---

As the clouds scattered from the force of her aerial leap, Lancer could see her prey. He wasn't even facing her. It should have been easy to take his head, and yet... There were three arrows already knocked to his bow, and it was drawn back ready to release his shot at any moment. But how could he hope to aim three separate shots in the blink of an eye? Was he panicking, hoping he'd catch her with one of many arrows wildly loosed? There was no way that was his intention. She'd seen countless great warriors upon countless battlefields, and none would so hastily resort to such risky tactics, even against a powerful enemy such as herself. But then, that could only mean that...

He's bluffing! He knows exactly where I am!

This realization came not a moment too soon, as at the next instant, Archer spun into a rapid dive to the side, loosing all three arrows vertically as he did so. She'd already begun twisting her spear to defend herself, and intercepted the middle arrow almost without thinking, catching it between her lance's blade and its axe-like edge and shattering it to bits with a crack like thunder. However, the other two shots weren't aimed at her, but rather... Another deliberate miss? He was going to box her in! With her own remaining momentum carrying her right into the line of fire, there wasn't any way to pull back and disintegrate them as she had done before. If she spun with her remaining momentum, then she might be able to bat one out of the air, but just as likely, they'd bend around her and strike her directly. At the very least, there was no way to escape unscathed. Damn. She hadn't wanted to resort to this so early, but she couldn't risk being injured and picked off by this enemy. She'd have to use it. Her eyes shifted, focusing entirely upon the form of the retreating Archer. A shimmer of gold seemed to ripple through the air between them, as if the nature of the battlefield itself was being replaced by something else. Almost two miles away, Edward would momentarily feel a vast tug upon his energy as Lancer's true power was unleashed. She opened her mouth to speak its name, and then...!



The gold light faded before it could even reach its target. Lancer's eyes went wide in disbelief. There was no way... Why did she have to be matched up against such an unfair enemy?! Even if she tried to use her Noble Phantasm, she couldn't even activate it! Even she, who should have been able to resolve a battle such as this easily, could do nothing? Who the hell was this Archer?!

There was no time. The arrows were almost upon her now. She'd just have to do what she could. Twisting with the momentum of her initial swing, she released another burst of energy to flip her sideways, bringing down her glaive to strike the arrow aimed at her from beneath. It, too, shattered to pieces, but as she tried to raise the haft of her weapon to deflect the arrow striking at her from above... Only narrowly did she escape having her throat pierced completely through, as she managed to partially deflect it at the last second. However, it still wasn't enough. It lodged itself in her shoulder, burrowing cleanly through the scales of her armor and drawing blood. She stifled a cry of pain, but pressed on. The moment she let Archer get distance, this would all be over. She'd shown herself willing to use her Noble Phantasm, and it had been completely ineffective. He had no reason now not to just finish her off the moment he got the chance. There had to be something, some way she could strike him from the sky... And yet, he seemed aware of her every move, even if he couldn't see her. His arrows would seek her unfailingly, making evasion impossible, and she couldn't close the distance...

Eyes that unfailingly tracked their target. Projectiles that would seek her out no matter what. But what if he could only see her with his eyes? In that case... Instead of fighting as she was accustomed to, why not try her luck on his terms?

She leaped forward, reaching up and pulling out the arrow lodged in her shoulder as she did so. She'd be needing this. Once more, she darted upward into the cloud cover, as if trying to break line of sight to make her getaway. However, in the moment she disappeared from sight, she ran the bloodied arrowhead along the haft of her spear, tracing four runes upon it in her own blood.


A simple rune chain. Ansuz serves to awaken the power of the inscription, while Thurisaz, the rune of giants, converts this energy into raw physical force. Sowilo here stands in opposition, serving to invoke revenge and retribution, which is given a vector by her blood. Berkano is used as a "seeking" rune, giving direction to the spell. As a result, the goal of the spell is "vengeance," and it will seek the one who drew first blood, aiming to deliver a blow with tremendously amplified force. However, it has low conceptual priority, as the hastily constructed runic chain doesn't have any particular meaning to lend power to it.

She reached the apex of her flight, and cast her spear violently upward, before kicking back off and rebounding downward as though falling. As she fell back through the clouds, she began drawing more runes upon her gauntlet, hoping that she'd have enough time to complete her defenses before he struck. She'd play up her injury, make herself an easy target, and prepare to receive his finishing blow. If she could just withstand or evade one shot, then while his attention was fully fixed upon her, he might not even notice the spear descending from the heavens, already turning about to round upon him, its edge stained with her blood and thirsty for his...

---

Mira gave a quiet squeak of surprise as Saber hoisted her up. She wasn't used to being approached by others, much less being bodily carried, but the sensation wasn't necessarily unpleasant. Even so, that wasn't what she was worried about. Saber had been so badly wounded defending her, and yet she was still struggling to carry her to safety. Was that really alright? Nevertheless, she couldn't bring herself to protest. The Lancer-class Servant had only been stopped from killing them both by the intervention of a third party - was it Archer? There were so many enemies, they were almost surrounded... There really was no choice. The outside wasn't safe. Retreat, regroup, heal Saber's wounds before it was too late...

"Just a little further," She murmured to herself, the familiar woods giving way to the grounds of her mansion. They were almost there now. Soon they'd be safe...

Elsewhere, the flock of ravens that had circled over the crater quickly began to disperse across the sky. A few headed towards the Church, while others scattered over the city, and three of the swifter members of the flock began circling around the tops of nearby skyscrapers, their red eyes watching the unfolding battle with keen interest.

