Fate/Restoration (IC)

[Lunas Legion]

---

Fuyuki Church, 8th March 2016: Evening

"Are you sure you need to leave, Caren?" Rin asked, perched over the church's lecturn, keeping her eyes locked firmly on the half-opened doors to the Church. The Church had not changed since the Fifth Holy Grail War; it had no priest, but would be looked after by Caren until one was dispatched. Given that it had been a decade, Rin doubted that would ever happen. The only major difference was Ruler, who sat in the pews, spear and shield next to him, ignoring the current conversation.

Holding one of the doors open was Caren Ortensia, pulling a small suitcase behind her. Caren nodded. "The Church has called, and I must answer. I forgive you for doubting His Holiness' orders."

Rin sighed in defeat. Caren, as different as she was to Kirei, was less painful but just as hard to deal with. Caren, taking this as a sign of acceptance, slipped out the church, the door creaking as she shut it behind her. The church fell silent.

After a few minutes, Ruler broke the silence. "I thought you'd be glad to have her gone, Master."

Rin shook her head. "Caren has been... Helpful these past few years as a... regent of sorts. I would have prefered to have her around as a neutral observer, especally considering that she was almost as good in the healing arts as that fake priest was." She sighed, before continuing. "But what's done is done. Are all the servants here?"

Ruler nodded. "Yes. Berserker has been around for... Quite some time, but has remained static. The others, and presumably their masters, have trickled in over time. I believe the last servant was summoned earlier."

"Good." Rin picked up a phone that had been sitting in the lectern. She was not good with technology; Shirou had had to set up the phone for her, and it only had 5 numbers in it; Shirou's own mobile, Shirou's home's phone, her own home's phone, Sakura's mobile and finally Livia because being able to insult someone from anywhere in the world was so satisfying. She called the fourth of those; calling Shirou would be a...Bad idea. He wasn't exactly aware the Holy Grail War had restarted, because she knew full well he'd try to stop it and likely get himself killed trying to save others, the selfless idiot.

Her phone buzzed for a minute or two before Sakura finally answered.

"Nee-san." Sakura yawned. Rin didn't question why she was tired so early in the evening. She hadn't been sleeping too well either. The Sixth Holy Grail War had dragged up... Unpleasant memories from the Fifth.

"How is everything?" Rin asked.

"Fine, Nee-San. The Einzberns delivered the Lesser Grail a few hours ago. It seems... Lonely."

Rin sighed. Of course they'd stuck with the Lesser Grail homunculus idea. It wasn't a major issue, but having an Einzbern homunculus live in her house? Her father was probably rolling in his grave.

"And your familiars?"

"Where you wanted them, Nee-san. If they see anything, I'll call."

"Thanks, Sakura."

"Anytime, Nee-san." Rin ended the call. She hadn't wanted to bring Sakura in, but she was far better with familiars than Rin was and her tiny shadow familiars were rather hard to detect. She needed them to be her eyes in the city, as she didn't have Archer this time and Ruler had refused to go into the city unless he was going to fight. The other issue with bringing Sakura in was that she could easily inform Shirou of the War. That conversation had been less than pleasant, but she'd eventually convinced Sakura not to.

Now, she had one final call to make; Luvia. Normally she wouldn't call her, but she needed to know if she was involved in the Sixth or not, and there was no easier way than to call her and ask directly. Shirou had learned the power of blunt directness quickly at the Clock Tower, and she'd followed him soon after. No easier way than to blindside plotters or schemers than through old fashioned brute force.

She dialed in Luvia's number, and waited, the dial tone playing in her ear. And she waited. And waited.

Eventually, Luvia answered. "It's half 2 in the morning, Tohsaka. What is so important that you called me at this absurd time?"

"Oh, nothing much." Rin answered sweetly. You had to get under their guard slightly first. "I was just calling to ask if you'd been chosen as a Master for the Sixth Holy Grail War."

"The Sixth?" Livia spluttered, before regaining her composure. "No, of course not. I have no need to participate in your strange Eastern rituals."

Rin smiled. That was as good an answer as any. If she was, she'd have been less surprised about the question. It did, however, mean that Ore Scales and all the annoyance that it brought into the War wasn't in play.

"However..." Luvia's voice took a predatory turn. "I have it on good authority that both an Archibald and a Barthomeloi will be participating, and there's rumours that someone from the Faculty of Law is being dispatched as a secondary Overseer. Do have fun with that, Tohsaka."

Luvia ended the call. Rin cursed and slammed a gloved fist down on the lectern, loudly enough for Ruler to glance in her direction, silently asking 'what's wrong.'

"There's an Archibald and a Barthomeloi as Masters." Rin explained.

Ruler simply blinked, before saying "Those names mean nothing to me."

"They're powerful families in the Clock Tower. The Barthomeloi have never sent a Master before, the Archibalds sent one in the Fourth War." Rin groaned. "If they die I'll probably get blamed for it, and the last thing I need is more enemies."

Well, there was nothing for it now. She was watching the board. Some pieces would need to be removed quickly. Not all of her pieces were in play just yet, but those were only for the worst case scenario. Now, well, now came the worst part. The waiting. The first few days of the Holy Grail War, the maneuvering, the probing, the scouting, those were the worst in her eyes. Thank God she was overseer as well as master of Ruler, and thus outside of all that.

Unless someone decided to trash her house, in which case may God have mercy on them, for she would have none.

---

- was confused. - did not know who, where, or when - was currently. - knew - was in a city of some form, somewhere. - knew - was summoned as Berserker in the Holy Grail War, and that the Holy Grail could tell - who - was. -'s Master had told - to take position in corporeal form on Fuyuki Bridge, and to defeat any Servant or master who appeared. - did not know why, but standing atop the bridge's arch, waiting for a challenger, felt... Natural. Regardless, - waited, silent but for raspy breathing through -'s helmet. - was not aware of it, but - produced enough magical energy to be like a signal pyre for any Servant or magus, telling them that there was a Servant waiting on the bridge.

[Hashirajima]

Walking along the empty streets of Fuyuki City under the illumination of streetlights, Chuuichi Ozawa realised something odd. 'Caster, I did mention I was in the ... navy, right?'

'Indeed, Master. A military dedicated to the seas, how fascinating.' A feminine voice sounded out in his head. 'What's the point of this, if I may ask?'

'I just realised that so much for it being a port city, I've never being to Fuyuki while on duty. Which is rather curious.'

'... You suspect magic.'

Ozawa nodded slightly. 'Certainly, but no matter, I suppose. Now... if I read the map correctly, we should be taking a turn here?'

'Yes. While the temple might be Buddhist in nature, said ideology have always been passive and shouldn't interfere with my procedures. And it IS the major leyline in this city...'

After a moment, the lieutenant commander realised his servant was lagging behind. 'What's the matter?'

'Servant, seems to be northwards. And broadcasting like a beacon, with no little power too. We should avoid that area.'

'... Caster. You do realise the WHOLE city is northwards, right?' Ozawa frowned, and checked the map once more. 'We'll recon the city in the morning.' At that, he paused at the foot of the rather long flight of stairs, and grinned. "Nice steps..."

[Mestovakia]

The Hyatt, Fuyuki City

There were two beds int he room, each one had a woman on it. On one was a brown haired girl in a modest nightgown. On the other was a Black haired woman wearing a pair of soft pajamas that matched her jet-black hair. Both were eating off of a tray that contained a bowl of french fries, chicken strips, and a can of coca-cola as they watched an English-subbed anime series on their TV.

"Personally, I like Touka." The Black haired girl said, before biting into and swallowing a mouthful of chicken. The brown haired girl nodded as well. "Good Choice. I like Kaneki myself, but that's since he's the main character." Aurelia El-Melloi Archibald commented as she drank out of her cola can, before setting it on the beside table and stretching out on the bed. "So, Badb...Should I call you that? Or should I call you The Morrigan...?"

"Morgan will be fine." The black haired girl replied. She was the Irish Goddess of War, Badb, one of The Three Morrígna of Irish Mythology. Badb had lead the Tuatha de Danaan assault on the Fir Bolg thousands of years ago, and she was one of the oldest beings known to man. Aurelia was significantly younger, only about 35. Paralysed after an Illness, she relied on her Tulpa servants to mind her on the Archibald Estate. And now here she was, a Master. "Where did Nizar go?" She asked, yawning. Jet Lag had hit her like a freight train, and she was too tired to go anywhere outside of the room.

