FujiwaraPhoenix

Blades of Iron Roses: A fantasy Knight RP

With a nod, Tiral made his move reconfiguring the spell that had been set up in an attempt to directly seek out their target. The needle, useful as it was, did not dictate where exactly at the town their current target was. To say it was troublesome was a bit of an understatement, but it wasn't completely impossible.

It took roughly half a minute to change the needle into a mirror and for Tiral to attempt to scry for the witch, only to come up with a hazy image that gave no clear image.

"She's taken countermeasures, as expected. We're just going to have to hunt our enemy down and hope we find her before she finishes whatever inane scheme is in progress," the mage-knight sighed, picking himself off the ground before beginning to move back to the outskirts of the ruins where the horses had been left. Talking more now would only waste time, and lost time was something they couldn't afford right now.

Fate/esoterica

Astrid Kim

it took a few moments before Astrid realized what her Servant had meant by 'promise'. It had been a bit of a passing comment, yes, but it wasn't as if the thought had been wiped from the half-Valkyrie's mind from a few hours of sleep. Emphasis, of course, on few.

"You wanted a pair of glasses, correct? I'm not sure if finding a courier to deliver a message to the Church is as simple as buying some clothes, but glasses are definitely doable," she said, taking the chance to switch to her phone to look up a map of the area. That action was soon interrupted by a growling stomach, causing Astrid's face to turn red in embarrassment in turn.

"A-ah... Maybe some breakfast first might be in order," she said in haste, scrambling to look at nearby restaurants that were cheap enough to grab a quick bite to eat at. "If you want to eat too, then you're free to use some of the spare clothing in my luggage for the moment. It'll make trying clothes on later need less of an alibi from me, regardless of whether or not we actually need one."

A few seconds later, the young woman had found a diner not too far away from the hotel; convenient, considering how she planned not to throw her money away by ordering room service.

@KoL

Archer

With his Master's assent given, the Archer smiled and nodded as he took a sip from his own cup. The aroma and taste was pleasant enough as a way to start his day, though some part of him desired a light snack to eat before he went on his way. Not as if he actually needed food as a Servant, of course, but simply tea wasn't enough in his heart.

"Well, of course. One does not need an exorbitant amount of money to get the homeless to work. Not all of those on the streets are panhandlers, and those who live without walls tend to see far more than those who do," the Archer said, calmly finishing the rest of his tea before donning an outfit to disguise himself with. "In any case, Master, I shall be off. Do call if any developments arrive from your end as well; I'll be spending some time verifying claims for the moment."

And with that, the Archer set off, walking out of the building as a normal human might. In the current situation, drawing attention as a Servant would only throw wrenches into his plans, and having that occur during setup, while not impossible to work around, was a tad more of a nuisance that he would like.

---

The vagrants that he had offered the job to had done their job far better than the old man had expected them to; the establishment of the existence of two odd pairs, both apparently composed of strange young woman (one of whom was wearing an abnormally large hat?), was enough to give him somewhere to start. While the pair that had went to the Church was likely unable to be tracked in detail, the vague description of their facial features and apparent age was enough to look out for.

After all, who else would visit an old church in the middle of the night like this other than a Master and their Servant?

No, what was more interesting was the pair of Asian girls that had apparently popped up out of nowhere and were currently squatting in some old abandoned building. The largest warning sign here was, of course, that two Asian women (when the general demographic of the region would have none if the census was to be trusted) would come and live in squalor than, say, rent some sort of room. It was possible that the Master of that pair was attempting to set up a workshop of some sort, but given how one of the vagrants mentioned her outfit being far more like a generic schoolgirl's uniform than anything more formal, that seemed less likely than anything.

As such, it was only fair to go check out the two in person. He had an alibi, and concealing his nature as a Servant was simple child's play, especially with a disguise such as his. Hopefully, they weren't the type to attack old men on sight, or they'd have to be moved up on the list of Servants to eliminate. Respect was of the utmost, after all, even in the underworld.

