Fandom Fate/Avarice

[DiamondJack]

"Would you risk your life for one billion dollars?"

This was the question that reporter Chris Jones posed to his viewers, "We are only a few days away from Todd Felton's annual bloody game show 'The Holy Grail War' in which teams of 4 mages bring forth Humanity's greatest heroes to fight in brutal combat while wielding insane magical abilities. For people who are new to the competition let me give you a rundown of the rules. Each team summons 4 heroic spirits to fight on their behalf. A team is eliminated when each of their heroes have fallen. Heroes can be eliminated by either dying or by failing to protect their masters from being slain. The teams are not given each other's identity and are dropped in random places in LA. So armed only with the knowledge that there's twelve people trying to kill your Hero and the three strangers you're with are also trying to win a billion dollars. Each surviving member of the last team standing wins one billion dollars.'

Chris Jones offered a sly, cheesy smile l, "Stay tuned as our hidden cameras capture the whole thing."

---

"Aren't you afraid they'll find out the Grail's true purpose?" asked a nervous secretary.

"No Hether, we've been over this," boomed Todd Felton, "The servants will not know that their wish won't be granted because I wished it so! I have had 7 wishes from the Grail! My competition can almost run itself, I just need one more wish and then God himself will bow to me!"

"Of course Sir," responded the Secretary.

---​

 

[DiamondJack]

Thousands of people filled the Staples Center in Downtown Los Angeles. A podium had been set up on a stage in the center of the arena. The crowd erupted as eccentric billionaire Todd Felton took the stage accompanied by the previous year's sole winner Ulrich Krieger.

"Hello loyal viewers!" Exclaimed Felton, "Welcome to my annual Holy Grail War!" The man paused for the crowd's uproarious response, "This year there is a twist! Last year's champion wants another go! In fact he's so confident he wants to go it alone! Now I know what you're thinking, but the other mages will still compete. Just because our friend here is so sure in his abilities I am assigning all of his team members to Gold team. That means Gold will have seven members. Blue and Red still have four and Silver now only has one. Stay tuned. Our competition starts in mere hours."

---

Matou Shiori( Gundam Watcher 27 ), Nova GreyThorn( Yuri Greythorn ), Hugo Hiroshima( Knight boi ), Arthur Collins( Topless ), Maika Kawazu( Spoiled Bread ), Xiao Gunying( Cierra ), and Adam Smith( Gaius Danius Griinia ) had been gathered in a small room located in warehouse somewhere in an industrial district of Los Angeles. At the head of the board room style table stood a rather unremarkable gentleman wearing a black suit with dark sunglasses.

"Alright you guys are Gold team," said the man, "There's a twist this year. All seven of you are together on this one. The next room is full of historical artifacts charged with magical energy. Feel free to explore the warehouse and select the one that speaks to you most. Once you have there's a set of stairs in the back that will lead you down to rooms that are specifically designed for you to channel your magics and summon your servants. Rejoin me outside when you're done, some cars will bring you to your base of operations set up for you by Mr. Felton."

With that the man opened the door behind him and made his way outside.

 

[Gundam Watcher 27]

Shiori Matou
In the begining, Shiori had come to Las Vegas in the thoughts of it being a standard Holy Grail War. However, now that she heard it was a Greater Grail war, Shiori had no idea what to expect. She stepped forward into the warehouse. "Ladies first." She said emotionlessly. After getting into the warehouse, she studied the various artifacts, Swords, Wands, Wheels. There was even a Soviet T 34 Tank. Soon she found what resonated with her the best.

It wasn't anything special to say the least. It was a rusty nail. Bent and brittle due to the wear and tear from the forces of nature. However, much like her, it was straight and to the point. She figured she should use the nail.
She went to the summoning circle and began the ritual.
"Let my own life force and the flames of my desire burn to fuel the catalyst! I offer several drops of blood, and a vast amount of mana. The focus point, a nail. Great servant from beyond hear my cry! I summon you to serve me and me alone! If you can, appear now, amd tip the scales! Awaken!"

