You shift your focus from the girl to yourself, and from yourself to the runic alphabet.
Empowered by the mana flowing from the leyline, you trace an R in the air.
The Raido rune, which gives absolute control over moving objects, quickly condenses in the air, then disappears.

The bolt of lightning coming your way halts for a second.
In that fleeting instant, it acquires a shape and definite contours.
A knight in a blue and yellow uniform, riding a brown horse.

Time seems to have ground to a halt for him, and his eyes widen in shock. He looks on the verge of falling, as the sudden stop propels both him and the horse forward.
The effect of the rune lingers one moment more, then, gnashing his teeth, the knight continues his ride at a reckless speed.

The rune didn’t stop him for long, but it was enough time for you to check his status.
A Rider-class Servant, obviously, with Magic Resistance rank D. That’s how he mitigated the effects of your runic spell.
Natsume, frightened, turns towards you, but in an instant she’s gone with the knight.

“Jeez, are we always gonna have to do things the hard way with you?”, the schoolgirl with the cane complains.
“Yes, so long as you insist on opposing the Ainsworths”, you reply.
“You really have no consideration for others, have you? That girl had problems with her bones, I don’t want to think of how much pain she’s in because of you right now”
“Because of me? Or because of your careless methods?”
“It was the only way”, she begrudgingly admits. “But we will fix her up. It’s still better than being your slave”.

“Oh, so we’re not that different, you and I, or you and whoever is behind you. Exitus acta probat, isn’t that so?”
“Don’t lump me with you!”, she yells back. “The Ainsworth hide their bid for power behind a facade of philanthropy.
Your twisted plans end today”

The girl snaps her finger, and a figure materializes right next to her.
A massive warrior, clad in a tunic of linen, with burn wounds over his eyes and sparse hair on his head.
The Status report on him is that he’s an Avenger, another irregular class Servant.

Avengers are the spirits of revenge, and unlike Berserkers, who have lost their wits, they retain their capacity to speak and their lust for vengeance.
“Avenger, get them!”, the girl shouts.

The warrior charges forward with a war cry.
His stats are nothing exceptional, and Saber could easily take care of him.
His first attacks are rough and aimless. He’s attempting to locate his opponent basing on the sounds he hears, yet so far Saber is not only expertly dodging his attacks, but also making next to no noise.

Her armor must be a gift from the Counter Force, being so sturdy and so flexible at the same time.
A faint gleam comes from the girl’s left leg: that’s where her Magic Crest must be located.
Her eyes shine with a blue light, and the warrior’s eyes magically open, shining with the same light.

His attacks are now much more precise, but still too weak to pose a real threat to Saber.
He exposes himself too much, and Saber is quick to exploit one of these openings to wound the Warrior’s left flank.
Shrieking in pain, the Warrior attempts to retaliate, but Saber’s nimbleness allow her to escape unscathed.

You shift your attention to the enemy Master: what was previously just a ring of light around the girl’s ankle has spread over the entire leg.
“What kind of… “

Avenger’s attacks are getting more precise and more powerful, coming one after another and leaving Saber less and less room to avoid them. His hair has grown, too.
A quick check to Avenger’s parameters reveals that they’ve all increased: he must have acquired a skill through Correct Oblivion that permits him to absorb more mana from his Master to boost his stats. Not only that, the more powerful he becomes, the longer his hair grows.
“Even so…”

The girl’s left side of the body is shining unnaturally. Those are her magic circuits, operating at full power.
The girl is clenching her fists in pain, supplying more and more power to her familiar.
Suddenly, the situation becomes clear to you.

You know exactly who she is, and you know exactly why she hates the Ainsworth.
The Enomoto are a powerful family of magi that petitioned the Ainsworth some time ago to join the Cavalier Families.
Yet your father had declined their proposal, as rumors spread that their Magic Crest had become corrupted.

You could see it with your own eyes: the Magic Crest was converting the girl’s muscles, bones and nerves into artificial magic circuits. This wouldn’t be normally possible, not even for a corrupted Magic Crest, if something wasn’t inherently wrong with the girl’s body.
She was in a school for the disabled, after all, and she gave it away herself when said that she was ready to face her demise.
A degenerative disease that leads to premature death is the only explanation. There is a way to accelerate this process.

Kneeling on the ground, you traces some runic symbols and a circle around you.
Saber is giving you worried looks as she fights, but you nod to her in reassurance.
Positioning yourself at the center of the circle, you begin chanting the spell’s words.

Greater Gandr, sometimes called Storgrandr, is a curse as close as possible to the original Gandr spell.
While modern magi have made it into a projectile spell, the original curse’s purpose was to worsen the conditions of someone who was already sick. As every curse, it falls under the domain of dark magic, one that the Ainsworth master.

By quickly degenerating her condition, you aim at killing her before she kills herself with the magic.
A shroud of darkness surrounds you, as you draw further power from leyline.
A few more seconds, and the spell will be ready.

It is then that you hear a desperate plea.
“Master, stop!”. It’s Saber.
You lose your focus for a second, which forces you to start over. Saber is holding her ground, so you are in no hurry as of yet.
But this is not what your Servant wants. What should you do?

>Cast your spell
>Trust Saber

Avenger is Samson?

>>106214
Trust saber

>>106214
Trust saber and assist her in defeating avenger.

>>106214
>Trust Saber

File: Namib Desert Namibia(2).jpg (244 KB, 1600x1200)

244 KB JPG

>>106207
>You will probably also need the Status Screen, as in the original VN, although not exactly as flashy
>https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-TPifOE7xWNiMUfsUM3jULHHK0vvi7n4_5bP4QQfVRE/edit?usp=sharing

In the next thread can you make a post after the first one that is a screenshot of Status sheet as of the start of the thread?

I'm having trouble getting the google doc to size correctly. (it's far to big/zoomed in so I can only see a few cells of the spreadsheet at a time [I'm on a computer with a big monitor not a cellphone])

Also it may help people on phones.

>>106701
The information on the status screen so far is somewhat sparse. I will try to fit it all in one picture but it's going to be difficult.

I don't know if the size of the screen is my fault or not, But I will look into that.

Is this your first post in this quest?

>>106701
It would be cool if you also vote dude. We need 5 votes to keep advancing in the story

>>106214
Trust saber

>>106214
>Trust Saber

>>106742
>Is this your first post in this quest?

yes.
(save for the duplicate post I made in the old thread before I realized you had moved on to this one.)

>>106812
>We need 5 votes to keep advancing in the story

Trust your servant, they are your servant after all.

>>106214
fine
>Trust Saber

‘Master… am I just a tool for you?’
As you recollect those words, the answer you couldn’t give, you look at her. She’s trying her best.
She won’t disappoint you. She can…
“You can win, Saber! Do your best!”

You repurpose the energy you had already absorbed to launch another runic spell: Gebo.
Drawing x-shaped symbol in the air, you empower your Servant with a ‘gift’ of additional mana to use to her discretion.
The Enomoto Master, on the other hand, is slowly losing to her Crest and her disease.

Vein-like shapes are forming on her body as she demands more and more power from her circuits.
She’s bent on the ground, her breath ragged, her mind lost. The only thing she’s repeating over and over is “I will kill you, Ainsworth. I will kill you, Ainsworth”

You can finally see the affinity between her and her Servant. They’re so focused on revenge that they don’t care if they end up dead in the process. Avenger is fighting his battle bare-handed, while Saber hasn’t unsheathed her sword yet.
However, the former is gaining the upper hand, not to mention his thin hair has grown into a full blown mane.

“I will… kill you.. Ainsworth… I will kill you… Ainsworth, ah no…” Enomoto seems to have noticed her corruption has spread to her hand, close to her Command Spells. “I can’t let you take these”, she murmurs, in between her heavy breathing.
“Avenger, by my first Command Spell, I order you: kill Saber. Avenger, by my second Command Spell, I order you: kill the Ainsworth Master. Avenger, by my third Command Spell, I order you: reveal your Noble Phantasm!”

