Author Topic: A Lesson in Magical Theory-Second Chances (A Retelling of the Fifth Holy Grail)  (Read 26843 times)

Milbunk

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‘How long will it take you to reach them from your vantage point?’

Sending a mental message to my Servant my fingers flew across the keypad of my phone so that I could inform my assistant about what to do.

‘less than fifteen seconds but my concealment may be compromised at those speeds if the Servant is cautious.’

I was already running in full force as I impatiently waited for the automatic glass doors of the hospital to open wide. The text was sent and now I awaited the reply.

‘Make it so, but do not engage under any circumstances, just watch.'

‘As you command.’

My hurried walk out of the hospital had now turned into a full sprint as my reinforced legs pushed my body as fast as it could go. While my Servant could arrive in mere seconds it would be nearly a full minute before I could even reach the same block that they were on.

The phone buzzed in my pocket but I already knew what it was going to say. I trusted her foresight she would know what to do, she always did.

‘Master, I see the two targets on a nearby rooftop just a few buildings away from their encounter, they are being attacked by but I cannot make out the bullets, they appear to be cloaked somehow. I cannot locate the attacker he’s hiding his presence but he has to be nearby.’

I was moving so fast that I had to react to people before they could even notice me, running directly into anyone would be catastrophic for us both, during the middle of the day it was far too crowded, I needed to get higher. Dashing into a nearby alley I pushed a large amount of magical energy into my feet and flung myself towards the nearby wall using the momentum of the jump to fling myself even higher until eventually I came onto the rooftop of one of the smaller buildings.

‘Targets appear to be in a worse position than before, the attacker is showing them no mercy, likely to be an archer as his attacks are all ranged but I sense very little magical energy coming them.’

Sensing where my Servant was located I could feel the presence of a faint bounded field in the area. Whoever was launching this attack was well prepared for it, I silently cursed myself for not noticing the field sooner but at the same time I thanked them for the attack, it was an excellent opportunity to exploit them and figure out who they might be.

‘The boy is hit! The attacker seems like he wants to end things quickly! I sense something odd from the knight there is a large amount of magical energy coming from him, I think he’s about to unleash his Noble Phantasm.’

My phone began to buzz again, forcing me to stop in my tracks. The only reason she would send a message twice is if something important had come up. Glancing at my phone I realized just what it meant.

*I repeat, enemy Master spotted, engage?*

It was a risky opportunity, she needed more information to go on before she felt comfortable enough to act.

*Give me a description of their appearance, we need to know what their potential retaliation is.*

‘Master, the target Servant! He’s glowing, his rapid change in appearance suggests that he’s of the Berserker class. Wait, there seems to be something emerging from his head, a hand?’

*It’s a female with a long red coat, she has long black hair she’s closing her eyes as if she’s concentrating deeply on something but I do not see or sense any sort of Servant nearby. Should I engage?*

It was vague but it only fit the description of one girl who I knew to be in the war. Why did it have to be her? If it was anyone else I might be able to deal with this better, but with her…

With time ticking on both sides my mind was having trouble concentrating, any decision I made could cost myself or my partner’s life and I wasn’t sure I could make that choice.

‘The hand has grown, I can make out a shoulder, I believe that this Servant has a second form of some kind that is emerging in order to strengthen himself! His magical energy is skyrocketing, the target master has passed out likely due to pain and the strain of maintaining his Servant. Should I intercept him before he can finish his transformation?’

Falling to my knees from the stress of having to make so many important choices so quickly I did the only thing I knew in order to clear my mind. Doing my utmost to kill my emotions I could feel my mind blank as various responses fluttered through my head. With only seconds to react I needed to choose exactly the best approach in dealing with these two events.

Pick one of each!

Assistant

1. Attack the Master before your emotions get the better of you
2. Make contact with the Master, you will need help in order to overcome your sister
3. Do not engage the Master, continue to watch and gauge the situation
4. Write in…

Assassin

1. Engage the Berserker before his transformation is complete
2. Allow the transformation to complete, allow him to focus on the other target
3. Retreat before the transformation finishes, you have a bad feeling about this
4. Write in...

Cherry Lover

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2. Make contact with the Master, you will need help in order to overcome your sister.

