Fandom Fate/Noble Souls IC

[Topless]

-Night 2-
~The Day The World Became Flat~

Whatever did Caster did has made the entire town panic. From the Church, Father Jonathan was in his office watching the havoc caused by Caster's minions with somewhat of an interested look. Along with him is Claire and Avenger. "Look at the state of this town. God Himself wouldn't allow such a catastrophe to happen." The priest spoke "But suffering is indeed needed to attain relief. Those poor innocents being tortured left and right hoping for all of this to end."

"Father, what of the Ruler, may I ask?" Clair said "It is clear to me and Avenger that she isn't doing a good job overseeing the entirety of the war. Now that the civilians are involved, what will the Mages Association will say about this? You do know that the Church does not get along with those people."

"...Let them be." Father Jonathan answered, much to Claire's shock "I do not care what the association will say. For all I know, they do not care about how much damage these Servants have caused. All they care about is hiding away magecraft from the public eye, for they feared that the government might utilize and make it public. After all, it is their fault to keep magecraft a secret. I've honestly thought that this war will not turn out just like the first time it happened nine years ago."

"Father, if I may ask; what was the war like before? Were you a part of it?" Claire asked. "Very well." Father Jonathan said "Nine years ago, a group of mages had banded together for the purpose leaving the association and become independent, wishing a life where they no longer live in secrecy and spread magecraft to everyone than those of strong bloodlines. They're called the Yggdmillennia, and their declaration of independence served as a threat to the status quo of the association. In response to this treason, the association had declared war on the Yggdmillennia, thus begins the very first Recreation Gem War. The war was held in Detroit where the Yggdmillennia was based. They had connections with the most powerful crime group known as the "Ballas Roadhogs", providing them with the means of shelter, supplies and weaponry in exchange for money. I was there, serving for the association as a spy for the Yggdmillennia to watch over their activities. Both factions fought each other left and right until there was only but a handful of survivors and the Yggdmillennia vanished. Till this day, the remnants of that faction are continued to be hunted down, including a hired gun tasked with assassinating some members of the association. He is known as the "Mage Killer", and up until now, I still held a deep grudge against him. I wonder what is he doing now while in this situation."


The situation was getting worse by the minute around Faithful Hills. Allison and Ruler had held themselves in their home as the chaos continues throughout town. "Damn, we need to find that Caster asap." Ruler spoke. "But how? There's so many of them out there and it's just the two of us." Allison asked out of concern. "It's not just the two of us though." Ruler answered "There are Masters out there fighting outside to find the cause of this madness. We can stay here for the night, but I'd doubt the situation will mellow out as time passes. I'd say we have no choice but to get out there and find her."

Thepotatogod Orihara Gundam Watcher 27 ZackStop Funnier President Knight boi​

 

[ZackStop]

Gundam Watcher 27

Zach watched as the short girl walked up to him. It was bizarre how she reached out to him through the window, as he was still inside. "Hey-" he uttered as she grabbed his hand, but he didn't resist as she removed his bandages. Pretending was exhausting, but he only scowled at her now that he was outed.

He looked down at her own hand, seeing that she had used a command seal, but now demanded him to waste one of his own. "I'm sorry, but I'm not going to waste a command seal just because you're threatening me." Zach spoke to her calmly. he wasn't snarky or forceful with his words, they were only clear. As he spoke, he noticed a red dot had appeared on Shiori. Clearly Assassin was nearby, but well cloaked. Wherever he was, he had a clear shot. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you're at a disadvantage." He carefully moved her hand off of his as he made a suggestion. "We shouldn't be doing this right now, especially not here. So don't take this as a threat or anything, but I suggest you walk away instead of fighting us." He let go of her hand as he finished. "If we cross paths again during the night, we can settle things then if that's what you want. But for now I think we should go our separate ways."

As he said that to her, the sirens reached the school which notified that the police had arrived. That's when the school intercom kicked on, informing the students and faculty that school is canceled for the rest of the day. Zach looked back at Shiori with a casual expression, rewrapping his hand. "Maybe I'll see you around." Zach spoke just as casually, even if she was an enemy. 6 kept a good aim on her though, just to be sure that she makes no sudden movements.

 

[Gundam Watcher 27]

Shiori
ZackStop

Shiori really had nothing to say or do. The kid in front of her was right. She let him go as he suggested they went their separate ways, and could settle the score later.
Considering police sirens were sounding and an air raid siren went off, she really had no time for this.
"See you around I guess." Shiori replied as she stepped away from the window, and walked away, but caught a glimpse of a shadow out of the corner of her eye. I see you Assassin.

Shiori proceeded to head home, but stopped after taking a few steps. Cartoon creatures were stampeding towards her. A mix of Mushroom looking things and turtles. Shiori put a hand up and a cone of cold shot out, freezing the stampede in its tracks.
She looked at the ice sculptures she made while putting her hands in her pockets. She then talked to no one in particular, but knew he was listening.
"Sorry for threatening your master earlier, but I just needed to know something. Right now, you should keep your master safe from whatever it was I just froze. There could be more of them running around."
Shiori then walked away, freezing any of those weird creatures that crossed her path in the process.....

Night 2

"...and that's when I got back here!" Kamina explained. Shiori sat across the table, Kaze and Nii also present.
"I saw those things too. They don't seem like much of an problem." Shiori replied. "They look like something you'd have a baby watch."
Kaze pondered about it while looking at the news on a computer.
"Well they aren't. Those are super Mario enemies brought to life!"
He said, as he showed Shiori the local news website that had up to date info on the situation.

"So these new enemies.... they're something unexpected." Shiori replied, before looking to Nii. "And you piloted Ichi's mech?"
Nii looked down. "Kaze needed the robot in order to stop a hoard of Goombas from exiting a Starbucks...."
"I'm not angry. I'm glad you got there in time." Shiori replied.
"What are we gonna do about this situation?" Kamina asked.

Shiori smiled, her false smile that put Kamina at unease. "We'll just have to go find the source, won't we? But I suspect we can't do it alone."
"And why is that?" Kamina asked.
"Well, if what Kaze said was true, the paper enemies must be a limitless amount that can't disappear unless we kill the one summoning them. But the one summoning them..."

She poked a finger on the table, as frost covered the surface, but made a somewhat accurate map of the city. "Has to be in the center. That is also where the hoard of enemies is more intense."
"That explains the Starbucks." Kaze said.

