Fate/Swords of Ruin

5th of May, 20XX, Handayashi Cathedral

It was long past the evening mass.

A middle-aged man with a beard worth of a couple days and the top of priest's garb sat on one of the benches with his legs resting haphazardly on the other, reading something in the dark of the cathedral. Despite there being no light source whatsoever he seemed to have no trouble deciphering the letters.

"...it's just about time, isn't it, Ruler?" He spoke to the figure cloaked in the shadows of a western nave. A small, silent nod in response. "Sheesh, what a drag." William Sherman, the supervisor sent by The Church to overseer Handayashi Grail War, got up from his seat, dusting his partially holy garb off.

Sooner or later the first Master and Servant would come here to ask for questions. They always did.

On the outskirts of Handayashi one of the Masters in the coming Grail War smiled to herself. The ritual was complete.

Now all it was there to do was to utter right words, mark that she wants a Berserker and proceed to triumph from there. She'd rather not have a Servant who likes to talk too much. No, she needed a tool, a warrior that will listen to instincts and her dominating voice above them.

Margarita Lendid uttered the incantation and reclined back in her comfy seat, sipping her Chianti. Yes, today was a great day. As she watched her Berserker materialize her lips curled into a smirk. Just who would she get?

Small Apartment - Handayashi Outskirts

Grinning, Francis Overton looked over the circle he'd inscribed on the floor, carefully checking it against the circle in the tome resting in his arms. After a moment, he smiled, 'Perfect.' Soon, he'd summon his Servant and they'd crush the other Masters, and he'd finally have the power to change the world, he wasn't sure exactly how yet, but he could worry more about that when he'd won. Nearly shouting the words of the Aria in his excitement, he grinned as the Servant began materializing.

edited 21st Mar '15 1:26:20 PM by Gladonost

Handayashi Forest Campgrounds
In a remote section of the Handayashi Forest, far away from any other campers, a legally and properly created and maintained campfire was burning in an indicated spot. A dozen feet away from the fire, a Class A recreational vehicle was parked, its long chassis perpendicular to the blaze in order to block it from view from the main road. Since it was dark, no one would have noticed the bees hovering around keeping watch.

Right next to the fire, Ranger Richard Smith - Rick to his friends - sat in one of two camping chairs that had been set up around the flame. A few branches were propped up against a large rock, their tips coated in white residue from the marshmallows that had been cooked on them.

Finishing his s'mores, Richard pulled out a can of Sapporo from the chair's cupholder. He preferred American brands himself, but he was five thousand miles away from home so he had to make due with what was available locally. But in this case, it didn't matter one way or another, since this was a special can, he had something else in mind besides just drinking it. He cringed at what he was about to do, as it went against every instinct as a park ranger and conservationist. But magical energy was magical energy, and he didn't have the luxury of jewels and relics at hand.

He threw the can into the fire, and it exploded in a burst of mana.

Handayashi Forest Campgrounds

That burst of mana exploded in sound not unlike a balloon's pop, only much louder. The fire went out and the coals were scattered in a circle by the force of the blast. The s'more sticks tumbled away.
In the epicentre of the blast now stood a vaguely humanoid being. She — there were small bumps in the appropriate place — was covered in a suit of grey-blue armour with golden and white highlights. One shoulder was covered by a massive spike; the other was flat. The weirdest feature, however, was the helmet; it had a small horn, there was a large, fan-like growth at its back and there were no holes in it.
The being crouched, one hand on the ground, and looked up at Rick. “Are you the guide?” she asked, her voice hoarse.

Handayashi Forest Campgrounds
Rick stared at the newly-summoned servant for a few moments before speaking up. "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I am too sober for this shit," he said, pulling another Sapporo from the chair's other arm-mounted cupholder, and cracking it open to take a large sip.

"Yeah, guide, master, summoner, contractor, whatever you want to call it, that's me," he continued. "You, on the other hand, I don't know. I thought Heroic Spirits were supposed to be human, first of all."

Handayashi Forest Camping Grounds

The Servant got up, stepped away from where the fire was, and sat down, cross-legged, near Rick.
“Banshee.” She didn't seem to be the conversational type.

Small Apartment - Handayashi Outskirts

There was a flash of light, and a chuckle traveled around the room, as the figure who had appeared in the flash of light looked around. The first impression about the figure was that it was tall - its head was maybe six inches shy from the ceiling, although that distance lessened as it settled down into a slightly hunched over stance, legs bent a bit.

