[b][u]Annaliisa[/u][/b]

[b][i]
London,
One week ago...[/i][/b]

Annaliisa sat atop a building, yawning in boredom as her legs dangled over the edge. She sighed, popping open a bottle of lemon Fanta, and took a swig as she continued to wait for her target to pass by. Just then, a vintage BMW came down the road, and Annaliisa smiled as she saw a tiny beetle hanging on to the car. Good. At least her familiar hadn't been noticed. Her demeanor instantly shifted from boredom to excitement, and with a surge of prana, she Reinforced her body and summoned flames around her arms and legs.

“SURPRISE, FUCKER!” She bellowed as she crashed down on the roof of the classic car, punching a hole through it as she slid inside, landing in the backseat, right next to the magus she was seeking. Annaliisa threw a punch directly in front of her, and her fist went through the seat and head of the driver of the car, exploding both from the impact and heat of her punch. 

“Wha-” The magus didn’t even have time to utter a word in confusion before Annaliisa drove a flaming elbow into his throat, crushing the man’s trachea instantly. 

“Shouldn’t have gone around telling everyone in the Clock Tower you were chosen for the Holy Grail War, idiot.” Annaliisa scoffed at the fresh corpse as she let the flames surrounding her limbs dissipate, pulling out a knife in one hand and a cell phone in the other. She dialed a number before resting her phone between her cheek and shoulder, using one hand to steady the magus’s body as she hacked his right arm off with his knife. 

“Hey, Eric?” She asked, returning to her bored expression now that there was nothing to entertain her. “You still practice surgery magecraft? I’ve got something I need you to transplant onto my arm.” 

___

[b][i]
Septum, apartment
Present time[/i][/b]

Annaliisa nodded to herself in satisfaction as she performed the finishing touches on her summoning circle. An ancient, rusted dagger lay in the center of it as she began to fill the circle with several vials of her own blood. Over the past week, she’d drawn out a little of her blood each day in preparation for the ritual. The catalyst had been taken from the car of the magus she’d killed for her Command Seals, and the man’s credit card had funded her flight to Septum, as well as several meals at five-star restaurants.

At least no one would be interrupting her here. She’d hypnotized the couple who lived in this apartment as soon as she arrived, and with any luck, they’d be well on their way to a month-long vacation in Tahiti. From her family’s credit card records, her sister was clearly already in the city, having rented out a hotel room for herself. Sloppy of Beatrice. Then again, Annaliisa had blatantly told her that she hadn’t been chosen for the Grail War, so she supposed Beatrice wasn’t going to expect that someone had access to her account records. Well, maybe if she got lucky, the two would get to have a nice, drawn-out brawl. God knows they’d never be able to do so at home. 

With the ritual preparations finished, she stood up and held her hands out, beginning the chant. 

[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 five times, shatter once filled.
... I announce.
Your body is bequeathed to me, my body and fate lies in the balance of your sword.
In accordance with the approach of the Holy Grail, if you abide by these terms, this reason- then answer me.
Here is my oath. I am the one who shall become all the good of the world, and I am the one who shall lay out all the evil of the world.
You, seven heavens clad in the words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance!"[/i]

And the room exploded into light. 

_______________________________

[b][u]Rider[/u][/b]

The Servant opened his eyes, surveying the scene before him as the Grail pumped knowledge of the modern era inside his mind. So, he had been summoned for a Grail War, then. Any wish he desired would be granted? Rider paused for a moment. His true self in the Throne of Heroes had desired to go back and undo his greatest defeat, but even that paled compared to the opportunity that awaited him in this era. What he had once considered to be the world was really only a mere country, and there was so much more that he could unite under his banner. Yes...if he won this War, then he would wish for the opportunity to bring the whole world under his rule. No more foolish wars. No more fighting among the people of this earth. His ambition would unite man under a rule of strength and reason. 

And to that end, he would need to win the Holy Grail War. Rider looked into his summoner’s eyes, whirling his cape back behind his iron armor. 

“You who have summoned me: I am Servant Rider. Are you to be my Master in this war?”