Once he had arrived at the building that the homeless people had pointed out to him, the Archer cleared his throat and slowly walked forward. The police tape cordoning the area off was cleanly cut, and given how the tape itself was laying about it was a guarantee that it had been done recently. In order to avoid any needless conflict, though, there was only one route that had to be taken, foolish as it may have sounded.

"Hello? Is there anyone here?" he called out, glancing around with a casual air of coolness as he waited for a response. "I heard that a pair of young ladies from out of town spent the night at this place, and I'd like to confirm that for myself. This is no place for anyone to rest if even the unfortunate avoid it, after all."

Play the benefactor and take them by the strings. A simple matter, and at worst he could act like a kindly older British gentleman and simply take his leave. Their presence alone would speak volumes to him, after all.

@VitaVitaAR@Raineh Daze@King Cosmos

Fate/Eternum

Alter Ego - Meltryllis

Pity.

That was something that Meltryllis, above all else, would not accept. She would accept scorn, disgust, and hatred with open arms; it wasn't like those ugly human emotions mattered much to her. Silly things like affection and love did not matter if they were not reciprocated, and she had no intention of bestowing such treasures on people that didn't deserve them in her heart.

But pity was out of the question. To see her as someone worth pitying, someone who had less than them while she was perfectly content with how she lived her life? Had this been the Moon Cell, the Alter Ego wouldn't have hesitated in executing the girl on the spot for such disrespect. But with how BB was acting as she was now and the circumstances of this world as far as she could see, that was out of the question. This did not mean that Nanako's slight, however brief, was forgotten; no, it was something to be punished later. To push her away, rather than let her grow close enough to believe that she had the right to act in such a manner was the only natural course of action.

But that could come later.

"Don't remind me of that clinical place," scoffed Meltryllis, tapping her artificial foot on the floor as she stared coldly at Nanako. "Restaurants, then? What are you waiting for? Move yourself, unless you want me to make you. I'll happily oblige."

@VitaVitaAR

Fate/Eternum

@KoL: Accepted.

Fate/Eternum

@Raineh Daze: Looks fine to me. Accepted.

Suddenly, My Favorite MMORPG has Become Real?! — A Log Horizon-inspired RP

Deneb

The effect of Viri's spell was immediate on the ninja, and she began to pick up speed and run further away from the oncoming threat. A quick glance behind the pair would make it obvious, though, that despite their speed the wolf pack was still coming hot on their heels. A fight was inevitable at this point, yet, but at least they could get to an ideal location for the fight before getting surrounded.

"Viri, play it same. We're going to be flanked from all sides once we get into position, so drop as many barriers and buffs as you can in the five seconds we have once we arrive. There's not going to be much time to prepare, but if all goes well, I might be able to thin their numbers and debuff them enough so that we can make a clean break from this place. Unless something goes miserably wrong, we're not going to be fighting them head-on. Am I clear?"

Without waiting for a response, Deneb checked her grip on Viri's arm before bounding up a hill and sliding down the other side, throwing caltrops and oil all over the ground as the animals chasing them grew closer.

"Okay, here we go, I guess..." she sighed, drawing the knife at her side and adopting a battle stance as a few wolves—the vanguard, it seemed—began to run over the hill and over the traps that had been hastily prepared a few moments prior. Most lost their footing and tumbled into whatever else had been lying around, writhing in pain as the field boss and the rest of the pack arrived.

"If you've got any debuffs to help me, though, feel free to use them. I don't think either of us want to be eaten alive, so pull no punches."

