt like her brain was about to explode. She'd only understood roughly 30% of what the mysterious woman told her, but that was enough to see how dire the situation in Fuyuki was.

Was there really nothing they could do? No, one thing M told her stuck out in Alicia's mind. Fuyuki had been split apart into different 'layers', peeled like rinds on an apple and if they could somehow be put back together it might be possible to end this disaster before anyone else could get hurt. Still, Alicia had only the foggiest idea what that meant, or how she'd go about accomplishing such a vague task.

"Gah!" Alicia blurted out, smacking her cheek in vexation. "Just what are we supposed to do here Assassin? I thought we could just beat up the bad guys causing all this and then everything would be fine, but now it's all getting so complicated! I really..." The young girl's voice started to waver and her legs weakened as she succumbed to the mental and physical fatigue from all the adventuring she'd just undertaken. "...Just don't know what to do anymore." Voice trailing off Alicia slumped down, collapsing to the floor.

"Alicia!" Assassin yelled, rushing in to catch her weary Master before she could hit the floor. "It'll be okay," she said, scooping up the smaller girl in her arms bridal-style. Alicia blushed as she felt her Servant's strong yet gentle arms wrap around her. "Everything'll turn out fine," Assassin went on in a soothing voice. "We've just gotta' get out of this freaky school, and then I'm sure you'll figure out a plan to save everyone somehow. I believe in you, Master."

"...Thank you Assassin," Alicia said softly. Her heart that had just now nearly frozen in despair was warmed by the pure trust Assassin placed in her. "Compared to you... I'm just an ordinary person," she continued, voice scarcely more than a murmur. "I can't do anything by myself. I'm always clinging to you like this. So, why... why do you have such faith in me, that I can resolve this situation?"

Assassin just smiled. "That's because you're strong, Master."

"Strong?" Alicia asked. "I'd never thought of myself that way before. Like I said, I couldn't do a single thing but cling to you."

"That's not it!" Assassin shook her head vigorously. "You're definitely strong. Because... even in such crazy life-threatening situations, you never worried about your own safety. No, all your thoughts were for the sake of saving other people. When you chose the school-grounds to be the first place to explore because you wanted to see if there were any survivors, when you decided to stay by my side because you hated the thought of someone risking their life for you all alone... Alicia, from the bottom of your heart you're someone who puts other people's welfare before yourself. And that... in my mind, makes you someone truly strong."

Alicia's cheeks dyed a deeper rosy hue of gratitude. "Assassin, you..."

"D-don't get the wrong idea!" Assassin suddenly spluttered, looking to the side and blushing slightly as well. "I'm not usually the type to get so sentimental, but here you got me all rambling on like this. Tch, what a pain." She scoffed, but Alicia could tell she was just embarrassed to show her sincerity. "I guess what I'm trying to say is..." Assassin went on once she'd regained her cool. "I only got this far because you're supporting me as my Master. So don't bother doubting or berating yourself, just keep on pushing forward alongside me. That way, we'll definitely come to an answer together."

"Okay," Alicia said in a firm voice. "I promise, I won't falter anymore. Because... just as you're fighting to do your best for my sake, I should be doing my best for you too."

A few moments passed in pleasant silence. "U-um..." Alicia stammered shyly. "This feels nice and all, but would you mind letting me down? I think I've got my strength back now."

"R-right!" Assassin blurted out, her own blush deepening. She hastily let Alicia down from her arms, planting the young girl's feet back on the floor. "Sorry 'bout that Master..." she muttered, scratching her cheek nervously. "Guess I kinda' got lost in the moment there."

"It's fine," Alicia giggled. "I actually kind of enjoyed it, being held in your arms and all. Just like a princess in a fairy tale."

"Isn't it normally a dude who saves the princess though?" Assassin asked doubtfully.

Alicia winked playfully. "Maybe."

"Anyways," Assassin said, diverting the subject. "Let's get out of here. We still have to get back to the inn before it gets too late after all."

"Yeah," Alicia replied. She squinted suspiciously at the swirling rift in space still suspended in front of them. "It looks like there's nothing we can do about that thing right now. Once we meet back up with Tomomi and the others, we can tell them what we've discovered."

She turned to Assassin, a nagging thought popping into her mind. "Wait, how are we getting out of here? I don't really want to take the same path we came, there might still be monsters around."

Assassin grinned back. "Hey, wanna' hitch one more ride?"

"What are you...?" Alicia's voice trailed off curiously.

As if to answer Assassin went over to a window on their side of the classroom and swung it open. "C'mon Master," she called, gesturing to her back. "If little miss robot can do it then why not me? Just hang on tight, okay?"

Alicia sighed lightly. "You just want an excuse to show off, don't you?"

"Ha, who can say?" Assassin replied with an impish look.

A moment later came the whooshing of air and a heavy thud as Assassin crashed to the ground with Alicia's arms wrapped around her back. Even though the window was on the second floor the Servant's strong legs easily absorbed the impact, leaving her young charge unharmed. "Whoo, that was a rush huh?" Assassin exclaimed, as Alicia climbed down.

Alicia took a moment to regain her bearings. The barren field around them looked mostly the same as it had when they entered the school-grounds. The mysterious robot-girl calling herself M was nowhere to be seen. Looks like she'd already gotten out of here in a hurry...

At that, Alicia and Assassin joined hands and walked away into the night. All the while wondering how they'd explain this to the others back at the inn...

[hero]

Yamashita Hiro
Shinto - ​Fuyuki's Central Park
Night phase


"Hiro... It's true that I've just attacked you, but I would never do so willingly, let alone with pride."

Feeling the aura of melancholy that surrounds you, yet unaware of the exact reason that called it forth, Luna stands firm and makes an effort to fix things. She didn't get the chance to properly apologize to 'the other Hiro', so she might as well try to cheer up the one in front of her. That said, Luna has always been stubborn, even in her wisest moments so, while she does appreciate all you've done for her thus far, putting yourself at risk just for the sake of a chance of bringing back her memories, there is absolutely no way she'll let such a pessimistic (although any actual Mage would call it realistic) comment slip by.

"That is, unless you insist on making silly remarks like that. Even then, one of these" She says, lifting one of her hands slightly, a calm, yet somewhat scary smile being drawn on her face "Should be enough to bring you back to your senses. Swiftly."

Bonds are not invincible. Within that sea of memories, you were exposed to the cruel truth of the universe. Bonds may be broken, bonds may be lost, sometimes in an accident and sometimes on purpose. Even the bonds of a family are not guaranteed to last forever and may be severed at a moment's notice, unable to be properly put back together.

Naturally, the bond between Luna and you is no exception.

It may be nothing but a finite relationship that will one day cease to be.

But right now, in her eyes, you see the resolution to protect that connection, to grab it and never let go. Your 'muscle memory' theory has been proven right to an extent, and some of her powers have already come back to their owner. But that's not the only thing that works on 'muscle memory'. This girl knows the meaning of friendship, most likely in more deep and intricate ways than you do. Just a day ago, you were two strangers brought together by the whims of fate.

But today it's different. Today you are friends.

And friends look out for one another.

"And I plan to make it up to you one way or another. I might even comply to some of your [other you's] demands... But first things first: I need to remember what my debit card's PIN code is..."
Luna raises a hand to her chin, as if to make an honest effort to crack that password with her brain on the spot. Is she one to pick a meaningful combination, like numbers coming together to form a specific word, or is she one to be more casual about it and go with her birth date or something predictable like that? At the moment, it looks like those kind of questions are the ones floating in the blue haired girl's mind.

A couple of minutes later, you bring her back to Earth to discuss a little more seriously about the recovery of her powers. It appears that Luna is aware of an alien presence within her as well, but she's not scared of it taking over anymore. With a cheerful grin, she insists that what happened moments ago will not repeat itself. Regarding the fragments of the memory you saw while your energies were in harmony, Luna tells you that what she saw has nothing to do with what you are trying to convey to her. When asked to elaborate, she answers that the person she saw was you, but she's having as much of a hard time explaining the images she's seen to you as you are, trying to openly talk about a family break up.

Perhaps, somewhere along the way and for a moment, your memories were swapped there? It's not uncommon for things like that to happen when one tries a ritual like the one you performed.

Finally, when it comes to her actual powers, Luna's affinity with 'Lightning' comes as no surprise, although it looks like she won't be able to replicate what've seen any time soon. Instead, all she is able to manifest is a small spark within the palm of her hand... Her power is definitely like magecraft... But it's also different. Luna is conjuring a spell without the need of a chant or self-hypnosis, making it closer to ESP or a demonic ability. She's doing it without feeling any pain or alien sensation, as if it were as natural as breathing.

And yet, looking at it...

Your gut wants to say it IS in fact Magecraft.

"...!"

At that moment, something flies past the two of you, fired like a giant bullet. A second later, it collides against two nearby trees, the last of which somehow manages to bring its movement to a halt. If the size of the projectile is not an alarming fact on its own, then the fact that it has human shape has to be even more surprising. Indeed, having been thrown like a rag doll with a surprising amount of strength, Hassan of the Mountain lets out a grunt as he struggles to get back on his feet.

"Well... I can tell she's mad."

Time is a limited, precious resource. Every Magus is aware of that.

That's why you came here early to prepare. Even your little coaching session was taken into account when developing your plans.

The mist has just begun to make itself known, having yet to claim its ownership over Fuyuki's Central Park.

Indeed, it should be at least half an hour before any other shadow would make its move. That's why Assassin has been using his time to set up some traps. He has never been, after all, one to engage others in direct combat if he can help it. At the same time, that's why Assassin was surprised when a Black Spirit suddenly attacked him from his blind spot. Granted, he managed to intercept the blow and reduce the damage done, but in doing so he ended up wasting at least half of the preparations he had previously set up.

What is the cause of this early arrival, of this ambush which was expected by no one?

Has something changed between this night and the first one you lived in Fuyuki? Certainly. Things were not the same as they were yesterday, the city itself becoming supernaturally unstable, reality warping before your eyes more than once earlier.

However, that has nothing to do with this.

If anything, this is less about the overall context and more about this being's instinct and behavior.

Invaded its territory once and, given your escape, one can say you've won.

Invaded its territory twice...

And now your luck and lives are gone.

[Tobias]

Yamashita Hiro
Shinto - ​Fuyuki's Central Park
Night phase

...Quiet.

The misty air had a chill to it that couldn't be explained by the night's wind. Hiro wasn't afraid of the dark. He wasn't afraid of ghosts either. Not because he was especially brave or anything. Far from it.

