- December 31,2100 (Day 0) 11:30 PM, A certain hotel in London -
Inside a large room,illuminated only by a small lampshade,sat the heir to one of the most powerful corporations on the planet.
Leonard Bistario Harway sipped his tea,a faint smile on his lips,as he watched the late-night news. The headline? "Harway Prince joins Grail War."
Leo's smile widened slightly as he remembered the events that led to this day.
- Flashback: A week prior,Harway Estate -
Oliver Bernard Harway called his son to his private office. Odd,thought Leo,Father never asks anyone to go to his office... When he had reached the office,he found his father,grim-faced as always,standing over a rather large chest.Oliver looked at his son,then motioned for him to sit down. Leo spoke first. "What do you need of me,Lord Father?". Oliver's piercing gaze locked into his son's eyes. "Leonard. Have you heard of the Holy Grail War?" "Of course,Lord Father. But I thought the Harways have turned their backs on magecraft?".Oliver sighed. "True. But this is a special case..." And so,the Harway Patriarch gave his son the duty of claiming the Holy Grail. It was too dangerous,Oliver had concluded.Those who seek to disrupt the Harway's peace would want it,and no one could be trusted with such power."...I understand,Lord Father. I shall bring the Grail to the Harways..."
- Flashback: Two days prior,press conference in front of Zilver Industrial main office -
Many reporters had gone that day.They crowded below the podium,trying to be heard above the others,acting uncivilized,trying to get an exclusive.Leo pitied them."Yes.I shall join this so-called Holy Grail War. An object of that power should not fall to the wrong hands! I,Leonard Bistario Harway,guarantee that I shall strike down all those who wish to topple the peace and stability that has been brought by the tireless efforts of the noble Zilver Industrial!". The reporters immediately began speaking louder. Leo was unfazed. Smiling calmly,he spoke once more. "Ladies and gentlemen,might I have the pleasure to introduce my noble Servant...Saber! The Pendragon,father of King Arthur,the great king....Uther Pendragon!"
- Present day -
Leo turned off the television as the report ended. He smiled at the armored figure standing next to him. "Only a few more minutes,Saber. The War shall start. Let's try to win quickly."
He picked up the intel on the other confirmed Masters that the Harways had gathered.
It is just as you predicted,Lord Father. The presence of your heir has drawn out the terrorists. Do not worry,Lord Father. I have drawn them out...now I will crush them.
One of my longer posts. And yes,Leo is arrogant enough to announce his Servant to the public.I await gleefully your plans to topple His Royal Jackass.
edited 18th Feb '12 3:08:49 AM by DeathChariot
In a quiet and old-fashioned house in Kensington, there was hectic activity. John Christopher Fairbanks stood in the middle of a crowd of reporters, photographers and camera-men, answering rapidly fired questions by the inquisitive newshounds.
"What Servant are you hoping for, Mr. Fairbanks?"
"I do not have any particular preferences as to what Servant I will summon tonight."
In truth, he would have hoped for Saber, but the way things were, that was out of the question. As long as he did not get a PR nightmare like Berserker or Assassin, he could work with anything.
"Is it true that not only the London Metropolitan Police Force, but also experts from the Scotland Yard have been contacted to help you analyse your opponents and discover their true nature?"
"The government has arranged for certain experts to provide of such a nature, but I can not disclose their workplace."
In truth, it was a Professor of History from the University of Oxford and a Senior Archivist from the London Library, but their identities had to be kept close secrets, to keep them from harm.
"Mister Leonard Bistario Harway has announced that his Servant is the great king Uther Pendragon as Saber. What are your feelings concerning fighting against such a famous person from England's legends?"
"I am sure he will be a formidable opponent."
Now there was a true PR nightmare...such an important historical figure fighting on what was, basically, his home field, had whipped up certain nationalistic parts of the media. It might not have been a good move for the young mister Harway's concerning the battles that were to come, and indeed, the aforementioned experts were hard at work trying to identify valid Noble Phantasms from different texts and myths. But Uther Pendragon could easily have Harway be painted a true nationalistic hero by the end of the day. John silently prayed that he would get at least a similarly spectacular Servant, but then he would not announce the nature of his Servant the way mister Harway had done.