That is the last thing she says. Then, the disease permeates her body entirely, and she falls flatly to the ground.
A fearsome murder intent permeates the air, as Avenger absorbs all the mana he can.
Then, it is all released with the utterance of a single word.

“DAGON!”
A white light blinds you, flinging your body through the air.
That’s the last thing you remember before hitting the ground and losing consciousness.

You don’t know how much time has passed, but you can hear voices around you.
“H-he looks beaten up”
“I betcha! He took a Noble Phantasm to the face”
“You know, we could just kill him now. To spare us the effort later”
“That’s preposterous and unknightly. I won’t stand for that”
“Then complain to your Master, not to me!”
“Archer, what do you think we should do?”
“I say we save the boy. I never forget someone who’s done me a good turn”.


INTERLUDE: THE DOCTOR AND THE GIRL.

The man in the white surcoat is sitting in his office, in the company of a girl with black short hair and of a man in a toga.
He is filling some papers, eagerly awaiting for someone to come.
Finally, the door slams. A knight in a blue and yellow uniform comes through it, holding a fainted girl in his arms.

“The trip was too much for her. I am afraid she’s not gonna make”, he comments, laying the girl down on a stretcher.
“Now, now, Rider. That’s gonna be my call”, the man in a toga replies.
Materializing a snake-entwined rod, he starts chanting words in a lost language.
Suddenly, a few drops of blood fall from the snake’s mouth into the girl’s.

The girl coughs as she comes to, in pain but alive.
“See, Rider? The Teacher’s plan was solid”, the man in a toga says, overjoyed. “How was that, Master?”
“Excellent. I had no doubt you could make it”, the man in the white surcoat replies.

The girl with short hair, on the other hand, is sitting far away from the scene, in the opposite corner of the room.
She’s consulting a mysterious looking book.
“So, with this I can be a proper Master, isn’t it so?”, she asks.
“Yes. My Servant will take care of the Mana supply, so you just need to anchor your Servant in this world”

The girl laughs. “It’s funny, because neither me nor him want to be here. We don’t want to fight, but killing is only the thing we can do. Maybe this time we’ll be able to put it to a good use”
“Don’t be silly”, the other Master scolds her. “What happened was not your fault, you shouldn’t burden yourself with such delusions. It’s been hard for everyone, but pinning the blame on someone won’t change how things are”.

Another laugh, this time much more bitter. “That’s right. It won’t change things. The only way to change things is to kill more. I hate killing. I can’t wait to kill again”.

INTERLUDE OUT.

“I don’t believe it. Humans are weak”.
That horrible nightmare again.
“We can bow and we can break. But if out there… If out there there’s something stronger than a human, something that cares for humans…”
It’s the desperate plea of someone dying. Someone entrusting her soul to the Counter Force.
“Prove me that they can change their life too… Because right now, I don’t believe it… And I’d give anything to catch a glimpse of that”

Your awakening is worse than the nightmare.
An artificial light is blinding you, and your entire body feels numb.
You remember your last battle with regret. Maybe you should have just used Storgandr, the Saber would be…
Where is Saber? Where are you?

>Attempt to stand up
>Check if you still have your Command Spells
>Try to understand where you are

Status screen: updating

>>107266
>Check if you still have your Command Spells
Trust her she said, what could have possibly gone wrong?

>>107266
>Try to understand where you are

either we go full shiro or fucked up long enough to become Archer

>>107266
>Try to understand where you are

>>107266
>Check if you still have your Command Spells

am I going mad or did a comment get deleted? I swear there was one about how kerry was right.

>>107562
There was.
I replied.
Then I looked bad and I felt I was being rude so I deleted mine too

>>107266
>Try to understand where you are

>>107266
>Try to understand where you are

>>107266
>check for command spells

>>107647
>>107612
>>107535
>>107375

Called, writing.

Every inch of your body is in pain.
Your eyes are blinded by the intense light and you wait until they adapt to it before starting to look around.
You’re lying on a wooden board in a dark room.
Moving the neck causes you pain, but you decide that the benefits of doing so outweigh the costs.

Indeed, turning on your left you see a man sitting at a desk in front of you.
At a first glance he looks young, perhaps around his mid twenties, even if the glasses he’s wearing are not exactly what a guy of his age would pick.

He’s reading a book called ‘Jerusalem Delivered’, and he’s so immersed that he hasn’t noticed that you have been staring at him for a while now.
You cough to get his attention, and he finally lifts his gaze from the book.
“Ah, you’re awake”
‘Quite the observant one’, you sarcastically remark in your head.
“Let me call the others, I am sure they’ll want to talk with you”.

He gets up and disappears through a hidden door behind him.
When he comes back, he’s followed by six more people.
A knight in a tardo-imperial Roman armor, a viking, Kenji, Yuuko, and two other familiar faces make their entrance.

The status screen immediately displays information about the knight, the viking and the guy who had been looking over you.
The Roman is a Lancer class Servant, while the other two are irregulars that go respectively under the class Shielder and Crusader.
“I sincerely hoped we would meet again, although maybe under better circumstances”, Kenji comments.

“Where am I? What happened to me?”
“You survived by miracle a A++ rank Noble Phantasm, that’s what happened”, one of the familiar faces answers.
You’ve seen her before and mistaken her for a man: she’s the albino girl wearing a suit. “Were it for me, I would have left you for dead”

You find it hard to fault her. You would have probably done the same in her situation.
“My Servant disagreed, and so did I. So I guess you have to thank us”, says another voice.
It’s a little girl wearing shorts and tights that you’re sure you’ve seen somewhere else.
“Let me answer that question for you: you’ve given me back my plastic camera, and then my dad told you to never speak to me ever again. Remember now?”
You nod, despite how painful it is. It’s somewhat shameful, but you owe your life to that little girl. You decide to thank her properly.
“Thank you. I am in your debt, miss…”
“I am not a girl”, he responds.

It’s a rather embarrassing moment, and you blush pretty hard as you notice that most people are trying to stifle a laughter.
“I am sorry. I guess I owe you”, you try to wrap it up.
“I just believe in repaying your debts, and so does Archer. You’ve impressed him, which, I must admit, is quite the feat in itself. But we weren’t expecting anything less of a Ainsworth mage”, he explains.

“Right. It seems you do know my name, so, if it’s not too much, might I ask for yours?”, you say, looking both at the albino girl and the feminine boy.
“She is Akira Satou, and I am Hideaki Hakamichi. We’re of course the heirs to our respective families of magi”, the guy replies. “Pleased to make the acquaintance of another apprentice of Zelretch”.

“The pleasure is mine”.
You know those families very well. Both, of course, had declined past invitations to become Cavaliers, claiming that a relationship of parity should exist between all of the disciples of the Wizard Marshall, and that the Ainsworth were no exception.

You wrote to and received letters from the head of the Hakamichi family circa a permit to stay in Sendai, a territory they administer. She granted your requests, but died tragically shortly after.
The young boy in front of you surely has great challenges to overcome in his future.

“I believe you already know my beautiful girlfriend”, Kenji intervenes. “Yuuko Shirakawa, she’s Akira’s and… well, just Akira’s cousin. She works part time here, at the Shanghai”.
Yuuko takes a few steps forward and bows, this time without endangering her health in the process.
“W-well, I g-guess it’s full time now th-that I quit my job at the Libr- at Yamaku”, she stutters.

“I see. We were indeed not properly introduced”, you think out loud.
All the eyes in the room are on you, so you decide to speak up and enquire on

>Where’s my Servant?
>What happened, precisely?
>What do you want from me?

>>107907
>Where's my Servant?

>>107907
>Where’s my Servant?

>>107907
>What happened, precisely?

>>107907
What do you want from me?