Lions just aren't afraid of gazelles. Bears don't fear salmon. Wolves don't shy away from sheep. The cold, spirit filled forest wasn't something the Demi-Servant inside within him was afraid of. After all, Servants consumed ghosts. When he had first come, his first action as a mage when he had investigated this far east land, he had come to this forest. He remembered wanting to lick his chops at all the delicious food he could smell. The fire spirit inside him wished for a barbecue.

But now....with a bit more knowledge, he understood the subtle trap closing. It was similar to the way eagles hunted hawks. Wait for your prey to swoop down for a meal, and then when the moment was right, when hunter became prey, only to late did the hawk realize its role at the dinner feast was providing the main course.

Hiro couldn't see it. Even with his eyes, the shadows that covered the Legendary Soul only let slip the barest hint of gold, emanating malice and fury, and utterly pitiless killing intent. Maybe Hassan somehow could, clever strategic shade that had already had his tactics blown half to hell. And the fact that its entrance had been so crippling heavily suggested the King knew about the ambush, and the first rule of ambushes was simple;

"When preparing an ambush, the advantage is always with the ambusher. Unless the target knows its coming, in which case he has an even greater advantage then the ambusher would have had."

In other words...Hassan was fucked. And unless Hiro did something soon, so was he, and Luna too.

The king protected his forest. When last they had met, the fire spirit had taunted Old King Cat.

"The difference between a god and a king was territory!" Or something like that. But now...the God who Judged Death had entered the Kingdom of Myths, and its ruler prepared punishment.

Hiro straightened out his fingers on his right hand then arched them into claws.

When he had fought Berserker, one of the earlier wounds the jungle spirit had taken was a cut to his hip. Staring right at the shadow of death, he reached his hand in his shirt then deliberately tore into the bandage over the wound Luna had already added. Fresh blood. Specifically the blood of the Goddess. Hiro deliberately flicked his fingers, scattering crimson droplets around the mist covered woods, coating the air with the smell of divine blood.

Yamashita Hiro (?) suffers 1 HP damage

Enticing and tempting the shadow with the smell of its eternal enemy had always been part of the plan, but now that plan had a gaping hole where hassan's traps had been.

Hassan is out, Hiro said inwardly, calling to the fire demon which was rousing itself in response to another predator, equal to itself....no, that wasn't it at all.

...The Fire Demon woke because it's old nemesis was awake. How could she sleep with those damned golden eyes mocking her...!

I need to draw in the king. What do I need to do?

...Make it angry...you know how, Came a growl from the innermost place in his spirit, where a Heroic Spirit dwelled.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypNJgf7AmE4

"...No need to be afraid...little pussy...." Hiro called out in response, pitching his voice soft and insultingly low, as if reassuring a scared kitten hiding under a bed.

"Didn't bring you a saucer of milk but...tsk tsk tsk tsk!" Hiro crooned, louder, clicking his tongue together in the manner of an animal trainer in the face of a recalcitrant, half trained and rather stupid show pet.

"I have this toy to play with!" The young mage said, wrapping the Wrap from his body, sending a few more errant drops of blood that had stuck to it after he had bound himself up following the fight with Berserker.

As she waved the long thin white cloth like a piece of light string with one hand, in a rather odd repeat of earlier in the day, she idly tossed Hiro's walking stick and her weapon off to Luna once more. No instead of her weapon...

Her hand, her claw....



...It only held fire.

"You got anything left in there puss puss? Still remember the old days? If so, how about we do this like we used to. No weapons..." She drew out the words for a moment, before leaping backwards into the trees, where her home was.

...Where both their homes were.

...Unless you don't think you can handle the heat anymore...!"

[hero]

Alicia Rosenkopf (& Servant Assassin)
Miyama- Homurahara Academy
Night Phase


If the previous night had an ominous air to it, then the blackness of tonight makes it pale in comparison. You may be, in a way, still just a young and innocent girl, but there is no doubt that you have seen the same dark sky thousands of times before. Sometimes it was clear, sometimes it was stormy, but it was night nevertheless. It is hard to put into words but... You instinctively know this one night is different from all those that have come before it. Its mere presence is enough to inspire fear and anxiety in the minds of humans, as if it alone represented the most biggest hunter of them all. Yes, now that the mysterious mist has once again enveloped the city, you can tell with certainty that something dangerous lurks in the shadows. Even though you cannot tell where, nor how many of them there are, you are subconsciously aware of their presences... Or maybe it's just your mind playing tricks on you?

Regardless, you stick close to Assassin as you venture through the dark streets of Fuyuki. If you are to represent a scared cat, then she has to be the image of a proud and valiant lion. In a sense, that is a rather poor comparison, seeing as your Servant does not repel the darkness with light, nor does she possess any feline features -quite the opposite actually-, but the ability to venture into the darkness like this is something that should be appreciated and respected both. Much like a fictional thief, the night almost feels like Assassin's second home, as she seems to be prepared for each obstacle that appears with every twist and turn you make.

It is through her guidance in moving swift while remaining concealed that you manage to arrive at Sleeping Bishop Inn without running into any significant problem along the while. Truth to be told, the trip through the School District took more time than intended or rather, it got really dark all of a sudden, as if your sense of time had suddenly sped up. Hopefully, the rest of the team wouldn't get mad at you for being a little late. You have a lot of information to share with them, your findings enough to be considered a key discovery considering everything seemingly started just the previous night. While a lot of what M said back at the school carry enough weight to make anyone's heart sink, it isn't all hopeless, as long as there is a possibility of saving the city, even if only to extent its survival for a couple of days more, then you know you'll find the strength to keep moving forward. That's just how human nature operates.

It is then that it happens.

As if to mock your newly acquired resolve, the world presents Alicia Rosenkopf with a despair-inducing scenario. A loud noise followed by the scattering of dust, rubble and bricks almost without a pause between one another. It is as if a wrecking ball has suddenly collided against the residence's outer wall's from the inside, mercilessly tearing apart decades of peerless architecture. It is only once you manage to recover from the initial surprise and the aftermath that you realize that what's now lying on the floor curled up is nothing close to a wrecking ball. Rather, what you see, is undoubtedly a person. A person you immediately recognize...

"Guah... Ahh!!"

His entire body having become a relentless storm of pain, Masaki Taichi makes an honest effort to pull himself back to his feet, but a moment later he is back on the ground. Masaki Taichi is Masaki Tomomi's older brother. To you, an image of strength that's hard to skew. Last night, against Saber, he fought valiantly against the Shadow Servant and held his own pretty well. Even though he sustained injuries of note, it pales in comparison to what you are seeing now. Crimson threads of blood run down his entire body, the sheer amount of red that one can see on him enough to alarm even the most confident doctor. Where you once remembered a sword to be, now there is nothing, the only weapon that remains are his bare, bloodied fists. As a result of a struggle, the upper left part of his attire has been torn apart as well. He needs immediate medical attention-!

What on Earth happened while you were gone...?

Could this all have been stopped if Assassin and you had decided to come back sooner?

In a brief second that seems to extend an infinity, those questions and perform a macabre dance and torment you.

But ultimately, your mind comes back to reality, drawn to a particular detail that Alicia Rosenkopf would never miss. There is something sharp embedded in Taichi's leg, no, perhaps the right thing to say would be to say that something 'has pierced through Taichi's leg side to side'. Something bright, pointy and sharp. Something that has only one owner, and that owner is also someone you know.

"..."

Yes...

Standing on the other side of the wall which now connects to the street through a large hole, is Masaki Tomomi, wearing a strange fox mask. Unable to see her eyes, unable to see her expression and unable to get any sort of response out of her, your pulse quickly accelerates.

But she's not alone.

Next to her is also another child from an apparent similar age, wearing the same kind of mask, with a similar design.

"You are too late, Master of the Assassin of Stray Path... Just as I was told you would be." The kid greets you, seemingly unamused. It's hard to tell given the pitch, but the voice that comes from underneath the mask sounds masculine. "It's probably unfair to you, but at least let me clearly voice my intent: I was sent here to kill everyone in this household. No hard feelings, despite my appearance I am a mercenary through and through."

The boy draws a wide grin, clearly enjoying the situation in spite of his alleged professionalism.

It's a sadistic feeling so powerful that you can picture his expression even though it's being concealed under the fox mask.

"Oh! Careful there." He says with feigned worry. "You may want to keep a tight leash on your pet. Who knows what my new best friend Masaki Tomomi may do if you try anything funny. Things did not go well for 'onii-chan' over there."

Powerless...

Faced with a cruel situation like this, what are you but hopeless...?

"Don't worry, I'll make sure it's quick and without pain. But first... First, use a Command Spell to order your Servant to commit suicide."

[RoydGolden]

Alicia Rosenkopf (& Servant Assassin)
Miyama- The Sleeping Bishop
Night Phase


This was wrong. It had to be some kind of trick. Alicia had met Tomomi a mere day ago, but she already knew her to be a diligent and kindhearted girl who wouldn't hesitate to risk her life for others. All facts that totally contradicted the image before her eyes.

"Tomomi, why...?" Alicia gasped, her question trailing off into empty air. Even as she blinked several times hoping it was a trick of her imagination, the cruel scene in front of her refused to change. Tomomi Masaki was standing there, clad in a bizarre fox-mask and overlooking the brutalized body of her own brother. Beside her was the boy wearing a similar mask, who'd just brazenly announced he planned to kill everyone in the inn. From the looks of it, they seemed to be allies...?

"Tch..." Alicia bit her lip, forcing herself to stay calm. As bad as this situation was, she wouldn't solve anything by huddling in a corner and crying like some weak-willed romantic heroine. That's right, she realized. If Tomomi was acting so out-of-character, there was still a chance she was brainwashed or being otherwise manipulated to act against her own will. That meant... there was still a chance... a chance Alicia could get through to her!

That thought, even if it was just a faint hope, was enough to renew Alicia's will to fight. She glanced at the Command Seals on her palm. Needless to say, the boy's request that she order her Servant to commit suicide as a twisted 'mercy' had fallen on deaf ears. "Assassin!" she called out in a newly resolute voice. "You deal with that boy, I'll handle Tomomi. I need to get some answers from her... on why she's doing these crazy things!"

Assassin cocked an eyebrow doubtfully. "You sure about this, Master? I don't know about you, but Tomomi doesn't look like she's in the mood for talking things over right now."

"I'm sure," Alicia said firmly. She couldn't let Assassin's words eat away at her resolve. "Tomomi would never do this willingly. There must be a reason!"

"If you say so..." Assassin muttered, shrugging her shoulders lightly. She turned her gaze over to the masked boy, and her face lit up in a murderous grin. "Alright, now it's playtime. I was a little disappointed I didn't get to fight anyone strong in that school, so you'll make a good scratching-post to take out my frustrations on!"