A few more questions later, John excused himself to head into the next room. The reports stayed back in the drawing room, staying warm by the fire, while he went into the study. Most of the old and dusty furniture had been moved away to make room for a summoning circle in the middle of the room. John turned off the electric chandelier hanging from the ceiling, so that only the old-fashioned wax candles surrounding the circle illuminated the room.
The time had come. John knelt by the circle, speaking the words and channelling all of his magic energy into the construct. The magic sparked and flared, and the glyphs lit up. This was it. The moment of destiny. Now, he would enter the Holy Grail War and fight against the violent terrorists and the self-serving corporations. He would fight as a Master, for justice and democracy.
"You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance -!"
edited 18th Feb '12 12:01:15 PM by Lemurian
Join us in our quest to play all RPG video games! Moving on to disc 2 of Grandia!Nikos Kazantzakis
Present Day
"Is everyone ready??? We'll be starting the summoning in ten, nine-"
A vast crowd cheered in front of her eyes, camera flashes blinding her on the podium. She had been subject to this adoration and celebration from a live audience several times, but she could never get used to the camera flashes.
"Eight, seven-"
The sunglassed but casually dressed men surrounding the temporary stage gave her a final nod. A confirmation that she could continue the countdown without interruption.
"Six, five-"
Was she even ready for what was to come out of the magic circle in front of her? Would the servant even expect the giant crowd, cheering for his arrival? She didn't know the answer to either of these questions. Heedless of her concerns, the circle was already imparting a large amount of magical energy.
"Four, three-"
At this point, the crowd was doing the countdown for her. She herself had already started muttering out the summoning chant a while ago. It was long and complicated, but she had managed to memorize thanks to the help of her assistants.
"Two, one-"
"Thou, clad with the Great Trinity, come forth from the circle of constraint. O keeper of the balance ―――"
Three months ago
"Wait, what? I'm going to be the rebel's representative master?"
edited 18th Feb '12 7:15:39 AM by neobowman
The room had been cleared. Adelinda's maids were diligent and focused on their task, and Adelinda felt she would need the space to summon her Servant. There was the window outside, and then nothing aside from the four walls and the crimson carpeting. This was her first time doing any sort of major ritual, and she was understandably nervous. Especially when it was something like this, something so important. The small girl took a deep breath and steadied herself. She wouldn't mess up, and she'd get the best servant she could, who'd beat all the others and win the Grail War! She'd refused the offer to televise the summoning specifically because of that. Even though her servant was going to be the best one, Adelinda didn't want anyone knowing anything about them until they actually encountered them. That meant her Servant would be the best and take all the others by surprise!
Still, she was nervous... and deep down, she hoped her Servant would be friendly. That would be nice...
Well then, time to focus.
The blood, taken from a chicken, was spread via Adelinda's abilities in the proper symbol. She'd practiced, and remembered the words of the ritual well...
Care was taken not to make mistakes.
Adelinda spoke.
"Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone. The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg.
The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate.
Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill).
Repeat every five times.
Simply, shatter once filled.
――――I announce.
Your self is under me, my fate is in your sword.
In accordance with the resort of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer.
Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead.
You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance ―――!"
edited 18th Feb '12 9:51:30 AM by AnnoR
"Oh, dear. The toad, the monkey, and the dog have all screwed up."A desolate breeze blew in the narrow corridor created between an archaic chimney and an even more archaic metal unit presumably intended to move air around. Both were silent, indicating that the building beneath was completely abandoned. Well, abandoned save for the vermin that liked the condemned structure. Still, it was a quiet a place as any in this day and age and one suitable for forcibly taking another's place in this Grail War.
Casting one last look at the misshapen mass that had once been a pretentious, media-loving magus, Musashi completed the circle. Others had made themselves known but this... this thing had been the most annoying, limelight-hugging of them all even with their complete lack of security. That had made getting the knife they were going to use as a catalyst so much easier.
