Shamitako

Isis "Hmmph." Isis wasn't particularly impressed with her servant. Victoria was just a girl, nothing at all like the grand and powerful servant Isis had imagined. "I am Lady Isis Jourdain-Frederickson II, you will refer to me as 'Master' or 'my lady.'" She started to gather her things in preparation to leave. "It was necessary to prepare myself with advance knowledge of the ritual in order to guarantee my success. I have no particular affinity for written materials." Her arms now full of various books and papers, Isis began to head for the door of the study room she'd summoned. "Come, Saber. I need to return these items and then we can seek out other servants for you to fight." Red "Rosie, how lovely." Red accepted her master's handshake graciously. "I am Little Red Riding Hood, Red for short. I think it's customary to refer to your servant by their class, in which case you should call me Rider." She released her grasp on her master's hand and her arms retreated under her cloak. "We should be careful, there may be other servants summoned close enough to attack us. It will take me a short while to become properly acclimated to your mana supply and it would be best to avoid using my... abilities, before then." Red decided it was best to avoid speaking directly of her assimilation magic until she knew better how her master would respond.

Red The light cleared from the circle, leaving in its place the figure of a young woman concealed by a red cloak. The overhang above helped protect her from the rain, but the downpour was severe enough that even with such protection, she was practically drenched in moments. It didn't seem to bother her in the slightest. "It's nice to meet you, Master." Her sweet voice was accompanied by a curtsy which pushed her cloak aside some, revealing a glimpse of the dress she wore underneath. She gave off an air of mystery due to her hidden features, and it was apparent she was very attractive underneath her cloak. Behind the cover of her hood's concealing cowl, Red was sizing her master up. He was an attractive enough man, if a bit on the older side. It certainly didn't hurt that his upper body was devoid of clothing at the moment. Aside from being physically strong, Red was able to discern that he was a competent mage as well, though their link told her he was a bit lacking in mana. He would most certainly serve his purpose well as her master. Red approached her master. Her cloak parted again as her arms reached forward towards him. Her hands took hold of his, her soft, thin fingers clasping themselves gently around his. "I'm very grateful to your for summoning me, Master." Her sugar laced words flowing softly through the curtain of rain. "If it would be alright, I would like to call my master by name. Would you please tell it to me?"

Second War servant assignments: Nadia (B) - Saber: Tess Marian (B) - Lancer: Visrii Min (B) - Lost Saber: Peter Erica (A+) - Ruler: Hiroki Isis (C) - Archer: Victoria Karsten (B) - Assassin: Liliya Rosie (C) - Rider: Red Riding Hood Julius (B) - Caster: Proditor Kazuki (B) - Berserker: Ashnard

(OOC: updating all three people, Arturia and Arya coming via edit) Katja "A-ru-jen-t." Katja didn't remember the word, so she tried sounding it out. She didn't get much time to think about it as Kaede shoved Alva's hand into hers. "No return. You come with Katja too." It would be better if no one extra came along, but Katja got the impression that Kaede wouldn't let her take Alva permanently otherwise. She smiled happily, this was going so well. "Hold it." Riley interrupted Katja's happy moment with her voice, still choked from crying. "You're just going to go with her?" Riley took hold of her sword and raised herself to her feet. Responding to Riley's renewed threat level, Katja raised her hourglass-toting hand. "Don't bother, now that I know how it works, you won't get the chance." But Riley didn't attack, instead stowing her blade. "Would you like to tell Alva what you're going to do to her, or shall I?" Mack Once again, Mack ignored Arturia's attack, allowing her opponent to strike a solid gash in her shoulder and move forward. Mack continued forward as well, preventing the second blow by being too close for Arturia to maneuver. She wrapped her arms around Arturia's torso and attempted to use her superior strength to tackle the other girl to the ground. Mother Opium Helen deliberated her response, making certain her thoughts were in order before speaking. "As you know, you're one of several charity cases I've sponsored. Your case is one I've monitored closely and one I find quite encouraging. During your time here, your father has become one of my closest friends, we've spoken at great length about many things. One such thing was the possibility of our daughters becoming a couple. It seems I owe him a drink." She chuckled, "At the risk of repeating myself, please take care of my daughter. ...As for this other girl, I'll find a way to talk to Natalie about it, there's a good chance we can at least keep things from getting worse. It's good to hear that Natalie is trying to better herself, I've never much approved of her attitude in school. Frankly I'm appalled at how much my staff rewards such behavior."