"Alright, who should we ask for help?" Nii asked.
"I'm thinking another servant and master."
"Eh? But won't they try to kill you?!"
Shiori winked. "Not if I ask for a truce."
Kamina thought for a second, but then brought a fist up in agreement.
"And I know the best servant we can ask to lend us a hand!"
------------

Shiori and Kamina stood at the top of a building, Shiori wearing a comlink that is connected to her mansion, as Kaze was taking care of surveillance and data gathering via drones that he had made using spare electronics, some scrap metal, and a few tea cups.

Shiori was hoping that Berserker and his master would arrive soon. But others could also show up unexpectedly. Kamina was holding a white flag though.

(Open to all for interaction)

​

 

[Thepotatogod]

--Kyria "Penny" Davids-Pennyworth--
Servant: Zero, The Berserker
Interaction: Topless (GM), Orihara
OST:
Caravan ~ Hope For Freedom

DUSK OF THE 2ND NIGHT
​

"...Clusterbomb sack...Regular sack...Rations..." Kyria listed off as she rummaged through the stuff in her jacket's pockets in the lobby, the setting sun shining through the decorative stained glass behind the translucent blue curtains. Her inventory now included a different sack with a three circle Venn diagram on it. Also a bar of Snickers. "All check! We're good to...Go?" Kyria faced the door and was about to move out when she heard something shuffling from the nearby guest room. She knew for a fact that no one's staying there--Mom rarely had any visitors as it is.

Which begs the question... Who's there?

Letting out a gulp, Kyria walked over to the empty Guest Room and opened the door, holding onto an obsidian to make a quick getaway if it turned out to be a hostile. Then again, it could just be one of those creepy golems Beautrice has. Like the Guard.

--Right Outside-->

Zero was waiting for Kyria outside, arms crossed, leaning on the door. He opted to stand out and look out for anything Servant-y. Aberrant Magic Signatures. Suspicious Figures. A horde of sentient mushrooms and turtlemen.

"Hold up." Zero's glare sharpened, thinking her may have made that last part up, hearing footsteps getting closer and closer. This roused the Guard Golem from before, forming in front of the gates as it snarled in alarm. "You hear it too? Then that's not a good sign..." Zero noted as he walked over and vaulted on top of the wall, standing on the perch to see what would be the most ridiculous looking army he had ever seen.

"This is...!" Zero gasped, as the army of Goombas and Koopas were coming out of the woods in large numbers, clearly intent of hunting whatever they come across. "That cartooney appearance...They must be from the Caster! They sniffed us out already?!"

"GRRRRRREEEEEE!!!" The Golem roared aloud, prompting Zero to hitch a ride ontop of it, feet landing onto it's gooey flesh.

"I concur. We must clean this mess while we're still here." He said, Saber lighting aflame. "Protect the base at all costs!" He said, as the Golem shot out a pink beam at the front most Goombas, soon sweeping through the west as the areas began to erupt onto explosions, a few of which slipped through their the Golem's beam soon met Zero's Buster shots. "Beginning Mission!" He called aloud, hopping off of the Golem to act as the vanguard of this defense, slashing at a Koopa with his saber.

 

[Orihara]

Vi

As Kyria cautiously moved to the guest room and opened the door, she was met with a familiar face, a certain pink haired ghost who blushed and waved at her softly with a smile.

Vivian

"H-hi Kyrie... Miss me?" the siren greeted her in paper form, but was semi transparent, like a real ghost.

Meanwhile outside, monsters surrounded the perimeter of the manor, not just shuffling towards zero who was riding on a golem, but unleashing everything they had at him. Fireballs, hammers, bones and boomerangs also flew his way, which he needed to dodge. He could even notice that if he got hit, a health meter appeared on his robotic visor-one for him, and one for his golem ride. If they hit zero... they might not get a reset.

Meanwhile...

A gang of hardcore looking koopas riding on buzzy beetles approached Kamina's group, the leader holding a chain chomp in hand. "You the servant Rider, ya? Who da fuck you think you iz, dumpin around on my tuif? We's gonna fuck yous up!"

And at the school...

While Zach and 6 had their attention on Shiori a mob of boos and pokeys led by a serious looking paper girl wearing a suit and shades entered the school. "Spread out." she said in a business like tone, "I received Intel from higher up that one of our servant buddies is here. Check each floor and don't get killed. Yet." She pushed up her glasses, and her eyes flashed red as the minions obeyed her command and went searching the school. They rounded up terrified students who tried to escape, interrogating them about anyone with strange abilities.

 

[ZackStop]

As Shiori left the school grounds, and Zach reapplied his bandages, 6 dropped from the rooftop that he had been hanging onto with his free hand. All that could be seen was a dust cloud forming underneath invisible feet. Zach picked up his bag and made his way out of the restroom with a calm demeaner, but as soon as the hydraulics let the door shut, Zach nearly collapse. Holding his chest with a long exhale, hunched over like he had been walking for miles. "That was so stressful..." 6 hovered beside his master in spirit form. "Shall we get going?"

Zach walked out into the sunlight of the still early morning, soon to be noon. He looked around, seeing all the other students making their way out of the school and all the police cars. "This really is a mess..." He said under his breath, before noticing a demolished school bus. "Rider took a plunge." 6 said to him, noticing that Zach was looking at what had happened. Of course, Rider had already made his escape as Shiori ordered him to, all that was left was a flattened bus. Zach began to think to himself as he realized the other classmates' behavior. "Everyone here doesn't seem to alarmed by this. I guess they're all just happy to go home early. I don't really blame them." Zach made his way to his black SUV before heading home.

Meanwhile, Shiori was making quite a display of her magic as she made her way to her home. She had assumed that the one watching her was Noble 6, but in reality, it something much more sinister. As she left and turned a corner, a man, or woman, wearing a black cloak stepped out of the shadows. Wearing a separate hood with a long flowing cloth that reached the elbows and draped over the face and chest. The same 'Pure Black' assassins that were hired by York Gonpander were now surveilling Shiori. The assassin stepped back into the shadows, as more began to discretely follow her on the rooftops.

"I had tried get in contact with you, but you weren't responding. What was going on up there?" Zach asked as he looked over at where 6 was. "I apologize, sir. I'm going back to my old ways it seems." 6 paused for a moment before continuing. "I'm used to working alone. I learned to work as a team but apparently it didn't stick." He took another long pause before apologizing, at which point they had arrived back at the Gonpander mansion. Just in time for lunch.

