SSW

Fate/Crimson Dusk

Thinking of apping a canon Servant now.

Considering Mata Hari, Iskandar, Ozymandias, Drake, Cursed Arm, Asterios, either of the Onis, Caesar or Lu Bu. What do you think about those for viability?

(edit: oh Bradamante or Astolfo could be fun too.)

Fate/Blind Logos

Saber: Sir Ywain
Knight of the Lion
Latin District

As suddenly as he had arrived to attack, Tristan once more disappeared. How strange, for him not to stand his ground and fight - perhaps his Master was worried. Ywain was left confused, wondering exactly what the motive had been for his fellow knight to attack in such a strange way. But he could hardly consider it a tragedy. After all, he had an ally by his side now, someone he could consider reliable.

Naturally, it was a matter of course for Ywain to return to Noon’s side. Arriving quickly, he twisted the ring once more, and the shimmering veil of ‘invisibility’ surrounding him disappeared. Looking towards Noon, he simply nodded. A gesture of confidence, of readiness for further combat.

“It seems I’ll never understand that man.” Ywain said, musing simply to himself. Was it his own fault, for not taking the opportunity to talk to him? Perhaps… If friendship was something that went beyond words, but could not be established without them, what did it mean? Was it ever truly possible to come to a mutual understanding through ‘actions’ alone? Maybe his own perspective was skewed, considering one of his greatest friendships had been with a simple beast.

Ywain’s musings were interrupted by the presence of another enemy. A strange person indeed. Even if Ywain had little problem with doing things in the name of love, this was going a little too far.

He simply placed himself between the enemy and Elaine. If it was a matter of combating a monster such as this, attempting to communicate was beyond pointless. His sword manifested in his right hand, and he entered a defensive stance. If the enemy’s goal was not ‘to kill’, but to capture Elaine, then protection had to be prioritised. Luckily, that was Ywain’s speciality.

