Fate/Serapeum's Experiment

Signup Thread Discussion Thread

"So, it's finally starting?"

"Yes... its the predetermined day. We also got the command from the Head Librarian. The war starts now"

"I understand... I'll give the command to lower the barrier around the Cathedral"

"Good. Meanwhile, I'll go make the arrangements for the power flare. The Great Grail should have enough power for it now"

"Now... we only have to trust in the Librarian's vision and power. To finally reach our dream... to create a new Alexandria"

"Please Phillip... What we shall give birth to on this city shall be much greater than Alexandria ever was"

As the power was released from the barrier around the Cathedral of Glindburg, the Holy Saint within sat by the altar of his Lord. He had heard the whole conversation... and even know he could hear them work in maintaining this ritual of magecraft. He did dislike the use of the name 'Holy Grail' for something that quite clearly wasn't the true thing. But aside from that the Saint only had few reservations about the whole affair, though a great deal of his fears were dispelled by the curious bunch set upon this mad enterprise.

Regardless, it was not his place to judge. Not at the moment. He was given a fair mission, one that greatly appealed to his spirit. Protector, Referee, Defender. He could do those things, and do them well. That ought to be enough in keeping this from spiraling out of control.

Thus, did the War's Overseer stood up from his vigil, blade held in one hand as he cast his senses to the city that was his ward. Soon the curious would flock to him for answers.

Finally, the power has been released thought the prodigious student, Samantha Clairmont as her charms and spells caught up the increase in magical activity within the city. Forty five days since the initial registered activity of the ritual, exactly month and a half. Serapeum had decided that to be enough time for people to settle in and prepare apparently.

It had been a lot of time for Samantha and at the same time far too little. She had managed to secure a small residence a location she believed would draw little traffic and suspicion from the other potential participant. She had prepared the place as well as she could for the wall... however, there was always something else to do... another layer of defense, planning or information gathering to do.

Still, the time for preparation was over... and the time for action was now. Closing all blinds on her new home, Samantha walked to the circle inscribed upon the floor of her dinning area.

Without any hesitation, she then started her summoning... her chanting... the ritual blood offering to call the Spirit forth. After much debating, she had decided to let fortune favor her... and not use a single catalyst to sway the Grail's choice. She would just do the best she could with the hand she was dealt, the girl decided, as her voice grew louder and light started to come from the magical circle.

edited 11th Feb '14 11:40:17 AM by daltar

Claude leaned backwards in his chair as he looked over the summoning circle one last time. "Well, looks like this thing is finally ready to start. So, let's get myself a Hero." He stood up and walked over in front of the circle. There was a small pot of ashes he had bought nearly a year ago now out of curiosity, now he'd actually put it to use.

"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 approach 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 11th Feb '14 1:12:20 PM by Gladonost

— The Blind Saboteur —

Though technically it was early morning, the sky was still pitch black over the small pond, which was surrounded by trees. It was just the right temperature for mist to rise into the surrounding air, further obscuring the vision of anyone nearby.

Too much red; Number 1's chant is off beat;

The flow carefully constructed lattice, based off of one of the Academy's defensive barriers, was already showing signs of irregularities, even in the first verse. Supposedly, the barrier was based on a net that was once used to trap high-level phantasmal beasts; the perfect thing for catching the strongest possible servant.

Compensating; divert pressure from node three into node 12.

A pair of hands moved, manipulating an unseen object floating above a glowing magic circle.

Color returned to nominal, brightness nominal

The cycle repeated itself several times over. Every time there was any irregularity in the young man's breathing of flow of prana, his hands would dart around the air above the circle, seemingly independent of the rest of his body. Eventually though, the chant came to an end.

Number 1's task is complete; ending process 2; forming single thread;

The lattice exploded with color as the young man's eyes rejoined the same world. Colors that he couldn't even begin to describe.

—-The Warrior Clad in Bone—-

She felt a body forming around her spirit, instead of her much preferred form, she was forced into a human form for interfacing with others... how distasteful, it appeared she had been summoned into a Holy Grail War. She paused cocking her head to one side as the knowledge of the customs and languages of this era and the basic information about the War was loaded into her brain. She looked up, a savage smile on her face, as she attempted to look through the fog to see this worm that would call himself her Master. Seeing a mere boy with sunglasses on his face she stated, with all the regality of a queen on her throne, "You may have summoned me, little boy, but do not think for a second I will call you my Master. You may call me Mistress, if you must address me at all. Now tell me where the nearest place I can get seafood is."

edited 11th Feb '14 5:28:17 PM by Gladonost

Immediately there was established a strong resonance, an attractive force or feeling like magnetism pulling two objects together from opposite sides of the circle. Something, someone was coming, stepping through the fog of war that conceals both past and future to meet her. In that moment, it felt like infinite worlds were colliding in this one space, in this one time. What was and what is merged with what must be and brought forth something never meant to exist in this time.

