There are stupid questions, but if you pretend you were just joking you should be okay.
3
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7 yrs ago
The best business pitch is to throw the business ball past the business batter to the business catcher.
1
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7 yrs ago
I sometimes hear about someone having skeletons in their closet. Ok? How do you know they're still in there? You can't just assume a skeleton is gonna stay still. This is your house, not a graveyard.
"Are you certain this is not my full power? If that's true, then you would be wise to destroy me with all your might before I do the same to you." Saber was right, of course. He was not her student, a fact made all the more obvious by the skill he displayed in grabbing hold of her weapon. Therefore, there was no reason to pace out each attack as a lesson. If she were teaching a lesson, she might have let the man pull her spear out of her grip and praised him for a successful maneuver on the first try. However, this was not the case.
As her opponent pulled and twisted on her spear, Lancer did not truly let go of it. Rather, she let her hands nearly free of it such that her fingertips grazed along the shaft until Saber's wrist reached its limit in terms of twisting before restoring her grip with one hand almost at the pommel. From there, a similar principle was applied as when she had forced Saber's blade into the ground, except this time he was serving as the unwitting anchor while she embraced his pull forwards and added a push to her right. At the same time as the pull carried Lancer away from the blade, it disrupted the attack as well. Saber's strength had unmistakably increased since the beginning of the fight due to some unknown factor, but the tug applied to his left caused his right arm to veer slightly off course, somewhat like a rowboat with one oar.
Between Lancer's swift escape and the minor redirection of the blade, the attack still only missed by mere centimetres. By that point, it should have been clear to Saber and his unfathomably-dressed Master that some factor guided her actions in combat with great care, allowing her to make with absolute certainty moves that would be a great risk or even near suicide for a fighter with any common sense.
So it was that Lancer positioned herself at her foe's left flank. It was close enough to be disadvantageous for a spearwoman, but with Saber's right arm having raised his blade overhead during his upward blow while his left steadfastly gripped her own weapon, it was not a wholly disadvantageous position.
It was clear that Saber's physical abilities were growing. Whether by virtue of time, number of blows exchanged, or some other factor Lancer did not know, and there was no time to perform a proper investigation into the future to determine the end result of this enhancement. However...
"You attempt to disarm an opponent through sheer force. Not bad, but do you think I'm so feeble?"
Compared to at the beginning of the match when they were equal, Saber's strength was now somewhat greater than hers. Despite this, a single one of his limbs had not yet touched the level of being greater than two of hers, so with both hands distanced appropriately along the shaft, she gave a harsh pull of her own while simultaneously twisting, and stepping back up the hill.
It was a matter of course that her spear was freed from the knight's grasp. The question, in this case was whether he had suffered a broken wrist as his hand, which had already fully twisted the spear, was brought even further in the same direction, or a severed arm as the spearhead passed along the armpit during its exit from his grip.
"Still, forgive me if I'm hesitant to reveal the full extent of my abilities to any who may be watching simply for the sake of learning one warrior's true name." She narrowed her eyes, "If you're similarly worried about possibility of prying ears, then come close and say it so only I can hear." She levelled her spear at him. An invitation, but clearly not to talk.
Lancer decided not to give in to her opponent's demands. After all, if he felt antagonized he then he might be more likely to attempt her absolute destruction, at which point she would watch carefully the nature of his attack. "You revealed that information of your own accord, Saber. As such, don't want to hear you lamenting that you failed to come to an proper agreement with me beforehand."
Nonetheless, she bore no true ill-will towards her opponent, and approved of his techniques to minimize the disadvantage his inferior agility presented. Not a bad counterattack, but I can already think of a half dozen pointers to give you.
At this point, the difference in combat between one who could see the future and one who could not became more tangible. It required only a repositioning of one hand and a subtle shift of the weight, for her stance was prepared beforehand with Saber's next move in mind. Her spear functioned as something like a lever, with the head falling from its upward angle to nearly the opposite. The blade of Saber's sword, which was running along the shaft, was forced to follow its path downwards, cracking into the ground along with her own spearhead. "With that said, would you like to reveal your true name? I have my suspicions but I don't mind if you make it easier for me. Of course, I offer nothing in return." It was the sort of tone she took with her pupil in his early days. Cruel and unyielding, even if it was merely a well-disguised tactic to apply 'tough love' and bring out the best in him.
Naturally, the illusion would be ruined if she politely waited for an answer, and so Lancer made her next move. Her superior speed was more obvious here, as she was able to remove her spear from the earth before Saber could do the same. Since she obviously hadn't pushed him hard enough, as he still wore a boyish smile and seemed quite talkative, Lancer decided to 'turn things up a notch', so to speak.