Mack Refusing to let up on the attack, Mack swung the bat wildly in Arturia's general direction. She didn't need to hit, the attack was just to make sure she kept up the pressure. Katja The cutely dressed girl gave Alva an annoyed glare. 「もちろんできます。カチャは何でもすることができます」 She said confidently. She stopped to think, she rarely spoke the northern language, "You follow Katja! Now!" She insisted through a heavy Layo accent. Kallisto Having retreated out of sight after her short discussion with Natalie, Kallisto watched her sister leave from afar. It pained her not to be able to tell Natalie who she was outright, but it was important that each goddess discover themselves of their own accord. And so all she could do was watch. It wasn't a task she enjoyed, so she chose to cut it short. After all, she had other ways to help her siblings. For starters, she needed to find out who had brought them back. She had her suspicions, but she didn't know how any of them could have managed such. Aside from all the power needed to perform such a feat, the knowledge of what had truly happened to the goddesses was virtually unknown. Only the descendants of a few specific individuals would know the story with enough detail to work off of. And even with all of her resources, Kallisto still had yet to discover their locations.

Riley Yet again Riley found herself back when she started. No matter what she did, they always sent her back. She'd tried using her powers the first time, but the only future she could see was the past where she began. She couldn't just let such a major threat to her happiness live, but whoever was behind this wouldn't let her kill Alva. It was extremely frustrating. She thought Alva would just be a minor nuisance that needed removing, but then on her second attempt, Kaede had started interfering. But it seemed that even just hurting Alva was more than enough to be sent back. But Riley refused to give up. This time, once they well were out of sight, the group was engulfed in a flash of light as Riley transformed and drew her sword. She wouldn't hold back this time. ... Once they were well out of sight, Riley unceremoniously and warninglessly dropped Alva. Kaede and Alva herself were able to keep Alva from outright falling. Riley drew her sword, though, perhaps surprisingly, she didn't attack anyone. Instead, she shoved it into the ground and backed away from it, calling out, "I give up! Okay? I give up already! Just let me out!" After several moments of no answer, she fell to her knees and started crying. "I don't know what you want from me." An older girl stepped out from the forest and onto the path. She had short silver hair, in which she wore a black lacy headband ending in a string bow on either side. She wore a black overdress that split into four points over the frilly white dress underneath, with the front opening being crisscrossed by black ribbon. The sleeves of the white dress billowed out from under the black and over her hands. Her legs were largely covered by knee-high white boots, with what little would have been visible being hidden by black leggings. Her right hand had silver rings on each finger, placed at varying heights. Suspended by thin metal wires from these rings was an hourglass. The hourglass was held inside a cage of three metal bars and two round metal bases, all the same silver color as the rings. Inside the hourglass was an endlessly shifting mass of silver metal powder that rushed to get to the bottom. With an almost imperceptible flick of her wrist, the girl caused the hourglass to flip over and the powder began to flow the other way. 「カチャはあなたを解放しました」She announced, though none present could understand her. She pointed at Alva. 「あなたはカチャと一緒に来るだろう」 Her tone was commanding, or even bossy, suggesting it would be a poor idea not to do... whatever she was saying. Riley was still crying, but she felt in immeasurable sense of relief. The hourglass must have been what the girl was using to trap them, and flipping it over like that had to mean she was turning it off.