>>107907
>what happened to my servant

>>108103
This is supposed to be the second option.

So far first and second options are tied, waiting for a tiebreaker.

>>107907
>Where’s my Servant?

>>108408
>>107962
>>107923

Called, thank you.

“Where is my Servant?”, you ask, with a bit of hesitation.
Akira chuckles. “How very typical of an Ainsworth. Now that the formalities are out of the way, he loudly reclaims his tool”.
“Master, please do not reprimand the boy so often.You’re quick to speak ill of him, yet I believe he harbors genuine feelings of affection towards his Servant”, Lancer interjects.

Akira shakes her head in disbelief. “Lancer, you’re way too good at heart. Ainsworth…”
“You can call me Frederick, Satou”, you interrupt her.
“…Frederick, then. If you check your hand, you’ll see your Command Spells are still there. Saber survived the impact, although she was a bit hurt, not unlike yourself. She’s in the other room now, with Archer, and I really envy her”.

You breathe a sigh of relief. Putting pressure on your arms, you attempt to sit up.
It hurts, but you succeed. Now, time to put the first foot down and then…
Pain runs like electricity through your body as soon as you attempt to stand on your legs.

You lose your balance and regain it at the very last minute, managing to remain seated on the table but hurting yourself considerably in the process.
“Easy there, young magus”, Crusader says. “I will help you out”.

The Servant puts his book away and lifts you up putting your arm around his shoulder.
“Ready?”
You nod in assent.

He lays you down slowly, but standing up still turns out to be extremely painful, even with his help.
The pain subsides as you take you first steps. Bit by bit, you’re regaining control of your motor skills.
You can hear a loud laugh coming from the other side of the door.
Akira precedes the rest of the group out, and after traversing a dark and narrow corridor, you arrive to the side of the Shanghai you’re already acquainted with.

Saber, a tanned and brawny man that you identify as Archer and Akira are all sitting at the same table.
All of them have a mug filled with beer in front of them, but the albino girl is complaining that the Servants have been drinking from her glass while she was away.

This is a source of great entertainment and hilarity for the two, who, having lost their composure, are uproariously laughing.
“Oi Master!”, Saber calls to you, apparently half-drunk. “See? Told ya! Told ya! I defeated that big fat idiot, in your face!”.
You withdraw your previous analysis, She’s entirely drunk.

Kenji, Shielder and Lancer sit at the table right in front of them. The Roman and Kenji start conversing more reservedly, while the viking listens attentively.

“That’s right!”, Archer encourages her. “That moron was so mad he killed himself, hahaha! Just like… just like… oh.”
His expression turns sad as he starts staring inside the mug. There’s no more trace on his face of the mirth that was there just a few seconds earlier.

“Yuuko! Bring us some more alcohol!”, Akira commands. “I need at least a glass of whiskey to bear with all of this”, she addresses you, while attempting to light a cigarette.
“Smoking is not permitted in this local”, Hideaki berates her.
“Shut up, nerd. Know what else is not permitted? Using heroes of the past as killing machines, yet here we are”.

An argument erupts between the two, while Yuuko panics over the detractions from her paycheck and Kenji attempts to calm her down.
“So, Frederick. Where do you want to sit?”, Crusader asks you.

>With Akira, Archer and Saber
>With Shielder, Kenji and Lancer
>I’d rather sit alone.

>>108687
>>With Akira, Archer and Saber
fuck it, gotta see what the shit saber has been up to or just has she been getting drunk off her ass.

>>108687
>>With Akira, Archer and Saber

>>108687
>Shielder, Kenji and Lancer
Want to know more about them. We will have time to bond with saber later.

>>108687
>With Shielder, Kenji and Lancer

>>108687
>Help Yuuko. Noone invited us to the table, we still kinda owe them, and I can't help suspecting that Yuuko is the most dangerous entity in this town.

>>108687
>With Shielder, Kenji and Lancer

“I’d like to sit with Kenji, if you don’t mind. Saber and Archer are agreeable people, but I am not sure how their personalities change when they’re drunk”
“Very well, let’s sit with my Master then”, Crusader concludes.

He lays you down on a chair next to Shielder, then goes to fetch a chair to sit in between Lancer and Kenji. He opens his book again and continues reading.
“Calm down, Yuuko, will you?” Kenji is still trying to soothe his girlfriend, suggesting her to keep track of her cousin’s expenses and present the bill at the end of the war.

“How did this alliance come to be?”, you ask, not addressing your question to anyone in particular, just hoping that someone will answer.
“It’s somewhat of a recent arrangement”, Lancer tells you. “My Master and Yuuko are cousins, so when they found out they were both Masters they agreed to a truce. Crusader’s Master and Archer’s Master petitioned to join, too, and since the double task of keeping the Masters in School and the sword that killed the unicorn safe is quite daunting, they were accepted”
“The sword that killed the unicorn… a member of a Cavalier Family, Julian Harway, is participating in this war against the Aisnworth’s approval. I believe I recall him saying that he was looking for that”.

Lancer nods with a worried expression on his face. “Did you hear that, Crusader’s Master?”
“Eh? Ah, yeah, no, Yuuko, just calm down, I will pay for it, ok?” Kenji tries to end the argument and turns towards you, enticed by the information you disclosed. “So we’re dealing with a troublesome Master. We already had our eyes on you and on Tanaka from the Atlas Institute, considering you our priority targets. I am not a Magus myself, so I believe the final assessment will be up to the others, but given the circumstances, I think we could use your help”.

“Of course. And I’d be glad to join”, you reply. There are way too many anomalies in this War, God knows what was Ruler thinking. Then again, it’s not like you could refuse such an offer from the people who’ve saved you.
“The Holy Grail War isn’t a team sport, but you sure have assembled quite the squad. You can already count on two of the three Knight Classes, not to mention that Yuuko there, who’s a monster in terms of raw power and…”

>>111049
Silence falls upon the hall. Everyone’s eyes are on you once again.
Yuuko collapses on the floor and starts crying desperately. Shielder gets up and slams an empty mug on the table, looking at you through his helmet threateningly.
Foreseeing the incoming storm, Crusader drop his book, gets up and tries to calm him down, while Kenji kneels besides his girlfriend, hugging her and consoling her.

“Dude, did you like, have to?”, Akira asks, her cigarette in her mouth now lit, much to the displeasure of Hideaki. “Now it will take one billion years before I get my alcohol. Scratch that, more importantly, it will take one billion zillion trillion years before we get anything done ever again”.

“I rarely agree with my Master on such topics”, Lancer intervenes. “But this time she makes a point. Shielder’s Master is somewhat sensitive about her origins, so don’t bring them up casually like that, ok?”
“Yes, I understand. I apologize”. The Roman soldier’s smile widens. “Very good. I am afraid apologizing to her will just make her more distressed. She’s the kind of paranoid person who’d feel guilty about making you say sorry, so leave it to Crusader’s Master”.

Crusader is still trying to calm Shielder down. Clad in his full viking armor, the identity of the warrior is indiscernible.
Unlike Archer’s helmet, which lies next to his mug, or Lancer’s helmet, which doesn’t cover his face, Shielder’s helmet hides his facial features completely. The fact that he doesn’t talk either makes the situation even more unsettling, considering how close he is to you.

Yuuko finally gets a hold of herself. It took much less than Akira prospected. She gets up, kisses her boyfriend on the cheek and heads for the kitchen.
Kenji slowly returns to your table, his face no longer capable of hiding his exhaustion.
“Lancer already told you, and I am going to repeat you: please don’t ever do that again”.
His expression shifts from tired to focused once again. “I don’t know what the others need, but I for one would appreciate if you could keep contacts with Ruler. Our group has somewhat of a bad relationship with him because of Lancer here”.