Morgan sighed. "He went off with Archer to scout Fuyuki. I believe he said he'd be back in a little bit. So, Aurelia...Why did the Mage Association allow me to accompany you to this war?" Aurelia smirked, rolling around on the bed until she was facing the Morrigan, lying on the bed. "They want to see what you can do, of course." Morgan sighed, holding her head in her hands. "I should've guessed. I suppose I'm lucky that they weren't the ones who are studying me." This got a delighted laugh from Aurelia. "Well, The Lords in The Clock Tower don't know Tulpas like I do. Nobody does. That's why I'm getting to study you, how you act, that sort of thing. Don't worry: I'm not gonna do anything painful. To be honest, I'm not sure why we extracted you from Ireland anyway." Aurelia said, saying that all in the span of 10 seconds. At the same time, there was a knock on the door. "Ah, Nizar's back." Morgan said, getting up to let him in.

[Imperial--japan]

Black gloves gripped fine China as the teacup was lifted up to be drank by a fair individual, clad in mostly Victorian Gothic clothing, whose expression was one of absolute calm and indifference as the large television played across the room. On it was reports of the coming weather forecasts in Fuyuki, and Miyama Town in particular. At the bottom of the television, were some extra bits of news articles that were rather insignificant one way or another. In a simple and delicate motion, the teacup was set back onto the table, the bearer never taking their eyes away from the television in front of them.

Evelyn Barthomeloi was the fair individual in question, and their presence in Fuyuki was not something even they had originally planned for, but more of a passing whim, yet a whim they were dedicated to see through until the end. They ripped their gaze from the television as they stared down at the buzzing phone next to the China.

"Father...." Evelyn muttered. He rarely spoke to his father, and even more rarely over electronic devices, which most Barthomeloi rejected in favor of alternate forms of communication. However, given his insistence on secluding himself within the confines of his home in the foreigners district of Miyama Town, his contact with other members of the Barthomeloi was limited. Not that he sought to disgrace or reject the family name, but quite the opposite in fact. His pride in his family name defined him sometimes, going as far as to see his given name as a mere inconvenience sometimes.

"Not today." Evelyn resolved to himself as he allowed the phone to ring on into silence. His father wanted to see him again, but Evelyn knew it was simply impossible. Not until he had mastered his craft, and became someone on par with the heirs of the main branch. A lofty goal, but given his choice of magecraft, perhaps the sheer unorthodoxy would prove to be a boon.

"I'm not sure why Father cares so much. After all, he has a worthy heir and I've done nothing to jeopardize the reputation of our bloodline, nor can I imagine Lady Barthomeloi Lorelei's pursuits of the vampiric variety to have taken a turn to family matters any time soon." Evelyn thought aloud, spitting the word 'vampiric' out with certain disgust.

"I suppose it matters little. I shall speak to him when this is all over, and house Barthomeloi basks in glory." Evelyn asserted. He was confident that any other contenders in the grail war would be insignificant to someone like him, and convince them that their continued participation was against their best interests, especially against an Aristocrat such as himself.

[Nea Videssos]

As a certain Gothic-Lolita attired individual went about his business in the adjacent room nearby, a pink-haired, girly figure currently clad in decidedly more modern regalia stood, humming to themselves as they peered through a window. With gorgeous looks that rival those of any lovely girl, the legends had failed to quite do justice to Lancer's beauty. No description of the figure's beauty in dusty old tomes could fully retell the lovely sight that was Astolfo. With a pink bobcut and a long braided ponytail extending from it; a soft-featured face with perfectly smooth skin and a slender, noticeably feminine build, one would easily come to the conclusion that Astolfo was a very pretty girl. Flat-chested, perhaps, but no less appealing.

With lavender eyes to match his strawberry ice-cream pink hair, he could certainly be considered eye-catching. He was bedecked in a thin, sleeveless purple and white striped-shirt that exposed his no-less feminine midriff, with a thin, dark purple hoodie accented by cotton ball pull-strings, and the hood of which resembled bunny-ears. Further down was a dangerously short black skirt, with a light blue belt so loose as to clearly only be present for aesthetic purposes. Beneath the skirt, for those curious enough, were matching purple and white panties. The outfit was completed with translucent black pantyhose that accentuated his slender, delicate legs, along with a pair of purple and white high-top trainers. One last touch was a silver necklace in the form of a slightly stylised cross. Neither his own physique, nor his clothing did anything to dispel the notion that he was a girl. It could easily be said that he was more like a princess than a prince, though one might not expect royalty to be clad in something as informal as his current clothing.

Astolfo always liked staying in physical form. It felt wonderful to be in this world again, to breathe its air, and to walk upon its ground. There were so many new things he'd learnt about upon being summoned by his new Master. A great deal had changed since the time of Charlemagne, though unlike some Servants, he did not disapprove of the changes. Rather, they fascinated him all the more, and inspired his wanderlust to a greater extent than before.

Whilst a little too dreary and dark for Astolfo's own personal preferences; he was, after all, a rather bright individual, he knew Evelyn wasn't that bad a person. His master had nice dresses, as well. Shortly after summoning he'd been greeted and treated rather courteously, with the Bartholomeloi verging upon fawning on him after first meeting Lancer. His own narcissism had promptly kicked in, and his ego had rapidly began pushing the rest of his not-particularly-complex psyche into an increasingly positive view of his master. Whilst sometimes boastful of his deeds and abilities, the prince-paladin knew he wasn't that strong. Even in his days, it was said that he was the weakest of Charlemagne's knights. He may have made up for it in cuteness and beauty, he liked to think at times. Acknowledging of his weakness did not seem to stem his apparently endless optimism and enthusiasm, however. Or his ability to hold a conversation. He was perhaps a little too good at holding a conversation. Sometimes he overwhelmed others with his incessant chatting. He was aware of that himself, but he couldn't help himself. Not that Astolfo cared that much. As long as it's fun, why not? He didn't think it did that much harm, either.

All he knew was to take things as they came, and serve his Master to the best of his ability. Enjoying things on the side would doubtless accompany all that, since that was how he lived. He sought pleasure and adventure, alongside nice people he could meet. He treasured anyone he met whom he got along with, and adored spending time with friends - so long as they didn’t hold him back from his exploratory whims too much. Even then, he would be pretty quick to forgive them. Astolfo was generally not the sort of person to hold grudges and slights, though whether that was due to his kindness and optimism, or just air-headed forgetfulness, one could not tell.

Astolfo was a decidedly willful individual, it could be said, making decisions on the spot. Initially, he'd been prepared to be a bit stubborn and bug his Master into letting him leave spirit form, since he knew it would be a bit more inefficient in his use of prana, and some might object to that in such as situation as a Grail War. When Evelyn had easily assented to Astolfo's initially polite, if overly energetic inquiry, he almost jumped for joy. Astolfo had been playing on a laptop in the other room, finding considerable fun to be had on this device. Not as fun as actually travelling around and meeting people in the flesh, but he could learn a surprising amount on the internet. He'd downloaded some fun games, too. Technologically, things had definitely changed.

He'd gone out a few days earlier to go shopping, and acquired the laptop then, along with his current clothes and other bits and pieces. Since the Grail War hadn't properly begun yet, Astolfo hadn't been too worried as to his Master's safety. When it did commence, however, he knew he needed to be at Evelyn's side to protect her. Of course, scouting would be important too, and he might even have a bit of a romp around Miyama and the nearby areas of Fuyuki given the chance. Evelyn probably wouldn't be too resistant to the idea, he hoped. Though given the way he was, he'd probably wander off regardless of whether or not he had permission. As far as Astolfo knew so far, his Master was a girl, and he had no reason to believe otherwise. Lancer thought that she was definitely beautiful, and her dark, mysterious manner had a certain allure to it.

Refocusing his attention, Astolfo realised his mind had drifted away from what he was originally going to do. Just as he could be impulsive and headstrong, so could he easily forget what he was just about to do. Sometimes it took a little distraction for it to take effect, but his airheaded nature was not going to let itself be cast aside. Blinking momentarily, he shook his head as if to cast off his distracted train of thought, and promptly spun around from the direction of the window, to face the door nearby. Practically waltzing as he moved, he opened the door to the living room where Evelyn was watching television.

"Mmm... Master?" He inquired, one of the reasons for his entry having been the ringing of the phone he'd heard earlier. "Sure you didn't miss anything important? Ah... I guess it doesn't matter. You would have answered it if you felt it was worth doing so, right?" Smiling, he uttered these words in a tone of confidence and utter optimism towards his Master. Well, she is my Master. She's got good enough judgement for these things. Undoubtedly better than mine. It can certainly be said that I lack much in the way of restraint or common sense. Not that these thoughts at all bothered him, he knew that it was jut the way he was, and that he should embrace it positively, as much as he embraced all his other flaws, as well as strengths. It might seem odd that he boasted of his faults as well as his talents, but the English paladin could be like that sometimes.

