[CLOSED RP] Fate/lost fragments

Assassin of Black, Summoning

As the Summoning Circle flared into life with a sharp, otherworldly glow, the room grew cold. Warmth seemed to drain from the room in turn with the spread of the glow, and for a single moment, the air became almost completely dead and still.
There was no formal catalyst within the circle; the knife placed in the middle of it and the wishes of the young woman who had put it there was all the Grail had to assign a Servant with. She wanted an Assassin. The vacancy of the position and the concept behind the knife was enough to allow her that much.

The moment passed. The summoning circle suddenly shifted from an eerie, cold glow to a violent burst of light that sent wind rolling across the room. A shape could be seen to emerge from within the light as it finally began to fade, but it was quickly swallowed up by the smoky fog that suddenly spread out across the room in it's place.
Which itself dissolved into nothingness as a tap of metal rang out, revealing the figure within.

A tall, gaunt man clad head to toe in iron armour defined with all manner of scars, gashes and dents, soaked in a coppery sheen of blood. A helmet upon his head revealed only parts of his face; and a pair of piercing, icy blue eyes.
He stepped from the circle, the scarred armour not making so much as a sound as it glided fluidly over itself.
The air around him was impregnable; he seemed more like a ghost or a phantom than a glorious spirit of old; the flow of prana emerging between himself and the woman in front of him was the only indication otherwise.

For a moment, he stared at her, as if appraising her. And then he spoke.

"I am Servant Assassin, called by the Grail to be your dagger," He began, as he reached and tapped his helmet, with it dissolving to reveal an unruly head of hair, unruly but not overgrown "I presume that you are to be my Master?"

edited 22nd Nov '14 1:12:28 PM by PhatPhish

Jessica Harway — With Isis

How to put them to use? Well, she couldn't really think on something like that without seeing the abilities of their opponents... or their teammates, for that matter. Working in conjunction with one another was going to win them the Grail, after all! "Uh, I don't really have anything in mind at the moment," she put a hand to her chin. "Though we should probably get to the Church to talk about who are teammates are or... whoever has been registered?" was that the right way to put it? Well, regardless of wording, Jessica walked over to the front door and there by it was a coat rack. She put on a back hoodie and wrapped a red scarf around her neck. After that was gloves! Couldn't go out in the winter without proper wear, especially in a cold place like Faecastle. After putting on the appropriate clothes, she opened up the door, waving her Servant to follow.

Lightning blasted up, reached up into the sky then pulled itself back into the Earth. The specimen before the nun was extravagant! Flowing white hair that stopped mid-back. Lush lips, piercing eyes! A divine beauty from divinity itself! However, they were no God, they were once a mere mortal. A woman of the blade, song and opera - a woman of the theater. She held her rapier aloft while bowing to the nun in front of her.

"You're my Master?" she pulled herself back up. Saber strolled on over then reached a hand out to grope the Nun's breasts. "Oh, soft~!"

Rider really wanted to see the world for what it was in the modern day. The information from the Grail was only so much to go on. It was like reading a book about this extravagant place and forsaking the opportunity to visit it in person. Just didn't work like that! So Rider took the suggestion to fit into his Master's spare suit (which looked snazzy). After getting dressed in such a haphazard manner, he returned while straightening his tie. "Let's get going to see this new world, Master,"

Sue McCoy

And thus the summoning was complete. And for a few seconds, after the man materialized and his Master retreated a few steps away from their sight, she didn't take a single breath at the presence of it. She merely retreated... a natural instinct. She was a small existence in many meanings of the word... and meeting with the power and majesty of a Servant, even one seemingly tainted like this activated all of her flight instincts. It didn't help that he was a tall, armored man covered in blood and menace. Sue as a short, nonathletic plotter and witch had even less certainty against his kind.

Yet, eventually she did take a breath... a deep, steadying one. She planted her feet firmly, closed tight the hand with the command seals. Her intense, green gaze settled upon her bloodied Servant... the only thing unwavering in her small, trembling form. For she was afraid... knowledge was her weapon, but also her source of worry. She was but an unarmed, unimpressive girl standing alone before some sort of ancient killer. And yet she had put herself in this situation... and despite her fear and insecurity, she had her will and mind to face it. She trembled, but held her command spells at the ready... defenses, such as she had, raised. Some might care about appearances, about pride, poise and other such things. Sue didn't have such luxuries. All she had was herself and what she could grasp at for herself. All she had was her determination.

