[IC] Fate/Reborn 2.0 First War

[Shamitako]

OOC

 

The leaves of the trees were colored and a chill had latched itself onto the air. The last hint of warmth, the sun, was slowly descending out of sight. The wind flowed down from the mountains to the north in a constant stream, whistling between buildings and driving the temperature even lower. A siren blared, a dog barked, and time went on as usual. The orange glow of the sunset finally disappeared over the mountains, casting the city into the night. A whisper of tension crossed the winds, such that even those who knew nothing of the Holy Grail could feel its announcement. And to those who could truly understand, the world seemed to freeze for a moment. The message carried was perfectly clear: It was time.

 

One of those who could truly understand was sweeping when the message came to him. He threw down his broom and ran into the shrine. He had been preparing for this moment ever since he had discovered the shrine two months before. The shrine had long ago been used as a place of worship and magical focus, but had been abandoned until Kevin had found it and began to care for it again. He felt drawn to the shrine, somehow he knew that this place was connected to him. When he had first come to this place, he had discovered an old text describing a ritual that could grant a wish to the one who could survive its trial. Enticed by this offer, he had initiated the Holy Grail War, in the hopes that he might become the victor. A week earlier a strange crimson mark composed of three alternating bell-shaped arcs had appeared on his cheek. And now, finally, it was time to start. He prepared the magic circle behind the shrine using ram's blood he had purchased from one of the numerous magic shops in the city and began to chant.

 

"Blood flows unhindered
Stories of greatness intertwine
My body is yours
Your heart I desire
Brandish your soul against my foes
Come forth with me unto victory"

 

The mark on his cheek and the circle of blood glowed in response to the incantation and a flash of light enveloped the area around Kevin...

[Twinwolf]

Erica had been sipping at some coffee, watching the sunset, when she felt it. She got up and stretched, grinning - it was time. She went into the space she'd prepared. Soon, she stood in a spartan room, lacking windows and largely any kind of decoration but for a bloody circle - of course, an established mage would have blood prepped for any such ritual. She stood over the circle, scanning for any errors, any imperfections that may render her summon null, any sort of contamination - none existed. The circle would do it's job. She thrust her left hand out, the back of it bearing a sign that would resemble an eagle, if it's head were removed, making three distinct parts where it's body and wings would be. With a quick glance at the notes she'd written, she begins her chant, in rising volume.

 

"Blood flows unhindered
Stories of greatness intertwine
My body is yours
Your heart I desire
Brandish your soul against my foes
Come forth with me unto victory!"

 

The last line is practically shouted - she got caught up in the moment. Good thing nobody else was on this floor. She had barely a moment to consider this as her mark glowed, and the blue flame of magic caught on the circle, and a flash lit the room.

Edited June 20, 2017 by Twinwolf

[Strider]

The light in the well-furnished room had begun to dim; dusk was here, and the time had arrived. Alexander sat, straight upright, in a chair quite obviously designed for reclining. His eyes stared straight ahead, towards an antique painting. It portrayed and elderly man, with graying hair, a firm jaw, and a decided pride in his expression. The man pictured was sitting, and a small cane rested against his knees. The resemblance between the man in the frame and the man in the seat, while not striking, was present. When the light dimmed, and the last rays of the setting sun disappeared from the room, Alexander rose. He stepped softly to the door, and rang a small bell. The high pitched chimes echoed for a moment until the sound of footsteps on stairs could be heard. A short man arrived at the top of the steps, and dipped his head slightly; a vestige of the bows which Alexander had forbidden. "Yes, sir?"

Alexander smiled, an innocent smile. "Friend, would you bring me the blood? We need to begin." With a nod of affirmation, Corwin--for that was the manservant's name: Corwin Royce--headed down the stairs to obey his master's order. Alexander, meanwhile, approached the window, and peered out. The streets were emptying of people, though cars still passed. The man carefully closed the heavy drapes, and with a quick motion, covered the few gaps with a veil of darkness. It was simple, something that even he, with his limited supply of mana, and his training and aptitude, could do even in his sleep. Corwin returned, with a few sealed plastic bags, for blood infusions. He handed them carefully to Alexander, and then retreated to the door. "Sir? Do you..need anything else? Is there any other way in which I can help with the summoning?" Alexander peered at him a moment, expression serenely inscrutable, then answered softly, "No, friend. You've done enough. I'll call you when I'm done." Corwin stepped out the door, and once he had, Alexander quietly turned the lock. Now he was alone.