A Seeping Bloodline, the Prison of Lunacy

OOC The crack of thunder tore through the air and the sky opened up to pour its waters over the land. The storms of spring proved unrelenting yet again, blocking out the noonday sun with their black curtain. Though many storms had passed through Caudoran this spring, to a certain few, this one felt different. It heralded that the time had come for the Holy Grail War to begin again. Though nothing new to outsiders, for those few, the lightning arcing through the sky served as a sinister herald of what was to come. Isis Among these certain few was a woman of high birth, a powerful magus destined for greatness until her birthright was stolen by her brother. She had pursued him to Caudoran a year ago, intending to take back what was rightfully hers from her treacherous kin. Unfortunately she had lost his trail, he was beyond her reach now. But she had caught the scent of another way to regain the power she was deserved. Rumors flitted around the city of a battle fought between mages seven years prior, a battle fought to win the almighty wish-granting device known as the Holy Grail. These rumors had led her to look into Caudoran's history, where she discovered various references to a similar event long in the past. Bits and pieces of rumor and history gave her enough details to guarantee her participation in the next event. All that had remained was to wait. But now, the waiting was over. The last of the information she needed was filled in by the Grail itself as it called on her to fight for her deepest desires. Casting aside the worn and tattered diagrams she had found, Isis took the bag of pig's blood she had purchased and painted the magic circle required from memory. She then held out her right hand over it in preparation of the chant that would officially summon her servant. Being certainly the most powerful mage around, even while missing her magic crest, she was certain that if she attempted to summon the most powerful servant she would get it. As such, she altered the chant slightly to call for a Saber, what the documents suggested was the most powerful class, specifically. "Blood flows unhindered Stories of greatness intertwine My body is yours Your heart I desire Brandish your sword against my foes Come forth with me unto victory" Three red marks, the body of a bird and two outstretched wings made of flame, burned themselves onto the back of her hand as she chanted. As she finished, the circle flashed and the entire room was filled with a bright white light.

Riley Once they were well out of sight, Riley tore Alva out of Kaede's grasp. She shoved her free hand over Alva's eye. Riley's palm began to glow bright white and Alva felt an excruciating pain in her eye socket. Riley tore her hand away violently, Alva's eye trailing after it. She flung the eye aside and shoved Alva to the ground. "Are you happy now?" she shouted at the air, "I don't know why you're protecting her, but I can make her suffering much worse."

Riley Once they were well out of sight, Riley unceremoniously and warninglessly dropped Alva. Without giving anyone time to react, she drew her blade in a reverse grip and ran it through Alva's shoulder. "Stop doing that!" She shouted angrily towards the forest. "I don't know who you are, but I'm going to kill you as soon as I'm done with Alva." She twisted the blade as she pulled it up and out, slicing an ugly gash in the top of Alva's shoulder. The ruby hilt dug into Riley's hand and began to glow bright white. "I keep telling you, your ignorance isn't any reason to let you live." She snarled as she levelled the blade at Alva. (OOC: Katja has come to bargain)

Mack Mack ignored Arturia's counterattack, allowing it to slice through her jersey and make a shallow cut in her chest. The attack gave her with a slight sting and a burning sensation, but not much worse. Though Arturia got the impression she would have ignored a full attack as well. The bat had no follow through and switched directions mid-swing, with Mack stepping forward inside Arturia's reach to jab at her stomach. Mack had been careful to swing short on her initial attack, such that if Arturia didn't avoid it by a large margin, Mack would be well within reach for her follow-up. Beyond the jab, she didn't really have much planned. Her abilities weren't structured well for thought out fighting, she performed much better by going with the flow and relying on sheer strength to overpower her foes. It was inelegant, sure, but it had been working for her long enough.

Mack "I ain't got any plans." the baseball girl shrugged, "I'm just here to solve a problem." She raised the bat over her right shoulder and the jewel on it began glow white. She then jumped forwards and swung it horizontally towards Arturia's face. The attack was telegraphed by nature, making it rather easy to evade, even for someone already injured like Arturia.

Arturia Arturia's answer was a sudden pain in the back of her head. She joined Lilith on the ground and the world turned fuzzy and dark. The last thing she heard before her consciousness slipped completely was a voice saying, "So many problems today." When she awoke a short while later, Lilith was no longer on the ground in front of her. She still seemed to be transformed, and she was most certainly still feeling the effects of whatever hit her. "You alright?" A voice asked from off to her right. The speaker was an older girl leaning against a nearby tree. She was dressed to play baseball a metal bat with a blue crystal at the base was on the ground beside her. She blew a bubble in the gum she was chewing before continuing. "Sorry 'bout that. Didn't figure you'd be alright with me takin' the goddess if you were conscious, what with bein' her knight and all. I'm supposed to be takin' Alexus, but I figure Her'll be just as happy if I nab scaredy-tits instead and Alexus was takin' too long on account of y'all running off." She picked up the bat and started to walk towards Arturia. "You'd best be getting up. I wouldn't feel right killin' a defenseless girl, but it's not as much of a problem as not killin' ya at all." Another bubble emerged from between her lips as she waited for Arturia to drag herself up.