Even if she was potentially outmatched two-against-one and facing an opponent with abilities she didn't know, Assassin wasn't worried. After all, it was night out. That was the condition where she could draw on her greatest power. Moreover, the moonlight spilling in through the shattered wall cast the room in dozens of deep shadows.

Assassin reached out to the shadows, drawing them towards her. The darkness was her birthright. It'd been a place she dwelled in since before she obtained selfconsciousness, and even now it answered her call.

Alicia couldn't help but draw an awed gasp at the sight. Assassin's own shadow began to stretch and distort in impossible shapes, reaching out to the other shadows in the room and fusing together with them. Even Tomomi and her partner seemed taken aback by this display of otherworldly power, though it was hard to tell under the masks.

"Humanity has always feared the dark... let me show you one of the reasons why!" Assassin roared out. As if showing obeisance to her command the shadows along the ground erupted into a hail of umbral spears that shot up towards the masked boy. That alone wasn't enough though. Assassin was confident a foe cloaked in such an ominous aura as he could easily deflect a simple barrage like that. So that's why... she would use it as a diversion for a direct attack!

With a battlecry Assassin sprung off the ground and hurled herself at her target from above. Claws glinted silver in the moonlight as she descended down to claim his head in a single strike, while he was still focused on fending off the barrage. Truth be told Assassin was normally the kind of person who held back against kids, but right now she was thinking only of protecting her Master. Besides, she didn't know whether the figure under the mask was even human, much less a child...

While this was happening Alicia turned to Tomomi, staring at her with a firm yet pleading expression. "Tomomi..." she said, fighting to keep her voice from breaking into tears. "Please tell me, why are you doing this? Hurting your own brother... doing these horrible things, that isn't the Tomomi I know at all!"

As she spoke Alicia sized up her friend carefully. She couldn't tell any emotion through that bizarre fox-mask Tomomi was wearing. If there were tears running down the bluehaired girl's cheeks, then Alicia would have no way of knowing. Or even if Tomomi could hear her at all in whatever state she was in...

Alicia's hands were at her sides in an open, nonconfrontational stance. Still, in a moment's notice she could summon her glass weaponry and do battle if need be. Though, she seriously hoped it wouldn't come down to fighting the girl she'd called a friend...

Wise-Up!

Hunter Of The Dark- A
A Personal Skill that allows Assassin to manipulate darkness. She can freely control her own shadow, molding it into a variety of constructs like barriers, lances and whiplike tendrils. Assassin can also merge her shadow with others in her surroundings to form greater constructs, however this takes a moment and can risk leaving her vulnerable. This Skill's true potential and basis are yet unknown, though it seems to stem from her nature as a beast that stalks the primeval darkness. Further information may be revealed when her true name is uncovered.

[Airen]

Aya Alayana
Shinto - Arcadia Refuge
Night Phase

"..."

For once, she does her best to simply listen quietly to the story.

Of course, the existence of a Holy Grail -and that of a theoretical Grail War- the actual details of the event had been things that were more or less irrelevant when it came to her operations up until this point... She was used to dealing with rogue magi trying to set up rituals on the property, or a wandering vampire attempting to use the civilians as it's personal livestock... Problems that are certainly problems, but problems that can be dealt with over the course of a single night if she was determined enough, nothing so severe as the summoning of heroic spirits as familiars, and certainly nothing as ridiculous as punching a hole to the Root with pure brute force...

Yes.

She had heard whispers of some sort of event like this in the past, but it was such an insane idea that she had mentally filed it away as an urban legend, nevertheless...

"...Well, I can't say anything for sure."

Ultimately, she simply starts with this, an admittance that her words might be incorrect... As a magus she knew the importance of having accurate information, nevertheless, there are times when one simply has to listen to their gut to find the way forward, to connect the dots in a haphazard way, and thus...

"But the spirit I ran into last night was no normal Ghost Liner, it's abilities were bizarre, and it was able to extinguish my magecraft."

While the appearance of 'bizarre abilities' is nothing too abnormal, the ability to directly interfere with her flames is a feat that simply should not be possible by most modern standards; any normal spirit would be burnt to ash, even entities such as vampires or Elementals would be swallowed up in their grasp, burnt to ash, to serve as fuel for the engine that keeps humanity moving forward...

It had managed to put them out.

That was, in and of itself, a miracle...

"And the fish... I wasn't able to affect it at all..." Eyes narrowing at the memory, a feeling of light rage settling back over her thoughts, the woman continues after a moment of thought, "Different from resistance, it didn't seem like any modern entity at all... Phantasmal Beast, or at least something along those lines."

In other words, an entity that absolutely does not belong in the modern day.

"It might not have anything to do with it, but considering the purpose of this apparent Holy Grail War was to punch a hole to the 'Origin' through brute force, well..."

She stops in place for a moment, then...

"...The Root is likely a place that is more than willing to punch back."

It is not a place one is even supposed to reach after all, the goal of magi was to commit the greatest possible heresy for the sake of ultimate knowledge.

"But... Emiya Shirou..."

His name bothers her...

"Where is he at now...?"

[hero]

Interlude - One for All, All for Naught (I)

"..."

Minutes prior, Assassin was busy delivering the finishing touches to his network of traps. Of course, that's not all he was doing. He might had agreed to cooperate with Yamashita Hiro and the rest out of sheer necessity, but he was not stupid enough to believe the alliance would last forever. Much like the Magus didn't trust him because of what he represented, the masked Heroic Spirit held some distaste towards his companions hidden somewhere within his heart. Not because of their backgrounds or their personalities, their goals or their possessions... If anything, it was in Assassin's core nature to dislike them, even if it was for seemingly no reason. As such, he had distanced himself enough to operate with freedom while being able to overhear their conversation from afar through rudimentary yet crafty tools. This Assassin was, after all, more of a builder, an inventor, rather than an actual fighter.

"..."

A coward only needs to follow two rules.

The first one is always put oneself above others. A coward does not have the luxury to be anything but selfish. One has to conquer the rest of the world by turning it into an inanimate object that can be utilized to meet one's own desires. In that sense, a kill that does not bring one some sort of benefit is nothing but a mechanical action that brings absolutely no satisfaction. Someone cold and distanced from the society that surrounds them, someone only preoccupied with their own well-being, that's Hassan's own definition of Assassin.

The second rule ties with the first and is very simple and straight-forward, as well. A coward does everything for the sake of victory. No tactic is underhanded or off-limits. Things like pride and honor, truth, past connections and personal debts are nothing but a burden to be discarded if it means success or survival. How many times had he seen others fall prey to those delusions? How many times he turned those lies into killing tools to get the job done? At that point, Assassin had already lost count.

So, when Hassan of the Mountain heard what Hiro and her new friend Luna were about to do, he clicked his tongue in disapproval. It was only natural, in the Servant's head there was no better version of learning -or getting any sort of task done- than to grasp it yourself. The idea of outside help was a taboo, and perhaps that was why he wasn't entirely content with his current assignment. If his Master's leash had been any looser...

Swoosh.

Assassin's train of thought was interrupted by the sudden shift in the air around him, brought about by the leap of a wild, untamed beast. Danger coming for his blind spot, the masked heroic spirit's reaction was on the nick of time, avoiding sure death by a hair's breadth by lowering his stance and then quickly creating distance between him and his attacker. Underneath his mask, confusion and anxiety had already taken over. Someone had managed to slip past his defenses completely unnoticed, and it was only a similar past experience what had allowed him to escape that exchange alive. There had been no real technique in that swipe...

And yet, as he stared at this new enemy that had manifested before him ahead of time, Assassin inadvertedly allowed his humanity to reveal itself in his current stance. Well, he was a coward, so it was perhaps to be expected for him to display fear.

Before him was a creature of shadows. A wielder of a crown. A king of beasts who had appointed this entire park as his kingdom on a whim. There were no facial features within that mass of darkness that was its face. Only two, glowing golden eyes, their gaze sharp enough to cut through the mask that he wore like it was nothing.

For a moment, the two did nothing but to stare at one another, aware that the slightest movement from any of the parts involved would immediately trigger the beginning of an all-out-war.

To any but the two of them, it must have lasted only an instant.

But within that small window of time... Assassin was able to figure it out; the worth of that crown. Perhaps, the silent beast managed to realize it as well; the worth of that mask. How many usurpers had there been to the throne? How many had tossed away their identities for a chance wear that cursed mask of leadership...?

"...!"

The beast made the first move, reducing the distance Assassin had so proudly created to nothing in the blink of an eye. He's hopeless... In a physical fight, the Servant who had never been more than an ordinary human stood no chance against the creature that had never been human to begin with.

The first swipe had been a warning.

The second swipe descended to take his life.

Interlude Out

[hero]

Yamashita Hiro
Shinto - ​Fuyuki's Central Park
Night phase


Just moments ago, Assassin implied that the Shadow Servant with feline features would be in a bad mood all night long. No one in their right mind would go the extra mile in provoking her, seeing as it already stands as something which has long since surpassed humanity. Her bare fist more dangerous than a tank shell, she could probably end the life of an ordinary human a hundred times over with a single half-assed motion of her arm. Granted, Yamashita Hiro is not really an ordinary human. She can channel the power of the Fire Demon, essentially evening up the playing field between her and the enemy through her nature as a Demi-Servant. If that is the case...

If that is the case, then why is the difference between the two combatants as clear as day? Why is it that the two shadows jumping from one tree branch to another in a lethal dance are anything but equal? Why is it that only one is allowed to attack...? Ferocious blows, one after the other come for your head. It's not like the last time. Enraged by your transgression, your taunting and your identity, there does not seem anything capable of stopping the beast coming after you. One would think that such evident display of rage would dull her senses and her battle prowess, but that is not the case. No, if anything, such state has allowed her to focus, to concentrate on what's important... To crush the foe in front of her.

Yeah, anger can be a source of strength for men and monsters alike.

If the Fire Demon is a fast, highly acrobatic fighter, then the Shadow Cat is a more precise, better version of the former. Always one step ahead and already familiar with the entire layout of her lair, it might have been a mistake, in hindsight, to have challenged her to a duel without weapons. Maybe the actual Fire Demon would have been able to keep up with her kicks and handswipes, but the one sealed within Yamashita Hiro's body? It is too weak and limited to do a damn thing against it. Across the misty forest-like section of the park, the two souls clash several times.

Except it can hardly be called an exchange.

