Fandom Fate/Bad Joke

[BearBearBear]

"Hmmm... Dorian, would you be alright with moving this conversation elsewhere?" Alexandria thought that it was only fair that she extended her own hospitality now that she had been entertained, no matter how short the duration or how wanting the... service she would say. "Assassin had just found out that there are servants up and about and I'd rather not get caught in a Noble Phantasm I can't dance around."

That was the thing about fighting servants that got tricky. The Authority would make it so that an attack would go through, or rather that it was executed but when it comes to something like effect, things may be a bit more complicated. If say, a servant were to hurl a pillar of fire at Alexandria, even if such an attack where to be fueled by the essence of Helios himself, there were things in her arsenal that were capable of rendering such an attack null and void against her. If it was something a step higher than that of the Fraga, where causality is bent and no matter what a killing blow is struck, then she was as dead as any other human. If she knew an effect then she could figure out if she could counter it effectively, but if she was ignorant of the Phantasm used then she might as well have been dead when it was brought to bear against her.

I appreciate the warning Assassin. You are free to observe or engage at your leisure but please consider your safety. If it's one of the knight classes, please exercise extreme caution. Alexandria would be a liar if she said she hadn't come to care for her servant... at least as an experiment she had wanted to perform for ages. Her curiosity drove her to get to know more about her servant and to that end... If you do decide to fight, remember to come back to me. I can't lose you tonight.

Azure Sky
Misuteeku
Sorry it's late, I didn't think Misu gave me an action option until I read it a third time.

 

[ChazGhost]

Melvin was completely silent as the so called sponsor named of his name as well as his servant. "Just because no blood has been spilled just means people are planing and such... Wait what do you mean former master?" Melvin said annoyed as put his hand over his gun in his pocket as he opened the door more. "A trade up in power?... For time being you have my attention. Come in." Melvin gesture for his guest to come in. Melvin closed the door behind them as the came in. Melvin then walked over to a couch with table in front of it. There was another couch on the other side where Melvin gestured for his guest to sit down. "So what exactly do you mean by a trade up in power? Are you planning to power up my servant or something?" Melvin asked like the business man he is.
The One Eyed Bandit

 

[Gaius Danius Griinia]

Jun was now in the bathroom of the restaurant with Lorenzo. Luckily they had already been eating. He was able to pass off the massive mana drain from Saber as food poisoning. There was no doubt that the pair of snooty asses a few tables over were mages. From the elitist attitude of the male, he was a Tower Mage. The female however seemed pretty powerful. Jun most likely couldn't beat her in a direct fight. At least, thats the impression he got from her. Pulling out his phone, Jun texted Lorenzo the new plan. Lorenzo looked at his phone. Then he began sending out messages to their allies. This was an irregular war, he was also an irregular magus. As such, Jun decided to call upon his friends to aid him. Mentally contacting Saber, he told her to come to a secluded warehouse under the Tortellini name. Calling a cab, Jun acted like an apologetic patron to the staff before paying for his meal. In the taxi, Lorenzo pulled out his phone and texted Jun the details. Luckily, most of their allies were in Europe. They were enroute to the warehouse where Lorenzo had some gear stashed. Arriving at the docks, Jun paid the man as Lorenzo wiped his memories. Couldn't have any loose ends, they also got rid of anything he had on their destination. Walking into the warehouse, Jun met up with his four best assassin buddies. Jin Tsurugi of the Tsurugi Clan, Taroq the Bloodedge of the Bloodedge Tribe, Phoebe Masters of the Gunners and Veronica Dragovich, Leader of the Ice Wolves and Lorenzo's fiance. When Saber got there, Jun let her in. "Saber these are my close friends and confidants from...work I guess". All of them had at least a squadron of their organizations with them. "Jun, you almost never call us unless the job is too much" Phoebe rested her rifle against the wall. "Yeah, aren't you the BLADE OF JUDGEMENT?" Taroq wiggled his fingers at Jun's moniker. "Yes, I was just about to go back to Japan when Lorenzo called me... I suppose my sword is needed?" Jin twirled his binded katana in his hand. Lorenzo led them into a back room where Jun rested for a bit. Saber had drained him of a noticable amount of mana. It would take time for him to recover. Time which they could use to gather strength and launch an offensive on the other Masters. Sitting with his Saber, he downed two bottles of water before passing out for a bit...

Xel

 

[Lucem]

From the time the pair had left the apartment complex until they arrived at the train station, Eli had been growing increasingly drowsy. While he didn't have trouble staying up late into the night, treating his eyes usually left him feeling worn out for a time. Because of that, he'd head off to bed soon after, turning in early to be prepared for work the next day. However, there didn't seem to be much time for sleep during a war.

Eli simply nodded along as Caster continued to talk. It was the bare minimum response that showed he was paying at least some attention. While the guy was annoying, John had a knack for more than just ticking him off. The way the mage spoke reminded Eli of a few teachers he had in school, but several levels of boring higher. Aside from the topic of where their money should go, everything that didn't piss him off sounded dull. Seriously. "Behoove"? Who the hell talked like that? What did it even mean? It was just as confusing as all the magic stuff.

The Master did at least agree that the money should stay in Caster's account. If he suddenly started depositing a lot more money than usual, it would be suspicious. He might even have to pay more taxes. He didn't want any part of that.

"Yeah, yeah." Eli let out a yawn as he entered the train. He didn't need Caster telling him how to act. For as much as he loved to talk about God and his faith, he wasn't exactly a friendly person either. The overseer might even think he's annoying too. Any normal person would probably get the same bad vibes from him and his shit-eating grin.

Rubbing his eyes, Eli thought it would be best to get some rest before they arrived in Southwark, but put his dreaming session on hold as Caster asked one last question. "Huh? Ingredients?" Thinking back to the bags of nearly expired food products, Eli began listing off the ones he could remember using during dinner. "Ginger, garlic..." It didn't take long before he stopped himself, now pinching the bridge of his nose as he forced his eyes closed. "No, why the hell am I answering you seriously?" He must've been more exhausted than he thought.


When they arrived in front of the London Tombs, Eli was in tiptop shape once again, looking only slightly less disgruntled than usual as he read the warning about the gas leak. If nothing else, he was always quick to recover. "Why is it at a damn tourist spot anyway?" He considered that whoever was running the show might've just been messing with people by sending them here of all places. Even if they were calling the shots from inside a fake crypt, what happened to all the workers?

