Fate/First Song

[Click This]

It seemed like the bothersome fighting was winding down. Many of the ridiculous clashing sounds and flashes had died down, and Noell was fairly sure that stray arrows or other debris wouldn't be flying into her direction. She felt safe enough to have Archer retreat into spirit form, on standby but ready to intercept any wayward attack that might be directed at her. As she walked out of a local coffee shop with a paper cup of coffee, she could hear the combined sirens of the police, ambulance, and fire service replace the sounds and flashes of the fight. It seemed like it would be a troublesome thing to cover up, but it wasn't her problem, of course.

Sipping her coffee, Noell hurried away to her apartment, after a long delay from both Archer and the meddlesome conflict behind her. Research, research! There was a new concept to explore, and it would have wonderful results! No time to spare for fighting yet, it was almost done! A new spell, a new technique? Or perhaps the gate to an entirely new school magic? Anything was possible, and that was beauty of research and the never-ending quest for knowledge.

Edited April 7, 2013 by Click This

[Parrhesia]

"Augustine."

The mage didn't appear inclined to say much more.

[Snowy_One]

Sally gave a sigh as she looked over to Lancer. "You got hurt badly in that last fight."

Lancer shook his head. "This? This is nothing compared to the harder fights. The tail end of a blow from a phantasm I can defend against. It's not a scratch, but it's hardly a crippling wound."

"Still, if we get caught again, having you at full strength would be nice." she said before her hands started to glow with healing power as she started to chant, healing her servant with magic.

"You really are a witch." remarked Lancer with a smile. "A low, filthy, witch... Who kept me from failure just now."

"Heh." laughed Sally as the wound healed. "Now, why don't you go in-cognito however you do it so I can try and make it on my own. It will be hard enough with you drawing flags everywhere from masters."

Lancer started to say something, then stopped, before slowly fading into the spirit realm, leaving Sally alone.

[Ether]

"Well met." Sarah replied, as Rider landed nearby.

"Rider, we shall be working with Berserker and his Master for the time being." The woman informed her servant, receiving a simple nod in reply, before Sarah turned back to Augustine.

"Well then, we should go get Berserker."

[Click This]

Noell reached her home in the uptown area of the city. She had ended up hailing a taxi to her thirty-story high apartment building, and the trip was uneventful save for a column of ambulances streaming past the taxi. There were a few letters in her mailbox in the building's lobby. Most of the mail was spam mail from marketers, but a piece of correspondence from the Clock Tower caught her eye. Throwing the now empty cup of coffee in the lobby wastebasket, she headed up to her apartment on the 27th floor of the building to read the letter.

Ah, so that was a waste of time. The correspondence was from a certain tenured professor at the clock tower, an old friend of the family. The letter he wrote indicated that the new theory that was proposed was proven false after more conclusive experiments, and it wasn't worth pursuing any further. The young master sighed as she leaned back on her office chair and turned towards the large window in her room. The window offered a panoramic view of the city, including the dockyard and the scene of the battle earlier. That area was smoldering slightly from the damage, but much of it was drowned out by the old steamer and it's ridiculous lights. It was a wonder why she hadn't been cited for some civil lighting violation.

Now that the battle between Lancer, Rider, and Berserker was over, Noell Allender was quite curious about the state of the other masters and servants. She and Archer had the chance to view most of the battle from the bridge of the old boat, but had missed the rest when buildings obscured most of their view. This meant there was some scouting in order.

"Archer, are you there?"

The servant responded almost immediately. "Of course."

"Please check up on the other teams, but avoid into getting into a conflict. I'll expect you for afternoon tea."

Archer appeared for a moment before Noell, and gave a flourished kneel. "Very well. I will be looking forward to afternoon tea." Noell turned back to her desk as Archer disappeared once again. She paused for a moment before booting up a brand-new Windows 3.0 computer on the mahogany desk.

Now... How about some solitaire?