This trembling girl, dressed in cheap but comfortable clothes in abundance for the cold, short and unrefined, with nerves flaring out and a guarded look in her eyes like one who is used to a lack of safety. Mages in the modern era tend to be, to one extend or the other, to resemble aristocrats... however, this girl before Assassin was probably the furthers one could go from such an image while still being a proper Magus.

She took another breath, and then let her mind race as she simply spoke "I am your Master, Assassin. You are to be my blade and shield, my Servant, and I will deliver us into the course of action that shall grant us the Holy Grail"

"Your True Name, Assassin" she then demands.

Sister Astrid

Beauty. Indeed, despite the sheer power that radiated from the summoned being before her, even one such as Sister Astrid couldn't help but to be stuck in awe by the sheer grace displayed. It was something that went beyond mere appearances... touching upon her actions and her very spirit. A sense of purity was certainly present... even if it was a purity unlike what Astrid normally knows.

"Indeed, my name is Sister Astrid Batiste of the Holy Church. I will be serving as your Master in this war, Saber" says Sister Astrid, standing certainly in place, eyes upon the marvelous woman before her... relishing in her might and grace... while also lifting both the arm engraved with Command Seals and the one housing a demon to the sides "However, I don't know if the customs of your time were too unlike my own, if there is something faulty in the knowledge the Grail gave you or any other justifying reason for it. Still, your hand is breaking into my personal space and touching upon something that must not be touched. Please, unhand my breast now or I shall by forced by creed to remove your hand myself"

Isis

"Wait a minute, Master? What is this you speak of teammates? I have not been made aware of such arrangements" says Isis, frowning her brow a little at this which she doesn't know. It may be an issue with the summoning of a Goddess, but this Servant truly didn't know of the particulars of the war. Thus she asks, turning into Spirit form to avoid the cold so unlike that of her homeland.

edited 22nd Nov '14 3:36:17 PM by daltar

Elias Tavert - Rider of Red

"Follow me then. Since you're of the Rider class, I'll let you drive. I think to get to downtown you just head down this street, here." Elias said, leading his servant outside. He pointed down the road in front of the motel where he had summoned Rider.

Reaching into his pocket, he fished out a set of car keys. He unlocked his car, a red Chrysler 200, with the remote on his key. It was a rental car, of course. It wouldn't make much sense for a wanderer like Elias to have his own personal vehicle. After unlocking it, he tossed the key to Rider and got into the passenger's seat.

Once they were inside, he asked "So what does being a Rider let you do? Can you make this car better or something?" The car had several bonuses, like an onboard GPS system, surround-sound audio set ups, automatic transmission, and air conditioning. For a rental car, it was pretty good.

edited 23rd Nov '14 10:50:55 AM by amporiusrex

Samuel would have taken a second to marvel at the sheer power of a Servant before him... such a simple ritual and yet, the being before him was beyond anything his entire family combined could hope to summon with all their collective knowledge and resources stretching back over the ages.

However, he was not so amused when this being used their power to rush at him and grapple him into submission. It took all of Samuel's willpower and love for his city to restraint himself from using his command spells to order her death right then and there. If there was one thing that summoners knew, that summoners deemed essential was that if the thing you summoned is not under control and attacks you, it's time to pull all stops and send it back where it came.

A few moments and breath passed and he was still grappled but not hurt... and when asked if he was her Master he looked up at her with irritation and said "Yeah, I am your Master... Can you explain why you are restraining me like this?" he asks, still quite wary.

Madhavi Cotterill - Summoning - Day ?

The basement was eerily quiet at this time of the night. A magus's Od was at it's highest levels during the night, so this wasn't something Madhavi hadn't expected. She had spent weeks in secret, working and studying how to properly summon a Heroic Spirit. If that wasn't the coolest thing ever, she wasn't even sure what cool meant any more. When she noticed her Command Spells, she was so overjoyed she almost revealed her secret plans.

