Kyoutenkan Academy - November 14, Thursday, 17:00

Swish

Crack!

Ching

Swish

Crack!

Ching

Swish

Crack!

Ching

Kajiwara Haruo was practicing batting. The ball came at him with a Swish, struck his bat with a Crack!, and hit home on the chain-link with a Ching. This was the routine; one of the many baseball routines that had filled Haruo's afternoons and evenings for three years. He was staying late, and would stay much later, after all the other players had gone home, continuing to polish his skills. This wasn't because he was a poor baseball player. He was, in fact, the best on the team; a teenage star, shining in the miniature firmament afforded to young people who excelled their peers. It wasn't because he loved the game that he practiced late either; not exactly, anyway. Although it was the thing in his life which he was most devoted to, Haruo loved baseball only by comparison. The subject of that comparison was his family.

The Kajiwaras had been court nobles and onmyouji a long time ago, attendants of the emperor in the Heian era. When the imperial throne fell from power and took the nobles with it, they had skillfully evaded this fall and entered the service of the Minamoto shogun instead. This, too, passed, but with each change of political regime in Japan the Kajiwara family had managed to retain most of its power. The nobles were replaced by the samurai, the samurai by the ministers, and finally the ministers by the capitalists, but no apocalyptic fall had come to the Kajiwara. Instead they had declined by slow degrees, and still lived today as a comfortably upper-middle-class family supported by the income of several properties scattered around Japan. Much as they had adapted to secular power-shifts, the Kajiwara house had quickly oriented themselves when the Mages' Association first came to Japan. While numerous other old onmyou houses took the attitude of staunch traditionalism and rejected the foreign magi, the Kajiwara joined the Tohsaka, the Shijou, and others in quickly entering into the international community. They had been members in good standing of the Association since the Meiji Restoration, and continued to quietly build on their own heritage of magic up until the present day. Up until this troublesome heir, at any rate.

The Kajiwara family was adaptable. It was dedicated. It had a long past, and would have a long future. All of that, Haruo thought bitterly as he smacked another ball, was bullshit. It was the iron rail his father had laid out for his life, and he'd rather die than go down it. He wanted the freedom to choose his life for himself, and he'd chosen baseball!

Of course, this was the emotional self-delusion common in young people. Haruo's actual reasons for rejecting magic weren't so high-minded as a spiritual lust for freedom. He simply couldn't stand the exercise of learning magic. It was tiresome, difficult, confusing, and often painful, and by the age of eleven Haruo had had all he could take. So he'd set about finding some other purpose for his life. He'd tried being a diligent student, but fell asleep too often when he was intending to focus. He'd tried musical instruments, only to discover that he had no musical sense. Finally he tried sports, and in these he had excelled. In the end, Haruo settled on baseball, and he'd spent his entire time in high school using it to escape his responsibilities as the Kajiwara family heir. Now eighteen, he figured he was onto a pretty good thing, though his parents maintained that he'd see the light eventually.

Swish

Crack!

Ching

Swish

Crack!

Ching

That was why, as the sun sank lower and lower, Haruo continued endlessly batting. His parents wouldn't simply give up now that he'd found a new passion. Oh no, they maintained that any time he didn't spend doing anything else productive, he could spend learning the family trade. If he wanted to keep away from magic, he had to stay at school, practicing baseball until well-after dark, until it was too late not to return home for dinner. Even then he'd have to spend some time on the damned stuff before bed, but at least this way it was kept to a minimum.

Swish

Crack!

Ching

Swish

Crack!

Ching

Eventually, as was often the case, Haruo found it impossible to keep his mind on the exercise. His body shifted over completely to muscle memory, and rumors from school swirled through Haruo's mind as he sought something interesting to occupy his thoughts. There was the strange story that one of the younger girls, an underclassman named Shijou Ayaka, had shown up to school with a butler. Of course, from Haruo's perspective nothing Shijou did could truly be all that strange. After all, the Shijou family was the Second Owner of the area, the administrators of magic. Whether she had some foreign magus in town on Association business and playing a role for laughs or they'd thought up some weird new kind of man-shaped familiar, anything was possible with a Shijou.

Then there was the disappearance of Student Council President Yumigawa. Yumigawa was a third-year, like Haruo, and for a long time Haruo had entertained a feeling of distant rivalry with the other boy. They were the two most popular male students at Kyoutenkan, after all, and opposite types; one the withdrawn, disciplined politician and the other the hot-blooded athlete. Whatever their differences, Haruo and Yumigawa had taken on similar roles for the girls at school, and Haruo often heard whatever rumors surrounded Yumigawa. Now, for the first time anyone could remember (in his entire life, according to one girl who'd followed him through schools since elementary) Yumigawa had been absent. What was trivial for anyone else, Haruo thought dryly, made the headlines when it was the star student. But even he had to wonder, just what had happened to Mr. Perfect Attendance? If he'd kept a record that long, why break it now?

He couldn't think about other people forever. Inevitably, Haruo's mind came around to worry at the same subject that had been freaking him out for weeks, like your tongue unconsciously probing a toothache. The red bruise on his right hand. It had shown up about two weeks ago, and at first Haruo had just assumed he'd smacked it on something. Since then, though, it had just kept getting worse. Brighter red, more defined, just plain strange. Worse, it was starting to look like some kind of magic symbol. Haruo couldn't stand the thought of having to go to his parents about it, and he'd kept it hidden from them up until now. He was half-sure this was another ploy from Dad, trying to get Haruo into magic by subterfuge. It wasn't going to happen, but all the same... the mark kept worrying him.

Swish

Crack!

Ching

Swish

Crack!

Smack.

A flat, fleshy noise in the shadows. It had gotten dark, and Haruo was used to observing the ball's impact by the sound of it hitting the chain-link. This time, it hadn't done so. Haruo took a step forward towards the fence, and stopped. Something in him was holding him back, telling him not to go ahead.

Out of the shadows at the end of the ballfield stepped a man quite out of place in the schoolyard. He was a bronzed figure out of myth, six feet tall and incredibly broad, covered in steely muscle. The man wore some kind of ancient armor that outlined the exact shape of his body, with a metal skirt and sandals that laced up his legs. Black eyes framed by curly black hair and beard stared out of that bronze visage. A sense of animal dread took hold of Haruo, an overwhelming intuition that this wasn't a man at all, holding up the ball he'd caught, but a monster in human shape. Haruo didn't run, though. Those eyes seemed to pin him down, hold him like a rodent caught in the gaze of a snake. The man grinned, and a silky-smooth, cloyingly sweet female voice came from behind Haruo.

"You shouldn't hit balls into the dark, young man," the unseen woman chided warmly. "Imagine if you'd hit my friend, instead of him catching it. He could have been hu~rt." The last syllable was dragged out into a croon, as if the woman savored the prospect of the warrior being harmed. The woman spoke with a soft kansai accent that put Haruo in mind of biwa players, producing subtle entertainment to fill slow hours for the idle court. Haruo's mind spun uselessly, trying to think and come up with some answers as to these people, but he couldn't think. Not with those terrible eyes boring into him, not with the dread that the man would spring forward and-

"Grab him, Archer," the woman commanded. "Let us see if this is the one."

Haruo couldn't see the man move. He only blurred, the baseball falling from where his hand had been, and then the side of Haruo's face was pressed down into the dirt. Haruo's head was wrapped up in one corded bronze hand, his right arm held out in the other. The man held him in place, gripping so hard that Haruo feared his wrist would snap, but apparently without rancor as he leaned down and spoke into Haruo's ear, in a friendly, level tone. "Boy, don't try to fight me here. Neither one of us will like what happens if you struggle." Haruo went limp.

With his head now pressed down on its side, Haruo finally saw the woman as she bent to examine his right hand. She had black hair that fell beside her face in gentle waves, a creamy complexion, and elegant, refined features. Her body too captured his gaze, as it was voluptuously curved and put on display by a clinging silk dress. Put simply, Haruo found himself captivated even as he was terrified; a shiver of two kinds ran through him as her long fingernails traced the mark on his hand. Then she turned to face him, and said softly, "You are very lucky, young man. Because of this mark, you have the wonderful opportunity to help me obtain the Holy Grail."

Shijou Manor - November 15, Friday, 1:00

You briefly consider advising Vaisset to make a prompt attack on the enemy, but decide there are just too many unknown factors. After all, the first one to look for foes in the Akeldama was that war's Saber, and he was also the first to die. No, better to be cautious. "I imagine the other Masters will be out prowling the city if the war's begun," you say. "For tonight we should remain here. I'll guard you and your sister, while your familiars survey the city and collect the information we need to make any real plans."

"Well, that seems reasonable enough," Vaisset muses. Then he sits up, struck by an idea. "Say, Saber," he says, "You've just reminded me. On that subject of scouting, what did you find on your expedition tonight?"

>[ ] What do you tell him? (Write in)

>>3525373

IT'S TIME

>"A girl had been following me along with an old man. She said her name was Lilliesviel von Einzbern, she had confused me for another one like her...but the old man I believe was a Servant. Just wasn't entirely sure."

>>3525373
>>3525390

>>3525373
Well shit. Looks like Archer('s master) is going to be a pain in the ass this time around, too.
Based on the armor, he's almost certainly Greek or Roman, but I'm not quite sure which.
At least it's not another Cowboy Man.

>>3525390
Supporting.

Hmm.... should we bring up Shirou?

>>3525460
"No."

>>3525460
No. The Emiya family is set to be our secret weapon in this war. Vaisset doesn't need to know about them. Not unless circumstances change, at least.

>>3525373
Supporting >>3525390

>>3525390
>>3525373
Supporting

>>3525373
We probably ought to tell him everything. He has eyes everywhere right?

>>3525505
I doubt it. This is Tokyo, and he's not Caster. Having that sort of coverage should be nearly impossible. Unless he's decided we need special supervision, he's probably not going to watch us. We ARE his familiar, after all. In his mind, we're part of his reconnaissance team rather than an enemy to be observed by it.

>>3525523
It'd be hard not to notice Shirou and his family considering how powerful they are

>>3525526
Unless they were hiding.
Shirou is pursuing the Einzberns, after all, so he probably has a way to make sure the Einzberns don't just sniff him out, send their Servant in there and mop up afterward.

>>3525535
He goes to the market without doing anything to conceal his magical energy

>>3525538
We were right in front of him and also a Servant.