A eruption of flame and smoke burst from the circle, before it vanished and a large muscular man stood in the center. He wore leather pants and strange mechanical gear over his legs. His face, Handsome but hairy, and a glare as fierce as a dragon.


The man knelt down with a hand over his leg as he asked Shiori a question.
"I am Caster. May I ask of thee, arth thou my master?"
"Spare me the shakespherean language and stand, Caster."
Shiori told him. Caster stood up.
"You look a little muscular to be a Caster."
"I can sense you have an aura of cold around you. Some sort of tragedy I take it?"
"You could say that." Shiori replied.​

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Maika

"A group that consist of seven mages? Man, this sounds like a disaster waiting to happen." Maika couldn't believe when she heard about the announcement. She's unsure whether she should be happy to be included into the team with the highest number or not but she should focus on summoning her servant now.

Walking through the warehouse she felts overwhelmed by the sheer amount of artifacts stored inside. How could someone able to gather this many artifacfs at one place like this? The mage association and the holy church would drool over these. Maika occasionally picked a few items here and there but put them back afterward. Until she stumbled upon a simple yellowish rock. She didn't know what it was but she felts a warm radiance emanating from it. She decided to brought it into the summoning room and put in in the middle of the circle.

"Heed my command, O great heroes beyond the reach of time and space. Let me be your anchor and let you be my sword. I summon you unto this realm!"

For a brief moment the summoning circle was engulfed by a blinding light and when the light fades, a beautiful young woman in elegant oriental robe was standing on it. A white rabbit could be seen hopping around her legs. The woman's face displayed a gentle expression as she looked at Maika in the eyes.

"Greeting, master. You've summoned me, archer. I have been waiting for this moment." Archer wasn't really the class Maika was aiming for. She intentionally slipped 'sword' into the incantation in hope to get a saber. Still, she wouldn't complain at the result.

"Allright. Let's win this damn game."

 

[Knight boi]

Hugo Hiroshima
As everyone began to look around to glance at their artifacts he took note on everyone’s appearance, he noted that one was nothing but a mere child caught up in a great holy grail war! What a dramatic turn of events for this war, she surely must be the one to be the first out.
Then he took note on the other mage who began to pick a artifact, she looked much older than the other one, perhaps even a few years younger than him, but he knew he was the oldest and had to be the role mode for the younger ones.
He then took note for everyone’s servants or the two that have been summoned, one caster, and one archer that means that saber has not yet been chosen neither assassin.
He looked at the artifacts to see a old broken handle of what seemed to appear as a sword from Japan or the eastern lands. He smiled with full price as he grabbed the item and began the ritual.
“I cry out to the great hero’s of the past, for guidance and aid to this great holy grail war, I summon you legendary hero to fight by my side to the very end!”
He said pridefully yet surprisingly calmly.
As he finished the chant in the ritual a great hero rose from the grounds in black tainted armor as a black demon mask hid his face from everyone and the hat he was wearing covers the upper half quickly.
“Greetings master, I am the role of assassin in this great holy grail war, and honored to fight beside you.”
The samurai said calmly as he did a small bow of respect to his master.
“I can tel your a much different assassin then the others, much are cowardly but I can tel you fight with honor, it’s great to be in a frail war like my grand father.”
The assassin was quiet, as he looked around to see his other Allies as he looked into the ground and finally back up to his master calmly, everyone must’ve been surprised that this hero was an assassin instead of a great saber, the samurai looked eerie at the same time too. He was going to be a great servant.
.

 

[Topless]

Arthur has got himself into a one of a kind mess. Normally he shouldn't be here in this event knowing that a lot of blood will be spilled, and he is not the kind of person who can. But yet, something about this war does not suit him. A fight to the death all for a large sum of money sounds pretty ridiculous to him. But then his mentor spoke to him about it; he was there and saw many have felled by themselves and himself. If Arthur wants to be a hero, then the only way to do so is to join and set things right. Although he may not like it, if he wishes to end the Holy Grail Wars, then winning it is the only solution.