@Danchou @Reflection @King Cosmos @ManyThings

Fate/Blind Logos

~~~ Θ ~~~
Diana, Venus
Latin District, Central

“Looks like the enemy’s leaving. Good thing they never noticed us, wouldn’t want to go up against that. Um, over. Diana muttered into her handheld radio from a rooftop position, watching the other Servants move away at a dizzying pace. She’d barely had any time to even see the Archer’s shots, nor learn anything from them. Plucking at the strings of her own bow, it was hard not to feel inadequate.

Well, the threat was gone now, at least for the time being.

She looked down to the street as Venus emerged from the hotel with their Servant. She didn’t really enjoy camping out on rooftops, but it was a good tactical position, at least.

Venus hooked an arm around the Servant. “Ah, it really is too noisy over in that direction. Let’s go this way~” She said, as sweetly as possible. It was fortunate that this Servant was so easily manipulated. Though d’Artagnan listened to all four of them, it was Venus whose personality was predisposed to taking advantage of that. Looking at it that way, didn’t she almost have more power over the Servant than the actual Master? It was an encouraging thought.

Smiling and hugging d’Artagnan’s arm close, she began to walk in the direction of the Residential District, away from the signs of fighting and disaster. to the west.

Perhaps hiding away the Master was an advantageous strategy. It had worked for the Master of the Servant they’d encountered last night, after all. Sure, the homunculi didn’t have the advantage of sensing the presence of an enemy Master, but it should be easy enough for someone like Diana to find them.

As Homunculus and Servant walked casually down the street, another presence accompanied them, travelling atop the roofs of buildings and watching over the area.

Latin District --> Residential District

@Froppy

Saber: Sir Ywain
Knight of the Lion
Latin District

Ywain continued to move towards his foe, even as Tristan retreated. Neither standing his ground, nor continuing his assault. Even if it was purely a retreat, he would likely have covered his tracks. Ywain manifested his spear, holding it out in front of him to cover as much space as possible. It would slow his movement a little, but any trap he ran into would hit the weapon first. So long as he let go of it, he could avoid being harmed.

But, as Tristan changed course, Ywain adjusted his own bearings, following in the wake of his ally knight, only a street away. A route that passed only briefly near where Tristan had fired from; he would cross the river later.

As Ywain moved, he began to wonder. Tristan’s actions were strange, even to someone like Ywain who had not known the man very well. Thinking back to the events of the other night… Was it possible that Tristan was in league with the thief, the Assassin who had stolen his Master’s property? Leading him away from Noon so that the thief could strike, perhaps?

“I’m pursuing. Stay safe.” He sent the words to Noon, reminding his partner of the thief, the assassin who could still be nearby.

Latin District --> Towards The Core

@Danchou @KoL @King Cosmos @ManyThings

Fate/Blind Logos

Saber: Sir Ywain
Knight of the Lion
Latin District

It seemed that Tristan was giving the group an opening. How strange. To open with such a cowardly attack, but not immediately follow through. Was this a test of some kind? Ywain did not understand the intent behind these actions. But a challenge was a challenge, regardless.

He snatched up the offered beer with a nod, grateful to his fellow-knight. It seemed that man was the considerate type.

Not letting his guard down for a second, he ushered the two Masters back to the nearby Bounded Field that Cleo had emerged from earlier. Taking a secluded route through back alleys slowed it somewhat, but protecting the pair would be easily possible even if Tristan attempted to renew his assault.

Once they reached the relative safety of the Bounded Field, he set his master down, looking briefly over him like a concerned parent. “You aren’t hurt?” He asked, his tone on the edge of worry. Noon was strong, and Ywain was confident in his own ability, but the question still needed to be asked.

Ywain’s armour shifted. Was this a fight for the knight of the lion, or a knight of Camelot? Was this fight personal, or in the name of justice? He was unsure, but either way, he would rather have his helmet removed for this.

He tapped the bottle against a wall nearby, smashing the top, and drank the entire bottle in three quick gulps. “Not bad,” he muttered.

Ywain twisted his ring, and his presence blurred. He was no Assassin, but any obfuscation to his presence would help in his approach towards Tristan. He gave one look towards the other Master before beginning to move. This time, it was not a direct assault, not a quick and direct attack, but a more cautious approach. Moving in the streets and alleyways, careful to avoid Tristan’s line of sight, it would take some time before he caught up.

@Danchou @KoL @King Cosmos @ManyThings

Fate/Blind Logos

Saber: Sir Ywain
Knight of the Lion
Latin District

It seemed that these gatherings were proving as noisy as ever. Well, that suited Ywain just fine. No expression or sound left his helmet as he watched over the group.

The presence of an enemy Servant was noted, but it would be easy to simply leave this place. If it was his fellow knight once more, then he could simply approach again. Mindless of the presence, Ywain simply moved alongside Noon in their pursuit of the thief, until-

A flash of killing intent spiked. An attack was coming.

Certainly, in this case, Ywain could not defend by attacking. Well, if that was so, he’d simply have to defend by defending. This time, the trajectory of the arrows was almost impossible to predict, so he simply had to assume they could come from anywhere. And since he had little to fear-