 

The bags were slit open, emptied, then quietly placed in a small waste bin. As soon as the runic circle had been filled, Alexander glanced at his left wrist. The watch hands glowed softly, but that was not what he was interested in. He pulled back the watch, exposing a crimson triangle, made up of three perfect circles etched on his skin. A slight tingling. It was time. Alexander held out his hand, and began to speak, softly again. What good would it do to attract undue attention?

 

"Blood flows unhindered,

Stories of greatness intertwine.

My body is yours,

Your heart I desire,

Brandish your soul against my foes.

Come forth with me unto victory."

 

The trio of circles on Alexander's wrist began to glow, along with the engraved circle on the floor. The blond man did not move as the light grew to blinding strength filling the room. For a moment he could see nothing.

[Chevaleresse]

James scrabbled in the dirt hurriedly, his blazer folded up on the ground near the door. He wasn't sure why he felt like he needed to rush, in all honesty; this spot behind the house he stayed in was sheltered enough from view - though the lack of a proper magical workshop was unfortunate - and this wasn't a busy area, especially at sunset. Just a few more arcs to draw out. . . and done. He stepped back from his handiwork on the ground, reviewing the result: it looked damn near perfect, if he could say so himself. He walked back over to the spot he'd put his blazer down, and picked up the bottle filled with a crimson liquid next to it: cow's blood, bled off of a few that were kept nearby in the midst of the night. (Rent isn't a cheap thing.) Also unfortunate that it wasn't fresh, but from what he understood of his studies, simply establishing the circle should suffice for this ritual. Odd, really, that it was so simple. . . 

 

A few moments later and the blood was carefully poured, filling the grooves in the dirt. James glanced down at the red tattoo that had appeared only a few days ago on his left hand. Two arcs that barely didn't meet at their ends to form a circle, and a third arc inside them. It made him think of the moon, almost. . . Maybe it meant something about the Servant he would summon? A legendary hero, at his command. . . That would prove to those stuffed shirts at that academy that you didn't need an esteemed lineage to be a good mage. He stretched it out toward the circle, and began the chant he'd written down and memorized.

 

"Blood flows unhindered
Stories of greatness intertwine
My body is yours
Your heart I desire
Brandish your soul against my foes
Come forth with me unto victory!"

 

The circle lit up with a blinding flash of light. Maybe doing this outside wasn't the best idea. . . Or he was about to be incinerated. 

[Bfroger6]

Orin yawned, scratching the exposed lower portion of his back as he got back into a sitting position on the bench he'd been sleeping on until now. Something had woken him up, an odd feeling of dread yet very exciting in its own right. He looked down at his wrist and the now-familiar markings on it, before pushing himself onto his feet. Something fell out of his pocket-a plastic bottle filled with red, and he quickly picked it up, before any random passerby in the park could notice. He knew where he was headed-into the abandoned part of the city.

 

As he walked the streets, he ran a hand through his hair in an attempt to at least somewhat fix it. He hoped the blood was going to be enough, he already knew the words he had to say, but he'd gone through a lot of trouble to gather the fabled ingredient. He felt kind of bad over it, to be honest. Not to get into details, but the whole deal went to shit, and he ended up doing something he came to regret immediately. Now though, he felt mentally prepared, hopefully.

 

Once he got to the shabby part of the city, he pinpointed the apartment building where he'd crashed a couple of times since coming here and climbed down into the basement. It reeked of old rat poison, but it was the best he could do. Taking his shades on, revealing a pair of bright blue eyes, he poured some of the blood onto his hands before basically dropping down onto his knees and frantically drawing the circle he envisioned through the dusty floor.

 

"Hm." He nodded at his work and got back up. Raising the arm with the Command Seals over the circle, Orin began to chant.

 

"Blood flows...unhindered" He began slowly, trying to get accustomed to what he was saying. It carried more weight than most other things in his life.

 

"Stories of greatness intertwine

My body is yours

Your heart I desire

Brandish your soul against my foes

Come forth with me unto victory."

 

The moment he finished, he felt a pressure on his right wrist where the Seals were and realized they lit up. Following this, the entirety of the dark room got washed over by a wave of light...

[ElfCollaborator]

This was it.

