Fate/Ichorum || フェイト / イコラム - IC

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With the fleshy beast fell, an uncomfortable silence began to manifest around the restaurant. Her front and face completely drenched in ichor, the golden breeze slowly began to clean her body back to its original form, the minor wounds on each arm sewing back together. The twins that Harry had binded... were they...

As soon as the eerie voice passed, and the grinning twins' true visage was exposed, the golden eyes of Lancer slowly widened in realization. Dispelling her weapon, she hurriedly rushed to what were two ordinary children all along, her mind too rash and emotionally shaken to have the foresight that it could've been some sort of final trap. That, however, didn't seem to be the case.

"My 'golden breeze' can't... they're already..." Lancer cut off, closing her eyes. "They're already gone. Can you... is there something we can..." She shot a quick look to Sylvia, out of some sort of hope that she might be able to do more than her... but... 'bringing back life'... it was an extremely complex ability, and Lancer herself couldn't do it unless the death happened mere seconds ago. These children were already far gone.

Lancer observed the bodies for a moment, her lip trembling slightly. Falling to one knee beside one of the children, she checked a pulse, but there was nothing there to give. Their bodies were seized up, dead and lifeless from the stab wound on their back... but what was interesting was that none of the injuries they caused had remained affixed to the children.

But still... as Lancer's hair slowly faded back into its original shade of simple silver, turning back to normal length, her golden eyes were clearly in deep thought. Was there... was there a way they could've handled that, without these children needing to die?

Had this really been these two children's 'fate' all along, or had they intervened? Had her actions caused...

It was too sickening to think about. Regardless, Lancer could only think bright.

And the longer she looked at these two dead people who likely didn't deserve a single thing... the more her golden eyes burned.

"Whoever did this... whoever possessed children, above everything..." Lancer's sadness turned to a cold anger, a gauntlet-encased fist at her side seizing up and trembling. "Such a sick and twisted mind [glow=gold]can't be allowed to exist.[/glow] They will be found. And they'll get what they deserve. ...They... they..."

Lancer trailed off, shaking her head.

"Regardless... we can't let this get to us. Remember we're not the ones who caused the death of these children. Look at the wounds." Lancer pointed out, "It's likely they were deceased from the beginning, even when they were attacking us. Whoever is behind this is trying to get at us mentally. We can't let that happen. They're trying to break us..."

She tried her best to remain strong, shutting the eyelids of one of the fallen children closed.

"All we can do now is leave them. The authorities will handle the rest; I'm sure the parents will want a burial..."

Slowly looking upwards, she took a glance to her Master, before slowly exchanging shaky looks between Sylvia, Saber, and Harry. After such a fight, what came next? Would they need to evacuate from this area?

The gentle landing of a night-time bird was the only faint noise amidst the silence.
 
Harry ignored Lancer's emotive words, instead kneeling by the corpses of the seemingly-normal children. He agreed with Lancer's assessment: the stab wounds were done by a weapon other than their own.

He also heard Berserker's words in his mind through their bond and responded, These children and the familiar that attacked us are probably minions of a Caster-class Servant. I'm currently with Lancer and Saber, as well as their Masters. From what I can discern, Lancer has healing abilities, as does Saber's Master, Sylvia. As for the Knight of the Sword, he seems to gain strength when pitted against insurmountable odds. I'm not yet certain about the abilities of Tristan, Lancer's Master -- but he seems to have good instincts; he recognized my status as a Master fairly quickly.

Harry rifled through the pockets of the children, finding school ID cards bearing their names as well as the name of their school. He thumbed one of the cards thoughtfully. "This may not be an isolated event," he told the others while sending the same to Berserker telepathically. "We have to consider that whoever enspelled this children has the ability to do so on a larger scale. The one who possessed these children told me that they would have little to tell us and have nothing of value. He's right. Individually, these children are meaningless -- just statistics in this War."

A fist clenched at his side angrily.

"But our foe made a grievous error. You see, we have names." He turned to Tristan and Sylvia. "Do either of you have access to a computer? I want to do a background check on these kids as well as their school. Maybe our enemy has enspelled other children. We should even consider broadening the search to missing persons in general and see if there is a geographic density of abductions or disappearances. If we follow the body trail, we may find our opponent."

Meanwhile, he sent a message telepathically to Berserker. Did you get all that, Berserker? Anyway, this may also be an opportunity to eliminate one or both Knight-class Servants. Lancer and Saber's guards are down. If you strike now -- without revealing our connection as Master and Servant -- perhaps we can gain an edge in this War for ourselves....
 