“He’s scum”, the Roman soldier declares without a second of hesitation. “The fact that he’s in charge of this War doesn’t change much”.
Kenji gives you a dejected expression. “See what I am talking about?”
“Yeah, I get it. No worries, I am the one who summoned Ruler to begin with. I can do that for you”
“Splendid. Thank you”, he responds with a smile

“If you don’t mind, however, I’d like to know more about…”

>The School and its Masters
>The Irregular classes
>The sword that killed the unicorn

>>111053
>the Sword that killed the unicorn
We can ask ruler about the irregular class servants later

>>111053
>The Irregular classes

>>111053
>The sword that killed the unicorn

>>111053
>The sword that killed the unicorn

>>111053
>The sword that killed the Unicorn
I dislike how unruly Saber is turning out to be, she needs a talking to. I get the idea that everyone else is more important to her than her own master, killing an enemy that decided to kill us would've been safer, yet she didn't want that.
I want to know where her loyalties lie, next time we'll die for good.
I hope the storyteller can give us a moment for a heart-to-heart with her. While she might not be a tool, she was still summoned to protect us, not to hamper us.

>>111794
At the very least I want to know what's the deal with her and if I should prepare protection runes for myself and boosting runes for her if this is how it's gonna be. I guess it can work out if she goes all out and I become a buffer Magus.

>>111802
It seems we reached a consensus, so while I write up the next update, could you tell me exactly what bothers you about her behavior?

She's been kinda mopey after the visit at Yamaku, and I guess she really didn't see the explosion coming.

She's drunk right now, but interacting with Saber will be an important part of the quest, so if there's anything you'd like to complain about to her, let me know, so that I can include it in a speech.
I am sorry if it feels railroad-y, but I guess it would be unpractical to let the readers decide every single line of dialogue.

>>111811
I just noticed that it's quite obvious this place and the people here are important to her, she gets mopey when we strategize about how to win this if it involves killing anybody so far. The most blatant one was the fight against Avenger and its Master, the girl was out for blood and Saber still insisted that we spare her. This is a goddamn war, and a storied, bloody one at that, where split second decisions win it.

If I was in front of Saber I'd probably tell her "Look, these Holy Grail wars tend to be deathly business, and I most definitely not plan on dying until the goal we Ainsworths have dedicated ourselves to reach is achieved. But I understand you're not just a tool, and I want to take your input into account. So tell me, how do you want to do this? Let's reach a compromise, this thing is made so both the Magus and their Servant gets something out of it. So it's high time you told me: what do you want?"

>>111811
I agree it would be unpractical to let the readers decide on all the dialogue, so I mainly just hope to vocalize something that has already been mentioned by a few anons: that Saber is potentially a loose cannon.
You don't have to write what I suggested verbatim, I just ask for you to allow the MC we're playing to try and get stuff cleared up with her so our strategy actually converges, I mean, we could have gotten out of this much better if we could coordinate.

>>111865
I actually had already written the scene in which Saki dies because you cast the Storgandr in it, and then Saber's piece of mind about war and saving people.

I guess having you trust saber resulted in a missing piece of exposition that I will include later in the quest.

>>111878
Well, she still had time for that if she wants. Since I think most anons don't want to metagame, her attitude right now is showing us that she's A-Ok with us getting wrecked by an enemy's NP so much that she's getting wasted and boastful instead of thankful for trusting her and worried about our physical state.
Yet I think that's actually pretty good about the story, that she's not perfect. If she had behaved as I just mentioned there would be no conflict.
Again, it's not that me, Anon, is angry at your story. What I tried to write through is that me, as someone inmersed in the role of Fred Ainsworth, thinks of your character Saber's thoughts and motivations from what little she has said and from what she has done.
Hell, I'm still here and writing at length because I'm getting very, very intrigued at your quest. You're doing a good job.

>>111911
>Well, she still HAS time for that if she wants.
Made a little typo there.

“… this sword you’re talking about. Is it a powerful artifact? A Mystic Code, or a Conceptual weapon? I’ve heard there’s a magus in the Mage Association that is capable of manifesting a Noble Phantasm, even”.
Kenji looks worried as you go on. He shakes his head, then responds.
“I am afraid I can’t tell you much about it. It’s something we promised Akira we’d keep secret for the time being. If she doesn’t want to tell you, then I wouldn’t push the issue. Or if you really want to know, I would ask Ruler. If Harway has heard about it, then no doubt it was Ruler who told him. Either way, you’re walking on thin ice”.

He turns sideways and looks at Saber, who’s still drinking with Archer and listening to his bizarre stories.
“And so I told the bitch ‘fuck off’ but the bitch was all like ‘no please Archer you’re the most amazing man alive’ and then I was all like ‘yeah of course I am!’”
“Hahahah, you sure told her!”
It looks like they’re having fun, completely oblivious to the situation at hand.

“So, Frederick. Where are you staying, precisely?”, Kenji inquires while still looking at the boozing duo.
“Oh, I am staying in a Motel nearby. It seemed like the best one around”
“I see. As a matter of fact, the Shanghai has a few rooms for rental too. If you agree, I will send Crusader to get your stuff and proceed with the paperwork to book you a room. I think it’d be safer if you stayed here”.

You nod. “I can’t walk back anyway, not yet. I will of course make sure to pay for my room and everything else”
“Yes, yes. Let’s worry about that when we’re not in a life or death situation. Besides, if you could afford a better Motel, I doubt you’d have problems paying Shanghai’s lodging fee”.

All of a sudden, you feel tired.
It has surely been a long day, and after all that’s happened, your body is probably just craving some rest, maybe on something more comfortable than a wooden board.
“Would you mind showing me my room, then? If it’s not too much trouble”, you politely ask.
“Sure enough! Although you’ll excuse me, but I lack the strength to carry you there. Crusader will take care of that while I handle the bureaucracy. Right, Crusader?”

The young guy lifts his gaze from the book, puzzled.
“Ah, yes, sure thing, Master”.
He puts his book down, stands up and then proceeds to help you up much like he did earlier.
“Does it hurt, Saber’s Master?”
“A bit, but I’ve been through worse”, you feebly reply.

Saber stops her drinking for a second and stares at you.
“Master, are you leaving?” there’s no more trace of intoxication on her face, and she looks genuinely worried.
You’re not exactly in the right mood to talk with her yet, but decide to postpone the scolding for when you’ll be sure she’s sober.
“Yes, Saber. I feel somewhat tired. Our fellow Masters have offered me a room, and I think I’ll accept”
She looks at you dejected and embarrassed. She stands up and takes a few steps towards you.
“Master, I…”
As you stare at her, you can’t help thinking that she’s beautiful. Her eyes are like shining emeralds, and her golden hair gives her an almost angelic aura.
“Master, I… I…” she stutters as she advances. She stops a few meters away from you, looking down in contrition.
“What is it, Saber?”
“I… bleurgh!”

Saber holds her stomach as she pukes violently.
“Rather fitting summarization of my day”, you comment, as you observe the reactions of the other people around you.
Crusader took a step back to avoid having his clothes sullied, and at the same time dragged you back just in time.
Yuuko started panicking and Kenji mobilized to help her, while Lancer and Shielder stood stoic as usual.
Akira and Archer were laughing maniacally, while Hideaki was tending to Saber.

“Let’s go, Crusader. I will make sure to properly address her tomorrow”.
“As you wish”, he says, carrying you away.
A corridor behind the kitchen leads to a flight of stairs, which in turn lead to the first floor, where rental rooms are located.
As Crusader walks you there, he looks somewhat upset.
“Something’s the matter?”, you inquire.
“Nothing special. This will come off as abrupt, but, Ainsworth…”
“… call me Frederick”
“Frederick, have you ever turned down a woman?”

“Oh, no, not exactly. I have not been mingling a lot, so to say”.
“I understand. Well, I can tell you this: a few minutes ago, and after we rescued the both of you, Saber had that same expression. It belongs to a woman who has been rejected. Have you been treating her properly?”
“Of course I have, even more so than she deserved”
“I see. Then it can’t have been your fault, but please think about it. It’s no wonder she quickly bonded with Archer: regretful spirits tend to come together”.