 

Sophie swallowed nervously. The circle had been drawn in the middle of the hotel room she'd rented. She'd acquired as many newspapers as possible to draw the circle upon and cleared as much space as possible; the complementary coffee table and chairs were tipped up against the wall and the table where the TV was mounted shoved to the corner of the room. By most standards, it was a decent room in a decent hotel; Sophie hadn't really banked on spending long in Caudoran. Really, this was the first stop she'd intended to make on a long journey; she was going to meet up with a few college friends of her once she flew out from Caudoran in Ibiza to spend the summer celebrating Sophie's biggest scoop ever. Sophie really was only here to pick up something from a storage space her parents had opened; they lived upstate now, up near Ontario, and asked her if she could pass by Caudoran before she got to Ibiza. They even paid for her trip to and from the place; hired a guide to walk her there, since it apparently wasn't far. Sophie, of course, had never even heard of the place before, except as that place her parents said they were from when she was really young and told her never to tell anyone else they came from there. Now that she mentioned it, they really didn't talk about it a lot for some reason.

 

Her recent exposé of the Nozama Corporation had been all over the news lately. Not without reason; Sophie had discovered evidence of various shenanigans the corporation had engaged in. Illegal experimentation, extortion, embezzlement, artificially raising the price of vaccines; the company was guilty of it all, and Sophie had spent months getting enough to take them down. She'd run into various bumps on the way; they'd tried to have her arrested for industrial espionage and then illegally committed to a mental health institution on account of supposedly being insane. That last part was difficult; climbing out the back of a hospital window on bedsheets was really far harder than they made it seem in the movies. Indeed, it was a miracle she'd even made it to print with the sheer pressure they were putting on her paper to keep it quiet. Not that Sophie would be easy to cow; she'd been to warzones before.

 

Of course, it wasn't all for nothing; last she'd heard, the CEO was looking at decades behind bars and Sophie was looking at a Pulitzer.

 

This, however, was it. The biggest scoop of her career. Or the biggest and most embarrassing waste of money she'd had in her holiday- and she hadn't even gotten to Ibiza yet.

 

Getting her hands on all this nonsense was really difficult, of course. One thing led to another and suddenly she was sitting in a room, spraying blood over some magic circle to prove magic existed. She couldn't tell you herself how she'd ended up doing it, too.

 

Her family always claimed magic existed, and tried to drum it into her, but she was really young when it happened. Nowadays, she thought it was complete nonsense; magic wasn't real, and you couldn't wave your hands about or use jewels to hold prana or whatever.  And now she might be about to be wrong about that.

 

Next thing she knew, she was also wrong about Bigfoot and UFOs being fiction.

 

She sighed.  Sophie really didn't understand how she got into this mess, but now that she was in it, she thought she might as well see it through.

"Well, here goes everything. I don't even know why I'm doing this...."

She poured out some pig's blood over the circle she'd made. Blood of various animals was really easy to get around here, for some reason. She assumed it was all because of this magic stuff. Or maybe because everyone in Caudoran really liked black pudding. 

 

Sophie closed her eyes. This really wasn't going to work. 

 

She started chanting.

"Blood flows unhindered
Stories of greatness intertwine
My body is yours
Your heart I desire
Brandish your soul against my foes
Come forth with me unto victory!"

 

And then the circle started glowing.

Edited June 20, 2017 by ElfCollaborator

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

"Hmmm... seems I didn't acquire enough blood. I'll have to make due then." said a woman clad in black. Her summoning circle sat in front of her not quite complete. She unsheathed a longsword from somewhere out of shot. A dull glint from the dim candlelight in the room shone off the blade, a lazy orange hue. "Sorry Blank... but you'll have to bite into me first this war." and with a deft strike on her hand she let lose a small amount of blood from the palm of her hand. She filled in the rest of the circle with it before taking a deep breath.

Tendrils of darkness suddenly surged forward from around the skittering candlelight. They wormed their way into the wound on her hand and stitched the skin together. She'd have the time to heal before this all started hopefully, but she was used to fighting with wounds before, it'd not hold her back much.

She meditated for awhile, reflecting on this all. A War? How exciting.~ Nadia had found her way to the poor district, and further into the abandoned section of town. She would be rather safe here so she had the time to reflect on herself. She probably wouldn't get a chance to rest like this after she completed the summoning, so she wanted to meditate at least once beforehand. She thought about her journey here. It was strange. The city wasn't really difficult to find despite how it didn't appear on any maps. She wondered if it was magically hidden in some way... and what it was that allowed one to pierce that barrier. Magecraft, it had strange ways of working. She wondered if it was resolve that allowed it to be easily found? Perhaps leaving was the same. However, she didn't intend on leaving anytime soon. She came here knowing that it could easily become her grave. She came here knowing that she'd not leave for a time. At least, not until the war met it's conclusion. That was enough reflecting though... it was time for action now.~

She sat at the edge of the circle and took a deep breath.

