Moses won't be very useful in this fight (unless you want him to punch the thing)
Hey, if it was still a castle, Moses could lead the others marching in a circle around it!
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Hey, if it was still a castle, Moses could lead the others marching in a circle around it!
A way to communicate between each other that isn't shouting is something I'd recommend, since any Servant of decent mobility (and the castle) will be breaking the sound barrier frequently. If anyone has magecraft or abilities suited to that, it'd be of great help.
The Battlefield
Airi had complained at him yanking her away, but when the tower-punch came hurtling after them and the others, she accepted his choice. The air alone was an imminent danger, as a sonic boom erupted from the enormous mass. Norton pulled Airi off his shoulder, shielding her with his torso. Hopefully, that could safeguard her from the explosion of the sound barrier being broken.
As if the Colossus didn't draw enough potential attention from the civilians. They could only hope that mages and priests were able to contain this from the public, because by the look of it, they'd have their hands full merely fighting it.
His Master cut in with a warning that the left arm was following up with another strike. "Hold fast, lass!" With that, he pushed his legs to their utmost velocity, each step cratering the ground and tearing a swath behind him. Just like how he'd pulverized the asphalt road before meeting her, only with far softer material. Clouds of dirt plumed in his wake, as if buried explosives were detonated. Calls had gone out to regroup, but everyone being in one trajectory for the towers was ill-advised.
The Emperor, too, broke the sound barrier, utilizing the shockwave created by doing so to blow the dirt back towards the tower-arm. Its own shockwave, of far larger size, would scatter the dirty clouds over a wider radius, though the Emperor knew it was unreasonably optimistic to think that would impede its sight. If it even utilized vision to begin with! Berserker hooked south in his escape route, aiming for the line of closer houses just before Shinto proper.
At his speed, it was only a matter of seconds. The civilians were this way, and thus, so would be the magi and priests needed to keep this nonsense hidden. Competent people who had a vested interest in Airi being safe so that her Servant could aid in their goal of containment. Norton was making quite a few assumptions, but they were based in logic. Besides, the housing and roads would offer Airi a better escape route if needed.
He had a plan, but it required getting Airi completely away from the danger. Ruler had promised compensation for those who went the extra mile in dealing with external threats to the Grail War. Granted, there was no proof of any kind that this castle and the black-haired man were related at all, but one could very reasonably call this a threat to the whole Grail War!
The Emperor manifested the hands-free wireless headset for his phone. "Lass, I have an idea. But I need you safely away from that castle." Once they were apart, she'd be able to stay in contact at least. He'd overheard what she'd said about the thing, but hadn't much understood what she meant. However, she did seem to be able to observe something, and given the sheer size of the Castle, being this far from it wouldn't impede that. Hopefully.
Her Berserker was calm. No, he wasn't just calm, he was grinning wide, eyes lit with excitement. It'd been fortunate for him to survive, he'd been lucky to observe and learn what he had. Finally setting her down, he checked to ensure the castle wasn't in immediate pursuit. He kept himself readied to act, in either case. "Call me so we can keep in contact! If that'll work at how fast I'll be going..." Norton wasn't versed in the physics of cell phone communication, naturally. Would supersonic movement be an issue? Well, either way, even if it was a problem, his intentions wouldn't change. Whatever colors corresponded to 'sabotaging the castle', there they were. Manifesting his umbrella-sword once again at last, he gave the umbrella component to his Master, drawing his naval saber from within. "This won't shield its strikes, but should be able to deflect debris and the like." She'd had the time between their reunion, during their shopping sidetrip, and their slightly early arrival to the site to scrutinize her Servant's information, so perhaps his explanation of its rough defensive ability was unnecessary, granted.
@SIGINT
extreme reporkussions.
I'm invited to go full ham on the puns, I see.
Norton, meanwhile, has a Great IdeaTM.