I don't want Sakura killing Rin, killing people is not a good thing, especially when it's your sister. Sakura just needs to be a bit more careful than Shirou was....

I'm not sure about the other one yet, I'll think more about that.

Milbunk

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Current Results:

Assistant

1. Attack the Master before your emotions get the better of you: mAc Chaos, Me
2. Make contact with the Master, you will need help in order to overcome your sister: Li Shuwhere, Nuclear Consensus, solarchon, Sinon
3. Do not engage the Master, continue to watch and gauge the situation: Magus, Renko
4. Write in…

Assassin

1. Engage the Berserker before his transformation is complete: Li Shuwhere, Renko
2. Allow the transformation to complete, allow him to focus on the other target: Nuclear Consensus, mAc Chaos, Me
3. Retreat before the transformation finishes, you have a bad feeling about this: Magus, solarchon, Sinon
4. Write in...

Cherry Lover

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OK, 2. Allow the transformation to complete, allow him to focus on the other target

Milbunk

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Was it the best plan of action? She was unsure, but once she had made up her mind there was no going back.

Taking her phone once more she quickly typed her next order while simultaneously commanding Assassin through her thoughts.

*I’ll handle the Master, continue your surveillance for now.*

‘Do not interfere with their fight, let them tire each other out.’

*Roger.*

‘Very well then.’

Her hands were still shaking from the nervousness of her decision but upon taking a deep breath she realized that things weren’t quite so bad as she made them out to be. Rather, it was kind of exciting, the rush of adrenaline as she chose her actions in what could be easily considered a war zone. There was no mistaking that it had a sort of hidden beauty to it.

But there would be time to sort through her emotions later, after the situation was dealt with. Gripping her phone even tighter she killed all the expression on her face.  She would be a puppet, the perfect machine, it was the only way she could talk to this Master without revealing anything she might regret later.

“wecken…”

She had no crest to call her own, the thing that granted all magi power. Yet what she couldn’t do through that she could do with her other talents. She knew that through sheer force of talent she could overcome most obstacles in regards to magecraft, and thus she delved into the most effective field of magic she could find. The art of controlling and summoning familiars.

From around her a small swarm of various insects arose, normally they kept their distance in smaller numbers as it was easier to hide them from the prying eyes of normal folk. However it was time for them to serve their purpose.

Quickly they gathered before they flew off towards the dim alleyway protected by a bounded field meant to keep onlookers away. But she was no onlooker, rather, she wanted to contact this Master because if anyone was suitable for taking on Illyasviel it had to be her.

******************************************************************************

From atop Assassin’s perch the wind shook the building and the cold was bitter and merciless, yet he was above these basic feelings. Such was of his nature, as one of the many old man of the mountain his skills in surveillance and hiding oneself were top notch.

Even materialized as he was there was not a soul on planet earth that would be able to detect him underneath his cloak. Except maybe another Hassan…

As he watched the second Berserker emerge from the head of the first he couldn’t help but allow his thoughts to drift towards what he encountered the previous night. The group of Assassins that had come to his aid.

There was only one Hassan in the records that could do that, and that particular Hassan was one of the last and therefore after his time. But he knew that too was also false. Perhaps his own Master in her immaturity might not have noticed it but he certainly did.

Just like the difference between night and day he knew for a fact that these other Hassan, these false Assassins were nothing but that. They were puppets either falsely summoned or being controlled through some barbaric manner but unlike himself they were not the true Hassan. They were merely illusions, something that shouldn’t exist in this world, and he wished with all of his heart to set them free. Such was the wish that he held for his captured brothers, he knew deep down in their mechanical hearts that it would be what they wanted most of all.

“Finished yet? I was getting tired of waiting, I expected something far more impressive, but you will soon see that a second body will do you no good.”

Once more Assassin’s attention focus on the fight before him. They were invisible, and moved faster than the speed of a bullet but Assassin could still track them. Even from his distance, as the blades shot forth towards the ruptured body of the Berserker. They were meant to be the finishing blow a rain of blades that would turn any foe into a pincushion.

Perhaps the attacker had gotten tired of this fight, or maybe he wanted to see just how the Berserker would react. Regardless the attacker gave a sly remark of a amusement as his weapons were deflected by the now fully emerged knight.