Edited April 7, 2013 by Click This

[scorri]

Assassin just blinked at the massive army flowing from the sky. That chanting though... All-Father's chosen, ride along side me, and deliver onto him, our enemy! That was part of the summons. I didn't hear all of it but... I'm sure Master will be interested to hear that. Watching the commotion down below, he noticed movement in the alley where Berserker's master had been hiding. Looking down, he saw a woman with a gun pointed at the Master. Why doesn't he attack her with magic? If she is a normal person, he could easily beat her. But that means... Glancing at Rider, he saw her fly down and land near the pair. So she's Rider's master. But then, why hasn't she killed him? His Servant is clearly no where near strong enough right now to defend him. And she's just talking to him. Not even threatening him any more. And that magic... Has Rider found an ally this early in? Rider and Berserker will not be an easy team to defeat. I will have to report this to my master. Lancer escaped, but I have gotten a sense for his power. His Master is weak and is an easy target. Berserker's Master is easily distracted by battle. But Rider's Master... That one will be interesting.

Quietly, Assassin snuck back onto the roof tops and started to jump away back towards his master.

[Click This]

After bowing to the young master, Archer made his way to the scene of the battle. As the city's police force seemed to be on high alert with several birds he recognized to be helicopters around the city, he made an attempt to draw less attention to himself during his little leaps between buildings. When Archer reached the smoldering area of the city, he was mildly surprised to see little of the city's cops at the scene. Rather, they seemed to have set up a wide perimeter around the scene as if they were afraid of something. In anycase, it would be helpful in giving him more freedom to move. As he jumped onto the roof of an office building, he noticed another figure hurrying away from the scene, jumping from building to building as did Archer to reach the scene. He was almost certain the figure was a servant, and was about to follow him when he realized the time. It was only a few hours before tea. As intriguing as the figure seemed, it probably wasn't one of three his master wanted a check-up on, and he didn't time to follow up.

Down below, Archer noticed a few figures that certainly did not look like normal civilians, and at least one of them looked like he sustained battle-damage. The other seemed to be Rider, judging by appearance, but he wasn't sure. These were the people that he was looking for. Intent on listening to them, he dropped down to a nearby terrace and sat down on a plastic chair. Noticing a bottle of Coca-Cola nearby, Archer grabbed it and popped open the cap before quickly looking back at the street from his comfy seat.

Edited April 8, 2013 by Click This

[Snowy_One]

Sally gave a cold shudder as she headed into the urban parts of the city seeking shelter. She wasn't used to being on her own like this. She had funds, both in cash and other resources she knew she could take a hold of, but that could only last her so long. She had known going into this war that there was the risk of death, but she had expected to either die or have her servant defeated and cast out of the war before continuing on with her life. Not being homeless.

"Hmph! Not that it matters anyways. I can handle myself just fine." she grunted to herself, sticking to the main roads. Part of her wanted things to just take a small turn up for the moment.

As she walked down the streets, a trashcan suddenly rumbled and tumbled over. Instantly Sally went on her guard, her hands coming up as prana started to flow through her body. Was this a servant? Some missed shot or...

A small, orange tabby cat crawled out of the can, some tuna hanging on his whiskers as something, possibly honey mustard sauce, clung to a decrepit flea collar. He had clearly just finished eating garbage, and decided to sit down, rumbling softly as he rested after his meal. Sally looked at the cat for a moment, unsure of what to do. She had had HORRIBLE luck today with both cats, but... somehow, she felt this one wasn't the same.

With a lazy glance, he looked up to her, before turning his head back to the street. Sally started to walk past him, stepping over the cat with ease before continuing on. She could hear his purring as she walked on. A few steps later she stopped and looked back. He was still there. Homeless. Abandoned. And alone. And utterly adorable-looking.