While debating over whether the sign was telling the truth, Eli looked over to Caster as he spoke up once again. He had intended on complaining about the man wanting to go inside even if the person they came to see wasn't here, but the firearm in his hand managed to grab most of his attention. "Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing? Put that shit away!" Keeping his shouts quiet in order to not draw attention, Eli made his displeasure known. "Are all followers of God as trigger-happy as you?" This guy really was insane. Caster seemed to be doing his best to make him regret his decision to team up.

Thankfully, there was another interruption before Caster could go inside with guns blazing. The sudden sound of a voice talking to them through speakers made him turn away from the psychopath at his side, looking in every direction for the source of the noise. The voice was somewhat hard to make out over the muffled sounds in the background, but he managed to understand what the person wanted just fine. While they got the confirmation that this was the right place to meet the overseer, Eli was a little more focused on the woman who had been speaking to them. Something about her way of talking sounded...unpleasant. That was putting it politely.

"Whatever." Putting his thoughts on their host aside, Eli pushed through the entrance without a second thought, only looking back to make sure Caster was following. "You coming? Or were hoping to fire one off first?" He hoped that the overseer would be normal. Or at least more normal the gun-toting home invader.

QuirkyAngel
The One Eyed Bandit

 

[Azure Sky]

Dorian Barthomeloi​

So her Servant is of the Assassin class...

Dorian found out a great deal of information. A lot more than he hoped for in such a short time. Still, there was potential for more to discover. He wished his late night snacking would not have been interrupted, though. Such a shame. "Certainly, let us be on our way." with that, he got up and followed Alexandria whereever she wanted to go. He could have told her that he can, in fact, clash against most of the 27 Dead Apostle Ancestors, as long as he fought defensively, and that would most likely extend to Servants as well, so she did not need to worry about her safety. But he didn't, for two main reasons: he belived he already gave enough information about himself in one night, which was a risky gamble in itself, and because she probably would have not belived him anyway from just words.

"As for your previous question, I took into consideration that such groups may appear and get in my way, but frankly, I am not worried. Or better yet, I do not belive they have what it takes to truly get in my way" of course he didn't, considering his level of power. Sure, he realised that there were a few people stronger than him, but the key word was "few". Even if he met someone of that calibre he could flee easily with his skills. That was, at the very least, what he belived.

"I merely have one question. You can even answer it vaguely if you want. What is your greatest desire?" he asked, ever-so-calmly. For Dorian the answer was crucial, as it'd help him understand the possible outcomes of their alliance.

BearBearBear

Xel Iskandar

 

[Iskandar]

Rider​

Rider watched as Saber went flying through the air after the explosion caused by her arrow. Rider whistled and watched as the servant went the for quite the ride through the air, "Damn. Wasn't expecting to launch her that far. Still, it was plenty good. Best for me to make my dashing escape now before she lands and regains her senses." Rider nodded to herself with a toothy grin before jumping from the roof down towards the street. The Servant whistled loudly, and her motorcycle raced down the street, neighing loudly as it arrived under her master just as she had reached the street.

"Ah, thanks buddy." Rider said as she stroked the side of the motorcycle, the vehicle producing another neigh as it raced away from the area Rider and Saber's brief scuffle occurred. Rider looked back towards the area before shaking her head, "That one will be dangerous. Next time will most likely be the last time for one of us." Rider leaned back into her seat and closed her eyes before looking down at the various cuts Saber inflicted on her. They were all covered up with scars now, as they were healed when Rider powered up, but their mark still claimed Rider's body. She made note to repay the favor to the servant next time they cross weapons.

Master. I am on my way back. Had a brief scuffle with most likely Saber. I recommend we stay clear of that area for the rest of the night. Rider communicated to her master as she fled the scene of battle, her armor dissipating and her clothes reappearing on her, Are you still at your base or have you already left? If you want I can come pick you up. I didn't meet the man that set up that message, but it matters little to either of us. Hopefully Rider and her master could lie low and watch things unfold, remain in the shadows for a while. Eat all the new food Rider could. Those sorts of things.

Interactions: SCSaya06

Mentions: Xel

 

[BearBearBear]

Assassin, we're moving.

Alexandria was used to dealing with slippery and stony magi; when you grew up in the heart of the Titan's Pit, you needed to be able to read a person's every action, every word, and every expression or lack thereof if you didn't want to accidentally agree to being the latest victim of human experimentation. Sure such practices were passé, Atlas Alchemists were precious resources and it was all too easy to geas an unsuspecting human into serving as a specimen, but she had the skill all the same and it had served her well when dealing with the more aristocratic or militaristic members of the Association. That was probably how she got the Head of Barthomeloi to tolerate her long enough for their strange relationship to blossom... Whatever that was at the moment.

That being said, the hesitation, no matter how infinitesimal, so out of place on the expression of the enforcer -and he was an enforcer; choir members took a bit too much after Lorelei herself- as they exited the establishment all but screamed out to Alexandria. If that wasn't enough of a warning, the sheer confidence -or should she say nonchalance?- Dorian radiated even as they walked into the hidden battlefield told her all she needed to know about his abilities. If he was just Dorian, he would either be extremely powerful or terminally arrogant, but as a as bearer of the name Barthomeloi, he was probably a prospective member of the most powerful magus unit in existence.

It was more likely that he was following her lead out of the desire to fish more information out of her or to maintain an amicable relationship with one close to his Family Head rather than a sense of fear of the servants lurking about. Alexandria had to wonder if he knew where he stood against her, whether he was being civil for it's own sake, out of a sense of respect, out of fear, or did maybe he truly thought that she was nothing before him. No, that last one was her pride talking; it was probably the first option and she could respect that.

Alexandria felt a faint smile playing on her lips, maybe this would be another peaceful night after all. It took almost no time at all before they arrived at their destination, far enough from where Dorian issued his challenge but not too far from his little hotel that walking was a bother. Well, if Alexandria considered his probable skill when it came to movement type magecraft, fleeing to France within hours wouldn't be a problem for either of them but neither was finding fine fare because of this little establishment.