At the church, a single, large raven fluttered in through an open window, keeping its distance from the altar and perching instead upon one of the far pews. She'd had a feeling they might not be able to make it to the church, so she'd prepared a brief message in advance, which the bird held in its beak. Now, if she could just find the overseer and give it to them...

It was her path. The path she'd sought for years afterwards. This girl, Mira Grace, was that path. And that was why, no matter how much pain raged inside her, protesting at every step she took as she sprinted back towards her Master's mansion, she would not stop. She would never stop. This girl was her chance.

Her lone chance.

Saber's movements were hardly helping her internal injuries, blood continuing to trickle from the corner of her mouth. But she could bare it. For the sake of her duties. Her duty to her Master. Above all else, that was most important. Even if she fell apart, her muscles bleeding and ripping to pieces, that would be in her mind above all else. It had been the truth in her heart the second she had summoned. She was summoned to serve a Master, and that was what she would do.

This pain was nothing. Not even as she left a trail of blood behind her, it was nothing. Not even as she felt her internal organs wracked with pain, wind whistling by her as she made her way through the forest, to the grounds of her Master's home. It was nothing. As long as it was for this girl, it was nothing.

It was nothing at all.

Not even as she came up the steps, still gripping Mira tightly in her arms, clutching her close to her body as if to protect her from any attack. Not even as she approached the door.

Not even as---

Something blazed hot with agony in Saber's insides, and when she coughed, blood splattered onto the stone steps. She fell to her knees, holding Mira tightly against herself and shuddering. No... she wouldn't fail at anything, not even if it was simply carrying her Master through the door...!

Struggling back to her feet, shaking as she walked, the black-haired swordswoman used her body to push the doors open... And fell forward, losing consciousness as she held her Master close.

It was unlikely that Saber would die here, but even as the girl felt herself slip into the blackness of unconsciousness she cursed herself for failing to remain awake.

---

It wasn't as if she couldn't hear the fighting outside. Was this what the Holy Grail War would be like? Regardless, the blue-haired girl's eyes traveled upwards...

... A raven...?

@Feyblue

---

Archer saw that his shot had struck one of her shoulders, though amazingly she had once again avoided a fatal blow. There was even more to it. In that brief instant before she'd been hit, Archer sensed a powerful Divine Influence emanating from the woman. She had tried to affect him with Divine power, not knowing that such power flowed equally through him, strong enough to negate her attempt. Well, she had simply been outclassed and outmaneuvered whether through fate or circumstance. As she soared up through the clouds he noted she launched her spear upward and began dropping down again.

Was she wounded more gravely than I thought? My arrow's been removed, perhaps she freed her arm to treat her wound? Well,
no matter. I'll end this now. A shame, I was beginning to truly enjoy this Grail War.

He grimly nocked two more arrows, deciding he would pierce her heart and-

then Lancer burst through the clouds unarmed and forced the clouds apart, expression determined and seemingly unafraid in the face of his mortal blow as her features were briefly silhouetted by the moon above. The sight of her framed by moonlight forced the image of another fearless woman into his mind's eye, and in that instant his heart softened.



Without needing to look away, he sensed it. A projectile driven by hostile intent moving through the air. It dragged his attention back to the battle at hand. In a way that transcended sight or conscious thought, he could follow its intended path toward him and react. Clever of her, to mimic his own power in order to try and kill him. Perhaps even praiseworthy. But she still couldn't match the limits of his art. As he released both arrows, one would unerringly curve to intercept the magically guided spear in order to knock it from the air. The other one though, he would try to curve away from the heart-shot he had intended, to strike her uninjured shoulder instead.

The other enemy Servants have withdrawn for now as well. Even if I leave her with two injured shoulders, she shouldn't be picked off just yet, while it gives me time to retreat.

Out loud he told her none of that, instead giving her a sincere grin and mock salute.

"Feel no shame in being outclassed! For your skill and bravery, I offer you your life! Take it as a one-time gift from the King of Archers!"

---

Her deception had failed. As she fell through the clouds, her Rune-enhanced vision caught sight of Archer stopping his flight approximately a mile away. He knocked two arrows to his bow, but as he fired, he twisted his aim, sending one of the two projectiles streaking upward and behind him. So, his perceptions really were infallible. Not only had he seen her discard her spear, he'd managed to follow its movements perfectly without even needing to divert his attention from her. But it was no matter, right? Her spell had already taken effect. Under its guidance, her lance would seek him out, no matter where he ran or how it tried to divert it. Unless... No, wait! As the two projectiles were about to collide, Lancer saw what was about to unfold. His arrow... It was going to strike the runes she'd engraved upon the spear's haft. If those were disrupted, then the entire spell would fail. Damnit... So he'd even seen through her tricks that far? Or perhaps his instincts were simply that good. Regardless, she had no choice. As his second arrow nearly reached her, she called back her spear once more, and it crackled and vanished in a streak of lightning just before the arrow could connect.

Originally, she'd intended to use the array on her right hand - Ansuz encircled by four Sowilo runes - to release a destructive burst of fire and hopefully intercept her enemy's coup de grace. However, he'd done something unexpected. Instead of a powerful shot that was sure to connect, he'd simply fired another simple projectile, evidently falling completely for her deception of being nearly crippled and unable to defend herself. True, his last shot had pinned some of the tendons of her left arm. She couldn't raise it in order to wield her spear. But even so, so long as she had at least one hand to hold her spear, she could still fight. With her first attack having failed, there was no reason to waste a valuable advantage on simply defending herself.