The Battlefield
The Emperor had opted to be quiet, slightly annoyed at Airi's language, but her appetite at least explained it. He would be quiet and listen. Others present wished to speak, but not revealing much of his personality was prudent. There was, after all, something he disagreed with that his Master had implied. Her words of alliance were ones he respected and approved of, but they were pretexted on the condition of mutual interest. And as Emperor, of course he knew that not all men were trustworthy. All the same, he would not undercut her words by objecting.
Being quiet paid off. Another self-announced servant was Chi You, over there was Assassin in a nice suit, and the Einzberserker had some kind of hideously dangerous pet in the river. That was valuable to know. Avoid the river!
Escape.
Grab her, get to safe distance from the impact. The Emperor snatched at Airi, his B-rank Agility parameter hauling her into his arms before he took off running. With his strength, lifting her was no problem, though the abrupt scoop was sure to be disorienting. The Emperor, thankfully, had looped his arm under her own, using his other hand to steady her head. The sheer whiplash from his speed, otherwise, could have endangered her. "We move, Lass!" @SIGINT
It was as if a meteor was raining down at them. Danger mobilized his body, and this time around, he wouldn't have his Master snatched away in a moment of shock. Ruler's alarm was barely heard as he prioritized immediate evasive motion.
The Emperor was forced to be serious, and he dropped all pretenses of discretion, thoughts focused on strategy. Priority 1 was getting Airi to safety. If possible, other Masters also needed to be accounted for. There was no guarantee the city was safe either. They were in these fields, sure, but houses weren't far off, and something that large would be visible from an enormous distance.
"The city isn't safe either!" Nothing that enormous, a literal castle crashing down from the sky, was concerned with hiding itself. Other magi and the priests aligned with Ruler would be, he wagered, immediately prioritizing secrecy and cover-up. After all, the Grail's imparted knowledge made it very clear to him how vital the secrecy of magecraft was. So it was a safe bet that they had already begun moving to action.
Either way, the only option was to get their Masters away from it first. The meteoric castle was changing, as a glance behind him indicated. No, not changing. Activating. It now resembled a giant insect, with an exoskeletal armor. And in the instant of that glance, the Emperor felt like a tornado was forming. Not one of wind, but a cyclone of mana, swirling at the eye of the storm, now glowing under its plating.
Piston-like arms of the castle's towers guzzled more and more fuel, while swatting at any who lingered close enough. He hoped that those among them who didn't need to safeguard their Masters would be prudent enough to try and disrupt the activation.
The Emperor had actually shifted from civilian discretion to drawing upon his available energy supply, but this had not changed his appearance. After all, the clothing had been given to him. It was part of his legend, part of his Saint Graph, now. There was no reason to expend the effort of manifesting his actual Servant attire. Which admittedly made his analysis of the situation a bit surreal. "If it needs to draw in that much mana... a siege, then!"
Norton grinned.
Like a coal-fired steamship, it needed a fuel supply, and an inner system to make use of the energy, let alone provide mobility. With such a monstrous size, and especially given how his own energy supplies had been threatened lately, he had a plan. "The Masters just need to be safe, then we can besiege it."
The Barbecue
And so the meeting began. As Airi had opted to come along, teasing him for his uncertainty if she would, he decided to give her a slight reprimand. It was something that he'd been thinking about, albeit a much-distant priority compared to other matters. "Please try to curb that potty mouth to some degree, Lass?" And he'd lapsed right back into calling her that! @SIGINT
Still, the Emperor was amused at being the most shabbily-dressed among them. The grey-haired knight with a glowing, unrecognized symbol on his chest had, in particular, taken no concealing measures. The strong build, heavy armor, and sword across his back left little doubts regarding his class. Likewise, the middle-eastern man with a tiger-striped hide draped over elegant robes addressing the knight was certainly not hiding his noble airs, particularly with his- wait what? Rostam? Did that Servant just casually drop his true name in front of everyone here!? And HE was supposed to be the crazy one? @Breo @Beloss
Speaking of others, it seemed as though not everyone had arrived yet, as the pair he'd seen in the Church before, under the cunning disguise of Boxzerker, were in absentia.
