Fate/alter chasm (Mk.II)

[Flagmauth]

Fate/alter chasm

---

Known Servants

Saber - Joseph Johnston:

Archer - Sigyn Hildebrand:

Lancer - Rin Tohsaka:

Rider - Waver Velvet:

Berserker - ????:

Caster - Takeshi Zarado:

---

More than two hundred years ago, the Holy Grail Wars began. Three powerful magus families - the Einzberns, the Tohsakas, and the Matous - came together to build a ritual wherein Heroic Spirits from myth and legend would be summoned into vessels as Servants, to fight in the service of their magus Masters in competition for the thaumaturgical engine that would, it was hoped, grant access to Akasha.

Regrettably, it didn’t exactly turn out as planned. During the Third Grail War in the middle of World War II, the secret of the ritual’s construction was discovered by one of the Masters and disseminated throughout the world. Over the years leading up to the Fourth Grail War, hundreds of False Grails were constructed. Most were botched creations that could only summon three or four Servants to the original’s seven, or simply detonated upon activation and killed their winners. Some were patched up with various means and became recurring events in their own right - among the greatest were those at London, Chicago, Dresden and Brisbane.

The Fourth Grail War took place ten years ago, ending in the Great Fire of Fuyuki, presumably caused by the Grail’s destruction. Every Master but one who competed was believed to have died - struck down by their opponents in the War or consumed by the inferno that followed. The Tohsakas lost their patriarch, the Matous were already all but extinct, and the Einzberns...well, actually the Einzberns were fine, but for the most part were viewed as increasingly suffering from tunnel vision and slipping into irrelevance.

The many False Grail Wars went on, now the only available option for enterprising magi to activate the ritual. In time, they lost steam as well.

Then Command Seals of brilliant crimson began appearing again - many of them supplanting the black Seals of lesser rituals. Other magi who wanted nothing to do with the Wars or were not participating were tapped as well.

Takeshi Zarado, magus Enforcer and one of four Masters fighting in the Tokyo Grail War alongside his Caster.

Sigyn Hildebrand, homunculus, who along with her Servant Archer was passively riding out the London Grail War accompanied by her brother Adam.

And finally Joseph Johnston, a young prodigy specializing in conceptual magic and the transference thereof, whose Command Seals had appeared unbidden a week ago. He’d been in contact with a freelance magus who had promised to personally deliver a catalyst to summon a powerful Servant indeed, in exchange for a modest sum of cash and the promise of a favor from Joseph, to be repaid later.

[A Blind Guy]

After a few seconds of muttered swearing, Takeshi looked down at his arm where his command seals, which had turned crimson, were located.

"Well, looks like we have a new job to do. Caster, we're leaving. "

[BerrySayRoar]

Joseph sat on the bed in an old motel in some boondock town in the outskirts of California. He awaits for that knock on the door of the mage who promised him the catayst in return for money and a favor of course, but even then it should be worth it.

[Flagmauth]

Knock knock knock. Sounded like someone was at the door.

---

Caster tilted her head to one side curiously. "How come?"

[A Blind Guy]

Takeshi holds up his wrist, showing the red command seals. "Looks like the Holy Grail gave us a promotion, we need to get to Fuyuki."

[BerrySayRoar]

He closed his book and opens the door to see who it was.

[Flagmauth]

There was the guy standing there, holding a pizza box. "Pizza Hut. May I come in, set this down somewhere?"

---

Caster blinked, unsure of exactly what that meant. "I don't understand - isn't the Grail here?" Summoned into the Tokyo Grail War, she had only received information about it. The Fuyuki Grail was common knowledge in these times - but Caster had lived centuries ago.

[BerrySayRoar]

He smiles a little and opens the door wider. "By all means, come one in." He waits for the guy to come in and closes the door behind him.

[A Blind Guy]

"Ok, think about it like this. The grail that you were summoned from, the Tokyo Grail, isn't the real thing. It's a knock-off of the actual Grail, which is in Fuyuki city. The Fuyuki Grail chose me to fight in the Fuyuki war. because of this we need to leave as soon as possible."

[Flagmauth]

He immediately dropped the pizza man attitude after the door was shut. "Right, let's see the cash then." he said, tucking the pizza box under one arm.

