ManyThings

Fate/Crimson Dusk

Caster

Black Faction's Base

---

The journey over had been uneventful for Caster. He had faster ways to move from country to country, but for the sake of saving magical energy and keeping with the group he had joined them in their mundane transportation, remaining in physical form over the journey and idly fashioning a quartet of magical stone daggers. He generally said nothing unprompted, but seemed vaguely dissatisfied with his own work. Or perhaps that was just his natural state. It was impossible for him to love anything, after all.

The beady little eyes of the fairy king scanned their base of operations with a certain amount of judgement. He commented "I can work with this. It's not bad." As the group entered the building, and before the door closed, almost as an afterthought, he glanced back outside and drew a set of elves from the earth.

Just like that, fey creatures of the world had risen up from nothing. Angular faces, paper-white skin, pointed ears, and animalistic eyes marked them all as utterly inhuman. With the simple order of "Gather me some wood," They were scattered to the four winds.

Within, Caster passed judgement as he heard of the priests' fortifications. "Lead? I understand its usefulness, but I can do much more with silver and gold, which are more befitting of the place where I reside anyhow. Don't worry, I'll find my own, just don't come whining to me while I'm trying to make this place somewhere not even a Servant could penetrate. You're the one who'll have to deal with it if those idiots succeed with their genocide, after all." He stalked off, muttering, "When I was alive, pretty much nobody was killing all the humans..."

Travelling a fair way down one of the immense hallways, Caster chose a room to reside in, immediately decided it was too small, and then melted the wall between it and the neighbouring room with a quick rune. He considered adding a third room to his super-room, but figured he should fill up the space he had, first. With a bit of focus, he drew out the elementals underground, half-forming a team of dwarves who brought him offerings of precious metal from deep below. He completed their formation into gangly fellows with bushy beards, and the lot of them began constructing a forge. They would work with the metal first, and he would bother with recruiting faeries once there was enchanting to be done.

Things were getting cramped. He was definitely going to have to melt more walls.

---

Kaybernett

---

Jack had intended to improve relations within the team during the flight over, but things had been dull enough that there hadn't really been an opportunity. His own Servant was as bombastic as ever, and between her and Anderson he had met two people in one day who didn't really fit with his reserved and respectful image of Christianity. Not that it was his business.

"You enjoy your discourse with the priests, Saber. I'll let you know when it's time to fight. You don't have a problem with being the first one into battle, right? Though Berserker might contest you for that, and Rider would give you a race and a half if he had a mind to beat you to it."

With only one case in hand, he didn't really have much need to settle into a room at the moment. With that in mind, he made to grab Father Howard's attention for a moment. "Mind if I poke around some of the stuff in these rooms? Blessed artifacts and the stuff you guys use to kill Dead Apostles... It might be good to bust some out if we're doing this, hm?"

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Cloudy Red Lights

Massively dropped the ball due to my own fuckup. Send me a hit if there's still anyone around.

Fate/Crimson Dusk

Kaybernett

Summoning Hall, Clock Tower

---

Jack didn't flinch nor retreat when his Summon emerged and began monologuing and smashing things. After all, he was the type who was great at pinpointing the difference between violence, and violence directed at him. He did raise his hands in surrender, since she had mentioned slaughtering them all.

"Heathens? I'm sure you know we're all magi, so take that however you want. There was a wizard or two among the peers, though, right?"

He had known a Paladin was going to be fairly devout, but he was hoping he could make it work. "Rider? Or Saber? Welcome back to the world. I'm Jack Kaybernett, who summoned you, and the other heroes you'll be joining are materializing around us as we speak. Best to get along with them, yeah?"

As he spoke and extended a hand towards the mounted lady, a sudden burst from the Russian Count's circle grabbed his attention. Something had just happened over there.

"What in the..?"

---

Der Ring des Nibelungen

---

It lay dormant. Golden and dazzling as the Count of Russia placed it on his scarf.

This was the way it had been for centuries, lounging in one treasure hoard or another, its curse long since decayed.