You’re soon in front of the door, and Crusader gently removes your arm from his shoulder.
“The rooms have no locks, unfortunately. It’s a Japanese thing, I suppose. But then again, there are many ways in which a magus can lock a door without a key, right?
“Indeed. Thank you for your help, and goodnight”.
“Goodnight”, he says, before heading back.

Struggling to stand up, you pass through the door, close it behind you and crash on the bed.
Writing the Berkanan rune in the air, you make sure that no one will disturb your rest.
Shortly after, you fall asleep.

The nightmare is different this time: the pain you feel is not physical, but psychological.
You’re just standing there, on an road that you have seen a thousand times and never before.
The sun is dying, turning the sky red, as you watch your dream walk away.
It’s right there: it has two legs, two arms, a head, a body, and it’s walking away from you.
It hurts. It really hurts. You really wish it’d stop.

And it does stop when the first rays of sunlight graze your eyes.
You quickly sit up, breathing heavily.
The sheets are soaked in your sweat, and so are your clothes. Saber is nowhere around, and you check your Command Spells just to make sure that yesterday night wasn’t a dream.

It wasn’t. You’re in the room Kenji arranged for you and Crusader led you to.
But right now, your priority is

>Talking with Ruler
>Finding Saber.

Status screen: updating

>>112338
Well, I gotta pull through with what I suggested:
>Finding Saber
Also, the pain has apparently stopped but how spent is our body from using our energy to heal? Maybe we should take the day to recuperate and strategize with Saber after our heart-to-heart.

>>112338
>Finding Saber
We need to talk to her.

>>112338
>Finding Saber
we need to bond with her

>>112409
>>112473
I'm glad I didn't misunderstand my fellow anon's feelings, seeing how lengthy my tirade was.

>>112511
Hey, don't sweat it man.

Even if anons disagree with you, I alway enjoy reading my reader's feedback.

>>112338
>Finding Saber

>>112756
C'mon guys, we need one more.

>>112338
>Finding Saber

Is it already time to suggest the "mana transfer"?

>>112964
Maybe keep it as a trump card after an unavoidable furious battle.
They'll never see it coming.

>>112409
>>112379
>>112473
>>112756
called.

>>112964
l-lewd.

Yeah, you two surely have something to talk about.
Slowly, you attempt to put your legs down and walk.
The pain is all but gone, although you can’t seem to shake a general sense of fatigue and weariness.

You head for the door’s knob and… *SLAM*
You’re repelled by a magical field. “Right, I forgot”.
You replicate the Berkanan rune’s shape backwards in the air with your fingers, and the magical field dissipates.
This time, the door lets you through.

As you open the corridor, you notice Archer sitting there with a hot-water bottle over his head, possibly hungover.
“Yo, Magus!”, he calls out to you in a sickly yet boisterous voice. “Can you warm this up for me?”
“Sure thing”. You kneel next to him and engrave the Dagaz rune on the bottle, before quickly dispelling it.

“Ah, you’re probably right”. He sighs. “About yesterday evening. I am sorry, I convinced Saber to get hammered. She looked really down, and when I feel down or think of my friends the only thing that helps is alcohol. Lancer’s Master is my only drink-mate, all the other Servants are too high and mighty to just share a drink with me, so I was happy to see she’d join me.”
“Don’t worry about it, she’s my Servant and my responsibility. I won’t tell you how to live either, since you already have a Master, but drinking won’t solve anything”

“I know, I know. I gotta fix my problems on my own, for once, and that’s why I joined this War. If you’re looking for Saber, she’s drinking coffee downstairs. Would you tell her that I am sorry?”
“I will. See you later, Archer”.
“See you later, young Master”
“You can call me Frederick”, you tell him, before climbing down the stairs.

You quickly arrive in the main hall of the Shanghai, which is barely illuminated by the rays of the rising sun.
Saber is sitting all alone at the same table as yesterday night. She’s wearing a black and purple dress, with white sleeves, and she’s sipping coffee from a white cup.

She raises her gaze to meet yours, and then smiles.
“Good morning, Master. Sit with me, please”, she invites you.
You oblige without too much enthusiasm.
“I guess you’re disappointed in me”, she says, trying to anticipate your complaints.

“I am, Saber. I don’t understand what you’re thinking, and that’s probably my fault too. I could have died there, you could have died there. It was a miracle that we’re still alive, but miracles rarely happen twice. So please, let me know what’s going on in your head”.
“Master, you once told me that you wanted to save the world, isn’t it correct?”
“Yes”, you decidedly respond. “That’s been my family’s goal for generations”.
“But you don’t really understand, Master. Saving the world and saving the individual are two different things. I’ve encountered nothing in my existence as precious as human life, and even if as a Counter Guardian I’ve saved countless lives, I’ve never saved anyone.”
“Do you think getting us killed will change that?”

“No, that was a mistake on my part. I apologize, Master. I never valued my own life, but that gives me no right to devaluate your own. I wouldn’t have minded dying to Avenger if it meant saving that girl who wanted us dead. Because humans can achieve anything, they can change and turn their lives around… as long as they have a chance to do so”
That sentence takes you by surprise. Is she the girl in your dream?
“So what do you propose we do? You say you’re not willing to kill, and neither do I thirst for blood, but sometimes there’s just no other way”
“No, from now on I will trust your decisions, Master. I’ve been unfair to you, in more than a way, and you’ve repaid me with nothing but trust. As long as you don’t ask me to murder in cold blood, but to kill my opponent, I will do it. Is that ok?”

“That’s ok. Let’s hope it never comes to that”, you conclude, somewhat saddened. She’s still looking at you with that stupid grin on her face, and it is filling you with guilt.
“We will make this ok, right Master? We will save the world”
“Yes, Saber. We will fix this up”, you reply with conviction.

“Good!”, she says, overjoyed. “So what do we do now?”
“Ah, have you seen Crusader anywhere? I think Kenji sent him to get my stuff”
“I haven’t, to be honest. If you want we can wait for Yuuko, she’ll know for sure”
“I also made a promise with our new friends to keep in touch with Ruler. We’ll have to pay him a visit sooner or later”
“Yeah, we definitely should. Although we should also work on a battle plan, to prevent the accidents of the last night from repeating”, Saber cleverly points out.

Yuuko appears from the kitchen in her waitress uniform, and upon seeing you, bows deeply again.
“Good morning, thank you for patronizing the establishment!”, she shouts.
“Calm down Yuuko, there’s just you and us here. Besides, we’re not customers, we’re allies, remember?”
“Ah, yeah, I remember. I am sorry”
“I am telling you, there’s no need to apologize. In any case, have you seen Kenji or Crusader? I recalled this morning that your boyfriend told me he’d fetch my stuff from me, but I never told him where I was staying before coming here. Even more, there’s a magical lock on the door and I don’t think he’d be able to pick it”.
“Oh, I believe they went on patrol to Yamaku. I am worried for them, you know? Let’s hope they come back soon”

You’d like to point out to Yuuko that the school day probably hasn’t begun yet, but you realize that will just make her even more worried.
All that’s left to determine is what your priority is.

>Decide on a battle plan
>Meet Ruler
>Go fetch your workshop tools

=============
Sorry guys, I split the text poorly and so the update came in three posts rather than one.
I will try to be more careful next time

>>113641
I think we should first discuss strategy so
>Decide on a battle plan
Also, if we could ask Saber about what she wants to achieve in this Grail War after the strategy meeting, that'd be nice.

