VitaVitaAR

Fate/esoterica

Saber

He swerved?! At that last moment, the moment where she had the opportunity to cripple his biggest advantage, to force him on-foot, he swerved away?! But there was no way he could have guessed he was aiming for his horses that quickly, and an attack directed at him should have seemed unlikely to land, so-

It was not anything she had done, Saber swiftly realized. Rather, it was an intruder. Moments before she had performed an attack she was certain would level the playing field, an un-involved party had inserted himself into their battle. The audacity...! To interrupt a duel between heroic spirits, no matter what was happening...! Saber's eyes narrowed as the fell upon the unwanted intruder. What's more, this battle had once again become more complicated. Now, more then anything else, she felt she needed to return to her Master's side...

But first she needed to evaluate the interloper. The black-haired swordswoman's eyes widened. He was a... a monkey man?! Certainly that narrowed the possibilities for his identity down considerably, but at the moment Saber was still uncertain. Regardless...

"... What made you believe you had the right to intervene?" she asked, her grip tightening on the hilt of her nodachi.

---

Estelle Varianbec

As the other magus spoke, Estelle could feel it rising inside of her.

The burning flames of anger.

She was lying. It was the only explanation. No matter what had happened in the past, she had to be lying. Estelle had never met her family, but they left her with so much, so many things. They left her with everything she would need to take victory. In their memory, she would claim the Grail. It was the only way things could go.

It couldn't.

Be.

Questioned.

Her small hands balled into fists. How dare she. How dare this woman accuse her family of something like this. The family she never met. The family whose memory she was upholding. How dare she make such claims of them. Estelle was certain. The family that left her so much would never have brought her into this world only to die. They surely, absolutely, had wanted their representative to win unquestionably. That was the reason for all of this. It had to be! Shaking with anger, she raised her right hand to point squarely at Johanna Faust.

"Liar," she snapped, "Even if they were gone before I was born, I know my family would never have done such a thing! They made me to be the victor, not to die!"

Her eyes drifted to her Servant. He was strong enough. He'd be able to do it.

"Rider, kill her!"

@Blackstripe@Raineh Daze@Cu Chulainn@Feyblue

Fate/esoterica

@Crusader Lord: That's fine.

Fate/esoterica

Hmm, think I'll let other people post before posting with Saber. Then I can get an Estelle post up too most likely.

Fate/esoterica

Saber

Indeed, there was no way to ignore it. The terrain here was leaving her at a distinct disadvantage. Saber was doing her best to keep her eyes following that chariot, but it was difficult to say the least. The speed and motion, the zig-zagging, indirect approach. But in that moment that he prepared his next attack, the black-haired swordswoman found her footing. Her katana was a blur as it swiftly deflected each blow, but then the horse joined in. The only choice that Saber had now was to give up her footing, but at the same time, she had found her target. It was difficult to lash out at the one behind the chariot... but his horses, on the other hand... even an injury to those horses could force her opponent to an on-foot battle. Let alone if she could slay one of them...

Skidding back to get some distance, Saber suddenly sheathed her blade. Perhaps it was only because of her opponent that she had a hope of pulling this off.

Slayer of Men: EX

Perhaps in a different circumstance she wouldn't have that extra edge of speed. The chariot was still baring down on her, that horse's hooves rearing, preparing to strike her...

In a single motion, she made her counterattack. Her nodachi flashed as it suddenly left its sheath, and in the same motion, taking advantage of the lengthy reach of her blade, she darted back in hopes of avoiding those hooves. She had to land that blow. She had to at least injure one of those horses. The only way she could gain any ground on such open terrain was if Saber could damage the chariot's ability to move, even if only temporarily...!

@Blackstripe@Raineh Daze@Cu Chulainn@Feyblue

Fate/esoterica

Saber

"I must say the same to you as well," Saber replied, "A strong opponent to engage in battle with is a valuable thing in this grail war."

Then there was that flash of light. A lesser warrior, perhaps, would be unable to understand what was occurring. But among her peers, Saber had been unparalleled. She could see them, if only for a split second, the thrusts of the spear as the chariot rushed towards her. And luckily for her, she needed only a split second to react. Her nodachi flashed, the side of the blade deflecting each blindingly quick thrust with a resounding clash of steel on steel, before the onrushing chariot came far too close for comfort. And so Saber hurled herself to the side, her shoes scraping along the concrete and scattering a shower of sparks through the air as she slide along the ground.

This wasn't an ideal circumstance. Normally with an opponent like this she would attempt to guide her enemy towards a location where direct charges would no longer be feasible, but here... There were observers who were not part of her deal with the opponent. They could easily strike while she was preoccupied, so an attempt to pull this fight to more advantageous terrain would not be possible. She could not risk straying too far from her Master. The other magus's comment hardly put her concerns to rest.