Zach sat down at the large dining table and sighed. He began to do his homework as he waited for the cook to finish making him some well made sandwiches. It was quite a surprise to see him back so soon, so there was now two servings to be made. As he wrote down and solved math problems, the sound of a video game being played got closer, and before long, Zach's kid sister had approached the seat across from him. She hadn't even acknowledged him when she sat down, and never looked up from her Nintendo Switch. Zach tapped the pencil's eraser on the table as a bit of a nervous habit, before glancing across the table at her for a moment. A little sigh left his lips. "Annoying..." he thought to himself. He did his best to focus on his homework and to not be bothered the sounds of Ilana's videogames, that was until she began to open her mouth. "You're home early." She said with a coy smirk. "Did you burn you school down?" She spoke in a tone that an annoying little sister would, as was the nature of their relationship for years. "No. There was a bomb threat to they sent us home. You know you're not supposed to play games at the dinner table." Zach said matter-of-factly, only for her to respond as a brat would. "You know Father doesn't care, he only has high expectations for you anyway." Zach put his pencil down and leaned back to look at her. "Shouldn't you be in school? I don't see you getting up in the early hours of the morning." Ilana leaned forward and looked away from her Switch, and only so she could give him a smug look. "I don't have school. Grade 1 through 6 get a whole week off." She held her nose up high, but Zach saw her like some pooch at a dog show. "You're hopeless." He crossed his arms.

"Speaking of bombs though," Ilana spoke again as she went back to her game. "I heard the arcade in town blew up or something. My friend was there apparently. She was even attacked! But she said she's okay." Two maids brought the kids their lunch with a nice glass of fresh lemonade as Ilana rambled on. "She said there were some hard core cosplayers too, but she was freaking out the whole time. I think she said there was a Zaro, a Kamina, even a life sized Gurren but there's no way that was real! I mean a real giant robot? that would be insane-" She was quickly cut off by her older brother who had gotten up from his seat. "What does that robot look like?!" When she started to ramble, he was initially going to tune her out, but as she went on, Zach began to realize that she was talking about the same event that took place only about an hour ago. Ilana took a bite of her sandwich, holding it in one hand and having the Switch in the other. "Well, it's big, red, and has some pointy sunglasses. "That sounds about right, Sir." 6 spoke to him telepathically. The two of them were on the same wavelength. "A-and..." Zach began to write all this down in his note book. "What did the other one look like? Uh- Zero was it?" Ilana began to give him a suspicious frown. "Wwwwhy? Did you bump your head or something?" Zach gritted his teeth a bit. "No... Just... Just tell me already!" She groaned. "Fine!" She put down the Switch and sandwich and pulled out her phone, before turning it and showing him a picture of Zero swiping his blue Z-saber forward with long flowing locks. "Here you baboon. Y'know you can find all this stuff on the internet, I don't know why you're yelling at me for it!-" Zach quickly packed up and left for the mansion's library, saying, "Thanks short stuff!" before dashing off with a sandwich in hand, leaving Ilana by herself to seethe at her brother's comment.

Once in the library, Zach dashed to the desktop and pulled out the chair, clicking the black screen in a hurry. "If this works, we will have a huge advantage over Rider and Berserker." Zach sat down, and looked over his shoulder at 6 who had appeared fully. "Berserker? Is that who this 'Zero' guy is?" 6 nodded. "Affirmative. Rider's big mouth gave it away on the rooftop earlier. His bravado implied that the one he had faced was Berserker." 'I get it' 'he's an idiot' echoed in 6's mind. "Then again, he could have been wrong about that." Zach had pulled up google, and began to pull up things like 'Megaman' and 'Gurren Lagann'. "Holy crap..." Zach uttered, feeling a sense of accomplishment as they had struck a goldmine. His kid sister was the perfect informant. "So now what?" Zach swiveled his chair around to face his servant. "Well, the magic that brought us into this world for war dictates..." He paused for a moment. "Knowing an enemy servants name is a great advantage. Saying it out loud gives you a certain level of power over them you can say." Zach was astounded, he had no idea. "But this means that any other master can do the same to me if they know where to look. So as an Assassin, it is imperative I stick with my specialty and keep a low profile." With the knowledge that all these servants are from some form of fiction, Zach suddenly got a sinking feeling. "Could... this be a work of fiction...?" He felt like his soul was about to leave him, but he quickly shook it off.

 

[Gundam Watcher 27]

Team Rider
Orihara

Kamina looked surprised, his posture having become less courageous than before. His flag went lopsided as he asked Shiori, "What the hell? Why are we getting harassed by these guys now? Don't they understand we were not bothering them?"
He pointed at the gang of Koopa.
Shiori replied, looking unfazed by this development, "No, they probably knew we were up to something. Kamina, stand back. I'm gonna vent some frustration on these Biker Mice from Mars rejects."

Kamina walked back towards the ledge as Shiori stared at the Koopa gang coolly. "Well? Come at me!"​

 

[Thepotatogod]

DUSK OF THE 2ND NIGHT​

• Master
• Servant

• 
  
  
  
  
  --Kyria "Penny" Davids-Pennyworth--
  Interaction: Topless (GM), Orihara
  OST:
  Cyber Elf ~ Resonnant Vie​
  
  "You're...!" Kyria gasped at the sight that beheld her--the first casualty of hers in this war, appearing before her a humanoid sized drawing on an outline paper. Except, it's translucent--like a plastic cover for a binder. "You're..No, you're supposed to be dead, aren't you...?" She pondered, although she knew the answer herself. A part of her wished for this innocent ghost girl to live, to break away from Caster's dark chains. But knowing the nature of the war...Kyria gulped, trying to feign composure. "Then what are you doing here...?" She asked in worry, unsure if she's actually losing it or not.
  
  
• 
  
  

  
  

  

  
  --Zero, The Berserker--0--Celine, The Spinel Golem--
  Interaction: Topless (GM), Orihara
  HP: 95%
  Mad Enhancement: 25%
  C.HP: 96%
  OST:
  Caravan ~ Hope For Freedom​
  
  "RRAH!" Zero performed a rolling somersault slash to deflect the projectiles headed his way. Although the Golem did very little effort to dodge, it would seem that it is resilient enough to tough out this horde. Zero and the Golem held their line, slashing and shooting those that come his path. However, it seems...Endless. Like rats, they're in a constant supply--using only the Saber and Buster without any proper defense will cost him! Not to mention using his Noble Phantasm again would leave him no room to defend his Master once they're ready to move out.
  
  Thank god for the Pennyworths, am I right?
  