Lancer had the feeling there was another reason for him coming into the room, but it had fairly rapidly vanished. "Aww... I forgot what I was going to say. Oh well," he murmured in a manner that seemed little more than a slightly quieter iteration of his earlier cheerful voice. If not interrupted soon, he would probably go off on one and string together an enthusiastic lecture on a variety or probably unrelated topics that somehow became relevant in his mind for whatever reason. As it were, this was something of a lull in what could become a bit of a verbal storm.

[Riysa]

Fuyuki City, Japan
~4:00 pm Local Time

Colonel Nizar Khaddam - or, as his French passport called him, Mr. Emile Rivain, rode down the the Big Bridge, Archer at his side driving the rented Acura. Driving on the left was still unfamiliar to him, so he let Archer drive the car, while he observed the city's layout and its sights - and of course made sure nobody was tailing them. Despite the whole group having been completely spent from their long journey, Nizar/Emile wanted to reconnoiter the city before the fighting started. Maps, Google Earth, and online pictures could only tell you so much; the most important form of recce was the commander's personal surveillance of the battlefield, in his own opinion. So much the better; there were some errands that had to be run immediately, such as renting a car and grabbing some tourist pamphlets and maps, and the girls certainly didn't seem up to it. Archer, however, was interested in seeing the city, both as a combatant and as a tourist, and with nothing else to do right now in the men's suite at the hotel, he happily agreed to come.

It had been an obscenely long travel, but one borne out of necessity. Nizar thought it would be strange if nobody was watching Heathrow Airport, or Tokyo Airport, or even watching/bugging the Archibald mansion, which would give the mages ample forewarning of their movements. Thus, the Colonel was set on making sure nobody knew if, when, or where the group was, so he had pulled every trick he could manage out of the spymaster's book, of course roping Lady Aurelia Archibald into his classic schemes. As Aurelia and the others called up random travel agencies for routes to Japan in the days leading up to their planned date, he had clandestinely booked the tickets under his Emile Rivain identity. Instead of booking a flight directly to Japan nearby airport, he had booked several tickets as separate legs of the travel under both Emile Rivain and "Duraid Sbei" - London to Doha, Doha to Dubai, Dubai to Damascus, Damascus to Moscow-Vnukovo, Moscow to Vladivostok, and then Vladivostok to Kumamoto with a layover in Seoul and Tokyo. The erratic running across the world, especially into "less-traveled" airports, would help cover up their tracks, much as a fox does when hunting - or so Nizar had heard. Not counting the weary night the group had spent in Damascus' Four Seasons Hotel, the total time of flight was over 24 hours. It was exhausting, but if he had the option, he might've pushed it out for another day or two, with extra hotel stops to make the masking complete; however, Aurelia was frail, so he didn't want to risk making her ill.

Hiding his exhaustion behind a mask of pleasant calmness, he leisurely gazed out of the window, making mental notes to anything of interest. At several points, they had stepped out and walked around for a few minutes, noting some of the buildings and alleyways, before going back into the automobile. After having arrived at the Mount Miyama neighborhood, he checked off the last landmark on his checklist. There were still the residences of the great families that had yet to be scouted, which Nizar had read about in Aurelia's books, but he wasn't sure if they had some sort of proximity alarm system. No, it'd be better to wait until later, alone like a normal human. Plus, it was getting late, and they had all the information they initial needed, both of ambush/getaway routes and of pleasant restaurants and goods shops. Lightly tapping on Archer's shoulder, he politely asked him to turn around and go back home. The man, with a smile and a nod, turned the vehicle around, going back onto the main road in the direction of the Bridge. The disparity between the Shinto and Miyama districts was pretty noticeable, even if both were supposedly part of the same city. However, both had made a good impression on him so far - Shinto with its sleek modernity, and Miyama with its quiet traditionalism - and from what he could tell, it had done the same to Archer.

Speaking of whom, Archer at first glance did not look like some bombastic hero of the ages; rather, he resembled some quiet professor or naturalist, at home in a quiet cabin in the woods or in a mountain resort. His face was not hard or gruff, but rather soft and kind, with a naturally peaceful smile always present. The sharp business suit that he wore - both of them, in fact, in order to resemble foreign entrepreneurs on a business trip to the Far East - did nothing to nullify the notion, but instead made it more believable. His overall profile radiated life and tranquility. Indeed though, he was a hero, an inspiration to all those who knew about him. As they drove over the bridge, an idea popped into the case officer's head.

"Mr. Archer."

"Yes, sir?" Archer replied attentively, but with his eyes tracking the road. Safety first.

"S'il vous plaît, please drop the colonel, or officer, or any other honorifics like it. I don't mind being spoken to casually, especially since we're out on an operation. You maybe a Servant, but I can't accept you acting like an actual servant."

Archer politely chuckled. "Very well....Mr. Emile. What did you want to ask?"

"Hmm...well, Archer, are you okay with all of this?"

"With all of what? Fighting in this War?"

"Yes. Being a pawn for someone's desires in their fight over this...Grail mechanism." The colonel realized that it could be interpreted as a form of testing, so he hurriedly tacked on an extra line. "I'm not trying to test your loyalty or anything, I'm genuinely interested."

Archer gave a faint shrug, eyes still focused on the road. "Its a matter of duty. We all have a duty we need to fulfill, to its fullest extent. I can't say anything about the other Masters, but I know that our group has a noble goal in mind, and so I don't mind it. Why do you ask; are you not comfortable with the upcoming battle?"

Colonel Nizar's expression remained the same, as he continued to stare out the window. "No, I agree; this was what was fated for me, and I will rise to the occasion regardless. I was just interested, since this all is a bit strange to me still."

"Well, I accepted the invitation, and I have my own desires and needs for winning; I'm only human! In a manner of speaking." Archer grinned.

The Colonel let out a polite laugh. "Best of luck, Archer. I look forward to working with a legend."

"You honor me too much, kind Colonel. Likewise, my friend, likewise."

The Hyatt, Fuyuki City
~6:00 pm Local Time

It was still light outside when the duo parked the automobile in the Hyatt's lot, though getting dark fast - sunset was in an hour. Taking their briefcases out of the rear of the car - filled with a variety of random documents to complete the businessman appearance, along with more important maps and images - they hurriedly ran back to their suite. The Colonel wanted to get some groundwork laid before the night came; at the very least, the sooner they got set up the better.

Bursting into their suite, Nizar glanced around. It was a nice suite, intended for those planning an extended stay - like the foreign businessmen they had pretended to be, with a small kitchen and table added to the list of typical amenities. On the case officer's bed lay a second briefcase, very similar in appearance to the one he current carried, and next to the bed was a small safe. Dropping the case in his hand on the bed as well, he went to freshen up and perform ablutions, while Archer looked over one of the tourist pamphlets that they had picked up.

Finishing it and then finishing his religious rituals, he went over to the safe and inputted the code, opening it up. Inside lay a pistol and a machine-pistol, along with the appropriate number of magazines for each, two holsters suited for each weapon, and a small box of ammunition shared by both. Good. It wasn't much; he didn't doubt more would be needed later, but it'd do for now. The letter he had sent to his CO via SyrianAir during the overnight stay had been approved to its fullest extent. He had sent him a plan - with only need-to-know information, as usual, for security reasons - which included a request for more firepower, and he had gotten it. The purser on the flight to Vnukovo had given him the second briefcase as a "case of valuables", and the "flight attendants" that had presumably previously stayed in this room left him the remainder of the assorted firearms. Hopefully they performed the bug check as well.

Taking the firearms out of the safe, he stuffed the pistol with its holster into the first (normal) briefcase, along with the ammunition, while he took the machine pistol and stuffed it into one of the internal pockets of his suit. Closing the door of the safe and locking it, he then picked up both cases, one in each hand, and called to Archer. Archer nodded, and picked up his own briefcase, opening the door into the floor's hallway. A quick glance outside to make sure nobody was there, and both trotted out, going over to the next door after making sure their own was locked. A series of heavy knocks alerted its occupants that they were outside, followed by the colonel turning his back to the door while waiting for someone to open the door, as manners demanded. Wordlessly, the door opened, and the men stepped inside, Archer first followed by Nizar keeping watch on the hallway.

"Okay, is there anywhere we can set these down?" Archer spoke upon the door closing, with both him and the spymaster looking for some place to set down their equipment.

"We also need a table to set up everything on." Nizar added. "We've picked up all sorts of useful materials while we were out."

Now, begun the true struggle. No one but God knew what awaited them in the coming days, but no matter what, they'd do their best to be prepared. He let a grin appear on his face, as he carried the precious "valuables" into the room. It had been a pretty successful recce mission, after all, so why not enjoy it for a little bit?