>>3525526
Servants can sense other Servants (and probably Shirou because a Third Sorcery existence is basically a Servant existence), but magi can't necessarily detect other magi like Servants can detect each other. For the most part, they only know relatively where the others are because magi who want to live somewhere have to register with the Second Owner. Kiritsugu successfully hid from the Tohsakas in Fuyuki, so I doubt Shirou would have much trouble hiding from Vaisset in Tokyo, especially since he's not really a mage.
If the Emiya family is really as noticeable as you're suggesting they are, then he already knows about them and there's no point in bringing it up.

>>3525538
Yeah, because he doesn't need to.

>>3525420
>Well shit. Looks like Archer('s master) is going to be a pain in the ass this time around, too.
Oh yes, I hope to have a lot of fun with Haruo and his new crush.

>>3525390
>"A girl had been following me along with an old man. She said her name was Lilliesviel von Einzbern, she had confused me for another one like her...but the old man I believe was a Servant. Just wasn't entirely sure."
Now, this is inconsistent with what you said to Vaisset before about having found a large source of energy while scanning and going off to investigate. Are you being intentionally inconsistent?

>>3525420
>he's almost certainly Greek or Roman
It's Odysseus with that huge bow only he could string.

>>3525566
>players prioritizing their own feelings toward canon characters over how the main character would reasonably feel about them
Where have I seen this before? Oh wait, that's every time popular canon characters are used in fanfic quests. Why are we concealing Shirou and his family's existence? This shoulda just stayed OC only, or at least avoided the big F/SN names. Players are gonna vote to protect them at all costs and work with them no matter what. Shits annoying. They'll retroactively make up other justifications for why they do so but it's all bullshit.

>>3525587
>Implying
Fuck off anon, they’re useful for acquiring IC information Alberich has no right to know. “Protecting” them, what a load of bullshit. As if Vaisset could do anything when they’d wreck Alberich ezpz in most situations.

>>3525566
I suppose we could tell him we found not just one large source of energy, but several other servant-tier entities as well and decided to know our limits.

If somebody wants to write up an explanation that lines up with your earlier claim of chasing an energy source, go ahead. Otherwise, I'll run with >>3525390 for tomorrow morning's update.

>>3525641
Does anyone have a good explanation that would satisfy him? We might be able to explain it as finding the Einzberns, because Lilisviel is definitely the Lesser Grail and that guy is probably a Servant unless he's Acht.

>>3525641
>"During my scouting I noticed a vehicle being driven by 4 people of immense magical energy. There was a girl, she had the most magical energy of the four of them, I caught a glimpse of them too, the girl with the most magical energy had white hair and red eyes and an older man, he also had white hair, but blue eyes. The other two I didn't get a chance to see their faces. I followed them for a while in hopes of confirming their status of a Master or the class of their servant but unfortunately I was unable from a distance. I considered confronting them but the possibility it was a trap to lure in enemy servants was too high. I instead opted to watch for suspicious activity."

Also, should we give him our name? On the one hand he won't trust us fully unless he knows our name, but on the other he'll know we're an irregular Servant.

I'm completely certain nobody wants to, but asking anyway to get it on the record.

>>3525693
>the girl with the most magical energy had white hair and red eyes and an older man, he also had white hair, but blue eyes

That seems like a little too much detail for somebody that was "unable (to confirm) from a distance".

... at least for somebody who was watching a vehicle from a distance and isn't an Archer.

>>3525720
We're a servant. He probably won't think twice about it.

>>3525723
What I'm saying is that the narrative is inconsistent. How would we know the color of the girls/mans eyes while watching from a distance; just how little was this distance and (presumably) through a car window? I think it would be best to not mention any such details.

>>3525727
Just say that the two got out of the car to explore a market on the girls whimsical suggestion.

>>3525729
This could work, if Vaisset asks us "why whimsical", we could just say that she looked cheery or something.

>>3525727
Why are we even lying in the first place?

>>3525749
Considering that he's the one who got us in this mess in the first place, and has thusfar done nothing to gain our goodwill, why should we trust him?

Then again, Jean has familiars all over the city, not enough to know everything but I'm sure he knows something.

>>3525761
>>he's the one who got us in this mess in the first place
>not Judas, but rather the guy who was only indirectly and unwittingly responsible and had no idea how Aleldama even worked
>>has done nothing to gain our goodwill
He's done nothing to gain our ill will either.

And if he finds out we lied to him about something this important, you can expect him to consider using a Command Spell to keep us under control. By contrast, if we tell him as much of the truth as our own goals permit he could actually help us win the War.

>>3525772
>command spell to keep us under control
>thinking vague command spells with indefinite durations do anything
>to a servant with B magic resistance at that
Don't be stupid. We explained how Akeldama worked somewhat and he didn't care.

>>3525775
Look man, Alberich isn't the nicest guy in the world either. But Vaisset is our master and if we fuck up our working relationship with him this early then we're completely fucked.

>>3525775
>implying he'll use a vague permanent spell when he knows enough about the War to know about Heaven's Feel

Okay, what would be a convincing half-truth? We:
Don't need to mention the Emiyas, they should be a need-to-know.
Cannot lie about location; Sean could easily have a familiar wherever.
Should mention the limousine.
Probably should mention the Einzbern and her Servant.

>>3525798
We could tell him that following the energy led us to a Servant that briefly attacked us before backing off. Shortly thereafter we encountered the Einzbern limo and decided to take advantage of their apparent misunderstanding rather than continue pursuing the Servant. It's certainly not a lie, but Vaisset will want a description of her and the Emiya family might end up involved as a result unless we can come up with a convincing reason we couldn't see her or just lie about what she looked like.

Alternatively, we could try something like >>3525599 suggests, but then Vaisset will almost certainly put the area under observation.

>>3525566
>He thinks with his dick
HARUOOOOO

>>3525583
What makes you think that?

>>3526080
What's wrong with Vaisset keeping tabs on them? They're not even our allies. We need to win this grail war and Shirou and company want to end it before it gets to that point.

>>3526080
I don’t think Vaisset’s knowing they exist will be particularly relevant, as even if then shijou should know the magi in the area he won’t do anything about the Emiya being here.

>>3526087
It's a group of absurdly powerful individuals whose aid we can acquire in taking out our most powerful enemies. I'd like every advantage we can get in taking down the Barthomeloi proxy and Kerry Dos. Ideally, Vaisset wouldn't give a shit about them helping us since he just wants to survive the War, but I don't know if he'd trust such powerful outsiders.

>>3526099
As far as I know, Emiya's not affiliated with the Mage's Association and lives primarily off of their radar like his father did.

How about we go with basically what >>3525599 says and tell Vaisset that we were following the one source of energy, later noticed another nearby, and decided to back off in case it was a trap by multiple enemy Servants?

After that, we encountered the limo that can apparently hide magical energy with the Einzbern girl and a man who talked and acted as though he was a Servant but didn't have the energy of one?

>>3526188
I guess we can go with that, if we don't want to mention we found friendly powerful people. I doubt Vaisset would do much about it either way, but in the case we don't tell him, it will be harder to explain later if we end up having to ask the Emiyas for help. Which probably wouldn't amount to much either, other than making Vaisset think we don't trust him and therefore he shouldn't trust us.
I don't really see what we gain keeping the Emiyas' presence hidden.

>>3526220
If we go all in on the Emiya route we can just try to get the command spells transferred to Rin or something.

>>3526220
I'm not so concerned about what we stand to gain as I am about what we stand to lose. Vaisset might not care about the war, but he IS a proper mage, so he could well end up quite pissed that there's a spellcaster living on his land without his permission. That's not to mention what the rest of the Mage's Association will do if they realize there's a living example of the Third Sorcery in existence. If they get found out because of us, they might turn on us thinking we sold them out.

>>3526226
I'd rather just get Ayaka as Master, honestly. Going with Rin would make everything easier, but it feels too metagamey to me.

>>3526246
Would Alberich know there's any problem with the Emiyas living there, though? He doesn't have extensive knowledge about the Association and their rules.

>>3526248
Depends how often we meet with Shirou and friends.
Rin has quite a lot of magical energy so it's not like the thought might not enter Alberich's head.
And he knows Mastership can be transferred.
I'd be ok with Ayaka, or Rin.
Or basically anyone.

>>3526254
One could at least infer that there's bad blood, with how Shirou decries the Grail Wars.

File: tfw no birb waifu.jpg (119 KB, 848x612)

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now that i can use something that isn't tegaki

>>3526340
Oh wow.
That's fantastic.

>>3526340
Nice. Can I get uuuuuuuuuuh Alberich Gosling? Don't actually do that.

>>3526340
Excellent! I look forward to seeing it completed.

>>3526188
So, does everyone want to go with this?

>>3526485
Yeah sure.

>>3526485
Sure.

>>3526340
One thing I should note is that your cloak does wrap all the way around your shoulders; it's not just on the left side. I used the image of Agravain for an armor reference, but I think he's actually carrying Artoria's cape in that image.

>>3526485
I'm still not completely convinced, but I'm on the minority here, so it shouldn't really matter.

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>>3526508
State your case.

>>3526344
>>3526360
thx lads

>>3526496
noted, something like gawain's third stage then

>>3526517
I don't think we know we can get the Emiyas in trouble if we say to Vaisset that we met some potential, considerably powerful allies, and I don't see a real reason not to tell him. Alberich did state before that we could use some allies, and these people aren't rival master/servant pairs.

>>3526531
That would be nice but I doubt Shirou would be keen to working with an indirect mass murderer. He also has kids to worry about.

>>3526531
I don't want our Master to know we've been hanging around with people with easily enough magical energy to be able to usurp him as our master and potentially even the means.

I also don't want Shirou's latent Seigi No Mikata to act up and cause a fight.
Even Sakura would be pretty pissed off by our Master's actions.

"What did I find?" You pause for a moment, and put on a bashful smile. "I may have to disappoint you, M. Vaisset," you confess, "my findings do not amount to much."

Vaisset looks at you flatly, waiting for you to continue.

"As I told you before, I was scouting the layout of your city when I felt the presence of a large source of energy nearby; likely a Servant. Hoping to get an idea of one of our enemies, I tracked it at some distance, but was unable to actually catch sight of the source before it was joined by another significant presence. The two came together downtown, and remained in one place for over an hour. At this point I deemed it possible that it was a trap, laid by multiple enemy Servants, and returned."