Not when the enemy scores a hit on each an every opportunity, and the only move allowed to you is to make an effort to break away. Yes, under these conditions, the fight will end the moment you switch to offense, most likely in your immediate defeat. The only thing holding that outcome back is your tenacity, your inherent toughness and Assassin's precise sniping from the shadows. Each projectile hurled at the enemy may look insignificant, but it has at least served to save you from a quick death more than once. Some may consider it cheating -and want it or not, it may come to bite you in the future-, but this Old Man of the Mountain does not mind trampling on your honor, even during a meaningful duel.

"...!"

This time, you are allowed more room to breath, more than the past twenty exchanges. Instead of jumping after you to the next tree, the shade instinctively pauses, feeling that something else is more deserving of her attention. Yes, her solitary eyes follow the dagger-like projectiles that she just managed to avoid moments ago. Normally, she would never take such course of action and instead continue her onslaught, even more so when it is against a sworn enemy like the Fire Demon is. The weapons thrown at her are not Noble Phantasms, and Assassin has a limited supply of them. Furthermore, they won't magically come back to their owner, the Masked Warrior must collect them by hand. As such, it would be unwise to be distracted from the battle to see what will be of them.

But...

Every part of the Shadow Servant's pitch black body begs her to look over there; to realize that which everyone has already overlooked.

"..."

In the nearest tree to her side, resting atop of one of its branches, rests a strange box. With a color scheme that is meant to hide its presence, it's an object that's very easy to miss, even to those with trained eyes. It's a cube, its symmetry almost too perfect for one to consider it the work of men. The first target having moved out of their trajectory, the projectiles land quickly one after another in the strange devise, digging deep into their core. The beast is only allowed an instant to crack this puzzle and figure out what it all means.

By the time her eyes do open up in surprise, however, it's already far too late.

It's a flashy detonation, unfitting for a stealthy Assassin. But there was more than destructive force contained within that mysterious cube, there was also a torrent of wild fire razed the earth and numerous sharp splinters hidden there meant to only increase the damage dealt.

Your opponent, who was in close proximity to the bomb, was caught in its blast with no shadow of a doubt. You, on the other hand, have been lucky and fast enough to avoid any major injuries, although it was too close for comfort. Any closer and you might have suffered equal or bigger losses than your cat friend back there. Fortunately, the range of the explosion itself wasn't too big, so you don't have to worry about Luna...

This has been Assassin's intent from the very start... Using his precise sniping not to save you, but rather to divert the enemy's attention from his traps, all for this moment, where he was able to, seemingly, deal massive damage to your foe at what might have been nearly point-blank range.

She has no mouth, but the loud growl that resonated through the park definitely came from her.

Standing amidst the flames, its stance somewhat broken after being hit by the blast, the beast silently curses its own folly in engaging against two foes on its own, before washing away any sense of mercy that might have been left within its system. It does so through a single gesture, through a simple clap of its fingers, invoking the authority of the crown resting on top of its head.

And, as if to respond to the wielder's divine authority, the world makes the earth shake... Except, the earth itself is not what's shaking... It's the space in front of your very eyes! This is... Some sort of spatial distortion... No, to be more precise...!

This is a summoning...!

Hundred of black butterflies emerge from its back, overwhelming the area with sheer numbers in a matter of seconds. It would be easy for the apprentice Magus to mistake those silhouettes for harmless and beautiful insects, but you know better. Those have to be, without a doubt, sprites.

Deployed as per request of the King...

A chaotic army enters the battlefield...!

[RacingeR]

Interlude – Rakshasa

It was four years ago, in the day of her fifteenth birthday, that Hiyako Tsurara learned that she was too much.

That day, in what felt like an eternity ago, her grandfather had taken her to the Hiyako family’s ancestral temple, what could be considered the sacred grounds of the Kuroitsume Clan as a whole. It was a silent and gloomy place, so stuffy and solemn that Tsurara often felt like she couldn’t breathe in there.

It was both a temple and a place where the dead of clan where enshrined.

She didn’t really get it. Perhaps due to her personality, that mixed the hot-bloodedness inherent in half-demons with the cold-blooded realism of someone who was destined to inherit a clan, but she never truly understood spiritual stuff. Still, she dutifully followed the steps of the ceremony of worshipping the ancestors, as traditionally outlined by the family’s traditions.

It had been shortly afterwards, as they began their long descent from the stairs of the temple, that her grandfather had asked her a question. “Why do you think the members of the Hiyako family practice the path of the sword?”

Tsurara had been surprised by the unexpected question. Stilling her steps, she had peered at her grandfather, slightly confused by the abrupt topic.

Even four years later, this old man was taller than her, towering over everyone even while leaning on his cane. She remembered that he had been once muscular and imposing, but as his old age had started to affect him, his body had become leaner, thinner, although he had merely traded strength for agility, wisdom and cunning.

Tsurara would know. Even with her going all out, showing off physical abilities much superior to his, he always kicked her ass during her kendo lessons. It was mildly infuriating.

She had reasons to believe that this grandfather of hers was a true Sword Saint.

He was also a very sly fox, and he liked to force his children and grandchildren to think. She had learned long ago to always second guess anything he said.

However, no matter how much she tried to, she was unable to see through this apparently simple question.

“Wasn’t it for self-defense?” She asked back after a moment. It had never occurred her to question this. “When we get targeted by the enemy, for fights against other yakuza… things like that.” She concluded, somewhat lamely.

Her grandfather laughed, slightly amused by the hesitance and confusion his granddaughter’s voice expressed. “No. Not really.”

“Self-defense, fighting against others like us? A sword wouldn’t serve us as well as a gun, I’m afraid. Even in current Japan, that simple fact will never change.” He lectured. “No, my little girl. You have to understand that our role is that of the commander, the administrator, not the fighter in the frontlines. For your father, you and me, studying the path of the sword holds no practical meaning.”

Tsurara stared at him, open-mouthed, disbelief mixed with skepticism. “What? Then, then why have you made me waste so many years of my life practicing kendo? If it has no practical meaning-“

She was sure the old man was pulling a fast one on her. Hell, both her grandfather and her father had a tendency to act like this. If she hadn’t seen their serious side a few times before, she’d wonder how this pair of jokers was able to run a criminal empire.

But her doubts were silenced with a single word from her grandfather.

“Discipline.”

Even within the various clans and families of half-demons, the Hiyako were a particularly bellicose breed. It wouldn’t be incorrect to say that through their veins ran the blood of warriors, generation after generation that had participated in many wars and had roamed in many battlefields. ‘Rakshasa’ wasn’t just Tsurara’s later moniker, but it was also the nickname the underworld had assigned to the Hiyako bloodline as a whole.

That they had settled down in their current form didn’t mean that they could escape the dark side of their blood, the encroaching bloodlust and madness that pulsed deep within them. That was the true form of the Inversion Impulse, a problem that all modern Kishu bloodlines had to face sooner or later.

“It is indeed a tradition for those of Hiyako descent to practice the form of swordsmanship created by our ancestors. They figured out long ago a style designed around our characteristics as half-demons, and not only sought to make full use of their potential strength, but also wished to find a method to train the mind at keep the madness at bay.” He explained with severity.

“The path of the sword teaches us discipline. Discipline is what we half-bloods use to contain our inner demons. Do you understand the importance it has for us now?” Her grandfather asked, while staring at the distance.

Tsurara had nodded wordlessly. Then, the old man had turned around to look at her, and in his eyes she saw melancholy, sadness and gentleness as he spoke once again: “But for you, this will be more important than for anyone else, Tsurara. You, who was born with the thickest demon blood in the history of the clan, must never, ever, underestimate the pull of your inner demon.”

It wasn’t until later on that she understood what her grandfather meant.

It was not enough that she was born with the thickest bloodline ever recorded by the Hiyako, perhaps only surpassed by that of the founder herself. She was also born with incredibly good lucks. She had great physical talent even for a half-demon, and a knack for swordsmanship. She was a prodigy capable of mastering the administration of the many businesses her family ran while acing her school exams at the same time, almost effortlessly.

But it was not good for someone to shine so brightly.

Already in high school, there was nobody that was able to compete with her anymore.

Although it was a school often favored by many of the hidden bloodlines of Japan, where many of those related to the supernatural received education, even then she was too overwhelming. There was nobody around her that could keep up with her.

It was not like bigger prodigies didn’t exist in the country. Although she was someone who could be considered a step removed from a Crimson Red Vermillion, there were others in Japan whose blood had reached that level, far beyond hers. If it came to swordsmanship, there existed many others that surpassed her, others that she was too young and inexperienced to compete with. The same could be said of all her other accomplishments: she was far from being the number one anywhere.

But none of these existences was near her environment. In her school, in her family, she was a supreme existence. For ordinary people, her background as a yakuza princess, her beauty and her academic results were enough. For those from the underworld, the existence of the Kuroitsume Clan and her overwhelming combat prowess were enough. For those dabbling in her occult, her identity and presence as a half-blood was more than enough.

It was no wonder that her brother had become what he had become. He had given up the moment Tsurara showed her potential. The traditions of the Hiyako family made no distinction between gender when choosing the successor: the founder, Lady Hiyako, had been a woman herself.

Tsurara was too overwhelming.

She could be called flawless, but that was a lie. The same blood that brought her to glory was also her fatal flaw, the madness underlying and pulsing within herself.

The Hiyako family had given birth to a monster they didn’t have the means to contain.

That was why.

Discipline. Holding back. Never exerting more strength than necessary.

The world that was so solid to others was one that she could shatter like a piece of paper.

Interlude Out

Hiyako Tsurara
Shinto- Streets
Unknown Phase

Gods.

She was so fucking embarrassed she wanted to drop dead right here and now.

What the fuck had been that? Tsurara questioned herself as she pressed her hands to her face. It had been an absolutely shameful display.

When she had seen that… thing, that vortex… opening in the weave of reality herself, she had become completely paralyzed. She had been unable to move her feet, her eyes wide open as she stared at the void, unable to process what had been happening there.

For the first time in her life, she had lost control, and not in a way she had ever expected.

All she’d been able to do had been point and babble incoherent questions, and therefore she had lost her chance to escape. She had been dragged into the portal… somehow… her memories were blurry.

Gods. What would her grandfather think of this?

…

Well, he’d find it absolutely fucking hilarious, for one.

That thought finally pissed Tsurara off enough to shake off the sense of shame and start taking stock of her surroundings.

Said surroundings were way too normal, enough to make no sense whatsoever for her. She was just… stumped, at least until the newspaper attracted her attention. Frowning, she grabbed it to get out of her way, and then her mind blanked out again when she saw the date of the newspaper.

… This shouldn’t be possible. The logical conclusion is illogical. Wasn’t this… Tsurara tried to recall her lessons about magecraft, something about the Fifth… wasn’t this True Magic?

What the hell?!

The words of the man that barges in the shelter only confirms her worst suspicions.