Whoops, got behind (again). this is what I get for getting out of the habit. Let's see... Thursday: Parallel Rabbit Friday: MyonMyonMyonMyonMyonMyon! Saturday: Zombie Sunday: Love the Beat Monday: Ascent to Madness

(OOC: This is gonna hurt) Riley Once they were well out of sight, Riley unceremoniously and warninglessly dropped Alva. Kaede and Alva herself were able to keep her from outright falling. Riley drew her sword, though, perhaps surprisingly, she didn't attack anyone. Instead, she called out, "You can come out now." After several moments of no answer, she shrugged. "I guess she's not ready to play yet. No matter, we have things to talk about anyways." The ruby hilt of her sword dug into her hand and began to glow bright white. She levelled the blade at Alva. "I'm going to need a better reason not to kill you than, 'What? Why?'" Lilith Seeing Arturia's transformation and the weapon it granted her made Lilith pause. Someone else shared her curse? She could hardly believe it. With her powers matched, fear caused her to take an unconscious step back. This proved to be a grave mistake on the part of her subconscious mind, as Lilith's inability to walk in heels resulted in a total loss of balance. She wobbled comically before tipping over and faceplanting in the dirt. Perhaps related to the event or her transformation, Arturia felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Sharp Sharp was knelt over the ball to examine it when Platinum approached. He shifted to give her room to look as well, though he didn't say anything. When asked about the flash he answered honestly. "I didn't see anything like that." His voice was very high pitched, to the point of squeakiness. He deliberately tried to speak lower, but it didn't help much. "But I think everyone heard it, some of the girls from the other group were talking about it."

Haley Haley was shocked by Lilith's outburst, but unlike most, it didn't show. Outwardly she remained perfectly calm, perhaps disturbingly so. The other Laylites all seemed taken aback by their cabin-mate. Naya went pale and froze up. Sharp started to rush over to help, but saw Platinum already doing so and instead ran to get the teacher. Even Cici looked up from her game and seemed concerned for Alva's wellbeing. But Haley had gone dark. Haley wasn't alone in this. Riley had a similar reaction. It seemed they had both seen what had just happened. And more importantly, they both knew what it meant. Their eyes met, but Riley immediately looked away, instead shooting a worried look towards Lexi. So that was it. Haley felt relieved that they shared a common goal. She would have to talk to Riley later, try to communicate that she wasn't a threat. Sharp returned with the teacher. Their group was the last to finish, and the one before was a ways across the field, leaving both Miss Filhem and the athletic Sharp winded from the run. "Sharp filled me in." Miss Filhem said between breaths, "I'm still not sure how you dislocate a shoulder with a dodgeball. Who's the hurt one?" "If I may, Miss Filhem." Riley said, "Kaede has already relocated Alva's shoulder. She still needs looked at, but Lilith, the girl who injured her, ran off into the forest. Arturia followed her but I worry they might get lost. Allow myself and Kaede to see Alva to a nurse so you can prioritize finding the two in the forest." "Not sure how I feel about letting more of you run off. I'm not as carefree as Lucille." "Perhaps if we had Esyllt along as well?" "One more? I guess I'm a little more comfortable that way. Alright, it is an emergency. Go." Riley approached Alva and Kaede, kneeling to offer the injured girl her shoulder. "Shall we?" Once the four of them had left, Miss Filhem went off to look for Lilith and Arturia, leaving strict instructions for no one else to leave. Haley decided to take the opportunity to talk to Lexi and maybe learn a bit about Riley. Cici went back to her game. The Laylites decided to be antisocial, as did Naya. And Sharp went over to inspect the scorched dodgeball. (OOC: It's a veritable smorgasbord of interactions for Plat! For the other three, post leaving and then I'll doot you again. Also, note to self: you've still got cutscenes to do ASAP.)