“Oh? So you still have some energy left do you? Well then, can you handle this?”

“▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅!”

What was once ten blades now became twenty, like a machinegun the transparent weapons flew towards the enraged knight who in his charge jumped forth leaving the carcass of his previous self and focusing on the onslaught of weapons.

****************************************************************************************

As the swarm of bugs approached the young magus opened her eyes and faced them head on. Her steely gaze and quiet beauty in contrast to the dank and dirty alleyway she stood in.

“I never expected that any magi would be foolish enough to attempt and intercept my plans in the middle of the day. And yet here we are, so, seeing as how you haven’t attacked me yet I assume that means you wish to talk about something. Is that correct?”

Though her tone of voice was friendly for the moment, her posture and the gaze at which she stared at the mass of insects showed open hostility. One wrong move and she wouldn’t hesitate to attack this newcomer.

Eventually the swarm of bugs shaped into a vague human face. Something that could convey an attempt at conversation while completely hiding the user's identity. From the face emerged a girl’s voice, it was hollow and emotionless showing nothing while speaking very little.

“Greetings, representative of the Tohsaka. I have come as an outlier in this war, in order to inform you of business that should be dealt with.”

The magus known as a Tohsaka showed no emotion either in her reaction to these words. Rather, a vague uninterest sparked the conversation yet again.

“And what might this business be?”

“You are aware of the current Master of the Einzbern Servant I would assume?”

“I am aware that the Einzbern have once more entered this war, yes…”

“Then you might be intereste…”

Before the floating face could finish speaking, a dagger flew through cutting Sakura off and throwing the Tohsaka into high alert.

“It’s not nice to pick on cute girls like this you know, especially one so beautiful as Tohsaka.”

Two masked figures quickly emerged into the alleyway and through the disrupted swarm of bugs. They faced Tohsaka and she held her hand out in order to react to whatever they might try.

“Who are you!? Show yourself!”

“Oh relax, I’m just a friend, here to warn you about the attempt on your life. You were always bull headed Tohsaka Rin so it’s no surprise you never noticed the sniper.”

As if on cue one of the Assassins who had disrupted their conversation threw a dagger away from Rin and onto the rooftop of a distant building far away. There was a sparking sound of something hitting and a faint cry that could only be heard through reinforcement of the ears but that alone was enough for Rin to understand exactly what it meant.

For a moment Rin stood there, her eyes agape as she contemplated what had just transpired. And then she let out a laugh.

“Ha, I was wondering who might’ve been stupid enough to show their Servant out in the open like this but I never expected it to be you Shinji! I thought you had given up after all the times I had turned down your advances all those years ago, but it looks like some people just don’t know when to quit!”

“...Tohsaka, do you truly not realize the situation you are in? With just a wave of my hand I could show you what it means to go against me. And you think you’re a position to talk!?”

Her serious expression now turned to one of outright hilarity as she bent over in an attempt to hold in even more laughter.

“Sh-Shinji, you really are an idiot aren’t you?  But I suppose I should thank you, the mood was getting really tense and I really needed something to lighten the atmosphere.”

A dagger thrown with great speed was launched straight for Tohsaka’s chest, it nearly matched the speed of a bullet and even Sakura had trouble tracking it at the speed it was thrown. Yet before it could even reach Tohsaka’s laughing face it was intercepted mid air by an invisible projectile.

“Wh-what!?”

Shinji’s muttered in surprise but his expression was short lived as it was quickly followed by the sound of blades piercing flesh as another rain of invisible projectiles shot forth filling the Assassin who dared to attack Tohsaka with a multitude of holes.

Unable to withstand the damage any further the Assassin exploded into magical energy, which was quickly followed by Shinji’s rage.

“H-how dare you!”

The laughter from Tohsaka quickly faded and was replaced with a more serious look, one that showed that she wouldn’t be afraid to finish things here if she was provoked any further.

“Consider this a warning Shinji, I don’t know how you got yourself a Servant or even multiple ones, but I recommend you drop this war and any silly dreams you think the Grail can grant you. I’ll accept your idiotic actions for now but next time I won’t go easy on you, and I’m sure I don’t need to say what the results will be?”

She glanced at the quickly fading sparkles of the dead Servant Assassin before facing the insects that were still hovering around in silence.