Quick like a viper, Tsurara extended her other arm and grabbed the man, much bigger and imposing than her despite his age, like plucking a chicken from the ground. With a dispassionate gesture, she smashed him against the shelter. The force is not enough to even bruise the man, but enough to inflict some pain and make her displeasure clear.

“Don’t call me by my first name. It is disrespectful. It is Ms. Hiyako or Hiyako-sama for you.” She said in a cold emotionless voice. If the man expected to find fury or even a hint of anger in her eyes, right now there’s nothing but the cold efficiency of the future leader of the Kuroitsume Clan.

To emphasize her point, she lifted the man from the ground without even changing her hold, his feet suspended a few centimeters from the floor.

“I hope for your sake that you have an explanation ready, as well as an answer as how to go back to where I was before. I have a responsibility to my people.”

As many who knew her would note.

Her calmness made her no less murderous.

[Tobias]

Yamashita Hiro
Shinto - ​Fuyuki's Central Park
Night phase


When man fought man, there was always a certain amount of...call it tunnel vision. A man stayed keyed onto his target. His chest, because that showed the movements of the body. His hips as well, they revealed where the opponent was going. Of course the canny fighter also kept a small amount of his attention on the nearby area, to monitor for potential impediments or opportunities. He might keep half an ear open for new personages, ally or enemy, to enter the fray, but his focus was on his enemy.

Servants were not so limited. Even as she heard the sound of a shadowy claw slice a small line of hair less then a quarter inch from her left ear, the fire spirit was already monitoring the sound of a blade slicing though air and leaves as it pierced the forest. The jaguar didn't have access to Protection from Arrows, or preternatural Instincts to warn her of the knives passage.

No, she relied on her senses. her instinctive feel for the woods. They may have belonged to the King, but it was the duty, privilege, and amusement of the Gods above to tread on a King's realm. When she felt the knife coursing through the still woods of the large park, she obligingly lifted her right leg and bent her knee slightly, allowing it to pass through the area she had just vacated, sailing straight through to the soft flesh just below the rib cage where the liver rested on the shadowy female. one kill shot among a thousand, courtesy of a Servant who sold his honor for death.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a727SZcZieE

...Or would have, had the fairy King not rather contemptuously swatted an almost lazy claw, with a KTCH! sound similar to blade on blood and deflected the blade spinning front of her darkly furred face. The fire demon was quick to follow up, air crackling as she attempted to slam a burning fist into a momentarily undefended side, however, quick as flickering starlight over waters the shadow herself punched a hard simple reverse straight into the knife itself, impossibly hitting the spinning blade as it fell on the flat of the handle, sending it knifing (literally!) right underneath her chin seeking the curve of her throat. Bloodlust and the thrill of battle caused her opponent's face to contort in a rictus of a grin that shown like Cheshire Alter's grin.


Still...

Not gonna behead me that easily Old King Cat!

The spirit thought to herself, jerking her head back and pushing off a near by tree to send herself in a sideways, haphazard cartwheeling motion to the floor of the battle arena. There was a crimson spray of droplets which we flung out from the motion. There was blood on her claws. unfortunately it was her own, not that of the King.

Frustrating. Deeply frustrating! When the king launched herself forward in a double straight kick that caused her thin body itself appear as a black sword cutting the night's darkness, the closest thing to an attack the firey handed warrior could do was to clasps her hands in a hammer fist and slam them down on the striking legs. She had to quickly vault away once more when the Legendary Shadowed Soul used the force from the impact redirect her legs to the soft dirt of the earth, gather herself crouched over her bent knees, and then leap forward once more with splayed claws. A movement which also naturally brought her head down and under another blade sailing through the night's cold. As a result, instead of burying itself to the hilt in the small King's temple, it left itself hilted and humming angrily in a nearby stump.

The elemental thought patterns of the fire demon were usually fairly simple. Eat. Drink. Love. Kill. But it wasn't stupid. It could recognize its own mistake, at least in hindsight. Oh it wasn't throwing away its spear. Nah, it needed its hands free. It wasn't even challenging the King of shadows to a fight in its own realm. That was just what you had to do to conquer the kingdom in the first place. The castle must be overrun. No, the mistake had been...

OK, I admit it, maybe I shouldn't have gone so hard against Berserker!

Hiro's mana supplies were severely weakened. The physical damage wasn't crippling. Neither was the exhaustion. She was a Servant. With the Wrap unbound, she could ignore such trivial, human limitations. But even she was bound by the law of a Demi-Servant. The laws of a magus. And prime among all such laws was that thatamurgy required exchange. There were Noble Phantasms which costs less then her judgement of the death god technique. As a result of such, she had very little magical energy to activate her golden eyes.

Unable to channel her unrivaled power of a Servant without Hiro as a medium, she was less capable of instinctively understanding the environment in a way that would give her parity with the black cat's home field advantage. The magical energy she had expelled to fight against the true Servant of the Mage of Fashion could now not be used to bring more of her true power as a Servant to bear.

Thus, she found herself always having to play catch up. Always having to take a critical extra millisecond to ensure her feet were planted, her grip secure, and her avenues of movements were accounted for, whilst the benefit of instincts and experienced lent old king cat an assurance and easy grace that could be turned into both weapon against the fire demon and shield against the rain of blades.

...Or....

Maybe it was...?

You can't over power her. Not as we are. Back to basics. You still have strengths she does not!

The fact that Hiro hadn't receded. Not totally. Normally when the fire spirit took over, Hiro had to be left to slumber, a living bridge between her and her legend by which she called forward heroic feats. However this particular mix was different. Unheard of even! Working with Luna, trusting assassin (kind of) these were not the greatest risks Hiro had taken tonight. Hell, maybe even fighting the King wasn't. No, the most risky thing attempted here might well have been the unstable juxtaposition between Demi-Servant and mage.

It had to be done however. The boy had a part to play in this battle.

The Jungle spirit whirled around a tree, turning left, then ducked under a kick that left a trail of splinters where about a foot of tree trunk had previously been overhead. Channeling this same motion, the fire demon allowed herself to fall momentarily prone to the ground, arms and legs splayed out starfish style before planting her feet and pushing off into a handspring past an upraised uppercut swipe embellished with an open claw. At first it seemed as though the black haired Servant had evaded without a scratch, but a sudden metallic tang to the air was the clue that once more Divine blood danced upon the cool, muddy earth.

As she darted in a roughly curved path back towards the others, she risked opening up her mind a bit more. If I cant use the Eye here, I can't read her movements. Not well enough. What strengths do you want me to use?!

There are two that are most critical. You aren't alone. Assassin and Luna may yet make their presence felt. Secondly...

It was right about then, as Hiro's path drew about as close as she dared back to Luna and where she had last seen Hassan that the Old Man of the Mountain showed his way of combat.


A pair of daggers. A hidden trap that even the shadow cat's feral instincts had not been able to track.

An explosion.

And in response...?

Ah hell...

What in the world is that?!

She is a king. That title ain't just for show you know! What was the second strength you were about to recommend?!

Its pretty simple. The strength you have that she doesn't? Strength is that strength. Get her to take a blow head on. She is beating you with the terrain. Soooo?

So take that away from her. How?!

...Remember your fight with Berserker?

...Heh.

Planting her non burning hand onto the ground for leverage, the jungle spirit kicked once, twice, three times off a trio of trees like a chaotic pinball gleefully bouncing its way to the upper echelons of the machine, seeking ever higher heights without a care for what remained in its wake, was the free spirited warrior. The living blessing of the warrior gods who granted divine might and sanction to the worthy.



When she leaped from the tallest tree into the sky itself, she allowed the momentum from her leap to carry herself in a half circle till her torso and head were facing the ground, with her feet above in in a slow moving somersault. One hand still dripping blood, the other rippling with fire as the vanguard of the fairy kingdom blasted forward from the tree tops and were transformed from mystery to cinders with a burning swipe.

Thats right. Fly to close and be incinerated to ash!

The fairy warriors were like any other army. Some were light, fast, cavalry. Other were strong, skilled, deadly at close range. The cat king was at least her equal in speed, but that couldn't be said for all her subjects. The ones that could keep up the easiest were the ones with the lightest defenses, who traded armor for mobility. As the shadows converged to form a single black rocket springing from the treetops, the devil of Hiro's Right Hand, the fire Demon met her head on with a fist of furious flame. As the pair began to flicker back and forward in a vaguely crescent shaped arc away from the park where Luna and he had practiced thatamurgy, a taunting voice rang out from above the treetops...!

"Come on old king cat, and bring all yours who can keep up, this Goddess will judge your whole kingdom!"

[hero]

Hiyako Tsurara
Shinto- Streets
Unknown Phase


"..."

The tension that fills the air at that moment is almost too much to bear. As if your sudden, yet minor, act of violence had somehow flipped a switch that should be always left as is, the weight of the man in front of you suddenly becomes almost three times as heavy. No, it is not that any of his body properties has changed. Regardless of what you are experiencing, he is still nothing but a fragile human being. As if to emphasize this theory, a small trail of blood slowly slides down from his forehead. You made extra sure to limit your strength, and yet... This has been the result. If that's the case... Then why...? Why do you feel so compelled to put this man down, at
this very instant, to the point where you have to put every ounce of your strength in preventing that fate from coming be...?

But then, all of a sudden, that immense pressure disappears.

"Ah, I see, I see. I apologize. Don't know how I got that wrong. I thought Tsurara was the surname, and Hiyako the given name. My bad. My mind is not is not as sound as it used to be, you see..."... And is replaced by the casual words of a much older man.

Somehow, even though it almost sounds as he is still playing around with you, his words carry an undeniable honesty that can be felt in their tone. Yes, Tsurara is a family name too. Though he remains as weak as any other normal person, he knows well how to defend himself against stronger foes... Using words.

"Indeed, Hiyako-sama, I do owe you more than just an apology. I have an explanation ready so... If I may..."

Promising to comply to your request, you do your part and release your grip on the man. In terms of physical prowess, you have a clear advantage, so it makes little difference whether he is allowed to move freely or not. Now that you have stopped looking down on him, you are confident that you can end his life at any point without even overexerting yourself if he tries anything funny. At the same time, while it is in your nature to remain as the dominant party, the truth of the matter is that he has more control over the playing field than you have. You are a prodigy, and as such, you have managed to piece the clues of this little mystery together in very little time.

You are somewhere you don't belong.

And the only one who holds the key to return to your era is the man standing in front of you.

"Then... I'll get straight to the point."