Her spear flashed back into view, appearing within her open hand as she twisted in mid-air, battering his final arrow from the sky. Once again, she'd been underestimated. Rolling sideways, she abruptly stopped her fall, bracing herself against the unseen air and leveling her spear like a knight about to charge. As her enemy crowed out his victory, Lancer's beautiful face contorted into a mask of rage. "Feel no shame," he said. How could she even begin to do such a thing? She'd sworn upon her life that things would be different, that this time, she'd protect her master and achieve lasting victory, no matter what. And yet... And yet...

She couldn't overtake him, even with her great speed. She couldn't strike him down, even with her vast power. She couldn't outwit him, even with her vast knowledge. She couldn't even sway the odds in her favor, regardless of her sacred right. It was disgraceful. Shameful. Unseemly. Disgusting. Her master was watching her, and she was bringing this shame upon his and her cause by being so soundly bested? Utterly unforgivable! She would never saddle her beloved lord with the ignominy of defeat... She wouldn't allow this infuriatingly smug bastard to make a mockery of one such as her...! Even if it all seemed hopeless... there was still one tool she had left at her disposal. There was no longer any reason to be hesitant. If she allowed this prey to escape her grasp any longer, he'd surely be the end of her, if not today then tomorrow, or the day after. This chance to claim his life would never come again. For the sake of her master, and for her pride...!

"You'll pay... You'll pay for this!" She hissed, her fist clenched tightly around her spear as it trembled in barely contained rage. Sparks seemed to fly from the head of her spear, jumping higher up and into the clouds and spreading across the sky. Tempestuous winds flurried around her, as if her fury had become incarnate in a sudden gale. "Did you think I would simply flee like a dog with my tail between my legs?! I swore to my beloved that I would show him the farthest limits of my power, that I would protect him no matter the cost... I won't be bested by merely the first of his enemies...! For the one who commands my everything, nothing short of victory is acceptable!" Her roars of anger slowly changed their tone as a wild smirk broke forth on her face. Upon the haft of her spear and the back of her gauntlet, nine runes sprang back to life, flashes of fire erupting from her hand and encircling her spear, which seemed to shiver in anticipation as if alive. Miles away, upon a distant rooftop, Edward might already be feeling it. Lancer's prana intake had skyrocketed from almost the moment the fight began, but the amount of energy needed for her upkeep now dwarfed even that. There could be no questioning in his mind what she was about to do.

"You want to exchange gifts, Archer?" She drew back her head and gave a raucous laugh, her golden hair whipping wildly around her and her eyes flashing with malice. "Very well! In that case, I'll give you oblivion!" The moment she spoke those words, almost too fast to be seen, she dropped into a crouch and hurled herself forward one last time. The distance between them was almost a mile, but as she'd done initially, she accelerated from a motionless stance to her top speed almost instantaneously. To any eyes less keen than Archer's, it would almost have been as if she simply disappeared. This was her only advantage over him - her acceleration.

And yet, even though he couldn't reach his top speed as quickly, she knew. He'd made enough of a distance between them. He had time to dodge. At least, he would have... if this was an ordinary attack. But this blow wasn't just one dealt with the very utmost of her strength, but rather, served to conceal the fact that her earlier runic spell of vengeance was still active. While it lacked the authority to boost the power of this attack by any significant margin, that wasn't her intention. Rather... Even if he dodged, this attack would still seek him out! And unlike before, regardless of the distance between them, this blow was still one she'd deliver herself. His instinctive defense against her cast javelin would do him no good here!


As she thrust her spear, something changed. The swirling vortex of power around it had previously been drawing inward, as if harnessing the very lightning to incorporate its destructive power into itself. Yet, the moment she thrust, the weapon in her hand could no longer be called a "spear." Rather, it was as if the thing she wielded was "lightning itself." This unmistakable power could only come from the authority of one being. And, even if the weapon she wielded was not the same as the famous Gungnir from which it was derived, its power was still the same: the divine lightning of the heavens! At the same moment, the runes inscribed upon her hand sparked fully into view, releasing a burning wave of flames that surrounded the lightning in her hand, bursting forth in a radiant double-helix that tore across the sky in an instant, thunder booming in its wake as this heaven-spanning spear of lightning sought its prey above all else. The distance between them no longer mattered, and even assuming he was able to move faster than the lightning and get out of the way, it would follow him relentlessly! From this, the peerless blow of a servant of Odin, she would permit no escape!

---

Mira tumbled to the floor as her servant fell, barely having enough time to give a shocked cry before she was dropped from Saber's arms and landed roughly on the floor of the entrance hall. She sat back up, rubbing her head, only for her confusion to be greeted by the sight of her Servant lying collapsed and bleeding on the floor. Frantically, she scrambled over to Saber's side and, after a moment of struggling with feeble hands, managed to turn her over. This was bad... Her wounds had nearly opened fully to the surface from her frantic sprint back to the mansion. She had to do something quickly, but Saber's body was so different from that of her other familiars, it was difficult to know where she should even begin working. Her earlier panicked attempts at first aid hadn't helped much, but even now that she had the time to do things more carefully... It seemed as if her container as a Servant gave a defined form to her existence, though... So maybe, if she just input prana into that formula... Sure enough, Saber's wounds began to close where they'd torn open externally, but the internal damage wasn't going to be so easy to fix. She'd gotten back to safety... but at what cost?