“And as for you, what I do with Einzbern is of my own business. Come Archer, we are leaving, either of you are free to follow if you dare.”

Majestically Rin began to hover in the air and up towards the rooftops of the buildings before disappearing out of sight. But neither Sakura nor Shinji’s Servants dared to move until she was gone, Sakura out of fear and Shinji out of rage.

Almost immediately afterwards a text buzzed on Sakura’s phone, quickly checking it she responded with the only action she could think of in regards to what had just happened.

*No need to follow her, we aren’t prepared.*

******************************************************************************************************

Seeing that his Master would be busy for the moment, Assassin decided to continue surveillance on his own.

The Berserker continued to rampage around as the projectiles continued to fly around him.

“▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅!”

With his rusted blade he swatted away the blades with his mighty hand.

“Ohohoh, so not only have you become a mad dog but you’re capabilities have increased dramatically, well then, how about handling twice the amount of blades?”

The rain of weapons increased as they shot towards the Berserker at lightning speeds slamming into the ground. The few that did hit Berserker were repelled by his sword or his armor but his defenses would not last much longer.

“▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅!”

It was time to finish things, an even larger barrage of blades faster than the eye could track and hidden from sight were launched towards the Berserker, and as if to seal the deal a second rain of blades were flung towards his Master.

There was no way for the singular Berserker to keep himself alive and his Master, in his insane state all he could do was hold his own. His master was about to become a pincushion, there was nothing he could do except scream in rage and fight off his own barrage. He needed aid, and so he got it.

“▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅!”


A second roar and the blades that were flung at the Master were deflected by the silver sword of a second knight.

Though his face was still reforming, it was clearly the body of the first knight, while also enraged his appearance was in stark contrast to that of the other Berserker. His silver armor and silver sword shone as beacons of light and his beautifully reformed face was the only mark of insanity on him.

As he roared he refused to move from his post. Instead choosing to guard his Master rather than fight the unknown enemy.

“Ah so that’s what your Noble Phantasm was, how unique. There are only a few treasures in my vault that can reproduce such similar results!”

Assassin felt something very ominous coming, he knew that there was a large assortment of weapons pointed at these Berserkers. There was no way either of them could survive such an onslaught. They would be dead.

But before the shots could be fired the enemy halted his fire.

“Oh? It appears that someone even more foolish than you dares to interfere with my Master. It seems you may live for a moment longer, enjoy your fall to insanity beast….”

The blades began to disappear just as quickly as they arrived, and the presence of the hidden Servant quickly vanished. Leaving the Berserkers and their insanity.

******************************************************************************************************

From atop the rooftop of her hiding spot Sakura had saw all that had transpired between herself, Rin, and Shinji.

She had wondered why his voice sounded so familiar at first but now she knew. Though she only had vague memories of the boy who was formerly her brother she knew about him all too well.

He had to be the representative of the Matou if he had a Servant, and if so then she needed to keep her distance from him.

But luck was not on her side. After Rin had vanished the remaining Assassin turned to face the swarm of insects.

“It’s you again, I wanted to confirm what I suspected and it seems gramps was correct. IHe mentioned we might meet, so it’s good to see you again… Sakura.”

It was for less than a year that she was his brother, but she still remembered those times. He was a shy boy but he had a lot of heart. And with a tinge of guilt she couldn’t help but feel slightly responsible for the fact that he was now essentially her replacement for the Matou.

“Shinji…”

Though she couldn’t verify where his voice was coming from it had to be nearby. A few moments of silence passed between the two as they remembered what little history the two had between each other.

“Gramps told me a lot about you, you know. He mentioned how you were brought over in order to be protected from the Tohsaka’s cruel intent. And it was my job as the eldest heir in order to protect you. And how could I blame him, as the eldest and the one with the most experience it’s my job to make sure you’re safe. So why don’t you return home? I’d like to talk with you for a while, as the big brother I feel like you should be protected, and I’ll provide that opportunity, why don’t we chat?”

It was something she hadn’t even considered could happen, she knew that Shinji was not a magus, he had no circuits of his own to maintain a Servant, and yet he still had one right before her eyes.

And his words seemed earnest despite his openly hostile attitude earlier. Should she consider it?