After the meeting is adjourned, Arthur makes his way to the room to select which catalyst should he use to summon his Servant. These artifacts look like it can cost more than a billion or so dollars. Did the organizers stole them from different museums? Regardless, summoning his own Servant is his focus. He looks around the many artifacts until he stumbles upon one that is drawing him. It is a collection of books entitled "The Faerie Queen". Arthur heard about these books before; they're all written by Edmund Spenser as allegory piece dedicated to the Tudor Dynasty and Elizabeth I. They're all related to Arthurian myths, and since the books also contains the characters Arthur and Merlin who are both related to the Holy Grail, Arthur thinks he might have hit the jackpot. He takes the second volume the contains the third and fourth books and went straight to the summoning room to begin the ritual.

"Well, here goes nothing." Arthur said before taking a deep breath and say "Hear my call, hero from the great beyond. Answer my help and assist me with my trials and tribulations. I offer you my mana and my life in exchange of your loyalty and protection. I summon you, hero from the great beyond!"

With all of that said, a hero rises from the circle clad in black armor and armed with a spear. Arthur was surprised to the point he stumbled and hits the floor. He couldn't recognize who this hero is because of the helmet, but he can tell that its not either Arthur or Merlin. The hero then speaks.

"I have been summoned by your command. I am Lancer. I ask of you; are you my master?"

Arthur is speechless. This is the first time he has made a summoning ritual. The voice is definitely a woman's and is a Lancer. "I ask of you again; are you my master?" She asked once more, snapping Arthur back to reality. "Oh um, yeah, I guess?" He is still a bit surprised at the outcome. "There is no need for you to hesitate, I can tell that this is your first time at summoning a Servant. Do not worry, what you got may be an excellent choice." Lancer's word spoke of encouragement, making Arthur feel a bit more better. "Yeah, thanks." Arthur said.

 

[Gaius Danius Griinia]

Adam Smith

Adam was less than enthused by the whole setup of this Grail War. While he had come to look for a fight with strong mages. He didn't sign up to be part of some glorified game show. Not only that, he also had to act as part of a team. He HAD a team, the best in fact. Now he was left with these bozos. Supposedly the guy who won the last time wanted another go. Adam didn't buy that for a moment. The whole point of a Grail War was getting a wish. Who would go again if their wish had been granted. No real magus would simply risk their lives once more after hitting a jackpot. There was likely some kind of con going on. The organizer was the prime suspect. Spinning his revolver as his thoughts became a jumble of theories and conspiracies. Adam decided to at least summon his Servant first before making any sort of complex plan. So his first step was finding some kind of artifact with which he could summon a reasonably strong Servant. Going by his skillset. An Archer or Assassin would set him best. Berserker, Caster or Saber would suit him the least.

Making his way through the collection of strange objects and curiosities. Adam had a difficult time making a choice on what he wanted. Sure he could feasibly pick any of these. However he wanted to be absolutely certain on the Servant he summoned. After all, the Heroic Spirit would be responsible for keeping him alive long enough to figure this all out. Then he could shoot the organizer in the face. It just seemed like a natural course of action. Resting his gun on his shoulder and whistling a merry tune. Adam came across what looked to be the fang of a serpent. It was certainly bigger than any snake fang he'd ever seen. On a whim, he picked it up and decided to use it as his catalyst. Wandering into the room allocated for summoning. Adam chose to use the techniques learned from his Master to call forth his own Servant.

Let silver and steel be the essence.
Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation.
Let gold be the color I pay tribute to. Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall.
Let the four cardinal gates close. Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate.
"Let it be filled. Again. Again. Again. Again"

An overwhelming light filled the room as Adam finished his chant. The moment it faded from view. He noticed black feathers scattered on the floor around him. His instincts took hold and he immediately fired forward, so that his bullet would ricochet towards the source of his unease. However his bullet was immediately cut to ribbons by an odd looking sword. Its wielder was a masculine figure in black armor. Their gaze bored into Adam as if sifting through his entire backlog of sins. Recomposing himself and holding up the Command Seals on his hand. Adam made sure that this individual understood that he was their Master. This only seemed to make the armored warrior smile. They gave an overdramatic bow as if to pay homage to their Master.