Now... to see if this would work for one of their kind and to see what Servant they had managed to acquire...
"Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone. The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg.
The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate.
Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill).
Repeat every five times.
Simply, shatter once filled.
――――I announce.
Your self is under me, my fate is in your sword.
In accordance with the resort of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer.
Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead.
You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance ―――!"
The form that rose from the circle was small. She couldn't have been older then eleven, the materializing form lithe and pale. She had white hair, and her light blue eyes were tightly shut. She wasn't standing, as some would expect a servant to be upon summoning. Instead, the small girl had her knees drawn up to her chest, her chin tucked in, and her arms wrapped around her legs, lying on her side. Soon, she was completely present in this world... Her clothing was... strange. Black, and inappropriate for such a young girl. It seemed to be mostly underwear and a black corset, and not much else. Aside from the sheathes for oddly-shaped knives...
The marks on her face were unmistakable, though. They appeared to be tear stains.
Assassin felt... different. It was odd... but also unmistakable as to what had happened. She had been summoned into the world, as a Servant. Initial shyness... nervousness... for a second she didn't even want to move. But... no, she wanted to see her Master... to see who they were. And she had to introduce herself.
Slowly, her eyes opened.
"I... I am Servant Assassin," she said, now looking at the girl who had summoned her. Hope rose in her, for a moment. "I have been successfully summoned... Are you my Mother?"
edited 18th Feb '12 11:31:27 AM by AnnoR
"Oh, dear. The toad, the monkey, and the dog have all screwed up."They say that order is the cornerstone of civilization. Without it, mankind would plummet into an endless spiral of self-destruction. Ever since we are born, we are continuously told to follow the order, to keep our heads down whilst those above us trample upon us. The so-called elite keep pushing down those who aren't part of their self-declared superior class, and the "inferior" people put up with it because that's the way things are.
Except that shouldn't be how things are. The order was wrong. The world was corrupt and rotting. The world needed fixing. The old order needed to be teared down and ripped apart, and the "elite" needed to be shown just what the "inferior" masses could do.
And yet still, no matter how much it was shown to them how wrong they were, they continued to cling to their belief that they were superior thanks to their wealth, or their birthright, or whatever arbitrary reason. But the most common reason given was "justice". It was only "justice" that they were the ruling elite, it was only "justice" that they could trample those beneath them, "justice" was on their side, "justice"...
How can you call that "justice"? And how... How could something that was little more than a subjective concept be a valid reason for anything?
They infuriated him. They were disgusting, and had to be dealt with. And now he'd been handed the perfect opportunity to do so...
Chad winced slightly as he ran the blade across his palm, before watching as his blood trickled slowly onto the summoning circle he had set up. Usually, a magus would use the blood of an animal as a summoning catalyst, but Chad was different. He was a master of formalcraft, after all, and knew that using his own blood would provide a stronger connection to what he summoned. Well, it would for a regular summoning ritual, but this was something different than simply conjuring up a minor spirit. Still, sometimes it payed to be extra careful, especially if he wanted to knock down that Harway brat.
Such an infuriating child. Not only did he wholeheartedly prescribe to the doctrine that Chad hated with every fiber of his being, but the smug little bastard had went and announced his Servant's identity for all to hear. It was Saber, of course. He'd probably heard about Saber being the greatest of all Servants without even looking into the history of the war. But Chad hadn't made that mistake; El-Melloi's notes had shown him that whilst Saber usually got to the final battle, it was more often than not still defeated. Hell, the strongest Servant ever summoned wasn't even Saber, but Archer, a class seen to be inferior to Saber in every way.
But of course, that's what he'd think. Saber generally had high stats and powerful Noble Phantasms, so naturally he'd be drawn towards it. Chad knew better. He didn't want Saber, and the news that Saber had already been summoned filled him with relief. Still, Saber's identity worried him. Uther Pendragon, father of King Arthur? Arthur had been summoned in earlier wars, according to the notes, and was everything the legends claimed and more; the King of Knights, the ultimate Saber, a seemingly unstoppable force once he revealed his true power. He expected his father to be easier to handle, but still... Overconfidence was their weakness, not his; he'd intended to keep a close eye on Harway, and this only gave him even more incentive to do so.