The circle, now a raging storm rather than a calm gust, began to act up even further. The final materialization. It was happening. Arcs of lightning sprouted out from the circle like the roots of a plant that grew, withered and died at the speed of light, and water flowing from nowhere filled the circle and only the circle as pink smoke spread out from the center, concealing the summoned Servant in an opaque mist. Amidst the chaos, a sweet fruit smell wafted through the air, laced with the fragrance of peach blossoms floating on the pool that somehow maintained its shape with no container. Finally, the storm died down, silencing the raging waves that had distorted the surface of the water.

Momentary silence, followed by the sound of a singular ripple. The mist or smoke or whatever it was started dissipating. Standing in the center of the circle in the only dry spot amidst the pool was an effeminate young man in ritual Japanese garb. His skin was smooth and pale like porcelain, with a tinge of peach coloring, much like the shade in his hair. A sword hung at his side.

The peach-colored Servant regarded his (quote unquote) Master. His expression was one of casual arrogance minced with minor disinterest. "Namae wa?"

edited 11th Feb '14 10:35:13 PM by KSPAM

1 Month Ago

The SWAT Team had lined up on either side. The one closest to the lock held a breaching shotgun steadily to it. Every member waited with baited breath for their Captain's word. The Captain's breath was confident and controlled. A cool head was what this situation had called for. A fews hours ago the station had received a tip from a woman in hysterics. She said that her daughter had been kidnapped by a group of cultists. Various other tips and sightings suggested that this dilapidated apartment complex was home to a sect who practiced blood sacrifices. The SWAT team had been mobilized quickly. Observations confirmed that yes, there was in fact a cult residing here but there was no sign of the girl. The Captain exhaled.

Hopefully we're not too late. And if we're luck there won't be any 'real' cultists here...

"Go!"

The door was breached and the SWAT member piled in.

"ON YOUR KNEES!"

"GET DOWN!"

"YOU'RE UNDER ARREST!"

It seems they have intruded on a 'group prayer'. Most of the robed cultists were restrained in zip ties but amidst the confusion a few had retreated into the innards of the building.

"Alpha Team, Bravo Team, split up and weed those ones out. Do not let them leave the building."

The teams gave him an affirmative 'Yessir' and spanned out into the apartment complex. The Captain himself moved alone. It was unwise to do but he was confident in his own abilities. Besides, he just slow the upstarts down. He began his decent into the basement. Hopefully his comrades have already restrained the last few stragglers. However the girl had yet to be found. As he descended the steps he heard a whimpering. There at the foot of the stair was the young girl, bound and gagged.

"Don't worry, I got you." He radioed in his team to come pick the girl up. Tears were streaming down her eyes and she was sibling uncontrollably.

"It'l be alright. The Good Guys got you now..."

A light shone out from the space under the closed door just in front of them. He gently gave the door a nudge and it swung open. There, before a sigil made of blood stood, not a cultist, but a magus. He chanted as pale blue energy arced from the sigil:

Fill Fill Fill Fi-

"FREEZE!"

The magus was startled and turned around.

"W-what is the meaning of this! I am about to sum-GAAAH!"

The Magus shook erratically as twin wires from a stun gun had pierced his chest and sent electricity running though him. He collapses onto the floor twitching a little.

"If you don't comply you won't get fried." The Captain turned to the sound of footsteps behind him. Bravo Team.

"This the kid Cap-what the hell is this?!"

"You two take the kid out of here. I'd like to take a few pictures of this. Send them to the Investigators if need be. I've seen this kind of thing before."

Bravo Team nodded as they quickly escorted the girl up the stairs. The Captain but a pair of zip cuffs on the unconscious magus, making note of the weird emblem on the back of his hand. He quickly scanned over the blood sigil written on the floor. After snapping a few pics with his phone he dialled a number.

" Honey, we need to ta-"

TL;DR? Lol here you go.

The sigil started to give off energy. The Captain could feel a burning sensation on the back of his hand as seal appeared on it. Soon the energy from the seal began to take shape.