The man's expression becomes grim and utterly serious. You can tell that he has already picture this moment in his head several times, a scene where he would share the ultimate truth with someone else. And yet, here he is, struggling to find the right words to use, without having to resort to any form of trickery and misdirection. The woman he is dealing with is a Rakshasa, after all. One that wouldn't hesitate to swing her blade should the need arise.

For about thirty seconds, all that is heard is the sound of the downpour outside the bus shelter.

And then...

"'Time travel'... That's what you've just experienced, although, from the look on your eyes, I can tell that you've already figured that out."

Time travel...

It is as he has said. As ridiculous and utterly impossible as it sounds, a part of you considered that possibility. But now... Now that you hear it coming from the mouth of this old man... Only now you begin to accept it as 'truth'.

2004... That's more than twenty years ago...

"I regret to inform you, Hiyako-sama, that the future where you come from is already doomed. In two more days, your world would have been left at the mercy of the enemy. At the mercy of Pandora. And, believe me when I say, that's the one foe humanity can never defeat. What follows is not exactly the apocalypse, but the end of the world as you know it. Earth will return to how it once was, at the beginning of time, and humanity will be stripped of all it has gained. No, it will lose its most defining trait... Its thirst for knowledge, it's curiosity. No race will ever prosper and we will all live in complete ignorance for the years to come. For Pandora, this is the happy end that was envisioned for us. For even as our enemy, it still holds affection for us."

Ever since it all began, you always believed that the strange events taking place where limited to just the city of Fuyuki. However, the words of the mysterious time traveler hint otherwise. If his words are to be believed, this is a catastrophe that is to affect the entire world. Even for a prodigy and a trained Yakuza as you, it remains hard to remain composed at the revelation without regarding it with utter disbelief. After all, everything he says has no foundation, no base from which to build up from. That some entity on the level of a God would suddenly change the rules set in stone by your ancestors millions of years ago on a whim and without prior notice... Just who would believe that story...?

The fact that this so-called Pandora is to do it out of love for humanity makes the whole thing more infuriating.

And yet...

He lowers his gaze, his expression darkening even more as he does so.

And yet, why can you not find any trace of a lie within his speech...?

"We are here to change that. The year is 2004. The first link in the chain that leads to humanity's downfall happens here, in Fuyuki, at this date. A group of students of Homurahara Gakuen accidentally opened a sealed door to another realm, a suspended reality created artificially by a group of Rogue Mages in hope of reaching what they call 'The Root'. That portal acted as a pseudo Black Hole that nearly swallowed the life energy of the entire populace with the aim to perpetually grow and sustain itself. That same Black Hole is the one responsible for everything that has been going on in the era where you come from..."

The objective of this expedition should then be clear: You are here to stop that stain in the timeline from ever happening. If you can do that, then the future will be saved, or so this man claims with absolute confidence. Still, there remains one thing to be said. Undeniably, there are many questions that surface with the possibility of time travel, but there is something odd that stands out in his narration.

... And that has to be, without a doubt, your presence.

A group of students, following an urban legend, performed a ritual that should have never been more than harmless entertainment. When one compares that to the intricate occurrences that need to be prevented in movies of this genre -your only actual source of previous experience-, the difficulty involved seems to be minimal. Even if the person telling you this is no more than a normal human, it is a task that can be carried out without assistance.

"We're not the only ones not welcome here." He adds, almost as if reading your thoughts. "Just like there are those who want to change history, there are also those who fight to keep it as it is. I'll be relying on you to keep our enemies at bay, I..."

The man shakes his head, almost dumbfounded.

It seems his mental health is not at its peak, just like he claimed.

"I'll be relying on you to keep our enemies at bay, Hiyako-sama."

He repeats once more, this time, managing to finish the sentence properly.

[hero]

Aya Alayana
Shinto - Arcadia Refuge
Night Phase


"Oh, don't worry." Caren makes a dismissive gesture with her hands, as if to imply that your suspicions are completely misplaced. "Lady Tohsaka and I personally made sure to teach him a lesson, so it will be a good while before he does anything stupid." Then, realizing there is something odd in what she just said, the nun pauses for a moment, before making an attempt to correct herself. "... Or something like that. That man is always doing stupid things and making stupid decisions; I fear it's in his very nature. He's currently on an expedition to the Middle East alongside a few of my colleagues as per our agreement. I did, after all, 'forget' to write a report on the Sixth Holy Grail War."

You have known Caren Ortensia for long enough to be able to tell that, behind that stoic facade, hides a fearless and provocative girl. That's right, if you are the current Red Devil, then she without a doubt can called Fuyuki's White Devil. However, she is still someone who ultimately takes her duties to the Lord and the Church very seriously. Only in rare scenarios does she agree to turn a blind eye to matters that concern the mission given to her by the organization she belongs to. Indeed, Emiya Shirou's 'False Grail' and Aya Alayana's 'Demonic Flames'... Those two may be the only two cases in which she has kept things hidden from those she reports to.

The way she makes it sound leaves it clear that her silence has come at a price, to the point where her request might have single-handedly removed the boy from the spotlight. How many years has it been now? Pretty much a decade and a half since 2011 and thus the last Holy Grail War... And Emiya Shirou is still going from place to place to meet her demands? All of a sudden, it becomes surprisingly easy to feel sorry for both the man and his son.

"But you may be on to something." The silver haired girl admits, thinking back of the words you used to describe the tragedy that could have been last night. "The description you provide is on par with the words that an ignorant would use to describe a Servant, an ancient hero from the past brought to this age for the sake of the Holy Grail War. However, as far as I know, a summoning ritual of that scale should be impossible in this day and age, that with the complete dismantling of the 'machine' that made that possible. On top of that, a Servant cannot exist for long in the present without an Anchor, a Magus who assumes the role of a Master."

There are a lot of things you don't know about the Holy Grail War.

All things considered, it's a little hard to keep up with Caren's brainstorming when she has the whole story and you only have bits and pieces. But a part of her explanation stands out and remains fairly easy to understand: While a Servant possesses a certain degree of freedom, it ultimately acts as someone else's champion. Which means that, in that case, you would need to get to top of the hierarchy chain, before you can get to the bottom of this mystery...

Before your thoughts can get you any further, you reach the Mayor's tent, which is significantly larger than those in the rest of the refuge. Yeah, at least three times larger. Normally, a citizen wouldn't even be allowed to stand close to it, but both Caren and you possess titles with a notorious political weight, so after a short delay at the entrance, your entry is permitted. It probably goes without saying but, with how quick the local government and the majority of survivors managed to organize themselves, it is implied that the Mayor has some times with the supernatural world, at the very least.

Once inside, you are greeted by a very long rectangular table, where at least a dozen figures of influence must have gathered in the hours prior. Now, only one person remains, the leader of leaders, the Mayor who has made an oath to do what's best for the city, whatever it takes. Standing firm like a giant, he is the very image of a lion. Flamboyant to the core, his expression denotes absolute seriousness and confidence, and his stylish clothes are a perfect match for that attitude. But what stands out the most about him, about Mayor Asama has to be his mane like hair which -while wild and abundant- only strengthens that image of a proud commander.

"Please, make yourselves at home." The man silently gestures you to take a seat. "I've been expecting you, Church Supervisor Ortensia... Second Owner Alayana. I believe there are some matters we need to talk about."

[Airen]

Aya Alayana
Shinto - Arcadia Refuge
Night Phase

"..."

---Just like always, she appraises the world around her with her gaze.

Firm and unwavering, the sole part of her body that burns perpetually in spite of how cool her exterior might be to others; yes, there are flickers of an active flame in the eyes of Aya Alayana that simply exists in her stare, a gaze that takes in the sight of the extravagant tent amidst disaster, and both accepts and condemns it in the exact same moment.

On one hand, an obvious show of importance, a mark that this area is special, and on the other hand...

It is much like a throne.

Annoyingly like a throne, like a Mayor fancying himself as a King...

Of course, one could argue that Aya Alayana saw herself as some sort of empress, and thus the hypocriticism in that judgement should not be lost on her, and it isn't, but the only change her expression makes is that of her eyes closing in thought as she sits down, already moving to do so before he had offered to let her sit down in the first place, after all...

This is no one-sided meeting, she would do as she liked when she liked, simple as that...

This was her city after all, still...

"Yes. That does seem to be the case."

Sitting cross-legged in her chair now, that flame-like hair dancing around her face once again, the woman that has already decided she does not like this Mayor very much nevertheless speaks without negativity.

Without positivity.

Completely business like in it's tone...

"Monsters in the streets, bizarre weather patterns, a remarkably swift military response and the current and future plans for the protection of the civilians."

She leans back in her chair, and:

"We can start with whatever you'd like, I'm quite interested in all of them."

Aya had never liked politics too much, but...

She could play the game from time to time.

[hero]

Interlude - The Man who has seen the past, the present and the future (I)

The twelve-year old mercenary nicknamed 'Gin' drew a smile underneath his fox-like mask. The reason behind that simple expression was one easy to understand. After all, he had just experienced something extraordinary, something which defied the rules that he originally thought were solid and impossible to crack. Now, there was nothing uncommon with being summoned to a mansion to speak with the 'boss', personally. This was the third successful assignment he had carried out for the same employer, so it was about time that the two spent some time talking about real business. You see, despite his young age, Gin was an outstanding supernatural hitman, and his heart desired adventures more thrilling than the chores he had been entrusted thus far. Still, because the pay was so good, he polished his patience and waited, as he knew this time would eventually come. Yes, having proved himself, it was time to move on to the next level. That was why he could hardly contain his joy. But that...

... Was not exactly the reason why he was smiling.

No, it was hard to place, but his instincts immediately told him that there was something odd about this location. The foreign architecture, the surrounding plains, the abundance of antiques... It was a bizarre sight that would leave even Magi dumbfounded. How... Did he arrive here, and where was he, exactly? He had served under several masters all throughout Japan since the age of six, yet if one would ask him right now, he would be speechless as to how to make his way back home. 'Spatial Displacement?', he thought, trying to convince himself that he had not been suddenly flung into a different time, and instead had somehow been transported from one country to another without him realizing. Or perhaps it was just him, unable to believe it possible for someone to amass enough fortune to build himself an isolated empire that follows a 30's theme.

"... You wanted to talk to me?"

Once he set foot on what looked like a throne room, he addressed a mysterious, hooded, old man who sat in the place of a king. Not a second had passed since then before he began to feel uncomfortable. The sixth sense he had nurtured as an assassin was going crazy, sending him endless contradicting signals regarding the elder he was facing, making it impossible to read through his facade. It must had been one hell of a challenge to remain steadfast and show no weakness, for the next thing Gin knew was that he had missed a good portion of the conversation. Ignoring the part of him that screamed at him to claim the life of this man if he wanted to further preserve his own, he agreed to sit down and listen to what the man had to say.