As his mind dwelled on this, he continued chanting as the summoning circle's glow illuminated his rather spartan apartment. Soon, the ritual would be complete, and soon he would show Harway just what an "inferior" magus could do.
"Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead." He intoned without emotion, as the circle began glowing brighter and more intensely. "You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance!"
With what sounded like a great crack of thunder, the summoning was complete. Chad Kilroy was a Master, and his war had finally begun.
edited 18th Feb '12 12:01:31 PM by Moerin
"That smug bastard!!" Rosey suddenly yelled at the tv when the report ended, slamming her hands against the table. She had been clenching her fist during the entirety of that broadcast, her rage building only to explode once it ended. She was curious on what her competition in this would be, never had she expected a guy like that. Something about him got on her nerves. She wasn't sure exactly what it was, the look of superiority, that pretentious speech... he was just unlikable.
The pinkette finally fell back onto the couch with a sigh. The anger drained out of her after her little explosion, "I hate guys like that."
It was annoying. She really hoped her father wouldn't expect her to act civil towards the guy to uphold their company's "image". In fact, she was looking forward to wiping that grin off his smug face. So what if he had Uther Pendragon. He's only the bastard father of the true hero of that time. She, at least, had someone truly admirable as her servant.
The summoning had been successful. Soon a woman, covered in some ebony material with only a stark white mask contrasting against the black, appeared in the circle. The figure was silent for a moment, looking over the child in front of her. Was this really her master? Why was she summoned by someone so young?
"Servant Assassin successfully summoned, I ask of you..." The black figure finally spoke up, her voice smooth and clear, "Are you my Master?"
"Rooooosey!" The robed... Man? We'll go with "man"... Said as he practically skipped towards the couch and curled up next to his Master. "We need more ice cream. I wanted to have some ice cream but when I went to get some ice cream it turned out I'd already ate all the ice cream. So we need more. So I can have ice cream."
Even taking into account his odd appearance and manner of dress, it was rather difficult to accept that this man(?)child was a Heroic Spirit, even moreso that he was one of the oldest and most powerful of them all. If you were told that this... Person was, in fact, the legendary Enkidu, rival-turned-friend of the even-more-legendary Gilgamesh, you'd probably just roll your eyes in disbelief.
"Ooh, who's that?" he said, turning to the TV and completely forgetting about ice cream. "He looks so strong~ I wanna fight him, Rosey! Can I~? Can I can I can I pleeeaaase~?"
edited 18th Feb '12 1:05:26 PM by Moerin
Adelinda blinked. Assassin...? She hadn't been expecting Assassin, not really. She'd been trying to line up for Lancer, to be honest. Even though she hadn't been able to obtain a catalyst specifically to summon any of the Lancers she had in mind. She'd still been trying for a Lancer... Whatever, Assassin was good too! Any Servant she summoned was bound to be a great one! She smiled at her Servant, and nodded.
"Yes, Assassin, I'm your Master," she started. "I am Adelinda Diederich!"
"Oh, dear. The toad, the monkey, and the dog have all screwed up."The mist began to clear, dragging off the last of the dancing sparks and revealing bit by bit the Servant Chad had worked so hard to summon.
It was a woman, and a tall one at that. She dwarfed Chad by almost a foot, and carried herself in a way so imposing it made the gap seem twice that. Her complexion was flawless, her skin pale, like soft porcelain. The eye Chad could see was amber, and didn't so much shine as it gleamed. It made her gaze seem empty, like a doll's. But the most noticeable feature of hers was her hair. A voluminous mane, it ran down the entirety of her back, and was not of the colors of the earth, but rather those of the sky.