Elsewhere, everything was a blur. Her familiars couldn't make out much of the battle between Archer and Lancer - they were simply too fast. But then something changed. An enormous power, and a sudden flash of lightning... That was definitely a Noble Phantasm. She did her best to store her memory of what she'd seen, making a note of investigating it later. For now, though, she had an important job to complete. In the church, the raven caught sight of the blue-haired girl, and immediately hopped down from its perch. Opening its beak, it dropped a small roll of parchment tied with string onto the floor, and nudged it towards the overseer. Its contents were short and simple - as they had to be, given the limited size of the paper. Nevertheless, Mira hoped her message would be clear.

I, Mira, have summoned Saber successfully. I couldn't make it to the church, but I'll be fighting.

With that, the raven gave a caw, and fluttered back into the air and out the window. Its work was completed.

---

why is eating a burger important enough to pause anyway

Berserker had remained awfully quiet for most of the trip. Upon closer examination, he had appeared to be sulking to himself, like some sort of ill-tempered child. At moments when he was manifested, Berserker let out a few impatient groans, and when he was forced into Spirit Form, he delivered the equivalent mentally to his Master through their contract. The way back home was awfully long, too long for Berserker's liking, and he wanted to make sure his Master knew just that.

When they finally made it home, Berserker had ceased his whining. Berserker took a moment to look around the small house, taking the burger he was offered and stuffing the entire thing in his mouth, chewing it profoundly with, ugh, his mouth opened.

"Ahm ghna be osside ihf you nhed meh." Berserker said to Johanna, his mouth full, as he left for the beach. Leaving his Master's humble abode, Berserker wandered the property, looking for an isolated area suitably "wild" enough for his liking. A place where he could easily meditate and regain some of his qi. While he admittedly only used ma moderate fraction of it earlier, it is still wise for him restore some of it back in the event they're attacked once again. Perhaps if he gets just enough he could begin to scout the city as a bird and find more suitable places to set up camp.

Not that a beach house isn't at all suitable, though...

Berserker headed down to the beach, walking by the shore and watching the waves gently hit the sand. He would be whistling himself a tune if not for the burger in his mouth. He continued down until he found a suitably quiet place for him to finally hunker down. Letting himself fall on his ass, Berserker took one big gulp of whatever's left of that burger in his mouth, completely consuming the light snack before crossing his legs, seating himself into the lotus position.

Berserker took a deep breath, and began to meditate...
_{Berserker? Meditating? Weird, huh?}

The sudden tug from Lancer's battle with Archer caught him by surprise, causing him to shake his head. He just decided to continue from observing through his spot, fully armored in that one rooftop. Perhaps it really was for the best. Servants are overwhelmingly powerful, at least the armor would protect him from critical blows... at least.

He smirked knowing that his Lancer Servant had activated her Noble Phantasm. "Hmhmhmhmhmhm... let's see if you share the same honor, Archer Servant." He spoke to clearly no one, taking a seat on his floating wagon, staring straight into Lancer's view of the battle.

He still has three Command Spells. He was saving these for late in the war. After all, you can only have three before your Servant disappears.

He looked around to see if Archer's probably coward Master was around. His golden eyes scanning the dark ground beneath him and the objects the vents that provide cover on the rooftops. He put up his shield in case.

@Feyblue

violet = speaking

lightcoral = thinking/mental communication with servant

---

It was a simple matter of tracking down her sweet little murderer down that led Elizabeth to the beach and beach house of the Master of Berserker at last. Though for a location, Elizabeth felt herself admitting that this was a rather luxurious spot for a base in the middle of a holy grail war. That being noted, the place likely had defenses put up in order to facilitate some manner in which her potential ally could defend herself in case of an attack and such. Though to the master of assassin this place also seemed very good for the usage of her magecraft, a thing that would be of important note should she ever fight in this area of Redrock at some point during the war.

Ah, but a fight was not her reason for having her little girl track down these two. They had spoken of alliance before in the church, and with the other master's seemingly genuine resolve to not kill anyone but enemy servants it seemed a safe bet for some form of cooperation in this war. After all, Assassin was not suited to direct combat, and even if ambushing another servant all it would still be a large risk. Thus enemy masters were a prime target for Jack, really. Though considering the circumstances of this potential ally that she was herself currently aware of, targeting enemy master might not be considered a viable option if her ally was around or such. Elizabeth wanted the option open just in case an enemy servant was too strong to actually beat in open combat or such.

Though if the situation called for it enough, perhaps the two would be able to agree to off an enemy master.

Mentally sighing to herself, the female magus blitzed up to the front door, stopping and waiting for a moment. Surely the other woman would sense her here, and as the door was opened before her this seemed to be the case. At least the other woman's greeting was friendly enough with the offer of food and some hospitality in the face of what had just started tonight. It brought a small smile to Elizabeth's face, really.

"I don't think we'll mind at all, actually," the American magus said aloud, before glancing back in the direction she could sense her little murderer being.

'Jack, dear, this nice lady is inviting us inside for some food. I know the other girl earlier was not playing nice, and you did good to stop her from hurting mommy, but you can come over to me now and come out of hiding to see this lady if you want to so we can eat,' the female master communicated to her adorable Assassin, knowing that if the other woman tried anything her little girl would defend her in a heartbeat. Or faster than that, even.