"..."

---But no more words came out of his mouth.

The man was simply too weak to say anything else. Having come dangerously close to the end of his lifespan, there was not a single strand of hair attached to his head and an alarming number of wrinkles could be spotted on his skin. If Gin had to make a guess, he wouldn't hesitate to say that the man was, at the very least, in his late eighties. To the mercenary, it wouldn't surprise him if someone else was pulling the strings, this man being the leader of the organization in name only.

Just as what he believed to be the truth was starting to down on him, a sudden noise released the young boy from his thoughts. A steel briefcase had been kicked from his left, the identity of the one responsible obscured by the shadow of a pillar. Gin was careful enough not to lower his guard for one second as he moved to claim what he expected to be a payment in advance for his services.

"What...?!"

The contents of the briefcase, however, proved to be far from what the mercenary expected, and the shock proved to be such that even a genius like himself lost his composure for a moment and allowed the briefcase to fall down to the floor.

"What is the meaning of this...?"

What Gin found there was information; information about himself to be precise, carefully organized into a single folder. But it was not ordinary information, no, even with a single glance it was easy to see that there were things in there that only he should know. However, the prize had to go to the compilation of pictures and notes that talked about his death in extreme detail. It was surreal, almost as if he had just walked into a gigantic prank, the kind that always leaves a bad taste behind. From photo editing to transformation, staging and illusionism, Gin's mind went into overclock in order to find a rational answer to this dilemma.

Pointless.

How could it be anything less than pointless, when he had already lost the moment the tight grip on that briefcase loosened?

"... The past cannot be changed." The old man raised his voice once more, but he had to make another pause to gather enough drive to continue. "Only the future is for you to mold with your hands..."

Gin was confused. He didn't know what to believe. The childish part of him to take the mask he was wearing and slam it against the floor in frustration, then have everyone else in the room share a similar fate. Not once had he been put in a situation so stressing. You see, it was hard to explain, deep down, he already suspected that what he was being shown was no forgery.

"..."

So, taking a deep breath to calm and collect his turbulent thoughts, the boy kneeled down and shuffled through the contents of the briefcase now scattered across the floor once more. There, he found more data, not just about himself, but about other people and about events that were yet to occur.

"That's all the information you need in order to survive your next assignment. Use it wisely." Came a mysterious voice from the side, one that clearly belonged to a female. "Now, my men will escort you out. We'll meet again."

That's the first time Gin met them: Pandora.

Little had he known that time...

That the things he had called 'antiques'...

... Would be regarded as futuristic gadgets or OOParts by the residents of the epoch where he had been standing back then.

Yes, that was also the first time he had traveled through time -something he'd find out much later-.

The year...

1863.

Interlude Out

[hero]

Alicia Rosenkopf (& Servant Assassin)
Miyama- Sleeping Bishop
Night Phase


"Do you not care what happens to her?!"

Caught off guard, the young mercenary nicknamed 'Gin' kicks off the ground a moment too late, and there is a reason for that. Thus far, the information provided to him by his employer has been accurate, almost frighteningly so. If the man called 'Isaak' prophesies that someone will check their watch at a specific moment in time, then there is no doubt that such thing will happen without fail. Skeptical at first, Gin has seen it at work over five times already, enough to convince himself to trust it. Sometimes it was a prediction, other times merely a cryptic advice, regardless, it's because of that power that he has managed to stay alive thus far. In this case, he was told clearly that Masaki Tomomi would be Alicia's Rosenkopf's undoing, that their bond must be used against them. That's why he used his mask on Tomomi and not on another of the arguably stronger individuals present within the Sleeping Bishop.

It hurts to admit it...

But his biggest mistake was to underestimate a little child's courage.

"Tch!"

A fragment of a shadow grazed his left leg as he retreated, a makeshift construct as hard as any blade that wouldn't let its presence go unnoticed. Ultimately, it was no more than another application of mystery. In spite of its user being someone from an era long gone, through Magecraft, a skilled enough Magus would be able to replicate the same feat in this day and age. In other words, though darkness and shadow may represent a core aspect of the Heroic Spirit he is facing... It's nothing a modern fighter cannot overcome. At his order, Tomomi immediately responds by having her silver dust enclose the rogue shadows. A few of them attempt to escape its embrace by bending in a ridiculous angle, but it all proves to be futile. Before long, something which should be nothing but the materialization of fear an insecurity is frozen solid in a prison of 'ice'.

A temporary solution, seeing as Assassin would not run out of fuel as long as the sun refused to return to it's throne, but for now, it should suffice to protect the masked boy from sustaining any more harm.

... Or, at the very least, that should have been the case, had Assassin's manipulation of shadows been anything but a diversion. Indeed, before Gin can even allow himself the luxury of blinking, the looming figure of the beast that Assassin represents has already closed the gap between them, its momentum not wasted at any stage of the motion. It's a professional swipe aimed to take his life with no more than a single movement.

"...!"

At the same time, Tomomi has returned to being little more than a machine unaware of its surroundings, a thing that will not react to anything but the commands of its master. No words ever come out her words to satisfy your demands, and all you get is an open palm pointed at you, even though you have already left it clear that you do not intend to do her any harm. A part of you wants to cling to hope, to believe that she has not gone past the point of no return, but despair has already began to conquer your thoughts. It goes without saying that, even though the two of you just met yesterday, the bond you share is outstandingly tight. It might have to do with an age similarity or it might just be the whims of fate, but it remains a fact that cannot be denied.

"Guh... Ahh..."

... And yet, that connection pales in comparison to the one Tomomi shares with her brother Taichi. For her to hurt him that badly... YEs, it's simply impossible to picture a world where she would willingly do such a thing to his dear brother...!

"You don't... Get it... Move-! Ugh...! Before you get killed..."

Somehow, even though his body has been badly battered, Masaki Taichi still finds the strength to remain conscious, using almost every last bit of his strength to warn you to get out of the way, before a violent cough puts him in his place. Prideful and stubborn, a part of him does not want you to have anything to do with this particular fight, but deep down... That attitude might also mean he is also concerned for your well-being.

Unfortunately.

It happens in an instant.

Even if you wish to remain stationary, your body and self-preservation instincts disagree. Sensing a true, impending danger to your life, they work in unison to get you out of the way of the projectiles that would be fired at you less than a second later. But it's pointless, as behind that fox-like mask... Tomomi's eyes effortlessly read through your movement...

And so, the mercenary named Gin moves a breath too late.

And so, Alicia Rosenkopfs moves a breath too soon.

Battle is indiscriminate. No matter what side, seldom does it forgive warriors who fail to keep up with its pace. In such cases, the outcome can only be painted in a single color.

Red.

Your world begins to spin. Like a violent wave, the force behind the impact easily overpowers any sense of balance you can muster. Before you can even process what has happened, your body is knocked down to the ground with a heavy thud. To you, it must feel like you suddenly tripped, but the truth is that Tomomi's crystal shards became a powerful shotgun blast the moment they were fired, and when those projectiles hit you... You were tossed back like a rag doll. At first, there is no pain, that's why it's hard to understand the sequence of events that led to you laying on the floor, staring upwards, not at the sky, but at the mist that have swallowed it whole.

But, once the crystals impaled into your upper body come into view, terror and pain immediately reach the surface. It's only natural. This is the first time you are subjected to a direct attack. Last night, you somehow managed to survive thanks to the help of others, and through your own luck. But now that you have been alone to fend for yourself... Your worth on the battlefield quickly becomes apparent.

Assassin has trusted you to handle the situation.

You have failed.

That is reality.

Alicia Rosenkopf has suffers 25 HP damage.

And yet...

And yet, you don't feel your life quickly fade. Somehow, even though you should be no more than a fourteen-year old girl, suffering such injuries does not seem to be enough to incapacitate you. While you were lucky enough to avoid being hit in any vital areas, it remains clear that the reason why you have managed to remain awake is because of your tenacity alone.

"Gah!"

Meanwhile, Gin falls down to one knee, blood pouring from his chest after being struck by Assassin's attack. Granted, he did manage to avoid being beheaded by having Tomomi shield him at the last moment, but that too has come at a price. A rushed shield would never be able to stand strong against a being on the level of a Servant. A five-fingered claw-like injury extends throughout his chest in a descending line, the consequence of a slip up that can not be ignored. Yes, someone with a frail body structure will no longer be able to move at full efficiency until those wounds are treated.

Under his breath, he curses.

Assassin has managed to slip through his defenses, her shadows capable of moving in such bizarre ways that they completely ignore the fact that he has taken Tomomi as a hostage of sorts. More importantly... Nearly five meters separate him and the girl under his control. Even though the younger of the Masaki siblings is a ranged fighter through and through, it would be bad if the two of them would move further apart from one another. Gin must turn the tables quick, or else he won't be able to outlive his opponents.Luckily for him, Assassin getting distracted due to your fall provides him the perfect opportunity to call his 'puppet' back to his side. With no time to waste, he follows up by ordering her to attack once more, this time in a greater scale, so that Alicia, Assassin, and Taichi would be caught within its range. A rain of crystal shards that will bury all of them to their deaths...

No, that's not exactly right.

It looks like at some point, Taichi has managed to get back to his feet and throw himself indoors, towards the guest rooms.

Regardless, for Gin, it hardly makes a difference.

Masaki Taichi's legendary weapon has been destroyed. He knows for a fact that there is nothing inside the inn that can properly replace it. Moreover, he is on the verge of death due to his injuries. He is not worth his attention at the moment.

And so it comes from up above, a majestic descent of crystal shards-!

[RoydGolden]

Alicia Rosenkopf (& Servant Assassin)
Miyama- Sleeping Bishop
Night Phase


When Alicia glimpsed the crystal shards blooming like morbid trees from her upper torso, it took everything she had not to scream. It hurt. It hurt so much it felt like her insides were on fire and electrified all at once.

Even so, Alicia was no stranger to pain. Though it might be belied by her childish appearance, the girl knew all too well both hurting others and what it felt to be hurt herself. Taking the pain she shoved it into the farthest corners of her mind, forcing herself to stay calm and strategize her next course of action.

That's right- Tomomi. Even when Alicia tried to reach out to her, she'd attacked without showing any emotion. It was unnatural. Almost like she was being controlled by something. Alicia's mind raced trying to piece together the clues of this puzzle. That mask Tomomi was wearing... could it be controlling her somehow? If Alicia could only destroy it, maybe she could free her! Even if the evidence supporting it was hastily gathered at best, Alicia clung to that thought as a faint hope she could get her friend back.