She turned to face him, her gaze pinning him in place. "My, my." Stepping out of the blood circle, she began walking towards him, her stride calm and without falter. "Why," she stopped just inches short of him, and lowered herself to eye level to address him, "What an interesting little Master you are."
edited 18th Feb '12 3:20:46 PM by KSPAM
I've got new mythological machinery, and very handsome supernatural scenery. Goodfae: a mafia web serialChad's reaction was not exactly what would be expected from someone who had just came face to face with a literal living legend. He showed no surprise, or fascination, or bemusement; only a dull, somewhat uninterested look crossed his face as he looked his Servant in the eye.
This was, of course, simply because he was trying not to look elsewhere and break his cool, composed air; first impressions meant a lot, after all. He tried as best he could to not stare at anything other than the girl's eyes, especially not that skin-tight suit that hugged her almost perfect body in such an aesthetically pleasing manner. No, he kept his vision locked on her eyes, those cold, amber eyes. He couldn't help but think what beautiful eyes she had, but he quickly beat down that feeling. There were far more important things at stake here, after all.
"Don't call me that," he intoned dispassionately. "I abhore that word. Nevertheless, my name is Chad Kilroy, and I am the one who summoned you here." Sure enough, on the palm of his left hand had appeared the proof of their contract; a faintly glowing red symbol, shaped like a sword, or a dagger, or something similar. His command spell.
"Now, tell me," he said in the same monotonous voice as he turned his gaze from his hand back to the Servant's eyes. "What's your name? I'd like to know what kind of Servant I'll be working with, after all."
Hmm... Almost. It's almost complete...
Shadow, currently in his room of a hotel he didn't remember or care about the name of, was nearly finished the summoning circle he was drawing. He worked slowly, taking care not to make any mistakes, anything that would put him at a disadvantage. He couldn't afford to. Not this early.
...There. It's finished. Now, the artifact...
Yes, the artifact. Standing, Shadow walked into his bedroom and grabbed the box containing the weapon. He starting making his way back to the circle, but paused to look at his TV. Sitting on the screen was a rerun of the press conference a couple days back, showing Saber up close as that Harway brat was blabbing on about something. He turned it off.
"You're first." Shadow muttered as he placed the box in the middle of the circle. He moved in front of it and concentrated. Speaking aloud the words of the ritual, the room started to glow as the circle began resonating. It's time...
"You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance.....!"
As Shadow finished the incantation, the summoning of the final Servant was completed, and in the distance, a bell rang through the city, marking the beginning of the new year.
Insert creative signature here.So, apparently, until someone turns Mad Enhancement on, this is fine...
"I am Achilles, daughter of Peleus and Thetis, greatest Hero of Troy!" Achilles said, seemingly getting this whole 'letting the Master (and anyone else within earshot) in on the secret' thing over and done with now. Given that she had been summoned as Berserker of all classes, this probably wasn't an entirely unreasonable action on her part. Two things were made abundantly clear by this declaration, however: firstly, she had an inflated self-opinion that nevertheless made perfect sense; and secondly, that her Master had an extremely good reason to keep her secret under wraps, not least of which being the fact that Achilles' vulnerability was widely known and letting people past the protection she had was stupid.
Hopefully, they wouldn't have to pay for the smashed furniture that accompanied having such an impressive glaive/spear hybrid summoned into the exact same spot as it, or the dent in the floor that came with a seemingly random stamp to ensure that she got attention. That armour looked heavy.
"I... guess that I can be, if required," Musashi said pleasantly, crouching down to look at her Servant. A child. Of all the Servants possible, she had gained an Assassin and a child... well, they really would be playing a game of stealth. No-one knew who either of them were and this girl didn't appear to be the true identity as per the original rules... having been around to gather information back when the Grail War was first running had its uses, especially with Fuyuki having been in her own country.
So... maybe there were two? This would be easier than she had feared...
"Th-thank you... Mother..." Assassin replied, now standing up. She was faintly red... her shyness had dispelled itself, at least. This was her Mother, after all, and she would not be shy around her Mother. She smiled, faintly, looking at her Master. Her hope had been rewarded... She had a Mother now. The faint smile grew...
Her Mother had white hair, just like her... she looked so nice, and... and...
Assassin couldn't contain how she felt after finally gaining a Mother. She raised her arms, and attempted to hug the taller girl.
