>>48069137
Let's hit up the Church again.

You decide to head to the Church. Going to the forest is unlikely to bring any results since it's still daytime, and you've talked to Xuan enough, so trying to get some information out of Elena might be your best use of time.

Given that the Church is clear on the other side of town, the walk there is a lengthy one, made longer by the fact that Kiyohime seems to be perturbed by the sheer speed she had witnessed minutes earlier. Granted, you're bothered about it too; over a thousand times faster than a Servant...that's at the point of being called a relativistic speed. Just how can something reach that level of speed?

Regardless, in due time you arrive at the Church, but stop as you enter. The reason is simple: there is not one person there, but two.

The overseer, Elena.

The mystery woman, Xuan.

The two seem to be locked in a conversation when you enter the Church, both of them snapping around to face you.

"Oh, it's you! Come in, come in~ Elena here and I were just having a chat."

"Wait, you two know each other?"

[] "...what are you doing here, Xuan?"
[] Turn around and walk out.
[] Just stand there, looking confused.

>>48069440
>[] "...what are you doing here, Xuan?"
Hopefully Kiyo won't go full dragon on us (or them)

You blink, staring forwards in silence for a couple of seconds before managing to speak up. "...what are you doing here, Xuan?"

In reply, Xuan waves a hand dismissively. "Oh, this and that. Consulting services, you know." She said, before glancing over at Elena who was now eyeing you with a suspicious glance. "Oh, no need to worry, he's fine. I can't guarantee they're not around, but I can at least guarantee it's not him." Xuan assures, grinning coyly as she shifts her weight from one foot to the other.

In reply, Elena seems to contemplate the words for a few seconds before sighing, seeming to be noticeably more stiff of a person than she was yesterday. Finally looking at her properly, you notice a shallow gash in the skin of her neck, though it seems to be mostly healed.

"...I'm trusting you, you know." She says, obviously referring to Xuan before turning back over to you. "Well, I can include you in this since she seems to trust you, and her judgment is good. You arrived at a nice time. Servant Assassin and its Master have violated the rules of the Grail War in attacking a neutral party. As a result, I'm putting out a bounty; whoever brings me their head will be gifted with a Command Seal."

...well, that was a pretty quick escalation of things.

[] Ask why Elena trusts Xuan so much? Hell, you probably trust her the least of anyone you've met so far.
[] Ask for information on Assassin and how Elena knows that it was Assassin who attacked her.
[] Ask Xuan if she'd like to collaborate in finding Assassin.

>>48070269
>[X] Ask for information on Assassin and how Elena knows that it was Assassin who attacked her.
More info is always good.

>>48070269
Let's get some data on Assassin.

>>48069137
Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't quests supposed to go quest board.

>>48070562
It's a trial board still so there's no obligation to move there. I was also running quests there but it's such a dead board that there's no value in doing so, so I moved back here; maybe that'll change if/when it stops being a trial board, but while it is I'll be staying here.

===

You pause for a moment, deciding to ask Elena and Xuan what they know about Assassin. For a bounty to be placed on the Servant's head this early into the war, you assume there has to be something.

Elena sighs tersely, biting her lip for a moment before replying. "Last night, I was caught unaware and assaulted by Assassin; if it was any other Servant then I'm sure I would have noticed in advance. As for how they did..."

Xuan feigns a yawn, deciding to cut in as Elena falters. "Long-range weapons, like wires. They slipped under the door and moved towards the poor church girl's neck. By the time Presence Concealment's efficacy dropped, it just took a casual flick of the wires to nearly chop her head off."

At the suspicious glance you shoot her, Xuan just lets out a laugh. "She explained it to me before you came. I just stopped by to say hi, and then the next thing I know she's telling me the whole story, weird huh?"

"Those wires, whatever they were, were dangerous. Assassin must have had an absurd level of control over them, and they were thin enough to be mistaken for spider's silk even though they could have torn off my head." Elena added, slumping down into the pews.

Well, at least that's something, though you wish you had more information. An Assassin with a long-range ability like that, able to control wires with a frightening level of strength, isn't the sort of enemy you can afford to be careless about.

[] Ask Xuan what she's planning to do.
[] Demand two Command Seals as payment.
[] Decline the offer, it's none of your business for now.

>>48070628
>[X] Ask Xuan what she's planning to do.
I'm sure demanding a bigger reward from the overseer is not in our best interests. Also, the overseer being assaulted kinda-sorta makes it our business (if for no other reason than to avoid having the Church send another overseer and be more pissed off at heretics than they already are).

You glance over at Xuan. "And what's your plan, exactly?" You ask, a heavy amount of skepticism weighing down your tone. Even if Elena saw it fit to confide in her, Xuan's attitude up until now has hardly been trustworthy in your eyes. It doesn't help her cause that the second you start acting politely to her is the same second that Kiyohime will likely blow a gasket.

Xuan gives a slight shrug in reply, crossing her arms behind her head. "Well, if the Master of Assassin is who I think it is, then my Servant and I don't exactly have good compatibility with him on either level. It's just an annoying fight unless I try something that I'd rather avoid doing." She says dismissively. "So, I probably won't bother. As much as I'd love to help our darling little overseer, it's just not worth the risk for me. Mm, if you like though, I can give you a piece of information about who I think the Master is. It's in my best interests if they die anyway, since they're the pair most annoying to me."

[] Decline Xuan's offer.
[] Accept Xuan's offer (Specify payment: eg, Command Seal, alliance, information)

>>48070902
>[] Accept Xuan's offer (Specify payment: eg, Command Seal, alliance, information)
Command seal or info seems the thing least likely to piss off kiyo, i'll say command seal.

>>48070902
>[X] Accept Xuan's offer (Specify payment: eg, Command Seal, alliance, information)
Information would probably be the least bad option for us, unless said information is specifically about us.

>>48071103
You'll need to specify what info you're offering.

>>48071138
Not sure what we know that Xuan doesn't already know.
I'm scared that Kiyo might, er, strenuously object if we offer a seal (even if we might regain it by offing Assassin).

>>48071138
I don't think we have anything we know unless we want to sell Kiyo's name, so that makes it Command Seal or bust

>>48070902
I say decline

>>48071103
>>48071175 here
We could just ask Xuan what it would cost us (maybe she'd just give us the info for free, you never know....)? If it's limited to those three specific options, I'd probably change my choice to decline.

Alright, to be completely honest, being three hours in with sixteen posts means this probably won't be our best run in any sense, and I don't want to advance too far with only a small number of people, so I'm going to prioritize getting sleep and we'll just resume from here next time with Part 5.1. Sorry all, have a good one.