[WeabooGarbage]

Liang peered through the bars of an imposing gate, looking across a vast courtyard dotted with fountains and trimmed shrubbery to a Western style mansion. In the presence of such luxury, he felt somewhat like a prisoner, and the gate made it feel almost like he was a prisoner straining to peek through bars.

It was odd to see a mansion in Japan, especially in an urbanizing area like Fuyuki where land costs were rising quite a bit. Even odder was that this mansion was Western styled. But considering this was the house of a landed Magus bloodline, the Tohsaka, it wouldn't be too off road for such a mansion to be here. Magi did seem to love Western tradition.

Which was fitting, considering how selfish the mindset of a magus was. Western magecraft always seemed to focus entirely on personal benefits. There was no sense of reverence to the deceased, of consideration for the downtrodden, of the fates of others. All of it centered around the self, or a single family, and usually all to chase the ever fleeting dream of reaching the spiral of origin.

A complete waste of a life, he thought as he jumped, soaring over the gate with a little push from his tiptoes, sending him on a neat parabola that ended a meter in front of the gate. All mystery was going to die anyway, what with science making it obsolete. No point in slaving away to halt the inevitable.

But respect was due where it was deserved. Passion and dedication were not lacking among magi. He reached behind his back and grasped a sizable jade disk, shaped like a hexagon and a bit more than a meter wide in diameter, and drew it from his back, loosening the fabric bindings that wrapped the artifact to his body.

He tossed it up in the air and it levitated, oscillating at a lethargic pace.

Breathing in, he imagined being burned alive, the flames blinding him as his eyes shriveled, his skin charring and slopping off in half-liquefied heaps, his lungs drawing in raw pain.

In response, his circuits flared, and pain flowed through his body, spreading from his sternum outwards. His body temperature started rising, and the pain subsided in response, dulling until it was a numb echo.

His trigger for activating his circuits was a rather brutal one, what with the self-immolation imagery, but for an ascetic monk, it somewhat suited him. Many magi who didn't quite have the natural talent or ability had to resort to using drugs, and quite a few relied on raw, primal motivations like sexual arousal. Needless to say, both those methods would be quite off character for Liang.

"Yì," he chanted.

The jade disc rotated once, and one it were now six lines, neatly arranged in six equidistant sections on the disc. The six lines formed the 61st hexagram, representing the idea of an inner truth, of the King Wen sequence. The ideal hexagram to channel divination magecraft and find a way past the defenses this mansion inevitably would have. Liang pinched the disc between his index finger and thumb and slammed it on the ground, embedding half of it in soil.

He clasped his hands together and focused. From the disc, bright green lines spread like a neural network, streaking through the courtyard with dizzying speed, forming dozens upon dozens of branches. This tree of light stopped halfway through the courtyard, almost like it had hit a wall.

He shrugged. It looked like the Tohsaka stronghold was quite secure. He would need absurdly superhuman physical capabilities to even try to squeeze through the mystery mountain of mystical traps and obstacles. It was strange that the Tohsaka, the Second Owners of this land and as such responsible magi, would not put down their defenses a notch or two considering the Faculty of Law had made his visit known in advance. Probably meant that the resident Tohsaka was away on business.

No point in staying around, then.

He bent down and pulled the disc from the dirt. After patting the dirt stuck to the disc, he squatted in front of the neat incision into the earth the disc had made. Hovering a palm over the mess, he expended some magical energy, and the surrounding dirt clumped together and filled in the cut, with grass once more growing over it.

Good as new. Satisfied, he was about to jump out when he caught notice of a young girl with, strangely, purple hair standing across the courtyard. It was likely that he had set off some kind of alert, but regardless he was surprised to see someone was in the house.

Liang waved his hand and smiled.

"I'm here on behalf of the Faculty of Law," shouted Liang, "please, feel at ease and let me through."

[Lunas Legion]

Tohsaka Residence, 8th March 2016: Evening

Saying Sakura was nervous was an understatement. It wasn't quite fear either. It was somewhere in the middle between the two, somewhere indescribable. She currently sat in Rin's lounge on the long sofa, a empty cup sitting on the table in front of her. The Lesser Grail's vessel, an Einzbern homunculus by the name of Iliadsviel with the long silver hair and red eyes that Rin said all Einzbern homunculi possessed, sat on a chair across from her, eyes closed. She, too, had spent most of the day napping

She had been quiet ever since the Einzbern had delivered her. She'd asked her if she wanted anything to eat or drink, she'd simply shook her head.

Sakura blinked. The Bounded Field had activated, or the detection one had. The Einzberns had triggered it earlier when delivering the homunculus, but she'd been expecting that. She hadn't been expecting anyone else. She stood, and grabbed a pair of gems and her phone from the table. They were manual activation gems; if she crushed one, all the bounded fields surrounding the manor would activate, if they weren't triggered by one of the other fields.

Unlike Rin, she was far better with modern technology, and swiftly typed in Rin's number before bringing the phone up to her ear.

Rin answered immediately. "What is it, Sakura?"

"The bounded field went off, Nee-san." Sakura replied as she made her way through the house towards the front door.

Rin sighed. "It's probably just the second overseer from the Faculty of Law, but I'll send Ruler down just in case. Don't take any chances, Sakura."

"I won't, Nee-san." Sakura ended the call and placed the phone down on a small table next to the front door. She stopped, breathed, and stepped out into the front courtyard. The man standing there was old and Asian, with long silver hair. He waved and smiled before shouting "I'm here on behalf of the Faculty of Law, please, feel at ease and let me through."

Sakura sighed. Well, it was good Rin had given her some warning of this. She clenched her hand into a fist, the gems tapping together briefly. That brought the warding field down, which kept magi it wasn't keyed to out, but left all of the other fields up.

"The warding field is down temporarily, do come in and make yourself comfortable. Ruler is currently on his way here." Sakura remained standing in front of the door, waiting for Liang to enter.

[Mestovakia]

“So, Emile… While you were out, I decided to make a new Tulpa that we can use for scouting.” Aurelia said, pointing towards a small adjoining room. “Ryuunosuke is in there too, but we don’t care much for vermin, right? Don’t worry, he’s tied up. She’s waiting for you to judge her abilities.”

The Colonel's face fell a bit, after hearing that second name. It was the name of an old monster, dead, but who's memory was brought back to life. Right next door, no less. "Ryu-no-su-ke...are you sure its safe to keep him around?"

"As long as he's tied up, bound, and shot in the kneecaps and elbows, I think we're good." Aurelia said, scowling a bit. "I hate the guy too, but enough about him. Assassin, come on out!" The door opened and a small white haired girl came out. At a glance, she resembled Hassan, but her white hair and cute red eyes were patently von Einzbern. "I made her an hour ago, but I haven't thought of a name for her." Aurelia said, while Morgan stared at the girl.

He nodded, putting on a neutral expression. Nizar trusted that Aurelia was right; she was the expert after all. Turning to face the new arrival, he looked at her intently. Somewhere in the person that she had called "Assassin" was Levantine blood, much like the group that had spawned her namesake, but her features were distinctly unnatural. No matter, that could be fixed. "Well, Assassin." He smiled. "What do you want to be called?"

"Master...I am not too certain. I have yet to gain any actual experiences, and cannot think of a name for myself at this moment in time." Assassin replied emotionlessly, looking around her. "I was made to be a scout for this Section of the Holy Grail War, and intend to serve in this position to the best of my ability."
For someone who looked like a kid, she certainly didn't act like one, both the Colonel and Archer thought. "How about..."
"Amal." Said the Colonel.
"Ida." Said Archer at the same time.
Archer chuckled, while the Colonel looked amused. "Which one sounds better, everyone?" Nizar proclaimed. "We'll settle it here."
"What does Amal mean?" Aurelia asked.
"It means hope." The colonel said, not informing her that the reason why he picked that name was because it was that of a famous singer.
"Ida means Ida." Archer shrugged.
"Am...al..." Assassin said, testing how it sounded. I’m not sure if I like that name...." "Then she can be Sachiko.” Aurelia giggled as Sachiko accepted that name with a nod and a smile. "The Personality takes a few hours to develop. Who knows what she'll be like?"

"Hopefully more like a human being." Archer wisecracked.
"Well, I've known people colder than that, so she's already there." Nizar cracked back. "We look forward to you being with us, Miss Sachiko. Well, lets set these heavy cases down somewhere." The colonel turned back. "We've got a lot to show everyone here. Including you, Sachiko." He paused for a second before something else came to his mind. "Hey, Ryu can't hear us from back there, can he?"
"The person you are referring to as Ryu seems to be missing his ears, so I do not think he will be able to hear us....or anything, really." Sachiko said, glancing back at the cabinet where muffled whimpers were emanating from.
Without asking too many questions, he accepted it. "Good." Aurelia whistled innocently. "There's a table over here, Emile."
Wordlessly, the two waddled to the table, setting down the three cases with a loud "clunk!" Nodding to each other, the Colonel unlocked the secondary briefcase. "First things first...reinforcement." He carefully opened it up. The briefcase, while normal from the outside, was not intended to carry any papers. Instead, an assorted variety of firearm parts lay inside, waiting to be assembled.