"Damn it." she said with a sigh as she walked back and bent down next to the cat. "Hey there, little guy. You okay?" she asked, reaching out carefully, being mindful that he was at least abandoned, if not a stray or feral, before carefully scratching him behind the ears. The cat looked up to her, his tail snaking back and forwards, but purring still. Carefully, she reached around him, sliding her hand under his forelegs, before lifting him up, being sure to support his hind quarters.

"Come on. You're clearly domestic, but you're going to need a bath for flea... and a home to stay in." she said with a small sigh. Well... At least she now had another companion it seemed.

[Ruler]

“Jesus...” muttered a slender man, reliving reality through the eyes of a familiar. “In broad daylight? Seriously? These people are asking for a swift execution...” He only hoped that the Church wasn't watching Forway with a keen eye... these Masters who blatantly acted in public seem like prime targets for elimination. All for the sake of human safety, as the Church would say. Normally, the Church would send a representative of the agency to act as a supervisor of the Holy Grail War, but this iteration seemed to be running off a more natural, likely autonomous system. As such, the involvement of the Church seemed ambiguous... those Masters had better pray that the Church was busy elsewhere, for the sake of their lives. Or maybe they’re not too worried about their survival, seeing as they’re participating in such a bloody tournament...

Standing up, the slender man sighed, gathering the papers he had finished preparing. Three Servants had revealed themselves, and one Master stood beside her partner. Information on the Masters was gathering slowly, but it wouldn't take long before each team participating in the war was properly analyzed. “Hey, Thom, you better get moving...” The slender man, Thom Rievs, looked across the room to a colleague sitting in front of a small screen. That man seemed to be watching some sort of footage on a VCR, rewinding over and over again. Thom recognized it as the tail end of the first battle between Servants on the streets of Forway.

“Right,” said Thom, clearing his throat, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this, though... these Masters seem reckless.” He threw on a gray peacoat and picked up his briefcase, before heading towards the door. “Good luck on your assignment, Kaz...” The man watching the video nodded without turning.

“You too. God knows you’re going to need it...” Thom stepped through the doorway of the office, his heart heavy. His first assignment for this war, was to trail what was likely the most dangerous Servant- Berserker. It was a worthy cause, however; if Thom could somehow relieve Berserker’s Master from his position in the war, Thom would receive an instant promotion and bonus, with the much greater benefit of giving his organization footing in the conflict. Six other men were tasked with the very same plan, however, and only one would receive the bonus.. but how cool would if be if all of Thom’s colleagues, himself included, managed to lift the burden of Servants from the current Masters? Their collective dream would absolutely come true, no doubt about it! But of course... the likelihood of a Master relinquishing his Command Spells was slim to none.

Making his way down to the parking garage, Thom waved his hand covertly as he passed a gate, as if signaling someone. Within a moment’s time, he reached his car, where a shadowy figure dressed in black awaited his presence. Without a word, Thom drove off, the figure skulking in the back seat...

...

Servant Saber emerged from the far west rubble of Forway, the ruins of a past town. His Master had ordered him to prepare the site for future plans, which involved planting a device of his Master’s design. He’d much rather be out and about, slaying the supposed “heroic spirits” that would oppose his legendary might, but it was still early in the war... precautionary steps taken now would ensure victory later. He recalled his Master’s words, a prediction of the War’s conclusion- the Holy Grail itself had only three choices of location to manifest when the time came, and his Master’s research into the flow of the land’s magic energy came to the result that the Grail would surely materialize within the dark ruin walls. Such a location would prove to be a very valuable stronghold...

...

The sun fell early that evening, as the town slowly calmed after the mid-morning clash. Saber stood atop a fairly large building in the suburbs, Forway Senior High School. He revealed himself to the world without a care, trying to signal his presence to the other Servants. Saber himself dearly wished for a good fight, but once again he was acting on his Master’s orders...

“Gauge the interests of the other Servants. Please don’t get ahead of yourself, it is still too early for a fight... but if you must defend yourself, then make it quick.”