"Intriguing," Vaisset says, "I think you had a point about finding an ally, Saber. Too bad, then, that other Masters have had the idea as well. If they're already coming together, setting ambushes and so-on, we should, I think, be very cautious." He takes a drink of tea before continuing, "You have the right idea, Saber. We'll stay here tonight, and I'll send out my birds to scan as much of Tokyo as they can. Hopefully they'll observe some conflict, or some other suspicious behavior, and we can plan from there." He sets his cup down and stands. "With that, Saber, good night. I will send forth my familiars from my workshop, and after that retire to bed. Take up whatever position you suppose most appropriate for guarding the manor."

"Good night, M. Vaisset," you say, standing and giving a nod, "let us hope the morning's report brings plentiful news."

As Vaisset leaves the living room, you consider where best to guard the building. It isn't particularly large, but the matter does warrant some thought nonetheless. Last night the cold of the rooftop proved soporific, but you remain keen to find someplace that can survey the front garden. Eventually you decide on a hallway on the second floor with a large protruding picture-window from which you can easily view the yard and street. The spot seems to have been used as a reading nook, since it has a conveniently placed armchair. Materializing your cloak and armor, with your sword at the ready, you sink into the chair and begin the night's watch. As you do, you see many faint presences streak across the sky; the birds of wind Vaisset has dispatched to be your eyes and ears.

The hours of the night pass tranquilly as you sit at your post. No new foe appears, either overtly or by stealth. There is only the silent neighborhood, under the cold light of the moon and stars. That moon catches your eye, though; it's nearly full, but waning. Slightly less round tonight than last night, you observe with an odd moment of pleasure. For ten nights in Judas' Akeldama, the moon was perfectly full and golden. There were ten clear days of high summer and ten clear nights of full moon in that lifeless city; though the time you spent there was only a fraction of your life, the unnerving state of the place will never leave you; simple things like the changing phase of the moon and the shifting weather that you've experienced today feel like a welcome return to normalcy, even if you yourself have become unnatural.

Thinking on the topic of that unnatural state, you come to the subject of your new identity. Alberich, a name offered to you by Adelheid; she said it was the name of an ancient mage-king, who sought power sufficient to rule over the earth. It certainly feels right for you now, though the memory wasn't consciously in your mind when you gave that name to Liliesviel von Einzbern. But what of the other two things requiring names? A sword and a cloak, both with the power of your origin, Nothingness and Void. Within yourself, you can feel that they are your Noble Phantasms; the most powerful tools at a Servant's disposal, essential parts of his legend that must have their names called to reveal their true power. Taking a handful of silk in your armored fist, you hold the material up, examining it in the starlight. Black, dark enough almost to absorb light rather than reflect it; shot through with the red of your own blood, spilled to create the item.

The image of Circe, your sweet and devoted Servant, bending down to create it, springs unbidden to your mind. In your memory, you watch her bring black threads from nothing, creating them out of mystic energy, and bind them together by soaking them in the pulp of your blood and bone. Then, with the cloth itself made, she painstakingly inscribes the strange and ancient arcane sigils that would, on the cloak's completion, lose their shape and flow together to make the vertical lines that divide the cloak's darkness. Outside the window of her workshop, the stars shine down as they shine on you now. You watch in your memory as, while you sleep in another room, Circe works through the night to complete this garment in time for the final struggle against Archer and Rider.

You blink rapidly, shaking your head to dispel the vision and the emotion it brings. You didn't watch Circe make your cloak! You have no idea whether she worked through the night or not; it's only a fantasy, the product of your imagination and the lack of stimulation from your duty as a guard. Still, out of your musings one concrete idea has emerged: a name for the cloak. In memory of Circe's devotion, it will have a Greek name: Kenótis. The name of your sword remains uncertain, but it will come in time.

Status Updated

Soon enough, the sun rises and you breathe a sigh of relief. Your human impulses aren't as gone as they should be for a Servant, and remaining awake through the night has been something of a trial. Now that dawn has come, however, things should become somewhat easier. It isn't long after sunrise that you hear an alarm go off on the floor above, followed by the sound of Ayaka getting up and beginning her preparations for the day. After yesterday, she'll probably be expecting you to accompany her to school again, you consider. Since she seems to rise before her brother, she'll likely be making breakfast as well; the memory of eating only once yesterday isn't a happy one. On the other hand, following a teenage girl around and mooching food from her isn't exactly your primary goal in the Holy Grail War. Perhaps it would be better to stay here until you can have your promised morning meeting with Vaisset.

>[ ] Go downstairs and meet Ayaka for breakfast before escorting her to school. (Compassion)

>[ ] Remain at your post and wait for Vaisset to rise. Better to prioritize strategizing today. (Duty)

>[ ] Do something else (Write in)

>>3527374
>>[ ] Go downstairs and meet Ayaka for breakfast before escorting her to school. (Compassion)

>>3527374
>[ ] Go downstairs and meet Ayaka for breakfast before escorting her to school. (Compassion)

>>3527374
>[ ] Remain at your post and wait for Vaisset to rise. Better to prioritize strategizing today. (Duty)

Would waiting for Jean make us miss escorting Ayaka to school or would we still be able to make it?

>>3527415
You don't know what time he gets up. You didn't see him before leaving with Ayaka yesterday.

>>3527432
I don't really feel like relying on an unknown. Perhaps we could ask Ayaka, she is his sister after all.

>>3527374
>[ ] Go downstairs and meet Ayaka for breakfast before escorting her to school. (Compassion)

>>3527374
>[ ] Go downstairs and meet Ayaka for breakfast before escorting her to school. (Compassion)
Vaisset wants us to keep Ayaka safe, and we need to eat whether Vaisset knows it or not. We can talk to Vaisset about our next move upon our return.

In light of Haruo, we may want to consider more seriously the possibility of contacting Matsuda to arrange some sort of protection or at least observation for Ayaka at school. I'm still not completely sold on the idea myself, but we now know that there is a legitimate threat to Ayaka at school, so it's worth mulling over.

>>3527374
>[ ] Remain at your post and wait for Vaisset to rise. Better to prioritize strategizing today. (Duty)
Waifufags are trash. The war has started.

>>3529389
Look, I would gladly wait until Vaisset woke up IF we even knew when that would even be.

Alternatively, we could wake him up ourselves.

>>3529426
Shit, my ID changed. >>3527459

QM might be writing the update now but what do you guys say about waking our Master up for breakfast?

>[X] Go downstairs and meet Ayaka for breakfast before escorting her to school. (Compassion)
Seems to be the consensus. Obviously my "posting pace will improve" prediction was off; I've been occupied again. Should get the next update out tonight though.

>>3529389
TRASH! I take it you feel the pace has been too slow in Awakening Mirror.

>>3529453
This option is on the table; feel free to discuss, if anyone does have views on it.

>>3529389
Where do you fucking think you are?

>>3529572
Seems like a drive-by shitposter. Now hoe do you feel about waking our Master up bright and early? His normal life is over now, after all.

>>3529572
Nothing? What a shame.

>>3529572
I think we need to stay focused on the war and hear what information Vaisset's familiars gathered instead of doing our best impression of a shoujo manga

>>3529628
If it's a war then he should be upinaddem by now, his main purpose for joining it is to protect his sister so we should wake him up now fpr brealfast and still be able to escort his sister after. Relying on an unknown when our Masters goal is to protect Ayaka is counterintuitive.

Look, I'll even make it official.
>>3527374
>[ ] Go to Vaisset's room to wake him up; this is a War now and one must change their routine to reflect that.

>>3529628
If you're really such a Dutyfag then you would either switch to my write-in, or give a damn good reason why it wouldn't work, because it would accomplish the same thing only earlier.

>>3529688
I kinda see your vote as a really minor variation of what I already voted for so I imagine they'd be combined.

>>3529714
No,
>actively going to wake your Master up, which would allow you to start strategizing earlier and have more time to do so if our Master so wishes, or allow us to escort Ayaka anyway if he prioritizes her safety.
VS
>twiddling our thumbs until our Master wakes up on his own accord, no matter how long, giving us less time to strategize and potentially putting Ayaka at risk
it isn't.

>>3529729
Yeah lets not wake him up, we've already been told that his sister's safety is a priority.
Also I want our affection score with Ayaka to raise

>>3529729
Choosing my option is also likely to give us brownie points for being proactive and appearing to be serious about winning the War.

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>>3529389
>>Waifufags are trash.
>he thinks we waifu Ayaka in this quest
>not Circe or Yumigawa

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>>3529827
>or Yumigawa
That's a weird way of spelling "and Adelheid".

>>3529827
Yumigawa is my favourite waifu.

>>3529834
Fuck, my ID changed again.

>>3529827
>Yumigawa
Ah, yes, the protagonist; truly the consummate waifu.

But yeah, anybody looking to "dab on the waivubags ebin style :DDDDDD" wouldn't have a good reason to choose the default Duty option now.

>>3529847
I'd like to give this anon the "least convincing arguments of all time" award. Even if I 100% agreed with you I wouldn't support your write in because you're just that annoying

>>3529860
Sure, but what do you think about XfaC65ed's critique that you're not actually viewing Ayaka as a waifu?

>>3529876
I think he's speaking for himself and not necessarily everyone else. I don't see her as a waifu either though

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>>3529876
I'd just like to comment that the other anon's ID includes "Roa" which might explain why he's being so annoying

>>3529884
It could also be "Ruiz".
Does this suggest Sweets has drawn up a Mexican Hero?
>>3529876
Possibly a Mexican waifu?

Listen we can still eat breakfast with the girl. Its not like we are completely abandoning our master. We will just wake him up afterwards, forcefully if needed.

>>3530473
Jesus Christ are you still at it?

>>3530476
Not me.

>>3530477
Ok but why the trip

>>3530476
No I just popped in for part 2. No ID change or anything.

>>3530479
Because I don't feel like pointing out that my ID changed often.

>>3530484
Nobody cares if your ID changes

>>3530486
Speak for yourself. Changing IDs have been a pain in the ass since the very first thread of CA.

>>3530709
Tripfags have been a pain in the ass since the beginning of time

>Reeee trips
>Reeee no trips
C’mon now, can’t we just wait for sweets without pointlessly running up the thread?

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>>3530786

>>3530786
At this rate we won't hit the post limit anyway, we're just keeping it bumped with our pointless bickering.

...
Sweets?