"Blood flows unhindered
Stories of great knights intertwine
My body is yours
Your heart I desire
Brandish your soul against my foes
Come forth with me unto victory!"

 

Nadia changed the verse ever so slightly hoping that it'd skew her chances to summoning one of the Knight classes. They were the most usable for her style. She didn't feel like lurking in shadows with weak servants that couldn't do anything but hide and bide their time. She hoped to find a strong ally in this war... not one that was weaker than she was.

[Noir]

Eleonore

 

Eleonore had spent the remainder of the early evening with her eyes attentively gazing at the sky – the view from where her current residence was granted her the privilege of a rather picturesque city view that was complemented by the lustrous scene of the descending sun, painting the evening sky with skilful shades of orange and purple. She was accustomed to spending her quiet solitude admiring such an evening view, but she knew that she had waited then – not out of idleness, not out of enjoyment. She attentively watched as the orange diminished bit by bit until the faintest trace of natural light was no more, as if the sky were a clock for the patient waiter. 

 

And as the city entered another phase of night once more, she knew then that it was time.

 

She considered herself lucky that she even managed to require the blood she had needed; her pacifist and kind nature meant that anyone she had inquire the use of blood from would undoubtedly question her motives. Her best course of action, albeit a reluctant one, was to buy her source of blood alive before acquiring it on her own, in which she had done so via killing a chicken she had bought from a rather distant coop from the city. She had the option to merely bleed it and heal it, but that in itself would not save the poor animal from blood loss, that much of the source Eleonore required for the ritual. It had disgusted her – it had weighed on her conscience to forcibly require the blood of even an animal, to think of dealing such death for the first time, but for such a ritual, the ends matter more than the means. After carving the circle she required, she poured the blood she collected in a bottle in it. Then, staring overtly at the circle of sanguine laid before her, she knew that everything was in place. She returned her attentions to the red markings on her arm -- a sign that such a seemingly superstitious form of summoning of magics -- whatever that was apt to address it -- would work for her, if not anyone else. All that was left was for her to commence the incantation – and a moment later she did, her accent clearly signifying her French heritage:

 

“Blood flows unhindered

Stories of greatness intertwine

My body I grant to thee

Thy heart I desire

Brandish thy soul against my foes

Come forth with me unto victory!”

 

A shimmering light ensued and shone from whence the circle was as she finished those words -- with Eleonore only capable of bracing herself from the blinding light, not knowing what would spring forth from its surface. 

 

Edited June 20, 2017 by Noir

[Bfroger6]

Lancer

 

As light burst from the circle Sophie drew, the newspaper she assembled all crumbled beneath a pair of feet which appeared out of nowhere on top of them. A confused moan echoed through the blinding light as a figure came into view, tall and lanky, holding what appeared to be a rather heavy looking spear, tip scraping the floor of the room they were in.

 

The light soon dissipated and Sophie could see the man with bright violet hair in very medieval-looking clothing looking back at her. Only for a moment, because the very next second...

"A-achoo!" The figure sneezed. "Sorry, it's all the light making me sneezey~" He said in a rather happy and apologetic tone. "I'm...oh, lookie, I'm a Lancer!" He added with genuine surprise, raising the spear up and swinging it around a couple of times, nearly knocking everything Sophie had already knocked over even more. "Which means you must be my Master, Master~"

Edited June 20, 2017 by Bfroger6

[Shamitako]

18 hours ago, Adamance Ascendant said:

The circle lit up with a blinding flash of light. Maybe doing this outside wasn't the best idea. . . Or he was about to be incinerated. 

Merlin

 

The flash of light from the circle slowly faded out. Sitting cross-legged in the center was a scantily clad woman holding a hand of cards. She stared at the cards in silence for a moment before looking up halfheartedly. "Do you have any twos?" She asked. Without waiting for an answer, she collected the cards together and slid them into a pouch on her upper arm. "No, of course not, that would be silly. You're here to fight a war, not to play a card game." She picked up her broom, which had been laying next to her on the ground, and jumped to her feet. "Well that's a bit unfortunate, because I'm just here to play a game. Still, I'll do my best to win the game for you. After all, you are my master. Shall we go fish for other servants?"

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Ignacio, The Dread Pirate Lord. [Rider and Erica]

The flash of magic from Erica's summoning was probably much larger than she ever expected as the flame suddenly burst outward and expanded. The room became hot with the power of the magic. suddenly, Erica heard a loud crashing noise. It sounded like something barreling through the upper floors of the highrise. Loud crashing of glass and the crunching of wood erupted from the apartment complex.