But if she made a show of faith to this hospitality by bringing Jack out of hiding, it might pay off in the end. Or at least make herself seem just as genuine about wanting a possible alliance with this person. Besides, if they became an enemy Jack's skills would ensure they didn't really remember a thing about what happened. It was perfect, really.

That, and she wanted to see how Jack would like a messy, tasty hamburger for the first time. Goodness, she at least wanted to let the little servant have some positive experiences while back on this earth.

@Raineh Daze@Cu Chulainn

On cue, the white-haired assassin came out, appearing to almost materialise at her Master's side--and quickly sliding backwards to be half-hidden by the mage's arm, one small hand finding Elizabeth's for reassurance. Her expression wasn't far off being a deer in the headlights; Johanna's analytical gaze seeming to pin the small girl down for a second. Assassin didn't like it, not one bit. This was an enemy and a threat to Mother, she wanted nothing more than to hide just in case a sneak attack was warranted.

Johanna held her gaze for just a second longer until the Servant turned away, burying her face in Elizabeth's side. What sort of Heroic Spirit could possibly be summoned as a child, and Assassin at that? She obviously wasn't one of the Hassans and Servants were summoned in their prime... which obviously meant that she'd died as a child. Yet to somehow qualify to be Assassin at the same time? It was a maddening, nonsensical combination that she'd need to think more on. Really, for this war to have not one but two child casualties...

The magus went back inside, taking out the two burgers she'd planned to eat whilst mapping out the ritual sites for this war and leaving them on the same table as Berserker's--though he'd obviously gone to eat his somewhere else--and leaning against a countertop. Assassin and her Master could have the couch whilst she finished eating.

She took another bite, watching the Master and Assassin take theirs. To dress Assassin in normal clothes... it obviously wasn't a good disguise, her physical appearance was simply too distinctive to hide in some way. Some attempt at a normal relationship then; something easily exploitable if it came to a point she'd need to eliminate the other two. Force Assassin to fight Berserker by targeting the Master.

"As I was saying before the fighting started, I am Johanna Faust, Enforcer. You would be...?"

The Servant, meanwhile, was sitting leaning up against her Master and staring almost... apprehensively at the burger. It was big... so big that she didn't think it could possibly be finished, not on her own. Two hands to hold... and its contents looked so juicy, actual meat, cheese... there was no mould growing on the bread, either. It wasn't even stale...

Of course, Assassin's lack of table manners became apparent mere moments later, tearing a huge bite out of the burger, squeezing down on it and ending up with more sauce seemingly on her face and hands than in her mouth.

violet = speaking

lightcoral = thinking/mental communication with servant

---

"My name is Elizabeth Reinholt, a daughter of the head of the Reinholt Family," the female magus said to the other woman, looking up at her after swallowing a bite of her happily received hamburger, having been admiring Jack's cute manner of going about trying to messily eat her very first hamburger. It was charming and cute to her, though Johanna speaking to her brought her back out of that moment in time and into the real world....one where this other woman might be thinking of ways to get to her little girl in some manner to kill her, "I am not heir, though, but that is another matter altogether."

Not that servants were here to just live lives. And indeed, it was something that despite her love of her little servant was a harsh reality still kept in mind in the end. No, the reality was more cruel, to get rid of all the servants in sacrifice just for some desperate mage's hope to access the records of Akasha. The Root. Information at the cost of putting this little girl, if naught else, through another hell beyond the scope of her actual life many years and years ago. It left the mage shocked, and feeling various conflicting turmoils within her about her intentions coming into this war, her goals for this war, and what this all was.

But this matter aside, the American decided to take another bite of her burger, savoring the meaty taste and cheap flavorings that made it a familiar and appreciated thing to her. Not that she'd eat stuff like this all of the time, but once in a while one just needed a bit of enjoyment in their food. Even if it was a simple, likely hasty meal in the middle of a war zone.

As for her not being the family's heir, that did not mean she was inept at magecraft or such. It was just that she was not first in line to the family's leadership. It was a simple thing to her that she didn't mind, unlike some of those European idiots who were obsessed with single heirs to their family and doing whatever it took to keep siblings from killing each other or something. Whatever. To her, it made sense to have multiple individuals in line for the family's leadership, and keeping them on good terms with each other as well, in case one heir died or another did something to get disinherited or such. It seemed...safer. And really, her siblings weren't bad people themselves to her.

@Raineh Daze

Reinholt? A familiar name, though not because of relevance. Not powerful or influential and largely outside of the politics of the Mage's Association, with all the good and bad that came with it, nor outside the Association in the same way that the Einzbern had maintained--centuries of deliberately taking no part in it except for their ritual whilst still being known for their achievements. Unfortunately, it also gave her no starting clue of what the girl's abilities might be... though the information asymmetry was maintained in most cases, as few looked past her last name.

"Well, for now I propose information gathering. Yourself and Assassin are more suitable to finding out about the other Masters and where they might be residing," the taller magus said, having polished off the rest of her burger. She was, like Berserker, rather distinctive. "Whilst I will identify the possible ritual sites, unless you already know where they are. Aside from their utility later in the war, they are suitable for more effective defences."