Taking two steps back while shifting her grip on her Lance, she dropped into a low, wide stance before making her attack. She made an angled thrust forth into the air to Saber's left before carefully redirecting that momentum into a swing for his torso. Thus, the disadvantage of a great, wide swing was negated as the attack arrived inches from its target almost instantly while the hero's sword remained in a disadvantageous lowered position.
For a hardy warrior like Saber, the best move might seem to be stepping forward and enduring the bludgeoning of the shaft for a chance to close more distance. From Lancer's stance, however, it would be possible to pull the spear straight back at that point, thus running the blade of the head across his side from behind.
These are the fundamentals a pupil of mine must understand before he is allowed to wield a spear of any quality. Will this man pick up on it, I wonder?
”That’s good. Excellent resolve.” Lancer raised her single spear, pointing it squarely at her opponent. "Of course, I would not be so careless as to reveal my identity, but it seems you've just given me a useful hint. There are not many heroes who seek glory to their uncles before their fathers or lords."
There was not time to consider the implications of this nor coax another secret out of the man, however, as he burst forward and attacked with a great sweeping blow. To Lancer, however, the knight was moving at a rather unimpressive rate, and so Lancer deftly crouched low, just enough that the mighty swing passed a few inches above her. ”Far too slow!” From there, she sprung up at an angle supported by the hill, her spear extending to pierce the Saber’s neck. She was a woman who carried an immense killing intent behind her eyes, but what appeared to be a brutal blow to tear through the enemy was instead a subtle invitation for him to display further power.
Of course, it would also serve as a punishment if he were somehow so lacking in skill as to allow it to hit as intended.
On the other hand, while her offensive maneuvers were meant to test and pressure Saber while carrying the appearance of deathblows, her preparations to defend and evade more much more straightforward and comprehensive. Lancer was hardly ignorant on the weaknesses of her style of weapon, and so her stance was a delicately prepared thing which would allow her to retract her spear quickly and block with the shaft.
Surprise me. Counterattack if you can. Even as she thought these things, her Clairvoyance remained in effect, allowing her to prepare for even the most out-of-the-blue enemy tactics. While it wasn't necessarily the most effective Skill for the purpose of refining one's movements in battle, Lancer felt it was wise to not rely so heavily on abilities to determine the optimal course for her. In other words, she preferred to simply have the future sight of Clairvoyance reveal the opponent's moves while using her own experience to decide on a response.
Despite how she calculated and limited her choices in abilities and movements, she outwardly betrayed nothing but bloodlust as her crimson spear whistled towards the paladin's throat.
That cocky warrior, 'Lancer Prime' had left with such speed that he was no longer within the city, having barely even been noticed by her Master's familiar network before leaving their territory altogether. Unfortunate, as she had wanted to see him in action to judge his mettle, but as long as he and his Master weren't collectively so inept as to have him die on the first night, there would be other chances for that. "It seems we cannot collaborate with those two tonight, Master. With that in mind, I will be heading out."
"Try not to stray too far, Lancer." Her Master seemed distracted as she carried a sponge and a large empty metal tub outside while the filthy Shinji followed timidly behind.
"Very well then. I will keep in touch."
And that was all. One, two, three steps and she was over the gate. Despite this, she was not rashly leaving her Master unguarded, as the bounded fields produced by myriad runes around the property would prove an immense obstacle even for a Servant while also making it nearly impossible to be sure how many Servants were inside, or if there was one at all.
Thus, the Lord of Spirits left no worries or regrets behind her as she took to the streets, making her presence as a Heroic Spirit fully known.
With her Clairvoyance, the pair could be seen from a great distance away. There was no particular rush, so the rather imposing, if oddly dressed woman simply walked towards them at a pace brisk enough to catch up to what was clearly a Servant and a Master before they reached their destination. With her abilities there were numerous ways she could have approached them advantageously. Stealth, magecraft, and ranged attacks were all available to her, but instead she approached her enemies directly, overtly, and without haste.
The Master's attire was something on which the Holy Grail had granted her no knowledge whatsoever. The Servant, however, was of an easily discernible ilk. A gleaming, noble, boyish sort of knight. His sort tended toward qualities slightly distinct from those of his beloved pupil, but the man ahead was, by her initial judgement, far from mediocre.