>>3532651
It's 3.30 in the morning, cut him some slack

>>3532660
It's just that he went quiet for a day.

>>3532665
That is worrying, yes.
Has he succumbed to the QM curse at long last?

>>3532679
Might b dealing with a End-of-year business at uni

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I'm still around, folks, just busy and having a hard time getting this update out. Sorry to have gone quiet...

>>3533093
It's fine.

>>3533093
All is well, best pseudosister

>>3533093
It's fine, just keep us as updated as you can.

>>3533093
It's okay, man, just pop in once every couple of days so we know you're alive.

You continue to think about what to do with your morning for a while, watching the brightening sunlight through the window as you hear Ayaka make her way downstairs. Eventually you decide to prioritize your breakfast and the girl's protection by meeting her in the kitchen. You don't know how late Vaisset sleeps, and after all he did tell you to keep both he and his sister safe. Decision made, you head downstairs and find the girl frying eggs in the kitchen.

"Good morning, miss Ayaka," you say, sitting down at the kitchen table. "Would you mind making enough for two?"

The girl turns in surprise to look at you. "Oh, sure," she answers, sounding confused, "but I didn't know Servants ate. Don't you live on energy?"

It's certainly true that you never saw Circe or Adelheid eat for more than the pleasure of it, so you suppose she has a point. You, however, don't seem to share their freedom from need. Then again, you remember Perseus eating a great deal, and there was Emiya's comment about Sabers and appetites. Perhaps it varies from Servant to Servant. "Mystic energy is essential," you explain, "but that does not excuse the necessity of food. Anything alive must eat, I suppose."

"Huh..." Ayaka still sounds offput by the idea, but she adds another two eggs to the pan anyway. It isn't long before she's serving them up with toast and sitting down across from you to eat. "You're up earlier this morning, Saber-san," the girl remarks. "Not sleeping on the roof last night?"

"Heh heh," you give the jibe a resigned chuckle. "No, Miss Ayaka, I was able to find a better place from which to guard your home; and I did hear you awakening this morning. You're an early riser."

Ayaka shrugs. "It's a habit, I guess," she says with a look of reminiscence, "my mother always used to have me do a daily sacrifice before dawn for the Shijou magic. Since she and dad passed, I've been just keeping up with school, but I'll probably always wake up early."

"A daily sacrifice?" You echo her words, as the idea catches your interest. You hadn't noticed Truvietianne or Circe doing anything like that, after all. "What purpose did that serve in your magical training?"

"It's because of our specialty," Ayaka says, putting down her fork for a moment to focus on explaining. "The Shijou are hereditarily aligned to Water, with a specialty in blood, and we've cultivated a knowledge of Connection magic, as well as archaic black magic. This means we can get energy a lot more efficiently with something like animal sacrifice than when we use our own Od. That's why all of the Shijou heirs learn sacrifice as one of the basic techniques." Then Ayaka pauses, before blushing and laughing embarassedly. "To tell you the truth, though, I could never work up the nerve to kill the doves. Mother got very angry with me over that eventually."

Although she's trying to laugh it off, you can see that her inability to please the now-dead woman eats at Ayaka. Before you can think of something comforting to say, however, she changes the subject.

"But why talk about me," she says. "What did you and Nii-san figure out last night? Have a plan to win the war?"

Now it's your turn to be on the bashful side. "Not as such," you admit. "Things are very much in the preliminary stages. For the time being, we intend to maintain a defensive position while gathering information on the enemy."

Ayaka finishes the last bite of her breakfast and gets up to head for the door. "Oh," she says, upturned tone turning the sound into a question. "Why were you out so late then, Saber-san? I thought you must've been out fighting."

"No, I was merely doing some reconnaissance," you say, following the girl out of the house. "M. Vaisset informed me last night that the final Servant was summoned, but prior to that I felt confident of being able to scout the city without finding myself engaged in battle."

"So did you find anyone doing this scouting?" Ayaka looks at you interestedly as the two of you walk side-by-side. "I guess not, if you're still planning to wait at home."

"It was... inconclusive," you say. "I did encounter someone who seemed to be an enemy Master, but I couldn't be certain. She was with several people who seemed to be neither humans nor Servants. It was a very odd situation." You think back to your encounter with Liliesviel von Einzbern as you speak. The girl was surely the Einzbern Master, but then what could explain the three other occupants of the car? They didn't have the quality of mystic energy that marks a Servant, you don't think. There was a strange feeling of kinship you felt when dealing with the Emiyas' Rider that you can only explain as the connection between Servants, and that certainly wasn't there with any member of the Einzbern party. But then, what could explain the mysterious nature of the three passengers with abnormal energy?

You've been quiet for a while, you realize. You clear your head and finish, "at any rate, I am now putting my hope in the capability of your brother's familiars to gather more wide-ranging information than I can."

Ayaka mutters something you can't quite make out about her brother not deserving hope, but something else shocks you out of the consideration of her comment. You're just outside the school now, and the two of you are moving through a scattered crowd of students to get Ayaka to the front gate. In this pedestrian atmosphere, however, something chills you: the unmistakable presence of a Servant. It seems to be somewhere down the street, at the opposite end of the group of students making their way into the school, but you can't tell exactly where the thing is. Still, if you've noticed it the chances are that it's noticed you as well. A battle may be unavoidable at this point, and in that case you need to draw the enemy away from Ayaka.

>[ ] Part ways with Ayaka, pushing through the crowd towards the presence of the enemy Servant. (Pride)

>[ ] Shepherd Ayaka to the gate, then wait there and see if the enemy comes to you. (Compassion)

>[ ] Do something else (Write in)

>>3534943
>[ ] Part ways with Ayaka, pushing through the crowd towards the presence of the enemy Servant. (Pride)
If we stay with her, it might give off the impression that she's our Master.

>>3534943
>[ ] Shepherd Ayaka to the gate, then wait there and see if the enemy comes to you. (Compassion)

>>3534942
>[ ] Part ways with Ayaka, pushing through the crowd towards the presence of the enemy Servant. (Pride)

>>3534942
>[ ] Part ways with Ayaka, pushing through the crowd towards the presence of the enemy Servant. (Pride)
Mind you, there is the possibility of the girl getting kidnapped, but that's a risk I'm willing to take.

>>3534942
>[ ] Part ways with Ayaka, pushing through the crowd towards the presence of the enemy Servant. (Pride)
There will be blood...

>>3534943
>[ ] Part ways with Ayaka, pushing through the crowd towards the presence of the enemy Servant. (Pride)
>>3535231
Hopefully not hers, lest we get suicided.

>>3534943
>[ ] Shepherd Ayaka to the gate, then wait there and see if the enemy comes to you. (Compassion)
We can detect enemy servants, but not enemy masters. Leaving Ayaka alone in a crowd is begging for trouble.

>>3534942
Switching from
>>3535240 to >>3535609.

>>3534943
>[ ] Shepherd Ayaka to the gate, then wait there and see if the enemy comes to you. (Compassion)

>>3534943
>[x] Shepherd Ayaka to the gate, then wait there and see if the enemy comes to you. (Compassion)

>>3535609
>>3534942
A compelling point. Switching to
>[ ] Shepherd Ayaka to the gate, then wait there and see if the enemy comes to you. (Compassion)
Because fuck hostage situations

Keeping your cool, you feel for the distance between you and the enemy Servant. It's at the opposite end of the school's long walled entrance, moving towards the gate with the students from the less wealthy neighborhoods. You put a hand on Ayaka's shoulder, steering her more firmly towards the gate.

The girl lets out a quiet sound of indignation, turning towards you and hissing, "Saber-san, what are you-"

You lean down and whisper in a grave tone, "Stay quiet and keep walking, Miss Ayaka. This could be a matter of life and death."

The girl looks at you suspiciously, but the firmness in your tone convinces her. Then she scans the crowd with nervous eyes, looking for the danger. Not finding any, she allows you to walk her to the gate. You can feel her shaking slightly under your hand; although she does a praiseworthy job of projecting outward calm and casual morning friendliness, your warning is affecting her. As you walk, you focus on the enemy Servant's energy, making sure it doesn't draw too close. It keeps its distance until you get Ayaka to the gate.

As she passes through, you lean down once more and mutter into her ear, "Miss Ayaka, hurry to your classes. There is a Servant approaching." The girl blanches, but does manage to hold back from making any noise of surprise. Taking your advice, she quickly turns and walks quickly through the crowd of students towards the school building.

Your opposite number seems to be taking the encounter at a more relaxed pace, approaching amidst the crowd without exceeding their speed. All at once, however, the presence fades. It's moving quickly away from the crowd of students, and no-one still there exudes an unusual presence or looks in any way out of place. With no physical body separating from the group, it's plain that the enemy Master has sent their Servant away in spirit form. The students file past you, the Master indistinguishable from the ordinary schoolchildren. Your prey has slipped by you.

The Servant, however, might not be lost. You can still faintly feel its energy as it moves from rooftop to rooftop, quickly putting distance between you two. It may not be too late to chase after it now, but there's no telling where it's going or how long it will keep you from meeting with Vaisset to discuss his familiars' findings last night.

>[ ] Go after the enemy Servant. (Pride)

>[ ] Return to the manor. (Duty)

>[ ] Do something else. (Write in)

>>3536909
>[ ] Return to the manor. (Duty)
Restraint is important

>>3536909
>[ ] Go after the enemy Servant. (Pride)

>>3536909
>[ ] Return to the manor. (Duty)

>>3536909
>[ ] Return to the manor. (Duty)

>>3536909
>[ ] Return to the manor. (Duty)

>>3536909
>Return to Manor

Lets go fucko, home turf so people won't see and we get the Church on our ass.

Unless this is actually Medusa wanting to talk to us.

As the presence of the enemy Servant withdraws, your first instinct is to tense for a leap, following it over the rooftops. You hold back, though, taking a deep breath to relax. There's no point in chasing an unknown enemy to an unknown location right now; it might be planning an ambush, and even if the enemy isn't setting a trap chasing after it will certainly delay your strategy meeting with Vaisset. The most important thing you needed to accomplish, you decide, was keeping the enemy Master from bringing their Servant into the school. With that done, you can return to the Shijou Manor.

The walk back to the manor is fortunately uneventful, and when you enter you find Vaisset eating his own later breakfast in the kitchen: fried eggs and toast, like his sister. He looks up as you enter, swallowing a mouthful of food before greeting you. "Watching over my sister again this morning, Saber?"