"Veh-Es-Es." The Colonel said, carefully taking out the receiver first. "Silenced rifle for the liquidation of targets equipment with means of personal protection. Cost me a lot of begging and, uh, tipping of my boss to get. Its only got 30 bullets here, so use sparingly."
Archer reached in, pulling out one of the two scopes in here. ""Shahin" night scope. Thank you for lending me that book, Anisa, about the 4th War. With this, we'll have an edge over the other mages." The colonel explained.
Closing the case and moving it to the side, he reached into the first case, dropping the pistol and machine pistol. "The pistol is a PM - Makarov pistol." He checked it before setting it down on the table. "Its a nice little self-defense gun. Its been around for 40 years, after all."
"Does anyone else have experience with firearms, by the way? We should all be armed, just in case."

"Uhm...?" Sachiko said, raising a hand. "Master? What shall I do?"
"Well, first things first, call me Emile." He faced her, smiling like he was talking to a kid. It was still hard to shake that impression. "We were hoping you could be our eyes and ears in the city. Look around for anything suspicious." He looked back. "Archer?"
"Yes, Emile." Archer unlocked his own case, reaching in and pulling out a large tourist map of the city. Nizar threw down a couple of pens, and images from Google Earth onto the map for good measure. "How good is your memory, little one?" Archer asked.
"Uhm...I say it's fairly ok. I might need to take a map along with me for reference..." She said, frowning a bit.
"Then, go ahead and take it." Archer handed her another pamphlet. "It'll complete the disguise."
"Aye. The red eyes are also a bit of a giveaway, but I have blue contacts." The colonel nodded in agreement. "How about magic detection?"
"I can detect any magic within a Hundred Metres, Master." Sachiko said, saluting. "Where shall I scout?"

"Emile, please. When we were scouting out earlier, we didn't approach some targets, since I wasn't sure if the had any alarm that would be set off by us. However, you'd likely be better at detecting and getting around such things." The colonel pointed to the map. "I want you reconnoiter here." He pointed to the Tohsaka estate. "If you detect any magic use, or mages, near here or on the way, make a note with this red pen. Anything else you notice, note it too. Use your telephone's camera to take some pictures when you can. Keep in contact with your cellular; if something happens, run back to the bridge, but don't lead them to the hotel; we'll try to help if you can't break away yourself. Think you can do this?"
Sachiko took in this information and nodded. I can do that, Mast--Er, Emile." She took a notebook, a pen, and the smartphone, saluting and making for the exit. That was how Sachiko found herself near the Tohsaka estate, recording the details of the Field that protected it. She waited for any mages to show themselves so she could record their details. A strange man appeared near the gate, and was admitted into the mansion by a purple haired girl. Sachiko craned forward to get a better view, trying to zoom in with the smartphone camera. However, she ended up slipping off the branch. With an involuntary yelp, she landed unceremoniously in a heap at the base of the tree, her Iphone adding insult to injury by landing on her head. "Ow...." As the tree she was in had been on the edge of the Boundary, she landed inside it and set it off.

[Lunas Legion]

Tohsaka Residence, 8th March 2016: Evening

Sakura blinked. The Bounded Field had been tripped again. She gave an apologetic smile towards Liang. "I'm sorry, but there's something that requires my attention urgently. Please, see yourself in."

Sakura stepped forwards, moving past Liang and walking over to the main gate. She glanced outside, and noticing nothing suspicious, turned right and began to make a full circuit of the property's borders. She didn't get far before her circuit was interrupted by a "Yo, Sakura," from behind her. She stopped and Ruler sauntered up next to her, helmet on and spear resting on his right shoulder hiding his blond hair. "What are you doing?"

"The bounded field was triggered, Ruler." Sakura began to walk again, Ruler matching her pace.

"Oh. Wasn't that the Law guy?"

Sakura shook her head. "There was a second trigger. The magus from the Faculty of Law has gone inside. We'll join him when-"

Sakura and Ruler stopped in front of a tree, a young girl sprawled at it's base.

"I believe that's your intruder, Sakura." Ruler smirked, leveling his spear at the sprawled form. "Stand, girl. I have questions and you will answer inside. Grab the phone." Sakura did so quickly, not bothering to check the contents. She could do that inside.

[Mestovakia]

Tohsaka Residence, 8th March 2016: Evening

Sakura blinked. The Bounded Field had been tripped again. She gave an apologetic smile towards Liang. "I'm sorry, but there's something that requires my attention urgently. Please, see yourself in."

Sakura stepped forwards, moving past Liang and walking over to the main gate. She glanced outside, and noticing nothing suspicious, turned right and began to make a full circuit of the property's borders. She didn't get far before her circuit was interrupted by a "Yo, Sakura," from behind her. She stopped and Ruler sauntered up next to her, helmet on and spear resting on his right shoulder hiding his blond hair. "What are you doing?"

"The bounded field was triggered, Ruler." Sakura began to walk again, Ruler matching her pace.

"Oh. Wasn't that the Law guy?"

Sakura shook her head. "There was a second trigger. The magus from the Faculty of Law has gone inside. We'll join him when-"

Sakura and Ruler stopped in front of a tree, a young girl sprawled at it's base.

"I believe that's your intruder, Sakura." Ruler smirked, leveling his spear at the sprawled form. "Stand, girl. I have questions and you will answer inside. Grab the phone." Sakura did so quickly, not bothering to check the contents. She could do that inside.

Hearing the voice of Ruler, Sachiko shakily stood up, arms above her head as she trembled a bit. "Uhm...I-inside?" She said, looking at the spear's point with a worried expression on her face. Seeing no alternative, she permitted herself to be Lead inside by Ruler for the interrogation. She looked at the Western architecture used in its construction, noticing the older guy from earlier standing nearby.

[WeabooGarbage]

Liang nodded to Sakura and welcomed himself in the mansion. As he did so, his eyes scanned Ruler up and down, narrowing as they gorged themselves on every detail of Ruler's figure. This was his first encounter with a heroic spirit, even if it was a downgraded copy shoved into a Servant container. Even so, it would take a deaf and dumb fool to not realize how remarkable Ruler was. Through Ruler's meridians, Liang could perceive an extraordinary amount of magical energy flowed through Ruler in a crashing hurricane. In contrast, when he set his eyes on the average magus, he only saw a calm, easy flow in tune with the ebbing tide of Magecraft in the modern era.

There was no challenging such a presence. Liang doubted he would last more than thirty seconds in direct combat if he evaluated a potential fight based on their respective volumes of magical energy. Now, with martial skill and other physical factors added, thing could change here and there, but even then such variables would only create the tiniest of margins of errors against a combat oriented Servant, which Ruler seemed to be.

Not that this really changed anything. Liang was here to keep order, not beat his way into victory. Well, he was supposed to maintain order. If Servants were all this powerful, then he doubted there was much he could do if any Masters chose to oppose him. But then again, he was only "supposed" to keep order, meaning that he had quite a convenient excuse if everything devolved into a wild frenzy. And a wild frenzy would be the best case scenario.

In chaos, the greatest disasters were born. This, Liang knew intimately from the toxic cauldrons of war.

Perhaps this ritual would be the chaos that finally births Liang's dreams.

When Sachiko came, or rather got forced, into the mansion, Liang's attention remained glued to her. Considering that the Tohsaka were one of the three founding families of this ritual, it wasn't unexpected that a scout would be present nearby. What was surprising was that this scout was. It didn't seem to be the run of the mill familiar, made of some random hair or old rocks. It seemed to be a living creature.

Necromancy, perhaps? Liang sensed her meridians, and found them intact and flowing with life. Not necromancy.

Homonculus, then? Liang focused his attention on his feet, feeling the network of magical energy around him, seeing the trickles of magical energy that dripped from Ruler. A homonculus would also be expelling some kind of magical signature, considering that they drew their lives from the mana in the world around them. So not a homonculus.

Creating life was impossible - a feat worthy of sorcery. Liang understood this, so he was curious about Sachiko. Her creator would be quite the accomplished magus at the very least.

When Liang heard Sachiko speak and act, moving in confusion and subdued fear in response to Ruler's heavy-handed treatment, Liang resolved to meet Sachiko's creator. Whoever had formed Sachiko was not a true magus at heart. A genuine magus wouldn't have implanted fear, or confusion, or any awareness of danger that could get in the way of things. Magi wanted puppets, not people.