With that example set, the Emperor chose to approach Ruler and the other Servant addressing him, waving his hand to beckon Airi to follow along while brushing off her likely protests to him chiding her profanities. Every step of the way, those ridiculous foam slippers made faint squeak noises. These "Crocs" had nothing to do with mighty crocodiles, to his disappointment, but were excellently comfortable footwear.
Ruler's burgers smelled delicious, and the Emperor couldn't resist a taste of his home country's cuisine! He'd need Airi evaluate the parameters of everyone present, but disregarding his personal tastes, being in closer proximity to the mediator of this occasion was sensible. As light-hearted as the gathering seemed so far, it was anything but. Even when greetings were exchanged, the matter remained that they were all enemies. Listening in on what the others said, he took particular note of Ruler speaking to the Servant behind him. One servant, it seemed, would not be in attendance, despite the order. Ruler acknowledged this, referring to the non-attendee as a freak, while the other confirmed she was female. Thus far, additionally, there was no sight of the 'Berserker of the Einzbern', who certainly did fit the definition of a freak given the abysmal glimpse of her abilities he'd spied on. Plus, as a Berserker who wasn't him, having her around the meeting would threaten it with violent collapse at any moment. Unless she arrived, the Emperor would assume her as the one being referred to. What to take from this? The Einzbern had an ally with a servant of their own, one who knew Ruler beforehand. As he did not know of the war's invitation letter jointly sent by the Matou and Einzbern, he was unable to piece this together. Still, he knew that this servant in proximity to Ruler was allied with the Einzbern's Berserker. Even before this meeting had been called, no less, about the war's interference. Given how the war had only just begun, that meant there was an established partnership from the start. Which made him recall something Ruler had also let slip. The Einzbern faction had some sort of head start. @Moonlit Sonata
The Emperor mentally tallied up what he'd learned here already, glancing about with his eyes hidden by the brim of his cap. Quite a bit! Given his eccentric attire and educated manner, the Emperor was hoping to be mistaken as a Caster. Several of the others, it seemed, were much less concerned with discretion or misdirection. Honestly, he was almost content to let everyone else continue dropping clues to piece together.
If not for Stirner. The lad was still unaccounted for and in presumed grave danger. Furthermore, the threat to the war's conduct had stolen him away, which was, allegedly, only part of the reason for this meeting. Thus, the Emperor spoke up for any of the assembly to hear, roughly the same volume as the female Servant of the east's greeting.
"Pardon me. Something is preying on this Grail War that is not part of it. Lest we be picked off like stray sheep, action is needed. I witnessed this black-haired demon's speed firsthand. Faster than even my senses, he had invaded, attacked, and left. That glimpse was enough, however, for me to know he was no Servant. Alarming, given that no human could move like that."
The Eastern Field
Quite a few surprises had arisen. For one thing, his existence was more affirmed than he thought. It seemed they'd misjudged Airi's capacity. Due to the contract being formed having opening her circuits for the first time, it had placed greater burden on her than subsequent recovery. The Emperor holding his own Command Spells as a result of the mistake was fortunate. Dangerous, from a magus perspective, but not needing to subsist off them for prana while manifested helped significantly. To say that was a relief would be...an understatement. Still, he would not be able to fight at full strength for any substantial time. However, his prana was otherwise stabilized.
The priest's arrival had cued him to reunite with Airi, and they made plans to arrive at the meeting. On the way, however, he requested alternative clothes, cheap was fine, for the sake of being able to manifest without giving away his identity. This in turn led to addressing the issue of communication between the two of them.
The Emperor appreciated bombast, but not in a situation where discretion meant more. A thrift store made perfect sense, though his taste in the available options...perhaps less so.
Afterwards, actually getting to visit a store of modern technology's convenience was interesting! Claiming that he was an overseas friend of Airi's grandfather and a bit 'behind the times' would have been an easy to accept excuse. But, it wasn't even necessary to say what he'd prepared just in case, as the cashier was all too happy to conduct the sale. A cellphone and hands-free earpiece he could wear would do the job nicely. Both were sublimated into Kindly Alms, allowing Norton to manifest or dematerialize them as freely he would any other part of himself.