Saber and Lancer had lept into action in the blink of an eye. Sylvia watched on, prepared to do what she could to help. It seemed they had it well under control, though. The power of a Servant was truly something to behold. She watched as Gawain's blade flashed across the ichorous hide of the monstrosity before him. There was no way for her eyes to follow the swift movements of the blade. In what seemed a matter of seconds, the conflict was over. The abominable creature slunk off into a drain.

The magus smiled, walking towards Gawain. "That was amazing Saber-" She noticed the children.



A blank look on her face, Sylvia followed Lancer to the bodies, kneeling beside the unfortunate victims. As Lancer asked for her help, Sylvia looked up with a pained, guilty expression. "If they still had a pulse... maybe... but like this..." She looked to the ground, her eyes overwhelmed with sadness. This wasn't the first time she had seen children killed. No, unfortunately such a thing happened often in war. Still, it didn't get any easier. The woman reached out her hand, gently touching the hair of one of the children before rising to her feet and heading back toward the cafe.



As Lancer spoke of the monster who had used the two children, Sylvia made her way into the cafe, tearing down the curtains from one of the few intact windows in silence before returning to the bodies. She looked at Lancer, trying to maintain a calm expression, but obviously being troubled. "We can't let this continue." She knelt down once more, waiting for Harry to finish rummaging through the belongings of the twins. It seemed a bit distasteful to her, but perhaps he could learn something. After he seemed satisfied, she draped the curtains over the bodies, whispering quietly. "It's over now, детвора, you can rest."



Sylvia's eyes narrowed as the word 'meaningless' left Harry's lips. His words were those of a tactician or a soldier, more akin to a machine than a man. Human lives were a statistic. The healer shook her head. "I understand your plan, but I think we should focus on preventing more needless deaths rather than using people's lives as breadcrumbs." The words came out cold, maybe colder than intended. Harry was providing a logical plan to find whoever had done this, which was more than she could say for herself, but still, something about the way he was conducting himself agitated her. "The names might help, but memorize them and leave the cards behind... Lancer's right, their parents will likely want to bury them. Save them the pain of having to identify their children, at the very least."



With that, Sylvia quietly walked over to Gawain. She looked at the knight, her eyes deeply troubled. Standing next to her Servant, she turned to face the others once again. "The authorities will likely be here soon. This quiet town has already become a warzone." She watched the road around them nervously.
 
Not taking action was a difficult thing to do. Tristan had always been the type to just leap into a fight and hope for the best. Hope he was cut out for it. But for once, he stuck to the sidelines. He trusted Agamede and watching her fight in tandem with Saber was almost awe-inspiring. He understood the power of a Servant more than he initially did; at first he honestly didn't think it would be anything 'special' but that clearly wasn't the case. He now understood they were heroes for a reason. It was something that not only amazed Tristan but also gave him cause for worry.

Would Agamede be able to stack up against Saber? It was a doubt he scolded himself for but one he had to consider. Saber's only weakness, as far as Tristan could tell, would be Sylvia. But even considering her as a target to 'knock' Saber out of the competition disgusted Tristan in all honesty. If and when the time came, his conscience would demand he let Agamede and Saber fight it out on fair ground. It seemed like it'd be the most honorable thing to do at the very least.

But then there was the matter of Harry. Tristan was an instinctual sort of person and while he didn't out and out distrust him, he was definitely wary of him. Just watching him operate told Tristan that Harry was on a different level than both he and Sylvia. He was good, as if he had some sort of training. He was fought efficiently and none of the man's actions seemed reckless and he remained level headed. Tristan still didn't buy Harry's off-handed comment about not being alone.

While he didn't have any sort of 'special' training, his time learning how to fight in his father's gym taught him all about feints and he knew one when he saw it. Harry was definitely holding his cards to his chest and the last thing Tristan wanted was to be playing checkers while Harry played chess. So Tristan watched the scene play out, staying beside Sylvia off to the side. When all was said and done, Tristan was relieved that it was over but he never once let his guard down.

"Lancer..." He put a hand on her shoulder as some form of consolation upon the realization that the children's bodies had been manipulated and made to fight. He agreed with Agamede that they were probably already dead to begin with, but it still disgusted him nonetheless. And then Harry spoke and his wariness slowly began to turn into distrust. He found it odd and inhuman that someone could easily just rifle through the corpse of a dead child, but Tristan didn't get hung up on that.