It would be refreshing to see an accomplished magecraft user without the heart of a magus, considering Liang himself was one such specimen.

Regardless, now that he knew Sachiko was not a mere mass of programmed reactions, he saw her as a living, breathing creature, and by obligation to his morals, he had to assure her safety.

"Ruler, was it?" said Liang, stepping in front of Sachiko and placing himself in front of Ruler, "the girl is afraid. Let's deal with this matter with less pointed steel and more talking. The defenses around this mansion will re-activate soon, so this girl will have nowhere to go anyway."

[Imperial--japan]

Evelyn Barthomeloi - Resident Gothic Lolita

"Mmm... Master?" He inquired, one of the reasons for his entry having been the ringing of the phone he'd heard earlier. "Sure you didn't miss anything important? Ah... I guess it doesn't matter. You would have answered it if you felt it was worth doing so, right?" Evelyn looked over at his servant, Lancer, and wordlessly shook their head. Lancer might have been his servant for the Grail War, but there was no reason for her to to get involved in the affairs of the Barthomeloi. It was Evelyn's burden to deal with the affairs of the family, and all Lancer would need to be concerned with was making sure that she was always ready and capable for the inevitable battles ahead.

"It's nothing to worry about. Just some trivial matters of the familial variety." Evelyn spoke softly, evidently comfortable in their current position on the couch. He set his teacup down once more, the contents of it now drained. He stood up to move towards the teapot he left back in the kitchenette, intent on replenishing his cup.

"Lancer, would you like some black tea? It's a bit strong, but I enjoy it....of course there are other beverages as well if you'd like." How odd this was. Evelyn has been alone for so long, and his servant clearly wasn't like others. They preferred staying in physical form to the ethereal form that they were supposedly capable of maintaining. It wasn't that Evelyn was displeased with having a de-facto roommate, but having someone practically living in his home alongside him was something he'd had to get used. Technically he was still getting used to it, but he was nowhere near as uncomfortable about it as he felt when he first summoned Lancer.

Oh, how interesting that day was. There Evelyn was in his basement, a summoning circle prepared and the catalyst, a sword hilt recovered from Belin, France that looked as though it was likely well made for its age, but decayed throughout the ages. Nonetheless, the summoning went as the Barthomeloi expected, and the after effects were quite surprising. Instead of the Paladin he'd been expecting, he was gifted with the sight of a pretty girl. It seemed odd for a woman to be a Knight given the period, but he thought back to other notable individuals such as Joan of Arc, and quickly bit back any inappropriate questions. He had better manners than that after all.

"So...you don't look like much". He remembered being his very first words. He was expecting someone at least a little bit more intimidating, but Evelyn eventually learned to tolerate what he had been given, as well as the presence of his Servant on a daily basis. Waiting for Lancer to respond, Evelyn started pouring his own cup, seemingly lost in thought as he poured out the contents.

[Lunas Legion]

Tohsaka Residence, 8th March 2016: Evening

"Yes, inside." Ruler nodded towards the residence. "Now, stand and walk." Sachiko stood and walked forwards back round to the front courtyard, Ruler keeping his spear leveled at her back with the occasional soft jab if she slowed down too much. He didn't take chances.

As they entered the house, Sakura shut the front doors behind them before making their way through to the lounge where an old man, the second overseer Ruler presumed, waited. Iliadsviel had left the room, presumably to find food or to avoid the overseer for some unknown reason.

"Sit." Ruler ordered, gesturing with his shield-hand at one of the chairs while keeping his spear leveled at Sachiko's back. That was when the second overseer stepped in.

"Ruler, was it? The girl is afraid. Let's deal with this matter with less pointed steel and more talking. The defenses around this mansion will re-activate soon, so this girl will have nowhere to go anyway."

Ruler paused, glancing over at Sakura, who had moved to sit down on the sofa, with a raised eyebrow.

"The defenses have already reactivated, overseer." Sakura answered Ruler's unspoken question. "And they are designed to keep people out, not in, as far as I recall."

"And this," Ruler drew a circle in the air with the point of his spear. "Is an enemy spy, and I do not like spies. And as Sakura said, the bounded field is not designed to keep people in. However, first, introductions. I am Ruler, servant of Tohsaka Rin, overseer of this war."

"Matou Sakura. I look after Nee-san's house and I'm acting Second Owner while she's away. And yourselves?"

[WeabooGarbage]

Liang shrugged.

"That's the boundary field, but that shouldn't be all," said Liang, "you can't mean that the dozens of jewels placed in the courtyard won't keep people inside. Each jewel projects rotating fields of destructive energy, and if you total them all together, you get one wild network of killing potential."

Liang judged that Sakura wasn't quite a learned magus, and his suspicions were heightened when her family name did not match with that of the Tohsaka. From the way she said 'nee-san', it was apparent that she did have some sort of connection to the family. Perhaps she was a adopted? Who knew. What was more important was gauging a way to keep Sachiko away from death.

From Ruler's rather strict disposition, Liang ceded that perhaps some harm would fall to Sachiko. That was fine. It wasn't as if Liang could prevent it, and there was more risk to trying to keep Sachiko spotless than there was to have her beaten up a bit here and there. As long as Sachiko didn't die, Liang could heal her anyway. It was more humane to keep Sachiko with minimal discomfort over the long term. Now, if Ruler considered something like torture, then Liang would have to re-evaluate his decisions, but as of now that didn't seem too likely.

"But anyways," continued Liang, "I am a Spellcaster from the Mage's Association. Specifically, I have been assigned here from the Faculty of Law. Your master likely can see through your eyes and remotely access your memories if you are a familiar, so feel free to let your master know that the Faculty of Law is now present."

The Faculty of Law was universally regarded with a sort of apprehensive disdain among Magi. First off, the Faculty of Law did not focus on seeking the Root, which was basically blasphemy to many magi. It only had order in mind, and to enforce order, it had used any and all means in the past. Many a magi had perished under the Faculty's assassins, and at the same time many great magi had relied on the Faculty to enforcer order in times of familial succession or the bequeathing of a will.

Ordinarily, any magus that heard that the Faculty of Law was monitoring them would shape up faster than a greenhorn in a Gulag, but the presence of Servants, all powerful tools that no magus from the Faculty could defeat, would change negotiations quite a bit. As such, Liang knew he was in dangerous waters, so he would tread carefully, trying to keep everyone around him on his good side until it became inefficient to do so.

[Mestovakia]

Tohsaka Residence, 8th March 2016: Evening

Sachiko looked from Sakura to Lang to Ruler, still looking pretty frightened as the three conversed. "W-wait, I-I'm just a scout. I don't know anything about you..." She said miserably, still having her arms above her head.

Outside the Church, 8th March 2016: Evening

Two more Tulpas were hiding in the bushes outside the church, also scouting it out. Rin had a personal connection to these two: They were carbon copies of herself and her friend Kotone during the 4th Holy Grail War, right down to the uniform. The one resembling Kotone went by the name of Emi, while the tulpa of her younger self went by Hana. As personality went, both of them were more advanced than Sachiko, though Emi had the similar trait for clumsiness as regards to scouting. Hana looked at Emi, who was a bit uncomfortable having to hide in a rather prickly bush. Sighing and rolling her eyes, Hana went back to work, scouting the people who were inside the building. "Overseer Rin, it seems...Emi, stop moving! She'll notice us!" Hana hissed to the fidgeting Emi, who by this point was becoming fed up with getting scratched by thorns.

[Lunas Legion]

Tohsaka Residence, 8th March 2016: Evening

"Rin says she she is fully aware of your presence here, and was informed of your dispatch by an associate back in the Clock Tower. She's been monitoring the situation ever since I was dispatched to deal with the first triggering of the bounded field." Ruler paused, before smirking slightly. "She also says that she'd prefer not to leave testing her defences to a escapee... Although apparently she and someone else spent a month or three reinforcing the entire building's structure which should serve as a good enough prison."

Ruler blinked. "Rin says she has something to deal with, said it wouldn't be a problem. However, back to the matter at hand." He turned back to Sachiko. "Spy, scout, same thing. Same thing as I was going to ask outside. Name, mission and master. Quickly."

---

Fuyuki Church, 8th March 2016: Evening

Rin indeed had something else to deal with. Normally, she would not bother with a suspiciously-rustling bush which she could hear through her Reinforced hearing. It was likely just a small animal. However, there several other factors in play at this time. Firstly, she didn't have bounded fields good enough to detect assassins or weak mages, seeing as she'd had little time to prepare defenses. Secondly, Assassin was unaccounted for, and she was Master of Ruler and holder of many valuable Command Spells. Eliminating Ruler and taking a mass of Command Spells would be a valuable haul for any Master. Finally, overseers of the War had a terrible survival rate. 33%, or 0%, to be precise depending on what happened in the Third War. Lancer had killed Kirei in the Fifth, and his father Risei had apparently been shot by someone during the Fourth. She had no idea what happened to the overseer in the Third, but it likely wasn't good either.