  Zero took out two white quartzes, inside them were the Weapons that Beatrice and Kyria created--the Shield and the Flail respectively. Chucking the flail onto his buster, Zero intentionally got hit to fling himself near the Golem to hid behind its sturdy legs as it continued to pound down on anything that came near it, occasionally shooting pink, explosive beams.
  
  "Let's see if this works...!" Zero sighs, his forehead gem glowing as the gemstones glowed--in a flash, the weapons formed on his hands. One was a spiked green crystal ball attached onto his Buster, the other was a Shield, magnetically attached to his arm. "HAH!" Zero temporarily got out of cover, shooting out the crystal ball on his Buster, heated chains trailing behind the green morningstar as it hit a bundle of Koopas along with a Koopa that got stuck on its spike, resulting in a STRIKE as the Ball is retracted back to the Buster thanks to the chain. It's range...Looks to be about 5 to 10 meters--around 1 to 2 stories, building wise. "It's the Chain Rod, but with a bigger mark and a more stickier spikes, I guess." Zero mumbled, glancing at his Flail Rod with a Goomba flailing on the it.
  
  "AAAACK, LEMME GO!!" Cried the Goomba.
  
  "Understood." Zero scoffed, pulling his arm back as he rushed ahead, shielding himself with the shield throwing a punch, launching the flail with the Goomba on it. Before long, Zero threw the Shield, orbiting around the chains as it span like a shuriken. The flail was retracted as soon as it hit something, dragging back to him a couple of paper Goombas, Koopas, and even a Shyguy causing the part of the horde to stagger before the Shield Boomerang mopped up, bonking one troop after another--which soon hit a Bob-Omb, causing an explosion.
  
  

 

[Topless]

Allison and Ruler began to make preparation to go out of the house to look for Caster and bring her down. Allison still had the Black Key that Claire had given to her and thought she might as well keep it for her own safety. Once they're finished, they are approached by Rodney. "Allison, Ruler, you two going out?" He asked. "Um, yes, Dad." Allison answered and then Ruler followed up with "We're going out to settle the score with some unruly people. Why'd you asked?"

"Well, considering the state of this town, I thought it would be appropriate for me to get involved." Rodney answered, shocking Allison. "D-Dad, you want to come with us?" She asked. "Allison, who was the one who taught you Reinforcement? To defend yourself when there is nobody who can help you? Do you remember what you said when you were a kid? That when you grow up, you want to be a "hero of justice"? Even at your age, you're being ridiculed for having such an "unrealistic" dream. But do you know who supported it? Me, and no matter what your decisions are, I will always be your first supporter. Now then..." Rodney had pulled out an assault rifle and loaded it up, much to the surprise of both Ruler and Allison.

"Shall we?"


As expected, upon stepping out of the house, they're met with a horde of walking turtles and mushrooms. "Sweet jinkies, they're a lot of them!" Allison has begun to panic, but Ruler and Rodney remained calm. "It's been a long time..." Rodney quietly spoke and then he began to rain lead onto the attacking Koopas and Goombas. "Holy shit! I didn't know your father was a complete badass Allison." Ruler was astonished by the sight of Rodney fighting much to Allison's embarrassment. "Come on girls, we need to get moving while I still have bullets!" Rodney called and Ruler and Allison followed suit.​

 

[Orihara]

Thepotatogod Gundam Watcher 27 ZackStop Topless

Vivian

"Supposed to be, yeah..." She gripped her arm, trying to smile for Kyria, but it was too hard. "I had to cling to something. If it wasn't... her..." she struggled, "I wanted it to be you. You were so nice to me when we first met. I'm so sorry things turned out the way they did... but..."

The Koopa Gang

"Don't they understand we're not bothering them?" Kamina asked genuinely. This set off one of the koopa's tempers.

"We came to bother yous, ya ignorant chumps!"

"Yous wanna dance then? We can dance." The Koopa leader let go of the leash on the chain chomp, letting it bounce toward Shiori with all its might. The dog-like cannon ball bore its fangs, jumping at her like mad with a vicious chomp on the way!

Meanwhile at the school...

Nastasia

"Anything?"

"Nothing yet, ma'am!"

"I got one!"

"Yes?" Nastasia replied impatiently. It had already been a couple hours since the investigation started and she was lounging in the principal's office chair, waiting for results.

One troop brought in a couple students who had information on the next servant they would be hunting down. A kid named Zack who's been acting strangely and keeping secrets.

"We'll start looking through his records, see if we can find his hiding place. Good work, men."

 

[ZackStop]

Over the course of the afternoon, many cloaked assassins surveyed the town. They kept a close eye on Shiori, the first known master, seeing where she went and what she did. Meanwhile, Zach and 6 had done research on their two known opponents for a few hours, when Gaius entered the library in search of them. "There you are." He said, walking up behind Zach, who spun around in his computer chair. "Hey, Gaius," Zach stood up. "you got to talk to the girl right?" Gaius nodded with a grin. "Of course I did, no one can resist the Gaius charm." 6 stayed at his computer as they spoke, continuing to do research on Zero and Kamina. He was somewhat curious about what the internet had to say about him and the rest of noble team, so he opened a separate tab for later inspection.

"Did you get her to talk?" Zach asked, hoping they could at least have something to go off of who sent her. "She told me about her master, someone named Shiori, but I feel like she kept some things from me. Looks like she can employ the same trick I taught you, remember plan D?" Zach remembered his time with the other master, Rider's master. "Yeah, playing dumb. I tried that today but it didn't work out too well. Another master found me out, some girl." Gaius was a little surprised, but there was nothing that could be done about it. He paused before speaking again "Well what's done is done." He took Zach and began to lead him towards the exit, before putting his arm around his shoulder. "But hey, I got a task for you, you see your little prisoner hasn't eaten yet. Mind bringing her some food?" The idea startled Zach a little. After all, she could be dangerous. He wouldn't want to fight her, especially in the condition she was in after that nasty attack, but he figured that was his job now. To fight.

It was moments later than Zach found himself carrying a tray of food to where ever it was he was going. It was an area of the mansion he did not often explore, and for good reason. It wasn't the most luxurious place, somewhat older in appearance. It wasn't a dungeon, but it looked a little more rustic that the rest of the mansion, built many decades ago in the beginning of it's construction. It was at this time that 6 began to speak to Zach. "There's something I feel I should tell you, Sir. It's about your father." The two stopped for a moment to speak. "My father?" Zach paused. "What about him?" Assassin began to speak, but suddenly stopped, as if apprehensive to speak about it. He only uttered a sound, but his words were stuck in his throat, ultimately saying nothing. "I cannot say... Apologies Sir, it's nothing." Zach was a little suspicious about his servant's behavior. It was similar to the way he felt a lot of the time, when he's deeply concerned with something, he just lets it go.

