[b]The Gardener, Lakeside Summoning [/b] [i]Over many years men have come to me with a simple and honest question, one I have given many answers to and none of them completely untruthful: 'What are you?' The completely honest answer is, of course, I am but a man! I breathe, I sleep, I eat, I laugh, I love, I think, I survive. Simple things like these which keep us anchored, are they not what make us human? Ah, but that is not the case this time is it? The intrinsic knowledge imparted onto me tells me this - I am more than that now. In this body and time I am the thunder that rumbles across the heavens. Drawn from a throne, I am the man and myth made manifest unto a singular entity. I stand within the eye of the storm that is my arrival, a display of light and wind which sends the dust and dirt on the ground spiralling into the air, the nearby waters rippling at my presence. Energy arcs around me as the concept of 'I', the individual, is anchored to the world. I would be a fool not to give credit where it was due, this was some impressive work. All calms, my existence is secured for now. I recognise that I am more than man, but in a few senses far less. For this time... "I am Servant Rider and I have answered the call. So I ask - are you to be my Master?"[/i] The Gardener had an idea of what his summoner would be like the instant he saw him. The provisional knowledge granted to him by the grail worked in conjunction with his already immense archives worth of knowledge and experience. He was no rank amateur, that was for certain, but the way he held himself left some unfortunate implications to the Servant. It could be worked on, given time. Rider gave his new Master a slight bow of his head, a serene smile gracing his youthful features. To think that of all people, he would be summoned to fight a war. --- [b]Xiang, Alleyway Summoning[/b] [i] I hear the call. This is hell. Of all the things which could happen to me, this is among one of the worst things I could imagine. I blame not the soul who calls me from one prison into another, but the system in place - this wish granting ritual which I am to fight for. I certainly have a wish now. Like a convict, I am chained to a body - my old one recreated down to the most minute of details and then granted some more. Even my eyesight acts up, if just for a moment. The dust parts and I see her, the girl who is to be my 'Master' for this war. That sounded so demeaning, so did 'Servant'. Maybe she'd compromise with more appropriate terms? I'd settle with 'partners', anything other than Master and Servant. Even in this constructed body, I feel ill thinking about that. There's a glint in this girls eye, something which resonates with me - she's a dangerous sort. Didn't go a day in my business without being able to spot that. If she can follow through with how she looks, then I can work with this no problem. I don't like this war, but I can bloody well fight it none the less. Oh, shit. I have some formalities I'm meant to go through. "I'm here, partner. Between you and me, I don't think we need the thespianism. Servant Rider at your service. You are my Master, right?"[/i] Xiang smiles, a pleasant and warm looking thing which you wouldn't expect to see on such a tall and armed woman, but it's there anyway. Marianne might notice it though, the glint in her eye much like the one Xiang noticed in her. This woman was dangerous - one is not summoned without reason, after all. She appraises her master with a relaxed stance, hands resting at her sides. Time to win another battle. --- [b]Michiko, Hotel Room Summoning[/b] Catalyst - check. Circle - check. Her mental state - unchecked. Everything was ready, just not her. Before a few months ago, she had not even known the name of her father - but a few months ago she had not been drawn into the world of magi and their craft. Michiko was at least aware of it, thanks to her mother, but she never dabbled in it. Then the seals appeared, and so did her father. For three months she studied under him and other tutors, making her a 'mediocre' representative for the Yates family in this competition. She wished the mark had gone to someone else, but her path was set. Curtains drawn, lights on, the girl stood before the summoning circle of her design, drawn from chalk onto the wooden floor. She stretched her hand out, holding it by the wrist with the other. And so she chanted, just as she practised. She had been warned about the strain it would put on her, but to experience it was another matter. [i]"Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone. The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate. Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Repeat every five times. Simply, shatter once filled. ――――I announce. Your self is under me, my fate is in your sword. In accordance with the resort of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer. Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead. You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance ―――!"[/i] The dust and light blinded Michiko , sending the girl to her knees at the rituals climax. She had done it - her position was locked in. If all had gone well, she would have a servant of the Lance, just as her father wished. She knew little of tactics and battle, but what little she did know would have to do. The Holy Grail War had begun.