Assassin, meanwhile, had diligently and furiously attacked the burger... and she now felt something unusual. Full. There was no more room in her stomach for food but there was still food to eat and what could she do? She didn't want the other half a burger to go to waste and starve later even if she couldn't starve as a Servant... and it was so nice, too! The white-haired assassin held the burger away from her mouth and, with one ketchup-stained hand, tugged on her Master's sleeve, "Mother, there's too much..."

violet = speaking

lightcoral = thinking/mental communication with servant

---

The other woman was asking them to go gather information, which seemed fitting considering her servant was an Assassin. Even so, that was a risky proposition in and of itself, and if anything happened it would be the two of them on the line and not this other woman. And what would such do? Give this woman time to plan against the two of them, assume they were weak enough to corner later if they "needed to be disposed of"?

"I see the value in that idea, though if one has a map of the city it is easy to note at least one possible location," the female magus noted after the other woman had spoken to her, pulling out her phone and using it to pull up a Google Map of the area, in particular zooming into a certain area that looked much like a strange, brown-ish blurry spot on the map, "Still, i have one idea. There is a blurry area here of a strange color, as if the image has been warped on this map either on purpose....or by magecraft. Further, it is seemingly isolated from the rest of Redrock, making it a viable spot for some kind of bounded field or base that might be causing this. Like someone is wanting to hide around here, or has been around here for a while. If i had to place a guess, a magus might live here, or perhaps it is an abandoned place a magus once used that could be used as a base operations. Either way, it is an idea."

From how Jack acted and how she felt for her little Assassin, stratagems, exploitation, and the like could be thought up by any enemy who saw them together. It was easy to do. Even she was thinking those things ahead of time just to try to be prepared. Prepared....for people like this, even this "oh, i don't want to kill masters unless i have to" Enforcer of the Magus Association, an association that had failed to beat two people in Fuyuki fighting over the original Holy Grail. Ha.

Outwardly the female magus maintained a cool and calm exterior, as if dealing with business but not without a tint of politeness in place. However, inwardly, concealed from the sight of this other woman entirely, she scowled and slightly stewed.

Considering how this "Johanna" who shared a name with the infamous family of demon-summoning magi in Germany, likely not a chance or coincidence at that, had looked at and spoken to the homunculus earlier, the homunculus being from a family whose name was very much familiar to herself and other American magi, it was not hard to guesstimate that this woman possibly looked at Jack as simply another "unfortunate casualty" of this war in the same manner. Ha. Haha. Hahaha!

Casualty of this war? Elizabeth was not allowing that, not now, not until her body lied cut to shreds and buried under the sand of this beach where no one would find it. And even doing that to her would require going through Jack in the process, much less if the female master had command seals left to empower herself with in that time if she were rendered alone and fighting for her life.

Truly, her goal in this war was simple: to win. To win, and originally to prove her might in surviving this challenge of a ritual. Yet after meeting this little girl who had lived in a hell....she wanted something different. To use her wish to give this little girl a second chance at life, free of murder, free of the mental pollution filling her head and the physical pollution that had permeated the purgatory of her life, and a chance to live like an actual, decent, happy human being with all of the perks of modern times. One among magi would easily call that sort of wish sentimental, stupid, idiotic, even clashing against what this other woman might wish for just to use the Grail for its original purpose.

But Elizabeth herself was a magus like any other. So the others be damned, as like any other magus she would fight for her goals and aims as she pleased!

Though as her little girl tugged on her sleeve, the female magus looked to the side, and her train of thought and speaking was interrupted by the adorably-ketchup stained hands and face of the little servant. A soft, motherly smile came to her face as Elizabeth reached over, grabbing a few paper towels and taking a knee to come down to her little servant's level. Without having to say a word, Elizabeth wiped off her sleeve, and then began cleaning Jack's little hands and her face from the messy burger smeared all over her in a manner that reminded the female magus of her own younger siblings and pictures of her younger self kept in her mother's scrapbook back home.

"Sweetie, we can wrap up what's left of the burger, so we can save it from getting bad. Then you can have it tomorrow, ok?" Elizabeth said, before placing a small kiss on the small Assassin's forehead and leaning back once more, taking the bit of burger and carefully wrapping it back up in the original wrapper once more and setting it to the side where she would remember it.

Standing back up, Elizabeth looked back towards the other female magus, to see if her prospective ally would respond to the info she had given. It was something, at least, and perhaps a starting point if her suggestions was taken. They would have to begin at some point to get started in moving this Grail War along towards its eventual finish, after all.

But one thing she mentally noted to herself clearly: If this woman kept to her word of an alliance, and did not stab them in the back, then they would be able to work together just fine perhaps.

Yet....

If this woman attempted or tried to backstab them, to kill her little Assassin or herself, then it would not take much at that point to get Maria The Ripper to go right back into action again, right? Especially if someone tried to hurt her mother of all people.

@Raineh Daze

"Isolated? I suppose that if I come across a strangely hard to approach area tomorrow whilst tracing the leylines, then we will have confirmed the residence of one Magus--perhaps not a participant in this war, yet certainly a magus to place their home somewhere so spiritually significant," the Enforcer responded, thinking. Certainly, any obfuscated house suggested a magus--particularly if one resisted the attempts of the magically inclined to find it, rather than some former-magus' home. A convergence of leylines would certainly confirm it, "I shall inform you of my findings around this time tomorrow--but where should we meet?"

There, some leverage for the woman. A trap-free meeting place of her choosing should she wish to further this alliance.

