[center][h2] [color=f7941d]Rostam[/color] [/h2][/center]
[h3][center]Edge of Meadow, Southern Forest, Town Outskirts[/center][/h3]
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The pale steed of Rostam galloped on for a time, eating up the distance at a pace more suitable for an aircraft than a land bound animal. Though it made no special effort to conceal itself, the time of night combined with the simple pure speed of the prenatural courser would have made any witnesses hard pressed to say that they had gotten a good look at the enormous thing that had passed so quickly through their field of vision. 

Several car accidents were had that night from the sight of the Phantasmal Beast, but when the cars were towed, the glass swept up and the police reports made, none of those who had caught a glimpse of the Rider and his mount said anything about what they had, for a terrible instant, thought they saw. It would not do to give the police reason to think that one had been drinking, or partaking of even more adventurous substances before losing control of the wheel. 

In the end Rakhsh came to a stop deep within the woods which bordered the city of Fuyuki, slowing to a trot on the borders of a small meadow. It would have been hard to say if the gifted animal had heard Lorelei and understood her, or if it had merely desired to distance itself as much as possible from the strange alien landscape of the modern world before considering itself safe. 

Rakhsh spat Lorelei out onto a tuft of grass, accompanied by a tremendous quantity of saliva, and then leaned over in the peculiar way that some horses do, spilling its injured rider onto the ground as gently as possible. 

It wasn't very.

Rostam hit the dirt with a thud that seemed to make a ground shake, and lay prone on the soft forest floor. Any other Servant in such a state would have most likely reverted to spirit form as quickly as possible to ease their pain, but Rostam did not seem to be aware of his condition. He made no effort to move, simply smiling happily, chuckling to himself and looking up at the night sky with twinkling eyes. Blood was frothing and bubbling along the edges of his beard, but he made no move to wipe it away.

The horse stared at him for a few moments, seeming as if it were trying to determine if he would make a move to help himself. When he made none it gave him a sharp kick in the side, which elicited a grunt, but little else. 

Whinnying, seemingly in irritation, the gargantuan stallion bit down on the dragonskin cloak and dragged the injured giant to the trunk of the nearest tree, where, with great difficulty it nudged and prodded him with its snout until it had propped him up with his back to the trunk. Then it trotted off, heading straight for the tall patches of grass that were sprouting from the nearby meadow, tossing its head and mane with the unmistakable air one one who thinks they are unappreciated. 

Rostam didn't even bother to stop maintaining the creature, but continued to stare off into space, though his mad laughter had subsided somewhat, replaced with a more subdued sort of delirious good humor.

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[@Holy Grail]