>>113641
First we need to know more things.
>Meet Ruler

>>113641
>Meet Ruler
But i also agree with >>113714 we need to work on our relationship with saber

>>113641
>Decide ona battle plan
We already decided that cold-blooded murder is our job whenever it's nessesary - fine. Would be nice of her to settle the rest of her rules of engagement, for, as far as our family is concerned, the noble cause of our endeavour allows for broad tolerance in our choice of means to achieve it.

>>114008
Are we becoming the Kerry to her Artoria?

>>113714
I'm this guy so I ain't voting again, byw.

>>114567
If she keeps up her "thou shall not kill" preaching I guess.

>>114908
I guess it'll get interesting when we have to begin taking down our currently allied Servants. Unless they voluntarily retire it won't be pretty.
We'll see how it goes, I suppose.

>>113641
>Meet Ruler

>>113641
>Meet Ruler

Lancer being a saint who dislikes ruler probably means he's saint martin of tours? I'm not exactly certain if he had bad relations theodosius like ambrose did but on the other hand ambrose would probably not be qualified to be summoned as a lancer.

>>115743
>he's saint martin of tours
or ambrose

>>115745
>>115743
Imagine if he's Longinus. Spear of Destiny would be one hell of a NP.

>>115824
Our lancer is roman legionnaire, too.

It’s time to uphold your share of the bargain and talk with Ruler.
“Let’s go, Saber”, you say, standing up.
“O-one moment!” Yuuko calls out to you before you can leave. “Y-you haven’t paid for coffee”

“That’s right”. Saber has no money on her, so there’s no way she could have paid. You reach for your wallet and put some coins on the table. “Will that be enough? Also let me know if you prefer me to pay for the nights upfront or at the end of the stay, and if you require an earnest”
The waitress nods a few times in assent, which doesn’t really answer your last question.

‘I’ll figure something out with Kenji’, you decide, and motion Saber to come along with you.
You’ve walked the way from the Church to the Shanghai a couple of times already, but you’re used to see it deserted.
Today, instead, it looks like the entire population of Saitama has collectively elected to clog the streets.
The people are talking with a worried tone about the events of last evening.

Apart from the usual lunatic who claims to have seen angels and demons fight, most people agree that a loud explosion was heard and when they woke up, there was a large crater in the main square of the street.
Most people emphasized its depth, which provided one crucial detail: Avenger’s Noble Phantasm isn’t exactly an explosion that deflagrates, but rather an overwhelming force that pushes downwards. Makes sense, considering Samson’s legend.
Saki Enomoto must have planned for that well in advance.

The door to the Church is ajar, and pushing it a bit you let yourself and Saber in.
A huge golden cup is laying on the altar, with no trace of Ruler around.
“Ruler, are you here?”, you call out to him loudly.
Coughing and wheezing, an old spirit takes form.

Ruler looks 20 years older, barely stands on his knees and immediately seeks to sit.
You rush to support him. “Ruler, what happened?”
“I… I really pushed myself this time”, the old king whispers.

“Are all those irregular class Servants your doing?”, you inquire.
“Yeah. I used some discarded vessels left in the Grail”.
“Why? Is that the reason you’re so weak?”
“I guess. Take off my bracers, Ainsworth”.

As you do, you noticed that the intricate design of Command Spells left place to what looks more like a scar tissue.
“They’re used up, all but the three. I had to use some of them to make new Masters, some others to summon new Heroic Spirits, and others I used to take physical form when it was required of me. I’ve only used one Command Spell to give an order to an Heroic Spirit”.
“I see. So did you waste a Command Spell to talk with me?”
“No, I could sustain myself thanks to the fact that two Heroic Spirits have been slain. The more will die, the stronger I will become”.

“You still haven’t answered my question”, you press on. “Why did you summon so many irregulars?”

“I hate repeating myself, but… I have a soft spot for underdogs. Regulars and Irregulars, magi and non-magi. I’ve tried to give everyone with a strong will a fair chance. Different people should be judged according to different criteria”.
That was his creed well before the war begun, you recall, so you really have no reasons to be surprised.

“How did they find you, Ruler? Or did they just perform the summoning ritual in a location of their choice?”
“Some of them met me. Some of them summoned their Servants using the traditional method, just like you attempted to do. Some others didn’t even need to do that”
“What are you talking about?”
“Rituals and magecraft are fancy things, but nor I nor the Grail care about them. We select the Masters on more stringent criteria than simply being able to draw a magic circle and recite a formula. All your opponents will be formidable, Ainsworth, because they all harbor a desire as strong as yours”.

‘That’s the way it has to be. The Grail pits will against will, man against man, to see whose desire is the strongest. I did not expect anything else’.

“How many irregulars are there?”, you ask.
“Seven, including myself”
You make some quick computations. There’s one you haven’t met yet, and that in itself is a reason to be concerned.
“Very well. Thank you for the information, I am sure the others will find it interesting”.
“Oh? You teamed up with fellow Masters? That’s a good strategy, Frederick” He hesitates for a second. “I can call you Frederick, can’t I?”
“Of course, do not worry for such formalities”.
“Excellent. But don’t tell me you’ve teamed up with Lancer and his Master!”
That remark makes you a bit uncomfortable, so you decide to investigate further.
“Why so? You don’t like each other?”
“Upon realizing who I was he spat on me. I don’t mind that, though, but I mind the attitude of people like him: their way or no way”.

Probably Lancer’s status as a Saint clashes with Ruler’s beliefs of tolerance for different faiths, you suppose.
“Anyway, no matter who your allies are, as long as you require basic information, I can help you”, he concludes.

>Ask about the sword that killed the unicorn
>Ask on which Servant he used a Command Spell on.
>Leave

>>115835
Did I write Legionnaire in the status screen?
I thought I wrote Imperial Guard member.

>>115864
>who did you use a command spell with?

>>115864
>Ask about Command Spell

>>115864
>Ask on which Servant he used a Command Spell on.

>>115864
>Ask which servant did he use a command spell on
They all have a strong desire and here we are, making alliances, playing a game of good little boys and girls. Are we the only ones who know what the Grail War is all about? Do they really think we'll be able to come out of this happily with a pat on the back and a "see you later"?

>>115864
>Command Spell

>>116156
This is an excellent consideration, mind if I borrow it for later use?
I do think it's something Fred would say.

After all he's mostly joined the other Masters out of a sense of obligation and because he believes he can profit from it in the short term.

also, archer has considerable strong stats so he's probably a big shot. He also has independent action A+ which makes him equal to literal gods in that regard. he's probably Hercules. I know that a variant of archer herculas has actually recently appeared in canon and his stats are even better than this archer but maybe OP didn't know that yet.

>>115835
Longinus makes sense too but I still assume he's saint martin.

>>115864
In what world is slayer an underdog? the guy has A rank stats across the board.

>>116247
Allow me to clarify: What Ruler means is that creating more Servant allowed him to assign some of them to 'underdogs', not that all underdogs received irregular Servants, nor that all irregulars are underdogs.

Slayer is the second strongest Servant in this HGW, third if we consider that he has a very bad match-up against another Servant.

>>116193
Well, it's the natural thing to ponder on if you're a noble family's Magus and you've read about what happens in the Holy Grail War. It's even in the name; they didn't call it the Holy Grail Debate or the Holy Grail Tea Party, after all.
It's funny because Akira is the only one that has been properly cautious about us. She could do with some cordiality towards her enemies but I can't honestly fault her.

>>116193
>After all he's mostly joined the other Masters out of a sense of obligation and because he believes he can profit from it in the short term.
They can fool each other, they can TRY to fool Frederick but their hearts cannot fool neither the Grail nor Ruler.

>>116280
All things considered, it ain't even a war. It is human sacrifice ritual, no matter how fancy summoned undead champions make it look like.

>>115864
>Ask about the sword that killed the unicorn

>>115864
>>116495
Whoops, i actually meant to choose this one.

>Ask on which Servant he used a Command Spell on.

>>116486
True enough. All in all it's grizzly bloody business.