@Anza

Fate/Eternum

Alter Ego - Meltryllis

"Ah, senpai, I see you've already given up hope? Perfect~!" BB laughed, throwing the file off to somewhere offscreen before clapping her hands twice. "As for why I didn't just ask? Well, there's a few reasons, and for all you viewers out there who are just catching up, BB-chan will give you a fairly simple answer. First: Melt here knows exactly how I work, so she'd never cooperate willingly and might even work to irk me by telling you everything from the start, so why bother? Second: If I simply 'asked' for help, then I couldn't have you at my beck and call. It's simple, really; all you people march to and fro like little ants, and if I tried to pluck you out to do some work for me, you'd have the right to just ignore my honest cry for help. So... This was my conclusion. Simple, right?"

"But you're still not going to tell us about what your plans actually entail, are you? You never have, even when it was Ha—"

"Melt, I'm going to ask if you could shut up right there. Without your legs, it's not like you could even hope to scratch me where I am right now."

The sudden shift in BB's voice, coupled with her eyes turning blood red, caused Meltryllis to stop speaking despite her unerring pride. It was a soft spot for all of the Sakura Five (and BB), and likely the most likely to elicit such a response.

"So, in any case... Something might be happening tomorrow, so please, do keep and eye out and listen to my grand theme, okay, senpai~? BB-chan, signing off~!"

And with that, the screen flashed white before returning back to normal. Both Master and Servant seemed to stand by, dumbstruck at what had just transpired, but it was Meltryllis who broke the silence.

"Get up. I don't care about what sort of blackmail material she has on you, but there are better things to do than hide in an alleyway. I need information about this place before she throws us into the depths of insanity, and if you're not going to lead me then I'll happily throw these useless legs away and go back to normal to explore on my own. Am I clear?"

@VitaVitaAR

---

---

Fusang University

The words he had received from the King of Heroes had done nothing to lighten Lord El-Melloi II's mood; rather, the last words he said before the Lord got up and began to move the furniture only served to heighten his anxiety.

The piece of the King of Conqueror's cloak was still inside of his luggage, carefully packed away in a box meant to keep in in pristine condition. Fifteen years ago, he would have used it to meet once more with Rider, but the Grail's true nature and the war starting earlier than it should have was more than enough reason to refrain from doing so.

But to have the Servant who slew his King during the Fourth Holy Grail War simply tell him that his loyalty was enough... Well, what if he failed?

No, that wasn't an option here. if he failed, then he would die. If he attempted to use that cloak, he would die as well.

So the only option was to pray that a summoning ritual without any proper catalyst would do the job.

As Lord El-Melloi II began to methodically set up the summoning circle, Gray quietly moved off to the side, stopping next to Gilgamesh's apparent Master as she watched her mentor put everything in place.

"Er... Miss... Asakura, was it?" Gray asked, extending her hand towards the woman in front of her. "My name is Gray; as you may already know, I'm Lord El-Melloi II's assistant and a former student of his. I hope to get along well with you from here on out."

It didn't take much longer after introductions were had for the summoning circle in the middle of the room to be completed, and with whatever was missing shored up by Gilgamesh himself (an odd thing to see, considered how much fear he had sown into his heart), the summoning ritual began suit.

When the chant was complete and smoke filled the room, an all-too-familiar boisterous laughter filled the room.

"Oh, if it isn't the little boy again? It seems you've grown up properly. Still look as weak as a twig, though!" the larger-than-life Rider said, breaking through the cloud and laughing as he clapped El-Melloi II on the shoulder. "So, I take it you're my Master again?"

"...Yes, Rider. No, my king; it's great to see you again," he responded, half on the verge of tears as Iskander glanced around. It didn't take long, of course, for his eyes to fall on Gilgamesh (and, after a few more seconds, Gray) and for him to give a grand smile in return.

"Oh, what sort of chance meeting is this? The King of Heroes and the delusional gi—no, wait, my bad. Your hair and the way you hold yourself is far too different compared to that girl. In any case... You, Archer! Have you come to fight me again? Or shall we have a drink first, to celebrate my return to this world? I care not for the order, so long as it is done!"