1. Go and meet Shinji, maybe he’s earnest...
2. Outright refuse, you’ll never even consider it...
3. Attack him, he’s trying to make you go back, you’ll never go back!
4. Write in...

Spoiler for Sakura's Current Information:
Spoiler for My Assassin:
Master: Sakura Emiya
True Name: Hassan Sabbah
Sex: Male
Height/Weight: 205cm / 60 kg
Alignment: Lawful Evil

Servant Stats:

Strength: B
Endurance: B
Agility: A+
Magical Energy: B
Luck: C
Noble Phantasm: A

Class Skills:

Presence Concealment (A+): It is possible to diseappear completely and become nearly impossible to detect. Due to the nature of Assassin's Noble Phantasm, the first attack cannot be detected.

Skills:

Projectile (Daggers) (A): The expertise for throwing dagers. At this rank, thrown daggers are comparable to a heavy machine gun in speed and power. However, daggers must be manually reclaimed at the end of combat.

Protection From Wind (A): A magical charm that originated in the Middle East. Used to protect against sandstorms and other high ranked winds.

Clairvoyance (C): The ability to see into the future for a fraction of a second. Granted by Assassin's Zabaniya (Divine Form), Assassin is able to predict the future for an instant at a time. Assassin can use this skill in order to fight against foes of far greater capabilities compared to his own.

Battle Continuation (C): The ability to fight at full strength even with fatal injuries. Granted by Assassin's Zabaniya (Demonic Form), Assassin can fight at full strength even when he takes great wounds. Hoever, survival chances are reduced the longer he continues to fight with these wounds.


Noble Phantasm:

Zabaniya (A) (Type-Antipersonnel) (Range:0-1) (Maximum Targets: 1): A magical cloak forged by Assassin's own hands that he uses to deliver judgement. The cloak itself is covered with the down of two separate elemental spirits, a demonic and a divine spirit that Assassin hunted down and skinned during his lifetime. By shouting the name of his Noble Phantasm and covering his foe in the cloak, Assassin can force the opponent to undergo a mental check. Should the check succeed the foe will be left as nothing more than an empty husk that Assassin can control like a puppet.


Zabaniya (Divine Form): The down of a great elemental spirit forged into a cloak by Assassin. While wearing the Divine form, Assassin's body appears clear and transparent, with his mask the only visible part of his body. Addtionally, Assassin is granted the use of the skill Clairvoyance allowing Assassin to predict the trajectory of the battle. This allows Assassin to fight against foes with far greater combat capabilities for a limited time. Should Assassin cover his foe in this side of his cloak, the foe will be forced to undergoe a mental test. The more true and loyal this person has been in life, the harder it will be for them to succeed the mental check. If they fail the test, their body becomes an empty husk and Assassin will be granted the use of their body like a puppet so long as the cloak covers them.

Zabaniya (Demonic Form): The down of a great elemental spirit forged into a cloak by Assassin. While wearing the Demonic form, Assassin's body appears pitch black, allowing him to blend into the shadows, the exception is his white mask. Addtionally, Assassin is granted the use of the skill Battle Continuation allowing Assassin to survive for longer than he normally would in combat. Should Assassin cover his foe in this side of his cloak, the foe will be forced to undergoe a mental test. The more evil and chaotic this person has been in life, the harder it will be for them to succeed the mental check. If they fail the test, their body becomes an empty husk and Assassin will be granted the use of their body like a puppet so long as the cloak covers them.

Spoiler for Illya's Servant:
Master: Illasviel von Einzbern
True Name: ???
Sex: Female
Height/Weight: 154cm / 42kg
Alignment: Lawful Good

Servant Stats:

Strength: A
Endurance: B
Agility: B
Magical Energy: A
Luck: A+
Noble Phantasm: N/A

Class Skills:

Magic Resistance: ???

Riding: ???

Spoiler for Shinji Matou's Servant:
Master: Shinji Matou
True Name: Hassan Sabbah?
Sex: Male
Height/Weight: N/A
Alignment: True Neutral

Servant Stats:

Strength: D
Endurance: E
Agility: B
Magical Energy: D
Luck: E
Noble Phantasm: N/A

Class Skills:

Presence Concealment (A+): It is possible to disappear completely and become almost impossible to be detected. However, efficiency will decrease once preparations to attack are taken.

