Fate/Endeavour

[MRDRHAWK]

Berserker - or at least, the part of him that could still think rationally - wanted to respond coherently that yes, he would obey his Master's commands in battle. However, rather than gentle words of assent as he would have given normally, a low growl escaped his lips, as he sighed inwardly. Clearly this is going to take more work than I figured.

Moving towards the source of the smell he noted earlier that brought him here in the first place, he saw... meat. Succulent meat. Well, maybe not as succulent as he had in life before, but he supposed it would do.

Motioning towards the meat, he let out a somewhat strained growl, meant to simulate a question being asked. That will have to do for now, Berserker thought, as he began focusing on the red shade the meat took in his eyes.

[Nanami Touko]

Kouichi had been filing away a paper he'd just filled out for any church inspectors, if they were to show up and question Yulia's being there. Always prim and proper with the church, all the time... It's a bit annoying. Oh, well... That's the way things are. You wanted this job. You knew what was going to be a part of it. He was surprised to see her come for him so soon, though, but he didn't think much of it. "Finished, then?" he asked, rhetorically, walking past her back into the main room. The birds were there, waiting idly for someone to walk into their field of vision and order them on their way.

"Well, here's the fun part. We get to wait... Wait around and do, nothing, really. I'm going to send the birds along the ley lines of mana in the city, searching for the largest sources of mana. They aren't going to stop for something smaller than what a master would produce-- I hope. They're not the best familiars, so they might be a bit... Eh, they aren't unsafe, but some masters might not get them. I'm hoping they all do. Worst case scenario, they return here and I try again, for any that don't find their way towards the targets. Anyway, they do that, and we wait around for any of the masters to come for a visit, or any of the birds to come back. Sounds fun, right?" He didn't smile at his poor joke, simply nodding towards the familiars and watching them fly off and out the church windows. "Fun."

[spoiler=For the Masters]Obviously not in your next posts, but, feel free to have your masters receive a familiar and the church's message after some time has passed. Sorry for taking so long to post. Exams are over, so hopefully I can kick this RP in the butt, a bit~

Edited April 19, 2015 by I have opinions

[Phoenix]

Yulia watched nervously as the familiars flew off with her two part message. If there really wasn't anything else to do then she might as well find some topic for them to talk about until Stan arrived. Eventually she decided she would prefer to know ahead of time if she had done it properly. "Sooo ... two part messages. Is that a thing ... or is a master going to show up here at some point and make fun of my crappy formatting ...?"

------------ ------------ ------------

Berserker had made it clear enough to Resheph that he would follow instructions in battle. That was good, and it was going to be vital relatively soon. For now, it was just a relief that his most pressing worries weren't going to pose any immediate problems. Just as he was about to thank his servant for his cooperation, Berserker began inquiring about what would eventually be transmuted into breakfast. Resheph smiled weakly. "Are you as hungry as I am? I would be more than happy to make some for you, too."

[Nanami Touko]

Two part messages? What is she... "You... Didn't stop in the middle of your message, did you?" Kouichi's stone face finally cracked a smirk, as he laughed, just a little bit. "Out masters are going to get to enjoy whatever you said in between, if you did. The birds weren't that advanced. They'll cut out any large spots of silence, but otherwise..." At least he had something to amuse himself with while they waited. He sat back into his chair, and began reading through a copy of Les Fleurs du mal, that smirk not going away. "I hope you don't get embarrassed easily."

[MancerNecro]

[spoiler=OOC]This post happens shortly after the following post by GoD.

Thanks GoD for covering me for a bit.

Sky in the...Forest.

It was morning. And if one could describe how Sora looked as of that moment, 'destroyed' would be the appropriate term. His messy blue hair, his bloodshot eyes struggling to keep himself awake. He had to admit, it was pretty amazing that he could keep his dome of ice for this long, but all of his bodily functions screamed to cease and desist, anymore than this and he would collapse from exhaustion. And also drop ice, or water on top of both Master and Servant; in Sora's eyes that would really hurt his chances of a good partnership with Caster... well that and it was quite rude to drop ice atop a lady, and it would hurt.