Until the moment the magus unleashed his chant. Then, in the midst of the steam and light gushing from the circle, it felt its owner's presence again. Its status was now that of a Noble Phantasm. Its purpose was renewed.

Perhaps it was a joyful thing to be brought out of disuse, but at that moment, the ring's function was not to feel joy. It was not in its rightful master's grasp.

And so it raged.

A hateful cocktail of fire and darkness emerged. The scarf was quickly annihilated like the nothing it was, and the floor wasn't faring much better. Small fissures made their way across the ground, and the force of palpable anger and burning wind was sufficient to knock a man like Vladimir off his feet. All this was only in the first second, and the curse was quickly blossoming into something even those at other circles would be troubled by.

Whatever form the Russian had conjured was completely obscured by the overbearing darkness. Yet, amid the swirling cinders and bubbling of the silver powder, a sigh was audible. There was the sound of a single step on the crumbling floor, seemingly louder than all the violent chaos around it.

With that, it all stopped.

Myriad runes shone for a momen on the golden band. The moment the figure in the ruined circle had scooped it up, the rage of the ring had subsided completely.

---

Caster

Summoning Hall, Clock Tower

---

It was a young boy with a round face and strawberry blond hair, but his cold, greedy, experienced eyes betrayed something of his true nature.

"Be more careful with my things."

His voice was not that of an adult, but his inflections and manner of speaking were beyond those of a child. Whatever he was, he twirled the ring between his fingers for a moment, revealing characters in some primal language which shimmered across its uniformly golden surface for a moment as he slipped it on.

"I am Caster, and you..." He thought for a moment, seeming annoyed as he examined the older man, "You have command seals, and magical energy. Fine, you can be my Master."

The offer of a contract was extended towards Vladimir. When he reached out to take it, he would find it felt different than he might have expected. What he had summoned was rather distant from the 'heroes' one normally saw in such wars. Caster's status read as being similar to an elemental. Along the same vein, he gazed over towards the other Servants, surmising each one's nature as best he could with a glance. Lancer held the shrewd gaze particularly long. While he couldn't identify her true name just like that, a Valkyrie was something he couldn't miss, that gave him great confidence for the faction. It was leering at maidens like her that had gotten him into his current predicament, but given his nature he held nothing but ice-cold calculations of victory in the face of such beauty.

Caster moved from the summoning circle and leaned towards Vladimir. "Let's take these people with us and get to work. I want that cup."

Fate/Crimson Dusk

Kaybernett

Summoning Hall, Clock Tower

---

"A magus personally making their way into the trap-riddled woods would be risky, but it may be necessary to come out on top if the enemy has really taken such base arts to another level. I'd recommend you have me around to tend to your wounds and afflictions if you decide to venture into the thick of it." Jack pondered strategies with the group, minus the haughty man who had left as hastily as he had come.

Naturally, he joined them as they travelled to the designated area for summoning, where yet another pair of new faces were introduced. Renwald and King weren't Masters, apparently, but Jack nonetheless greeted them with enthusiasm. Comparing their attitudes with some of the others, he considered that the backup team might be more amicable than the chosen Masters, not that he would intentionally let anyone die.

In any case, there was still something he had to do before he was truly settled into the team.

The Meatmaster approached one of the silver circles, knelt down, and popped open his case. There were a few things inside, but what he produced were incredibly worn and tattered pieces of leather - past the point of being recognizable as the reins they once made up. Many legendary horses have been named through history, but in this world of subcategory Grail Wars the likes of Bucephalus or Grani had long since had all associated relics snapped up by ambitious houses. Only a horse whose name was lost to time was accessible to someone like Jack, with few connections but a high willingness to do the needed detective work and excavate the decomposing catalyst from its tomb.

He rose to his feet, kicked the case a few meters away to avoid interference from his other possessions, lay the reins down before the summoning circle, and began to chant. He let his magical energy spring forth, and the Director's metallic dust made a fine conduit for it and began to exude light and steam.