"Correct," you say with a nod. "I saw her safely to school today, but it is not certain that the school will remain safe indefinitely. There seems to be another Master in the area."

Vaisset's face darkens at your words. "What do you mean, Saber? You didn't leave her alone with an enemy, surely."

"Not with the Servant, no," you reply, "and I remain unsure about the Master. I felt the presence of an enemy Servant near the school gate when we arrived, but it fled in spirit form once I drew near. I believe the Master is one of the students, but that may not necessarily be true."

"I see." Vaisset lapses into silence for a few moments, eating thoughtfully. "There are other magus families in the area, as I've told you," he says, "but I'm not certain if any have heirs attending Ayaka's academy. How frustrating." He thinks for a while longer, continuing to eat his breakfast, before seeming to come to a conclusion. "I suppose it isn't a question that needs to be answered immediately. No magus under my jurisdiction would think of doing battle with mundane witnesses about. Be certain you're there to collect Ayaka when her classes end, and we needn't worry."

"I will do so," you say with a nod. "Now, what about your reconnaissance last night, M. Vaisset? Did your familiars discover anything of note?"

Vaisset shakes his head, wearing an expression of disappointment. "I'm afraid not," he says. "It's possible that we were overly enthusiastic in thinking the enemy would rush out to prowl the city that first night. Rider was only summoned around midnight, leaving precious little time to battle. We may need to fight the Holy Grail War under the cover of darkness, but that doesn't excuse the requirement of sleep. Most likely, we'll be better able to discover enemy action in the early evening, just after dark."

"You could find no traces of the enemy at all?" Not wanting to believe the disappointing outcome, you prod Vaisset for further information.

"That isn't precisely it," Vaisset says. "I found no definite signs of the enemy, but there were some rather odd circumstances my familiars discovered."

Now this is something that could potentially prove useful. "Odd circumstances? What do you mean by that?"

"The destroyed houses were the most apparently bizarre," Vaisset begins. "There were three houses in a small area, all of which looked as if they'd burned down only recently. And yet, none were adjacent. How did contemporaneous fires occur in houses quite unconnected from one another? The work of an enemy magus seems likely to me, but his motive is uncertain." It takes a few seconds, during which Vaisset appears to be carefully picking his words, before he continues, "The second strange thing my familiars saw was misfortune."

You can't help but speak up here. "Misfortune? How can you consider that to be the work of a Master and Servant?"

"It was very strange," Vaisset says pensively. "Perhaps I am simply too cut off from ordinary people to understand, but it seemed as if there was a wave of misfortune sweeping through the people. On the street there were erratic lights, failures to brake properly by drivers, jaywalking, and most of all stumbling. Everyone I saw was falling down continuously, seeming to trip over their own feet more often than not. It was as if every possible stroke of bad luck that could affect the streets broke out at once."

"That sounds very strange," you allow, "but I still doubt it was the work of an enemy Master. Faulty power and drunken pedestrians seem more likely to blame."

"Perhaps you're right, Saber," says Vaisset. "Still, the affair seemed thoroughly unnatural. In any case, those two items were the only major disturbances I observed in the city. What are your thoughts, Saber?"

>[ ] Investigate the burnt houses. (Pride)

>[ ] Investigate the bad luck downtown. (Duty)

>[ ] Focus on the enemy Servant near Ayaka's school. (Pride/Compassion)

>[ ] Advise Vaisset to do something else (Write in)

>>3537127
>[ ] Investigate the bad luck downtown. (Duty)

>>3537127
>[ ] Investigate the bad luck downtown. (Duty)

>>3537127
>[ ] Focus on the enemy Servant near Ayaka's school. (Pride/Compassion)

>>3537127
>but I still doubt it was the work of an enemy Master

So some sort of luck stealing NP maybe?

>>3537127
>[ ] Investigate the bad luck downtown. (Duty)

>>3537127
>[ ] Investigate the bad luck downtown. (Duty)
>>3537242
That would be pretty bad.
Which is why we have to kill it as soon as asap.

>>3537127
>[ ] Investigate the bad luck downtown. (Duty)
>inb4 a Saber gets crippled by a nat 1

>>3537934
>inb4 the luck succ is so powerful that Saber’s luck turns around, and he survives some Gae Bulg tier memes

>>3537945
>inb4 our luck rolls over from E-- to [STAR]

>>3537945
>>3537949
Given you're at B-rank Luck now, that would be some insane modification.

So given that this is luck base, I would say that there is a 80% chance this is a lancer class. They always have bad luck so this lancer probably has a way to counteract it or spread it to others. There is no caster in this war doing tricky stuff and that was the other class most likely. Lancer V Saber fights usually run about even with neither side having an advantage, so I doubt we will be able to win easily without either support from our master, or a plan to take out theirs (unlikely given we are going into an unknown situation and our master being useless in combat).

>>3539376
On that note, we probably should take this safe. Gather information, fight if engaged, but plan to retreat and don't take anything risky. Our main objective should be the identity of this servant's master in order to open up diplomacy and possibly killing this master off in the future.

Status Updated

I've completed the profiles for all seven Servants from the Akeldama Grail War! Feel free to look them over while I work on the current update.

>>3539585
>Robin Hood's NP is a guaranteed one-hit kill
>C-rank
So Assassin jobbed, too...

>>3539606
I guess that's the only way a Caster can really win a Grail War...

>>3539606
You know, I was concerned about the writing on that. The point is that it's deadly to humans, but a Servant with sufficient Endurance can power through it. That's why it's just a "deadly poison," rather than some reality-warping power like Gae Bolg.

"If it seems so unnatural to you, we'll simply have to determine the truth of the matter in person," you declare. You still have your own doubts that the chaotic scene Vaisset described was the product of anything more than the late hour in a crowded city, but there's no harm in following up on it. Cultivating a good relationship with your Master, you reason, is more important than gratifying your own skepticism.

"Just a moment, Saber," Vaisset's words and disapproving tone cut through your train of thought. "What's this 'we,' business? I believe we discussed the matter of your operating independently after you were summoned. If the matter warrants investigation, you shall seek the enemy without my presence."

You sigh. There's the rich man's son, used to getting whatever he likes. "The point of 'this we business', as you put it, is efficacy, M. Vaisset," you reply acidly. "Masters can detect other Masters, can you not? Servants can detect other Servants. Thus, if we would ferret out our foes we must do so in person and together. Whatever your preferences on the matter may be, this is the appropriate manner of prosecuting the Holy Grail War." As Vaisset opens his mouth for an indignant response, you raise a finger to cut him off. "Furthermore, I would remind you that you have agreed to defer to my superior expertise regarding the planning of the War."

"Alright, Saber, you've made your point," Vaisset says with resignation. "We shall have to go downtown tonight, after darkness falls, and inspect the area," he pauses to sigh, "on foot. I can only hope that my familiars will find something more concrete today, and you can pursue that next lead without my presence."

"It's only the Holy Grail, don't put yourself out," you mutter under your breath. Vaisset's disinterest in the wish offered by the ritual may be to your advantage, but it certainly has its downsides. The man seems to consider the entire War to be a rather intrusive bother, and his attitude is getting on your last nerve.

"What was that, Saber?" Vaisset eyes you irritably. You may not have been as quiet as you'd intended.

"I said, why wait 'til evening to go out," you lie, spinning an alternative. "We shouldn't be wasting time, M. Vaisset. Why not seize the moment and investigate downtown right now?"

Vaisset gives you a condescending smirk. "Whatever sort of hero you were in life," he says, "you certainly were not a magus. There must be no witnesses to magic. If we were to encounter the enemy in broad daylight, we would need to be prepared to eliminate every bystander on the street. Just why did you think the War was fought at night, Saber?"

"In my experience, it isn't," you return. "We were fighting twenty-four hours a day in the Akeldama. I'll bear your schedule in mind in the future."

"Do," Vaisset says dismissively. "Speaking of my schedule, I shall have to get to work shortly. If I must be out traipsing around in search of the enemy tonight, I really must devote my day to research. Why don't you go and wait at the academy for Ayaka? That mysterious Servant is weighing on my mind."

"Very well, M. Vaisset." With that, you turn and exit the manor without pause. You've had quite enough of Vaisset's attitude for one evening. It's still morning, however, even if it is getting towards lunchtime. If you simply stand guard at the school, as Vaisset suggested, you'll have quite a long wait ahead of you before Ayaka is finished. Knowing that an enemy magus is unlikely to seek out a fight in the daytime, perhaps you could find a better way to spend your time.

>[ ] Wait at the school for Ayaka to finish her classes.

>[ ] Visit the Emiya house. (With what in mind?)

>[ ] Go looking for something else. (Where in the city do you want to go, or what do you want to look for?)

>>3539376
>I would say that there is a 80% chance this is a lancer class.
Is there really any way to predict this off of "giving other people bad luck"? It could be the Hassan of the Goldberg Mechanism doing some freaky assassinations for all we know so far, or it could be related to the Servant who was stalking us.
>They always have bad luck so this lancer probably has a way to counteract it or spread it to others.
Ignoring the "Lancer" part for the reasons I stated above, this seems likely.
>Lancer V Saber fights usually run about even with neither side having an advantage
Fun fact: Sabers are supposed to be strong against Lancers. The clearest example would be F/SN, where Arturia has Instinct A and Luck A so she knows what Cu's about to do (in particular when he's about to pierce with death so she can dodge), Cu has Protection from Arrows to thwart sniping attempts, and EMIYA can snipe Arturia faster than her Instinct will let her dodge.
However, there are more Servants who buck the trend than those who don't, like Karna (Lancer), Gilgamesh (Archer) and Siegfreid/possibly us (Saber)
>so I doubt we will be able to win easily without either support from our master, or a plan to take out theirs
Well, that's a given.
>our master being useless in combat
>>3498611
"Be silent," Vaisset snaps! The he sighs, and modulates his tone. "Excuse me, that was uncalled for. I am proficient in a wide range of combat-oriented mysteries utilizing wind.

>>3539585
>Clint had the iron plate
Of course he did.
And he also didn't have enough energy to defend himself from Adelheid's big boom? We really were an OP Master, huh.

>>3539647
>[ ] Wait at the school for Ayaka to finish her classes.

>>3539659
>And he also didn't have enough energy to defend himself from Adelheid's big boom
Blondie had been running on empty for a few days at that point, yeah. If you recall, he blocked the attack but faded out due to energy depletion.