Through the roof of the room erupted a large anchor of a glistening black material sending wood and dry wall flying all over the room. It seemed like it had enough momentum to keep on barreling through the room but it stopped abruptly before the floor. For a long time, nothing happened but the anchor sitting there just hanging in the air. The air was dead quiet. Until suddenly the sound of a man yelling could be heard, and he was yelling in... pain?

Suddenly a second hole was made in the roof of the room Erica had prepared when a large figure burst through the ceiling. he smacked into the floor right on top of the summoning circle right in front of the anchor. Would one gather from this he slid down it, or... attempted to but fell off partway down. He gave a weak thumbs up without moving any of the rest of his body. "Ye called?" the only words he said, slightly muffled from speaking them into the floor.

[Strider]

[Archer & Kevin]

As the light from Kevin's circle grew brighter, a strange hum, a constant droning, became apparent, increasing, until it became even more painful than the blinding light. When it had almost become too much for a human to bear, it disappeared. Well, it seemed to disappear. In reality it had simply decreased in volume substantially, and lost its constancy. At this same time, the light dimmed, and standing before Kevin was a tall man with a set of objects whirling--no, not a man. Since when have men had tusks and horns, and been nearly nine feet tall!? This creature stood upright in the center of the summoning circle, wearing a huge brown leather trench coat.

"HA HA! IT IS GOOD TO BE BACK!"

The servant bellowed this, while stretching its limbs. He then turned his head in a circle as though looking for something. He found it when he finally looked down. "Woops, sorry fellow. Almost didn't see you there. So tell me: are you gonna command me in this war?" He stared down at Kevin intently, drones whirring in unpredictable circles a few feet above his head.

Edited June 20, 2017 by Strider

[Twinwolf]

[Ciri and Alexander]

 

The flash in the upper class domicile that Alexander had made his summoning in faded. Smoke curled from the circle of blood that had been used to summon, and as Alexander blinks the spots away he sees his new Servant standing before him. She's far from intimidating at first glance, as she stands there with her eyes closed and arms behind her back. The short girl doesn't look like she could be more than 16 years old, although her figure isn't terrible. She also has green hair, long and flowing to her waist. The dress she wears is the oddest thing at first glance, green and almost seeming to be made of leaves, and probably the only thing she's wearing - although it is rather modest, it does look like it'd allow for freedom of movement. 

 

Then, she opens her eyes - pure green, with no apparent pupils. It's unnerving. He starts to notice more details - the right side of her face seems to have... leaves, growing from it. As she stretches her arms, he sees that her right arm is far from human - it seems to be some kind of malevolent-looking plant, woody and thorny and twisted. Her hair isn't just green either - it seems made of vines and leaves, with thorns prickling throughout it. Her skin is tinged green in many parts, and she seems far dirtier than one just summoned should be. Those pure-green eyes lock on Alexander.

 

Looking like a mad dryad, one might expect a different voice. Creepy, maybe a bit echo-y. But her voice is just that of a sixteen year old girl, soft and curious but for it's words. "Huh. So that's what it feels like... I guess you're my master, then?" she says, continuing to stretch. "I'm a Servant of the Caster class. I guess we'll be working together."

[Strider]

[Alexander & Ciri]

 

Alexander smiled warmly, and held out his hand slightly. "But of course. It is a pleasure to meet you, Caster. I am Alexander Nottingham." After speaking and presumably shaking hands, he went silent for a moment, mentally reviewing the information now available to him. She was generally average it seemed, a little strong physically for a caster. Hopefully they would not be a huge target because of this. The weak would not gang up against them, and the strong would either defeat their strongest rivals first, or would pick off the weakest foes. On Alexander's face a hint of a frown appeared; she would be difficult to maintain with his level of mana. However, the frown soon disappeared.

"Your Noble Phantasm is rather marvelous."

It wasn't quite a dismissal, but it was the end of his appraisal of the servant. Alexander walked over to the door. Unlocking it, he rang the bell, summoning Corwin. A small gasp escaped the short proud manservant when he arrived on the threshold. "Y-you did it. Oh! Pardon my rudeness, sir. What will you be needing?" Alexander glanced back towards the servant standing in the middle of the room. "We will need to find a place where Caster can perform well. Any abandoned part of a building will do, but the best would be the abandoned factory." Corwin nodded. "I shall pack up the car immediately. When shall we leave?"