"Loud as always, huh...?"
@KoL@Raineh Daze

Fate/Eternum

Alter Ego - Meltryllis

That momentary glimpse of pity from her Master's eyes was enough to cause Meltryllis to regret finding BB so early—or, in this case, her finding them. The matter of the two of them being blackmailed was more of a minor issue compared to BB simply throwing out the image she had been building up until this point, but given the situation the Alter Ego wasn't in any position to really do much of anything in response.

"Hm...? My, my, is my idiot senpai confused? I thought it was fairly obvious what I meant..." BB remarked, quietly thumbing through the files in hand. "You know, some things never go away on this global network, no matter how hard you try. Old stories, art, fanfiction... To say the least. But I have to say, senpai... You're into some pretty strange things."

There was a quick flash of some image or another, partially obscured by folder that BB held and made slightly difficult to see by the size of the screen itself, but it was almost certain Nanako would be able to recognize at least part of the image.

"Well, it shouldn't be too hard to manipulate your social media accounts or broadcast things at your school about all the files I have on hand, so... You understand what I'm getting at here, right? Senpai~?"

@VitaVitaAR

Fate/Eternum

Alter Ego - Meltryllis

"The Tower of Babylonia..."

The name that her Master had given caused Meltryllis to frown, her brow creased as she stared at the building in question. Barring the atmosphere that the building itself seemed to exude, the association of the building by name along was enough to bring back rather unwanted memories. That matter was was soon pushed to the side, though, as Nanako offered her phone to Melt.

"The internet, huh? Well, I guess a system like that is better than no—" she began to say as she reached for the phone. There was a pause as her hand was right above it, though, as she remembered that it wouldn't exactly be possibly to grab the object (much less through her sleeves). Before she could draw back and make any sort of excuse, though, an all too familiar jingle began to play on the device. Though somewhat sudden, the lack of people around to hear it meant little to Meltryllis, who immediately grimaced.

"So she's making the first move, huh?" she asked quietly as the words "now hacking..." replaced the lock screen (which itself had shifted to static), only to be replaced by a pink "OK!" and a white background a few second later.

"BB... CHANNEL!"

The all-too-cheerful cry that came from the phone brought with it the sight of what looked to be a person who looked all too similar to the Alter Ego who was staring daggers at the device, and without giving either party a chance to respond, the one on the other side began to speak.

"Hello, you two~! Melt, I see you've gotten a little Master of your own, riiiiight?" the purple-haired person on the other side on the screen asked, a smug expression on her face as she seemed to glance between the two staring at the phone. "Oh, I guess I should introduce myself for my clueless senpai on the other side there, shouldn't I?"

With a flourish as she spun around and drew back, the girl pointed her baton at Nanako (through the screen) with a smile before continuing.

"Hailing from a time and space far different from the world you live in, the little fairy from the electronic sea... That's right! Your ever-perfect kouhai, BB-chan, at your service~! Or, well, you will be at mine, but this last-boss level kouhai will let you think that you have control for now."

"Enough of your usual games, BB," Melt interjected, her arms crossed in irritation as she spoke. "Explain. Why am I—no, why are we here, outside of the Moon Cell? Ten years earlier, no less?"

"Oh, you're still stuck in the year 2030, Meltryllis? Well, that's fine, too," BB shrugged, acting as if the Alter Ego's words had barely registered on her radar. "Oh, erm... Nanako-chan... Was it? yes, I've got your records on hand here. You're Melt's Master now, right? Let me tell you a little secret, then, since she seems as prickly as ever... For some reason. She really likes figures. I mean, reaaaallly likes them. It's kind of creepy, honestly."

At this blatant disregard for personal privacy, Melt took a step forward and glared at the screen.

"Yes, what about it? Figures are beautiful; a moment frozen in time, unmarred by emotions from anyone but the artist. How is that so creepy?"