Gundam Watcher 27

Soon after, Zach made it to the door he was told to find. A temporary holding cell for their hostage, Ichi, or 'Ellie' as she told Gaius some time earlier. "I'll wait out here. Good luck." Zach wasn't entirely sure how he felt about all of this. Holding her hostage instead of just leaving her there he felt was a lesser option, but once again she was the enemy, and having her here was an asset to find out more about Shiori. Zach undid the lock before walking into the room with food for her. He looked around before quickly spotting her in bandages. She had been injured pretty bad, but she seemed to be doing alright now. "Uh." Zach took a moment to find his words before speaking. "I brought you some lunch."

 

[Orihara]

Topless

The Shadow Queen watched through her crystal ball as the ruler's master and her father began on a quest to hunt her down.

"Those fools are in for a rude awakening. They're never going to find us. Isn't that right, my little puppet?"

The queen, upon hearing no response, looked to realize that her master was at the end of his mana. He was so tired, he couldn't produce one more minion.

"What, are you tired already? Go on, take a break. What use are you now, anyway?" She sent him away to a private chamber so she could come up with another gambit to distract the others.

 

[Thepotatogod]

--Kyria "Penny" Davids-Pennyworth--
Interaction: Topless (GM), Orihara
OST:
Cyber Elf ~ Resonnant Vie​

"It's fine. You don't really have to apologize. I'm just glad you're sort of fine." Kyria nodded, sighing in relief as she found out that she managed to cling onto Kyria's soul instead. Even as a spectre, Kyria was glad she saved someone from dying as nothing more than a cruel, berserk monster. "It's my line, really...I'm sorry I couldn't save you from Caster's chains." She apologized herself, knowing that she probably could've done more to save the shadow lady. "So...What are you gonna do now?" Kyria asked, curious. Tropes suggest that she's gonna try and help her, even though she's a ghost. She glanced to the side, feeling the ground shake a bit along with the sounds of battle happening outside. "Zero..." Kyria gulped, clutching her sack. She needs to help out; if she and Zero run off to the city, then her mother's mansion will fall to the hands of the enemies...

 

[Orihara]

Thepotatogod

"The queen..." Vivian sighed, "What do you want to know about her? I'm done supporting her... she doesn't deserve to stay in this world." Vivian smiled, knowing she could make things right. "I'm unrestrained by her power now. I can finally help!"

Meanwhile...

The spot where Vivian's body died had been quarantined with caution tape as paper police and hazmats surrounded the area. Scientists, baffled by the anomaly, had all kinds of technology set up to try to study or measure it. The readings were not from earth at all.

 

[Gundam Watcher 27]

Team Rider
Orihara

Shiori stared at the Chain Chomp unammused as she brought a hand up, and a wall of thick ice formed, as the chain chomp smacked into the wall and bounced off, smacking into the Koopa gang's leader.
"Is that all you got?" She asked, her shield dissipating as she made a sword of ice in her right hand.

Ichi
ZackStop

How long had she been in this room? She had been sitting against the wall, crying to herself thinking about her own failure. After she had finished letting out her tears, she got up and looked directly at the locked door. Her mind raced with thoughts on what will happen to her. If she only had her gun, she could make an attempt to escape.

Perhaps there was another way she could break out?
She walked up to the door, and stared at it for a shot time, before it opened and a male of around Ichi's age had arrived, with a tray of food.
"Uh..."
Ichi stared at the boy, who was staring at her bandaged chest. She crossed her arms and turned around, closing her eyes in disgust. This was perhaps a misunderstanding.
"What do you want?" She asked, a little on edge from this late discovery.
"I brought you some lunch!" He replied.

"Why would I accept food from the enemy? I don't even feel hungry right now-"
There was a sound in the room. A low rumbling that also made Ichi open her eyes in surprise, and her face being flustered from it.
"..."​

 

[Thepotatogod]

--Kyria "Penny" Davids-Pennyworth--
Interaction: Topless (GM), Orihara
OST:
Cyber Elf ~ Resonnant Vie​

"The Queen...I'm gonna go on a limb and guess that her name isn't Shadow Queen, is it?" Kyria rubbed her chin, "I mean, in my head, I was calling you Shadow Lady since I never got your name--though honestly, it makes the most sense.” Kyria let out a soft chuckle, trying to lighten the mood somewhat. "But yeah. Does she have a weakness? How did Mario beat her before?" She asked, wondering if there's a weakness to Caster's seemingly limitless power

 

[ZackStop]

Gundam Watcher 27

The girl he had saved the night prior didn't seem all too grateful, in fact, Ichi seemed to despise him for it. He himself was still struggling with the legitimacy of his kindness. Perhaps deep down, he just saw something to gain from having an enemy prisoner, but that just didn't feel right to him. Sometimes, It was almost as if his mind wasn't his own. He felt like his heart was in the right place the night before, but now he wasn't sure if that was really his motive.

Ichi truly did not trust him at all, and to make matters worse, she assumed he was just trying to check her out. "Well that's a great start..." Zach thought to himself. Not like she had a whole lot there anyway. As she continued to vocalize the distrust in her words, Zach closed the door behind him and silently walked over to the table, placing down the tray. It was the same sandwiches that were made for him and his sister earlier, as well as a glass of orange juice. "I guess I am the enemy, so you're right not to trust me." Zach said some time after her stomach made for an awkward silence. "But you shouldn't stubbornly starve right? You don't have to eat if you don't want to though."

His voice wasn't monotone, but stayed even. Neither was his tone excited or solemn, he was just speaking to her plainly, casually. It wasn't quite like Gaius, the man she spoke with earlier that morning, It was more like he was trying to feel out the air in the room, rather than create it as the man did. "You might not remember me, you were pretty much out of it when I found you, but I was the one who found you after you took that beating. At the time I thought I was saving you, but..." He thought for a second, questioning if he could confide in her. "Do you think it was right of me? Should I have just let you there to fend for yourself? At least then you wouldn't be stuck here." He began remembering how badly mangled she was when she tried to stay on her feet, and how she fell over with a pitiful expression. What more could he have done?