Ywain grabbed Noon and pushed him to the floor, covering him with his body, becoming his shield. His movements were modulated, without approaching his full strength or speed. Perhaps Noon would receive a bruise or two, but given the distance the attack had to travel, he would certainly be protected in time.

The volley of attacks hit against the protection of Ywain’s ring, and it wavered, damaged. The faint notes carried in on the wind.

How tremendously disappointing.

Ywain scooped up Noon, cradling him while leaving as few points of vulnerability as possible, and dashed into a nearby alleyway, putting as many barriers between his Master and Tristan as possible. The other Master was safe for now, it seemed. Only his own had been targeted.

It seemed he had come to finish the fight. A shame - it would have been nice to compete with his fellow knight for the grail itself, at the end of the war. Perhaps it was Tristan’s own idea, to seek out such unnecessary tragedy. Or perhaps it was his fate, a whim of his Master. Either way, it seemed they would end this now.

@Danchou @KoL

Fate/Blind Logos

Saber: Sir Ywain
Knight of the Lion
Latin District: Knight Fight

Ywain’s shield shattered as he finally closed the distance, engaging Tristan in a melee. In Ywain’s eyes, certainly, the trade-off was justified. A more arrogant man would have considered his victory assured here, but Tristan was one who could not be fully defined by a simple class container. One with the skill to be considered a Knight of the Round Table could certainly push back against him, despite the disadvantage.

He made three quick thrusts with his spear - one to Tristan’s arm, to interfere with his next attack, and two to the torso. Two-handed jabs that offered little in the way of defense, but that was unnecessary now. Even so, they weren’t attacks aimed to kill, but rather to disable. In Ywain’s mind, this was a fight towards ‘victory’ rather than death, a true duel between knights.

@KoL

Fate/Blind Logos

Saber: Sir Ywain
Knight of the Lion
Latin District: Knight Fight

Ywain was not a careful fighter, nor an analytic one. He was the type who threw himself into difficult battles without worrying. From when he fought as a matter of avenging his family, to when he fought to rescue hostages from imprisonment, he simply charged straight into battle. If anyone could be said to be the embodiment of the maxim ‘a good defence is a good offense’, it was the Knight of the Lion.

Ah, his shield was up.

Ywain’s pursuit was relentless, aided ever slightly with Elaine’s enchantment. Without the advantage of range, Tristan’s advantage of terrain was less relevant; even without a mastery of analysing the flow of battle, it was possible to meet many of the attacks coming from his opponent as soon as they sprang from the bow, disrupting them with forceful strikes, cutting the strings into pieces.

Still, it was not a sustainable tactic. Focussing on the string traps, the “arrows” that hit would batter his protection, wear it away swiftly. Not to mention, each swing of Ywain’s sword was more draining than Tristan’s simple plucking of strings.

Range. Range was certainly the deciding factor of this fight. But when it came to that, what were his options?

Of course. A spear was longer than a sword.

An attack clashed against his ring’s protection as Ywain materialised his spear in his left hand. Another hit as he clasped it with his other hand, dematerialising the sword. A third hit, shaking his protective bubble to its core, as he began his counterassault, thrusting forward with his spear in a continuation of his straightforward attack. This time he didn’t overcommit to any single strike, but simply stabbed towards his opponent, ready to use his spear to counter further attacks.

@Danchou @KoL

Fate/Blind Logos

Saber: Sir Ywain
Knight of the Lion
Latin District: Knight Fight

Ywain’s heart filled with pride at Noon’s words. There could be no doubt that this partnership was ideal. That man, who shone like the sun-

Was this his desire? It could only be fate that had lead him to his summoning here.

“Yes. This path is certainly the correct one.”

Tristan began his attack.

The second Tristan moved back, Ywain moved to follow. Sword in hand, he’d been ready to move at a moment’s notice from the beginning. Allowing an Archer to gain the advantage in range was suicide, particularly one as skilled as his fellow knight. Certainly, Tristan was faster, but Ywain was hardly slow. Charging forward while his opponent attacked, Ywain did not slow down for a moment.

Attempting to dodge would be worthless against someone like Tristan, so Ywain didn’t even try. Keeping his shield up, he swung his sword in an attempt to match an destroy the force of the projectiles. Those that were aimed lowest, that his sword did not reach, would be dashed against the protective shell Ywain’s ring offered, shattering it until it could be recharged.

Continuing to bear down on Tristan, Ywain did not stop. If his fellow knight had thought he would slow to communicate a proper warning to his Master, he was mistaken. Ywain chose to trust Noon, sending only a single word along their link; “Trap.”

Ywain lept forward with a single, powerful sword stroke as his opponent retreated, discarding any defensive stance to land a blow on his fellow knight.

@Danchou @KoL @ManyThings @1Charak2

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~~~ Θ ~~~
Diana, Ceres, Minerva, Venus
Core District

The group simply stood by and watched the fight. There didn’t seem to be a Master nearby, at least not one that any of them could notice. It was unfortunate, but the group hardly needed familiarising with each others’ combat styles. Focusing on watching their Servant in action, getting to understand their abilities and strength, was probably the most efficient use of their time.

