The Grail Games IC

Maou: Abbadon [Warehouse]
 
She felt like smiling oh so sweetly, but denied herself the privledge. She was still running around in a hamster wheel. It was useful information that she could drain the Homunculus, but it wasn't as if the thing was going to hang around with her. As far as The Devil King could tell, Abbadon felt little towards her. A pity. Maou supposed she would have to kill the priest, and in the end kill everyone else... The second Devil's Castle would be finished tonight. If the others hadn't been destroyed... If she could make them faster... If Meira wasn't such a backstabbing hag... Too many things she couldn't change. What she could change, if not the amount of Devil's Castles, was the amount of Mana inside of them. The second one would take about two days to claim the mana naturally inside it. In the meanwhile, Maou would bring new mana into the first one by way of Mana Maelstrom. Still, it ticked her off that she would have to act like a transport vehicle, moving around, in, and out of her castle, collecting mana like a bloody bee.
 
"Partnership? Profitable? We're just two abnormalities that decided not to kill each other. I give you offerings, and you continue your armistice in return. I gain nothing. There is no trust, so there is no partnership. And it will continue on like that when I separate the Priest's head from his body." It was not discontent, but merely the truth. Bowing, Maou felt no need to have her words spiced with niceties. The two here held no trust for each other. They only trusted their own judgement in what the other would do, and relied on that. "I understand you have little to give. These are just mere facts."

Jorg - Kaiserpfalz

Saber did not deign to respond to Caster for a few moments. Then, as though with considerable effort, he dragged his gaze over to her with no small amount of distaste.

"I'm sure there's nothing of interest you can say to me, magus," he told her, not even giving her the respect of titling her a Servant. Saber might not have much respect for any of the competition in the game, but he at least had some appreciation for the skills of ones like Berserker and Lancer. But a magus like Caster, one who should barely get through his magical resistances - if at all - was hardly a consideration.

--------------------

"Why are you here again?"

Calisa hoped the question did not sound rude, but it was a necessary one to ask. Last time, whether for her well-being or his own purposes, he had attempted to dissuade her from continuing in the Games. If his intentions were anything along the same path.

"I came to propose an alliance," Dowth said, getting to the point. "As you very likely know, Rider and Berserker are now gone - the latter at my own hands."

He felt it was probably a good idea to emphasize the achievements of Saber as a powerful and worthwhile ally, as they would, no doubt, need one.

"We saw," Calisa said tersely, not feeling any point in hiding the far reaches of Caster's gaze. "Why ally at all then, if you're so powerful?"

Dowth frowned. She was more resistant than he had anticipated. Still, that didn't mean she was against it; playing hard-to-get was a noteworthy tactic in any negotiation.

"Expediency, if nothing else," Dowth reasoned with a shrug. "I don't relish drawing out these Games, as I'm sure you don't. If we cooperate, we can bring an end to things much sooner."

"Is that all?" Calisa pressed, folding her arms uninterestedly. "Maybe I'm not as impatient as you are."

Yes, definitely playing hard to get. Or, perhaps, she really wasn't interested...

"You also will have a bounty on your head soon enough, as Berserker and his Master did," Dowth continued, bringing out his heavy bargaining chips. "With more Command Spells on the table, the Masters of Archer, Lancer, and Assassin will be more eager than every to eliminate you from the competition. We can help defend you against all of them. I can protect you, Calisa."

Out of everything he'd said, this last one struck Calisa differently. The others were delivered in the diplomatic manner of a bargaining magus. But that last sentence... it had been oddly heartfelt. She really did believe, against all odds, that he meant it. But why?

--------------------

Gedo - Warehouse

Not so easily deceived. This Maou was proving to be a more difficult obstacle all the time. Despite the inherent distaste in that, Abaddon had to admire that same quality as one who also strives for existence in a world that would deny it.

"I am most grieved to hear you say so," the homunculus said in a lamentable voice. "Truthfully, I am sadly lacking the capacity for such emotions as love or compassion. But I am, as of now, incomplete. There is no telling what wonderful things I may gain by regaining my power."

That was true enough, though Abaddon had no interest in acquiring love. Still, if Maou desired it, then it was best to hold her to the possible fulfillment of it.

"I may not love, but I still desire to know it," Abaddon said gently, raising its hands to its heart. "Is it not the sign of humanity to know love - to give and receive it? I wish to grasp life as humans do."

Yes... grasp it at all costs. And love was a handicap it could not afford in the quest for survival.

Maou: Abbadon [Warehouse]
 
The devil smiled gently. It was... unfathomable. "Love... truly I don't know what it is. It is one of the few things I respect... and the only thing I fear. A sign of humanity... I suppose it fits then? My father was already dead when I was born. My mother's love, as short as it lasted, was a fake one, a play. I killed my brother too fast, all he showed was fear and pain. Those who raised me, did it for a profit. Those who felt my hot breath... love was their last intention. The care that was put into me and my circumstances... I am unsure if it is love. I am equally unsure of the identity of the feelings I return to the World." Maou returned her body upright. "Although you have even given me your name, I have not yet introduced myself."
 
 
 
 
The gentle smile never faded. "Eh... I'm 19, and my birthday is in about three months. I plan to finish my internship by the time I'm 25, and gain the Demon King position full time. My hobbies include destroying people's wills to live, ripping families apart, and sitting in place staring at emptiness and wondering when my next trial will come along. I like long walks on blood-covered beaches, and my favorite everything is nothing. ... I don't like pickles." She scratched the back of her head, wondering if she missed anything. "And... I think that's about it. Oh, right. I once adopted a cat and named her Dinkleberg. I was forced to eat it for dinner the night I brought it home." Even when joking around, Maou was... morbid.

Illya - Kaiserpfalz

Caster chuckled at Saber antics, it seemed he was adamant with remaining to treat her as trash. Really, Caster couldn't help but compare Saber to an spoiled infant.