Sorry if this is kinda long ^_^;;;

The blue light from the sigil rose into the air like luminescent smoke and began to swirl around the sigil. An ethereal wind blew in all directions as the swirling energy steadily increased in speed and began to converge on the center. When the energy rose to an almost violent pitch, the wall of whirling light collapsed upon the center in a blinding flash. The wind ceased and light quickly drained from the basement, leaving only a strange mist wavering around the sigil.

In the dimness, a lone figure could be seen kneeling in the center, its body concealed by a red cloak and a classical copper helmet. Slowly, the figure rose and looked upon the Captain. The low light concealed most of its face in shadows, so that only the mouth could be tangibly seen. After observing the Captain for a few moments, the figure spoke, "You are my master?" sounding more like statement than a question.

1 Month Ago

"...What?"

Now

The Captain cleaned the gun for the third time. A Sig P226 Semi-Auto Pistol. He reassembled the piece and layed it down on the bed next to a variety of other weapons and 'deterants'. Acquiring these here was a pain but he knew a contact or two in the gun trafficking business that were itching for more 'brownie points'.

A cheap, rundown hotel room was his chosen Base of Operations. A place that wouldn't draw too much attention. Hopefully.

The Captain looked across the room to his 'Servant'. After the incident a month ago he had a talk with his magical consultant and recieved a primer on the Grail War. A competition between mages to determine who would recieve the wish granting device. He had no magical ability of his own but perhaps with a little ingenuity and a cool head he and his partner could win. Yes, 'Partner'. Much better than 'Servant'.

"So...my 'consultant gave me access to some familiars, though given the distance she can only use two or three at a time. I told her to only call if something comes up. I have a feeling observation will be key in this war, Partner."

The swirl of magic. The intricately complex and powerful ritual which her own petty circle and invocation had acted as a mere trigger to... to see it fully fuctioning before her, bringing filling a vessel with the essence of something forbidden and sacred beyond this reality and time was an experience unlike anything the studious mage had even been privileged to witness.

And the end effect... was a tad unexpected. She noticed quite a few things about the man before her... though the most startling thing was the sheer aura of power he emitted. He looked soft, cute and effeminate... but still, the woman realized that she stood before a being orders of magnitude beyond her own existence. Looking at the Command Seals on the back of her hand, however, she considered that it was no reason for him to look at her that way.

Samantha licked her wounded finger and then walked around her Servant... casting him an appraising eye as she took in every detail about the mighty being... Then she said "Please, don't try to be cute. You had to deliberately go out of your way to speak in Japanese... the vessel you're on should know German and English as defaults"

It seems like the two really were paired up properly. They both were arrogant and petulant.

edited 12th Feb '14 1:30:38 PM by daltar

The Hojutsushi

The Servant mimicked the Master, scanning her judgmentally as the two circled around each other. Then,

His pretenses of careful consideration were immediately dropped as a sour expression of distaste slumped over his features. "Damn. And here I thought I would at least be lucky enough to be summoned by one of my countrymen. Not some prissy little ojou-sama from the West..." Mumbling, he dispelled the water with a hand sign, which turned into vapor and settled into the floorboards. "Alright princess, so what is it? What's the dealio? You want money? Fame? Power? What's between you and the Grail? What's..."

He took a second look at her. Not too bad for someone her age. She seemed experienced. A mature young woman for certain. His tail batted back and forth. "... your name?"

edited 12th Feb '14 3:50:09 PM by KSPAM

Then

Narilette Sieglinde pushed her glasses up as she checked her own carefully-made summoning circle over for the third time in the last half-hour. Everything had been precisely arranged, such that all that remained to do was the actual summoning. She'd opted to not use a catalyst, to ensure that her Servant would be well-matched, and it was at last time to meet him/her. "All right, then," she murmured to herself.

Now

Nari's head twitched up as she noted the increase in magical energy. "So, it's finally started." Having successfully summoned her Hero, she'd set up in a small, innocuous building, and was currently sitting in the space that she'd picked as a workroom. She stood up, carefully set aside the notes she'd been making, and went to find her Servant. "Fujiwara? It's starting," she called into the Servant's general area.

Samantha cast a decidedly unfavorable look at her Servant as he started to prattle on... letting a hand rest on her waist before she spoke up "I am Samantha Clairmont, the woman that is now your Master. Something you ought to keep in mind. I don't mean to be a tyrant, but I won't abide this attitude from my Servant" she says being quite firm.