Alexander glanced around the room, gaze lingering on the painting. He'd be leaving this place soon, and he wouldn't miss it much. "We will leave when you have packed the car. Now," he said, turning back to Caster as Corwin left the room with haste, "tell me about yourself. Not your true name; stating that would be foolish. What I need to know is why you want the grail, and what you are willing to do to get it."

Edited June 20, 2017 by Strider

[ElfCollaborator]

[Nick and Jack Sloane, Eleonore]

Light burst forth from the summoning circle, smoke curling forth from the circle drawn for their arrival. As the light fades, the Master who called them forth may gaze forwards, the figure of their Servant coming into focus...

 

...or rather, Servants.

 

The light fades, revealing two young men- probably somewhere in their twenties- standing before Eleonore. Their attire of leather biker jackets and black shirts would not have them out of place in some TV show about gangsters, perhaps on the streets of some generic American city, or on the streets of London. They study her briefly with steely grey eyes, looking almost identical. One has what appear to be a ring of chains hanging around his neck and the other, giving Eleonore a roguish smirk, a faded scar across his right cheek. Upon their waists, a pair of belts with what appear to be small gadgets attached to the buckle sit, the one with the chains having a stylized moon on his belt and the other a stylized sun. 

 

The two brothers- for who else could they be- share a look, nodding, before smirking at Eleonore. Their accent seems lilting; from the sound, possibly from South London or the Cockney area. 

"Well, 'ello, luv. Ain't you a sight for sore eyes? Guess yer stuck with us, then."

"You supposed to be our Master, huh? A'ight then, luv."

"So, me brother and I, we only got a few questions for ya."

"You ready to handle destruction in human form, luv? 'Coz that's what you've got. Twin terrors, in the flesh."

"What's our first order? What do you want from us?"

"And where's the nearest fight?"

Edited June 20, 2017 by ElfCollaborator

[Shamitako]

Kevin

 

Kevin seemed utterly and completely unfazed by his towering servant and his strange familiars. "I'm not much for commanding, but yes, I am your master." He said, "I'm Kevin, it's nice to meet you, Archer. We're far away from the others here, so we have little fear of being attacked tonight." The bald man removed his sunglasses to more accurately scrutinize the drones. "It seems these are what you're all about. Since I figure you can't make them in combat, we'll want to prevent them from being destroyed except when using your Noble Phantasm, which we should only use as a last resort."

[ElfCollaborator]

Sophie

The journalist is utterly dumbfounded. Whether it's because she's didn't expect this to work or it's because of what appears to be a partially-insane spearman in her hotel room is hard to discern from her absolutely gobsmacked face. She steps back, shaking her head and blinking.

 

Sophie had seen sweatshops, slaughterhouses, asylums and warzones in her quest to tell people the truth and nothing but the truth as a journalist. Needless to say, this wasn't the first insane thing she'd ever seen.

 

No, this was the most insane thing she'd ever seen.

".....okay, how did you get here again? Who are you? And.....how am I your Master?"

[Twinwolf]

Erica - [Rider and Erica]

 

Erica takes a step back as her Servant appears, and promptly wrecks the room. So much for the deposit. She cautiously stepped forward. "Uh... yes, I was the one that summoned you." she said, as her mind took in the information. She winced a bit at how much mana he'd drain - she could handle it but her magic would definitely be effected. He was... powerful, though. Very powerful... and absolutely insane. Well... it'd be an interesting War, she supposed. The telepathy also informed her of his class and name... A pirate, huh? Well, she should keep to the class. Who knows what familiars could be listening? "Are you alright... Rider?"

 

Ciri - [Alexander/Ciri]

 

Caster looks around the room, appraising. "Nice place - better than where I lived, at least." she says. She shakes his hand with her non-planty one, and nods at the appraisal. "With proper preparation, I like to think it's worth more than it's rank." she says. Ciri somewhat awkwardly waves to the lowercase-s servant. 

 

She blinked when the man asked about her wish, and what she'd be willing to do. "It's pretty simple really. I'd wish to live - and to not make old mistakes again." she felt the Book gnaw at her. Yeah, that mistake. "As for what I'd do... well, I'd prefer not to kill people to be honest. But if they don't surrender, well what else do I do? I gave them a chance and they didn't take it. You won't need your Seals to make me kill if that's the worry." she shrugs. "Other than that, no major hangups come to mind. You know, it's odd that you bothered to ask what I want - you're my Master, so I have to do whatever you say."