"Seriously Saber, I thought modern humans were stupid, but you far exceed them in that category~~"

Caster stated, her tone playful and smooth, yes, both of these Servants were fundamentally incompatible, while Caster did view things from an opportunistic point of view, she still put effort in putting other's emotions into account, not only that she actually count determine one's worth. Saber on the hand seemed incapable of doing anything other than treat others as tools regardless of whether or not they were worth more than himself.

"But that's fine, after all it only means that I'll get more enjoyment out of humiliating you~~ Ah~~ I can already see you, crawling on my feet, with a face of pure wrath~~Fufu~~I'm getting wet just from thinking about it."

Gedo - Warehouse

Demon King. How interesting.

If it had been delivered differently, Abaddon might have thought it smacked of arrogance. But it was a statement of fact, a recognition of identity. It was a title one did not achieve but was born with.

"Well, Maou, Demon King, it is a pleasure," Abaddon said, inclining its head slightly in a show of respect. And yet, in a way, it felt a hatred more intense toward her than any of the other faceless Servants and Masters. While its purpose had been to live, this self-proclaimed Demon Lord only lived for a purpose. They were so alike, but so very different indeed.

"Perhaps, through all of this, we can both come to understand love and the meaning of being human," the homunculus said in a wistful voice. "I hope so. It shall be in my thoughts all through the night."

With that, the homunculus vanished entirely, already displaying magic unreachable to modern magi.

--------------------

Jorg - Kaiserpfalz

Saber seemed to smile at Caster's words, though it was dangerously cold and derisive.

"I'd be more concerned if you had some bite to back up that bark, dog," he laughed. "Perhaps you were used to scaring the local men with your wiles back from whatever primitive hole you come from, but it won't work on me."

The fact that he could run her through in an instant without her being able to lift a finger to help herself made the whole situation laughable. His Master had cautioned that without knowing Caster's Noble Phantasm, there was no guarantee of victory, but Saber denounced it as folly. There was no Servant in this war to match him, least of all a sniveling magus.

"If you had some of Lancer's fire, I might find you more interesting, but you're just a lowly witch," Saber sighed, turning away.

--------------------

Caster seemed too preoccupied to help engage in the negotiations. Or perhaps she thought Calisa was capable of making the decision alone. Either way, it was up to her now.

"I appreciate your offer," Calisa said, feeling some guilt at turning the elderly Master down. "But I think we can manage alone."

Dowth evidently had not expected this outcome, as he stared at her in surprise before regaining himself.

"I'm not sure I understand," he said, attempting to keep his voice calm and placating. "What reason could you have for denying such an offer?"

Calisa bit her lip, wondering how best to answer. It was frustrating... why did she feel so strangely toward this man? If it were any other Master, it would have been easy. But since meeting at Schloss Eller after the opening ceremonies, she'd felt a connection to him, one she couldn't shake off. If circumstances had been different, she'd have considered pursuing it... trying to find out just what he knew and felt about her.

"I'm sorry," she said after a few moments, looking up at him. "It's not that I don't want to cooperate with you, but... I don't think it's in my best interests to ally with Saber."

Of all the Servants, Saber was the greatest threat to their position. Archer and Lancer might have some measure of magic resistance, but none on Saber's level. If it came down to the two of them - which it surely would, given this alliance - they would have no chance of winning. Better to have Archer or Lancer finish Saber off for them and deal with the aftermath.

But even more than that, Calisa did not want anything to do with the knight of the sword. His presence unsettled her. Whoever he had been in history or myth, he must have been an unpleasant person. The way he looked at all people as instruments to use and discard... it was barely human.

"I see. That's... regrettable."

And Dowth certainly looked it too. It further aggravated Calisa's feeling of regret, but it did nothing to weaken her resolve. Allowing Saber to use them was akin to signing their own death warrant. She was sure of it.

--------------------

Everyone - Library
The future... that was what society constantly turned its face toward. What will happen, what will develop, where will we be - the thoughts that obsessed each generation more and more.

But Jacques was a creature of the past. To him, the idea of where we were going meant nothing without the knowledge of where we had come from. History was a fading concept in this age. People cared little for those who had gone before them and opened the doorways to which our current society had entered.

It was sad. Truly regretful. But Jacques would not give up on his wish. He would not forget. The history of his island still rang true in his mind. In every Isanda rune he inscribed and all that he poured into it, that precious knowledge would live on.

But age... relentless and insatiable, was catching up with him. He wanted Abella Rose to carry on the tradition, but it was a faint hope. So many things could go wrong. She may chance her mind, move on to the future with the rest of her generation. She may be forbidden by her father, or die before being able to pass on the information in turn.

But the Grail was everlasting. If he could grasp it, make his island's history truly immortal...

"Don't you ever get tired of hearing that?"

Archer stood in the doorway, watching his Master as the sound of Jacques' voice emanated from the rune inscribed in the stone tablet. Jacques gave a soft chuckle and turned to face his Servant.

"Never. It's who I am," he explained. Archer could understand the appeal of preserving a tradition orally - his culture and many others like it were founded on it. But to become a living, breathing record...

"But I am tired," Jacques sighed. "I sometimes wonder if it might not have been better to put my energy into simply finding Abella to pass on my legacy."

Abella... Yes, his Master had mentioned the young woman to whom he had wished to contact.

"But the Grail..." Archer interjected, brows furrowed.

Spoiler:

"Yes, the Grail," Jacques repeated with a weary nod. "I cannot fully convince myself that any goal is worth the death of others."

Those words struck particularly hard at Archer, whose face visibly tensed as familiar feelings of doubt and regret crept up inside him. In his past, and even now, willing to let others die to get what he wanted most...

"You're not like him, you know."

Archer's head jerked up at the words, turning to stare at Jacques, whose eyes were watching him with a gentle understanding.

Masters could leech details from their Servant's past life through dreams. Archer knew that already. But he had never guessed that Jacques had known and understood his true feelings.

"It wasn't your fault, what happened to all of them. You didn't sacrifice them for your own gain. Your men loved you, and knew you loved them. You were a great man and a noble king," Jacques said softly. "One I've been most privileged to serve."

