sweethymns | ғaтe/alт.dιѕтorтιon ii

That. That is a BIG boat.

[Another half hour had passed before the group met their destination. They had passed a Bounded Field, no doubt created by Caster, who had set up the boundary lines in the middle of the sea. Their real destination, is a cruise-like ship, one much larger, dwarfing their yacht by several sizes. There are a few passenger boats nearby and the sound of human activity on board, meaning...]

Huh. More people??

[Ai stands next to her twin also troubled, but continuously observant.]

"If one didn't know any better, you'd think it was just a normal cruise ship."

[Lien is keeping a keen eye out for whatever is out of the norm.

There's definitely a Servant on that ship, but...

[ Similarly, Cu is squinting at this new development, a hand raised over his eyes. This is quite an unconventional setup for a fight, that's for sure. ]

...It looks like they brought a party with them. Not exactly the kind of thing I expected.

[The noise coming from the ship sounds... well, normal. People are having fun and the sound of laughter echoes from above. Ai looks up, at the ship, brows furrowed.]

The whole ship is... Well, there's definitely prana flowing throughout the whole thing...

[Which could be worrisome in itself.]

Didn't the familiar say something about wanting to exchange information? If there's normal people on board, I should hope we don't start a fight here where we're surrounded by the ocean and by people who have supposedly have nothing to do with this.

[Their yacht is slowing down and parking near an available entrance of the large ship. The familiar steps out and bows to the group.]

"We have arrived. Pay no heed to the others for they will pay no heed to you for the time being."

[Meaning they'll be concealed, magically. Ai takes her place next to Diarmuid and nods with Lien; time to go in.]

...This isn't an ideal platform for fighting. If our enemy intends to use these people as leverage, we may have some difficulties on our hands.

[ Meaning, he's not a fan of dirty fighting, no matter how efficient it may or may not be.

Stationing himself by Ai's side, Diarmuid pulls one lance into his hand to get himself ready for whatever might be waiting. ]

We're undoubtedly in enemy territory— stay close to me, Miss Ai.

[ Not 'Master', whoops. ]

Ah.

[That referral doesn't go unnoticed by Lien who gives her twin a knowing look while Ai pretends to ignore her in turn. Still, the time for quips has passed.

As they follow the familiar, they'll see the people on board are dressed quite finely as they partake in music, some dance, and drink. There's a lot of animated chatter and conversation, some which Lien notes is about the incredibly charming hostess who had organized this whole event. And as if reading her mind, one of Lien's questions is answered by the familiar who simply states:]

"Yes, they're all normal people. They will be sent away eventually, but they are needed in order for my creator to store up a large amount of prana. This is the safest and most humane way to obtain it although the method is weak and slow."

Ooooh.

[Lien glances around the ship more with interest.]

So the whole ship has been enchanted?

"Yes. With magic resistance, however, you are in no danger. Please take no offense."

[ The gossip is information, and Cu listens to it for a few seconds— something about a beautiful hostess and how lucky they all are to be here. It doesn't look like anyone is actively suffering, which is good, all things considered; he still remembers how Lien didn't take very well to the other Master-Servant combo who used other people for their purposes.

(Then again, maybe he'd be fine with seeing Lien punch yet another person in the face.

And call them Hans.) ]

Not in any danger, huh. You say that, but your 'creator' is the one with all this extra prana.

[ Which isn't necessarily good?? This puts him at a disadvantage, maybe. Not that he's thinking about losing. ]

[They are led into a grand looking room where there's a throne of sorts and the place is decorated with flowers, intricate carpets, and a sweet smell of incense wafts through the air. There's a small group of people, some men and some women. And what the twins immediately notice is...

That they can't quite notice which one is the Servant. And that in itself is troublesome; a Heroic Spirit would usually stick out wouldn't they? But upon further examination, everyone else seems to hang onto the words of one woman, dressed in a simple, but elegant white and gold dress. Her dark hair was long and straight and she had skin that was lightly kissed by the sun. The woman appears to be neither too young nor too old. Her silvery blue eyes were emphasized by the dark outlines of makeup and when she looks upon the twins and the two other Servants, there was a force to be reckoned with behind her gaze.