[Strider]

[Archer & Kevin]

“Well then Master, onward to victory! HA!" Darien quieted down, and listened as the bald man went on. The master seemed to understand things well enough... "Yeah, that's right. Best would be if you could get me some guns. Guns are always fun, and it would keep me from needing to waste drones before my Noble Phantasm.” Darien patted his trench coat as he said this, then looked around once more, and seemed to take a bit more notice of their surroundings. “In a shrine, eh? Tell me, anything I should know about this shrine? Wards and shit? Any other crazy magic stuff? And what's the plan? Do you want me to sit around all night making drones? I could do that, even though it would be really boring. But do you have something else in mind? I'm the servant, so I'm going to do what you ask.” The troll shifted his weight almost restlessly.

 

[Alexander & Ciri]

"It was nothing. I would be at a disadvantage if I didn't know my servant's goals. What if my wish for the grail clased with yours? And if you could not summon the will to kill, I would have to spend command seals. Nothing could be changed by asking, but at least I would be able to prepare. We will be killing, of course, but with your territory creation, there will be no need to harm 'innocents' to obtain mana." Alexander exited the room, leading Ciri downstairs. They passed through a common area and a dining room, before stopping at the door to a study. "Wait here." He entered, for a moment, heading to one of the shelves. He pulled two tomes off the shelf. To take them, or to leave them? Alexander settled on the later choice. It would be difficult for a mage to infiltrate this house, and while the tomes were valuable to otehr mages, he himself could not really make effective use of them. So he lifted up a floor panel, slid the tomes in, before sealing the hole, and weaving several illusions over the spot. On his way out of the study, he opened a desk drawer, and put something quickly into his pocket. As they headed towards the garage where Corwin was prepping the car, Alexander posed this question: "You mentioned mistakes in your old life. Do they have anything to do with your rise to legend? What were they?"

Edited June 20, 2017 by Strider

[Twinwolf]

Ciri - [Alexander/Ciri]

 

Ciri followed after Alexander. When she was told to wait she did so, taking the time to examine the surroundings. She didn't see any futuristic tech - guess it hadn't been a huge amount of time since she died... when did she die? How? She didn't remember. She assumed she didn't live long after getting the Book, but she could hardly remember. Anyway, the house seemed... normal. Fancy, but normal. Unless it was a retro-style home, like those Colonial-era buildings a bunch of old cities in America have. It didn't really matter she supposed. 

 

When Alexander came out, the Caster followed him towards the garage. "...It does. I would rather not say what it is, if that's alright with you, Master." she said simply. It was odd to be considered a legend. Very odd. She wondered how he'd react if he found that the thing that caused it was something so simple, so stupid? 

[Chevaleresse]

Saber & Nadia

4 hours ago, Hukuna the Undying said:

Nadia changed the verse ever so slightly hoping that it'd skew her chances to summoning one of the Knight classes. They were the most usable for her style. She didn't feel like lurking in shadows with weak servants that couldn't do anything but hide and bide their time. She hoped to find a strong ally in this war... not one that was weaker than she was.

A blinding flash of light burst in the center of the circle, making the candles seem as if they weren't even there in the first place. When it faded, in its place was a tall, young-looking man, dressed in black clothing with blonde hair and violet eyes. He leaned back on his weapon slightly, one arm resting atop it; a gigantic "sword" that, if it weren't for the fact that it seemed to have been carefully shaped, one would have assumed was just a giant slab of some metal of a dusty silver color. The man appraised the woman before him silently for a moment, before smiling. "Well then, are you my Master?"

Archer & James

3 hours ago, Clownpiece said:

Merlin

"Well that's a bit unfortunate, because I'm just here to play a game. Still, I'll do my best to win the game for you. After all, you are my master. Shall we go fish for other servants?"

"It worked. . . ? I mean, yes, of course it worked. And, yes, we should." Was she playing Go Fish? . . . Did his servant's first real sentence to him really involve a pun based on a children's card game? Somewhat hurriedly, he pulled a map from his back pocket; it was annotated in red marker with leylines and other notable locations for the numerous mages in the city. He turned so that he could fold it open for viewing by both him and Merlin. "Um, as far as I can tell, our best bet for encountering another master is heading west and going towards the shrine; there's probably someone who summoned there to try and get a more powerful Servant. . ." Not that it worked. I summoned one of the Three Knights in a backyard in the suburbs. Though she doesn't really match what I had pictured for an Archer. . .