She stood from where she'd been sleeping on one of the pews, counting on the door's excessive creakiness to wake her in the event of any intruders. She slowly edged her way over to the door, her gloved left hand faintly glowing from a primed Command Spell as she pulled open the door with her right and poked her head out, ready to summon Ruler if need be.

What she found was... Unexpected. She did not expect to find something that was suspiciously close to resembling her as a child, and something equally suspicious resembling her childhood friend Kotone.

She killed the command seal, the red light emanating from her left hand dying as she brought her left hand down to her hip and raised her right, three jewels held between her fingers. She had plenty in stock, she could afford to waste a few.

She grinned. "So what do we have here?"

---

Fuyuki Bridge, 8th March 2016: Evening

- was bored. Or as bored as - could be. - thought there would've been a Servant or a Master who attempted to cross the bridge by now. Unfortunately, there hadn't. - wasn't exactly good at following orders. Well, that wasn't strictly true. Perhaps it was better to say - couldn't stick to orders, and instead - often followed -'s own plans, no matter how insane or mad they might be at the time.

In this case, -, remaining in spiritual form, leapt down onto the bridge, and slowly began to make his way through the streets of Miyama City on a hunt for prey.

[Mestovakia]

Tohsaka Residence, 8th March 2016: Evening

"Uhm, my Master and his associates called me Sachiko. I don't know who my Master is. I was created, given a task, and sent here to carry it out. All I know is that I was sent to examine Magical Hotspots. As far as I know, there's other scouts like em across Fuyuki, though I don't really know them..."

Fuyuki Church, 8th March 2016: Evening

"Umm..." Emi and Hana stared up at the Overseer. "Uh...Cheerio, Miss! Spare a penny for the poor, wot? Jolly nice Cathedral you have here an' all!" Emi said, attempting a random Cockney accent as she and Hana tried and failed to extricate themselves from the bushes. Hana simply facepalmed. "Excuse my friend, Miss. She has a habit of being like this. Is there anything we'd be able to do for you...Well, after you help us out of here, that is."
"It was your idea to go into the bushes, Hana!"
"I wasn't the one making the noise, Emi!"
The two of them started arguing on whose fault it was, acting like bickering siblings. After a solid minute Emi took a closer look at Rin, then looked at Hana, then back at Rin again. "Y'know, she kinda looks like you, Hana...Or more exactly, you look like her."
Hana also got a closer look at Rin and had to nod in agreement. Emi continued. "Miss, We're kind under orders from our master to scout out magical hotspots in the city. The Tohsaka Residence, this place, and other places where the other scouts have gone to..."
Hana realised something. "Hey, do you reckon that Ryuunosuke guy back at the HQ is a scout?"

[Sertia]

Far off from the subterfuge and espionage, weather successful or not, a yellow cab cruised down the road. A muffled song could be heard within from the outside, with two figures visibly having an enjoyable time rocking out to the chosen song. Inside the vehicle, the music was much louder, accompanied by the near screaming occupants singing along.

The driver, a girl of dark skin, was drumming her hands on the steering wheel to the beat, bobbing her head as she drove at a comfortable speed in the small Japanese city.

"Hey now, you're an all star, Get your game on, go plaaay!"

"Hey now, you're a rock star, get the show on, get paiiid!" Followed a male sitting in the passenger seat, who seemed to be attempting to dance from the seat with purely upper body movements.

The two smiled and synced up their movements, their heads moving to the beat and the next line that they both sung " All that glitters is go-ooold! Only shooting staaars break the mo-ooold!"

The music died down, the song ending as the final line repeated, the two singers still in harmony. Then, with the fading of the final note, they quieted down with smiles on their faces and the atmosphere light hearted. The man and woman sat in a comfortable silence, the music having stopped when the CD reached its end.

"Fuck, I think I missed the turn." The girl said suddenly, her face irritated as she looked all over the area as they kept on driving.

"Yes, I believe we passed it about two minutes ago." Said the male casually, a neutral expression now on display.

The driver glared at her passenger "What the hell Saber? Why didn't you say anything?!"

"I assumed you had a plan, since you 'know these roads better than anyone', Master" the male replied, his tone mocking as he boredly stared ahead.

The woman growled out and had the car slowly get into a new lane " You asshole, it's gonna take us like twenty minutes to get back on track now."

"Well if we had gone down the road I suggested, we would have been an hour ahead of schedule by now, you stubborn witch."

"That would have taken us by the mansions of those big families, it's like you want us to get turn to ash, you stupid fuck"

"They would never notice us with your pitiful mana, you heathen sow."

"I've got enough to keep you around, bigoted bastard."

"Barely, satanist tart"

"Asshat"

"Brat"

"Fuckwad!"

"Whore!"

[Later]

"All that glitters is go-ooold! Only shooting staaars break the mo-ooold!”

With their latest harmony done with, the two parked the car, and looked upon the nearby park. Exiting the car, Jaz hefted a large bag filled with various chalks and inks, as well as a couple energy drinks. The chalks and inks were for her rune drawings, the energy drinks for when she was working that night. Even if she wanted to win, she had a job she had to keep incase it didn’t work out and to get food. Feeding for two was a bit more difficult than being on her own.

“Alright Saber, how’s this park look to you? It’s got plenty of cover, yet it’s a flat terrain so you have good lines of sight. Seems like a good place to set up an ambush to me.” She said to the man, who was dressed in casual clothes one would expect of a tourist. They both were so out of place, they could only be foreign tourists. At least that was the overall plan they had agreed on, after a session of name calling of course.

“Hmmm, the terrain will be good for any ranged servants, but only if they decide to come below the tree line within reach, I think if you set up a few barrier runes and some acceleration runes in key areas, it’ll give us total dominance.” Saber said, scanning the heavily wooded area with a trained eye, noticing children playing in a nearby park. “I assume I don’t have to mention-”

“Yeah, like I’m gonna have you fight in a super powered battle to the death with children in the crossfire. I know you don’t like my religious decisions, but at least respect my morals.” Jaz said, walking over to a patch of grass and beginning her work. The inks would apply and stain the grass, briefly being visible before turning into a similar shade of green and thus camouflaging the rune from anything but a thorough scan.

Saber scoffed, keeping careful watch over the area “Morality and religion go hand in hand, and Gods laws are the only true morals I can respect.”

“Then you should respect basically everyone’s morals. Western culture did kinda take over the world, even way over here in a place that was as far from christianity as possible in your time. Hell, there are plenty of christians in the country. “

“Perhaps, but it still feels wrong. There is so much that has changed, to much I fear.” Saber said, sighing as he watched his master. “The arts i knew as evil are nothing more than common practice in part of the world, and humanity has created technology beyond anything I could ever have dreamed. Even the moon, which was almost untouchable, is now within your grasp due not to prayer, but to scholars and inventors.”

Jaz nodded, finishing her rune and then moving on the prepare another. “Yeah, crazy to think swinging a sword around wasn’t what the world needed to get its shit together huh?” The girl could feel the glare from her servant burrow into her.

“Watch your mouth. I fought nobly for my King, and that King helped lay the foundation to this western culture you know today. Do not insult the sacrifice of him, his men, or me.”

“Sheesh, I didn’t mean it like that. I know you saved people, but I’m also saying that knowledge has helped us a bit faster. War and battle are still key, if bitter, parts of history.”

Saber sighed, not knowing where to look “The notion this world has, of fighting no longer being noble, it vexes me. Yet, I know why, I’ve seen this world’s history...It still doesn’t sit well.”

Jaz looked back to Saber, a thoughtful expression on their face “ Hey man, you’re still noble, and people still idolize ancient warriors like you. Don’t let our shit bum you out, just know that we’re trying and there are less people in danger now I suppose.” She said, turning back to her work.

“...I suppose you could be right….”

[Bootymcboots]

"Do we retreat, Bramo?" The voice rang in his head. Abramo held his helmet by the horns with his left hand, and a cigar to his mouth with the other. The large mana source was heading towards him, rather then staying on the bridge. This threw their plans into a bit of disarray. Their forces were split on both sides of the bridge with Assassin and the mana source in the middle. Retreat was a viable tactic, and falling for an obvious trap would be a sad way to end this grail war.

On the other hand, according to their recent scrying, the Masters were all sitting around talking or eating. This could be a chance to isolate and kill a servant without interference.