Still he didn't want to worry Caster, gods knew that she had done so much for an inexperienced magus like himself, those flowers really helped with both his capacity to store magic energy and his ability control the magic energy. Not by much mind you, but for Sora, who wasn't so much trained by any magus, he had to make do with what he had. Still that begged the question, what happened if he didn't have enough prana to support his Servant. What would she do in that case? Sora made a mental note to ask Caster, when he wasn't feeling like garbage.

The man with the cartoon hair color, looked to his Servant and began to speak. "So Caster, look I know you're working really hard for both our sakes. And I appreciate that, really I do. I'm not a really good magus, and you've been practically a lifesaver. ...But I've gotta ask, can I take a rest for now. Because I feel awful, and I just need to sleep, about now."

Sora took a step forward before an overwhelming exhaustion overtook him and he was fast asleep and falling into the ground before he could do anything more. At least Sora did not have to feel any pain or any discomfort at his current awkward sleeping position. He could be said to me mentally in his dreamland already and no longer within the forest where he and Caster had set up their base.

---

Sora opened his eyes and woke up to the sound of birds chirping and a serene calmness in the air. The soft and relaxing sound of water flowing gently somewhere within the forest; The gentle whistling of the wind as it blew past his ears; The silence that was so deafening that Sora thought he was deaf. All these registered within Sora's mind in an instant and for a few moments, Sora was lost to the world, basking within the ethereal atmosphere he now found himself in.

Sora took a deep breath and found the natural and green smell of the air extremely gentle and easy on his lungs. It was almost as if Sora had been reborn once again, into a completely different world than he had been living in.

It is a different world created by Caster though. Sora thought to himself. It was then that he was reminded of his current situation and the war that they were now in. Lost in the tranquility of his current environment, the Holy Grail War seemed so far away and so unlikely yet Sora knew that they did not have time to spare if they were to emerge victorious.

"Caster... Caster?" Sora called as he looked around at his surroundings, scanning between the trees for any humanoid silhouette that would most definitely be Caster.

Edited April 20, 2015 by MancerNecro

[MRDRHAWK]

Berserker let out a grunt of assent. The coherent part of his mind began to work; if he altered his tone enough, he could well get a basic understanding from his Master to communicate properly. After all, his Master was the only reason he was here... The only reason he had another chance to walk the Earth he loved so much.

It was a shame he'd have to stain it with blood, really, but he was used to that shame. Besides, he had more bloodlust than ever, so perhaps a little bit more of that familiar red would help him get reaccustomed to battle.

[Bluedoom]

"Oh dear, that's an exaggerated hypothetical situation that you've brought up. I highly doubt a small child would be a master. That is just...unthinkable! I don't think the other masters, or servants, even, would be thinking the way you're thinking right now, Rider." she replied, and frowned at Rider's naive belief.

[GoD]

"Ah, it seems that you are awake my Master."- said Caster as she appeared from one of the trees that Sora was surveying, her blue robes swaying to and fro as she slowly made her way over to the water mage. Hung from her neck was a large serpent, though it seemed as though Caster did not mind it's presence; evidently she wore a small grin, and petted the snake. The snake hissed happily, looking pleased for a moment before turning it's gaze from the Servant to the Master, it's expression unreadable.

"What do you think Master? Welcome to my Garden... well I wish I could say it's the original, but alas this is only a replica. I do think I've managed to create a pretty good interpretation."- Caster paused and took a whiff of her surroundings, breathing in and out. If at all possible, she managed to smile even wider. "Do you smell that Master? This is nature in it's most purest form, where all live in harmony, and where the outside world machinery does not bother us in the slightest...."- she stopped talking, her smile gone. Now Caster was gazing at the sky, her eyes closed and lost in deep thought.

"Still I do worry, my Master is not an efficient Magus... I could try my best to help him, but the difference between us is far too great. If only we could acquire another magus to teach Sora; that would solve all of our problems. Said teacher helps my Master, and I can concentrate on gathering prana and maintaining my territory."