Spoiler for Shirou Nosuke's Servant:
???
« Last Edit: May 13, 2015, 10:15:28 PM by Milbunk »

Cherry Lover

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OK, given what we saw with Shirou, I think trusting Shinji is an utterly moronic idea. Since he's also a murderer, not to mention Shinji, I'm going to vote 3.

Milbunk

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Current Results:

1. Go and meet Shinji, maybe he’s earnest
2. Outright refuse, you’ll never even consider, Renko, Shrimperor, solarchon
3. Attack him, he’s trying to make you go back, you’ll never go back!, Mike, Nuclear Consensus
4. Attempt to trick him, Council
5. Propose a meeting in a neutral ground, mAc Chaos, Me, Magus,  Li Shuwhere

Cherry Lover

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OK, I'm going to switch to 2. As much as I think Shinji deserves to die horribly, I think that keeping Sakura the hell away from him is more important.

Milbunk

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“So what do you think sis? Wanna take me up on that offer?”

Remembering that scared lonely boy of her past Sakura couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for him, it was almost certain that ‘grandfather’ was manipulating him in some way. Maybe there was a way to free him of that old man’s influence?

At the very least it would help to clear her conscious and free herself from the shackles of that family once and for all…

With this logic in her head she responded in her monotone voice. “You just want to talk?”

“Of course! I’d enjoy the chance of seeing my darling little Sakura again!”

Though she flinched when her name was brought up she doubted it was anything large enough for Shinji to notice wherever he might be.

“If that’s what brother wants… But not here… We’ve already attracted too much attention here… Tonight… If you truly want to meet.. .Then we will meet later tonight… At this address…”

Waving her hand in the air the insects that had returned to her formed an address that pointed towards the rooftop of the hospital that she had been surveying earlier that day.

“That place eh? Well I don’t mind all that much, if that’s what you want to do then I’ll be happy to oblige. Very well then, I’ll see you later tonight! Stay safe if you can, I don’t know what I’d do if you were to get hurt or something.”

Leaving behind an ominous goodbye the boy’s presence as well as the presence of his multiple Servants vanished leaving Sakura alone on the barren rooftop.

After waiting a moment to make sure that he was truly gone she finally allowed herself the chance to relax breathing out a sigh of relief as her shoulders drooped.

“Shinji… I never thought he’s go so far as to involve you…”

To think that ‘grandfather’ would go to such lengths, he must either be very desperate or he must have some sort of disastrous scheme planned for that unfortunate boy. But there would be time to think about that later, for now she needed to address the voice that began to echo inside of her head.

‘Master, Berserker’s master does not have long to live and Berserker himself seems to be guarding his Master’s dying body. I suggest we leave them to their fates, they will not last much longer in their condition, have you been successful in your endeavors?’

‘Assassin. Yes, though both masters on my end have managed to get away one of them has agreed to a meeting later tonight, we will plan out our next course of action then. And as for the boy… Leave him to his fate, if we show him mercy I fear for our success in the long time.’

Quickly sending a similar message to her assistant she also received Assassin’s mental reply.

‘Very well then.’


Which was quickly followed by the appearance of Assassin’s presence as he returned to her side quickly followed by the appearance of her assistant, Maiya as she jumped onto the same rooftop that Sakura was currently standing.

Nodding in confirmation to them both she allowed a dim smile to fall on her face as she spoke up to the both of them.

“Assassin, Maiya, we should get going, we have to prepare for later tonight.”

And with that she silently prayed a small apology to the boy she couldn’t save, she knew that deep down that losses were going to happen eventually, but she still couldn’t help but feel pain at the thought of being responsible for someone’s death even if indirectly.

This would be the one and only time she would allow her thoughts to drift towards the sadness that the death that this Shirou Nosuke might bring to others.

********************************************************************************

Back at their base in the Happy Views Serviced Apartments in Apartment 305, the three of them immediately began to prepare for later that night. Well only two of them needed to prepare, the third, Assassin only had to stand guard around the apartment itself in order to make sure that no one unexpected showed up.