Beautiful wouldn't be an accurate word to describe her, but there was nonetheless an aura of elegance, grandeur, and wisdom. She excuses herself from the group and tells them to enjoy the outside breeze. They all laugh heartily, accepting the suggestion and leaving. When they're all gone, the door is shut by the familiar who then steps in front of the other Servants so that it can prostrate itself in front of the woman.]

"We have returned. There were no obstacles in sight."

[Caster nods and properly faces the twins and Lancers. She gives them a surprisingly sweet smile and when she speaks, there's something compelling about the way she lets her words flow; it eases and charms so naturally.]

Thank you for meeting me all the way out here. As you can see, I've kept myself quite busy for the time being.

[She puts her hand over her heart and gives her head a slight bow towards the Masters.]

I am Caster. My true name is, but, a trifling in a War such as this.

Edited 2015-09-16 01:00 (UTC)

[ It's absolutely charisma that radiates from the presence in front of them, the sort of quiet authority that transcends basic expectations and the traditional mantles that most figures in power wear. Cu's seen a wide variety of beautiful women (he really has, it's not something to shake a finger at), but Caster's something entirely new: it's humbling for the moment it takes for him to digest the new presence, come to terms with it.

Then, he's back to form.

Gae Bolg taps against his shoulder, red eyes close in mild amusement. ]

Can't tell if you're being humble of if you're calling this war a joke. Either way, that's fine with me.

[ A breezy joke, and he jerks a thumb over to Diarmuid. ]

I'm the Lancer Servant class, and so is he. So you're going to have to call us "the blue one" and the "green one".

[She muffles a soft laugh with her fingers.]

Oh, but I wouldn't be so forward as to refer to my fellow Heroic Spirits with such droll names even in jest. I am quite certain your Masters wouldn't appreciate it. Speaking of...

[Lien is leaning slightly to look behind Caster because there are some identical familiars who are moving in the background, two which are carrying the throne closer to their creator. There's some shuffling behind them and two seats are being carried over by other familiars, offered to Lien and Ai. The prostrating familiar that had guided them makes its way to the other Servant's side.]

Please, sit. We have other matters far more important to discuss after all.

[It all goes unsaid, but her manners are impeccable and the way she offers seats to the twins instead of the Spirits is something subtle in itself. The Masters are being treated as guests while their Servants could stand by their side, without feeling as if their defenses were being lowered.

Caster sits on her throne with her back straight, hands on her lap, and poised as can be.]

As you can see, I do not seek battle against you, not when I am outclassed in terms of direct combat.

[And yet knowing this, she does not lose any confidence due to her disadvantages.]

[ The carrying of the seats is a gesture that Diarmuid sees and appreciates for what it is, which leads him to believe that Caster is nobility. Someone experienced in the art of ruling, which would narrow down the candidates for who exactly she is, not that that's the biggest trial to face here.

He stations himself next to Ai, watches as Cu settles next to Lien as well. The other Lancer seems more relaxed, even seeing fit to sit on one of Lien's armrests.

It doesn't surprise Diarmuid that he's not being asked to fight, but there's still lingering suspicion, which he voices with smooth confidence in kind. ]

Is that a conclusion you've drawn for yourself, Caster? You seem to be without a Master, or self-important enough to speak on their behalf.

Oh, I am aligned with a Master; a magus from the Mage's Association to be exact.

[She leans back into her seat, languidly crossing her legs.]

Please don't think of me as being neglecting of my Master. Rather, she isn't here on this ship precisely because I care for her safety.

[Or maybe she didn't like her being in the way?? Ai wonders looking somewhat incredulous. Caster continues, her tone light, but not dismissive.]

If I were without a Master, I doubt I'd be here with my full mental capacities. Rather... I'd be like those unfortunate Spirits who had been tainted with filth. Wouldn't you think so?

So you've seen them around, too.

[ Cu isn't quite as concerned about the Master as Diarmuid is: he's not here to fight the humans, and he'd much rather concern himself with the people he can fight and be evenly matched than the alternative. That said, the topic of those Shadow Servants— tortured Heroic Spirits with no aim, no purpose— grate on him far more. It's the principle of the thing.