Now cleaned up, Assassin returned to leaning into her Master for support, continuing to warily eye the much larger woman. It was bizarre for a stranger to be so nice and not disparaging that she didn't know what to think... she would just listen for Mother's instructions. Mother would know best with this sort of person, right? She only knew what to do with clearly evil ones...

violet = speaking

lightcoral = thinking/mental communication with servant

---

"Hmmm, there is a local cafe i saw on the way in here near the edge of town, the 'Redrock Cafe'. From the hours posted on its window, which i checked, the cafe will be open tomorrow night until 1:00 am for a 'slam poetry' contest. As cliche as the name is, it would seem like a quaint, public meeting place, and it has tables outside for us to sit at and most definitely away from the crowd that will be gathered just inside of the place," the female magus said, noting the location in a calm, relaxed manner as she looked over the other female magus at the same time.

It was as neutral a meeting place as she could arrange. A sitting place away from the rest of the regular people and non-magi, to give the two of them privacy, whilst putting them near people to the point that an attack or fight breaking out would put enemies at risk of exposing the Grail War and thus on the bad side of everyone involved and otherwise. In short, a place where they could meet and speak alone at a corner table outside of the cafe, whilst being public enough to deter enemies from attacking. Ah. That and a nice cup of coffee or such could be enjoyable, perhaps with a pastry of sorts the cafe claimed in big letters to be "made fresh twice a day!" on their store's sign.

She also trusted Jack, however, to act in protecting her...regardless of the circumstances....if anyone tried something funny. Though their servants would have to be kept in spiritual form for the meeting, another method of keeping things safe for herself and for the two of them as a result.

"So, do we have an agreement?" Elizabeth said to Johanna in the same manner as before, even as she unconsciously reached down with one hand and ruffled Jack's hair in a playful manner, and then this hand moved down to keep Jack close to her without thinking like a mother protecting a child.

@Raineh Daze

---

Archer had underestimated Lancer, both her resolve and her remaining power. Now as she closed the gap between them, her overwhelming power would surely bear down on him and kill him. It was his fault for being so foolish, allowing himself to be swayed by momentary melancholy and thoughts of the past. What he'd seen was a coincidence, preying on his foolish sentimentalism. Well, this was what he deserved for abandoning pragmatism and fighting with honor, after all.

Very well, Lancer. It seems you've earned this victory. It's a shame. I would have liked to experience this war a little longer.

Just as Lancer was about to close in, Archer felt the impossible-to-deny tug of a Command Seal, calling him back to his Master. Before he could be struck down by her final attack, Archer vanished from before Lancer's eyes back to his Master's side, his normally stoic or smug expression replaced by one of disbelief.

The Next Day...



Mira would open her eyes to what could be described as hell.

There was fire. There was death. A vast field lined with fighting. Men in armor, with swords and bows, with long-handed, bladed weapons, clashed. Horses fell and died, sending warriors tumbling from them to be cut to pieces. Blood spattered across the green grass at every moment. It seemed as if every second was filled with another death, another life cut short in a flash of steel and a spray of red. It was a hellish visage, a battlefield where everyone was steeped in the blood of others. It could be called nothing short of a nightmare. Arrows pierced a man through his throat and chest and he fell to the ground gurgling blood. Another man died when a yari cleaved his arm off before claiming his head.

It seemed that there was no end to the carnage. And, on top of that, it seemed as if the one side was beginning to overwhelm the other. Indeed, the attacking force, their lacquered armor painted red, was striking down and slaying more and more of the defenders, who wore a somewhat familiar style... largely white...

With every moment, more men died. More blood sprayed.

It was some kind of hell.

And yet... there were shouts of joy from the defenders. Those furthest back began to cry out in celebration, thrusting their fists into the air as they cheered...

A girl. A young woman. Her long black hair flowing as she sat astride a horse, raising a bow, knocking an arrow...

Saber.

The arrow flew and hit home, sending a man to the ground. Another, and another, each shot seemed to send a man to the ground, dead. Her arrival on the battlefield was marked with a series of rapid deaths on the attacking side. The moment she drew close to the frontline, she sprang from her horse and drew her blade... that long katana glinted in the light of the flames, and in a single motion she had cut a man in half before her feet hit the ground. It was gruesome work, what followed, but it was almost like a graceful dance. A beautiful show of swordsmanship in which each motion lead to violence in what could have seemed like a coincidence. If not for the death that Saber's blade had sewn with each strike, it could have just as easily been some kind of beautiful performance. Single-handed, the number of soldiers she had slain seemed to swell and swell...

And the scene seemed to melt away in a second, replaced with... it was some form of party, undeniably. There were many women of varying ages dressed in fine kimonos, and there were cups of sake, and many dishes of fish and rice.

Saber was there, dressed in a fine kimono as well, a splash of greens and pinks and whites... she was blushing, embarrassed as she was complimented by others for her appearance.

"So strong, and so beautiful as well."

"Ah, I'm almost jealous!"

"One of our finest..."

And yet, there was another voice...

"So strong and beautiful... can she even be called human?"

~

It was there that the dream seemed to end.

Saber had, quietly, take up a position outside the door of the house. Her injuries had, mostly, mended. Any healing that was still required would be finished soon. So she had selected, instead, to guard the manor. Even if it was protected that did not mean she could let her guard down while her Master slept.

Especially after the attacks of the last night...

---

Sitting in her warm bath, the white-haired girl stewed in anger. She'd been absolutely humiliated last night... she'd let herself panic and it mad her so mad! She couldn't forgive Johanna Faust for that. Her maids had sensed something was wrong, even though she had not told them, staying quite as they tended to her needs, cleaning her thoroughly. Now, however... she had simply elected to sit in her bath and pout irritably to herself. Even after what Rider had told her last night, the memory of how frightened she'd become had gripped her again and made her furious...