If he proved to be capable of such a thing, Lancer would accept an immortal-killing attack from this man graciously. Of course, there was a fine line that had to be walked. It would be rather unbecoming to leave her Master on the first night of the war, and she would never forgive herself if she fell to a insufficient attack and was forced forever back to the Land of Shadows. Therefore, the conclusion was to apply careful pressure in combat that would force the enemy to release their strongest attack, then to judge that attack's chance to end her existence.
"Warrior." She was still nearly a block behind them, at the top of a mild hill, but her voice rang out with a rather imposing tone that echoed off the buildings and easily crossed that distance. Unless you seek a second death, come at me now with your full might."
She produced one of her spears, holding it at her side as she continued to walk down the slope towards the pair at a pace that could only be called brisk by a human. At the same time as her eyes looked carefully at the present and future for the enemy's next move, they projected information as well. A clear message.
When I reach the bottom of this hill, I will kill you.
He had enough self-awareness to come early. Thus, it was no problem that he wandered the halls peering into open doors, fixated on one thing after another.
So that's what that ritual did. He always killed mages before they could finish.
No way, were they fighting? Hand-to-hand mages? The door fell closed too quickly to be sure.
The place was like a museum, but more fun because you had to be quick and sneaky to see the cool parts. Fortunately, Romeo was both. Despite that, wasn't it almost time to meet the mages? For a place called "The Clock Tower" he actually couldn't find a way to figure out the exact o'clock. Being unsure, he decided to head what he felt was probably the right direction. A few minutes later, he got what he wanted. Romeo had half a mind to kick down the door and start interrogating the mages that would surely be inside about what kinds of cool things they could do. Instead, he gave two rapid knocks, waited for an invitation, and then stepped inside.
There were three already sitting inside, and despite the intimidating guy who was obviously the higher-ranked executioner he was meant to join, his instincts told him the scholarly-looking fella behind the desk would be in charge. With that in mind, he made a quick stop there to announce his arrival. "Good afternoon, sir. Executioner Romeo Tallis from the Holy Church reporting for duty." He spoke just loud enough that he could be sure everyone currently in the room would remember his name. "If you don't mind, I'll be joining my senior now."
Looking more thoroughly at the scarred man sitting nearby, it was obvious that he must have had an insane amount of experience, hopefully against magi specifically. As the junior priest in black approached the senior one in white, he wondered if perhaps he was meeting someone truly legendary, as he had always taken more of an interest in the terrible mythic blasphemers who had antagonized the Church throughout history than in the legendary warriors of the Lord. "Pleased to meet you, Father." He extended a hand while guessing at the man's status, "I hope you're doing well, and that you're ready to embark on this unusual mission."
This seems interesting, though I can't really throw my hat into the ring until I secure my free time later. Out of curiosity, what is the difference between Strength and Attack?
The Master standing outside matched the description, more or less. Normally, Reiki would have formed a worm body for such an encounter, but in this case she was confident that the shockingly little girl outside was the Italian homunculus whose aid had been arranged for by Zouken. Thus, Reiki stepped outside herself. It was not really such a large risk as Scáthach's runes still provided quite a good defence system, but where a Servant was concerned, all sorts of abilities were possible. With the amount of heroic spirits in the city it would be silly to think that there weren't at least a few who could pass through the defences built into the Matou house foundation and the runecraft of an ancient hero.
A good thing her ally had summoned a Servant. It was always on the table that she should attempt it, and with the cap for participants having seemingly been completely done away with it was only common sense that she would have succeeded. Besides, an advantage like multiple Servants allied together was the only obvious way to ensure victory in a free-for-all with dozens of deadly players like this one.
Reiki leaned on the iron bars of the gate, putting her face between two of them. "Hi there, good evening. I'm Reiki Matou, and you must be Benita Garibaldi!" She shifted her weight and pushed one of the gates open, inviting the Italian and her Servant into the yard.
"There're scads of players in this war, so we'll be in a bad place if we're too aggressive right off the bat." She spoke as she beckoned the two to follow her past a small gazebo which was seemingly prepared for some sort of festivity, and up to the front door of the manor. "Basically, make yourselves at home for now." She made to open the door, and simultaneously Scáthach, who had apparently returned the that unusual, revealing, skintight jumpsuit and golden headdress she had been wearing when she was summoned, burst imperiously forth."Master, that war has started. Modern clothing was a little enjoyable during downtime, but from now on I will be dressing as a proper warrior ought to."
Stopping in the doorway, she gazed down at the new arrivals. Reiki could never judge much from her Servant's expression, but she could've sworn she saw a little smile cross her lips when she met eyes with Benita's Servant. "So, this is my Servant. We can discuss sharing true names if you'd like, but for now you can just call her Lancer. And how about..." She looked the homunculus' Servant up and down properly for the first time and noticed the long spear he carried. "...That might end up being kind of confusing."