Saber wasn't much of a diplomat. He had no interest in what other Servants wanted from this war, he only sought to satisfy his competitive spirit. Hell, even a lifting competition, or a swimming race would suffice. But until then... he stood in wait, hair flapping in the evening breeze.

[Click This]

"I see. Well, good work," commented Noell, sipping a cup of tea. Servant Archer sat across from the young master at a long dining room table. An expensive looking tea set was laid between the two. "None of the pairs so far look even remotely like a threat. Our might will overpower them even if two of team up against us. If luck has it, the church might even clean up before anything happens." After that amount of destruction downtown, it was not an unlikely scenario. "Anyway, how is the tea?" Noell looked at Archer across the table as he took a long sip of the black tea that she made.

"It's quite good," commented Archer. "But they don't make Darjeeling like they used to." Noell was mildly surprised; the whole leaves were high-quality leaves straight from India. It looked like Archer was a man with hard to please tastes. She would endeavor to find a tea suitable for a man of legends. Noell intended to continue on about pettier stuff a while longer, but the look on Archer's face told her he had some more important things to day. "I guess that was a non-sequiter. What were you going to say?"

Archer put his cup of tea down and pointed out towards the window with his thumb. It was too dark for Noell to see, but it was at a building of some sort. "There was definitely a servant making himself known out in the suburbs a few miles out. I intended to investigate, like with the other figure, but I was pressed for time, naturally." Noell could tell that Archer was not particularly happy about returning for tea. He had to pass up two encounters with two heroic spirits so far. After spending some time with English history books, she knew that he wasn't particularly enthused about being restricted and commanded. That couldn't be helped, of course. This was a Holy Grail War. Moving back onto the main subject, the servant out in the suburbs was likely not one they encountered today; nobody in their right mind would make themselves known immediately after a battle. That ruled out Berserker, Lancer, and Rider, and Caster and Assassin, by virtue of not being very strong. That only left Servant Saber as the likely candidate, of course. That was the only servant that Noell was particularly interested in the war; she hadn't been able to summon Saber and that was issue enough for her to get involved. Interest piqued, she stood up.

"It would have been nice if you mentioned that first," said Noell. "It's likely Saber. I'm sorry for asking this twice in one day, but I'd like you to gauge his abilities. I'll make my way over later."

Archer smiled, eager to meet another servant face-to-face. Whether it was in combat or in verbal exchange, it was something worthwhile to do; sitting by his master's side and drinking tea was cushy and enjoyable, but got old, fast. "Not a problem."

---

It didn't take much effort to find Saber again. The figure of the enemy servant was still boldly standing atop a local school building, making himself quite comfortable on the windy roof. Archer landed on the same roof with a quiet tap, but loud enough to announce his presence.

"Servant Saber, I presume?"

[Ruler]

"You presume correctly." Saber's voice carried itself through the night, projecting strength and majesty. He wasn't quite yelling, but his words reverberated in the night like a thunderclap. He stood with his feet shoulder width apart, crossing his brazen arms and generally looking pretty damn overbearing. "Hark! You are in the presence of a King, Servant of the Holy Grail. I am not here seeking mortal combat, not on this day- rather..." Saber nearly sneered, having a hard time reiterating the request of his Master. He really wouldn't mind smashing something.

"I ask of you, what do you fight for?"

Saber paused for a moment, as the night's breeze whistled through the otherwise silent sky. "Only a true warrior is worthy of the Grail. From where do you hail, Servant? What is the glory you seek?"

[scorri]

Assassin had been exploring the rest of the city when he felt a power that could only be a Servant. He was making his way to the source when he felt another power rapidly approaching. He quickly took a breath and concentrated as he approached quickly. Concealing himself so that they wouldn't see him unless they were looking, much less sense him at all, he watched the Servants he identified as Saber and Archer (though he was unsure as to which was which) stand off. He grinned. Perhaps he would be as lucky as to see two more Noble Phantasms before the night was up. Glancing around, he saw no sign of any masters, but perhaps they would arrive soon.