A light exhale, and he settles against the back of the chair that he's leaning against, one knee pulled up over the armrest. ]

Seeing that none of us want to end up that way, what are you proposing, Caster? Let's hear that first, before I decide whether or not I wanna mince words.

My proposal... Yes, I certainly wanted to go in that direction after all.

[Their seating had been arranged so that there was some space between Caster and the others, leaving some remaining space on the floor. A familiar brings a shallow dish, piled high with glimmering sand and Caster reaches over to grab handful. She allows the sand to flow between her fingers and onto the floor where it swirls and spreads out, glowing softly as it creates a layout of the entirety of Fuyuki City including the ocean where their ship was located.

There are dark spots spread out among the city, most likely indicating the rifts that they all had encountered. And out in the ocean where they're at, there's a large dark orb and she points at it specifically.]

First off; we need to deal with that. So far that has been the biggest rift I have seen, bigger it seems than anything any of us has had to deal with. No doubt, the tainted Servant that originates from it is more than one of us could handle and if left to its own devices, could reach the city and bring about its destruction.

My Master had instructed me to use my arts in order to construct a Bounded Field to deter it, but it will only avoid the inland for so long.

[Lien and Ai are looking across the map. The latter's gaze is fixed on the church in particular. Caster notices, but doesn't comment.]

I have complete confidence that we can eradicate the rogue Servant and the rift along with it. My familiars have reported to me of your previous battles and I was impressed.

But now the real question remains: what happens when we defeat every darkened Spirit?

[Ai speaks up as she moves her gaze towards Ryuudou Temple where she and Diarmuid had fought Saber.]

Wouldn't they return to the Throne of Heroes?

[Caster's question brings a similar one in mind; where WOULD Servants go, rogue or not? They were essentially copies of the original souls stored in the Throne of Heroes after all weren't they?]

And normally, if there weren't so many Servants, most of them would have been defeated by now and the Grail would appear wouldn't it?

Edited 2015-09-17 02:31 (UTC)

That would be ideal, if the source of the irregularities were eradicated and the rest of us were returned to our Thrones. But...

[ He frowns, considering all the information that's been given. None of the basic guiding principles seem to have applied in any way during this entire faux-war, and he can't imagine that the Grail that emerges as a result of this debacle will be genuine. ]

...If what we're fighting for is a corrupt Grail, there's no guarantee that the copies that we've defeated have returned safely through its aid. Its intentions remain unknown to us.

[ Which is the biggest point of uncertainty; what are they fighting for, if not for a wishgranter? It's disconcerting to think about, and while he knows that the rift is something they'll need to deal with , the "what then" hangs heavily in the air. ]

... Indeed.

[For a moment, Caster is silent, her eyes narrowing at Diarmuid's words as she gazes at her layout of the city. With one movement of her hand, while her chin rests on the other, Fuyuki turns to dust and begins to form what the ideal form of the Holy Grail would be.]

Being a magus myself, I am familiar with rituals. In fact, my land of origin is one which had been steeped in rituals, ceremonies, and traditions. One misstep, one wrong intention...

[The sand copy of the grail begins to turn black.]

I don't think you need me to tell you that disaster is the inevitability.

[Lien has been strangely silent throughout this whole conversation so far and the moment Caster illustrates the darkened Grail, she lets out a shudder. Something is stirring in her mind again, but she hangs onto Caster's words in order to focus.]

10 years ago, the Fourth Holy Grail War had taken place in Fuyuki City. And how did that end? A great fire that swallowed everything in its path whole.

Perhaps it's not so strange if the wish of the victor had been destruction to begin with. But there have been four conflicts, three where there were no victors and the last was death.

Edited 2015-09-17 03:08 (UTC)

[Lien recalls the day when she and Lancer went to the park where the great fire had spread and the burning sensation that was supposed to disappear rekindles itself in her imagination. Caster's implications made too much sense now.]

So what you're saying is... Is that the Grail was already tampered with.