It was a quaint area, much smaller than the lavish hotel that they once occupied but it was enough. The ambiance told of refinement and tranquility and indeed the small cafe was a cozy, out of the way haven which welcomed everyone there with open arms. Even from the facade itself, it gave the impression that World War Three could be waging outside and yet the boundaries of the small coffee shop would be all but untouched. It was rather late, they usually closed around seven, but she called in a few favors and the owner was kind enough to allow her refuge until the end of the War.

They were seated instantly, their server a young girl with white hair disappearing behind the counter before bringing out a bottle Alexandria prepared just in case she had nothing else on hand. "Mouton-Rothschild 1945, pardon me for not knowing what to pair it with off the top of my head." She announced, as was proper when offering wine, and apologized before pouring for the both of them. Their server had returned with simple linguine bolognese before once more disappearing behind the counter. "And please don't mistake caution for weakness but Servants can be quite troublesome in their own right, I would rather not have to confront them before the war starts in earnest."

Alexandria took a sip of wine, thinking on the question which needed no real answer. "I desire freedom, child. My life has been short, but I've seen things that even the Canticle has not witnessed. If such wonders can be found within the depths of the pit, within the darkness of world, how much more wondrous are those in the light?"

Misuteeku
Azure Sky

Spoiler: Just in case no one knows where we are

Yeah, we went there...

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Johnny (Caster)​

“Just the ones that are tasked with enforcing God’s will,” Johnny replied to Eli.

Nonetheless, the Servant did as requested and pocketed the pistol. For now. Meeting the Overseer of the Holy Grail War with a weapon in hand did seem a little...impolite.

Not that the voice that greeted them showed much in terms of courtesy. Glancing distastefully up at the speakers that lined the entrance of the tombs, the long haired man followed his eager Master inside. It was…dark. Which, to be honest, was no surprise since they were inside a crypt. At night.

The gun was back in Johnny’s hands. “Thus the Lamb of God said to his people: I am the Light of the World. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of Life.”

As soon as he finished speaking, one of the Scripts attached to his weapon glowed. Johnny raised the gun and fired. No sound came out. And, instead a bullet, a ball of light danced into the air, illuminating the room with its brilliance. His staff would’ve worked better. Alas, a modern toy with as many Scripts as possible would have to do. At least in his human body. Once a Servant came around, he'd need to revert back into his true form, but until then Johnny was content with staying as he was.

They were in a cavern with props. Lots of props. Fake cobwebs, candles, a bloody sacrificial altar. There was even a “skeleton” lying in a corner up a head. Johnny resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Scary? More like disgusting. His desire to remove the filth was quenched by the fact that all the items in the room were props. Still. He didn’t like it. Even if he hadn’t already done his research, he could feel it in his bones. They were in a true resting place of the dead. As such, desecration only brought forth creatures of Evil.

Not that God himself hadn’t defied death.

Continuing down the tomb, they would eventually encounter chamber that looked to be severely burnt—puddles of water and bits of ice here and there. Fire and ice. Interesting. Running a hand along the charred walls, Johnny glanced up at the giant hole in the ceiling. “This is likely the result of a Servants’ battle. You’d do well to take note of this, Eli. The enemies we’ll face appear to be quite powerful.”

Bits of residual mana still clung to the air. Humans weren’t the only source of mana. Perhaps he ought leave a couple of scripts down here as well. Hidden, of course. They weren’t the first Servant-Master pair to gone to see the Overseer. That knowledge confirmed Johnny’s suspicion that Eli wasn’t the only Master to have received the letter from the organizers of the war—nor were they the only ones with questions.

Another couple of doors later and two found themselves in front of the mentioned table, a laptop, and a single chair. Glancing at Eli, Johnny gestured to the chair. “Go ahead. It’s all yours. ”

A couple more shots of his gun and more balls of lights danced in the air, washing away all the darkness. Speakers. Cameras. If there were any such hidden objects in the room, Johnny had no intention of letting it stay hidden. Besides, he didn’t imagine using a computer in the dark to be good for the eyes. Johnny pocketed the gun when finished and turned back to the laptop, studying the image of the Overseer that greeted them from the comfort of her screen.

“My friend here is new to this Holy Grail War business and letter he received lacked sufficient detail—especially in regards to all the…deviations…from the standard war. That’s why we’re here. I’d hoped you be able to clarify for him some of these new rules.”

Best to leave things open for now. He doubted that the Overseer would answer any seriously probing questions anyway. And what she chose to voluntarily reveal would speak volumes about her character. Not that her snacking during their conversation didn’t already speak volumes about her character. He could hear bits of the movie she was watching in the background as well. Eyebrow raised, Johnny spared a brief glance towards his Master.

“You agreed to participate in the war so I’m not letting you slack off. Sit up straight and pay attention.”

Lucem
The One Eyed Bandit

 

[The One Eyed Bandit]

"Aha. No no, a trade-up not an upgrade, Governor. I hope you've not gotten too attached." Walking through the doorway, Melvin's visitor brushed their hair aside as they scanned the room. A dumpy little place, really. "Don't worry. When I said Former Master of one Skathi, I really did mean Skathi. You see..." Their observation of the room complete, the visitor paced for a moment before making themselves comfortable on Melvin's bed. "I believe in the power of brute force, and that's something that Miss Would-be God was lacking, if you ask me. So, here." They tossed Melvin the rainbow-colored crystal they'd produced a moment ago. "That's something not too dissimilar in function to the crystal you used to summon Skathi, just a little more efficient. And a little bit reconfigured. Run some magical energy through it in her presence and... Say goodbye, I guess."

Carelessly, they rolled from the bed and strode back out the door. "Or don't. It's not my business if you decide to look a gift horse in the mouth."
ChazGhost

 

[ChazGhost]

Melvin watched his guest leave after giving a new crystal that once activated would get rid of his current servant for a new better one... or that at least what his guest said. Melvin looked to his current archer who of course didn't seem happy about this. Granted she wasn't the life of the party before either. And she did seem like to type that looked down on people like him. So I thought though this a new servant sounded better and better. One who less emotionless and stronger to boot... or that what his guest said that he now couldn't even remember the gender of. "So my guest hide their gender... That doesn't fill my with much trust in them..." Melvin said shaking his as archer walked over to him.

"They did, lets just rid of this crystal and..." Archer was saying before she stopped dead in her tracks, more or less literally as Melvin put his magic through the crystal.