Beauty... so many found it in the flesh, in the glimmer of precious gems, in the wonders of nature. But to Archer, beauty was found most radiant in faith and loyalty. From a wife to her husband. From a people to their king...

There was no need to express his gratitude. His eyes showed it plainly, and Jacques understood them well.

"Well, we mustn't keep them waiting," Jacques sighed, standing from his chair. "Let's go Archer."

Archer nodded, smiling fondly at his Master as he took to spirit form and followed in Jacques' wake.

Maou [Warehouse Vicinity]
 
"Humanity..." Whatever Meira's wish, her change... she had not erased the aspects of humanity. But those aspects were awkward when Maou felt them. Her humanity was still there, yet...  she could never reach it. She could never become human. This homunculus... it was likely the same, but it didn't realize. Servants, from the start, do not have life. If they are what gives Abbadon its 'humanity,' then it can only be fake. It was a monster wearing a human skin. Maou, for all of her recent kindness, agreeableness and benevolence, was the same. For now, her will and mission, her respect and fear of love, her need for tactics over ability... these were the only things keeping her in check. That life the Homunculus desired so much... It was hard for Maou not to simply try and reap it away. While she didn't need it, her body yearned for the Grail. Not to make a wish, but to crush the dreams of everyone who sought it, whether they be Servant, Homunculus, or Human.
 
That said, she needed to continue on with business. Build up power. Lure in the priest. Leaving her sword in the warehouse, she walked out while murmuring once more. Building up the spell. Once out of the boundaries of her castle, she released it. Mana Maelstrom. It was a powerful spell and one she would have to reuse while she moved, but the mana she could amass heavily outweigh the bit it cost. Maou, rather bored at the prospect, then began to make a spiral journey out and away from her base, dropping off Mana every now and then.

"Archer. Lancer. Saber. Assassin. Caster. Born from human legends, they all have humanity inside of them. And the nature of humanity... is frailty."

Illya - Kaiserpfalz

Caster's eyebrows twitch, really that typically worked, if anything to at least make them question her mentality. But Saber kept looking straight through her act.

*Sigh*

"At least call me a bitch instead of a dog. That's the least you could do as a man, oh wait, I forgot, that's to much for a race born out of stupidity isn't it! Hahaha! Oh don't worry Saber, I'm not calling you an idiot, if anything I'm calling me an idiot."

Caster taunted, tapping her finger on her forehead as if to hint that her brain was at fault of something. The mood changed drastically, Caster initially felt like a clown, someone who was making a joke out of herself to make a scene. But now it felt like a completely different person, bloodlust and hatred were starting to ooze out of her. It felt almost like he was staring straight at a demon.

"Hah, you bore me..."

As just like that it stopped, the monstrous like aura vanished, back to her normal self, elegant and cold. It felt like Caster was hiding allot, and not just power but even emotions were being locked away.

Caster turns her back uncaring and begins to walk back to her tree.

Payne, Illya - Pier

Lancer appeared when Logan suggested meeting their guest at the pier. She had been growing more and more impatient with doing nothig all day.

Walking behind Logan they walked out onto the pier.

As they came closer to Jayce, almost close enough to recognize him, a fog began to obcure him from view.

He was looking quite serious and there was a steely determination in his eyes.

"Crush" he whispered and a rushing of water from both sides of the pier gave away the imminent attack of waves.Here, near the water, Jayce was in his element. However it didn't stop there as he lifted his hand and pointed towards Logan.

"Coming down from crystal rays, icy spears to pierce the heavens."

Lancer looked alarmed when the fog appeared and the sea around them became angry.

Something is wrong, she projected at Logan, he didn't come here to talk.

In an instant she changed, the spear in her hand. With one swift movement, she cancelled out the waves that threatened to wash them off the pier. Her eyes watched the incoming ice lances closely.

You want me to deal with him?

Jorg - Kaiserpfalz

Caster didn't fool Saber. Whatever her fool's act was, she was a viper underneath. Still, it made little difference to him what her true persona was. In the end she was all talk, and quickly retreated when her feeble words had little effect.

Ignoring her, Saber instead turned his attention back to the negotiation of their Masters. To his relief, Calisa seemed to have little intention of allying with them.

Good. There would be no pretense then about where they stood. As a matter of fact, there was nothing to keep them from taking out some easy targets now. Caster was retreating, idiotically neglectful of who was in her midst. And her Master had no inclination of what Saber was about to do.

Perfect. It would be over in a matter of moments.

Perhaps if Dowth had not been so in-tuned with his Servant and the way he thought by now, he wouldn't have anticipated Saber's likely reaction to the failed negotiations. As it was, the Servant was far too fast to stop, to do anything about really. By the time his eyes registered the movement, Saber had already rushed with blinding speed at Calisa, sword drawn and swung back to cleave her head from her shoulders.

The sudden, terrible realization of what was happening... the horrifying prospect of this girl being slain right before his eyes - and by his own Servant's hand, no less - sent an instinctual cry of anguish from his lips.

"NOOO!"

In perfect sync with his words, there was a sudden flash of light and a sound like shattered glass. The momentum of Saber's blade, impossible to stop, suddenly halted in midair as though frozen in time, mere inches from the pale skin of Calisa's neck.

There was a collective moment of stunned surprise as Calisa, Saber, and Dowth all stared in surprise at Dowth's outstretched hand and the fading mark of the Command Spell he had just consumed.

Illya - Kaiserpfalz

It all happened in a moment, a moment that made Caster regret trusting Saber. The Saber class is the epidamy of knighthood, if there's one thing command in that class is that all servants for that class are knights. And as knights Caster expected them to never attack someone who could not defend themselves. How wrong she was.

Caster did not wait, even if she was late she had to do something, she noticed the menacing killing intent coming from Saber, she knew what was going to happen. But she could not do anything, Saber's superior physical capabilities proved to be to fast for Caster to even be able to react. The blade was comming down and all Caster could see was Calisa frail frame being cleaved in half by that merciless swing.