***

"So it's the same thing we've been doing...just in a different city, right? That doesn't sound too bad. And if the Tokyo Grail is a cheap copy, then the prize in Fuyuki must be a lot better!"

[BerrySayRoar]

He shrugs a little and goes to the bed and reaches underneath with a leather suitcase. He placed it on the table and opens it. "You can count it if you want"

[A Blind Guy]

"Precisely, although I assume that with the actual Grail, our opponents will be leagues above those we were fighting now." Takeshi dons his black leather greatcoat and starts for the door.

"Since it isn't a great journey we can take the train to Fuyuki."

[Flagmauth]

The freelancer, a man by the name of Troy Forthill, glanced over the contents of the suitcase and nodded. He closed the suitcase and took it in one gloved hand. "That and a favor should do nicely. Now for my part of the deal..." The pizza box was set on the table in place of the suitcase and opened. Inside was a foam insert taking up most of the space, and one object in the middle - a piece of wood, broken from a flat surface. Seemed unremarkable just to look at it...but Joseph's attunement with the conceptual aspects of things told him this was in fact a historic artifact.

***

Caster smiled rather dangerously. "It doesn't matter. The two of us can take on any opposition, Master, no matter which Grail is involved!"

[A Blind Guy]

"That's the spirit, let's head out, the faster we get there and can set up a base, the better. Takeshi opens the door and heads to the train station.

[BerrySayRoar]

Joseph gave a cool smile and gently lifts the pizza box examing the piece of wood. "Incredible." He murmurs to himself before closing the box and taking it under his arm. He extend a hand and shook Troy's hand. "Thank you for acquiring this. Now I must ask you to leave and safe travels."

[Flagmauth]

Troy raised one eyebrow the faintest degree, almost faint enough that Joseph might have imagined it. "Pleasure doing business with you. Just make sure you remember me when you win the Grail War, yeah? That favor will come in handy then." With that, he slipped out the door, leaving the other magus to his (presumable) summoning.

***

Caster followed, her Shapeshifting skill enabling her to remain materialized while hiding her ears - her tail, while technically still present, currently existed as a pattern on the back of her jacket.

[A Blind Guy]

Takeshi makes his way to the train station, and boards the fastest train to Fuyuki available.

[BerrySayRoar]

Joseph waited a few minutes after troy left before he went straight to work on the magic circle. If the magic circle was drawn on a standard paper, it would've taken him about 10 minutes but on a large scale proved difficult. He cleared the floor and took out a squeeze bottle full of watered dye and carefully made his circle for about two hours of perfect detail. Once finished, he placed the catalyst in the center and chat the incantation to summon his servant.

[Flagmauth]

Caster decided to spend the train ride sleeping with her head on Takeshi's shoulder.

***

Thematically appropriate music plays in the background as the circle comes alive with brilliant, almost blinding light of electric blue. With the completion of the chant the light suddenly flared blindingly, a surge of incredible power unlike anything Joseph had ever seen before cloaking the room in a thick mist that also served to make everything seem generally more dramatic and awe-inspiring.

Now, in the center of his circle, stood a bulky if shortish figure encase from head to toe in imposing plate mail. In one hand, his Servant held a massive greatsword, resting the blade's point on the ground almost like a cane.

Saber: Servant of the Sword, commonly held to be the strongest class summoned in the Grail War.


In a deep, reverberating voice, Saber spoke: "So, you are to be my Master?"

[BerrySayRoar]

He shielded his eyes from the blinding light show and stepped back a bit, refusing to look until he was fairly certain it was over. He lowered his arm and looks up in wonder at the Armored man standing before him and was stunned in amazement before quickly answering. "Yes. I am your Master and you are my Servant."

[A Blind Guy]

Takeshi decided it wasn't worth objecting to this and let her be, he goes over what his first actions should be once they arrive.

[Flagmauth]

"Hm." Saber looked around the room. "This is a bit small isn't it?"

[BerrySayRoar]

He looks around the hotel room and shrugs, "Were you expecting a large ball room with some champagne to celebrate your summoning?"

[Flagmauth]

The short-statured Servant harrumphed moodily. "Would have been nice, yes."

[BerrySayRoar]

He sighs, scratching the back of his head and nods a bit. "I suppose we can get something on the way out of here to Japan. Well we should start going."

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