>>3539689
I thought being on Blackbeard's crew for a bit recharged him.

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>>3539585
>Hagia Sophia heals Saber's wounds and strengthens him
>can't be damaged or forced open so he can hole up as long as he wants
>the only way to get rid of it once it's summoned is to defeat Saber inside the cathedral
Damn, Lancer really saved our ass here.

>>3539647
>[ ] Wait at the school for Ayaka to finish her classes.
Can we really not sense masters ourselves?

>>3539647
>[ ] Visit the Emiya house. [More questioning about the old wars]

>>3539659
>Siegfreid/possibly us (Saber)
The name’s Alberich anon

>>3539647
>[ ] Wait at the school for Ayaka to finish her classes.

>>3539703
He never joined Blackbeard's crew, he just decided to work together with them for a bit. He was masterless the entire time.

>>3539704
Only by getting us inside. We did most of the work in killing Sean and by extension Saber.

>>3539836
>The name’s Alberich anon
I know, but "us" is shorter

>>3539659
Yea, I realized that our master supposedly can fight, but he already stated that he has no interest in fighting other masters. And if this little back and forth is any indication, he is not in the right mind set to fight in the holy grail war.

For the Lancer thing being behind the luck based shenanigans, the reason I predict Lancer is because IIRC, the Lancer class in general tends to have bad luck.

>>3539842
Remember the unhealing wound he inflicted on Saber with Harpe. That had a fairly major impact.

>>3539647
>[ ] Visit the Emiya house.( Hopefully Rin (and is very knowledgeable) is there and if she is, tell her of our situation)

Hopefully she can give us hints and or tips about our current state of being. If she is not there lets just go to Ayaka.

I won't be able to update tonight, unfortunately, but will write tomorrow morning.

>>3539647
>[ ] Wait at the school for Ayaka to finish her classes.
>>3541081
Spicy metagame.

>>3539647
Supporting
>>3541081

>>3541081
>>3541670
This option is a massive fucking metagame, stop it.

>>3541688
>Implying

>"Not much," Shirou replies. "Of the Five Sorceries, I only have any information on the Second and Third; the others are kept secret pretty well. The Second Sorcery has to do with observing and using parallel worlds, but you could learn more from my sister-in-law, Rin."


>”And who might she be?" You lean forward, intrigued. Magic to do with parallel worlds... could it shed more light on the function of your origin?

>"Sakura's sister, a magus studying at the Clock Tower as an apprentice of the Second Sorcerer," Shirou explains. "Normally she lives in London, but if you're interested in the Second Sorcery you may be in luck. She announced a week ago that she'd be visiting us this weekend." Shirou pauses as an idea strikes. "Now that I think about it, I wonder if she'd heard about the Grail War. The timing certainly lines up."

>"Well then, I'll look forward to speaking with her," you say. "But right now I have some more questions about the Holy Grail War, if you don't mind."

>>3541713
Still a metagame choice and you know it.

>>3541721
Alberich literally has knowledge of her and what she might know, calling it metagame is absurd

>>3541724
We know she exists, we shouldn't be visiting Emiya and friends just for her.

>>3541726
>we shouldn't be visiting Emiya and friends just for her
Yeah, well, that’s just like, your opinion, man

>>3541724
>>3541726
>>3541733
Metagame or not, there's another huge problem with the plan: it's not the weekend yet.

>>3541738
This calls for a time skip in which we study all of Vaisset's material on Imaginary Numbers. Surely he must have something, even if it's only academic knowledge since it's not his Element.
seriously we should look around

>>3541738
Oh, I did not know that. Changing
>>3541670
To
>[ ] Wait at the school for Ayaka to finish her classes.

>>3539647
Train transference.

>>3542146
Are we still capable of doing that? It, and working on our Origin could be a decent use of our time but we don't have Circe as a teacher anymore.

>>3542154
Then again, would it be in character for us to continue? We know it's a good idea but Alberich is no longer his own magic source so I doubt he would.

>>3542163
We can still manipulate the magic within us regardless of it's source though right?

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>>3542146
>>3542189
The operative question here is what you want to do with Transference magic right now. All your previous training was to improve efficacy of supplying your Servants, but that's no longer applicable. Now, Transference can be used for all sorts of other things (pic related), but you don't have any experience with that. So what's your goal?

>>3542196
Can transference be used to further empower items? Or is that reserved only for reinforcement? We just don't know of any other types of magic so transference seems like the only real option for self training right now.

>>3542196
Could we manipulate the mana that Vaisset supplies us? We were able to do the reverse with our Od, while we were still remotely human, but that was merely direction more than it was complete control.

>>3542205
>Can transference be used to further empower items?
If it's an item designed to take in mystic energy, yes. Your mystic code (before it became Kenotis) is an example of this.
You could also use Transference to strengthen an object by transferring some property of a different object to it, but you'd need to find a magus to teach you how to do that. All you've really learned to do so far is manipulate mystic energy with great precision. Since that (together with your magic circuits) became your stat of Magic Energy B, though, it's not as though it isn't helping you now.

>>3542219
>Could we manipulate the mana that Vaisset supplies us?
First, what he's supplying you is mystic energy sourced from his Od, not Mana. To answer your question, though, yes. In a couple of ways. First, you're manipulating it constantly to sustain your existence as a Servant. You also use it to activate your NP (though you haven't done that yet). In addition, any magecraft you do perform as a Servant will be using the energy he supplies you.
I feel like there's some other connotation you had in mind to manipulation, but I'm not sure what it is.

>>3542241
Let's practice transferring more power to our noble thantasms then. It beats just sitting around outside a school.

>>3542241
>what he's supplying you is mystic energy sourced from his Od, not Mana
My mistake.
>I feel like there's some other connotation you had in mind to manipulation
Nope, that was it.

>6 updates in 8 days
RIP

>>3541738
So I 100% forgot that we would have to wait for the weekend when I picked my choice.

I want to change it to looking around the city for a bit.

>>3542792
Sweets just has a life and kino QMing takes a lot of time and effort. He will return, and we will realize renovatio questii

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Hoping...

Looking out at the street ahead of you, a few options come to mind. You could visit the Emiya family and see whether that unusual spellcaster has any new input for you regarding the Holy Grail War. Alternatively, you might spend the day practicing your magecraft. You may not have learned many techniques, but surely practicing the basics serves well in any pursuit. After some thought, however, you put aside both of these notions. The most important thing for you to do is stand guard at the school, with the mysterious presence of the enemy Servant. Vaisset may have any number of high-minded notions about how the War ought to be fought, but there's ultimately nothing to guarantee that his view is the consensus. Whoever was giving that Servant its orders obviously wasn't above moving around in the day accompanied by a superhuman fighter; the entire scheme of retreat may well have been a scheme to lull you into a false sense of security and then, under the false impression that she is your Master, kill Ayaka! Indeed, a crisis may be unfolding at this very moment!

As your thoughts run away with you, you pick up speed, fairly racing to Kyoutenkan Academy with visions of gory death flashing through your mind. How could you have been so foolish? The enemy Servant is probably stalking defenseless Ayaka right now, waiting for the perfect moment to kill her; or to save time they may be indiscriminately gutting the student body one by one, or even burning the school to the ground!

Or... doing nothing. You feel a bit foolish as you reach the school to find it just the same as you left it, with no impression of a Servant's presence on the grounds. You're not certain your perception extends to the entire property, of course. Nevertheless, there doesn't seem to be anything amiss with the school. It's the middle of the last morning class before the lunch break, and through the windows you can see students shifting restlessly in their seats, mentally urging teachers to hurry up and get it over with. One window is angles such that from your position you watch as a teacher reaches the end of her patience and angrily rebukes a student, although the class' reaction is obscured from your view. In other words, things are running perfectly as normal at Kyoutenkan.

Moreover, you feel the same presence as this morning outside of the school. It seems the enemy Servant either had the same concern for a student that you did or is here for some other reason, as the presence of its spirit is quite apparent at the opposite end of the block. With studied calm, you approach the invisible presence. This time it doesn't retreat, but draws near to you at the same pace. Finally you meet, close enough to speak, in front of the school gate. The Servant materializes.

Huh...?

Confusion is what first runs through your mind on seeing the enemy Servant. Looking at him, you'd believe he was the teenage student, and not his Master. Standing before you is a young blonde man, with blue eyes, tousled hair, and an impetuous, energetic expression. Though you know for a fact that you really are young, and this is a resurrected spirit of some long-dead figure, you still feel old looking at him! Like yourself, he's adapted to modern garb, wearing a black cashmere overcoat, white shirt, and navy slacks. As soon as he's materialized, he claps his hands together and starts rubbing them. "Fwough! Cold out here, isn't it," he exclaims. "Don't we get used to modern conveniences fast?"

When you return a blank stare to his comment, the young man gives you a lopsided grin, saying, "Hey, no need to be so standoffish. We're in the same boat here, right? I'm Rider, by the way." This eminently gregarious fellow actually sticks his hand out for you to shake. Feeling like a bit of a fool, you allow yourself to be carried along in his pace and shake the proffered hand.

"You may call me Saber," you answer stiffly. You're still not sure what to make of this new Rider, and wait for him to propel the conversation he's dragged you into along.

"Oh, you're suspicious of me," he says wryly. "I get it, I get it. We're meant to kill each other, so you don't feel like a little chat. But really, Saber, we're in a position to sympathize with one another. Look!" He gestures to the school, sweeping an arm out to encompass the grounds. "You showed up here escorting your Master this morning, right? It was the same for me! Then we noticed another Servant, bolted, and came back to check on them! Now I bet you're planning on staying here 'til classes are done, so you can make sure your Master gets home safe, right?"

"You have the gist of it," you allow.

"Well then," Rider continues, good cheer veritably bursting out of him, "like I said, we're in the same boat! Now, we both know there's no fighting in the day, so we might as well be friendly while we wait. How's the War been for you so far, Saber?"

>[ ] How do you respond to Rider?

>>3546450
>Uneventful until now: I've seen no sign of Servants other than you and that spate of bad luck downtown. And for you?

>>3542792
>>3544191
>>3546368
Alright, yeah, this has definitely not been a great week for me in terms of writing. I think I'm through the worst now, though, and I'm fairly confident I can do multiple updates tomorrow.

>>3546458
Cool.

By the way, does Rider ever appear in canon? Because if he does, it could be Jason.