And yet, it stopped, halted by his own Master who seemed to not have planned for this to happen. While all of them were amazed with what had unfolded, Caster did not stop. She pulls Calisa away and places her behind her.

"SABER! I have changed my mind!"

Caster yelled outraged at his attack, a glare so full of hatred and malice it could not even be human. Caster's hair slowly floated with power emonating. Magical circles began to appear in the air, one after another, so many that it almost seemedlike it was day time with all the light radiating from them, and all of them directed to Saber and Dowth.

"NOT EVEN DUST WILL BE LEFT OF YOU!"

Caster proclamed, the circles would fire and both of them would be ahnihalated, it didn't mater how strong his Magic Resistance was, it didn't mater how much his Noble Phantasm would heal him, not even a single atom would be left from his body.

Unaware to Caster, many things became clear to many, this display would make no one who saw it underrestimate her; that no one should even dare touch Calisa if they value their life; but most noticable, how Caster appearance drasticly resembled a demon.

Illya, Noin - Pier

Logan's expression had been thoughtful when Jayce had first appeared, but now it had become troubled. Flames washed over his fingertips, forming a ball in his hand, and he threw it into the incoming ice lances, reducing the ones that were on track to hit either Lancer or himself to billowing steam.

You're right. Something is definitely wrong. He's too smart for something like this. Logan responded mentally. His eyes tracked over the nearby rooftops, searching for a sign of Archer.

Are there any Servants nearby? I don't want to get into a mess here, but I'd much rather restrain him than kill him if possible. Attacking us alone doesn't add up. The obvious assumption is that he has backup, but if there's not any, I want to know what made him suicidal all of a sudden...

Jorg - Kaiserpfalz

Monster.

There was no other word to describe it. Caster was nothing short of a nightmare. Any being would have been able to sense her frightening power, but to a magus - naturally in-tune with the mana around them - it was overwhelming, sickening, hateful to feel that much magic concentrated at once, like rich, delicious food being shoved down your throat till you burst.

Dowth's legs gave out, only faintly realizing this fact by the tremor that passed through his body from his knees hitting the earth.

He was going to die. He was going to die. He was going to die.

It was a crippling realization, an assurance with no escape. Any one of the spells Caster had conjured could kill him; combined, there wouldn't be enough left to scrape up and fill an urn.

And yet, in the face of all this, Saber still gazed at Caster with unyielding resolve. It didn't seem to matter what was before him - the assurance that he would win, no matter what else happened around him, could not be shattered.

The fool. Even with his magic resistance, even with his Noble Phantasm, there was no hope for them...

"Caster, stop!" Calisa ordered. Dowth's head snapped in her direction, staring in surprise as she held up the arm bearing her Command Spells.

"Please, don't make me use this," she said firmly. "But I will if I have to."

It didn't make any sense. Why? Why would she spare them? After what Saber had nearly done...

"A life for a life, right?" Calisa explained quietly, seeming to sense his confusion. "You saved me... stopped Saber from killing me. So..."

I don't want to see you die.

Dowth grasped for words as he struggled to his feet, eyes moving between Calisa and Caster as though unsure of whether or not to believe this miracle.

"But this is your first and only warning," Calisa said, her voice hard like stone. "Next time you try to attack us, I won't hold her back."

That was not an idle threat. The young woman was merciful and kind, but not a fool. She wouldn't let those emotions inhibit her from doing what was best for herself.

"I..." Dowth muttered, but it was impossible to form the words. How could he possibly express gratitude to her for all this? All he could do was numbly incline his head, and turn swiftly away.

"We're going, Saber," he growled, heading for the gate, all the while feeling Caster's gaze like a knife at his back. Saber, however, lingered for a moment, eyes fixed on Caster. Now that she had revealed herself for the demon she was, he seemed more determined than ever to do away with her.

"NOW!" Dowth barked viciously, causing the Servant at last to turn away and follow in his Master's footsteps.

--------------------

Everyone - Construction Zone

Assassin lurked on the cold, metal beams of the partially constructed high-rise, watching for any sign of his quarry. He had expected Logan and Lancer to dispatch of Jayce rather quickly and make their way here, but evidently they were being held up. That was unfortunate, as he'd have to get his hands dirty, but not a total loss.

Jacques stepped into view, seemingly alone. Assassin did not sense Archer nearby. Good. That would make things significantly easier.

A black dagger slipped into his waiting hand, a jagged grin splitting his face beneath the skull mask.

"Foolish little fly," he murmured happily to himself. "Wandering so easily into the spider's web~"

Assassin dove from the side of the building, black cloak flapping about his body like the oversized wings of a bat as he descended on his foe. The dagger raised, poised to strike, but -

"Ghhnn?!"

Assassin's noise of surprise brought a smile to Jacques lips as the elderly man gripped the can more tightly in his hand, holding Assassin's dagger at bay. Before Assassin could react, Jacques swung the can and swatted the Servant aside like a bothersome insect. Assassin tumbled across the ground, mind reeling, as he struggled to regain his footing.

"Impossible!" he spluttered, righting himself, just in time to see the form of Jacques melt away as Archer pulled his cloak back from around his head and shoulders.

"Don't feel too bad, Assassin," Archer smiled coldly. "You're not the first I've deceived with the form of a helpless old man."

This was bad. Very bad.

"How did you suspect?" Assassin murmured, retreating back toward the construction zone as Archer advanced.

"Sharp eyes. Your little trick with mimicking Lancer was good, but not good enough," Archer said, shaking his head. "I suspected an ambush. But I must say, I underestimated you. You have more tricks up your sleeve than I realized."

Assassin had reached the hollow skeleton of the partially-constructed building and clambered up, watching for any signs of movement from Archer.

"Ohh yes, more yet that you've failed to realize as well," Assassin chuckled, regaining his confidence. His preferred method of attack was from the shadows, but the other Servants were fools if they thought that was all he could manage.