As a result, she had to stay close, she had to find any opening she could. Saber raised her blade, eyes fixed on her enemy. An opening, any opening...

She would not use her Noble Phantasm as anything but a last resort. Not this early.

---

Estelle Varianbec, Master of Rider

Estelle cocked her head to the side. Deep down, well, she'd rather not kill any Masters. Not if they were interesting, at least. If a Master was useless and annoying she wouldn't have many compunctions, but the witch girl's response already made her at least worthy of not dying if it could be avoided. If not, didn't every participant understand they could die? Aside from her, at least. Estelle was certain that she would be the victor.

Estelle's attention almost returned to the fight. Until Faust called her family cruel. Immediately, the tan girl's attention snapped back to the magus, her eyes narrowing. Her small frame was filled with a sudden rush of anger. Her family? Cruel? She had never met them, certainly. But they had left so much to her. The catalyst with which she summoned Rider. Her maids. Everything had been left to her... Estelle's heart was always filled with her family's memory, even though she sometimes resented the restrictions her maids had placed on her movements.

"I don't know what you think my family has done," she snapped, "But I'm not dying in this war. I'll be the victor, no matter what! I won't waste everything they left me!"

Indeed, it seemed as if she'd found her first true enemy in this war.

@Blackstripe@Raineh Daze@Cu Chulainn@Feyblue

Fate/esoterica

Quickly edited to include reactions to that!

Fate/esoterica

Saber

"I would not be much of a warrior if I could not protect myself or my Master from a surprise attack," Saber began, still standing at the ready. She would not allow herself to fail, so she could not let down her guard.

In return, please stay out of this battle. I will ensure you are not harmed, was her swift response to her Master. She did not want to place Mira at risk if it could be avoided, and the black-haired swordswoman felt certain it could be at this time. Her blade still glinting in the moonlight, the Saber-class Servant prepared herself. There was no point in attempting to obfuscate her class, but in that regard they were on equal footing. She knew that her opponent was Rider, and he knew that her class was Saber. Nothing thus far, aside from perhaps her manner of garb, would hint at their identities. And so at the moment things seemed quite equal.

Still, there had been a great deal of power behind that approach... as expected from a Rider-class Servant's steed. She couldn't be certain what its functions are, but she also knew that a Rider-class Servant's best asset was their Noble Phantasm. Still, this figure seemed to radiate power. Certainly she was up against a heroic spirit with a powerful legend.

But Saber was nothing if not confident in her skills.

And yet, at that moment, abruptly, another Master seemed to appear from out of no-where, atop a large peak of rock. It could be assumed her Servant was nearby. This conflict was becoming more complicated by the second.

"There is little time for introductions when one is ambushed," was her only retort, her focus swiftly returning to her opponent. But now she would have to keep an eye on multiple directions of approach...

"... Rider, we are both heroic spirits bound to these class containers," she began, "As such, I should hope you would respect a request from one hero to another. If you do not target my Master, I shall not target yours. Let this be a battle between Servants, and no-one else."

It was what she hoped for. Truth be told, it was unlikely she would be able to bring herself to attack Rider's Master. A child, even in the caste that she was not truly a child... to raise her blade against one such as that was heartlessly cruel.

Of course, anyone able to observe such a thing, such as a certain Berserker, would be able to note-

Alignment: Lawful Good

But at last, her Master's orders...!

"Understood!"

---

Estelle Varianbec, Master of Rider

The other Master wasn't responding? So she didn't want to surrender, it seemed. Oh well, she'd rather watch Rider destroy his first opponent rather then a simple surrender and slaughter. Smiling brightly to herself, Estelle folded her arms across her chest as she hopped off of Rider's chariot. However, as she did so, she noticed that another magus. They were likely another Master having arrived on the scene perched atop a rather large rock... The small, dark-skinned girl narrowed her eyes. She'd never seen that person in real life before, but she'd seen images. In preparation for the Grail War she had learned about the previous attempts, and indeed the way that the Fuyuki Grail had ultimately been dismantled.

"Johanna Faust?" she asked, cocking one eyebrow as she spoke. "Are you here to watch the first battle of this war? Or should I say the first slaughter~"

Estelle giggled to herself, one hand placed to her lips. So one of her opponents was the disgraced Enforcer? How interesting. She'd win, of course. She knew she would. But the enforcer was a very powerful opponent. If they fought, Estelle would have to potentially work hard to overwhelm her.

But for now, her attention had to be on this battle.

And her enemy had finally replied?

"Fufufu, you're funny," she said, letting out a chuckle once more as she eyed the witch-hat-clad magus, "I'd volunteer to help you get to the Church when you've lost, but you were on your way already!"