Granted, those plans weren't very secret. Her father knew all about it, and had purchased an old relic from the Clock Tower's supply. He claimed it was for his own purposes, and they laughed at him pretty hard, but sold it to him anyway. They didn't need to know that it was his daughter, the next generation of Cotterills, who would bring respect to her family. They would laugh now, but they would not be laughing later. She had not inherited the spite of her ancestors, and hopefully her clear mind would help in her future endeavors.

The relic in question was hidden in the dead center of the circle, which her father had discovered, and covered in layer upon layer of cloaking magecraft. It was advanced too, since Madhavi, even with her innate senses, had not discovered it. The relic was a torn dragon standard, probably taken from some unknown long-dead king in England, found in some ruin no one cared enough about to search further. It would probably summon a weak king, or a minor warrior, but that was better than some other potential servants.

When the clock struck twelve, Madhavi began the ritual. She chanted the mantra with assuredness only achievable through repetition.

"... Let Black be the color I pay tribute to..."

"... your flesh shall serve under me, and our fates will intertwine..."

"... I shall grasp the Cup of Heaven, and make true all aspiration..."

And finally, to end it all, she spoke in a voice clear that rung throughout the house:

"From the Throne of Heaven, from the Wheels of Time, come forth from the annals of history, Protector of Balance!"

The lights from her summoning circle flared more than she expected, but Madhavi stood steadfast amidst her fear. What kind of Master would she be if she was afraid of something minor like this? She gazed into the churning maelstrom of light, curling her hand into a tight fist.

edited 24th Nov '14 5:38:40 PM by amporiusrex

And thus, called from age past appeared a figure in a dazzling display of light and power. Unfathomable amounts of energy brought forth by the sacred Chalice, manifesting and filling a container with the essence of something that has not breathed on earth for hundreds of years.

A presence whose size brought goosebumps to anyone living on this era, heralded by a glorious golden light. One which sprung forth feelings of admiration. And through the light for only a moment, Madhavi would see the image of a handsome young man, with shoulder length wavy brown hair, and intense, wild green eyes.

However, such image would last only a moment, as the shining lights around this forming bring swirled faster, cloaking him until settling in place.

The sound of her floor creaking as something that wasn't there before materialized. The figure before her was that of an old man, the grey in his hair and beard were proof as much... and yet, he stood tall, strong and proud. He was of at least 1,90 meters of height, clad from head to toe in shining, bright armor with red pieces of cloth as decoration... before him lay sheathed a long blade that seemed unremarkable in comparison to the dignity of the man who held it... however, the way his hands kindly held the handle spoke of comfort and familiarity.

He looked down on her, however, with the same bright, wild green eyes the youth from before did... only these are tinted with a bit more of wisdom "I ask... Are you my Master?"

Madhavi mostly stared for a few seconds, before running straight up to Saber.

"Holy shit! You're really cool-looking, old man!" She exclaimed, walking around and generally admiring his armor. "But, you looked younger for a second there..."

She went back to her original position, and continued looking him over. This guy seemed really powerful! What a lucky summon! This strong looking warrior towered over her by a foot, which just made him look more impressive.

However, the fact that Saber had asked her a question dawned on her soon enough. "Oh! Yeah, I guess I am. I'm Madhavi. What class are you? Where are you from? What's your name?"

edited 25th Nov '14 8:17:45 AM by amporiusrex

"Heh, your admiration is appreciated, young lady. And I'm glad! As a Heroic Spirit, the least I can do is look a bit cool" says the great, armored man with a loud laugh, letting his blade fade away into nothingness for the moment "As for your question, Lady Madhavi, I am of the Saber class. The blade and lack of Berserker's frothing mouth are good indications for it, as is my build and armor"

Madhavi frowned. "Yeah, I guess you're right about that." She turned away, hiding the faint blush that appeared on her face at being called "Lady".

She turned back, then smiled again. "You certainly look pretty damn strong. I'm sure we'll win this Grail War in no time flat! There's only one issue... I think this one's team based, since I had to 'pledge' myself to a color. Black, it was. I wonder what my teammates are doing?"

She crossed her arms, and put some thought to it. "Really quick, you guys have bodies now, so does that mean you need to eat? I could whip up some curry if you're hungry."