Along the way, continuing to head north through Shinto, Norton made a brief pit-stop to shave. The emperor's majestic mustache and beard of regal authority were mowed away, in a pragmatic tragedy. Really, a Servant who manifested with facial hair had an easy time changing how their face looked significantly!
And so here was the field. "Sundown" was slightly ambiguous, so arriving early just in case was only prudent.
Imitating his current Master, Norton wore a zip-up hoodie, though paired it with a baseball cap. A brim like that would be good for hiding his eyes subtly, same for his hair. A pair of raggedy jeans that were a bit too short for him, that was hardly even worth noting... Really, the Crocs-With-Socks combo was the only crime against fashion of the ensemble. It was cheap, it was generic, and it made him look harmless. Whether by intent or design, Norton looked like a harmlessly doddering embarrassment of a grampa.
Given this temporary ceasefire, it was in theory safe for Airi to attend in person, though he left it to her discretion. As the Emperor surveyed the fields, though, he harrumphed. Was he really the first one? Possibly the only one manifested at the moment. Norton crossed his arms while looking outwards. A flat field, clearly for agriculture. The roads split it into different properties. Buildings were considerably far apart, and mostly in the form of small houses, warehouses, and what he surmised to be storage sheds. The bay north was hidden by a bulwark of trees, but otherwise, there wasn't much that could be described as a possible hiding place.
Ruler had probably chosen this area due to the difficulty of possible treachery between camps. It was remote and isolated, yet out in the open. The Emperor surmised that it made sense, and was willing to wager that it was also in neutral ground. None of the Masters probably would be staking out a workshop here, and the terrain was probably useless for doing so to begin with. He wouldn't drop his guard, but it was at least not problematic territory.
Still, with how Imperial Decree had surprisingly been able to temporarily alleviate corrective pressure from him, the Emperor decided to test another unorthodox usage of it. Now may have been a poor time to experiment, but it was an idea he only just had at that moment, and the benefits were potentially worth it.
My parameters are, in order: D, D, E, B, D, with a single EX-rank Noble Phantasm.
This had zero chance of affecting his parameters at all and he knew it. Nothing he could actually do would change. However, the fact that they'd have to be manifested and communicate made him eager to try and obfuscate his actual parameters from the sight of other masters. A defensive measure was sensible. The Emperor was aware that if he were being currently observed, it was possible for a Master to see his parameters change. That was not preferable to outright misdirection, but the kind of paranoia that might instill was acceptable.
And if it did nothing...oh well.
oh boy oh boy @Player 2 is gonna feel all guilty again and I can bully him for it I CAN'T WAIT
I could app a Master as well if we still need more, on that note.
The Emperor watched from afar, atop the trees, able to make out the small human, the black void, and the general circumstances.
A Servant was swallowed by darkness. He knew of war well enough. It brought out the best of men, the worst of men, the progress and despair of men. Yet, that Master was not a soldier. A cresting wave of horror radiated from the black abyss.
He accepted the reality of war, and that combatants would die in it. It was harsh truth, but bitter medicine did a body good. It was not perfect or ideal, but it was what happened.
And in this war, two Command Spells had just been used. Having received the full energy of one himself, it was easy enough to recognize the eruption of miraculous prana, twofold, even if the audible command hadn't been given.
That was when his Master's voice unexpectedly entered his head. Telepathy? As a familiar, he should be able to do that, as Stirner had demonstrated during their brief window of establishing what each other could do. But this Master had not been capable of it before...had the opening of her magic circuits permitted her to connect in some way? The Emperor was uncertain as to how, but welcomed the surprise.
Promise me something, Norton. I gave you a second chance, so-
Of course, lass.
Stop calling me that! ...And that isn't what I'm asking!
Master, I don't think I can do anything here right now.
Me too. I wanted to save my sister, entering this war. I'm not cut out to be a magus or a Master though, and that sucks. I can't change that.