 

[Orihara]

Thepotatogod Gundam Watcher 27

Vivian seemed struck when Kyria mentioned the name Mario. She took a pause, looking a bit uncomfortable. "It's Vivian. I'm a shadow siren. And yes... The Shadow Queen has a weakness." She took a deep breath. "Mario... when I mentioned that name before, her curse on me activated. She hates him." She went on to explain. "Show her images of him. She won't be able to stand it. The next part isn't so easy... you need to turn the crystal stars against her. It would take the hopes and prayers of everyone who wants her locked away again. Even the towns people who are tormented by this crazy spell. At this point the war is far from secret anymore... this whole city is quarantined."

Meanwhile...

Once the chain chomp that attacked Shiori was deflected so easily, the Koopa gang stared in disbelief. "What da fuck do we do now, boss?" one asked.

Before the leader could think of an answer, the building was overrun by little clover-shaped creatures that piled onto the roof and poured over the floor like an avalanche, sticking to the koopas and hoisting them up into a big pile and forming a singularity. "SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG..." the creatures chanted, shape shifting into a giant sticky mass with tentacle arms and spreading across the floor. The mass of SMORG arched over the gang menacingly, which swung a tentacle at Kamina in an attempt to grab him.

 

[Thepotatogod]

--Kyria "Penny" Davids-Pennyworth--
Interaction: Topless (GM), Orihara
OST:
Cyber Elf ~ Resonnant Vie
​

"Crystal Stars..." Kyria pondered aloud, recalling the moment The Queen started her Territory Ritual; Seven prismarine-like stars orbiting around the magic circle, powering it. In order for Caster to pull off a spell of that magnitude, those devices must be incredibly powerful. Vivian said that other than the Queen's hatred of the beloved franchise mascot, her other weakness lies in the quasi-sentience of the Crystal Stars, reacting to the prayers of the masses and their desire to seal away the Queen of Shadows. She was all ready to rally the townsfolk to seal away the queen, but Vivian then revealed something incredibly haunting.

This thing had spread far beyond Faithful Hills, which is now quarantined.

"But they don't know why it's happening, do they? So they can't wish away something they don't know and understand..." Kyria rubbed her chin, knowing that the secret of the war must be kept. She understands this--but with the situation at Faithful Hills and the Crystal Hearts' requirements for the masses to hope for the Queen's downfall, then..."I think I have a plan. But we need to get to town, first." She said with determined eyes, knowing that this plan of hers will compromise not only her position in the War, but also the Mage Society's Rules--whatever they are.

Kyria just learned she came from a family of Mages, so she's not well versed in their rules and regulations.

"Do you think you can fight?" Kyria asked, curious if she can still light flames as a ghost--like will o wisps! She then began to make her way outside, knowing that they need to make a move now.

 

[Gundam Watcher 27]

Team Rider
Orihara

The gang of Koopa had become a huge singular entity, that would immediately grab for Kamina with one of its appendages. Shiori was quick to act, running over and slashing upwards, lopping the tentacle clean off. She looked to Kamina, her expression betraying her usual calm demeanor. "Rider, get out of here and go find help!"

Kamina leaped off the roof to the next one, while Shiori lopped off any tentacles that came after him.
Kamina was not sure what possessed her to order him like that, but he knew she was serious.

---------
Ichi
ZackStop
"..."
Ichi felt defeated there. She went over to the table and picked up one of the sandwiches. She tried it and to her surprise, it didn't taste funny at all. She felt a tinge of guilt doing so, but ate the rest of the sandwich without talking.

"Of course I have no reason to trust you!" Ichi replied, after she was done with the sandwich. There were a couple other sandwiches left on the plate, as she drank some of the orange juice. Afterwards, she sighed, and figured she was in too much debt alread to keep anything from the boy in front of her.

He then explained how she got here. Ichi remembered exactly what went on. 2 armored servants, and it was the red one who had defeated her. She smiled internally. This kid seemed honest, and meant well.
"I really can't say. It felt like luck on my part when I took that shot of energy from the red soldier and didn't die from it. You seem like a good person however."

After a small bit of silence, she spoke again. "I should apologize for my lying to your father earlier. He seemed pretty suspicious. I actually know alot more than what I told him."
She then looked to Zach in the eyes and with a single wink, she asked, "I can't lie to someone who went out of their way to save me from whatever could have happened, can I?"
​

 

[Funnier President]

Lancer vs Archer

Nick screamed in terror once more as another one of the weird dark beams almost sliced him in half! Ducking, he applied reinforcement on his legs to jumpy to another roof, heart pounding with fear the entire time.

Why did he think it was such good idea to accompany Lancer this time???

After his servant had met him at home from his “checking out” of last nights events, he told him that it looked like Caster had revealed themselves, alongside having put the entire town under some kind of paper spell.

Needless to say, Nick didn’t like the sound of that one bit. The two of them decided to see what they could to help out in the fight against Casters minions. He insisted on tagging along with Lanxer to provide support, but Lancer was hesitant about that at first. He managed to convince him though, after some back-and-forth.

Initially, things were going well. Lancer had a one-shot weapon that could pretty much vanquish any of the paper shadow monsters with a touch, while Nick got to assist him while riding Tempest, which was the best thing ever! Seriously, riding a thunder horse was amazing! Everything was going great, until they accidentally found what seemed to be Archer at Vancourt Park

They tried to talk to him initially, but it seemed that he wasn’t in the mood. Judging by the giant skulls with lasers that he attacked them with. After that, Lancer gave chase, taking Tempest with him.

Which unfortunately, helped play right into the Master of Archers hands.

While Nick was admitting very skilled in magecraft, there was one flaw that prevented him from doing much in a 1v1. He lacked offensive spells or the like.

Reinforcement was the closest thing he had to keep himself alive, as he dodged mysterious beams of dark energy while running throughout the city. He had tried to communicate with Lancer to see if he could help, but from the sounds of what he had heard, Archer was putting up a good fight against him, which left Nick by himself to deal with the Master.

————————-

Lancer had faced a lot of battles in hit admittedly short life, but never one quite as annoying as this fight with Archer. Tempest nickered as it narrowly dodged another beam from the last skull remaining, as the other had already been destroyed.

If his theory was right, Archer should be qualified as a monster.. which meant that he needed just one touch to end him.

But that was, like already stated, annoying. As a multitude of bones hurled down on them, Lancer lived up to his class name and rapidly jabbed and deflected them away as they chased the black blur that was Archer. The lighting chased the void over and over, and while Jason had finally managed to take out the other giant floating skull, archer still had some melee weapon to defend himself in the form of 6 hands.