Ground Platoon Sixty-Seven
Mion Riverbank, Fuyuki
If anyone had been around, they would have been in shock from the sight of a man having his heart destroyed and silently falling off the bridge and into the river. Surely with the poor lighting of night, as their eyes tried to track him beneath the surface, they would not have noticed the things that slipped into the water from ground level.
They swam. Even if it was unnatural for such creatures, they gyrated their bodies in such a way that they efficiently caught up to the dead body of the fake master being carried downstream. Working as a group, platoon sixty-seven pushed their meal up so just his head and shoulders lay on dry land before digging in.
They were efficient. In less than a minute, even his clothes were gone.
And now they were sustained. Much more, and they would have enough energy to breed again.
Their controller was troubled, but oddly gratified. She had always wanted to use them to fight crime. Besides, a not insignificant portion of the Matou's nonmagical assets were in the process of being stolen.
They had already observed those inside as they entered, and so as they flew towards the bank they shifted into the correct formation for the situation. One enemy was a heroic spirit. Moreover, one with immense physical might even as such spirits are concerned. Thus, even if every unit in the city gathered they would be nothing more than a visual obstruction to him. Therefore, they would assault the Master while remaining spread out in a way that made it inefficient to target each insect with an attack.
They were flying piranhas. Any one of them could shave off a good chunk of flesh if they made contact. They flew silently. The buzzing, a sound that naturally set off fear in the instincts of most creatures, didn't begin until they burst through the door. Then, they split into groups.
A few held back around the doorway as a deterrent.
A large group in a straightforward assault on the Persian man.
A larger one scattered around the room before half reformed behind him while the other half waited for counterattack.
A tiny group, puffed up to look large, flew in front of the Berserker as a distraction.
Another staying close to the ceiling to descend if an opening appeared.
It was nearly instantaneous, as though a sandstorm had entered the room.
That'll be an awesome dude to be hanging around. (AAAAAAAMENNN) It's good to note that the black key handles are really small so if you mean space to pull all those bayonets out of he can still carry like hundreds of the things.
As for that skill I think saber Lancelot only came out in the most recent materials book and the wiki's sorta slow. I've only seen it there and people talking about it, but Beast's Lair tends to be reliable, mostly good folks on there.
@vancexentan Here's my guy. Let me know what you think.
Name: Romeo Tallis Nicknames: Bloodstained Tracker Age: 26 Gender: Male Master of: TBD Command Seal Location: Right Palm Wish: "My job is just to fight, but maybe I should start writing up a wishlist..." Origin: Pursuit
When on the job he dresses as a priest, obviously.
Personality "Magic is real."
"I can do magic."
"My job is fighting evil magicians."
Even many years after realizing these things, he retains a certain sense of childlike wonder that someone born into magecraft would likely lack. It is not that he is naive, for in his line of work he must understand the weight of a human life. Rather, it is simply that each experience in his life surpasses his expectations. He does genuinely follow the Catholic faith, even if he's pretty loose and carefree. Always optimistic and inquisitive, Romeo has gone to great lengths to find a balance that allows him to work efficiently while also satisfying his curiosity with the ways of magecraft. Always trying not to take things too seriously, he is used to hearing things like "I am the head of the great ________ clan which goes back __ generations! I will not fall here!" and so it is easy for him to humour those of great pride and not speak up against them too quickly, since he is also genuinely impressed by the ancient and mystical powers they wield. In other words, even if he's proud of his skills and sometimes hot-headed he's often content to let others show off. However, on principle he can't let anyone speak a word against his teacher and mentor, Orlando.
Biography The Batticavallo family in Spain wasn't like most. For instance, Romeo didn't know he was a mage for the first twelve years of his life. Didn't need to, because the "magic crest" was a little different from most. He didn't understand why his father made him come home so early, made him stay away from all the friends he made. He didn't understand the ritual prepared for him at age twelve when he was called down to the living room by his father.
His father was his grandfather, and his great grandfather, and his great-great grandfather. This was the secret of the Batticavallo family of mages, it was nothing more than a single mage using a dark ritual to steal the bodies of his successors. Romeo was next, and there was nothing he could do. Nothing, except kill the person who was trying to kill him. For the first time in his life, magic circuits began activity, staving off the dark smoke that threatened to consume him. The groin. The shins. There was no honour in it, but the young boy did everything he could to fight off the bigger, stronger, magical man. A knife. Rabbits had been bled dry to prepare the ritual. In his old age, this rotten immortal had become careless. Romeo, who knew nothing of magic, squeezed every last drop of mana from himself to resist the magecraft his father threw at him. One, two, three, and four. The boy stabbed the man's belly. Dead. He had killed his father.