"Well I guess this is good bye, I would say I hope you have better luck with your next master, but then again I don't really care" Melvin said with an evil grin as his previous servant began to disappear with a flash of light as a new one took her place...
The One Eyed Bandit Azure Sky

 

[Misuteeku]

​

"Understood"

Assassin had nothing to add as it traveled somewhere else, once Alexandria and her 'friend' were moving away. Appearing into its material form, it looked around. Several eyes darted around at once to survey the area. One of the eyes were missing, leaving only five to look around. A piece of slime was sliding across the building before falling off down. Deciding, it was a good time to scout out the area, it moved. The slime dog didn't go anywhere near the location where the two servants were located. Assassin darted towards the meeting placing of the Overseer and entered in. It had to make sure it was safe before it's master entered inside.

It wasn't alone in the crypt as it detected another servants presence somewhere. It didn't want to combat against the enemy servant. It could of been Saber, Lancer, or Archer, so it was better off not fighting. While assuring that it wasn't going the path where the enemy servant was, it started to explore the crypt. Several of it's eyes darted around looking through the darkness that shrouded the crypt. It was going to try to memorize every passage of the crypt.

BearBearBear QuirkyAngel

 

[Xel]

SaberJun's Warehouse​

Saber remained in position atop the battle-scarred building, arms folded under her chest as the winds gently whipped her long crimson hair back and forth. Their bout had been too quick to really gauge what her opponent had to offer. Even so, it was enough to know that the woman was a capable foe. Anyone that could match her in direct combat was someone to take seriously. Certainly a more dangerous opponent than an ice-wielding Assassin. She had ignored Jun's command, engrossed in her own thought as she bided her time. While it was obvious her previous partner wasn't coming back she did hope someone else would show up. Alas, time drug on and her Master's command was still there. So with no new faces popping up she let out a small sigh and dissipated into nothingness.

Her form eventually rematerialized outside the designated warehouse. Walking in she looked over the new faces Jun had assembled. "Comrades, huh?" She mused quietly to herself as she gave each one of them a more indepth once-over. Her gaze finally fell on her Master, his weakened state not going unnoticed. Even so she said nothing, instead opting to stand by as the six of them talked among themselves. As the dutiful servant she followed Jun to the backroom, plopping down in a seat as the man downed some water and promptly collapsed onto the couch. Saber crossed one leg over the other, resting her elbow on the armrest and propping her head up with her fist as she looked over her Master. The man was out the moment he hit the couch. Had they just been embroiled in a hard fought battle she would be sympathetic to his exhaustion. Unfortunately that was not the case.

If her Master was this drained, this exhausted, after nothing more than a mere skirmish that didn't even see her field her most basic offensive abilities then it was obvious he would never be able to provide upkeep in any real fight. His magic circuits were more than adequate to keep her running, so she hadn't even given it any thought. But this... If she so much as used her full power she would just straight up kill the man. And this wasn't a conflict she could win without a Master. With this realization she let out a silent huff. If she was going to fight properly she would either have to draw from her own stores or find an alternate source. The latter option wasn't available so that made the choice pretty clear. Fortunately for her, she was killed in leading a campaign on minimal supplies.

Interactions: Gaius Danius Griinia

Mentions: Iskandar

 

[The One Eyed Bandit]

"Wait wait, seriously?" The noises of the woman's busy chewing could be heard as she returned from the kitchen, and back to her seat. Even through it a tone of exasperation was clear. "Man, sorry about that. My co-worker was supposed to give the tell-all experience to you guys in your welcoming packages but..." There was a pause for a moment, to express her... Disappointment? Or maybe just to place another slice of cheese into her mouth. "I guess he got lazy. Do you guys even have the phone? Ugh."

This was what she got for letting some homeless looking hermit handle HR. Even if it wasn't like she had many stakes in this 'War' beyond being paid to babysit it, she was a professional, dammit. Things being done half-assed like that pissed her off.

And no, she quickly assured herself, her current situation was nothing of the sort. It was just efficient.

"Well, my apologies. If he was kind enough to set the laptop up, I'm sure he left the phones laying around somewhere. Check under the table or something, they'll let you access the Market mentioned in the letter. Please just take one." There was another pause, this time definitely having something to do with her eating and being punctuated by the clinking of a plate onto a table. "God, just let me start from square one. Right, so. First of all, there's usually some rules enforced by the usual organizers of the event not to disturb the general population, but we've done away with that. For sake of freedom. Those tattoos on your hand can also be used to boss around your Servant there. Just think real hard and say something along the lines of 'With this Command Seal, I order you to...'" Unlike Jaune, the woman didn't bother to do a voice. "You can only do it three times, though. So make them count. I was also told you can use them to call him to you, but that's fairly boring. More important is the Market. Bosses really want us to push it. So, you can spend those tattoos of yours to buy some neat trinkets, and if you kill another Master you can get some extra spending credit. Credit, specifically. You're not getting any free ink."

She definitely needed a glass of water after all that talking.

"Erm. That's not much more other than that. I'm supposed to tell you to run wild, so go do that, I guess. I hear a couple other Servants were getting busy just a moment ago, maybe you can hound one of them down or something." With that, she relaxed into the sofa and took her snacks back in hand. An action scene was just getting started, so she really hoped they wouldn't go asking any more questions.

QuirkyAngel Lucem

 

[Gaius Danius Griinia]

Jun woke up in a daze, coughing up blood. Clutching his heart, he felt a tightness in his chest. This must have been why he wasn't giving Saber the mana she needed. Veronica and Lorenzo placed Jun against the wall and injected him with something. It eased his symptoms and soon, Jun was back to normal. Hydrating himself, he poured a massive amount of mana into Saber. He needed to show her that poisoning and curses were what hurt her mana supply. One of the attacking mages must have got him. As a descendant of the Vortigernus Family, his ability to produce enormous amounts of magical energy was always top tier. Now at full health, he mobilized the assassins, even the ones who weren't there. Donning their respective masks, Jun, Lorenzo and the lieutenants went over the plan. They would cover the entire city in mana lures to get Masters coming. However they would disengage if they saw a Master, Servant or whoever tried to lure THEM. Information would be key in the war, they needed to know where everything is. Each lieutenant joined their groups and maintained contact through their ear pieces.