Of course, a good part of her mind was keenly aware that the being before her could easily kill her twenty times over before her body even hit the floor... but still, she ought to be resolute. This was her life she was risking, her ambition and dream on the line... and she would not let herself be cowered and controlled by her summoned Hero.

"Now, it's my turn to ask who are you, Servant. I expect a full account of your history and capabilities"

The Present Day

The Hoplite sat on the floor at the other end of the room, wrapped in his cloak, and watched his 'partner' assemble his weapon. His face, un-obscured by his helmet, which he had set to his side, seemed more alert than usual.

"It is key in all wars." The Hoplite replied in his usual stern tone. "You must be knowledgeable of all the enemy's weaknesses, or else all of your attacks may end up useless. Therefore, I urge you to make use of these familiars as soon as possible. Your lack of magic capability is a glaring weakness in this war, and the best way for you to overcome it is to find our foes' weaknesses before they find yours."

The Captain nodded to The Hoplite.

"Aye, though having no magical ability at all does provide an advantage..."

He picked up an Assault Rifle. A Heckler G36. He checked and cleared the weapon before setting it back down again.

"From what I understand some mages can detect magical residues left behind by the casting of spells. Since I have no magic of my own I am essentially untraceable. A bat in the night. Plus I doubt many of the participants would expect a gun at a magic fight."

He picked up a shotgun with a red dot sight on it. A Mossberg 590.

"Another advantage. Magic comes with a price, but this? I can unload five shots into a body and run 3 mile marathon right after."

A disturbing thought came to The Captain's mind.

"Do you think there will be...kids?"

Then

The summoning went without a hitch. There were the obligatory flashing lights and high winds. At their end a woman in a red kimono stood before Nari, hands gripping a wooden sword. “You are my Master?” she asked.

Nari would find her Servant sitting on the ascetic living room's floor, legs folded beneath her body and hands in her lap in the lotus position.
Hearing her Master's voice, the Servant opened her eyes. “Very well,” she said. “How will we act today?”

The Hojutsushi

There were words coming out of her mouth, of this there was consensus. However, her Servant no longer seemed to be paying attention. Instead, it seemed his focus was on something else entirely. He looked his Master up and down, entirely ignoring her every word, like he was lost in deep contemplation. Finally, he said, "Alright, alright! Slow your roll! First thing's first..."

The Servant gripped the hilt of his sword. There is a certain art of swordsmanship in Japan known. Very old, very revered. Focusing primarily on quick-draw techniques using the traditional sword of the samurai class of feudal Japan, this art, known as iaijutsu, is well-regarded for its quick bursts of speed and strength, used to decide the outcome of a battle in one decisive blow. Although he predated the development of the classical technique, what the Servant did with the wooden sword at his side was much the same. In one swift motion, he sought to strike at his Master's vitals. Kidneys. Stomach. Liver. Heart. Lungs. Trachea. Carotid arteries. Brain. Eight consecutive strikes performed in less than a millisecond. If she be worthy, the sword would do her no harm. If not, then she'd be, to politely phrase it, eviscerated.

The peach wood blade flashed through the air, performing all eight strikes with fastidious precision. Facing absolutely no resistance before returning to its sheath, the sword had made its judgment. It's owner sighed. "Alright then. You pass the first test. Evil ye be not. Now then, second test."

Then, he reached out and grabbed her breasts.

...

He gave the one he had cupped in his right hand a few cursory squeezes. "Hmmm... not bad, not bad." His inspection complete, he then moved on to checking her panties and thighs.

edited 13th Feb '14 1:11:39 PM by KSPAM

Apartment of the Heretic Mage

Out of Claude's ritual there emerged a Servant. Tall and gangly, his cherubic features, slouch, incongruously normal armor, and missing right hand made it clear that there would be no good first impressions here. He shrugged, and scratched the back of his head with the empty cuff of his right arm.

"I do believe that now is the time which we introduce ourselves, Mein Fuhrer?" He giggled at his own joke.

The Australian Sheepdog held his leash aloft, the fibers of the leash splayed apart to be used as improvised vocal chords. It had been a bit of a trial to arrange the circle without functioning hands, but The Leash did wonders for that. Merlin was his name. He was a good dog. His Master would have done this himself, but he was currently indisposed.