Clearly, this strategy of running around the city wasn’t going to cut it… and Lancer couldn’t leave his Master alone.

Taking in a breath, Lancer watched Archer closely, with Temptest dodging the bones and the lasers form him while the skies darkens, and clouds joined the night.

Rain began to pour down as a Laser just brushed by Lancer. Suddenly jerking his head as Archer appeared in his vision, Jason called on the storm.

A powerful surge of mana taking the form of lighting struck Archer, sending him to the ground! Disembarking from Tempest, he whispered instruction to the horse before heading to the alley in which Archer had fallen.

Lancer just hoped that Archer has fallen to the attack….

————————

Meanwhile, Nick was not having a fun time. While the dark beams were slowing in frequency, they were still likely to severely injure him if he got him.

And he was slowing down too. Picking up a random discarded piece of wood atop a roof, he jumped down and hid behind what he supposed was a power generator. Applying reinforcement to it, he crouched down and waiting.

Soon, he could hear footsteps, drawing nearer and nearer. As they finally came into view of him, Nick struck.

Screaming in what was part desperation, part fear, part anger, Nick smacked whoever it was that was approaching him.

He caught dark hair and a suprise-looking face as the bird smaxking into them, and Archers master stumbled back….

Right over the edge.

The building they were on was over 15 stories tall.

Needless to say, the scream and the crunching sound would haunt Nick till the end of his life.

Now screaming in horror at what he had done, Nick backed away from the roof and shut his eyes. He could feel a wine around him, before…

Opening his eyes, he found himself atop Tempest, who had gone to assist Nick on Lancers orders. On the verge of tears, he asked the wind spirit to take him towards where the body was.

—————————-

Water gushed out a pipe as Jason landed. Glancing around, he felt like it would have been a perfect fit for a horror movie, what with all of the creaking noises and the look of abandonment. Then his eye caught on something.

Slowly opening a doorway, Jason peaked inside to discover Archer frantically drawing something in the ground as goop dripping off them, and they practically seemed to be melting. Suddenly, they stumbled- and looking horrified before quickly resumed their work.

Whatever it was, Lancer knew that it had to be stopped.

As the door suddenly burst down, Gaster turned around in suprise before a familiar gold spear was thruted…

Straight into his chest.

He gasped as his body began to disintegrate, and then suddenly… threw himself onto the circle. Jason widened his eyes at the last moment before…

———————-

Well, this was an odd grail war… The Throne of Herso was indeed put into a predicament at the death of Gaster. For they *Had* summoned a servant at the time of their death, but who to pick? The abnormal classes were a no-go, and the only one left with Archers death…

Was Archer. As the Throne of Herso rolled its Gacha machine to decide to would join as the servant of Nick, it may or may not have been influenced by a certain red robotic servant…

Coughing as the sudden appearance of smoke, Jason glanced up to see a figure standing in this smoke…​

 

[Topless]

The trio had gone deeper within the city and Rodney has gotten annoyed by that point. "Hey, where can we find this Caster you've mentioned? I'm starting to feel like I'm wasting bullets over nothing." He asked. "Look, I have no idea where to find the Caster, but I'm sure she is bound to be ne- Allison, watch out!" Ruler suddenly screamed when she saw a bunch of Koopas coming behind her Master, but as if luck would have it, a car ran over to the turtles and then stopped. Allison was stunned, she hadn't fought any of the Koopas yet. "Allison, you alright? You just got lucky back there." Ruler asked after she had approached her.

The car doors open up and the driver came out. "Aw geez, how many turtles have I've run over." Said the driver out of annoyance. Rodney looked over and his eyes widened when he recognized who he is. "Reid? Is that you?" He said and when he turned to Rodney, he exclaimed "Roddy, my man! It's been a long time. How are you doing?" Both Ruler and Allison were confused by their interaction. "Dad, who is he?" Allison asked. "Girls, this is Reid Richards. He's...an old friend of mine." Judging by the tone of his voice, he seemed rather embarrassed at introducing an old friend of his to his own kid.

"They your children huh?" Reid asked. "One of them is, the other is her friend. She's Allison and that's Sam." Rodney answered. "Oh, cool, cool. Anyway, what you guys up to? This town is under chaos. I was just driving home from work when this shit went down. I don't remember how many of these turtles and mushrooms I had to run over just to get back home." Reid asked again. "We're trying to find the person responsible for this mess. We know who she is, the problem is WHERE she is." Rodney answered once more. "Damn, I don't think being in the city would be a wise choice to go look for her. But since you're trying to end this crisis, I might as well tag along as well. We can use my car to get through these turtles and mushrooms if we're going to look after her." Reid said, offering his assistance "Come on, just like for old times sake, eh?"

Rodney looked back at Allison and Ruler and then back to Reid, letting out a sigh and said "Fine. The faster we find her, the better. Let's move." Reid smiled and then the group entered his car and drove off. While on the road, Ruler felt a strong magic signature nearby.

Gundam Watcher 27​

 

[ZackStop]

Zach sat there as she ate, relieved that she was able to. It seemed though that she thought about what had been said, because when she opened her mouth again she began to apologize. "I guess she's reconsidering." Zach thought to himself. "But now she thinks Gaius is my dad...?" He scratched the back of his head as Ichi spoke. "Well... no use correcting her I guess."

He paused for a moment. He heard what she had asked him, but he was so comfortable letting her speak, that he didn't realize he had to respond. "Oh uh-" He perked up a little before thinking of a response. "Well, I guess not. We felt like you were withholding information too." He looked down for a moment, not exactly sure if he can trust her just yet. For now though, he would have faith. "So, is Ellie really your name?"

Meanwhile, the assassins continued to tail Shiori in hopes to find where she was hiding out. It was only a matter of time before they put it together, standing in shadows along rooftops, and blending in with the structure. They were top notch assassins indeed, but their only task was surveillance for now. One placed a finger to the side of his head, zooming in with a camera fed under his black garments as to get a clearer image of what they were seeing.