Procuring a few deadly weapons from the armory, Jun and Saber moved out as well. Taking to the skies, Jun seemed to vanish. It was a technique he was trying out. If he could bend air around himself, could he be invisible. While they were flying, he told her what had happened to his magic circuits. While he was better, he was worried that weapons like that were getting around. Jun also asked Saber to call him "Victor" while someone he indicated he had no trust for was around. Only she, his associates and the Overseer knew his name. Jun even told her the story behind it to pass the time. "The strongest member of the Vortigernus Family is called Victor". His Uncle Jasper had been Victor since Jun was a baby. He had been the one to help the corrupt mages take Karen, Jun's mother. A master swordsman with such fine control over his prana was a great ally to have on your side. It was he who murdered Jun's father, Noriuske. When he was old enough, Jun met his uncle in an alley and bisected him. This is why he uses the name "Victor". Landing near the place Saber had fought who he assumed to be either Archer or Rider, Jun asked Saber to lead the way. They had Servants to kill...

Xel

 

[Azure Sky]

Archer​

As green energy danced around the room like leaves in the wind, the new Archer materialized. Initially, he was summoned in medieval aristocratic clothes, but as soon as the flow of modern world information entered his mind, he instantly changed his attire to one befit of the current century: jeans, snickers, a leather jacket, and a black t-shirt underneath. His Noble Phantasm became a green bracelet that seemed to be made out of odd branches. He had blonde messy hair, golden eyes, stood at 180 cm tall and weighting about 75 kg, having an athletic figure. He scanned the room, then layed his eyes on the only man that was inside, besides himself.

"I shall not call you master," that was an interesting way of starting the conversation, "Instead I shall call you by your name, or nickname, as I do not belive in being anyone's vassal, nor do I expect you to be mine. I may be a Servant and you may be a Master under the rules of this war, but I'd like you to think of us as associates, or partners, if you may." he took a short pause, giving Melvin time to absorb the information. His voice was calm and polite, nevertheless it showed no room for debates.

"Now that that's out of the way, pleased to meet you. I am ******* *** of ********, also known as ******* *** *****. But, for obvious reasons, call me Archer." with that, Archer distanced himself a bit and leaned on the wall.

"Also, after you tell me your name, I am interested in hearing your plans for winning this war. If you have any." was the last thing he had to say, for the moment. He was not looking down on Melvin, or anything similar. If the man had plans, that was all good and dandy with Archer. If he had none, then that would not have bothered Archer either. They could think of some together.

ChazGhost

Dorian​

"Freedom, huh...?"

For a while, Dorian was lost in thought, and seemed to have spaced out.
_____________________________ _ _ _ _ ___ __ _

"So he has potent Origin magic? So what?"

Jelousy is unhealthy, you know?

"His magecraft is only useful for combat. How unrefined and barbaric."

Keep talking.

"Magi of the Clock Tower dedicate themselves to research in hope of growing closer to the Root. But he only cares about polishing his own skills. So selfish."

Hypocrite...

"If it isn't the attack dog of our family!"
"That's the only thing he's useful for anyway. Hahahahaha!"

Why so much spite?

"MONSTER!"

Huh?

"Dorian, most members of our family as well as many other Clock Tower magi are very afraid of you. It's better if you keep your distance. To be honest, I am one of them."

But, why? Father?

"You are my most useful soldier Dorian. Never forget you are a proud member of the Barthomeloi!"

Ah, Lady Lorelei, I know you do not mean it, but even you put me in a cage.
__________________________ _ _ _ __ _ __ _

It didn't take him long to get back to his senses. "I apologize for the awkward silence." he said, as he drank a bit of wine. Rich tannis, wealth of aroma and flavour. As expected of one of the most expensive wines in the world. Dorian visibly enjoyed it.

"I will help you. Whether you help me in return matters not." he said in an ever-so-slightly energetic voice, actually displaying a tiny bit of emotion. "Freedom. I shall assist you in gaining it. If you'll let me." slightly different words, but same meaning. The difference was that he spoke yet again on his usual calm and collected tone.

Almost lost my composure. Good grief...

BearBearBear

 

[ChazGhost]

Melvin was a bit caught off guard from his new Archer introduction. Though he did find it fair that his new Archer wanted to a equal, and unlike his last servant he seemed bit more pleasant to talk to, unlike his former archer who was colder in way she talked. "Fair enough, if you want to be partners so be it. I am Melvin D. Rogers." Melvin said calmly and smoothly as business man usually was. "Now for my plans, well they have to change from what I had in plan. You see I made agreement with the sponsors of the this war that in return for getting a stronger ser... Archer I would have play a more active role in the war." Melvin stated causally pointing out the new Archer was not his first.

"So plan now is simple, we go hunting. If we can find a pair servant fighting or find a servant or master alone you can snipe from afar before going into fight. I'd prefer we only enter a fight when we have advantage in it, sound fair to you?" Melvin finished as calmly as he started. "Now if don't have any question I say we get to work, I prefer not dis appoint the sponsors. They don't seem like the type that we should mess with." Melvin added.
Azure Sky

 

[BearBearBear]

For a moment, Alexandria was alone in the quaint cafe. Well not really, Dorian was still there, siting before her but while others would assume that he was weighing her words, she could see that he dragged into the depths of his own soul.

It was a common enough practice in Atlas, to dive into ones own memories to retrieve pertinent and more often than not half remembered pieces of information, but she recently learned that it wasn't a rare occurrence beyond the moonlit world. Though regular humans weren't conscious or in control of such actions, they were called flashbacks if she recalled correctly, and other than the fact that they were involuntary she read that they were sometimes just as effective as minor hypnosis spells. That was to say, they could be very distracting.

Alexandria simply smiled as Dorian sunk deeper into his own world; maybe he recalled something important, or maybe someone he worked with was contacting him for some peculiar reason. She would allow him his thoughts for now, it wasn't as if she needed to pry anyway. She didn't mean any harm when she called him a child; strange things happened to Magi when the very soul was played with and Atlas Alchemists did that reflexively. With Memory Partition, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that time flows much, much slower to her fellow Alchemists than it does for the rest of the world.

There was a reason, after all, that Alexandria could say with confidence that Atlas had nothing left to teach her.

A kindred spirit, I see.

So when he finally broke from his thoughts, Alexandria accepted his apology with a smile before internally sighing with relief. She had thought that the pasta would not match the wine but she liked her red sauces with grapes and it didn't turn out as badly as it would have. Sure, it paid to have a nice vintage, but it was 'eat drink and be merry' for a reason. She didn't think much of it when he told her that their interests aligned for the moment; she more or less expected such an outcome to begin with but the flicker of emotion on his face was telling.