Her maids were somewhat concerned, but unsure of exactly what to do.

@Feyblue@Dblade26@Crusader Lord@Raineh Daze@Seirei No Hai@Cu Chulainn@Rin@Blackstripe

The German magus sat at the table, leafing through the messy pile of tourism leaflets and maps strewn around. Beside them sat a simple box, glass fused without any sign of human artifice around a pale blue crystal that insistently ran up against one of its sides. Apparently satisfied with what she had found, Johanna rose, pocketing the box and one of the leaflets. "Berserker, we'll be heading underground, using the tourist areas to get at the really old catacombs. Rider's Master won't be able to track us that way.

"That won't be any sort of problem for you, will it?"

---

Dreaming of Assassin's past was something that belonged more to a Berserker. Though the connection was supposed to give some firmer understanding of the Servant's past, information that would allow one to piece together a hidden identity or secret motivations, this was still too much of a dreamscape. The buildings that towered above and crowded out the sky seemed to shift from one moment to the next; at one moment they were oppressive but harmless and the next a twisting nightmare; a building that could never have been physically built yet seemed full of demons.

The mist was everywhere, sometimes near and sometimes far, yet a grey pallor hung over everything, cloying and smoky. Featureless giants passed through the murk, the dream's qualities rendering them almost human yet distinctly not, clothes and decorations changing, shifting even as they were watched.

Ah, but finally there was one figure. A woman, impossibly beautiful, but--she was turning away? Why? How... Mother couldn't leave--no--fear--hate--

Everything was dyed in red.

There are some things that not even a high-class magus can ever prepare for.

These things include your Servant bursting through the door to the baths, charging up to you, hoisting you out of the baths by lifting you under your armpits, and practically shouting into your face.

To say Estelle was stunned was an understatement. She had practically frozen up in pure shock, cheeks filling with red from embarrassment. Her maids, too, either sunk into the water or covered their bodies in a bid to hide themselves in some fashion. For a few moments, the girl simply hung their limply in Rider's hands, her own small hands trembling weakly as her eyes remained wide open. Even as her bare feet were placed on the tiles with a soft padding sound, she remained rigid and blushing with more and more intensity for several moments... Until she managed to find her voice.

"WH-WH-WHAT WERE YOU TH-THINKING, RIDER?!" she sputtered, immediately throwing her hands across her tiny body in a bid to hide anything(not that Rider hadn't already seen it given his... explosive entry into the room). "G-G-Get out! G-Get out! GET OUT!"

If Estelle had been thinking about Rider's proposal, she likely would have decided a day out in town sounded like a good idea. It would give her a chance to reassert her confidence to her Servant(and also purchase a large amount of candy). However, it cannot be said that this was the case. No, instead, the tiny tan-skinned girl's mind was entirely focused on an absolute panic about why her Servant elected to burst into the baths and pick her up under her armpits to make this proposal in the first place.

And some point, a pair of her maids had wrapped Estelle in a towel. But the girl was far too embarrassed to realize this hand even happened.

@Blackstripe

violet = speaking

lightcoral = thinking/mental communication with servant

---

Throughout the rental home that the magus had acquired as a base for this venture, the sound of crispy, sizzling bacon cut through the air like a hot knife through butter. It was to signal that it indeed was the morning...and that "mother" was indeed making breakfast for herself and Assassin, quite a nice yet simple one at that. A white apron tied about her that she had bought at a local store, she was turning over pieces of bacon, checking the provided waffle maker that had come with the home to make sure the sweet (but not overly sweet) chocolate-chip laden waffles were cooking just fine and not burning. As she finished each bit of the simple American breakfast fare, she placed them on a large waiting plate to the side, where it could sit until she would dish them out for her and her little girl. Nearby, and importantly, sat a hot bottle of maple syrup, ready to pour on the sweet and indulgent goodness that was this trademark breakfast condiment of choice.

And at least she could cook simpler things like this without any issue, doing very well at cooking this fare in fact where she lacked the motherly skills for cooking more complex things. Still, a part of her wished that she could make some fried chicken to go with these waffles, just like a dish or two she had eaten in the past. Ah. But still, she was doing nothing but her best for the little adorable murderer that was her servant. She had noted she would reward Jack for stopping that Saber from attacking her and such last night, and if Jack wanted that last amount of burger she had not finished last night was safely wrapped up in the fridge.

Yet in part....well, doing all of this with a happy face covered up the horrors she had seen last night in her dreams. Actually...to call it her dreams was a lie, more like she was seeing Jack's memories of the past in vivid, first-person detail. The grey murk and mire of the smog and cold mists of London, how the very landscape itself and the people seemed warped into demons and giant, featureless monsters and the suffocating sensation of living in this mess. And then, well, the magus understood that normal humans had a convention of sorts to celebrate Jack the Ripper. Yet to see and experience her work firsthand, to feel that knife and see the blood, and feel the desperation and compulsion to return to that space where it was warm and safe.....it both struck a chord of empathy towards the child serial killer and sent a severe cold chill up her back like none other sensation ever had in her life before. Perhaps it was something she needed to expect to have seen if Jack's life if anything, and yet at the same time it was a shock that no human of this current time would perhaps understand without having perceived it for themselves as she had.

Even so...

@Raineh Daze