[center][color=8882be][h2][u]Suzaku Kirishima[/u][/h2] [h3]Fuyuki Church, earlier that morning[/h3][/color][/center] [hr] [center][color=a187be][b]"Let silver and steel be the essence. Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation Let my great Master Kirishima be the ancestor Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall Let the four cardinal gates close. Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate."[/b][/color][/center] They hadn't wanted him to come here. He was the head of the house, after all. They needed him with them. Needed him to fulfill his role, to lead. If he was being honest, he hadn't wanted to come here, either- a fetid backwater, crawling with the cockroaches of the Association. No quarry to hunt, no skills to hone- nothing but whining children jockeying for more power and influence. Disgusting. [center][color=a187be][b]"I hereby declare. Your body shall serve under me. My fate shall be your sword. Submit to the beckoning of the Holy Grail If you will submit to this will and this reason... then answer."[/b][/color][/center] But he had to come here. He [i]had[/i] to. And if the idea was sickening to him, so be it. This game of theirs, this "war," it was the only way. The only absolute, the only hope he had. To the victor went the spoils, and he would [i]be[/i] the victor. It was the only way his wife and brother were ever coming back. [center][color=a187be][b]“An oath shall be sworn here! I shall attain all virtues of all of Heaven. I shall have dominion over all evils of all of Hell!”[/b][/color][/center] War. Ha. These children thought they knew war, just because they killed each other. They saw some kind of glory in this, some prestige. But war had a distinct lack of both. He should know. Kirishima were raised in war, baptized in it, forged by it. Their war never ended, not so long as the dead and damned walked the earth. They wanted a real war? They'd get it. He'd deliver a real war straight to their door. [center][color=a187be][b]“From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three great words of power, Come forth from the ring of restraints, Protector of the Holy Balance!“[/b][/color][/center] Suzaku Kirishima, deep in the mausoleum beneath the church he'd captured, watched the magic circle before him explode into light, face set in a grim line. There was no turning back now. On some level, he knew he should be worried- pampered and spoiled these Association families may be, but they were still magi. Still dangerous. But he was strangely at ease about the whole situation. Because this was a war, after all. And there was nowhere else a Kirishima felt more at home. Especially if that Kirishima was him. The light faded, and Suzaku blinked the spots from his eyes as he waited for the dust to settle, and reveal just what sort of Servant he'd summoned. [hr] [center][img]https://maestronet.com/forum/uploads/monthly_02_2015/post-25192-0-16992000-1424326458.jpg[/img] [color=0054a6][h2][u]Victor Frankenstein and Franziska[/u][/h2] [h3]First Night of the War[/h3][/color][/center] [hr] Victor had to admit that he may have... slightly underestimated his Master. Though the title still tasted like ash on his tongue, he had to admit that, as far as the possibilities went, Vlado was far from the worst he could have gotten. The boy had taken his contempt in stride, rather than deride him for some perceived lack of respect and decorum, and merely set about assuring him and Franziska of the measures he'd taken to ensure their victory. It was... almost refreshing. Victor sighed, wiping down the surgical blade in his hands, then reaching for the suture. He gazed down fondly at the patchwork amalgamation on his workbench. He'd started working on Franziska's first "brother" soon after Vlado had finished showing him around the compound he'd secured. Victor had quickly taken up residence in one of the buildings, setting the bounds of his territory, as was proper. He had even been excited to learn that one of the corpses in the nearby graveyard was particularly fresh, courtesy of his Master's machinations. The body had been aged, but still strong and healthy; stubbornness had apparently done the man some good in his life. With some other odds and ends in place, generously donated by some other relatively fresh leavings, and the metals Vlado had procured, his second-born child in this world was coming along nicely. Franziska padded into the room, concern etched on her features. Victor immediately took notice, leaving the piecemeal corpse behind him- he wasn't alive quite yet, he wouldn't mind- and walking over to his daughter. [color=0054a6]"Franziska, dear, what's wrong? Something troubles you?"[/color] The girl shuffled. [color=f7976a]"...Lights, Father."[/color] Victor tilted his head, puzzled. [color=0054a6]"Lights? I'm afraid I don't--"[/color] [color=f7976a]"In the sky, Father. Lights of all different colors, streaking across like stars. I think... I think it's started."[/color] Victor cursed under his breath. He'd hoped he would have a little more time, but it seemed fate had a different idea in mind. He stepped forward, wrapping Franziska in a fatherly embrace. [color=0054a6]"Worry not, my dear. Our enemy may be strong, but we are stronger. Rally yourself, my Franziska- we must be ready if we are to triumph."[/color] He gave her another tight squeeze, then released, walking back to his workbench. [color=0054a6]"Send Vlado here- he deserves a demonstration of our capabilities. Then, patrol the grounds for any interlopers. I'll send your brothers and sisters to join you as I finish them."[/color] The girl nodded, hefting her mace. [color=f7976a]"...Be careful, Father. Some of them can be... restless, when they first wake up."[/color] Victor nodded, hands working in a precise frenzy to finish. [color=0054a6]"Thank you, Franziska. Take care out there."[/color] He didn't hear her leave, though she knew she must have. Such a dutiful child. Hopefully this one would be just as diligent. He couldn't afford to discipline any unruly children, not at this juncture. He descended back into his fugue, eyes flicking upward to the other bodies he'd acquired earlier that day. And with war on the horizon, his supplies would only grow. The curtain was rising. It was time to show this little city exactly the kind of play they were in. [@floodtalon]