"It would be my pleasure to accept your aid, Dorian, though I need nothing more than a glance to fulfill my objective. My victory would simply entail witnessing the manifestation of the Greater Grail." She said simply, with all the grace that came with her station; she wasn't Atlasia but she'd be damned if her family wasn't its equal. It wasn't a refusal, or a power play, but a simple statement of fact; she would win if she lasted until the end though she welcomed any aid offered to her. "Though it would be rude to simply receive without proper compensation. If nothing else, let us finish this meal and meet the Observer."

She offered the map to the meeting place; the London Catacombs.

Assassin, we may be a bit but we'll soon be moving towards the Observer.

Azure Sky
Misuteeku

 

[Misuteeku]

"Master, I'd like to warn you about the servant currently inside the meeting place."

Assassin was almost finished exploring the entirety of the crypt. Thanks to the amazing speed and several eyes it had; it managed to remember the majority of the space. "I haven't confirmed the class of the enemy servant, but be careful." Taking another turn, it'd decide to spy on the man. While it indeed had poor presence concealment, it'd improvised for it's incompetence. It's fifth eye rolled out of the sludge. It bounced harmlessly onto the ground before being engulfed by some of the dog's sludge. Quickly, it started to slide away from the monster in order it to spy on the enemy servant. Its presence would most likely be not noticeable due to the lack of mana within the small portion that had left the dog's side. In addition, the dog's presence would of held the attention of the current servant.

Looking into the sixth eye, Assassin could see nothing wrong at Alexandria's end, so it continued to monitor her. The sludge should be in position soon, so Assassin embarked to confront the servant. Little worries were in Assassin; It thought about certain scenarios. If it was Lancer, or Saber then it'd run away. If it was anyone else, it could possible deal with them. The urges had come again stronger then before. The gnawing of yearning came as Assassin slowed its movements as if stumbling. The sludge started lose structure as the dog started to draw greedy breathes. It could hold on for now. It had it's thoughts on Alexandria. The Assassin sympathized with her predicament. It had known the same loneliness that the girl had known for her life. It would remain strong for her...

Slowly regaining the strength it needed, it headed forward. Slime started to build up to make the legs again. It would not fail in killing the master, and it would get out of there alive.

QuirkyAngel BearBearBear

 

[Lucem]

Eli shot Caster an annoyed look when the man made a fuss about him acting proper during their audience with the overseer. He wasn't a kid that needed to be told to sit still when in front of company. He especially didn't need to hear any lectures from a guy that went waving a gun around in public.

Not long after his Servant had pocketed the firearm, Eli gripped the handle and removed it with a bit of sleight of hand. "That's mine now." Walking towards the chair positioned in front of the laptop, he spared Caster a glance before turning his full attention to their invisible host. "Kids that can't listen don't get to play with toys." As much as he disliked holding the gun, it was better than letting the mage hold on to it. Even if it clearly wasn't a normal weapon, nobody else could tell just by looking. He didn't want to cause a panic and end up on the news because Caster had an itchy trigger finger. Besides, he already told him to put it away. Eli was just reminding him who was in charge. That was part of their deal.

Paying no mind to what he had just been told, Eli placed both feet on the table, making himself just as comfortable as the overseer seemed to be as the sound of loud chewing returned. It was really annoying for it to feel like someone was munching right next to his ear, but he tried to ignore that as she mentioned something about a phone. Sure enough, a plastic bag beneath the table contained what the woman had described.

Lazily reaching for the device, Eli turned it over in his free hand, inspecting it closely. A somewhat confused expression grew on his face as the bright screen illuminated his irises. While the idea of using something like a phone to access a sort of magic store was odd, it was also taking some time for him to adjust to this foreign piece of technology. Aside from the one that came with the apartment, he had never owned a phone before, let alone one with all the bells and whistles that made it "smart".

While it was important to know that items on the special market could only be bought with the markings on his hand, Eli was more focused on the additional function to command Servants. Command Spells. After taking in this information, Eli shot Caster a dirty look. He didn't doubt for a second that the man hid this information from him intentionally. Well, not that it really mattered at this point. They already made a deal.

Aside from that, the only other thing that the overseer mentioned was that additional Command Spells could be obtained by killing enemy Masters. Although, that was pretty much useless to him. It meant nothing. He wasn't going to kill anybody.

It seemed like the woman didn't have anything else to add, which was made clear by how she returned to stuffing her face and tried to shoo them away. Unsurprisingly, that didn't go over well with Eli. The young man was staring to get a little angry.

Clearing his throat loud enough for the overseer to hear over her precious snacks, Eli brought his face closer to the laptop and microphone. He wasn't just going to let this lady brush him off and end things there. "Before that, I've still for some questions" If he was forced to participate in this war and stay out this late just to visit some damn tourist attraction, he was at least going to make sure that he got something out of it. "Who the hell are you? It doesn't sound like you people are supposed to be involved in this war shit." Even a dumbass could figure that out by the way she was acting. She even pretty much admitted it during her explanation.

Despite having asked the question, Eli didn't wait very long before moving on to the next. He didn't really expect any answer to his first one, considering how things had been going so far. It wasn't as if he really cared if they were outsiders that just hijacked the war. Regardless of who was actually in charge, it didn't change that he was still here. He mostly just wanted to know who he should be pissed at. Besides Caster.

"Why me?" That was the one he really wanted answered. Out of everyone in the world, why did he have to be dragged into this mess? There wasn't anything he could do to avoid it. Eli had already committed to the war and accepted that there was no escaping from the position he had been forced into. However, he still didn't understand why it had to be him. He could've lived his life normally, working to pay his debts before quietly dying at some unknown point in time. That wasn't possible now. After spending years of trying to distance himself from a curse, he was placed into a world of magic and a battle to the death. He just wanted to know why.

"But before you say anything else, I'm gonna need you to show your face." Briefly glancing at the camera, he could tell that the overseer could see them, but she still remained hidden while relaxing in some unknown place. "I can tell a lot by looking at someone. Like if they're a real piece of shit." While he didn't mention anyone by name, it was obvious who Eli was referring to. Mostly because his thumb was pointing right at Caster.