The apartment itself was aging and the building itself often creaked and made sounds that led to its reputation as a haunted estate but the place itself was well built and the beds were comfortable enough, that in itself was something that allowed Sakura to have at least some small peace of mind during these trying times.

Looking over her small firearm she made absolute sure that it was still in working order, she had done these motions so many times by now that they had become almost mechanical but that in itself was nothing special, after all the one who was doing something similar to the much larger rifle right beside her was far better at this than Sakura was.

“Are you alright Sakura?” Momentarily taking a break from her actions, Maiya turned to Sakura and asked of her condition, whether Sakura liked it or not this woman had acted as her mother for nearly fifteen years now. There was no way she wouldn't be able to tell a change in Sakura’s condition no matter how small. Therefore she was easily able to tell that Sakura was just a little more stiff in her actions, the way she easily looked at the parts in her handgun to even the way she walked, they all showed signs of stress.

“Yes… I’ll be fine.” Stopping her own actions she turned to face Maiya direction, doing her utmost to hide her gently trembling fingers her face bore a look of determination. She had to show that she intended to win this Grail War, for better or for worse.

And seeing such determination, there was little Maiya could do but let off a gentle smile, she knew that once this girl had made up her mind there was no one on earth who could change it. But even so she had to try and calm Sakura down even if only a little.

Setting down the rest of the parts that were in her hands Maiya moved forwards and patted Sakura on the head, it was a gentle pat but firm enough to show that Maiya would do everything she could in order to protect her.

“It’s alright, I’m here for you. Everything will be just fine.” With a soft voice she allowed Sakura a momentary break of peace. As long as Maiya was there, there was still hope.

The trembling fingers stopped, and once more Sakura filled with confidence again, yes, as long as they were together there was nothing they could not accomplish. She would face her ‘brother’ and would do everything in her power in order to free him of his own shackles. That was her only wish for the boy.

The two of them continued to prepare until the appointed time came up, as the sun fell and darkness came forth they left their rustic apartment and towards their fated meeting with the representative of the Matou.

************************************************************************************

As Sakura stood on the rooftop she recounted the plan multiple times in her head. It was a simple plan, she would meet with Shinji while Assassin hid himself nearby on the rooftop and Maiya scouted them from a distant rooftop.

This way she could meet with the boy in peace and discuss what he might want to talk about. But she couldn’t help but feel as if something was off with her own Assassin. When she asked about the slight change in his attitude Assassin merely responded that he did not think he would be able to get along with Shinji’s own Assassin. Unwilling to talk about it any further there was little Sakura could do but accept that excuse.

And thus the three of them waited as the appointed time came forwards, and passed them by.

Five minutes came and went, and then ten, and then twenty, something was wrong. Sakura knew this. Why hadn’t Shinji, who had seemed so eager to talk to her earlier, not shown up?

What should she do? Should she continue to wait for him in the hopes that he might appear, or should she go and look for him herself?

And then there was the possibility that Shinji might be planning a trap, maybe it was best to call the whole thing off?

1. Continue to wait for Shinji
2. Go and look for Shinji
3. Call the meeting off and go home
4. Write in...

Puck-Chan

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What part of "Don't come back" did you not get?


On 3/22/15, at 10:09 AM, Donkey Punch Fucker! wrote:
> On 3/22/15, at 10:07 AM, ReverseLogic wrote:
> > seriously, again, I ran one of the weakest characters. you keep obsessing over abilities and powers
> Power, it's something so... so intangible. Yet, has such a strong grip upon me. I... I want it. I desire it, in my hands, in my life, in my soul. And once I have, I will simply want more, while jealously guarding what I have.

YOLF

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Cool the eff off puck. It does you no justice to antagonize Mil in his own thread just because he left Cross Effects.
« Last Edit: June 07, 2015, 05:10:23 PM by YOLF »
[13:38:37] Helligator: Depends on the god, but gods by definition in Nasuverse are strong because they have divine authority.
[13:38:48] Kat: Even the toilet god?
[13:38:56] Helligator: No one worships toilets.
[13:39:00] Helligator: Don't be a shitlord.

[04:32:08] Helligator: I can't make dragons in power armor like this

[19:50:12] francobull III: [...] why are you being all assive aggressive?