[~~The room was dark, she hears that man's voice, she remembers her Eyes burning...~~]

It wouldn't have been able to grant a wish would it?

[For a second Caster doesn't answer, looking at Lien with some interest as if she can make out every vague reaction the girl makes.]

When I made a contract with my Master, I wondered at her confusion. When I questioned her, she had told me of the previous Wars and that she had been sent to Fuyuki to investigate and glean any leftover information and remains of the Grail.

[Her tone becomes light again.]

Funny that she should mention that the Fifth War was supposed to be over and the the Grail had supposedly been destroyed. After all, I was under the impression that this was the Fifth War.

[Something is very, very, very, wrong.]

[ And, for a moment— there's a tightness in his chest, a burn where his heart would be that sears a hot line up into his throat and makes him taste blood. It's a realization of something, but he can't quite place it, a wrongness that he's reminded of if only because the topic at hand brings it to mind. He can't articulate it, of course, but his head hangs low for the second it takes to still his breathing.

Yes, something is very, very wrong. ]

Then that would mean that this entire War is...

[ A lie? Something that doesn't even truly exist?

~~Is his wish being trampled upon again?~~ ]

...Void, I suppose. [ he chooses his words carefully. ] Is this even the real Fuyuki City?

Edited 2015-09-18 01:05 (UTC)

[Ai touches her chest and looks up at Diarmuid worriedly (she had never brought up her nightmare after that day, but...)

Caster closes her eyes and then opens them up again, her expression pensive and grim.]

Is it I wonder...?

[With another movement of her hand, the darkened Grail model turns upside down and the layout of Fuyuki reappears. The dark sand Grail disintegrates, raining down on the city to recreate the rifts again.]

I believe it is and I have a theory. Not a very certain one, mind you, but it is an idea of what may have been occurring. If the Grail was destroyed, but not completely dismantled, pieces of it may have been active, corruption and all.

[Lien sits back in her seat, rubbing her forehead. Her mind is stirring and yet her memories, both hers and Ai's remain frustratingly foggy whenever it came to the topic of the Grail itself.]

And so, this Grail is still clinging on to its purpose, finding a way to reanimate itself through any means possible.

So. We're cleaning up after some other War's mess, if what you're saying is true.

[ It makes sense, to a point. If the previous War left remnants of a destroyed Grail in Fuyuki, it would explain why so many Servants have been summoned incompletely and without Masters: because the current Grail isn't powerful enough to mediate or accommodate for the Servants they've brought in. It would also make sense regarding the existence of duplicate Classes, and why some of his memories are slightly fuzzy. Maybe this copy of his soul is incomplete.

The pieces seem to fit, and Cu heaves a sigh. ]

Sounds like a pretty pickle. We've trundled all this way just to end something that shouldn't have started.

The purpose of the Grail had been lost over time, both for Servants and the Masters we were meant to serve. Whatever it has become now, it cannot grant anyone a miracle.

[The sand falls and flows back to the dish where it originated and the familiar is sent away.]

And even if it did, there would have been no good done.

[ There are alot of directions Cu can take this conversation in— seriously is one, indignance is another. He's not happy, despite his breezy exterior and his easygoing shrug, but he doesn't articulate that because there's nowhere to direct his ire to. Just a vague distaste that he's been hauled here to play like a puppet on a broken string.

So instead, he turns towards Lien and gently bops her on the head with the butt of his spear. ]

Hear that? Good thing you don't really need a wish granted, huh. Except for sticking around with me.

[ Cu?! ]

Ow.

[Caster raises a brow at the pair as Lien rubs her head with both hands, pseudo-glaring up at Cu.]

Hey. C'mon. Serious conversation going on here, you know.

[She turns to Caster, sighing (although to be fair, the magus Servant looks more amused than offended by their antics).]

Sorry.

"None taken."

[Ai pointedly ignores them both and speaks to Caster.]

We'll help close up that large rift like you proposed. That's the more immediate danger right now after all. As for the rest, we'll figure it out.

[She glances at Diarmuid, smiling at him reassuringly.]

We've gotten this far after all. I'm not someone who stops halfway.

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