"Well, you only love them so much because you can't use your silly little hands, right? Honestly, if I hadn't hacked into this phone, you'd have been standing there dumbstruck, leaving my cute senpai here without any clue as to why. Am I wrong? I'm not, riiight~?"

At this, Melt's body visibly tensed up, her teeth clenched as she readied herself to slap the phone right out of Nanako's hands.

"Nuh uh uh~! Melt, you were looking for me in the first place, weren't you? What makes you think that breaking this phone would be a good idea? You were never the type to let the emotions get the better of you, but here you are about to throw a tantrum and lose contact with me—right when I decided to contact you. Right in front of your new Master, no less~!" BB laughed, an all-knowing smirk on her face as the Alter Ego stopped dead in her tracks. "Too bad, but BB-chan has the entire situation in the palm of her hand. There's no guarantee that you can reach me again, after all, so be quiet for a moment unless you want to lose this BB-chan special chance, okay~? Now, with you shut up for the moment..."

BB flicked the baton back towards Nanako, a snide smile on her face as she watched Melt seethe in irritation out of the corner of her eye before speaking to the Master proper.

"Anyways, in exchange for that little tidbit, senpai, you should help your little kouhai out here~! The deal is simple, all right? If there's trouble, you'll hear my theme song louuuud and clear from your phone. Just drop whatever you're doing, pick up the call, and do as I say when that happens and everything will be just fine. Otherwise... Well, you know that internet service providers from this era have all your information on hand, right? And you're a young, growing girl despite being my senpai. I think you know what I'm getting at... Riiiight?"

With a smile, BB waved a few files around on the other side of the phone expectantly.

"So... You can make your choice. Help me out, or I'll make sure everyone knows what's inside here. Okay?"

@VitaVitaAR

Fate/esoterica

Astrid Kim

"Mmm, well... In a world of peace, it's hard to find any real heroes. With all this fancy medical technology and the like, it's hard to even get close to someone for that purpose," Mist responded, a half-joking shrug matching her weak smile. "But yes, it's been... Difficult at times, to say the least. If anything, though, it's nice to have company. My daughter should be able to find someone there to fulfill our duty. Or, well, so I'd hope. On second thought, it'd be quite difficult to find heroes among modern magi, now that I think about it. Their methods are a bit far from heroic."

At this tangent, Astrid sighed and shook her head. It was a bit late for her mother to regret her choice is pushing her off now, but since she was already present, there wasn't much of a reason to not try her hardest. Any less might mean her death, after all... Or, well, so she had heard. Lancer's reaction, however, was enough of a clue for Astrid herself to pick up on.

"In any case, mother, I think that's enough for the moment?" the half-valkyrie asked, to which her mother responded with a light nod.

"Oh, certainly. Please, do be safe in your adventures over in America, my daughter. Elder Sister, may the Allfather's blessings be upon you."

With their farewells done, the call shut off, and Astrid quietly put her laptop away before turning towards Brynhildr.

"Well, I admit my actions were rather spur of the moment, but that seemed to have placated her for the moment. Now, if we work off of your suggestion to avoid the Church, then we can simply go and purchase you a few outfits. How does that sound, Lancer?"

@KoL

Archer

"Impatience will only get us killed sooner, dear Master," Archer remarked in turn, retrieving the newspaper as his Master ordered before promptly taking a seat at the table as well. Despite how one might have expected their relationship to play out, the two old men were on fairly even terms. Neither asked the unreasonable from the other, and as far as the Servant could tell, he would have free reign to work as he pleased.

If it couldn't be called 'ideal', especially given the lack of a certain detective, then he didn't know what could.

Thumbing through the paper as he casually sipped at his drink, Archer quietly glanced at the preparations that Thomas was preparing. Magecraft was still something he preferred to divorce himself from if possible, but at this point that was more or less impossible.

"Mmm... Seems like no odd occurrences in the paper yet," he finally said, handing the paper over to his Master. "Shall I go see if last night's investigations have borne any fruit?"

@King Cosmos