The fight was a dizzying thing to watch, passing quickly enough that it could hardly be perceived. As Theta watched through his link with the Servant, each of the homunculi watched in their own way. Ceres watched impassively while Venus’ eyes flicked between the fight and the group’s reaction.

Diana plucked at her bow. “Huh. Don’t think I could even touch them.”

Meanwhile, Minerva stared, not at the fight itself, but at their Servant’s opponent. “I don’t know why, but for some reason I really-

-HATE-

-that man.” Her eyes flashed. Even though it was just an imitation, the enemy Servant would surely feel an ominous sense of dread that those eyes were locked upon him in anger once more.

@Froppy @Sunglass

Fate/Blind Logos

Saber: Sir Ywain
Knight of the Lion
Latin District: A Gathering

The negotiations stretched on, as Ywain stood by, ready to leap to the defence of his Master - or, indeed, any of these new allies. He was, perhaps, a little disappointed that it hadn’t come to a fight. Though he didn’t particularly want to hurt any of these people, he wasn’t much use when it came to negotiations. Really, so long as his Master was happy, he was too.

It was good to have friends, but this was a war, after all. It would likely come down to fighting in the end. As a Heroic Spirit who had already reached the end of his life, his story, it didn’t matter to him if he died fighting, and he was sure the other Servants felt the same. His existence here could only ever be temporary.

As far as his allies went, he had no complaints. A fellow knight and a pair of beautiful maidens, though the other master hiding away was not the greatest first impression. It was easy, too, to take pride in the clear reactions the others showed towards Noon, impressed with the way he comported himself. Yes, it truly was a fitting pair.

Even as another stranger appeared, and was confronted, Ywain gripped his weapon. But a small grin split across his face, invisible beneath his helmet as he saw them in full, relaxing his grip.

"Apologies for my unbecoming behavior," Tristan said, his voice carrying a genuine tone of longing that would probably be enough to make a common man shed tears without knowing why. "However, given the sad nature of this conflict we find ourselves into, I suppose it's the natural thing to do. Right, old friend of mine? It makes me glad to see that another of my King's Knights also found a Master befitting their station," the Knight of Lamentation added, directing his words to Ywain.

Ywain nodded, thinking over his response, and catching himself before casually throwing out his fellow knight’s name. Out of nothing else but professional courtesy, that was not something he should reveal so easily. Though, between his sorrowful nature, and revealing his status as a fellow knight, it was probably enough for at least Ywain’s own Master to determine the identity of the Knight of Lamentation. “This has become quite the gathering,” He said, his tone neutral.

Perhaps he would have questioned the knight’s thoughts on the nature of this war - after all, it was not a sad occasion for Ywain himself. But the man before him had always been that way, so it was useless to question him.

Certainly, that knight had always been a man who took his duties seriously. It was possible that he could already guess, but-

“Why did you come here, friend?” Ywain asked, not in admonishment or anger, but simple curiosity. Whether he was referring to the war in general, or this gathering in particular, it was uncertain. Perhaps both. A question of intent, of worthiness of one’s wish for the grail - and an invitation to fight, to duel without interference, if Tristan wished.

@KoL @SubjectVision @Danchou @1Charak2 @Sunglass @Cu Chulainn @Crusader Lord @King Cosmos

Fate/Blind Logos

Saber: Sir Ywain
Knight of the Lion
Latin District

Ywain watched the knight and lady interact with a soft smile on his face. Yes, this was certainly nostalgic. Even if the two didn’t play the part perfectly, well, neither had he.

To mercilessly destroy his lady’s previous husband, then brazenly ask for her hand in marriage - the others has certainly had things to say about that. But it had always seemed like the simple, obvious path for Ywain. Perhaps he just didn’t think enough.

Of course, their reverie shattered as the reality of the war reared its head, and his Master moved towards the enemy.

Naturally, the Servant accompanied his Master, watching over him with certainty now that the presence of an enemy was known. Elaine merited protection, too, but she seemed to have her own ability to obfuscate herself

“Got it.” Noon turned towards his servant. “Saber,” he called out in his mind. “I will trust your judgement. However let us not utilize any of our trump cards if required. This is our baptism. I do not know what to expect in a battle of the Grail War. I can only hope that I can get used to it, and the battles between servants with this fight.”

Saber simply nodded. If his Master trusted him, he would naturally trust his Master, too. He looked towards the enemy pair, and materialised his sword and armour. This was the sort of battle for the ‘Knight of the Lion’, not a member of the Round Table.

He checked his ring. Currently, it faced outwards, a sign of Laudine’s love and protection.

Well, it wasn’t the type of enemy he could go all-out against. No matter how dangerous they might be - and a legendary hero certainly wasn’t to be underestimated - beauty such as that would naturally dull his blade.

His Master had already said more than was necessary. Ywain advanced, sword in hand, ready to match his enemy’s first action. At the very least, he could allow such women the first move.

@1Charak2 @Danchou @Sunglass