 

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

[Rider and Erica]

 

"Aye, I'm fine girlie." He said standing up. He reached his hand up to the giant anchor hanging above him and pulled himself to his feet. That's the first Erica saw his face. He had a long beard however it wasn't exactly what you'd call normal. It was a collection of tentacles that hung to his face. He flashed her a toothy grin as well, full of rotted black and brown teeth. A grisly sight indeed.

"Rider? Damn... I was scuppered. What a borin' class. I should've been Assassin or something cool soundin" as he said that a squawk could be heard from above "RAAAAAAAAAAWK, Not sneaky. NOT SNEAKY!" The most beuatiful bird Erica has ever seen flew down and landed lazily on Ignacio's shoulder. It was a brilliant cerulean blue, like a small piece of the ocean came to life and was sitting on the Dread Lord's shoulder.

"OI! Cram it ya damn good fer nothin' birdbrain... I'm plenty sneaky." [at this point the camera zooms up the hole the anchor made and then we see a wide shot of the carnage inflicted with a giant pirate ship floating above a giant hole it created in the side of the building.] Ignacio then suddenly bows out of nowhere. "Greetin's Milady~ I am Ignacio, the first Dread Lord. This here is my rat with wings Cojiro. We are at your service."

Cojiro responded by only saying the words "RAAAAAAAAWK! Pretty Lady. PRETTY LADY!" over and over.

 

[Nadia and Saber]

"You'd be correct. It seems I've got myself a decent ally." Nadia giggled to herself placing her gloved left hand over her mouth. She then slipped on her other glove. She hoped her servant wouldn't notice the wound on her hand but she also knew there wasn't much use hiding it. She was content however, a saber was perfect for her needs. She wasn't really impressed by the object she assumed he called a sword. A disgusting unbalanced hunk of steel... she'd not have to swing it herself though. She could continue using Blank. And she did get a servant of the class she had hoped for. She couldn't ask for something with a sword more perfect than Blank... because such a thing probably didn't exist.

"I assume you know why you've been summoned Saber?" she said in tone lacking seriousness. It was more... sensual than anything else.

[Shamitako]

Merlin

 

Merlin surveyed the map curiously. "Hmm, I see." She said thoughtfully, "But if they're a powerful opponent why are we rushing to face them? Wouldn't it be more fun if we tried to take out some of the weaker enemies first and then face off against them in a dramatic final battle? They might manage to take down some of our other opponents along the way as well. It's a win-win-win-lose, no?" She instead pointed to the cultural sector. "This place looks fun. We're going here."

 

If she was going to play this Holy Grail War game, then Merlin was sure as hell going to enjoy as much of it as she could. Rushing into battle with an opponent that could very well be stronger than her just sounded like a great way to lose before she got to have any fun. A cultural sector would surely mean plenty of games and interesting foods. Plus she was interested in the little nest of mana in the nearby industrial district, that seemed like it could be significant.

[Bfroger6]

Lancer

 

Klaren tilted his head at Sophie in confusion. "Well, I've just told you I'm your Lancer. My name's Klaren if you're wondering. I'm one of the heroes of Ashes. And you've summoned me here, haven't you?" He double-checked the newspapers scattered on the floor for the signs of the ritual. He picked a couple of them up and held them in front of Sophie, but not before leaning his spear against the wall. "See, you drew this, right~?" He asked with a smile, pointing at the couple bloody stains on them. "It'd be great if you could've summoned me first and only then draw the circle. Then you would've been able to use my blood! Ah~!"

 

"You're my Master and I'm your Servant! That's how the Holy Grail War works! You probably have some weird tatoos that've appeared somewhere on your body, right~? Those are your proof of being a Master, Master~!"

[Shamitako]

Kevin

 

"Guns will be hard to come by." Kevin told Darien, "Do you at least carry a sidearm? That would be a good start." Kevin then gestured to the shrine, indicating his intent to discuss it. "The shrine is utterly defenseless." He said, "It's been abandoned for decades, possibly centuries, any magical protections it had are long gone. but it is important. The Holy Grail resides here, or rather the potential for the Grail to come to be is here. It won't actually make its presence known until the War has a winner." Explanations complete, Kevin mulled over how to proceed. "We should make an attempt to ally ourselves with Lancer or Assassin if possible. They're far more mobile and could serve to help us with scouting and occupying the enemy while you attack from afar." There was no guarantee of an Assassin being summoned, but Kevin thought it was likely; it would probably be easier to ally with an Assassin than a Lancer as Lancer was much stronger as a class. "It will take some time to reach the main city, are you capable of preparing more drones while we drive?"