"Perhaps," Archer replied, his smile razor-thin. "But that goes both ways. And I think I can safely say that no one will complain when I get rid of you."

The bow was in his hand, and his killing intent was deadly sharp as he leaped onto the first railing, an arrow on the string.

"I can admire using brains over brawns, Assassin," he admitted. "And this was quite a clever scheme of yours. But screwing with me... well, that was just plain stupid."

The string snapped back as the arrow was sent flying forth, shining bright through the night air like a flair to signify the start of the battle.

Maou: Assassin & Archer
 
A bright flash caught her attention. A swirl of conflicting mana. ... A servant battle? It was nearby at a construction site. What two servants were at it... It probably meant that she was being neglected. Whatever Raphael's offer, they hadn't thought to bring back her head now that he was missing. Maou smiled. Berserker. In the end, he was almost useless. He just needed to defeated Saber, and they could have spent their time as any other participant, with Raphael's bounty cancelled from his absenteeism. Ah well... Saber. That Servant was probably a monster in his own right if he could stand against an unleashed Berserker. But now she had no servant. She simply had to sit on her butt and wait, hoping things went her way as she amassed power.
 
Well, it would be best to catch whatever information she could from the battle. The mana she kept swirling and gathering around her as she moved would have likely announced her presence already. With a grunt, she hopped into the air, support spheres forming beneath her feet as she ascended to witness the ongoing battle.

Illya - Kaiserpfalz

The spells were ready, all it would take to unleash their power was a whim, and yet.

'Caster, stop!'

She stopped, even though Caster was bursting with rage, even though just a second ago the sky had been filled with magic, it all stopped. Caster quickly dismissed everything, no some anger was still present, Caster's eye glaring knifes clearly saying 'I'll kill you next time.'

Caster remained still, glaring at Saber, until they finaly left, Caster did not move until Saber and Dowth were far away from the ruin, just in case Saber tried again. And then, she turns to Calisa. Her eyes judgemental and confused. Caster didn't understand, but more important, Caster couldn't forgive herself for lowering her guard.

"Calisa we need to have a talk."

Caster walked inside the costumized room she had made for Calisa. caster had decided, it was time to reveal all the cards.

Jorg - Kaiserpfalz

As Calisa followed Caster into the bedroom the Servant had fashioned for her, she felt guilt at the thought of the look in Caster's eyes. When they entered the room, before the Servant could speak, Calisa sat on the bed and began to speak.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to go against you back there. I just... I couldn't let you kill him like that. Not after he'd just saved me."

Looking at Caster, who had done so much to help her, Calisa made the decision to confide in her.

"I'm not sure what it is," she whispered, shaking her head. "But there's some kind of connection between him and I. I can just feel it. And the way he looks at me... I know there's more there than he's telling me."

She knew he'd known her parents, but from his surprise upon their first meeting, he'd obviously been unaware of her birth. How had Dowth known them? Had they been friends? Why had Calisa never heard of him before the Games then?

--------------------

Streets

Saber's presence beside Dowth felt oppressive. Ever since they had left Kaiserpfalz, the magus had felt as though a series of heavy, crushing chains were constricting his breath and his very thoughts till at last he snapped in irritation and alarm.

"What is it?" he growled. For a moment, there was no response. Then, slowly, Saber materialized before him.

"Why?" Saber demanded. He didn't have to expound; they both knew exactly what he meant.

"Did you see what happened just from your attempt to kill the girl? Imagine if you'd succeeded!" Dowth snarled. That was certainly true, but it wasn't the whole truth. And from the look in Saber's eyes, he knew it as well.

"I would have won. I always do."

That sort of reply, which always filled Dowth with mingled annoyance and assurance, was only an aggravation tonight. That may have been true, but the same couldn't be said for his Master. Not that it seemed Saber cared at all. Especially when his actual source of mana was tucked safely away.

Yes, Annabelle... He hadn't heard from her in some time. It would be prudent to check on her, and he could get some peace away from Saber in the meantime.

"Go check on Annabelle," the magus ordered, turning away. "I need to go to the Church and collect on those Command Spells."

"Especially now that I'm one short," he thought, but decided not to voice. Things were tense enough as it was.

Saber declined to give even his usual curt nod, simply vanishing and taking off without any indication. Dowth gave a heavy sigh and kneaded his forehead. This Servant certainly was a problematic one.

--------------------

Everyone - Construction Zone

Slowly but surely, Assassin was forced up higher and higher into the recesses of the hollow building as Archer's arrows drove up at him. Even worse, Archer was following steadily in their wake, coming closer and closer to him to, no doubt, deal the finishing blow.

When Archer had finally reached the same tier as Assassin though, the black-cloaked Servant stopped and crouched low to the metal beam on which he stood.

"That's far enough, I think," he chuckled. "I must thank you, Archer. You've been so cooperative."

Archer's exceptional eyes darted about the area, quickly noting the explosive charges set up all over the area, no doubt from the demolition team that had been working in the area. But it was too late to do anything about it. Assassin had already swung from his beam and dropped downward, extending his right hand up toward Archer.

"Burn, fool!"

The top of the building exploded in a brilliant burst of flames, lighting the night sky like a funeral pyre of the ancient days.

"A fitting end for a noble fool," Assassin cackled, lurking in the corner of a platform several stories below. He'd thought Archer might be some competition, but that was just too easy.

Hmm... something was wrong. He could still sense Archer's presence up there among the flames. And they seemed to be swirling, undulating, until all at once they choked out and died, as though the oxygen had been dragged suddenly from the air.

And there, in the midst of the burned-out wreckage, stood Archer, completely unscathed.

"You're out of luck, Assassin," he said quietly, eyes narrowed. "Your disguises aren't as good as mine, your traps aren't as good as mine, and-"

He fitted an arrow onto the string as Assassin removed a handful of daggers from his cloak.