"Yes, it does appear to be that way... that is most irregular that two sets of Servants were called at the same time. Moreso that each set has to ally with one another" says Saber, one hand idly stroking at his beard "I imagine you don't know your teammates? In which case, we should make effort to find them before our enemies find us isolated and away from those who would fight with us"

"Oh as for this body, I can vanish into Spiritual Mode if necessary... and my body does not need food to sustain itself. Please do not bother yourself on my account, milady. On the other hand, if you are cooking for yourself and wish for me to partake it'd be mighty rude of me to not accept"

"Well that'd be weird. You can't just stay in 'Spiritual Mode' forever, can you? You gotta experience the world and do other stuff. Well, at least not while my dad's home anyway." Madhavi replied, putting a hand to her chin. She then ruffled her hair, irritated. "Ah whatever, I'll think of this stuff in the morning. It's like, way past my usual time."

"But... some curry wouldn't hurt, right? I'll make that your first experience in the modern world." She said, with some determination in her voice. She lead her servant upstairs, and into the kitchen.

The kitchen was moderately sized and wasn't anything out of the ordinary. It had all the commodities one might want: a toaster oven, an electric stove, double door refrigerator with ice maker and water filter, a sizeable spice rack, and an assortment of benches next to an eating counter. The counter only seemed to fit a few people, at most 3 (well, as long as they weren't the size of Saber anyway). It was attached to the wall, peninsula style rather than the separated island style.

Madhavi motioned for him to sit, then started taking out pots and pans. Without asking for Saber's heat preference, she began making what she had promised him.

edited 25th Nov '14 11:45:48 AM by amporiusrex

Saber stopped for a moment, looking upon the young lady before him with those wise green eyes of him before he let out more raucous laughter and a look of pure, true appreciation for those simple words "Then, let it be. It will be a honor to have your curry as my first experience in this new world, milady"

Eventually, after some hard work on Madhavi's part, she brought out two plates of steaming hot curry. One for herself, in an attempt to replace some of her lost Od, and the other for Saber. Before she sat down, she gave a bow like a conductor would after a performance.

"Could you handle heat when you were alive? I make some damn spicy curry." She asked, with a mischievous smile.

"I admit, that I am not familiar with spicy dishes... however, given that you have made it for me, I shall eat it to the last grain of rice" says Saber full of dignity as he starts to eat, bringing a spoonful to his lips "O-Ohh! Delicious, milady. It's quite unlike anything I have tasted... hmmm a very rich taste... and... O-Oh..."

At this point, the old man closes his eyes makes a bit of a face with a sudden intake of breath "So that's the spice... I have tasted poison that burns less on the tongue... God, the taste is still good and rich, but that's quite a kick" declares the heroic spirit as he keeps eating, even hitting on the table a few times with a closed fist. Still, he makes good work of his promise, eating to the last grain... his face a mix of both delight and pain from the taste and the spice.

Madhavi ate it without a pause or even a watering of the eyes. She smiled, both in the fact that he was enjoying it (or at least saying he was) and that he didn't have the spice-tolerance that she had.

"So, Saber. Anything you want to share with me about yourself? Maybe it'll help us in the future in fights. I can automatically tell you're good with a sword (You wouldn't be a Saber-class if you weren't, right?), but do you know magic or something? Or did you fight dragons? You don't have to tell me your true name, unless you want to."

Saber was a little busy downing the entire glass of water in one go, though afterward he simply closed his eyes and let his Servant body simply deal with the spice afterburn and eliminate it in order to being able to speak properly with his Master "Yes, I'm good with a blade, yes, I am more than proficient at magic, no, I didn't fight dragons, though funny about that... I was called Chief Dragon"

With a little grin, the old man said "I can feel that you are a proper Magus, so there is no harm in telling you, my proper Master, my identity. Uther Pendragon, King of Britannia, Chief Dragon of its armies, bane of the Saxons, Keeper of Old Secrets and bringer of New Law"

"For Chief Dragon, you've got a really low tolerance for fire don't you?" Madhavi asked, laughing at her own joke.

"Uther Pendragon huh? Pendragon... any relation to King Arthur?" she wondered, taking his plate and stacking it on top of her own. Just what kind of servant had she summoned? This Grail War was getting more and more exciting by the moment.