 

[Gaius Danius Griinia]

Side: Rean

One might ask the black hatted magus what he had been doing whilst such chaotic events were occurring in the city. Perhaps he was waiting in the shadows while plotting to sweep away the competition. Alternatively he could have been using the terror as a smokescreen for his own efforts. However the truth was that Rean simply didn't need to DO anything. The scale of such magecraft could only have been performed by a Caster. Which has great weaknesses towards Servants with high magical resistance and close combat capabilities like Saber. Right now he was sipping coffee at a nice little cafe and waiting a livestream showing the army of Nintendo characters running amok. The owners had long since ditched the place to save their own skins but left everything necessary for Rean to get his caffeine. "I should probably make an appearance before Caster and their Master assume that they're far more important than they actually are. Ruler and Avenger will have to wait" sighed Rean before putting down his cup and leaving a three star review on the cafes social media. Getting up from his seat and throwing a card in front of him. Rean found himself in a new location. Although surrounded by Goombas, Koopas and some little shit with a camera on a cloud.

"Our choices define us. They shape who we are and the path we tread. Caster chose to call you into this world. You chose to come to this corner of the city. Now I will make a choice of my own" said Rean while gesturing with his newly regrown arm. Grabbing a Goomba who attempted to headbonk him. Rean crushed the little mushroom person into dust with little effort. When a Hammer Bro tried to chuck his hammer at Rean's head. It was snatched from the air to bash in the shell of the nearest Dry Bones. Gripping the skull of the fallen undead. Rean sank his fingers into it as scarlet energies seeped into his hands. A nearby Magikoopa tried to warn its comrades to keep away from Rean to no avail. With superhuman strength and speed. Rean trod upon Goombas, tore the shells from Koopas and somehow ripped the tongue from a Boo. Every time he did this, more energy would flow into his body from the fallen foes.

"On this night and under this moon. I choose to take... your souls" uttered a scarlet eyed Rean to the Lakitu with his little camera.

---

Side: Saber

Saber cleaved through yet another row of the disgusting turtle creatures who seemed to get be everywhere. Such paltry offerings to Soul Edge were an insult of the highest regard. Caster had to have been responsible for this utterly disappointing army. Behind him were newly malfested humans doing battle with the strange monsters. Unlike the feeble monsters of Caster. Malfested had no fear, no hesitation and their bodies were greatly empowered by the Evil Seed. His Noble Phantasm was still in effect given that new Malfested flocked to join his ranks. While a useful tool, an army was never Sabers goal. His truest desire was still the satiation of Soul Edge. Slamming the blade into the ground with a grunt. Saber summoned forth a wave of white hot flame to burn his enemies. "MORE! GIVE YOUR PITIFUL SOULS UNTO ME!" screamed the Azure Knight while raising his three fingered claw to the heavens. Sweeping his sword across the ground to fling a nearby group of turtle creatures in armor into the air before summoning bolts of lightning to fry them in their defenseless state.

Apparently these troopers must have been elite given the shock on the faces of their comrades. Saber was beginning to believe that Caster was playing games with him. Sending weak souls to nourish Soul Edge was one thing. Outright sending obviously weak warriors and acting like they were somehow worthy of elite status was disrespecting him as the Azure Knight. If he had been summoned as a Berserker. Maybe this would have been a minor issue to the more important goal of feeding his sword. However in Saber form, he knew that just blindly killing these weaklings would not benefit him. So he left them to whatever Malfested had been powerful enough to survive the effects of his earlier attacks.

Suddenly he felt the presence of something far more appetizing to Soul Edge. Something that would pose far more of a challenge to him. Yet would ultimately fall before like all others were destined to. Leaping onto his flaming steed. Saber sped through the chaotic streets and cut down anything that stood in his path. When the presence became close enough that Soul Edge shivered with anticipation. Saber dismissed his steed and began walking towards a girl desperately lopping away at tentacles to save her Servant.

"Rider and his Master... now is the time for your Nightmare" stated Saber as he dragged the tip of his sword along the ground, approaching the sight of both Master and Servant battling the minions of Caster.

Gundam Watcher 27

 

[Orihara]

Thepotatogod ZackStop Topless Gundam Watcher 27

Vivian

"Fight? I wouldn't think so..." She raised her hands, conjuring all of her might, which was able to summon a few glowing candle flames in the air. She pouted, watching them gently bob. "I can... light up a dark room~ heh~"

SMORG

"SMEEEOOOOOOORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG" the creator wailed as its limbs were cut with ease. However, they would scatter into smaller smorgs and reform into the greater unit, or spread across the floor, making it sticky. A bunch of them surrounded Shiori, closing in to trap her like they did the koopas.

Nastasia

Having restricted the entrances of the school, Nastasia had all the students rounded up and imprisoned in the classrooms, guarded by minions. She and a group of fuzzies and pokeys went out searching for all suspected grail warriors, having collected information on the location of their houses. She found any passing minions in the streets and directed them to go to these locations to narrow the search and snuff out their targets.

Beldam & Marilyn

"C'mon sis..." Beldam rasped, finishing a funerary rite at Vivian's grave. "We have no choice but to continue out our duties. I sense a magical presence approaching the queen's castle. We must fend them off with all we got."

"Uh guhh.." Marilyn nodded, inspired by Beldam's conviction. They went on the move and teleported in front of Ruler's team, ready to fight.

"Not so fast, dearies!" Beldam proclaimed, while conjuring up a fierce blizzard that blew their way.

Meanwhile...

The Shadow Queen watched all events from her crystal ball, formulating her next plan. She saw Ruler's team approaching her lair. She also saw Lancer kill Archer, only for the victim to be replaced by another Archer. "What foolishness... well, it can't be impossible. I believe I was summoned mid-war as well. This war seems it will draw out a bit..." She chuckled, "not that I have a problem with that. I simply need to make the right calls for now. A strategy..." and as luck would have it, as she skimmed over the images of all possible servants to choose from, she found one that she hadn't met before - Saber, a ghastly looking harbinger of death with a hunger for souls. Looked like her kind of guy. "Hubba hubba... maybe I'm just very stupid, or very brave. But I think it won't hurt to make one alliance... even if I die trying."

The queen approached her resting master, ready to fill him in on the plan. "Wake up, we're going to enact our next move. I'm making an alliance with a very powerful foe. This is make or break. If we wait now, he may kill everyone later, so let's be sure we're on the right side."

Ashton yawned, sitting up from his bed groggily. "As you wish, your majesty. Shall we begin our transport?"

The queen paused.

"... First, let's pay a visit to a familiar face. We shall fight and defeat someone weaker than Saber. An offering of strength, to prove we are combat ready and worthy of joining him."

With that, the two began to sink into the darkness. When they arrive at the other side, they will be face to face with the Berserker, Zero, who had been decimating her troops on the back of a golem.

When the Queen and Ashton appeared from the shadows, her army grew silent, spreading out and forming a large circle around her and her opponent, marking the arena in which they would duel.