"My my... it would seem this Saber has acquired a rather interesting Master" said the Servant as they gave a devilish grin...

 

[Cierra]

It really wasn't the kind of situation she would want to be in. Xiao Gunying refused to let her usual cold demeanor slip, instead keeping up a steely facade in light of the current perspective. She had been ushered into a warehouse the moment she had gotten off her plane, rushed through customs and into a luxury car. Not at the behest of the man who was explaining that the assortment of characters around her were a full team, but rather her contact with the Yakuza who was no doubt in compliance with the organizer of this Grail War. Which was discouraging to say the least. She would prefer to surround herself with people who's qualifications she knew. Not what appeared, to her at least, to be rabble.

Beggars can't be choosers. As the speaker finished and departed, she shuffled along with the rest of this cast into the next step. A set of stair leading into rooms designed to house the aforementioned mystical artifacts. Xiao had read up on the proceedings for a Grail War, the need to create a summon circle, possibly use a catalyst (which she would since they were readily available), and chant an incantation. Mage or not she was against the idea of chanting spells like a cultist in a B-horror flick. She watched a few of the others enter separate rooms and felt the thrum of Od being burnt.

Xiao sighed as she entered an unoccupied room, noting the ornate piece of wood that resided within, nestled on a satin pillow, atop a small stand. It was better then nothing, she supposed. She reached out to touch it, noting the trace amounts of mana that oozed out of it. Interestingly enough, no chanting would be needed. The moment her finger tip brushed against the chunk of wood, it reacted. A bright, violet light burst out, nearly blinding Xiao and forcing her to lift her arms to block it. She could feel the mana pulling from her body, less then she expected but more then she had wanted to part with. As the light receded, she could feel the presence of the Servant in the room. If nothing else, she could feel her lost mana in the other beings core.

Lowering her arms, she was surprised to see what she immediately mistook for a knight. Blinding silver armor, a thick and powerful frame, a flowing violet cape and at least a head taller then she was. The helm was the most distinguishing part, a full face plate with long horns jutting out to the sides. Xiao was impressed she had managed to summon something so regal looking. She had expected a barbarian.

“Seeing as no other stands before me, I shall acknowledge you as my Master.” The knight spoke, a deep but feminine voice resounding. “I am Rider, no other name need be known.”

Xiao let her guard down for a moment, letting a small smirk creep across her face.

“Very well. Rider, I am your Master, Xiao.”


Xiao felt that perhaps this was going to be a very beneficial cooperation.

 

[Yuri Greythorn]

Nova listened, and looked around at all of her teammates, she tilted her head, and sighed, she thought to herself 'This works, I guess, less of a chance of dying I guess...' She kept a cold gaze about her, her body language straight and hopefully unreadable. She was nervous, and a bit scared, but she was a Mage, and believed herself to be a damn good one at that. She pulled a necklace to her view, opening it to a picture of her twin brother, she clenched her fist, shutting it. She knew a bit about the Grail Wars, how to summon a servant as well.

As everyone around her got artifacts, she looked at the different ones in the room. She felt enticed by a specific one though, a large Battle Axe that, as she approached it, seemed to have a cold air around it. She picked it up, and made the summoning circle putting the Axe in the middle, and starting the ritual.

King Ragnar
Ragnar awoke after being summoned, he kneeled on one knee, and started by speaking in old Norse "Ek em awake einn sinni meiri....."
He paused for a moment, and looked around, before speaking in english "Are you my master? The one who has awoken me?" He looked at her with intent eyes, His voice deep and gruff, with a heavy northern accent.

Nova inspected him and responded "Yes, I am the one who has summoned you, I am Nova GreyThorn, and I am a Mage." She explained

"Ek em konungr ragnar" He clears his throat "I am Berserker, and I am at your service M'lady." He says, bowing

She blushes a bit in embarassment "D-Don't bow to me, I don't deserve that kind of respect!" ​