Mother Opium "You've already said more than enough." Mother Opium said, "Use them wisely." She moved the jar aside. "That's not all we've to discuss." Helen continued, "As I said, I had thought Natalie was beginning to awaken to herself. Seeing as that clearly was not the case, I was hoping you might fill me in on why she's been so upset as of late." She had a knowing look in her eyes that gave away her intention. After what Natalie said outside, she had easily figured out what was going on. The only reason she chose to ask was because she wanted Arya to be the one to tell her. It was a technique she often used as a teacher, both for teaching and as a method of determining punishment. In this case it was being used more like the latter. Lilith Now Lilith was sure she didn't trust Arturia. No one would believe a ridiculous story like that. It sounded like she made it up on the spot. Though Lilith had to admit, Arturia wouldn't be any good at using her, not if she was that poor a liar. Anger joined fear among her most prominent emotions. "Liar!" she shouted, "You're just like the rest. You say you want to help, but you really just want to help yourself. No one really wants to help me." The anger washed away as quickly as it had come, replaced with the true heart of the problem: loneliness. And that loneliness was the last straw. The electricity that had been building up around Lilith burst into an orb of yellow light around her. Her outfit reformed itself into a gothic lolita style. A frilly black dress with long sleeves, black tights, black ankle boots with soles nearly an inch thick and another half inch for the heel, and a mini top hat sitting ajar on the left side of her head with apale yellow rose attached to the brim. Her normally straight black hair was now gently curled and had yellow highlights towards the end. Her face was marked by wavy yellow lines that began at the edge of her eyes and spread out back to disappear behind her hair. She now wore thick mascara and black eyeliner, enhancing the feeling of empty hunger in her eyes. Hair nails were painted yellow now instead of black, save for the middle ones which were black with a yellow rose. Her right hand was intertwined with a bracelet sporting a triquetra and three more yellow roses. The instant her transformation finished, tendrils of electrical energy launched themselves from Lilith's body. They struck all around Arturia, scorching the ground, but none met their mark. Lilith had little control over where they went normally, and even less with her thoughts running wildly as they were. (OOC: Kdone, dodgeball doot will be a new post shortly)

(OOC: Kaede, stop trying to steal Alva) Lilith Lilith was taken aback when Arturia voiced a similar feeling of familiarity, she hadn't been prepared for a response like that. Her paranoia returned quickly, however. "Where have we met before?" she asked suspiciously, "What are you hiding?" She hadn't really suspected Arturia before, she was just upset and scared. She had even thought that perhaps that familiar sensation meant she should trust the older girl. But now she was heading towards a different conclusion. Maybe the reason Arturia had felt significant when Lilith threw the ball was because both of them were sources of danger.

Lilith "You want to help me" Lilith answered, "You wouldn't be the first to try. But every one gives up so quickly." She turned to face Arturia, looking her in the eye. The act sent a tingling sensation through Arturia's fingers. "Or maybe you want to use me." Her face contorted in a mix of rage and anguish. "Mommy already tried. She thought she could control it like everything else. But nobody can control it." Arcs of electricity danced wildly across Lilith's body, becoming more unstable as the girl did.

Arturia Lilith proved surprisingly fast, perhaps driven by fear, but Arturia was able to keep up with her decently well. Eventually Lilith's pace slowed, allowing Arturia to catch up. When Arturia was about ten yards back, Lilith stopped entirely. "Why are you following me? Aren't you scared?" The young girl asked without turning.

Lilith Having been mostly ignored for the entire game, Lilith was surprised and unprepared for Alva's attack. Having already backed herself literally into a corner, there was nowhere to run to. She began to freeze up and panic, but then her instincts kicked in. Her body moved ahead, knowing what to do well before her mind. She shifted slightly to the side and raised her arms to catch the ball. The ball entered her grasp and Lilith spun around, conserving its momentum. At the end of her spin, Lilith launched the ball with an overhand throw. As it left her hand it rocketed forward, followed half a moment after by a crashing sound akin to an explosion. An extremely attentive observer would notice a flash of light travel between Lilith's fingertip and the ball at the moment she released it. Those less attentive would be drawn to the results of Lilith's dramatic counterattack. The ball smashed into Alva's shoulder with enough force to pull her feet out from under her. She landed on her back several feet behind where she started. The shoulder that had been struck was clearly dislocated. The ball came to a rest even further away, wispy smoke emanating from a charred patch on its surface. Shocked and frightened by her own strength, Lilith ran off into the forest. But not before her eyes caught Arturia's. She wasn't sure why, but she had felt a jolt of familiarity towards Arturia when she threw the ball. And so before she ran, her confused gaze begged for answers. Alva is now an Ice Elemental (OOC: Arturia, fetch!)

(OOC: Can't copypaste but edited things so it should be correct to this turn. ...I think. Damn well better be considering it took twenty minutes just to do that much.)