"Oh, dear. The toad, the monkey, and the dog have all screwed up.""Which word, little or Master?" she said sardonically. She stretched, returning to full height. "Either way, I am known as Archer. You may refer to me as such, or however else you please. It doesn't really matter."
She eyed the fridge in the corner of the kitchen. Not even bothering to ask for permission (not that Chad could really have stopped her), she took a few casual steps into the dirtied pantry and started rifling through the fridge, coming back up with a bottle of water. She uncapped it, and began quickly draining it, like she'd just finished a five-hour marathon through the Sahara. Then she took another, then another after that.
Finally screwing the lid back on bottle four, she said, "Apologies. Getting stuffed into this container always makes me thirsty. I hope you don't mind." Although she said that, her tone made it perfectly clear she didn't really care if he did.
I've got new mythological machinery, and very handsome supernatural scenery. Goodfae: a mafia web serial...Did I make the wrong choice?
Shadow was looking up at Achilles from the floor where he fell. Nearly immediately after summoning his Servant, he felt an extreme strain on his magic. On top of that, she decided her first course of action should be to yell out her identity while breaking the floor. Certainly, she seemed strong, but her behavior was rather...brash.
This would definitely be an interesting partnership.
Shadow considered what he should say as he started to stand. Should he complement her on her show of force? Ask her politely to not be so loud? (He would prefer to not wake anyone sleeping.) Or, maybe he should ask why she was not male, like he had learned? As he thought about what to say, he began with this...
"...Hi."
Insert creative signature here.Three months ago
"Wait, what? I'm going to be the rebel's representative master?"
"Indeed." Mr. Roberts, Mikko's mentor/father figure for her orphaned life sat wearily behind his desk. He was now over sixty, but he had only began to show his age in the past few years. The first hints of wrinkles were taking shape on his face, but for now, he still looked twenty years younger than he was.
"One of our members has recieved the command spells for the Holy Grail War. The higher-ups have decided to confer them to you. Most likely to improve public relations. Of course, I objected, but it's not my decision to make."
"Oh..." Mikko looked down at the ground. She had been the rebel group's public face for a while now, but had only recently heard of the Holy Grail War. A fight to the death. Probably not her thing.
"Umm. I'm not sure if I'm good enough but I'll do my best!"
"Are you sure Mikko? If you are opposed... Then I fully intend to let you secretly leave the group and live life as you will. You have my support."
Mikko didn't even think about it. "No. This place is my family. If they need me to do something then I'll do it for them. Besides, I'll get to meet new people, right? I'm sure it'll be great!"
Mr. Roberts smiled in resignation. "Haaah. You've grown a lot in the past few years Mikko. I won't say I agree with the decision, but if that's what you choose, I'll put all my faith in you. Do your best."
"Yessir! I'll go full out like I'll never come back!"
Though this was Mikko's catchphrase for many things, this time, its implications were too serious for Mr. Roberts to laugh along with.
"Pathetic. Completely pathetic. It can't even be someone that takes good care of themselves," Achilles lamented, shooting a disgusted look at her Master and sitting down on the nearest intact piece of furniture with her weapon across her lap. This... didn't look like it was going to be an easy relationship; whether having the spirit completely insane or not would help was somewhat unknown.
Musashi almost, almost but not quite, reflexively punched Jack across the roof. Recognition that she wasn't trying to attack kicked in at the last second, however, and the former samurai redirected her arms to return the embrace rather than standing there looking awkward. Whilst having a child for a Servant had its down-sides, it was easy to see that this one would listen even without the command seals, beyond the normal boundary of shared interests. Good...
Assassin hugged. And hugged. And hugged. She didn't want to let go, not yet. This was her Mother, after all. She had never had a Mother, not one that she could remember, not a real one. While she had only just met this girl... she didn't want to leave her side.
And she would kill anyone who wanted to harm her Mother.
"Oh, dear. The toad, the monkey, and the dog have all screwed up."So maybe calling him admirable was being a tad generous for the overgrown child. Didn't she just buy a whole tub of ice cream for the man last night? How did he go through so much ice cream in less than a day? Well never mind that, it seemed he had gotten distracted by that snake and his servant on the television screen.