>>3546460
Maybe he does, maybe he doesn't.

>>3546457
Support

>>3546457
>>3546450
Support

>>3546457
Why give him valuable intel?

>>3546666
What valuable intel? You couldn't miss the shit that happened at the junction if you were taking part in the war, and even if he somehow doesn't know it's not much to work off of. You shouldn't be so paranoid, anon

>>3546674
I still don't see the point of bringing it up.

>>3546748
To make casual conversation. Maybe he’ll surrender something of actual worth if we keep talking amicably.

>>3546801
Not everyone has an extensive surveillance network throughout the entire city so why should we risk tipping anyone off about info we learned because we do have one?

>>3546821
Because the info is quite vague, and so by revealing it we risk nothing and stand to gain maybe something.

>>3546860
I'd say we're risking quite a bit. Not only are we revealing that we have the capacity to observe such a large-scale phenomenon (which a Saber alone is unlikely to be capable of), we're also noting that we think it's connected to another servant. It doesn't take much to figure out that it's something we intend to investigate. Dropping just that little bit of information reveals something of the capabilities of our master and lends our enemy the ability to predict our movements to some degree.

Supporting >>3546457 but leave out the part about the bad luck.

>>3547868
Exactly. Being paranoid is necessary in grail wars.

>>3546450
>>3546457 but exclude our intel.

>>3547868
>which a Saber alone is unlikely to be capable of
...That's why everyone uses familiars.
Any Magus worth his salt can make and send out familiars -- and many will, on order to scout the place without having to send the Servant out. In fact, we already know of two other Masters who'd do that (not that we're telling Rider their names).
>it's something we intend to investigate
Maybe not anymore, now that Rider has shown himself and we know there's another Master so close to Ayaka. It would be foolish to leave her alone with the total unknown, after all, and it would behoove us to investigate that.

I think the in the end it's not as bad as you think, because it's something everyone would know if they bothered to look around.

>>3548113
Even if there's just a tiny bit of risk by bringing it up it's not worth it because we gain literally nothing by telling him.

>>3548146
We gain his trust, a chance to make a friend. We could use a friend if a problematic Servant shows up.
Also, he seems friendly enough, and telling him something could prompt him to tell us something if only to keep up his image.

>>3548146
So are you voting for leaving out the information about what you've seen? Do you have something else to write in?

Currently I have 3 votes for:
"The War has been largely uneventful. In fact, you and the strange outbreak of accidents last night have been the only signs of Servants I've encountered. What of yourself?"

With 2 for:
"For me, the War has been uneventful. In fact, you are the first Servant I've encountered thus far; and an unusual one at that. What has you so cheerful, Rider?"

>>3548439
I'll vote for the latter

Now it seems that we need a tiebreaker.

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>3548572
Let the coin choose.
>1. Me
>2. Me, but no mention of the oopsies

You may as well play along with the other Servant, you decide. Whether he's trying to deceive you or just foolishly friendly, there's the potential for you to gain valuable information either way. So you put on an act of relaxing, opening up to him a bit in your posture and answering him in a friendlier tone than you'd used to introduce yourself.

"For me, the War has been uneventful," you say. "In fact, you are the first Servant I've encountered thus far; and an unusual one at that. What has you so cheerful, Rider?"

Rider grins as he answers. "What has me so cheerful? You should know that as well as I do. A new life after all these years! A shot at the Holy Grail! Who wouldn't be cheerful about this kind of circumstance? And besides, there's the company. Think about it, Saber, this War is the only gathering in history where we have the chance to meet the world's finest heroes, with a guarantee of no fakers, exaggerators, or other con men around. There's no mortal social club that can make a boast like that!"

Given your nature, you suppose you'd fall under the definition of an exaggerator. Certainly you haven't appeared in any legends, and your abilities as a Servant seem to be rather higher than those you had as a modified human. Clearly Rider isn't in possession of all the facts regarding who can and cannot fill the role of Servant, but you don't trouble yourself to correct him. If his friendliness is due to an impression of your nonexistent heroism, there's no need to ruin that. Instead, you ask, "And have you availed yourself of the opportunity by meeting some of our august competitors?"

Rider shakes his head morosely. "No," he says, "not so many as I'd hoped. I had in mind some kind of meeting of all seven Masters when the War began, but I guess these magi aren't interested in that kind of thing. I've only gotten the chance to meet one other Servant, and with him I've been sworn to secrecy! It's a real disappointment. You think you can sit down and discuss what it means to be a hero with the great examples from history, and instead it's all secrets and false names, going around invisible and only fighting at night... don't you think these magi are a pack of rogues, Saber? I mean, the attitude they've got in summoning up heroes and ordering them around like this almost offsets the favor of bringing us back in the first place!" Throughout this diatribe, Rider frequently gesticulates, conveying his attitude by vehement hand gestures as well as his widely ranging of tone of voice.

"It is a rather arrogant act, binding a hero," you allow. If truth be told, it had always struck you as a bit presumptuous for contemporary people to act as Masters of legendary figures. Of course, for one of such obvious superiority as yourself it was perfectly acceptable, but the majority of humanity doesn't deserve the same allowance. Rider has a point, if a very minor one. "However," you continue, "there is another side to consider. As you've said, it is through them that we are given the opportunity to seize the Grail. Furthermore, they supply us with the energy necessary to live. As a child dependent on its parents for sustenance must obey them, so we are bound to our Masters."

Rider makes a dismissive wave of his hand. "Well, you know that's not exactly true. There is the other way, getting energy from blood, if you don't mind putting your principles aside to do it."

"Surely a man who lightly sets aside his principles cannot be considered a great hero," you counter. "The tragic death as a consequence of preferring principles to self-preservation is a classic element of a hero's life."

"Fair enough, Saber, you've got me there," Rider says laughingly. "That's why we're both waiting here for our Masters to finish school instead of wreaking havoc and looking for the other Servants!" Then he pauses for a moment, his expression darkening, before continuing. "Listen, Saber," he says seriously, "why don't we put the scheming of the magi aside and have a proper duel? You and I, one-on-one, right here. We can come back tonight, after dark, and settle at least one Servant before our Masters have the chance to set up secret alliances, start killing each other, or any of that filth. Either you'll be eliminated, or I will, and it'll be that simple. What do you say?"

"Well, that's quite a suggestion," you say, momentarily taken aback. After collecting yourself, though, you decide to...

>[ ] Take Rider up on his offer of a duel. It may not have been your method in the last Grail War, but Saber is a far more direct Servant than Caster. The idea of cleanly defeating the one Servant you've encountered and taking a clear step towards victory excites you. (Duty)

>[ ] Turn Rider's idea down. As with the last Holy Grail War, you want to gather information and allies before any actual battle. You may not have Circe's abilities at your disposal anymore, but that setback shouldn't change your overall approach. A careful method will also minimize danger to Vaisset and Ayaka, the primary objective Vaisset had given you. (Compassion)

>[ ] Challenge Rider to a fight here and now! You've had enough of waiting around, and the street is clear; the neighborhood is silent; there's no need to be worried about the witness rule of the magi at the moment. If Rider has the courage to duel you, you'd rather not postpone it. (Pride)

>[ ] Respond in some other way. (Write in)

>>3548819
>[x] Turn Rider's idea down. As with the last Holy Grail War, you want to gather information and allies before any actual battle. You may not have Circe's abilities at your disposal anymore, but that setback shouldn't change your overall approach. A careful method will also minimize danger to Vaisset and Ayaka, the primary objective Vaisset had given you. (Compassion)
We could maybe take him, but I'd rather not fight to the death until we figure out a name for our sword. Just to be safe.

>>3548819
>[ ] Turn Rider's idea down. As with the last Holy Grail War, you want to gather information and allies before any actual battle. You may not have Circe's abilities at your disposal anymore, but that setback shouldn't change your overall approach. A careful method will also minimize danger to Vaisset and Ayaka, the primary objective Vaisset had given you. (Compassion)
Note that someone might try to swoop in and kill the winner.

>>3548819
>[ ] Turn Rider's idea down. As with the last Holy Grail War, you want to gather information and allies before any actual battle. You may not have Circe's abilities at your disposal anymore, but that setback shouldn't change your overall approach. A careful method will also minimize danger to Vaisset and Ayaka, the primary objective Vaisset had given you. (Compassion)
I trust this individual, but he did just admit to a secret pact with another servant. We don’t have a nat 100 to save us from death every time!

>>3548819
>[ ] Take Rider up on his offer of a duel. It may not have been your method in the last Grail War, but Saber is a far more direct Servant than Caster. The idea of cleanly defeating the one Servant you've encountered and taking a clear step towards victory excites you. (Duty)
If this servant thinks that Ayaka is our Master then she isn't safe at all. Especially when we can't go into spirit form and guard her more closely as a normal heroic spirit can. Let's deal with the threat now and be done with it.

>>3548819
>>[ ] Take Rider up on his offer of a duel. It may not have been your method in the last Grail War, but Saber is a far more direct Servant than Caster. The idea of cleanly defeating the one Servant you've encountered and taking a clear step towards victory excites you. (Duty)
Probably not the best choice, but fuck it.

>>3548819
>[ ] Turn Rider's idea down. As with the last Holy Grail War, you want to gather information and allies before any actual battle. You may not have Circe's abilities at your disposal anymore, but that setback shouldn't change your overall approach. A careful method will also minimize danger to Vaisset and Ayaka, the primary objective Vaisset had given you. (Compassion)
Why would a servant refuse to speak about another servant?
Possibly a trap. Possible chance of this becoming a 2 v 1 too.
He's hoping to take advantage of our chivalry on account of our class being the most typical knight class.

>>3548819

>>3548819
>>[ ] Take Rider up on his offer of a duel. It may not have been your method in the last Grail War, but Saber is a far more direct Servant than Caster. The idea of cleanly defeating the one Servant you've encountered and taking a clear step towards victory excites you. (Duty)

I'm fairly confident in our abilities even if it is a 2 v 1. Besides we can't actually assume it's a trap, if it is then we'll be able to better learn two enemy Servants

We should advise caution however all things considered though

>>3548819
>[ ] Turn Rider's idea down. As with the last Holy Grail War, you want to gather information and allies before any actual battle. You may not have Circe's abilities at your disposal anymore, but that setback shouldn't change your overall approach. A careful method will also minimize danger to Vaisset and Ayaka, the primary objective Vaisset had given you. (Compassion)
He was kind enough to mention that he has, in fact, met with another servant, but he did also say he's been sworn to secrecy. It could easily be a trap.
I should also think we've learned our lesson about organizing fights with enemy servants. The last time we did that, it killed Lancer and was our biggest mistake of the war.