To think, she'd be able to summon a servant strong enough to be called "Chief Dragon"! It never occurred to her that her Servant could have possibly been lying, the prospect of him was just too enticing. Chief Dragon... and she was the Master of him!

Well, she wasn't sure about "master". She'd feel proud even if they were just "colleagues". She really hoped she'd have enough Prana to keep him stable. Her prana recovered pretty quickly, so maybe it wouldn't be an issue.

"Hey, there one thing is hot the other spicy. It's the difference between eating coals and drinking poison" Uther says as a way of defense, though in a very cheerful, lighthearted tone. However, the subject of Arthur gave them a bit sobriety "Indeed, I am related. They would be my heir, King after I perished, one of my two children"

"You're Arthur's father? That's awesome! You're pretty strong then!" Madhavi exclaimed, her face beaming. She quickly covered her mouth, remembering that her father was supposed to be asleep.

"And to think I summoned him without a catalyst! I've got to be the luckiest magus here!" she thought to herself. She was overflowing with anticipation.

She always did like a good brawl, and as long as she could fight other cool people this sounded like fun!

"Indeed, strong I am" says Uther pridefully, confident in his abilities as he crosses his strong arms before his chest, taking a nod as the young lady seems to be wary of making too much noise... and then senses the other sleeping presence in the house, as well as the late night "Well, I have entertained enough, Master. I can tell you are tired by the late hour. I'll keep watch on your dwelling, see to our defenses and if you wish, I'll wake you up at dawn"

"Yeah... that's probably a good idea, you're right." Madhavi muttered, dejected.

If she could have, she'd have stayed up the entire night, out of sheer excitement. Then again, sleeping helped replenish magic, which she would be needing for upcoming fights.

She nodded to Uther. "Well, goodnight then, Uther. I'll see you in the morning."

Madhavi went up to her room, got ready, then went to bed. In an instant, she fell asleep.

"And to you, Master" says Uther, smiling slightly as he sees the young woman depart upstairs. After that, his bulky form would vanish from sight, reappearing on the rooftop to look out onto the city that would be his newest battlefield.

The Holy Grail, huh? As far as the war was concerned, that was interesting enough for him to pledge his blade. To cross swords with beings of legend, to run and fight and be alive... it certainly was something to be thankful for. As for the wish... he didn't exactly leave unfinished business behind him... however, he could think of a thing or two his heart may desire.

Still, to get there, work ought to be done... And as he looked down at the arrangement of protections around the house, he grinned and thought of what improvements he could offer with his own brand of magic...

Coming morning, just an hour or two later than he had promised, Madhavi would hear a voice calling for her "Milady... Lady Madhavi, wake up..."

Should she open her eyes, she would find a handsome young man looking down at her from the side of her bed, dressed in a tunic and pants, an impish smile on her face.

edited 25th Nov '14 5:14:04 PM by daltar

There wasn't much of a response, just the shuffling of sheets and a loud irritated groan.

After much frustration, Madhavi forced herself to open her eyes, and sleepy look around. "Ah, Uther. There you are." She said, blinking and staring blankly at the young man at the side of her bed. Still mostly tired, she stared past him and out the window.

A few more blinks, then sudden realization. "Who the hell are you supposed to be?!" she yelled out, violently jumping out of her bed. In an instant, she took up the pose of a professional boxer with such ease and finesse that only comes with practice and dedication. She bounced from one leg to the other.

edited 25th Nov '14 5:21:53 PM by amporiusrex

"Ohh that's quite an impressive stance... The technique is somewhat unfamiliar to me, but it's nicely balanced and with little openings" remarks the young man with a pensive pose of his own at the sight of Madhavi suddenly up and baring her fists.

Then he grinned once again as he said "It is my, Master... Uther" says the young man, moving a hand over his face... and suddenly, he was the old man from last night "This is but one of my Noble Phantasms... a magic I developed in life" he says, further shifting in one step as Madhavi would be faced with an identical clone of herself... downright to voice "The Enchantment of Shapeshifting, one of the Great Enchantments of Britain"

Then with a further step he was once again the young man who woke her up "This is what I looked like in my youth, my true form... though I can look like anything you prefer, milady"