[color=ed1c24]“I will accompany you. It would do well to familiarise myself with the town and its surroundings before it becomes a battlefield.”[/color] Knowledge was power. An old cliché perhaps, but no less true for it; especially for one such as him, who relied on his mind far more than the strength of his arms or the swiftness of his feet to claim victory. [color=ed1c24]“Maps would be useful, if the library has them, but nothing compares to first-hand experience in this regard.”[/color]

It would also be wise to seek as much information as possible on their opponents; their strategies would be far more discernable if he had even an inkling of what they were capable of, or had some idea of what drove them in life. Assassin was surely hiding some kind of trick, else she would not have been summoned in such a class; her past might give some hint as to what that was. And Lancer… perhaps his Master’s words had contributed to her soured mood somewhat, but it had seemed to him like she had somehow taken offence to the idea that he would prefer to keep his name hidden.

[i]“I’m unaware of a Heroic Spirit — especially one of the last warriors to roam the battlefields of Age of the Gods — who would not feel pride in having their identity be recognized by others”[/i]

It would seem his legend had travelled quite far indeed since his death; even heroes from lands far from his own knew who he was. It was hard not to feel some pride in that, his deeds had earned him the right to be remembered as one of the greatest tacticians who ever lived and rightfully so, even if personal glory had never been his main goal in life.

But this was a war, one where having your name and abilities known put one at a large disadvantage. He may have been proud of his moniker as the ‘Father of Strategy’ but if announcing it only weakened his position relative to his opponents then why would he knowingly reveal it? He may be a Heroic Spirit but he still considered himself a general first and foremost; his first priority would always be the claim victory in this war.

[color=ed1c24]“Have you given any thought towards how we are going to make use of our new ally? It was you who suggested the alliance after all; though I have a feeling it was a spur of the moment decision for you.”[/color]

[@Anza]

****

Thomas awakened not long after Archer did, emerging from his bedroom fully dressed and eager to start the new day. Although, there was not as much to do today as he had hoped; alas, his hunt last night had proven futile and he had not been able to find even a single person who might have been one of the other Masters in the war. This would set back his preparations, something which he had not wanted to do as it could cost him the war entirely.

[color=aba000]“Good morning Archer. Did you make much progress last night?”[/color]

Hopefully his Servant’s attempt to set up an information network had been more fruitful than his own endeavours, and also that the money he had provided the man with had been spent well. Heading for the kitchen he began boiling water for tea, somewhat despondent over the lack of a kettle, and made preparations for breakfast. 

While the water boiled the Magus walked over to where he had left his luggage the previous night. Opening the smaller of the two suitcases, the one which held all of accoutrements of his magecraft, he pulled out a small paper-wrapped parcel and carried it over to the coffee table before sitting down on the couch. Removing the wrapping from the parcel revealed a small block of wax and at the same time Thomas pulled a small penknife from his pocket and placed it on the table next to it.

Reaching up to touch the frame of his glasses the Magus activated the magecraft latent within them, the image of a blue-haired young woman appearing before his eyes as the memory stored within them was brought out. Picking up the knife and the wax Thomas began to skilfully carve the block into a likeness of the executioner he had seen last night, catching a glimpse of the woman as he waited to see if anyone would make a late night visit to the church.

Even if he didn’t intend to do anything with it, creating a poppet linked to the churches operative may prove useful later on; you could never tell how events might play out and the witch was always a fan of being overly prepared. Besides, without an image of any of the other Masters to work with it wasn’t like he could start preparations against them anyway and he needed something to pass the time with as he listened to Archer’s report.

[@PKMNB0Y]