[Snowy_One]

"Of course they aren't. But, tell me, how many masters can win the grail? One. How many masters are in this fight? Seven. If you intend to simply power through without any regard to the other six you will doom yourself to failure. You will be stuck trying to fight the strongest alone or maybe even all of them as well as their masters. Let us remove my power from the table and assume I could best any servant. Can you survive every attack a master may launch at you? If you were to lose, would you desire it to be to someone who wishes to burn the world, or to aid it? This war is bigger than yourself. This war is bigger than the seven. Whomever wins will have the power to reshape the world. That... is why my wish cannot be granted by the grail. My wish is that a noble soul who would wish no harm upon the world be the one to claim the grail, so if I were to claim it, my wish would already be granted. If I were to lose but whoever was left was of such a caliber as to do such a thing, my wish would be granted."

[MancerNecro]

Sora observed Caster as she spoke. Here, within the Garden that she had created, she seemed more relaxed; more at home; more at peace with her surroundings. Caster mentioned that the territory she had created was only a replica. However, Sora felt the Garden's life and energy throbbing through the atmosphere much stronger than any imitation of the environment could display. Caster's territorial manifestation ability was certainly topnotch if the replica could resemble the original so much.

Sora did not respond to Caster immediately. He took a few glimpses around the forest and for just a brief moment, Sora saw a flash of another similar forest overlapping the Garden that Caster had invoked. Within the image was a scene of pure beauty and bliss: Animals roaming freely and happily, interacting with one another playfully, friendly. The magical Garden pulsed beautifully and serenely, providing the vital life force required to sustain the life of all the sacred beasts within the forest. And there, within the central clearing of the forest, Sora saw the beautiful gardener and tender of the forest, a figure of benevolence and tranquility: Caster stood within the clearing, smiling, completely as one with the nature around her.

As Caster's memories faded from his mind, Sora found within himself a longing to return to the brief moment that he had glimpsed. Never had he found anywhere that he could relate and belong to and yet when he had finally found his "home", it was snatched quickly away from him.

No matter what Caster's wishes were, Sora resolved himself to try his best to help her fulfill her last desire.

"Caster, will other magi be able to sense the existence of the Garden?" Sora asked, suddenly serious once again. The Garden was throbbing with life and Sora wondered if the prana sustaining the incarnation would be detectable by any magus nearby or within Fuyuki City.

[GoD]

Caster sighed, and with a wave the snake slithered off of Caster's shoulders and moved away from the Servant/Master duo. With a flourish with one of her hands, Caster whipped a blue, transparent flower with stars dotting it's petals. "I am afraid that while I have done all that I can so that out presence is mitigated, unless the Servants have an incredibly bad sense of direction, mana detection, or luck, they will be able to find the Garden with some ease. I have placed barriers to prevent those Servants from launching a surprise attack, alas I fear that may not be enough."- the woman motioned to the flower she held in her hand.

"The flower I hold within my palm, is a scrying spell of sorts; it allows me to see what goes on outside the garden... or rather only on it's borders. So perhaps I should say that it allows me to see what events take place in the forest itself... that would probably be the best explanation for that. As for Masters and other magi, unless they are highly skilled, I imagine that it would be quite difficult for them to locate the Garden."- Caster gracefully placed the blue flower on top of a bond and watched as it floated there, her face lost in thought and a frown graced her features.

[Phoenix]

Yulia let loose a long irritable groan that sounded almost like the warning growl of a hound. Damage pending, all she could do at this point was tell off Kouichi or find something productive to do and try to put all of this out of mind. She could do both, actually, but settled for just the latter, silently returning to her duffle bag and going into it to retrieve a few things.

She managed to get a small notebook, pencil, and couple of shoe-box sized containers out before stopping. "Here we go." She zipped the bag closed and turned to Kouichi, her gathered items held out just in front of her. "I'm going to go work on my flankers for awhile."