Yet first, Alicia had more imminent matters to contend with. "Master!" Assassin cried out, her frantic voice breaking through the numb haze that had clouded over Alicia's senses. Breaking off her attack against the masked boy, Assassin rushed over to her side.

"Are you okay?!" she asked, eyes widening in alarm when she surveyed the extent of Alicia's injuries.

"I'm fine..." Alicia rasped weakly, wrapping her wobbly arms around Assassin to hoist herself to her feet. "We need to worry about that masked guy, and Tomomi... I think she's being controlled somehow. We have to help her. If you get a chance, try destroying that mask she's wearing. Just a guess, but it might be what's controlling her."

Assassin looked at her, features still painted over with worry. "Master, are you sure we should still be fighting in your condition? Maybe we should try to retreat..."

As if to ridicule such thoughts, tens- dozens- perhaps even hundreds of crystalline shards suddenly materialized in the air above them. Tomomi's face- at least what little could be seen around the mask- was strained in concentration. It was obvious she was readying her ultimate attack to finish them off under her partner's orders.

Assassin's face paled. "Erm, scratch that Master. Looks like none of us will be getting out of here with that attack. Should I use my Noble Phantasm? That's the only way I can see us surviving that..."

But Alicia shook her head. "No, you should save your energy for now. I've got a plan. Assassin," she said, hushing her voice into a whisper so their attackers wouldn't overhear. "When I tell you, jump back as far away as you can. If you can kick up a whole lot of dust and debris in the process, that's even better."

"Master..." Assassin whispered back, sounding confused. "Even if we get out of the way, won't she just direct the shards to chase after us? It looks like she has manual control over them. And there's too many to dodge, even with my reflexes."

"Please, just follow my lead," Alicia said in a terse but caring tone. "I promise I still have another trick up my sleeve."

"Alright, but this better not bite us in the ass..." Assassin's voice trailed off uncertainly.

"Mirror, Mirror," Alicia incanted under her breath. From right next to her Assassin could immediately feel a wave of Mana surge out from Alicia. There was no doubt in her mind that while nothing might be apparent to the naked eyes, a powerful thaumaturgy was taking place here.

"Now!" Alicia yelled. "Let's get out of here, Assassin!"

Not waiting a heartbeat, Assassin wrapped her arms around Alicia and kicked off the floor as hard as she could to launch herself backwards. A huge cloud of dust and debris exploded around them, briefly obscuring the pair from sight.

...And yet, when the dust cleared, it showed them still visible, having not moved an inch in their attempted escape. A despair-inducing sight, Alicia's legs had given out from pain and she'd collapsed to the ground. Assassin, holding on, had tumbled down with her, sabotaging their leap before it began.

Effort, whether human or that of Heroic Spirits, surely had limits in the face of the impossible. Before an overwhelming enemy like Masaki Tomomi and her companion, Alicia had no chance to survive from the start. Yes, perhaps the masked boy had been right and Alicia had sealed her fate just by taking on Tomomi as her opponent...

Chiming like a death knell, the limpid spears descended on their targets. A vicious but strangely beautiful sight, carrying no hatred; serene and merciless, like the judgment of God. An inescapable calamity that promised naught but death on those unlucky enough to stand in its path.

The shards converged, tightening into an almost conical configuration as they slammed into Assassin and Alicia. Since the pair hadn't spread out to try and escape there was no need to broaden the area-of-effect, so all the shards could be concentrated at a single point to maximize damage.

-Ksshaaaaang!!

When they impacted, a symphony of shattering glass rang out through the air. Even before the dust cleared, the outcome went without saying. Irrespectively human or Heroic Spirit, no one could withstand such a barrage without getting shredded apart.

At least... that's what anyone still bounded by common sense would think.

But... the cloud of debris dispersed to reveal a rather bizarre sight. Instead of being reduced to torn-apart corpses, Assassin and Alicia's bodies were flickering and cracking apart like an out-of-focus film projection. Their outer extremities were dissolving into ethereal shards of light that faded from sight. In just a few seconds, they'd vanished entirely, as if their presence had been nothing more than a vague dream.

Before Tomomi or her partner could make sense of such a scene, a familiar young girl's voice rang out from behind them. "Say, do you like magic tricks?"

Alike gasping in shock the pair whirled around to see Alicia and Assassin standing behind them. Alicia was unharmed except for the wounds she'd already sustained from Tomomi's initial attack and had a proud, almost cheeky smile adorning her face. "I liked them a lot when I was younger. Sawing someone in half, pulling doves out of a hat... I was always fascinated by such things. They were the closest thing to 'real magic' in my eyes."

"Of course," she went on. "Then I actually discovered real magic, and things got a bit different. But I still never forgot my roots. Stage magic is all about misdirection, and there's a reason 'smoke and mirrors' is a saying. They say a magician never explains her tricks, but I'll make an exception. I laced the air with tiny mirror shards I used to refract light, creating an illusion that Assassin and I were just standing there to take your attack when we'd actually already gotten out of the way. The dust kicked up by us leaping away served to disguise the swap so you didn't notice anything."

"That's my glass magic technique, 'Mirror, Mirror'," Alicia completed her explanation, extending her index-finger and pointing it at the enemies with a flourish.

"Illusion Magecraft, huh?" Assassin said with an impressed grin. "I didn't expect you to know how to pull off such tricks. You must've been experimenting with your Magecraft for a while now huh? But..." The wolf-woman gave a small exasperated sigh, as if humoring a child's indulgences. "Is such a dramatic explanation really necessary Master? This isn't a manga..."

"Aw c'mon!" Alicia looked at her poutily. "Heroines always have to call out their special move when they use it. That's how it always was in the stories I read..."

"I guess I can't argue with results," Assassin muttered. "Still, don't you think there's more pressing things to focus on now?"

"Right!" Alicia said, snapping back to attention. While seemingly indulging in idle banter with Assassin, her mind was working in overdrive trying to plan out her next move. If she was lucky she'd just tricked Tomomi into wasting her ultimate attack. If not, then she knew it had only bought her a one-time reprieve. Neither Tomomi nor her partner were naive enough to fall for the same trick twice. Furthermore, she'd used up a fair amount of her Mana performing that spell, and wasn't sure how many more she could cast before exhausting herself. For both Tomomi's sake and her own, this battle had to be resolved quickly.

"Shard Fangs," Alicia recited, and two shortsword-sized blades of broken glass manifested in her hands. She brandished one at her friend. "Tomomi!" she exclaimed. "I'm going to save you, even if it means I have to knock some sense into you myself! And you!" She glared at the masked boy. "For toying with my friend's heart like this, I won't forgive you!"

Exchanging a brief glance, Alicia and Assassin lunged forth at the enemies. Since the boy was already wounded they decided to press the offensive and not give Tomomi time for another big attack. This time Alicia was staying back slightly, comfortably in Assassin's shadow for her Servant to defend her against any sudden attacks while still being ready to dart out for herself if need be.

They didn't know what other tricks the pair had in store for them, so they could only try to end the fight as quickly as possible before any more unwelcome surprises would make themselves known. Whether such tactics would turn out to be prudence or sheer folly... well, that'd likely be made clear in the next clash of blows.

Wise-Up!

Mirror, Mirror (B-rank): By controlling countless tiny mirror fragments dispersed in the air, Alicia can refract light and create illusions. She mainly creates an illusion of herself to serve as a decoy and distract the enemy. But with more preparation she can also create other illusions like grotesque monsters or even the target's loved ones. These illusions are merely visual and when touched, will break apart into ethereal shards of light and disappear.

[hero]

Yamashita Hiro
Shinto - ​Fuyuki's Central Park
Night phase


What did she call it?

As it is now, it cannot properly hear what the little girl is trying to say, much less comprehend it. It's not like its senses have become dull over time, but rather, it appears something has been wrong with her from the start, a missing part of a puzzle that makes her incapable of understanding language. So far all it has done is rely on her its instinct, which is constantly aided by the cues provided by her sense of smell, sight and, to an extent, hearing. Indeed, the Fire Demon might be a talkative, excitable fellow when unleashed, but between the two of them, no words are really needed to convey what each other's thoughts are. When the two meet, there is only one way to go about things. That's why it was surprised to see that the Fire Demon was getting so much support from its allies.

Did she just call it her kingdom?

If that is the case, she must still be mocking her. Anyone should be able to tell that, even as a King, it possesses no true followers. In hindsight, it should be only natural. When one thinks of cats, loyalty is never the first word that comes to mind. A cat is selfish, aloof, proud, stubborn and whimsical. To find no cats amongst the ranks of its so called army should come as no surprise. But make no mistake, for even on its own, it has never ceased to view itself as King and act accordingly. The fairy folk dancing throughout the forest has not come to serve under its banner. It has not come to revere the King and follow any of its orders without hesitation. It has answered the call out of respect, because as a King, it has earned it. They are here to take care of the nuisance, so the King can continue its duel without any further interruptions. It never needed their help to accomplish its goal.

Indeed, when one thinks of a cat, there are many defining traits. There is one, however, that stands out as the most popular of them all.

And that is their independence.

---It happens in an instant.

What...?!

Ah.

You must have misjudged the speed and might behind the blow, because the moment it connects, the sound that follows immediately after is one that no one on your shoes would like to hear.

When it comes down to it, it's nothing but a balled fist thrown at the enemy. And yet...

The weight it bears proves to be overwhelming...

The bones on the arm you used to intercept the strike shatter like a fragile glass panel, taking the hit in place of the head, which has always been the real target. You thought that terrain was one of the biggest things in her favor, just like you thought that you could keep up with her impossibly fast movements.

You thought wrong.

Yamashita Hiro suffers 10 HP Damage.
Critical Hit! Broken bones! (arm/player's choice)

You were barely allowed to respond to that attack, and you don't want to think of what will be of the follow-up. With the two of you now falling rapidly into the mist-covered woods, the conflict approaches its final climax.

King Cat has always known.

It has always been aware that the Fire Demon stands on a completely different level than its own. It has always been confident that victory is impossible even if it drained the entirety of this world's fortune to try.

Deep down, even if it would never acknowledge it, King Cat has always known.

Even now, in a clearly weak host that cannot even compare to those that have come before, a single, well-executed counter-attack is all that is needed to turn the tables. That is why, it will be relentless. That is why, it will attack until there is no energy left to continue doing so. That is why, it will surpass its limits with each and every passing moment, until it can enact the future it envisions.

That is why, it will raise its paw, victorious at least, even if you were never fighting at the fullest-!

A King that would throw away anything for an ambition that is nothing more than a whim, that is the kind of ruler it is.

But more importantly, it is more than just any kind of feline: It's a cat.

And cats always land on their feet, no matter how far they fall-!