"-I'm betting your aim isn't as good as mine," Archer finished, letting fly his arrow. Assassin gave a cry and dived from his place as the arrow hit the place where his head had been a fraction of a second before, tearing the metal beam apart in a torrent of violent wind. Assassin was hurled in its wake like a rag doll, managing to catch onto another beam in time and cling to it like a frightened insect.

Well, perhaps he had been going too easy on Archer. It would seem he'd need to go all out.

"So be it," he thought, his cloak rippling as the hump beneath it began to stir. "I think I'll enjoy getting my hands dirty. All of them."

Illya - Kaiserpfalz

Caster simply looked at Calisa as she explained herself, truthfully Caster didn't need explanation, whatever was going on Calisa's mind at the time, Caster knew the reason. She is too kind, and yet she seemed not to notice that, or perhaps she did and didn't want to show it.

Caster closes in Calisa and softly holds her head, looking straight into her eyes.

"It's fine Calisa, you don't need to explain who you are."

Caster hugs her, in an attempt to calm both of them. Calisa who had almost died and Caster who had almost lost her.

"You are kind, even to your enemies, and you should feel proud of that, that is a quality not many have, even myself."

Caster loved her for that, such quality was so hard to find in humans, even in her time. Caster lets go of Calisa and sit next to her, holding her hand as she firmly grabs it to show that she was there for her.

"Calisa hear me out, I'm going to tell you my story."

Payne, Illya - Pier

Lancer nodded and looked around. She couldn't sense any servants nearby, but the way Assassin kept sneaking around, he probably had means if avoiding detection. And he wasn't alone in that. Other Servants had proved rather elusive.

"I can't sense anyone nearby," she said but let a little doubt color her voice.

More mist appeared around them as Jayce unleashed another fog spell. The ice lances had melted without doing any damage and his mind tried to figure out a way around Logan's fire power. There had to be a way to kill him.
Wait... kill him? Yes, yes... he wanted to kill Logan.

He would just need something stronger. Like a song he began to recite the melodic words from his spell.

"Lady of the winter's night,
Mistress of the ice,
Lend me the unerring blades,
For aim that cannot fail"

Another wave of cold air whipped over the pier and from all around Logan and Lancer blades rose from the water. Slightly uneasy, Lancer noted that Jayce wasn't about to let up. "Should I take a closer look around?" she asked. "Or do you want me to take care of him?"

"Are you prepared to meet your end?" Jayce asked quietly.

Long ago, in an age where life was at it's primordial states, Gods ruled supreme, nameless existences known as sun, air, water, earth, among many others; simply existed.

Among them two gods stood out, these gods were inseparable, bound to each other, they could not exist for long without one another, like opposite sides of a coin, both represented different aspects of each other and for that they could not go along, but for the reason of existing they forced themselves to be with each other.

For you see gods are beings who dominate, and being forced to not control something close to them was unthinkable. As you could likely think, this union didn't last long, one of them in a fit of rage moved away and separated from the other.

The one who stayed demanded for help, while the one who left saw fit to find help and to not ask the others. What a foolish god, she should have realized how dependent she actually was towards others. In her search she found a colorful golden tree filled with a golden fruit and radiating with power. Drawn to such power the god, the goddess took a bite, and with that action everything changed.

As I am right now I believe to be rather intellectual and intelligent, but at that time, I can say with conviction, I was foolish. My god status was taken from me and I no longer was an existence of power, but one of life and death, yes, I became mortal.

And yet I never felt better, I didn't feel dependent of him anymore, I felt like I had control over my fate now. Exhilarated I ran, after all, I needed to show him what I had found, but...

I guess you could say that I was mad, maybe even jealous, when I had arrived, he, was with another one. Even though I deserved it for abandoning him, even though it was my fault, I was so devastated, I was traded so easily, not even a week had passed and somehow he got another one.

So I decided, I would make them like me, as I felt independent, surely should I make them like me, they would not need each other. And so I did, I disguised myself as a snake and lured the goddess, I tempted her with such sweet words "Adam would like it." "Adam would be so proud." and she took it, such an idiotic being.

However things didn't go as I had expected, they didn't separate, quite the opposite, they became even closer! And I was left alone! It was at that point that I understood things, how it had all being a plot from the gods to remove us from their plane, how I had simply done everything as they wished and how I had been punished for thinking otherwise.

I was lonely, oh so lonely, I no longer needed someone to exist, but I seemed to need company to keep my rationality. So I became insane, I watched over them, my brother and sister, Adam and Eve, I caused all form of problems for them, even charmed Eve in the guise of an angel and planted my evil into their offsprings.

There is a myth out there that says that I married Samael the angel of death, but that is misinterpretation, angels are simply human dreams after all. I was Samael to a sense, I became that which hated humanity, that which wished nothing for it's own demise.

Spoiler:

And so, for generations I did so, I watched and watched, I saw Cain kill Abel, I saw the naive shepard David become a wise king, I even saw Jesus die in his own delusion, ah yes I remember I tried to help them back then, just on whims, but again I was denied every single time because you just can't trust a being of darkness.

I believed to be free, to finally have power to unravel my own fate. But I wasn't who I was, I was simply that which humans saw fit for me, Death, Devil, Demon. I had become those things for their own good, a target of their fear and misery. I hated it, I hated it so much...

But you know, time heals all wounds, I just learned to accept it, I learned that all of that happened because of my actions alone, and so I simply became calmer, I grew wiser watching from the best, I mocked foolish wizards for their pathetic magic and laughed at kings who could not control their own kingdoms.

And eventually I died, had I chosen I could still be around even to this day, watching over the children of my family. But I just grew bore of things, most humans at the time had forgotten about me, and so I forgot myself and became nothing but a distant memory of a long lost past.

Did I regret it? no, of course I didn't, everything I did was by my action, to regret it, would be to regret giving birth to such a beautiful race. In fact, knowing that humans have become like this in this era only fills my heart with joy, knowing that my actions were not for nothing.

_______


Illya - Kaiserpfalz


"And that is who I am, Lilith."