[Click This]

Archer stood before Servant Saber. His stance was more casual than that of Sabers; he did not feel intimated nor threatened by the other servant at that moment.

"I hail from England, Servant Saber. I fight for king and country." He paused, letting his pithy response sink in before continuing. "Your master does not wish you to fight. Alas, I have no real intention of a duel to the death, either. I would intend to engage you in combat, but I have already stated my intentions."

---

On the other side of town, Noell made her way towards a location close to where Archer had mentioned the other servant. She had no intentions of revealing herself to anybody, and had already taken the precautions to do so. Nonetheless, she walked towards the area at a brisk pace, swinging her sheathed smallsword like an airplane propeller blade as she did.

[Ruler]

"An Englishman." Saber repeated that fact to himself, placing Archer's face in his mind. "Your motivation is noble, Servant. A true patriot lives a selfless life... any man fighting for the sake of his homeland is worthy of my respect, enemy or no..." Saber's words didn't pack a single hint of sarcasm, but he did feel the growing desire to stray from the plan.

"...Can you sense me, Servant of the Holy Grail? I'm no witch, but even I can feel the disparity between our strengths. My life had been driven by a thirst for adventure, honing my skills as a warrior and a leader. I've felled monsters of fantastic power with these hands, Servant... as I draw upon the support of those searching for a hero, giving me the chance to attain true glory." Unfolding his arms, Saber stepped out to his left, gazing across the town and towards the glitter of the city's nighttime lights. "Let me ask you another question, Servant... from where do you draw your strengths? You fight for your homeland, as you say, but do they fight for you?"

Meanwhile, Saber's Master sat in an empty first floor room of the high school, keeping track of every word spoken by the Servants on the roof. They didn't know what Saber was getting at, with his desires for whatever glories he once sought, as the Master was only interested in the power of each enemy Servant. On one hand, it may be easier to walk up and gauge the enemy Servant for themselves... but the Master couldn't risk showing their partnership with Saber in public. Numerous measures were taken to ensure the Master would not be discovered, including a small bounded field around the high school, masking the presence of the magus...

[Snowy_One]

Sally squirmed about uncomfortably as she settled in to the small room of the hotel where she had just rented a room. It had taken her some time to get to this point. First she had to withdraw all the cash she had in the bank before heading into the city itself to find a hotel that allowed pets. She had settled on a room that was fairly low-end. She wasn't going for poshness, affordability was key. Out of all the possible ways to lose a Grail War, she felt certain that 'stabbed by a hobo because cash ran out and had to live on the streets' was the worst. As she sat down and placed the cat on the bed, she finally heard Lancer's voice.

"You sure you want to live here?"

"I don't really have a choice, Lancer. I need a place to stay while these wars take place and my house just became entirely unviable. Even if, somehow, they are dumb enough to not find and search it, returning there would put us both at a big disadvantage. Rider knows I at least visited the area and it would be foolish for me to show my face when it's already made public and an assassin can strike me."

"You really aren't the brightest at all this, are you?"

"What? HEY!"

"I'm not being rude. Rider had time to set up an ambush and Berserker is insane. If he had any degree of thought he wouldn't have attacked so boldly like that. This war isn't just about brute strength. If it was, we could have removed Berserker from the battlefield earlier today after Rider's assault. It's about tactics as well, and I suspect that's something you're not good at."

"Can we stop making this about me?" asked Sally, groaning in annoyance as she picked up the cat and started to pet it.

"I don't blame you. You're not good at traps. You aren't a subtle person. Neither am I. It's clear we both have a weakness with the dagger, but we also have our strengths.

"Yea? What would those be? You didn't even use a weapon in the fight until well after La Hire assaulted us and I got outright destroyed by a cat!" she said, stroking her cat again, causing it to purr.