“Yeah, if you don’t mind, could you tell us who did you use the Command Spell on? Sounds like a rather drastic measure”, you ask.
“Oh, Caster. I forbid him from using his Noble Phantasm, since he has a poor understanding of it and the consequences might be unpredictable. However, my Command Spells are not as effective as a Master’s Command Spell. They can be repurposed by the actual Master. Once Caster’s Master discovers his Servant cannot unleash his Noble Phantasm, he will probably use one or two of his own to cancel mine.”
“I see, so it’s a temporary measure”
“indeed, although I can’t think of any single person insane enough to want to manifest Caster’s Noble Phantasm. Enough of this, I’ve already told you too much. Seek me another day”, he concludes before vanishing once more.

You make your way out of the Church, and see that most people left the streets and went back to their homes or to their jobs.
The people who stayed outside are still discussing the accidents of yesterday and how miraculously no one was injured.
The explosion destroyed the square but didn’t even graze the buildings. It doesn’t make sense for them, but it’s clear for you.
Saki wanted only you dead.

“Have you heard that, Saber?”
“What is it, Master?”
“All the participants in this War have a strong desire. Maybe it’s something they’re not willing to kill for, but it surely is something they’re willing to die for. Will you be ready for that, Saber?”
“Ready for what?”
“For when it will be our turn to kill. For when it will be our turn to trample over another person’s life and desires just like you trample over wastepaper on the pavement. The day we’ll have to face our new ‘friends’ isn’t that distant. So I ask of you: will you be ready?”

Saber looks uncomfortable, but bows her head in assent. “I promised, didn’t I? So don’t worry for me”
It’s clear that she’s not convinced yet, but she’s putting on a brave facade.
For now, you think this will do. She doesn’t have to hate your pro tempore allies, not yet, and she manifested the will to change her attitude.
Right. ‘Change’, just like that person in your dreams.

Soon enough, you are back at the Shanghai. The inn is basically empty, and Yuuko is going around cleaning tables and glasses.
She doesn’t abruptly bow as she’s used to do, instead waving her hand at you.
It’s a good sign, maybe after all she’s starting to open up to you.
Whether she’ll be an ally or an enemy, learning more about her will just benefit you.

>>116699
(check 'em)

There’s one young customer sitting alone at the table by the window.
He’s playing with an handheld console and sipping from a cup of tea.
“Hakamichi!”, you call out to him.
He lift his gaze from the console and stares at you with disinterest.
“I thought we were on first name terms, by now”
“Oh, right. Well I don’t particularly mind, but your mother always gave me the impression of being very formal, and I thought you’d be too”.
“She was very kind and warm, actually, but my father used to check her letters in advance, so she always had to appear cold and detached to her correspondent”, he says, going back to his video game.

“I have some news from Ruler”, you announce.
“Save them for later, Romeo and Juliet are busy and Akira’s working. I wouldn’t want you to repeat the same story twice”.
“Akira… works?”
“Yeah, she’s in the family business”.
“I understand”.

And like that, you’re out of topics of conversation.
Saber’s just standing there, looking outside the window, while Hideaki plays on his device.
“So, Ainsworth, do you want to play with me? I have another console like this, and it seems like you’re bored out of your mind. This game has a multiplayer function too, and it’s more fun to fight with real life players”, he proposes.
“Ah, well, I…”
“Or if you want I could teach you some magecraft. Not the nordic tricks your family taught you, I am talking about something more fitting of a Zelretch’s disciple”.

The boy’s words are rather offensive, considering he offered you to teach you magic in the same tone in which he offered to play a video game together. Then again, learning something new can’t hurt, right?

>Decline both his proposals
>Accept the video game offer
>Accept the magecraft offer.

>>116705
>Accept the magecraft offer.

>>116705
Lol... "nordic tricks", he says.
I'll be honest here: anything that can be learned in the timeframe of this war is probably not that useful. Also, he has lost my respect to him as a Magus.
Might as well just keep my opinion to myself, take his comment about our "nordic tricks" with mirth and
>Accept the videogame offer.

>>116705
>Accept the videogame offer
Any magus like the Ainsworth would never accept being taught by someone that talks shit about their family magecraft.

>>116928
Indeed. It's a matter of principle.
Freaking kids, thinking they can talk shit about other people's traditions...SABER, BRING ME MY WHISKEY!

>>116705
I almost forgot, can we invite Saber to watch the videogame with us, if "Accepting the videogame offer" wins? She'd probably appreciate the distraction.

>>117042
That was the next step of of my masterplan

>>116705
>Accept the video game offer

>>117122
It's like caring for one's little sister, so far. A little sister who's far stronger than you, but still a little sister.

>>116705
Accept the videogame offer.

>>117178
She helped you with the Motel, though.
And she helped you in Yamaku as well.

>>117267
Hey, I didn't say she's useless. She just gives the feel of a bubbly little sister. An elder sister would be all business-like.
It's not a bad thing to be, in short, we're already the "srs bsnss" guy, she makes for a good counterpart.

>>117267
Ah I see, it was probably the "caring" word. I meant that as an "I care for you and look out for you and your well-being", not an "I have to take care of your useless ass".

>>117267
Saber a cute!

>>116705
>Accept the video game offer

>>117390
>>117263
>>117166
>>116928
>>116779

I called it lads.
But I am having my D&D session right now, I will write it when I can.

>>117484
ETA on the next post, boss?

>>119571
The session just finished, with me saving everyone's asses once again.

I could write right now but what's going to happen next is that you will receive some serious information about the KS-side of the setting and I think it's better to deliver this information with clarity.

Therefore I will write an update tomorrow first thing in the morning.

>>119677
Oh alrighty. See you tomorrow, Storyteller bro'.

>>119683
Sorry again for the inconvenience, I am just trying to deliver some quality.

>>119782
No problem at all! You post when you think you're ready, pal.

“I don’t think I am going to need lessons from you in Magecraft. On the other hand, I’d gladly take up your offer to play videogames”.
“Very well”.

Hideaki starts fumbling in his backpack and produces a console much like the one he’s using. He hands it to you, then he returns to his own. Not without some difficulties you turn it on. The screen reads “Melty Blood”, which is likely the title of the game.
“What kind of game is this?”, you ask him.
“It’s a beat ‘em up, rather balanced in my opinion. Just pick the character you feel the most appealing and try to get comfortable with it, once you’re ready we can play 1 vs 1”.

The game seems simple, at least at a first glance. Pressing buttons or a combination of buttons causes your character to hit the enemy, and some buttons can be used to protect your character from damage. When certain conditions are met your character unleashes a ‘special attack’ that is particularly harmful for the enemy.

After a few fights, you feel confident enough to challenge Hideaki. You’ve tried all the difficulty levels and none appeared to be too challenging.
“Pass me the console, I will configure it for multiplayer”, he responds to your offer to fight.
He passes it back to you after a few minutes. It’s a character selection screen, meaning he did actually leave you free choice on who to use.

“Oh come on, you picked Ryougi Shiki! How lame can you be?”, he whines.
“You told me to pick whoever looked more appealing”
“I bet you’ve actually tried them all out before judging which one was easier to use”
“I did try a couple of characters, but I like the vibe this one gives. Is it bad?”
“Nah, forget it, I will defeat you anyway”.

And he does. Apparently fighting against real players is an entirely different matter than fighting against the CPU.
“Not bad for a beginner, but you should do more than button mashing”, he explains.
Saber has been eagerly looking at you and at your game, her eyes wider than ever.
“Master, do you suppose I could try that now?”, she pleads.
“Uhm, sure”, you answer, passing her the console.

She’s overjoyed to get her hands on the game and she seems to be much more skillful than you are.
Hideaki proposes to fight her, and judging by Saber’s speed and the length of the match, she’s a much better player than you are.
Eventually the Hakamichi magus wins by a small margin, and Saber demands a rematch almost instantly.