"Hold yourself, Lancer. We shouldn't try to fight them just yet," Rosey answered calmly, before her tone took a drastic change, standing up in what could only be called a dramatic pose, "No, we must wait to show them our power and might! We shall fight them when they least expect it, paving a path of glory to the Holy Grail! And when we do, we shall crush that smug grin off that pretty boy face of his...!"
The pinkette suddenly stopped, coughing into her fist, realizing she was going on another of her tangents. A nasty habit for the young girl that earned her the title, Queen of Drama for her usually over dramatic speeches and actions. "Right, as I was saying, fighting them now isn't an option."
"Very well," True Asassin answered. The mask on her face made it unclear what kind of expression she might be holding. Or what the woman might be thinking now. "I am at your service, Master. Command me as you will."
edited 19th Feb '12 5:35:33 PM by FlameHaze17
His mighty back resting against the wall of the hotel, King Uther Pendragon quietly read a book titled 'King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table'. This book being the seventh of its kind that he had read since he first manifested on this world. Without taking his gaze away from the book he answered to Leo's words "Indeed, you seem to be in quite a hurry to finish this little battle, kid. You gave a lot away by parading my being for everyone to see"
The smile never left Leo's lips. He continued sipping his tea as he responded to the Servant's words.
"King Uther,this war is political in nature. It is imperative that we have public opinion on our side,and what else could be better for that purpose than to show them that such an important figure such as yourself stood by my side.Besides,it is only fair to show our opponents who will win this War."
The way Leo spoke was confident,his belief in their victory unwavering,as if there was no other possible outcomes.
Leo finished reading the file on the other Masters and gave it to Saber.
"So,Saber. What do you think of our competition?"
It was then that Master and Servant heard the bell signalling midnight.
"It has begun...".
"Well, um..." Adelinda looked from side to side. What should she do? She wasn't sure, she felt nervous and almost panicked again... but no, she had to be confident and focused. "Assassin, tell me about your abilities. I'll need to know so we can beat everyone else!"
"Oh, dear. The toad, the monkey, and the dog have all screwed up."

Tom Stoppard
There isn't much humans love more than justice. Enforcing justice, fighting for justice, and seeing justice done. But justice is not an immutable concept. It's an emotion, a feeling in all humans, like anger, or fear. And just like anger, or fear, every man sees it differently.
Consider the corporate CEO, the white collar businessman. They've worked hard their whole lives to make something of themselves, sinking millions of dollars and man hours into making their vision a reality. Is then, the rewarding of such hard work, not justice?
Or what of the rebel? The warriors of oppression, fighting against an enemy greater than themselves. They've been abused, exploited, and trampled on by the system they live under, the one that was supposed to protect their rights. Everything has been stolen from them. Then is their defiance not justice?
And the humble man, living day by day in this cruel world. He goes unheard, his opinions unnoticed, his dreams and desires dismissed. What makes him so different from the powerful, the important? Why do they get a say, and he doesn't? Is such equality between men not justice?
Justice is something anyone can claim, and something anyone can use. It's a powerful motivator, and no matter who calls it, they are guaranteed to find like-minded men somewhere. In that way, justice turns one man into an army, and an ideal into a battle cry. Justice is the flag of the rebellion. Justice is the hammer of the state. And justice is the words of the common man.
But if everyone's cause is just, then which is truly justice? Certainly they cannot all be. So how does one decide? For many years, this question went unanswered. But no more.
Tonight, on the eve of the new year of 2101, seven chosen Masters will summon seven chosen Servants. These select few will be given an opportunity few receive. The opportunity to make their justice iron-clad. To make their word law. All they have to do is prove their cause most just on the battlefield most treacherous. The Holy Grail War.
Let revolution come with the tolling of the bell. Let the twelve rings echo into a new era for mankind. Let the warriors sing their battle songs, minutes to midnight, on the eve of the new year. Let the Holy Grail War begin.
edited 17th Feb '12 11:30:46 PM by KSPAM
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