"So I want to see the person giving me my answer. Hope ya understand." Language aside, Eli wasn't very rude toward the overseer. In his own opinion, at least. His tone wasn't as aggressive as it could've been, but it remained firm, showing no room for compromise. It wasn't very different from how he spoke with Caster, displaying his casual and crass way of speaking. He at least understood that just being rude and screaming wasn't going to get him anywhere with the overseer. Probably.

QuirkyAngel
The One Eyed Bandit

 

[Xel]

SaberRooftop Near Principle London​

When Jun awakened from his nap Saber was leaning against a nearby wall. She simply looked on at the man as he coughed up blood, watching his comrades give him aid. She was certainly no healer, and what healing knowledge she did possess was for the battlefield and of no use for her Master's situation. The best she could do is simply remain out of the way as those more skilled than she helped him. Soon enough he was back in usual form, whatever medicine he had been given clearly doing great work. She remained close by as Jun went over the plan with his men. Simple information gathering, but so long as he wasn't demanding such a task of her she was fine with the plan. Some more waiting for Jun to fetch his equipment and they departed to undertake their part of the plan.

She remained near Jun, however remaining in spirit form all the while. The explanation about the man was an interesting one. "I am relieved to hear that. If such a minor skirmish would leave you drained it would be difficult for me to fight properly. But that also means you must be more cautious, your well-being is my combat prowess." Saber fell back into silence, listening to Jun's request about the name and the story that accompanied it. While the story was one thing, she failed to see the purpose behind the request. Obviously any foe they met would assume Jun was her Master simply by the fact that he was with her. So whether she called him Master or Victor, nothing would change. Surely he must realize that. Nevertheless she held her tongue. It wasn't as if it mattered to her. "Very well, I shall address you as Victor." Was all she said in response. If he wanted to use that name it was fine by her. There was much in life that was largely meaningless, and yet man still sought to partake in it. She would be a hypocrite to chastise him for it.

Eventually they reached their destination, the battle-scarred rooftop coming into view. The servant from earlier obviously would not return, and she very much doubted any others would be showing up. If Jun's network couldn't locate someone she would have to leave him to search on her own. But such actions were for a later time, for now she was content to remain by his side and see if another servant would surprise her and make their presence known. For all their travel the night was still relatively young, she was sure that at least a few servants were still out and about. Whether they came to her or she went to them, she was determined to have another meeting before sunrise.

Interactions: Gaius Danius Griinia

Mentions: Iskandar

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Caster ​

The sludge-covered eyeball was crushed beneath Caster's foot. Filthy. Seriously filthy. Whichever Servant sent such a thing to spy on them clearly had no manners at all.

Pulling the 'Blessing of a Man' Script loose from his hair, Johnny had returned to his Servant body, giving himself full access to his mana the moment he felt the presence of one of his kind. There was no doubt in his mind that it was a Servant that entered that entered the London Tombs. Not only had it done a poor job of concealing its presence, but it practically oozed malevolence. The killing intent was so damn obvious that any magus worth their salt could probably sense it. Or maybe it was just him. Caster recognized the bloodlust from when he visited the City of London--the one that suddenly appeared atop a building.

It was Assassin. Maybe. What sort of Assassin was so bad at hiding itself? Perhaps it was actually Berserker...

Touching his staff to the squished eye, mana was drawn from the remains straight into the crystal orb until the organ beneath his sandal dissolved into nothing. The orb at the end of his staff radiated. In response, the the light dancing around the room grew brighter. Nothing could hide from his holy light. Least of all something as grotesque as a sludged-covered eyeball.

Disgusting.

It was obvious the entire room needed to purified.

Continuing to check the room for any hidden cameras, or any other magical instrument that could be used as traps/spyware/etc (he didn't particularly trust the Overseer), Caster took a moment to glance back at Eli who had both feet on the table as the young man inspected one of the phones. He no longer bothered to hide the irritated expression on his face. There was no point. Seriously. What sort of Master took their Servant's weapon from them? While he could just summon his Scripts backs to him, it would probably devolve into some childish warfare he wanted no part in. He supposed the weapon could prove to be an...adequate..defense for the human...assuming the punk even knew how to use a gun. Or read the scripts. Caster was still convinced Eli was illiterate, especially after the dirty look the boy had given him when the Overseer talked about the command seals. The white-robed man rolled his eyes.

It had been in the letter Eli had thrown away. In plain ink. Not his fault the idiot only skimmed. How on earth did a Servant of his caliber get settled with weak, ungrateful mage who had the intelligence of an ox and the eloquence of a slug? His eyebrow twitched when Eli pointed his thumb at him. And he was called the kid? "Is this a test of my patience, My Lord?" Caster muttered to himself. Or rather, to the one he worshiped.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Caster sighed before opening them and resuming his task. He said he'd leave all the talking to Eli and he meant it. He had other things to do. Once he'd finished assessing the room, purification, after purification, after cleansing spell was cast around the area, bathing it in a warm, golden glow. Taint needed to be wiped clean. He was of the holy denomination, after all. Demons. Ghosts. Spirits. Undead. Living body parts. He wouldn't let any of such monstrosities tread upon God's sacred ground. Not without suffering the consequences.

"It seems we'll have a visitor soon. An enemy Servant, in fact." Caster interrupted the Overseer. Despite his composure, there was no hiding the glint of eagerness in Caster's verdant eyes as the bundle of malice/mana drew closer. If there was one thing he could say about the enemy Servant, it was fast. Very fast. "It's moving at incredible speed throughout the tombs. Judging from the...living optical organ...I'd found, it's likely they already know where we are. How do you wish to proceed?"

As tempted as he was to simply confront the Servant, he was aware that leaving Eli alone was a risk he didn't want to take just yet. Besides, for a speedy Servant, catching it was the hardest part. Traps were the best method in Caster's mind. And all traps required bait. However, he had a feeling that if Eli didn't feel like he was in charge, some sort of tantrum would be thrown. A flick of his wrist and a tome appeared, floating in front of him.

A collection of pre-prepared scripts, some made in his previous lives. Caster flipped through the pages with one hand while his other pointed his staff at the door, mana gathering at the orb. He offered a few suggestions.

"I can go greet the Servant while you finish questioning the Overseer. I can try to maintain a barrier until you're done. We can fight the Servant together. Or you can grab the laptop and we can get moving. Keep in mind, we probably can't outrun the Servant. Think fast."