Incorporeal yet fully able of sensing his surroundings, Norton felt his eyes sting, as if on an over-dry day. Was it from watching the fate of Nakae and Muramasa? From seeing a maniacal Berserker tear open a gate to...there? Demonic weaponry rained from it, a knife shot from behind the human...it was not a battle in war that families would sing of, it was a one-sided massacre. Cold, pitiless, and pointless.
You won't need to save me too anymore. Just your other Master, and my sister. She's been bitten by a Dead Apostle. You're an Emperor, right?
Of course I am. Emperor, Saint, I'm plenty. Just not a hero, he thought to himself.
I heard that, don't think like that when we- Promise me you'll save her then!
How?
With the Grail, dumbass! Airi's irritation rumbled through the link, but also the way it was rooted in her sense of helplessness. And they both agreed, unspoken, that neither of them wanted to be powerless.
But that was an incredible thing to ask, all the same. Norton understood what she meant. He'd answered the summons for the prospect of the wish, after all. To give up...no, he realized, they could be reconciled. He would simply wish in such a way that would satisfy them both. A leader had to be inspirational, and an Emperor had to be magnificent.
I promise. The Emperor of the United States shall do so!
Good. I've gotten this far in life before this war, and I don't need magi gunning for me while I'm crippled by you. So I'll just do it this way...
"By my remaining Command Spells...these seals, even my wish...I give them all to my Servant!"
Airi chose to give up her Command Spells, leaving other participants in the Grail War with no reason to bother her, or so she thought. This would eliminate the burden on herself while Norton still "had a Master", and that'd be the best condition for them both.
The marks faded from her hand. The aching burden faded from her body. The sensation that her bones had become cold jelly, her muscles limp weights, they were finally leaving. Each breath drew in precious vitality for her, as her condition began to improve.
She'd used the 2nd Command Spell partially to make that possible. A Servant needed to be able to receive and (usually) understand the contents of a Command Spell. Her command and its phrasing was already in mind, and her intention was resolved, thus the link had been opened. It had to use some of the energy of the Command Spell, but only an extremely trivial amount. Command Spells could enact Spatial Transportation, something near the domain of True Magic. To do something even the most laughably poor magus could have done in her position had only required the tiniest of droplets, compared to the torrent a Command Spell was capable of.
It wasn't something she'd understood the process of, but it had worked. And it wasn't something she'd be able to do again.
Though Norton remained in spiritual form, he felt them. He knew them, he had them and accepted them, as they anchored him.
...Anchored? No, solidified? The best word failed him, but he felt his connection to Airi remained. He could treat the Command Spells as a slow-burning Prana supply, but even then he'd need to remain loathsomely frugal.
A phantasm couldn't tie a phantasm to the present.
The World wasn't so easily calmed, of course. Even if a Servant had dozens of Command Spells like Ruler, they would have no chance of lingering without support, much less taking action. The World would crush him as unnatural the same as any other distortion, as any other Servant.
However, Norton attempted to partially stave off the World's desire to scrub him out of it.
I belong in the present.
Imperial Decree, a D-rank skill of his, was consciously enacted. It would not strengthen him. It would not empower him. In fact, the skill was wholly unable to endow the benefits of meeting any criteria imposed on him besides merely doing. He'd become an Emperor merely by affirming that he was, and that was one of the two central concepts of his legend as a Heroic Spirit. Even in the present, he had admirers for it.
Still, he was skeptical he could satisfy The World simply by trying to tell it that he was just fine and normal in the modern day, but it was worth a shot. Maybe he could at least reduce the cost of manifesting? He'd need to conserve every possible unit of prana he could.
Berserker missed Stirner a lot by now. Having a competent magus as his Master had meant not having ANY of these problems in the first place! At least he had Airi, but she couldn't truly handle the need of a Berserker-class Servant, hence this set-up. Gahhh! How was he supposed to do anything in this Grail War!?
The other Master that was going to be left alive, in theory, by the Einzberserker was not exactly looking in the best condition. To be summoned into this Grail War and then denied the possibility of doing anything in it was too cruel.
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