[23:32:37] Helligator: use the narrative as a means to convey an interesting story and cool conflicts with the openness you're allowed
[23:32:43] Helligator: not to CHEAT stories and conflicts

Cherry Lover

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OK, seriously, are people trying to get Sakura killed? Shinji is untrustworthy enough as it is, don't go chasing after him and put Sakura in a position where he has the advantage if he chooses to attack.

3. Call the meeting off and go home

Milbunk

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Perhaps it wasn’t such a good idea after all, her doubts about Shinji had compounded and now she was getting cold feet. If she was going to face Shinji she wanted to do when her determination was at its strongest.

If she wavered now she feared what might happen when she actually had to face him. Once more taking out her phone she decided that the best action was to retreat before Shinji decided to show up.

There would be time in the future to decide things with him, for now it was best to leave. Writing a simple note on the ground about her decision to depart, Sakura and her allies leave in the middle of the night.

It wasn’t until she returned to her apartment that she discovered that Shinji had been involved in some type of battle, the limited vision that her familiars had given her revealed the culprit to be some sort of servant and the armor suggested a knight but the vision was too blurry to truly identify anyone.

Was this really the correct choice? Well there was no turning back now. It seemed as if Shinji was still alive so perhaps he managed to defeat the Servant in question under his own strength.

****************************************************************************

Upon their peaceful return to the apartment a new question began to appear.

What should they do next?

With Shinji out of the equation for the time being, they had to think of someone new to go after.

There were a few other options available the Tohsaka and Einzbern were two obvious targets but Sakura wanted to hold off on meeting either team for as long as she could. Until she was truly ready to face them. Shinji was out of the question for the moment, after running away she couldn’t face him again so soon.

Then what about the Archibald? The man known as Kayneth was supposedly entered into this war but Sakura had yet to see him make any moves in the open perhaps she should take the initiative against a supposed high ranking master of the association.

But there was also one other option, she hadn’t considered it at first but looking back all the evidence points towards a Servant’s interference. The new hotel being built. the Hyatt Hotel was heavily involved in the last war.

From what Sakura could gather it was the source of a great battle between Servants and had served as Kayneth’s main fortress until it’s destruction, likely due to said battle. Perhaps it was worth looking into?

And then there was the simple option, she could simply choose to patrol with her Assassin. Though because Assassin was a weaker Servant compared to the rest if she wanted to gain victory it was almost always best that she took the advantage rather than being the one to be attacked.

“What do you think Maiya, and Assassin?” Of course she was not alone in this endeavor, she had allies she could rely on in these situations, so it was best she received their help whenever she could.

Maiya was the first to speak up though she was hesitant at first. “I would be best if we avoided the three families involved in this war, perhaps you should simply stay at home and have your familiars scout for any other battles that might take place. This way we can fully utilize Assassin to his greatest potential.”

Assassin on the other hand had something else in mind. “I disagree, this Matou boy needs to be dealt with first, I’ve seen his Assassin’s first hand, they would be easy prey for my daggers, let’s take out the weakest visible prey first.”

With those thoughts in her head Sakura had to make a decision, there were a great amount of options before her but she could only take one, what would it be?

1. Chase after the Einzbern and Illya
2. Chase after the Tohsaka and Rin
3. Chase after the Matou and Shinji
4. Search for Kayneth’s hideout and research his whereabouts
5. Research the Hyatt hotel and scout the place
6. Patrol the town, look for anyone or anything suspicious
7. Stay at home, focus on defense and allow the familiars to scout
8. Write in...

Milbunk

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Current results:

1. Chase after the Einzbern and Illya
2. Chase after the Tohsaka and Rin
3. Chase after the Matou and Shinji: Me
4. Search for Kayneth’s hideout and research his whereabouts: Renko
5. Research the Hyatt hotel and scout the place: Shrimperor, Li Shuwhere
6. Patrol the town, look for anyone or anything suspicious
7. Stay at home, focus on defense and allow the familiars to scout: Cassius, Magus

Though really it could go any way at this point!

Cherry Lover

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Hmm, OK, I'm going to go for #1, chase after Ilya. Her relationship with Sakura here is kind-of interesting, and I think things can maybe be talked-out with her. I would also like to go and see Rin, but that doesn't seem like it's going to win.