------------ ------------ ------------

Cooking for a servant was certainly going to be a new experience. Resheph could only guess at the proper portion size for someone of Berserker's build. Well, he could do a lot more than guess. Breakfast would be a good time for partition practice as well. Doing that ensured he never completely botched any important tasks and this was one breakfast he wasn't taking any chances with. "I'll get right on it." And so he did.

While he was preparing breakfast, two thoughts occurred, the first, his morning jog, the second, Nimoeph. He couldn't help but question the sense in doing so at a time like this. He was extremely unlikely to be attacked in broad daylight, but there were plenty of ways to be harmed indirectly. Nimoeph wasn't around right now, either, which meant he would have to be that much more careful in the meantime. He'd weighed the risks and decided it wasn't stupid to enjoy a morning jog. He would just have to be mindful of his surroundings, that was all. It was a matter for after breakfast in either case.

[scorri]

"Of course I can. It runs the risk of my being detected, but I am supposed to be good at getting in and out of sticky situations. That is sort of my job description. If there's an opportunity... should I try to find us an alliance?" He knew that making such an alliance could hurt or help them, depending on what his Master was willing to do within that alliance, but better to check.

[eclipse]

Lancer's past memories netted her a gigantic blank, in terms of strategy. Her internal musings of failure were interrupted by a bird. Hmmm, what's it doing so close to the window? And why is it looking straight at Levi?

"I don't think you have any pet birds," Lancer told Levi slowly. "So what do you make of that?" she continued, pointing at the window, and the bird who sat on its sill.

[Phoenix]

"Ahem, Masters ... I- ... we ... ... welcome you to the Fifth Holy Grail W-" "Nope," Stan pinched the bird's beak shut gently as it tried to deliver its message, "not a master," he said, grinning at the creature. "Don't worry, you'll find one before too long, here." With that, he threw his arm up, forcing the familiar back into the air, and watched as it flew off. "Why was Yulia giving that message? Kouichi's idea of a joke or something?" Stan leaned silently against a wall for a few long moments. "... because it's a damn good one, hahahahah! Oh boy, I should have listened to the rest of that. I'm feeling some genuine regret, right now."

Stan came off the wall and began fiddling with his coat. It was his size, but unlike his normal long coat, this one wasn't quite broken in. Fortunately, he wouldn't have to put the collar back on until he was 'on duty' as it were. Figuring he should probably head over to the church, soon, Stan started walking. Most people wouldn't walk over driving if they could, but he genuinely enjoyed long walks, even ones that took hours. It gave him a great deal of time to think and plenty of exercise.

------------ ------------ -------------

Resheph was about halfway done with the first two servings of fish, both of which he decided should be Berserker's, when a bird landed on the window sill. There wasn't much room for it to balance itself outside, but somehow the thing managed not to embarrass itself. At first, Resheph wondered if Nimoeph was sending him a message. He quickly dismissed that idea; she had other ways of getting a hold of him that wouldn't leave him guessing like this.

Forty-seven seconds until I need to be back, Resheph mused, making a mental note of the food he was preparing. He stepped over to the window and carefully opened it. His day wouldn't be ruined if this bird was some sort of threat from another master but it would certainly put a damper on things. The bird hopped onto the inside of the sill once there was enough room, and then made a short flight to a chair in the dining area.

"Huh." Eyeing Berserker, he quickly said, "It's just a messenger. Let's hear it out before doing anything." As he said that, he made his way back over to the stove. "Let's see what this message is about, shall we?"

"Ahem, Masters ... I- ... we ..." the bird began, and the voice, much to Resheph's surprise, was vaguely that of a young woman. "... welcome you to the Fifth Holy Grail War. As you probably already know, the Holy Church will be mediating in this war, and will function as a neutral zone and sanctuary for defeated masters ..." That's right, that was the Holy Church's function as a mediator, Resheph nodded as he tended to the fish. "Fighting of any sort in this area will be strictly prohibited." Was that really going to stop anyone from trying, he wondered? Considering the matter and trying to infer the consequences.