“You’re pretty good at this, Saber. Where did you learn?”, you wonder.
“I guess I had a very competitive friend who liked all sorts of games, but I can’t remember precisely right now”, she replies without diverting her attention from the game.
Heroic Spirits that reside in the Throne of Heroes might come from the past, present or future. Saber might simply be an hero that existed when videogames were around, you reason.

You spend most of the day in that way. From time to time, Yuuko comes to get you something to drink or to eat, while you watch Saber and Hideaki fighting it out in game.
They are pretty much equal in skill and after Saber bridged the beginner’s gap, she quickly caught up with Hakamichi.

After what felt like a few minutes but was actually hours, you see Akira entering the Shanghai, waving at Yuuko and heading towards your table. The sun is now setting, painting the sky a crimson red.
“Yo, lads. Having fun with your game?”
“It definitely looks so, they’ve been playing for so long now”, you reply.
“Oh, I miss being young and not having a care in the world”
“What do you mean, Satou? You’re young as well”
“No, I mean young-young. Like, elementary school young. Those were the days”, Akira says with a nostalgic look on her face. “Yuuko! Bring me something strong, please. I need it after a day like this”

You can see the timid waitress bowing and quickly disappearing behind the counter, perhaps looking for some special brand whiskey.
“Yuuko said you work in the family business”, Saber remarks without lifting her gaze from the game. “How is it?”
“Awful. I wish I could quit, but I can’t”, she bitterly comments.
“Oh? Why so?”
“You see, Saber, magi are what you would refer to as ‘amoral familists’. This means that for them the concept of good and evil doesn’t exist outside of the family circle. They care about their family and nothing else, and I guess looking after the family business is not dissimilar from looking after the well-being of the family itself”, you point out to your Servant.

“Preach it, Ainsworth”, Akira says while lifting her empty glass in celebration. “I love my family”
You suppose she called you by surname to stress the fact that you, too, would do anything for your family and for its name.
“I especially love my sister, she’s a much better person than I am”, the albino girl continues. “In retrospect, I can barely stand my parents. The one person whose well-being I care about is her”.
“My sister is dead”, Hideaki off-handedly interjects, still immersed in his video game.

“Hey! That’s not the kind of thing you should talk about so lightly!”, Saber protests slamming her console on the table.
“Although I appreciate your concerns, no level of damage to my personal property will bring her back to life”, he retorts. “Nor will any level of grieving bring about meaningful consequences. She was a genetic failure anyway, unfit as a person and as a magus”
“Oi, oi. That’s too much, now, kiddo”, Satou scolds him. “If you don’t like your sister that’s your business, but have some respect for the dead”.

The boy just shrugs and carries on. Saber on the other hand is visibly upset, and is playing the game as if every blow dealt to Hakamichi’s character is being dealt to Hakamichi himself.
A few more hours pass, and even the last lingering rays of sunlight disappear.

“Where’s Kenji? He should’ve been back already”, Akira complains.
Yuuko, too, looks worried as he serves the last customers of the day. Once they pay and leave, she changes into her casual clothes and comes sitting at your table, shaking in fear.

A few minutes later, you see a firework exploding in the sky.
Everyone stands up at once. “That’s a mana-charged Bengal light. Someone’s in trouble”, you assume.
“Yeah, it’s probably Kenji’s”, the Satou magus concludes. “Let’s go. You stay here Ainsworth, we will be back soon. Remember everyone, this is an extraction operation, not a battle”.

The other two magi nod and the three of them storm out of the Shanghai.
Saber is still looking at her video game in a mix of shame and anger.
“Master, if you want, we can follow them at a distance. It’s your call”.
Although she says that, it does really look like she’d want to go out and prove herself one more time to you.

>It’s their own business
>Let’s go

>>122217
>Let's go

>>122217
>Let’s go

>>122217
How are we physically? Are we fully healed already?

>>122265
You're fine.
You were tired in the morning but you're fine right now.

>>122273
Alright, then
>Let's go
Also, can we prepare some healing runes in case Kenji needs an emergency heal?

>>122279
You can prepare ONE runic spell, but you can't 'store' runes, as in prepare more than one at a time.

You can however use the preparation time to recall the runic alphabet, so you can just cast whatever runic spell you want.

Mana manipulation and power transfer is a school of magecraft the Ainsworth don't know, but the Hakamichi do.

Get what I am trying to say?

>>122217
>Let's go

>>122290
Let's try and recall the runic alphabet as preparation, for now.

>>122217
>Let’s go
I feel like we are the only person that knows this is a war.
I hope I'm wrong.

>>122346
They're willingly ignoring it. For now this little alliance will help us deal with that Harway gentleman.
Let's take this rescue operation as a great opportunity to watch our allies in action in a relatively safe enviroment.

>>122346
They care about each other, two Masters are even a couple. This is how i'd expect it to naturally progress:
>We'll deal with Harway as a team.
>Those of them who remain if anyone falls will now suggest that we join in their way of finishing the War. This is best case scenario.
>Worse case scenario they now turn against us, since naturally they'd want to get rid of the foreign object that we represent. I wouldn't in good conscience be able to resent them for that, I understand what this is about.
Of course, there could be many more scenarios but this is what someone with the current knowledge of the situation Frederick has could come up with, I believe.

>>122346
Maybe they just don't want you to join because they don't want to leak information, have you thought of that?

next update will be in the new thread which I am currently baking, it will also include an interlude so stay tuned.

>>122369
First thing which crossed my mind really, and exactly the reason why we should have none of it

>>122390
Precisely. Following from a distance is the best option for us in case worse scenario happens. If they raise a stink about it we can just say we wanted to be closeby in case they needed help. That's one of the reasons I wanted healing runes at the ready as further proof. But since we can't do that the verbal excuse will have to do.

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>>122368
>two Masters are even a couple

Man, I would love to see one of them eventually backstabbing and murdering the other.

>>122433
There will be enough suffering to satisfy everyone's taste, not to worry.

>>122433
I actually feel bad for them, and not because I think we could wreck their asses or something like that. Some people just ain't meant to enter Battle Royales. Of all those guys I think only Akira is suited to the kind of crappy deal a Grail War is. And probably Hakamichi, but I need to learn more about him.

>>122479
>Akira is suited
I see what I did there~

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>>122433
But anon we are the one that will do all the stabbing and murdering.

>>122610
We're gonna end up with a traumatized Saber.

>>122619
We can fuck it out of her
Saber a cute!

>>122628
Maaaaybe we should keep that as a last resort, yes? Also I think she'd realize we're fucking her so we can make her more malleable. She's genki, not stupid.

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>>122628
Whilst I am waiting for the new op pic to be made, I am going to try if editing works

who could have predicted such tragedy?

who could have predicted such tragedy?

>>122661
Now this is fun. Let's see how many we've hit so far...

>>122656
I didn't meant that.
I want to have a good relationship with her.
No reason to start treating her like shit.
Would still fuck

>>122683
Definitely. She's our partner and even if we didn't care about her it's counterproductive to treat your bodyguard like shit.
Good thing it seems most anons share the sentiment of wanting to care for Saber.
And maybe engage in some mana transfering down the line~

>>122661
Let's see...Akira covers Suits, Samson and Monster covered Madness, Saki covered Corruption. Archer, Saber and Akira yet again cover Alcohol. We already have some Suffering and the promise of more down the line, does Hakamichi count as a loli even if he's a shota?
We're doing pretty well on the Butcher Bingo.

>>122661
>>122713
Avengers master also died very early.

>>122726
Oh right.

>>122728
I would like to quote her on this.

we're all dying at a different speed. I am the Emi Ibarazaki of dying.

>>122789
Is Emi the running girl in KS? I confess I haven't played the game.

>>122792
She is, the one with prosthetics. You also sort of see her but she won't play a big role this time around.

New thread >>123377