If Eli couldn't, Caster would.

Lucem
Misuteeku

 

[Misuteeku]

Assassin
​

Assassin could feel its eye being found and crushed at the moment of its arrival. The pain snapped Assassin out of its trance, but continued to run towards the designated target. There wasn't a point to stop now after being detected, and its master was heading its way. Tapping into its master's mana supply, the eye slowly formed back into its head. There wasn't anything to go by on the servants appearance. It had doubted that it belonged to Berserker Class for obvious reasons. Assassin, however had a hunch that the servant wasn't in at least two of the knight classes. Regardless, all Assassin had to do was kill the master and leave.

"Engaging Unknown Servant." Through the link between the servant and master connection, Assassin relayed the information it had obtained.

When it arrived at the room, it instantly tunneled vision onto the enemy master. From point to the point B; from the entrance Assassin was a black blur as it lunged towards the enemy Master. However, what it did not expect was that the enemy servant was in front of his master. With the poorly planned assassination caused it to tackle the enemy servant down to the ground. With Assassin suddenly slowing down allowed others to look at Assassin. Its skill, Innocent Monster C-, caused others to view Assassin as an abomination. A creature shouldn't exist even in the world of Magecraft. Growling, it opened its mouth revealing plentiful amounts of teeth and swung its head down to bite the enemy servants neck.

QuirkyAngel BearBearBear Lucem

Stats:
Strength: C++
Endurance: B
Agility: A
Magical Energy: B+
Luck: B
Noble Phantasm: C

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Caster ​

The enemy Servant arrived much quicker than expected.

Caster had just turned to face the beast when he felt himself being tackled. His floating book clattered on the ground. Better him than Eli, he supposed. Though the former king couldn't say he fancied being the bait much. Then the creature opened its maws, revealing rows of pearly whites. Pinned to the ground as he was, Caster didn't resist much but to shift his neck away so the teeth sank into his shoulders instead. The pain seared, of course. However, Caster did nothing more than let out a hiss. As a Servant and heroic spirit, such pain wasn't something he couldn't endure. It wasn't as if he was unused to dealing with exotic magical creatures either. Slime and multiple eyes aside.

"Dear god, shelter the sinners in your loving embrace."

As the beast gnawed at him, scroll-like paper escaped from the wide sleeves of his robe to encase his fellow Servant starting with the front paws and quickly moving upward. The torso. The jaws. The eyes. "Halt all actions that defy your will. So that no evil is seen. Heard. Or spoken. That everything taken be returned. Bind and drain." The two sets of holy scripts (one from each sleeve) that covered the Servant began to glow in blue hue. A flick of his finger and the creature was sent back to the tomb wall where it was bound. And, unless it broke free of his Scripts, would be drained of its all its mana until nothing was left. Given the skill and divine right he possessed, his drain was decently strong as well.

Already he could see the orb at the end of his staff radiating as it collected more mana for his kingdom.

Getting his feet, the hand covering his gaping shoulder began to glow green, torn flesh mending as he used some of the stolen mana to heal himself. Caster's green eyes were locked on the bound creature. It was a Servant after all. He didn't know how powerful it was either. Therefore there was no knowing when it'd break free. If it breaks free.

"Sorry, but Casters can't afford to fight fair." Caster addressed his Master as he picked up and vanished his tome, never looking away from the many-eyed Servant. "The Servant's Master is likely coming as well."

Misuteeku
Lucem

 

[Gaius Danius Griinia]

Jun used the name Victor for two reasons. Primarily so Master Fang wasn't targeted by enforcers because of Jun and also because he hated the Vortigernus Family for what they did to his mother. He had even fought his cousin over the title. Emilia Vortigernus was the only child of the previous Victor. She had somehow tracked down Jun while he was in Tokyo for a meeting with a client. At first, Jun was a tad distracted with how attractive she was. However her quick-draw helped Jun acknowledge her as SOMEWHAT of a threat. Jun may have been a tad flirtatious in their fight, however he couldn't help but poke fun at how uptight she was. She didn't love her father, though she did desire his title. At the end of their duel, he revealed his name to her. Seems she didn't even know she HAD a cousin. Kissing her neck and vanishing, Jun promised they'd meet again. Smiling wryly, Jun may have let the devious side of himself show. Searching the area with Saber, Jun found no trace of any other Master or Servant. From Saber told him, she had either fought Rider or Assassin. Jun had always found the Rider Class to be a little bit of a cheat. They could have any kind of skill or weapon, its just they rode a thing too.

Atop a watertower, Jun still looked like a bunch of wind. Jun got a call from Lorenzo, it seemed that there were a lot more mages on the prowl. Exhaling and checking on Saber, he resumed his search. Receiving reports from all of his agents in the field, Jun found they came up with nothing. Although there did seem to be movement from the Catacombs. It shouldn't be this hard to find at least the traces of Servant battles. Sending a group there, Jun authorized all means of elimination. As he was about to move there, Jun then got another call from an unknown number. Answering, he found the one voice he hadn't expected. "Jun Hyuga! I know you are in London! Face me again!". It was Emilia Vortigernus, it seems she and her men had captured a couple of his agents. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he slumped against the wall. Well Saber, it seems my girlfriend has captured some of my men during a crucial time.... up for a rescue mission?

Xel

 

[Misuteeku]

Assassin
​

Felt wasn't the word that Assassin would describe what it was feeling currently. After all it didn't have a nervous system to begin with. Nor the bones that would of been constricted by the scrolls that were wrapped against it. It barely felt any of the mana drain at all due to the high magic resistance it had to begin with. Slowly slipping out of the scroll, it took note what the scroll was. It was a script? It had read many in her life out of interest. It eyed the details before ripping it to shreds. It had the information it needed. Getting up Assassin whirled around at the newly confirmed, Caster servant. Growling menacingly; Assassin assessed its current situation. Even though Caster servants would be easy to take out, this servant would of been more troublesome if anything. A Caster servant of the Church. Capable of using the Sacraments of the Church, which Assassin would fear to be troublesome.

"Servant below is confirmed to be Caster"

Without any hesitation Assassin disappeared. Rather, it looked like it disappeared; the dust left behind Assassin said otherwise. Immediately, Assassin appeared behind Eli. Ready to take off the head of the enemy, Assassin pushed its 'paws' and flew at Eli.

QuirkyAngel Lucem