"That's the end of part one, give me a minute to figure out the rest ..." Resheph froze. "Part one?" He glanced over at the familiar. It was only silent for a couple of seconds. "Hmm ... ... Okay, part two, you creepy birds. Are you ready?" An insidious grin worked its way onto Resheph's face. The overall message was definitely making more sense to him, now. Some poor assistant had been tasked with making the message and didn't have experience with familiars. Most likely an ordinary person and not a magus. he had to agree with her that these birds were definitely creepy. He had grown used to familiars with more personality like Evander. "To obtain the Holy Grail and receive your wish, you must defeat all of the other masters and their servants. When only one master and their servant remain in this war, they will be declared the winners, and the Grail will grant their wish." "Mmm," Resheph nodded resolutely at those words. It's just a shame we'll likely wind up killing each other as well as our servants to obtain the Grail. Still ... saving the world is worth a far larger number of lives than can be lost to this war alone, so I'll bear this burden.

"We wish you all good fortune, and will be in touch ... should any pressing matters that threaten the war emerge. Okay we're done. Stay here while I go let Kouichi know." 'Kouichi'? That must be the one mediating on behalf of the Holy Church. "Well, at least we have a name, now, intended or otherwise. Ah," Resheph realized that Berserker's portions were done, save for any additional seasoning and the like he might take them with. Considering his current predicament, it seemed like he might lean either way. "Yours is ready," he called over. "Come over here for a moment and let's get you set up." As he beckoned his servant, he took a few spices out of the cabinet and laid them out on the counter. He only took the ones that had some potential to work with fish, which saved him emptying the entire cabinet just to give Berserker his own options.

[GoD]

As she returned to the world of the living, Caster had noticed that her Master was also lost in deep thought, as he had not replied to Caster in some time. Bowing to the younger boy, the Servant silently excused herself to take note of the Garden's condition. She did not feel as though any intruders had broken into the Garden, no she was sure of it, but just to feel safer, she had to tighten up her defenses. She needed to cover all avenues of entry so that nothing could get in, and in the event something or someone did manage to breach her defenses, she would at least know from which direction it came from. Standing next to a pond, Caster closed her eyes and mentally used her spirit to reach all corners of the forest. In her mind's eye she saw glowing red eyes... yes, that was them all right.

"My allies, we must make sure that this holy place is protected, to that end I must ask you to guard all entry points. I apologize for having to burden you, but in order to protect Sora. No please excuse me, our Master, we make sure that nothing can get in... but do not reveal yourselves."- Caster felt a wave of assent, her guardians would do their job, which made Caster smile. Just then, her barries caught wind of something; birds? No it felt like they were using magic...ah a familiar.

Creating small gaps in her barriers for the birds to pass through, it wasn't long before they reached Caster and her Master. Seeing as Sora was still occupied, Caster beckoned the birds to come to her side, holding out her arm for them to perch on. They did so, and one of the birds began to speak... rather it was a recording. The recording was crude and clearly made by an amateur, but the point of the messages was duly noted.

"The Holy Church eh? I can only imagine that they're involvement is to reduce the number of civilian casualties. However, if they are as sloppy as the person who sent this message, then I imagine they won't be any help at all."- with that thought Caster used her free hand to snap her fingers. As soon as that was done, the snake from earlier, this time with a partner, lunged at the birds. With deft speed and accuracy the magical creatures were thrust into the ground by the serpents, who then proceeded to eat them. Caster nodded, any bit of magical energy needed to maintain the Garden was a welcome boon to her.

"Master, please stop your daydreaming. We have to talk about our plans and I would seriously like it if you could pay attention."- Caster marched up to her Master, a frown gracing her features as she crossed her arms.