Jorg - Kaiserpfalz

Calisa was surprised to hear Caster deny the need to explain herself. For a moment, she thought it was because Caster respected her decisions as a Master enough not to question them. But then she realized it was because Caster already knew.

Even though she felt she owed him, she really just didn't want to see Dowth die.

Even though she hadn't felt remorse at it, she hadn't wished for Jamie's death.

That even if she wanted to try her best, she couldn't be that kind of cold, unfeeling person that a magus ought to be.

"I..."

Calisa wanted to apologize, feeling like a failure of a Master, but then Caster embraced her, and it became impossible to speak. It was difficult enough to hold the tears back.

How long had it been since anyone had held her like that, had showed her that they cared? Never... not since her mother had passed. She'd always been alone, only able to hold to herself.

"Caster..." Calisa murmured, unable to truly express how much that acceptance meant to her. "Thank you."

When Caster pulled away, Calisa brushed away the dampness from her eyes and regained her composure. When she finally felt able, she gave Caster a weak smile and nodded, ready to hear what the Servant had to say.

"Okay, I'm listening," she said.

--------------------

Once Caster had finished, Calisa turned away, trying to process the information.

"Lilith..."

She'd never have suspected that to be Caster's identity. And yet, it made sense, when she considered everything. Yes, even why Caster felt so strongly against Jamie's treatment of her...

Her first instinct was to apologize for all Caster had gone through, but that didn't seem right. Caster herself expressed no regrets for the life she'd led. Instead, she opted on gratitude. She was sure it had been a considerable effort for Caster to divulge this information.

"Thank you," Calisa said, looking back at her Servant and taking the other woman's hands. "For sharing this with me."

But now, a question arose in Calisa's mind that she hadn't considered before knowing who Caster really was.

"The Grail then..." she murmured, pulling away and looking off into the distance. "What is it that you wish for?"

Calisa felt she owed Caster the Grail for all the Servant had done to help her, but she couldn't imagine what someone like Lilith could want from it.

-------------------

Church

Saber... Annabelle... Calisa... Caster...

Dowth's thoughts were swirling around these four individuals, consumed with all that had happened that night. So preoccupied was he that he hardly noticed the trip to the church until he was staring up at the beautiful white façade of the building.

His hand reached for the door but stopped at the sound of voices inside. Intrigued, Dowth peered through a crack in the partially opened doors to the chapel.

"Vivienne has gone with Ravager to location you sensed," a blonde man in black robes was saying. "I have no doubt she will be successful in this venture."

"With my Servant in her care, I should hope so," said the other voice, oddly divorced from the normal pitch of male or female voices.

Servant...? Who were these people, and what could they possibly mean? And why did that strange figure give him the most unsettling feeling?

"Archer and Assassin..." the figure mused. "They'll make a nice addition to my collection."

The idea was too horrible to imagine, and yet with each ticking moment Dowth felt more and more assured of his instinct. It was...

Images swept before his eyes of the ruins of the Einzburn castle, of his hired Enforcers standing ill at ease in the lowest chamber, and the disturbingly featureless body in the center of it, bound grotesquely to its pallid body.

...the homunculus.

Panic swept over his body, and he staggered into the night with the consuming instinct to get as far away as possible.

This was a nightmare. It had to be.

The warnings unheeded... intuition cast aside for ambition... all leading him toward this disaster.

And the creation of a monster.

Illya, Noin - Pier

Logan frowned as Jayce seemed to be preparing another attack. He actually rather liked the other man. So, killing him right now wasn't near the top of his priority list, but that didn't mean he wouldn't do so in defense of himself.

"No, I think if Archer was nearby, he would have already taken his shot with all this cover to blind us." He nodded in Jayce's direction. "We need to subdue him. If you can knock him unconscious, I can dig around in his mind again and see what prompted this sudden attack. Can you flank him if I draw his attention?"

He may have phrased it as a question, but Logan was already operating under the assumption that Lancer's response would be 'yes'. Taking a step forward, Logan held his hand out, letting fire wrap around his arm and consolidate between his fingers. "Roar of the beast." The flames formed a sword, which Logan held at his side, prepared to deflect the blades that rose now from all around the pier.

"I've been prepared to meet my end for a long time now, magus." Logan rumbled solemnly. "But you won't be the one to show me the light."

Everyone - Construction Zone

When Archer had first thought Assassin similar to a bloated spider, he had not meant the comparison quite so literally.

Now, faced with the eight-limbed monstrosity in front of him, it was becoming uncomfortably accurate.

Assassin swung with bestial agility, using his many limbs to grasp the metal beams about them, swing, and propel himself around as he hurled daggers at his foe from all sides. Archer was forced to keep moving, launching arrows when he found an opening, which was becoming increasingly infrequent.

"What's wrong, Archer?" Assassin taunted, circling in closer. "Not so confident now, are you?"

Archer didn't rise to the taunt; that was for hot-blooded fools. Instead, he paused to calculate exactly when Assassin should pass out from behind the cover of the platform on the tier above and brought an arrow to the string.

"Hah!" Assassin cried, hurling a handful of daggers as he shot out from behind the cover. The weapons had barely left his hand before the arrow slammed through his neck. Archer allowed a fleeting smile to pass over his lips, but it vanished at the same time as Assassin's body.

An illusion?

"Boo."

Archer whirled around in time to see Assassin's right hand extended toward him before his vision erupted in a fiery torrent of red.

--------------------

Jacques watched from the shadows of a nearby building as the battle between Archer and Assassin raged on. He felt confident in Archer's abilities, but could not shake some sense of foreboding.

Had all of this been some elaborate scheme of Assassin's? Where were Lancer and Logan then? And what had become of Jayce?

The unsettling feeling would not go away. Instead, it only seemed to increase. Gazing at the Command Spells upon his left arm, he felt a sudden impulse to call Archer back and leave this place.

No... they had an opportunity to remove Assassin from the Games. They had to take it.

"Good evening."