"Never make your family risk something you are not risking yourself." He thought as he stomped out the cigar with a red steel boot and donned his helmet, leftover smoke seeping through the slits.

"No, Aresio. We are no longer playing solider. Standby, Mi Familia. Bassilia, tell Assassin to reveal himself for a few moments and bait our foe back to the bridge. Be ready to destroy it on my command."

"Yes, Father. What will you do?" He allowed himself a sigh of relief when his daughter replied back. He had left her with assassin so she could relay message, but this was her first mission. For a moment he was no longer Abramo the Patriarch, and was Abramo the Father. The Brother. The Cousin. The Nephew. The Uncle.

"I will face our foe, as I must." He said, bitter that he was not able to swallow those feelings.

[Hashirajima]

"So, I assume the boundary fields are up?" Ozawa looked up from the book he was reading, Sun Tzu's 'The Art of War'. Reaching across the low reading table, he set out another cup and filled it with tea. Across from him, Caster sat down elegantly and nodded slightly.

"It wasn't too hard, and I've managed to largely blend it into the background, what with the temple having such a strong spiritual presence to start with." Taking a sip from the cup offered, the Servant smiled. "This tea is rather good..."

"Certainly better than what the mess halls have, that's for sure. So what is our next step?"

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you, Master?"

"Well.... that IS true. But I really don't have too well a grasp of what you are capable of... hmmm. I suppose it would be fine if I just set out general goals?"

A nod.

"In that case, we would want to start reconnaissance. Get a feel of the lands, scope out potential targets, actually figure out who's involved. To be fair, I have *some* files on hand, but I'm not sure how updated they are." Snorting softly, Ozawa paused to take a drink. 'It sure pays off to have friends... and owed favours... in the DIH...' "I can probably prune out the useless info from what my father had managed to gather, but it's best to keep up to date.

"In that case...yes, I do have a way to do that."

"Oh?"

"Shikigami. They would be useful this this case. I probably should summon an Inugami or two to guard the temple as well, I think. Boundary fields only do so much, after all..." Draining the cup and placing it gently on the table, Caster stood and headed for one of the rooms in the temple that the Servant had specially prepared for rituals. Leaving Ozawa glancing out of the window into the night sky. After a moment of pondering, he reached into his briefcase and pulled out a notebook. One that he personally wrote and labelled. "Onmyōdō"

[Lunas Legion]

Tohsaka Residence, 8th March 2016: Evening

Ruler humphed. "Rin says she has two scouts up at the Church, and has requested that I return there to provide backup if needed. I have all I need to know, and I cannot disobey my Master's orders. Do as you wish." With that, Ruler faded back into spiritual form, leaving for the Church.

It was at that point that Iliadsviel wandered back into the room, silently munching on a chocolate bar. She stopped in the doorway, bar raised halfway to her mouth in preparation for another bite, before speaking. "You... Look like me."

---

Fuyuki Church, 8th March 2016: Evening

Rin continued smirking, watching mini-her who was apparently named Hana and the one that looked vaguely like Kotone, apparently named Emi, argue. More than Familiars, somewhere around Homunculi, but not Homunculi. She could call Luvia or Lord El-Melloi II and ask about them tomorrow. She vaguely recognized the name Ryuunosuke, but she couldn't quite remember where from.

"Right. Let me make one thing clear. This Church and my house are off limits for spies, scouts, whatever. They are both neutral ground. Ruler is currently returning here as we speak, and he caught the scout over by my house. One of you is to return to your master, and inform them that I do not appreciate being spied on or having my house be spied on. The second is to remain here as my guest for now. Is that clear?"

---

Fuyuki Bridge, Miyama City side, 8th March 2016: Evening

- had not made it far into Miyama City before - sensed the briefest, faintest glimmer of a Servant's presence. It had sensed Ruler earlier, but - understood, even through the madness, that Ruler was not to be messed with. Not even by -. However, -'s orders had been clear. Kill any Servant or Master that attempted to cross the bridge. There was a Servant near the bridge, therefore they might attempt to cross it, therefore - needed to return to the bridge. In silence, - halted -'s advance into Miyama City before turning and heading back in the direction of the bridge.

[Mestovakia]

Tohsaka Residence, 8th March 2016: Evening

Ruler humphed. "Rin says she has two scouts up at the Church, and has requested that I return there to provide backup if needed. I have all I need to know, and I cannot disobey my Master's orders. Do as you wish." With that, Ruler faded back into spiritual form, leaving for the Church.

It was at that point that Iliadsviel wandered back into the room, silently munching on a chocolate bar. She stopped in the doorway, bar raised halfway to her mouth in preparation for another bite, before speaking. "You... Look like me."

---

Fuyuki Church, 8th March 2016: Evening

Rin continued smirking, watching mini-her who was apparently named Hana and the one that looked vaguely like Kotone, apparently named Emi, argue. More than Familiars, somewhere around Homunculi, but not Homunculi. She could call Luvia or Lord El-Melloi II and ask about them tomorrow. She vaguely recognized the name Ryuunosuke, but she couldn't quite remember where from.

"Right. Let me make one thing clear. This Church and my house are off limits for spies, scouts, whatever. They are both neutral ground. Ruler is currently returning here as we speak, and he caught the scout over by my house. One of you is to return to your master, and inform them that I do not appreciate being spied on or having my house be spied on. The second is to remain here as my guest for now. Is that clear?"

Silently thanking Heaven for the Scary guy going away, Sachiko calmed down a bit. Admittedly, she had been trespassing, to which she promptly apologised to Sakura and Liang. She didn't notice Iliadviel at first until she turned around and saw her. An awkward moment passed as the two of them stared at each other.
"You...Look like me."
"...Funnily enough, I was about to say the same thing."

---

"Wait? This is neutral round?" Both of them chorused, looking confused.
"I thought the girl in the wheelchair would've known hat. Didn't she say she wrote a book on one of the Holy Gra-" Emi began to speak, before getting elbowed by Hana.
"Moron! Don't say stuff like that! She may be neutral, but who knows who else is spying around here?"
Emi rubbed her arm, looking a bit embarrassed. "So, Hana...Who's going to stay here?"
Hana tapped her head for a few seconds. "I will, Report back to our Master and tell them they neglected to tell us and Sachiko about this neutrality thing. And stay away from Ryuunosuke too. The Master told us that the Overseer here had to rescue her friend and a whole bunch of other kids from him 20 years back. I don't know what he did, but it was probably bad enough." Emi nodded, before walking off and turning left on the road.
"Other way." Hana said. Emi facepalmed, before setting off in the right direction.

[Lunas Legion]

Fuyuki Church, 8th March 2016: Evening

Oh. That had been where she'd heard the name before. Rin only remembered him as the orange-haired psycho who kidnapped Kotone and almost kidnapped her. She never learned what had happened to him, although Waver had said Kiritsugu had killed him during a fight against Caster in that war. That was over two decades ago though, and two decades was a long time.

"Come inside... Hana, wasn't it?" Rin sighed, moving to open the door fully. "I'm no priest, but this is a church, and I'm not about to let mini-me stand outside in the cold like that."

---

Tohsaka Residence, 8th March 2016: Evening

"Huh." Iliadsviel answered, moving to take a seat before continuing to eat her snack. "Who are you, anyway?" She glanced over at Sakura, who had sat down on the sofa and otherwise remained silent since Ruler had left. "Sakura said that only Ruler and Tohsaka would visit for some time."

[Mestovakia]

Fuyuki Church, 8th March 2016: Evening

Oh. That had been where she'd heard the name before. Rin only remembered him as the orange-haired psycho who kidnapped Kotone and almost kidnapped her. She never learned what had happened to him, although Waver had said Kiritsugu had killed him during a fight against Caster in that war. That was over two decades ago though, and two decades was a long time.

"Come inside... Hana, wasn't it?" Rin sighed, moving to open the door fully. "I'm no priest, but this is a church, and I'm not about to let mini-me stand outside in the cold like that."

---

Tohsaka Residence, 8th March 2016: Evening

"Huh." Iliadsviel answered, moving to take a seat before continuing to eat her snack. "Who are you, anyway?" She glanced over at Sakura, who had sat down on the sofa and otherwise remained silent since Ruler had left. "Sakura said that only Ruler and Tohsaka would visit for some time."

"So, Uhm...I've been meaning to ask...How come you look like me? Or more appropriately, how come I look like you? It's weird...like we're identical twins, but with a visual difference." Ha ha asked as she accepted Rin's invitation to come inside. "Wait...The Master said we were created from their memories of people from the War..."

---

"Well, when one looks at it, I doubt I can be called a Visitor, per se..." Sachiko shrugged, still standing. "I was created several hours ago to recon this location, due to the amount of magic present."