This next bit is metagame, so I don't think it should factor into our decision here, but it's easy to infer that this is Haruo's servant and therefore the partner of Archer and the mystery woman. Rider might be telling the truth about this one-on-one, but it's just as likely to end up as a trap if his master or allies get wind if it before it goes down.

Well, that makes a tie. Is the chance of a victory worth the risk of your first battle as a Servant?

>>3549688
Looks like 5-3 to me boss.

>>3549688
>Well, that makes a tie.
I see 5C vs 3D.

>>3549696
>>3549698
I had been remembering it as 4-3 in favor of duty, and thought ID balanced it to 4-4. Never mind then.

>>3549688
Our first battle as a servant has to come sooner or later.
I just need something to happen all we're doing is talking so far

>>3551421
Well if you wanted something to happen right away, why not vote for fighting him immediately?

>>3551433
Because it's daytime and our master isn't here

>>3551433
>"This is a War, isn't it?!"
>head lopped off

"A very unique suggestion indeed," you say, humor creeping into your tone. Finally you can't hold it in any more, and let out a guffaw. "But I, fufu... I, hahaha, have to refuse!" You grin down at the strangely youthful spirit. "Rider, you seem to have developed a severe misconception about me," you explain, getting a grip on yourself once more. "I'm not some martial-minded samurai or machismo-obsessed cowboy, ready to blindly accept and walk into a duel at such and such a time, in such and such a place, for honor's sake alone!" Of course, the only gunslinger you've met personally was far from the dueling type himself. Still, it is an archetype and the comparison brings your point home.

"This is a war, Rider," you continue gravely, "and I could no more set aside what you call 'the scheming of the magi' than I could give up the blade that dubs me Saber." You shake your head in mock dismay at the foolish proposition. "I look forward to meeting you on the battlefield, Rider," you continue, "but if you can't understand why I'd be a fool to accept such a proposition, I expect you'll be killed by another before I have my chance at your life."

Anger flares up in Rider's eyes, and he exclaims, "Developed a misconception? You're the one who was talking about how a hero couldn't bend on principle a minute ago! Now you laugh at the idea of a man-to-man fight, the most natural thing for any warrior worth the title! What kind of man are you, anyway?"

"One with a different idea of heroism from yours, plainly," you answer coldly. "I do cleave to my principles, Rider. They may be different from your own, but I am certainly true to them." Of course, now you're feeding the Servant a wholesale lie. You've never clung to any ideological principle, before or after your change in the Akeldama. Still, if you're going to represent yourself as a proper Servant; as a heroic spirit, however removed from the norm; you certainly can't represent yourself as a ball of pride, seeking improvement of your own station with no particular reason beyond the desire for personal gratification. "I believe," you declare, "in demonstrating fidelity by using the most certain methods to achieve my Master's ends. Catering to a warrior's pride by orchestrating a duel is far from the most efficient path to victory."

Rider's expression is now utterly transformed by rage. "A view of things fitter for a slave than a knight," he spits. "You should be ashamed to call yourself Saber! In fact, maybe I'll cut you down right now!" To your shock, the air around Rider is filled with the shimmering light of a Servant's materializing equipment. He really is preparing to fight you, here in broad daylight!

Before Rider's weaponry can coalesce, however, the mood is shattered by the tolling of the lunch bell at school. Interrupted by the chimes, Rider looks for a moment as if he's snapped out of a trance. The materialization of his armaments stops as suddenly as it had begun, and calm returns to his features. "No," he says, "it can't be done now, can it? But mark my words, Saber! I'll be the one to put an end to you!"

With this parting sally, Rider fades into spirit form and disappears from view. You feel his presence retreat to the opposite end of the street in front of Kyoutenkan Academy, though he doesn't actually leave. Given the discussion you've had, you suppose he doesn't trust you not to break into the school and attack his Master. After Rider retreats, though, the afternoon passes uneventfully. When Ayaka leaves her classes Rider remains at a safe distance as you meet her, and her gaggle of friends make a minimal fuss over you. What's new and exciting one day is ordinary and not worth commenting on the next day, apparently. Rider still waits in the same place as you and Ayaka depart. Either his Master is staying late at school, or he's being very careful to ensure you don't discover his Master's identity.

"Saber-san," Ayaka whispers, keeping her voice low enough that only you can hear as the two of you part ways with her schoolmates, "you seem worried. What happened with the Servant you noticed this morning?"

Once you're well out of earshot of the other homeward-bound students, you answer. "It seems one of your schoolmates is a Master, Miss Ayaka. Like myself, the Servant was there to protect the student. I would warn you to be on your guard with another Master skulking about, but as you don't have a set of command spells for this person to detect, you should be safe." You pause for a moment, considering the matter. "Of course," you continue, "if you do find yourself in danger, you have only to call out for me. As long as that Master is there during your school hours, I'll be waiting by the gate to protect you. Remember that, Miss Ayaka."

"Th-thank you, Saber-san," Ayaka replies demurely, not meeting your eyes. For a time, the two of you walk in silence after that, as you consider the ramifications of Rider's grudge against you and Ayaka turns in her mind whatever thoughts occupy a young girl. When you're about halfway back to the Shijou house, she speaks up again. "Isn't it a bit wasteful, though?"

"What do you mean," you reply. "What is it you feel is being wasted, and by what?"

"Well," Ayaka begins hesitantly, "I'm happy you're coming to Kyoutenkan to protect me, of course, but wouldn't it be better for you and Nii-san if you spent the time with him? I know the fighting is only at night, but you could make plans for the war or cooperate on deciding what magecraft could help you, and stuff like that, right?"

You chuckle dryly. "Your brother doesn't take a very active view of the War, Miss Ayaka," you say, putting Vaisset's acute disinterest as positively as you can. "He is not very fond of my presence either, and would very much rather have me guarding you than distracting him from his magical research with tedious details of the Holy Grail War. I too would hate to see a lovely young girl like you come to harm, so of course I have no qualms about the duty. We'll manage the War at night, have no fear."

"If you say so..." Ayaka assents reluctantly, but the worry doesn't leave her voice. "Just be careful, alright Saber-san?"

"Of course," you say. "I will devote the utmost care to bringing victory to you and your brother."

Ayaka sighs and mutters something you can't quite make out, before quickening her pace to accelerate ahead of you. During the conversation you've reached the Shijou house, and she hurriedly strides up the walkway and into the house, leaving you out in the yard. It's about 16:00, and you have a few hours before dark with no orders from Vaisset. How do you want to spend them?

>[ ] Guard the manor until sunset, so you can bring Vaisset out and head downtown as quickly as possible. (Duty)

>[ ] Return to the school and see if Rider is still there. Maybe you can track down his Master, or make a surprise attack on the Servant once darkness falls. You may have rejected a scheduled duel, but that doesn't rule out an impromptu battle. (Pride/Duty)

>[ ] Go inside and talk to one of the Shijou siblings. Who, and about what? (Trait dependent on subject)

>[ ] Kill time and get something to eat at the local shopping district. (Self-Preservation)

>[ ] Do something else (Write in)

>>3551497
>"A view of things fitter for a slave than a knight,"
Calling it now, he'd be the first to die unless an third party intervenes. How's our hunger looking?

>>3551538
Well, you last ate at breakfast quite early in the morning, and it's now about 16.

>>3551503
>[ ] Go inside and talk to one of the Shijou siblings. Who, and about what?
Tell Jean about our encounter with Rider.

>>3551421
>I just need something to happen all we're doing is talking so far
>3-post update of just dialogue
...sorry, anon.

>>3551503
>[ ] Guard the manor until sunset, so you can bring Vaisset out and head downtown as quickly as possible. (Duty)

>>3551503
>[ ] Guard the manor until sunset, so you can bring Vaisset out and head downtown as quickly as possible. (Duty)
>Pridefulness leads to Rider declaring he will slay us
I’m simultaneously proud of and frustrated with Alberich

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>>3551789
>frustrated with Alberich
Kill the traitor.

>>3551789
>>3551815
I'm actually curious how the dialogue would've went if we were Compassionate or Dutiful.

>>3551831
>sorry bro if we fight it'll hurt someone, and heroes don't hurt people
>oh yeah I got you bro

>>3551835
>oh yeah I got you bro
I think that we would have still refused if we were a Dutyfag, citing that one does not simply swear an oath to secrecy with an enemy.

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>>3551863
>sorry bro, I just don't trust you, it's not you it's me
>I'm just not ready for a committed relationship. I have a girlfriend already actually
>his fw

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I just realized that the first one WAS the Compassionate scenario.

>>3551950
Rider did seem a bit flamboyant while interacting with us, didn't he?

>>3548817
>Rider frequently gesticulates, conveying his attitude by vehement hand gestures as well as his widely ranging of tone of voice
Maybe not flamboyant, but he's definitely Italian.

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>>3552046
I think it would be fair to say that we're gonna be on all the Knights shit lists if they're all gonna be Lawfags too. Also,
>Italian
>from the country that brought to you l'opera
>not flamboyant

>>3552079
you got me there

>>3551831
>>3551984
No no, you picked the option that was motivated by compassion, not the option to be compassionate. Pride is your highest stat, and that isn't going to change without some real effort.

>>3551503
>[ ] Kill time and get something to eat at the local shopping district. (Self-Preservation)
We still need to eat. There's no telling what effect being hungry will have on our ability to fight.

>>3552197
But we were talking about if Pride wasn't our largest stat.

>>3552293
Right, I was thinking that
>I just realized that the first one WAS the Compassionate scenario.
referred to the option you picked. Carry on.

>>3551538
>Calling it now, he'd be the first to die unless an third party intervenes.
What makes you think that, anon?

>>3552327
Because the equally-chivalrous Saber was the first to die in our War.

>>3551503
>[ ] Go inside and talk to one of the Shijou siblings. Who, and about what? (Trait dependent on subject)
Tell him about Rider.
Just eat some food from the house.

Tell Vaisset about Rider
>>3551559
>>3552686

Guard the manor
>>3551769
>>3551789

Go to the shopping district
>>3552215

By the way, how's that illustration of Alberich coming along, >>3526340?