Freed from stuff like the need for lips to enunciate, the speech to summon the Servant came about in a matter of moments. No need to do an enormous speech when you can simply say it as fast as possible.

"Now!" The dog announced from The Leash, "Come forth, Servant!"

Heretic Mage's Apartment

"So you're the guy those ashes belonged to, huh? Well the name's Claude Hauteclare, pleasure to meet ya!" Claude said stepping up to the Servant and scrutinizing the armor he was wearing. He then stepped back and said, "Don't look the most impressive but then, I guess not being immediately seen as a humongous threat has its advantages, hmmm?"

Nari tapped her fingers together in thought. "Well, I'm not sure how much we can do just now. I've sent out some familiars for reconnaissance, but unless someone decides to head to spots with lots of natural mana or set off some giant magecraft without any subtlety, I don't think we'll find anything for a bit."

— The Blind Saboteur —

"Bright, bright, bright bright bright," Makoto said, covering his eyes with his arm. That was a lot more mana than expected, though not outside the realm of possibility. He took peeks from behind his arm slowly, as his eyes adjusted. What was standing before him was definitely female in shape, that much he could tell, even while she was still glowing.

Makoto tapped the sides of his sunglasses, adjusting them in more than one way, so he could look at the summoned entity properly. Definitely female. Wearing bone. Interesting fashion choice. And demanding to be called mistress, also interesting. Wasn't it supposed to be the other way I around? I'm definitely the mistress in this situation.

"I apologize for having to avert my eyes, your great glourious-ness, you effulgent magnificence was clearly too much for me. As for seafood,"

don'tsayitdon'tsayitdon'tsayitdon'tsayitdon'tsayit

",if you need something now you could turn around and reach into the pond behind you."

Said it

— The Black Gold Visionary —

Smoke swirled around, slowly coalescing into a defined shape. Slowly it became denser and denser, eventually reaching critical mass. Then, with a loud crack and a flash of fire, the smoke dispersed.

within it stood a man, clad in purple, black and gold dress, a large curved sword on his waist. His own memories mixed with knowledge of this time and place. He must certainly take advantage of that fact and have some fun while he is corporeal. Not to do so would be such a waste.

His gaze then fell towards the animal in front of him. The visionary stared down at the dog, straight into its eyes for several long moments.

"Tell me, what is it that you truly desire?"

The Proxy's Apartment

"I wish to—" Merlin sat down on his haunches, Leash following him. "I want my Master back. He was a good man. He was good to me. He made me like this. So I want him back. And I need your help. My name is Merlin." He looked back up and wagged his tail, giving a doggy smile. "It's nice to meet you, Black-Gold Visionary. What can I do to make your life easier?"

"Small dogs can bite with force to topple empires." The Servant said, stepping out of the circle. "Now then... what is it you want out of this war? I can only really fight by a Master when our souls align in powerful synergy!" He pointed out a window with his stump, making a fist with his other hand.

—-Warrior Clad in Bone—-

The woman paused, looked at him, and then her smile widened even further, "Why, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were attempting to make fun of me. But I'm sure that isn't the case now is it," she said as she sauntered over to him and ran a finger across his cheek and putting her mouth close enough to his ear that he could feel her every breath tickling it. "Especially because if you were making fun of your queen," she hissed into his ear, "then I'd have to kill you for sedition, now wouldn't I?" She than walked a short ways away from him and motioned with her arm as a small spout of salty water appeared in mid-air and splashed towards her so-called Master's face.

"All quite true." The Hoplite acknowledged. "Still, be careful; and do not by any means underestimate the capabilities of one who may manipulate nature's power."

The Hoplite stared at the Captain as he brought up the possibility of fighting youths.

"...It's a possibility... why?"

He lowered the shotgun and gave the Hoplite a grim look.

"That doesn't bode well with me. We shall not be takin' the lives of children..."

He laid the Mossberg down and picked up a small pistol like device.

"However I shall not let them get in the way of our goal nor will I let them endanger the lives of civilians. Children have no place in War."

A ringing resonated throughout the room.

"Hold on.."

He picked up a small earpiece and inserted it into his ear.

"Hello...yes...nothing yet?...ok...keep us posted."

He hung up.

"Our consultant. There's no sign of activity in the city and no traces of any large magecraft. Yet."

The Swordmaster

“While spying is a disgraceful activity,” the Servant in the red kimono said, “I understand. This war is unlike any I have fought in... I will trust your judgement.”
With that, she closed her eyes again and resumed her meditation.