The actual details of the figure complemented the height in strangeness. It was covered in silver-grey armor - no, the armor seemed to be part of its body, and not even covering all of it. Muscle could clearly be seen connecting pieces of the armor, as if the armor was a skin over the body - even the mask on its face seemed to mimic the expressions of a face - extremely large teeth as part of a mouth that seemed permanently set in a vicious grin included, bits and pieces of it moving as the figure looked around the room with glowing red eyes. After looking around a few times, the figure turned its attention to the other being in the room, seeming to leer as it did so.

"Why hello there squishy one! Such a pleasure it is to see that the Great Beings diversified."

edited 21st Mar '15 3:46:17 PM by Krika

Handayashi Forest Campgrounds
"So I guess the burden of sustaining conversation falls on me, then," Rick said. "Well... first of all, the name's Richard, but you can just call me Rick. I'm a Park Ranger - that's for America, though, not Japan. Different countries. You know what a nation is? A country? If you're from pretty far back, before those sorts of things existed, then just think of a nation like a giant clan. You're speaking English right now so the magic managed to at least give you some information, hopefully it told you how things work."

He took another long pull from his can of beer before standing up and going to collect all the scattered flammables, putting them back in the fire pit area. "So now this Grail War's started, and everyone's trying to make their wishes come true. And for most people, long-term ecological effects aren't a factor for what they wish for. All these great trees you see now, they're at risk. What's your story? What's your wish? I certainly hope it doesn't involve the unsustainable destruction of nature."

Small Apartment - Handayashi Outskirts

Somewhat confused, Francis asked his new companion, "Squishy one? Great Beings? What the fuck are you talking about? And for that matter who are you? You look like no Heroes I've ever heard of." As he spoke, he began pacing a circle around the Servant, gesticulating with his hands to emphasize his remarks as he took in the odd Servant's appearance.

Handayashi Forest Campgrounds

Banshee's stare could give one the distinct impression she was rolling her eyes but for the smooth faceplate of her helmet.
“I protect the balance,” she said. “There are three where I come from: the Grineer, the decaying, countless clones, spurred forward by an ideology of hatred and conquest, all of the glory of their Twin Queens; the Corpus, the merchant clan who will stop at nothing in their quest for profit” — a faint echo could be heard: may our Ledgers become Ocean; our Margins — Sea Centauri. In the name of Profit, I commit thee to the Void — “and the Tenno, long asleep, now woken again by the Lotus to keep the balance. I wish to protect the balance.”

Butcher's Shop Basement, somewhere in Handayashi

"Almost done," Beatrice mouthed to herself quietly, as she wiped the thick, coppery blood off of her hands.

She'd lucked out on a location for a workshop- the owners of the Western-style butcher's had taken a month's leave, and a little bit of practical application and research had given the Magus entrance to the store.
And from there, the basement.

It was just about right for a workshop; just the right size and with just enough blood chilling out in the cooler for her to draw up her summoning circle without the hassle of tracking down some chickens herself. As midnight drew closer, all that was left to do was add the last few finishing, personal touches to the construct.

Resting off to the side, along with a few bags and a longsword, was a small vial of blood; her own blood, to be specific. With the body of the circle completed, she would add the last few, key details with her own. That would be sufficient to ensure the ritual proceeded smoothly.

A few minutes later, and they were added. On either side of her lay towels soaked all the way through with the same coppery sheen etched across the floor, and her breath coalesced into fog in the cold room as she chuckled with anticipation.

It was time. She had no idea why the Grail had called her specifically, but she wasn't the kind to question that; she didn't even need a wish, the promise of a spectacle on such a grand scale as a battle royale between Heroic Spirits was incentive enough for her.

A low electronic whine chimed in towards her, as it turned midnight.
She lifted her hand towards the circle and began to chant aloud, as a red light began to envelop the room-

Handayashi Forest Campgrounds
"So you're one of these 'Tennos', and not Smokey the Bear then, alright," Rick said. He used a zippo lighter to re-ignite the campfire before sitting back down in one of the chairs. "That's it, then? Don't happen to know what class you are, things you can do, likes and dislikes? Nothing that comes to mind before you finish accepting this contract?"

Small Apartment - Handayashi Outskirts

The figure tilted it's head, looking Francis.