Edited April 24, 2015 by GoD

[Ace Tactician]

Levi's attention turned to the window upon Lancer's mention of a bird watching him from the outside. "I don't sense any hostile presence from it." Levi replied, whimsically moving his head and watching the bird follow his movements in response. He smirked in amusement from the birds response and deemed it was harmless. He went over to the window and opened it, outstretching his hand for the bird to perch onto. Once the bird perched on his outstretched fingers and opened its beak, but what came out of the birds mouth surprised Levi. "Ahem, Masters ... I- ... we ... ... welcome you to the Fifth Holy Grail War..." It was a female's voice instead of the normal bird chirp Levi had been expecting. "... As you probably already know, the Holy Church will be mediating in this war, and will function as a neutral zone and sanctuary for defeated masters. Fighting of any sort in this area will be strictly prohibited..." Levi smirked, it was clear to him that the bird was a familiar meant to reach him from Fuyuki Church. (Just like my parents said, should I lose my Servant, the Church is the safest place for me to go until the war concludes.) Levi thought to himself as the bird was silent until it spoke again, dismissing his thoughts. "That's the end of part one, give me a minute to figure out the rest." Wait a minute, part one? A smile started forming on his lips, "Looks as though the composer of the message lost their train of thought. Most likely an assistant to the supervisor." Levi remarked as the bird spoke again. "Hmm ... ... Okay, part two, you creepy birds. Are you ready?" Creepy? While he had to admit this was the first time he had seen and gotten a familiar, he failed to see what was so creepy about something made to look like one of Nature's free flying creatures aside from the fact it talked like a young woman...which he could definitely count as being creepy in that aspect. "To obtain the Holy Grail and receive your wish, you must defeat all of the other masters and their servants. When only one master and their servant remain in this war, they will be declared the winners, and the Grail will grant their wish." Levi's thoughts turned back to the matter of how to find out where his opponents lie in hiding. It then dawned on him that perhaps at this early point, obtaining a beneficial alliance may very well help him tremendously in fufilling his goal. "We wish you all good fortune, and will be in touch ... should any pressing matters that threaten the war emerge. Okay we're done. Stay here while I go let Kouichi know." Levi's smirk returned when the bird finished, now he knew who the mediator was for this War.

Then an idea on how he could go about locating his opponents dawned on him. And it was thanks to the familiar still perched on his finger. He started thinking about how the familiar could have found him at his home from the Church.

[MRDRHAWK]

Berserker had to hold himself back very significantly to keep from pouncing on the bird and letting his bloodlust take over. Thankfully, his Master had also theld him back in favour of hearing what the bird had to relay to them, which helped matters greatly. Presumably. The idea of going into war yet again was enticing to the crazed parts of Berserker's mind; after all, war meant spilling blood, and spilling blood was what Berserkers were made to do.

If only I hadn't been like that in life, Berserker thought, deep within his mind.

For now, Berserker turned his attention to the scent of cooked fish that now permeated his nostrils and filled his senses with some very faint degree of nostalgia. Eschewing the seasonings - he wouldn't know which was which anyways, what with his vision clouded the way it was - he attempted to sit at the table, but found that sitting was... not the easiest thing to do when all you want is food.

Very well. I'll stand. Berserker eventually surmised, as he began wolfing down the food before him. It may not have been much for a man his size, but at least it gave him some sense of feeling... well, like himself again.

[Phoenix]

Firmia hadn't gotten a reply, yet. She wasn't truly expecting one but she was certainly hoping. Still, it was far past time she got back to the Kurosawa residence, so she turned around and began heading back in that direction.

------------ ------------ ------------

Resheph watched for a moment as the familiar flew out of the window, likely returning to the church. That was one that would likely make it back, at any rate. Next, he began putting away the extra spices since Berserker seemed to prefer his fish with just the seasonings Resheph had prepared them with. Perhaps that or trying to figure out which was which was just inherently frustrating without full use of his mind. Suddenly he felt he had been rather inconsiderate in that regard and frowned. Perhaps a third helping would suffice as his subtle apology. He could use the practice, anyway.

"Since I'll be taking my morning jog after breakfast, anyway, why don't we pay a visit to the church?" Because a Berserker class servant being among the first if not only servant classes to show up wouldn't put anyone on edge, clearly. Regardless, Resheph made a mental note to himself to leave a physical note for Nimoeph.