No, that was wrong. The man, essentially an undead being, rose again with eyes full of vengefulness-
-And was pierced through the head by a pair of long blades with short red hilts.
His saviour, who had entered the house undetected. Then turned his blades on Romeo. His task, to clear out a family of especially heretical mages, had hit a snag. But the solution presented itself in the form of four holes in the dead mage's belly. A new trainee joined the executioners that day.
Romeo took up the Catholic faith and trained directly under a master of mage assassination, Orlando Tallis, and even took the man's last name as he picked up the skills of mage-hunting very fast. There was so much he hadn't known of in the world of mages, and even though his first experience there had been a life-threatening one. He found himself constantly delighted as he poured over fascinating lore, and even as his job involved the hunting and killing of mages, he was always intrigued by the work of his enemies, often questioning them about their research once he had them pinned, something which got him into more than a few scrapes.
Romeo wasn't the church's first pick for the mission of participating in this Holy Grail War, but he was on the list, and by calling in a few favours he makes his way to London for the chance to work together with mages, something he relishes. And more than that...
"It's cool! Ancient heroes! You have to be aware of how incredibly cool this is!"
Magecraft School: The basic teachings of the Church and a ramshackle set of skills from Orlando meant for the hunting and slaying of mages. Amount of Mana: C
Lurk (3/day): A passive effect to enable a mundane form of stealth at the highest level for 15 minutes per casting. Sounds such as Romeo's footsteps and breathing are silenced and it becomes easy to blend into a crowd and perform slightly unusual actions while going unnoticed. Baptism Sacrament (2/day): A simple ritual with an aria that falls on the Ten-Count category capable of exorcising Demons and sending Wraiths back to the world of the dead. Possess weak capacities of physical interference, but its power is overwhelming against spiritual bodies. However, it is ineffective against spirits on the level of Servants. Combat Healing (2/day): A sort of healing magecraft useful in combat because of its extremely short casting time. However, it can only be used at close range and doesn't truly restore flesh so much as hold together the body for a while so that the fight can be completed. Basically, a method to ignore and temporarily lessen things like broken limbs and stab wounds. It is not that the wounds automatically revert to the previous state when the spell wears off, but that it is similar to a hasty stitching job. Conceal (2/day): An effect on the same time limit as Lurk, but applying to magical stealth. Romeo's "mana signature" even as a master is snuffed out and he becomes shielded from divination (information gathering) magecraft. As such, it is possible for him to deceive the eyes of familiars and pass straight through most modern bounded fields and magical traps without setting them off. Quarry (1/day): A target is selected, at which point Romeo is aware of their general direction and distance from him for 10 minutes. Moreover, he can let himself be physically pulled towards them. In other words, a compliment to his high agility which boosts his movement speed when moving towards the target. Superior Resistance (1/day): The normal act of using one's mana to resist "status effects" borne of magecraft, simply at a much higher level for a minute or so. It can also be somewhat applied to physical damage type magecraft, so combined with his durability it could be used to run through something like a fireball (while still taking some damage) towards his prey.
Other Black Keys: Red hilts whose small size and light weight allow them to be carried in very large numbers. By running a little mana through them a blade can be manifested, with the exact size depending on the amount used. While they can be used to thrust and slice, even cutting concrete if filled to the brim and swung at Romeo's full strength, they are primarily throwing weapons. While dangerous in physical combat, their real strength is against vampires, whose regeneration is halted by their touch, as well as demons and spirits. Protective Clothing: The garb of a priest worn by Romeo while he's working. It is made from thick kevlar allowing it to block small arms fire, and laced with protective enchantments from the church making it more effective at blocking offensive magecraft. Combat: Romeo's real strength is his body which has power far beyond the level of normal human training due to the secret methods of the church granted to him as an executioner. He is exceedingly deadly at close range, with a fighting method where he is constantly making to kill the opponent by snapping their neck or crushing their ribcage, even with his bare hands. Due to his experience against mages, he is adept at telling when they are preparing to cast a spell and using sharp movements and acute pain to distract and disrupt them.
Also it's worth noting that Knight of the Lake does have a canon effect from the mats. I don't know if you want to use it, though.
Knight of the Lake: A He was raised from infancy by the Lady of the Lake. Due to that, he is constantly affected by her blessing. Using this skill, he is able to temporarily add a + to any parameter other than LCK (substantially doubling it).
SSW
BrokenPromise