Jacques whirled about, feeling as thought he wind were knocked from his lungs as he stared up at the wicked-looking creature before him. The grin it bared at him was savage and merciless, like the look of a killer.

It was the slender, blonde woman garbed in black that had spoken, however, and now she stepped before the hulking figure to look at Dowth's arm.

"A Master," she murmured. "Excellent."

Her gaze drifted up to the figures battling high above before she turned to her Servant.

"I'll deal with this old man. Best not to alert them until we're done here," Vivienne told him. Ravager merely growled in response and moved aside to allow her room to face her opponent.

"What is the meaning of all this?" Jacques demanded. This woman bearing Command Spells... an unseen Servant... none of it made sense.

"The homunculus you thought you could use has turned against you all," Vivienne said, smiling. "These are its Games now."

Maou: Jacques & Vivienne
Ah, now that was interesting. The homunculus had finalyl made a move. Maou's sky view and her keen eye caught on to the other event. She took a moment to make a quick plan, and then she moved.

"Really, if you kiss its ass that much, it's obvious you're planning something." Maou sat on the air, a trio of glowing blue orbs floating beneath her rear. "Oh, carry on, Miss Rimjob expert. I'm not judging you on your tastes, even if it is literally a ****ty one. Praise the Homunculous you know nothing about and popped out of thin air to serve. I wouldn't mind some either. Or do you only kiss ass to superiors who you plan to use for your own benefit?"

"Ah, don't worry. I won't interfere or anything. I'm just here to observe how useless and incompetent you are. Be happy Grandpa, you might get out of here alive if she only uses her own power and doesn't resort to abusing other's." It was a taunt, that much was clear, but it was also obvious she meant every venomous word. Without the man here, the blonde woman would probably be rash and show something of her abilities, if nothing else. "I mean, it's more mine than yours. Half of it was my Servant, after all." Another clear taunt. But this time, it had a secret meaning. The servants who fell would go straight to this Homunculus's resevoir. And it could make Servants of its own. Well, she didn't expect Jacques to escape. But if Archer or Assassin caught wind of the information... "Aaah, stop looking up here trying to get a glimpse of my panties you perverts. Trash. Leeches." And cover up that vital leak of information. Now she only had to see what happened.

Illya - Kaiserpfalz


Caster examined Calisa's reaction to her revelation and she was pleasantly surprised by it, she neither felt pity or hatred, just acceptance. This is why she chose Calisa, because she bore a quality not many bare.

"What is it that you wish for?"

That question caught Caster by surprise, she hesitated to even think about it, but that only lasted a second for what seemed that Caster sighed in satisfaction.

"This Grail.... Whatever it could grant me, I can do it myself. In fact, my wish has already been granted."

She looked at Calisa with firm eyes.

"My wish was to not feel lonely again."

There was a pause as Caster watched Calisa to see her reaction. Yes, it is commonly said that those with great power have simple wishes and Lilith is no exception, being punished with isolation, there was only one thing she wanted, to have company. Be it woman or man, though she was still defensive towards men.

And with that Caster jumped on Calisa, making both of them fall onto bed, she hugged her playfully as she rubbed her face on Calisa's body.

"Fufu~~ To feel someone's else warmth~~ hahaha..."

A genuine laugh from Caster who seemed to be enjoying every moment of this.

Payne, Illya - Pier

Lancer simply moved away from the focus point and disappeared into spirit form, allowing Jayce's attention to shift fully onto Logan. Watching for a few seconds from the side, she waited for the right moment to strike.

Jayce noticed their change in strategy, seeing Lancer disappear. He knew he didn't have a lot of chances left to attack Logan directly and finish him. He shook his head when doubts about his actions began to creep into his mind. No he had to do it. It was the only way.

With a flick of his hand he released the water blades, sending them towards Logan. Then he himself charged at Logan, a blade appearing in his own hand.

"Lady of the winter's night,
Mistress of the ice,
Lend me the unerring blades,
For a storm shall rise."

However, before he could reach his target, Lancer was by his side, her lance crushing down on Jayce's blade,  sending it crashing into the ground with great force. There was only slight surprise in his face when he turned to look at the Servant's face. He raised his hand in defense, but had too much momentum to avoid the attack. The butt end of Lancer's spear crashed into his temple and he sank to the ground.

Lancer stood there, her arms crossed. "Get on with it," she said. "We should hurry. Something is not right and I have a bad feeling about this."

Illya, Noin - Pier

Logan tensed himself for the other man's assault, but it never reached him. Lancer slipped in between them, dealing Jayce a blow to the head, and Logan let the flames in his hand extenguish as he stepped over to where Jayce had fallen, chanting the words of his Sacrament along the way.

Not bothering to respond to Lancer's comment about having a bad feeling, he felt it too; Logan dropped to his knees and laid his hands on Jayce's shoulders, delving into the other man's mind.

There was a flash of Jacques telling him to extend a hand of good faith to them, hoping that they would ally together against Saber. The intentions weren't ill, but they also weren't heartfelt. It would be a temporary alliance, to eliminate a threat to both parties and then go their separate ways.

So, why had Jayce attacked him instead? Was it a grudge from the last incident? Assassin flashed before Logan's eyes, and he growled, realizing that the Servant had somehow survived the loss of Eames. That didn't bode well for anyone, particularly now that he knew about the homunculus' changes. Still, it seemed that Assassin was also responsible for this attack.

Logan released Jayce and looked up at Lancer. Instead of speaking, he mirrored what he had just seen through the link between them, letting her see all he had seen. "Archer and Jacques are walking into a trap, may have already walked into a trap." He said decisively. "I'll deal with things here." Logan continued, nodding at Jayce. "Go and help them. If you can eliminate Assassin in the process, do it. Since Jacques and Archer are seeking an alliance already, it's probably a safe bet that they'd help you eliminate him."

He would have liked to go himself, but leaving Jayce unattended while under Assassin's spell wouldn't do, and if Archer and Jacques had already been caught in Assassin's web, he would just slow Lancer down in finding them.