"Why did you bring that one in then? I'm shocked you're not distancing yourself from cats all together.

"Because a dog killed one and another got used by a master? That sucks, but I'm not going to let that ruin cats for me."

"Regardless. We need a plan, and I think I have one."

"Wait. No. Let me guess. Use the fact that we're both obvious and well-known to lure out another master for a peace-talk? That will only result in another battle you know."

"We're going to have to fight anyways. Look. As soon as I enter the battlefield, people are going to know I'm there. I'm at my best when fighting on the defensive anyways. So if we want to win, we need to force defensive fights and attrition. That's a LOT easier to do when we don't have to worry about every servant bearing down on us. Your skillset combined with mine means we can outlast almost any foe. But three or four servants? That is a foolish fight. Let's play this smart. When we get the chance, let's make an alliance. Not with La Hire. He's a damned fool and his master clearly has no control over him. He'd betray us in a heartbeat, the french scum, if he thought he could win."

"Does it have to be tonight?"

"No. But I will keep an eye out for any servants, and if I spot any that seem reliable, I'll let you know come the morning."

[Click This]

"A disparity between strength does not determine the outcome of a battle, Saber. Many great men have fallen from power by not acknowledging that fact." Such a fact was overwhelmingly true during Archer's lifetime, and he had seen it happen too many times to count. Saber might be exceptionally strong, but all strength meant nothing against a good strategy. Archer took a pause, looking out at the shimmering city lights in the distance before continuing.

"I draw my strength from my allies and the people. I would not be here if that were not the case, Saber."

---

Ah, so it was a high school. Noell never had a chance to experience high school life back in England. She had been homeschooled almost all of her life, so while others found the building nostalgic, she didn't have much feelings about it. Moving along the back of the high school, she could see the sillhouettes of the two servants on the roof as they talked. They had not engaged in any conflict thus far, and Noell thanked Archer for being level-headed enough in not drawing unwarranted attention to himself. The young master came to a stop in front of a red painted service door leading into the premises. She fumbled with the handle for a few seconds before she pulled out a key with the teeth set in very low. She put the key into the lock, and with the pommel of her smallsword, she gave the key a downward whack with the sword before quickly turning the key.

With the lock picked successfully, she entered the building, but turned away almost immediately, with her hands to her face. The smell of garbage was overwhelming; it was evident the service corridor was not well kept. Covering her nose and mouth with the sleeve of her black peacoat, she hurried through the section and entered the lobby of the school.

"Hmm?" The magus slowly came to a stop in the center of the room, slowly looking around. There was minute traces of mana existing the air, indicative of a spell cast recently or even still in place. It didn't seem characteristic of a Saber to cast spells, and she certainly didn't believe Archer had done anything yet, so there must have been a magus in the area recently. She had intended to sit herself down in a room and observe discreetly, but it was now a better choice to thoroughly search the school. Keeping her weapon at the ready, Noell made her way through the first hall on her left...

Edited May 1, 2013 by Click This

[Nanami Touko]

"So, what are you even doing?"

Amera's boredom had hit a peak, and she felt there was nothing better to do than to pester her servant. It was late; she could sleep, but this seemed more important.

Caster frowned. "I am using my prana to make this building into a powerful defense for us. Once I am finished, it will be almost unassailable."

"So, it's like some sort of fortress? Sounds cool. You gonna have some sort of jackal monster to guard it, like in the movies?"

"No, nothing so typical. Though I can summon golems, and I suppose I could make them look like that, if it would please you."

"Sure, that sounds fun. You do that once you're all finished here. I'm gonna go take a shower and then head to sleep, so... you just keep at it big guy. Good luck, and wake me if you need me." She gave him a little smile and bounced off to the washroom, the sound of running water soon following.

Caster simply pondered how things would be going if he had gotten a master with actual magical capabilities. The two were sorely unmatched for this war.

A sigh escaped him as he went back to concentrating.