Words poured forth just as readily as mana. Jack called out with the full force of his will for a hero to bond with himself.

"...If the spirit is willing, the flesh is manageable! Approach, hero! Answer this call if the fight still burns within you!"

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Cloudy Red Lights

Sorry I was a bit distracted by something this week. Since posting has stopped I'd say it's time to advance events and give y'all something to write about.

Fate/Crimson Dusk

Kaybernett

Head Office, Clock Tower

---

No doubt, they were a prickly bunch. Jack had considered arguing that it was worthwhile to meet in London before departing in order to get to know one another and improve relations within the faction, but since they hadn't taken to each other for the most part that hadn't been very effective. He took a seat in the meantime, since they had one more magus to meet, and set a leather case down between his legs as he waited.

"Get my hands dirty? I don't mind that, and I know how I look, but I'm really on this job more to provide us with healing than I am to kill magi. You don't have to worry about me trying to snap up the Grail at the end, either. I'm just here on business."

It was true. Jack had no world-shattering wish in mind, though obviously getting one's hands on a thing like that was never a bad thing. He didn't even have much of a mage's most basic desire to reach the Root, so unbeknownst to the association he was really more of a 'spellcaster' than a genuine 'magus'.

"Having to sustain our Servants for the trip over might be a bit of trouble, but if the Grail recognizes us as Masters it should give us what we need no matter where we are. Command seals haven't appeared on me yet, but if things don't work out I'll just come along in a support role, as per my job. If our base in Poland is secure then summoning safely should be possible there, but I'd personally prefer to be as close to France as possible when I summon mine," He patted the case at his feet, "Since my relic's from one of the 12 peers."

Jack checked the time. "Best to hand out that data on the Greys, Director, or give us a verbal briefing if you prefer. Either way let's give this last guy a few minutes to make an appearance and then get to summoning."

Fate/Crimson Dusk

Ah, nobody was worried they were actually going to die to chimeras or anything. It just felt like a bad sign when we were doing all this searching but got no answer from you on a lot of our attempts and illusion-piercing abilities.

Fate/Crimson Dusk

Yeah it was overcrowded and abrupt. Plus people were feeling bad because we were running like 3+ different things to detect enemies and search for traps, and still got jumped. So this time around hopefully you can keep in mind when we make perception checks, or send cannon fodder in to test for landmines and whatnot.

Anyway splitting up is usually good. Leaving teammates to guard the base or try different paths through the forest is probably a smart idea.

Fate/Crimson Dusk

Kaybernett

Head Office, Clock Tower

---

The meeting place was just a hop and a skip away from the duelling grounds, so Jack had the pleasure of an easygoing stroll through the storied halls of the Clock Tower on a sunny afternoon. The paths to different departments of the association were very familiar to him, and the head office was no exception, so he was able to get there more-or-less on time despite his pace.

Jack's suit-jacket had been stained with blood during the process of saving the loser of a violent duel a few minutes ago, and while he wondered if walking into the war meeting looking like that would have helped him seem strong and intimidating, he decided against doing so, tucking the jacket away in his case and resolving to clean it later.

The Meatmaster had met the headmaster before, but the business today was apparently being led by a higher-up named Orson. The name certainly sounded familiar, and as Jack stepped through the door and gazed about, he recognized the face of the old man behind the desk as well. Added on to that were two seated men who gave the distinct impression of combat experience- and Jack would know, given his usual job was to stand by while people fought all day. Finally, a younger woman still standing in front of Orson's desk.

"Nobody let you know what we're doing here? The Director here must think pretty highly of you as a mage, Miss Hifumi, because you've been picked for the operation against the Grey family." He said so as if he hadn't been picked for the exact same thing.

I got picked because of my healing. Not because I have a track record of assisting against rogue families, right..? He took another sweep of the office. "Afternoon, all. I'm Jack." Not taking a seat as of yet, he sent friendly looks around the room, and an offhanded nod to Orson.

Fate/Crimson Dusk

Smaller groups are good, I think. You almost never see an entire faction all running right alongside each other.