@Blackstripe@Raineh Daze@Cu Chulainn@Feyblue

Blades of Iron Roses: A fantasy Knight RP

@Crimson Paladin: When he's done I'll look him over!

Fate/esoterica

Saber

It wasn't heard. It wasn't seen. Rather, Saber felt it, a roaring, rumbling sensation that spread through her very being before she caught sight of a sudden flash of brilliant light. She didn't waste a second, almost immediately wrapping her arm tightly around her Master and hurling herself out of the way. In spite of her size, she was still a Servant, and thus it was an almost effortless motion to dart out of the way and carry her Master at the same time. She felt it rush past her, felt the tremendous backdraft, and saw the concrete rent from the sheer impact. Even in motion, she recalled her armor, her hakama forming in a blaze of green motes of light and her lacquered protection forming in a verdent flash. Her shoes skidded across the hard ground, scattering sparks as she righted herself, her free hand gripping her gleaming nodachi.

The full length of the blade glittered in the moonlight, clasped in one hand, as the black-haired swordswoman set her Master down, swiftly placing her other hand on the weapon's hilt before she stepped forward and in front of Mira. She had hoped to make it to the church without interruption, but if this was to be the first battle of the grail war, so be it.

Her opponent was a man, astride a chariot drawn by two large horses and wielding a spear. From this, she could not determine his identity, but what she could guess at his class. There were few Servants outside of a single class that appeared astride a beast or other form of transport.

"Rider, I presume," she began, narrowing her eyes and holding her lengthy blade at the ready, "An ambush is the beginning of this war's first battle?"

---

Estelle Varianbec, Master of Rider

There was that wonderful feeling again... and then they stopped, suddenly. Eyes fixing on her opponent, the magus with the witch-like garb standing behind the sword-wielding Servant(Doubtlessly, it was Saber. What other Servant would begin their challenge with a blade?) She was quick to take in a few details of the enemy heroic spirit as she got to her feet, standing upon the chariot beside her Rider. A Japanese Servant? That was definitely some kind of katana, and there was no mistaking that clothing or that armor. Smiling brightly, her gaze returning to the enemy Master, the childish magus curtsied.

"Estelle Varianbec," she introduced herself, cheerily. She was certain that any magus who lived here, at least, would recognize the name of her family.

"If you surrender now, we'll merely kill your Servant and spare you the humiliation of her brutal defeat~!"

@Feyblue@Blackstripe

Fate/esoterica

Saber

At her Master's apology, the black-haired girl raised one hand, attempting to explain... but it lowered, her cheeks still rather flushed with embarrassment. No... Ah, why was she so weak against compliments? Unless it was on her combat prowess, it never ceased to be embarrassing. The words of the noble women, of the lords, they had always sunk into her heart and made her redden and fall silent. If only, perhaps, that had been the worst of it. If all that had come of her lord's words was embarrassment.

Saber shook her head. Now was not the time for such thoughts, to dwell on such sad memories. Now she had to focus on the defense of her Master.

Her silent procession behind Mira was unbroken as they steadily headed through the forest around the mansion. As her eyes drifted from tree to tree, then to her Master, the black-haired swordswoman wondered exactly what her Master was thinking. Even as they walked, the other girl seemed almost... starstruck? As if she had never seen such a sight before. Naturally, neither had Saber, but the Grail imparted her with all the knowledge necessary. Certainly, seeing the artifice of human advancement was somewhat dazzling, but the Servant was finding herself less impressed then her Master was. Was Mira perhaps sheltered? Regardless of the explanation, there was little more time to focus on such things.

As they walked, Saber's attention swiftly returned to their surroundings. She had to ensure that there was no chance her Master would be harmed.

@Feyblue

---

Estelle Varianbec, Master of Rider

Ah, this feeling...!

Liberation. To be in the open air, the wind rushing through her silver hair, the sensation of being faster then anything else... for this moment, it felt like freedom. Her maids couldn't tell her what to do up here! They were so bossy, sometimes, even if she didn't dislike having them around and they helped out with a lot of things... still, up here, beside her Rider... it was such a feeling that she had never felt before.

The small girl couldn't stop herself from experiencing a pang of disappointment as the ride ended and the chariot alighted upon a rooftop near the Church, outside of neutral ground, just distant enough to ensure that they would be able to attack anyone who approached the Church or left it. Reminding herself of why they were here, the tiny girl nodded to herself firmly and leaned over the side of the Chariot to get a good view of anyone approaching the area...

... What was that? Two girls dressed in black, one resembling a witch, the other with such long, flowing black hair...

"... Rider... what do you think of those two?"

@Blackstripe