"Hero you say...?" It paused for a moment, looking like it was trying to process the the thought. As the moment passed, its already wide mouth seemed to stretch further into a grin.

"I am Vezon, Rider of Anarchy!" A pause. "Toa of Anarchy. Rider of Toa? No, no, never that lucky, though Toa of Riders..." it trailed off, looking off into the middle distance for a moment before returning his attention to Francis.

"Oh, don't worry your vulnerable little head, I am most definitely a hero."

edited 21st Mar '15 4:33:26 PM by Krika

Handayashi Forest Campgrounds

There was a lengthy pause. Banshee seemed to be thinking, and it might have been an optical illusion, but she seemed to float off the ground for a moment, still cross-legged.
“I am Archer. I am Banshee.” For a moment, everything became silent — there was naught a sound to be heard — then the regular noises of the night returned. “I fight with bow, stars and mace.”

Small Apartment - Handayashi Outskirts

Stopping his slow circle just in front of his Servant, Francis smiled and held out a hand for a shake, "Nice to meet you, Vezon. Sounds like you're a Rider, right?" The mage's grin went sinister, "Let's crush the competition and win the Grail! By the by, what wish do you have? I want to use it to change the world, not exactly sure how I wanna change it though..." The Master trailed off waiting for Vezon to reply.

Handayashi Forest Campgrounds
"Do anything besides fighting?" Rick asked. "I guess you could say my job is 'preserving the balance' too, but the only time I would say I really do any 'fighting' is when the occasional bear, wolf, or mountain lion gets too dangerous, or when I'm arresting someone. The rest of the time I'm doing maintenance, firefighting, first aid, or even giving tours." He took another drink from his can, realizing he was the only one drinking. "You want a beer?"

Handayashi Forest Campgrounds

Banshee just stared at Rick. She raised one hand — the nails were rectangular and excessively long — and tapped her helmet. Her completely sealed, hole-less helmet.
“The Tenno are warriors. The Orokin made us that way. They gave us the weapons of the old ways. Gun and blade. A new warrior, a new code was born. We became their saviours. Warrior-Gods cast in steel and fury striking their enemies in a way they could never comprehend.”

Small Apartment - Handayashi Outskirts

Vezon took Francis' hand with a grin, engulfing the mage's hand with his massive one. "Wish? Why would I wish for anything? I'm finding it so much more fun to just take things as they come to me! After all, what use is planning when you're lying that you are pretending to not falsely betray the entire universe to the Makuta? Why should I bother planning ahead with stuff like that falling into my lap?"

He leaned down to look at Francis again, poking him with enough force to send him stumbling back a few steps. "Your armor is indeed terrible. Take us to your Vortixx, we must outfit you for war!"

Handayashi Forest Campgrounds
"Suit yourself," Rick said with a mild chuckle. "Means you won't be drinking all my beer, then." He sighed. "I have no idea what any of what you just said means. I take it you're not from Earth, then?"

Handayashi Forest Campgrounds

“No memories. The Lotus said my Cyropod was damaged.” Banshee shrugged. “Earth is an overgrown jungle.”

Small Apartment - Handayashi Outskirts

After puzzling his way through Vezon's... logic, Francis grinned at his Servant's willingness to work together before frowning slightly after the rather forceful poke, "Vortixx? What the hell is that? for that matter what are half these terms you keep bandying about? Toa? Makuta? Great Beings? Something downright odd is happening around here, and while I expected something weird to happen given the sheer power of the ritual and my Origin, I can't help but think there's something more going on."

Handayashi Forest Campgrounds
"I guess whatever you wish for, it wouldn't cause this Earth any problems, then," Rick replied. "So you're a human, then? Or a robot? What year is it where you come from?"

Handayashi Forest Campgrounds

“Year?” Banshee gave him a steady glare. “I am Tenno. I am most certainly not a Proxy, thank you very much.”

Handayashi Forest Campgrounds
"Proxy?" Rick said, deciding all the beer in Japan probably wasn't going to be enough. "Year, you know? It's the way you keep time. Do you know how long ago in the past we are, relative to your own world?"

Handayashi Forest Campgrounds

“No.” Banshee lapsed back into silence. After a while, she made a curious sound — a croaking, shrill bird's cry. “Proxies are Robotics. Mechanical proxies constructed by the Corpus to do their biddings. Some are even hybridised with Orokin technology, or Warframe components.” She actually sounded disgusted.