No, it was Harry's request and the entire situation itself. Why would he even think children that young had any form of identification on them to begin with? And to be able to find something so substantial... How convenient would it be for them to blindly trust Harry and take him to either of their places of residence to access the internet. Harry was cold and sacrificing pawns was essential to winning a game of chess; you can't care about the pieces you sacrifice so long as you're able to get the enemy in 'checkmate'. And Tristan had very little doubt that Harry wasn't above doing the same thing.

Tristan stepped forward, holding an arm ever so slightly in front of Agamede, his gaze focused solely on Harry.

"We leave the children and their IDs for the police. Harry, I'd suggest you follow Sylvia's suggestion and just memorize the information. It's best we scatter, no point in staying here all grouped together - especially after we've played our hands, yeah? Saber, Sylvia... A word of advice - don't go directly to wherever you're staying. We don't know who's behind this, but it's possible they just wanted to draw out as many of us as possible. For all we know they could try tracking us after we leave - better to be safe than sorry, yeah?" His gaze never left Harry - his eyes searching for any sign of reaction from the older man. His distrust of Harry was evident and he knew it. Tristan was certain this would make him a target in Harry's eyes, but that was fine with him. Too much about Harry was... Wrong.

The skill, the way he casually searched the children's bodies... Tristan was beginning to doubt his name was even Harry. How did he even get a firearm into the country? Tristan knew for a fact guns weren't allowed in Japan. Not without a lengthy approval process, at least. Tristan had considered bringing along his father's pistol when he left for Sasebo, but he quickly found out it'd be virtually impossible - for him, at least. Yet here Harry was popping off shots like there was no tomorrow. What the hell was he?

"Before we leave though... How many command seals do you guys have?" He inquired, a legitimate question as he could only wonder if they also received another command seal. He doubted such a thing would be exclusive to him but he needed to make sure.
 
"I understand your plan," Sylvia said coldly, "but I think we should focus on preventing more needless deaths rather than using people's lives as breadcrumbs. The names might help, but memorize them and leave the cards behind... Lancer's right, their parents will likely want to bury them. Save them the pain of having to identify their children, at the very least." She walked over to Saber. Then, "The authorities will likely be here soon. This quiet town has already become a warzone."

"We leave the children and their IDs for the police. Harry, I'd suggest you follow Sylvia's suggestion and just memorize the information," Tristan agreed.

"Fine," Harry acquiesced, snapping a picture of the children's ID cards on his cellphone. "And for the record, I am trying to prevent more deaths -- hunting down the source and cutting it off will prevent more tragedies more efficiently, even if you find it distasteful."

The enforcer noticed how keenly Tristan was watching him, like a wolf circling a strange hound on his turf. Again, Harry idly thought that the boy had good instincts. He was wary of the one human who dared fighting alongside Servants -- and didn't get horribly killed outright. The boy's next words proved it: "It's best we scatter, no point in staying here all grouped together - especially after we've played our hands, yeah? Saber, Sylvia... A word of advice - don't go directly to wherever you're staying. We don't know who's behind this, but it's possible they just wanted to draw out as many of us as possible. For all we know they could try tracking us after we leave - better to be safe than sorry, yeah?"

Tristan was definitely cautious -- a wise policy. As long as they were apart, Harry's task of surveillance on the other Master would be made more difficult. Still, what intel he gathered already was invaluable. Perhaps it was time for him to fold his hand. It would be foolhardy to get too greedy too early in this delicate game.

No, this War.

"Tristan's right," Harry agreed. "And as Sylvia pointed out, this place is now compromised. Extracting would be the wisest move."

Then Tristan asked, "Before we leave though... How many command seals do you guys have?"

Harry paused, considering. He still had that unusual Seal on his hand, the one unlike the others. He hadn't had the opportunity to research it further. If Tristan was asking a question like that, either he was a fool to believe that other Masters would so easily divulge such strategically-sensitive information -- and thus far, Harry saw a naïve boy with good instincts, not a fool...or the Masters all had something strange with their available Seals.

He opted to keep silent, waiting to see what Sylvia said. The last thing he wanted to do was reveal outright just how many times he could command Berserker absolutely.
 
Sylvia nodded as Tristan seemed to support her decision. Despite the sudden chaos that had overtaken them, she had seen nothing to fault either Lancer or Tristan on. They were decent people. Harry somewhat begrudgingly agreed to leave the identification behind, while also defending his own plan. Maybe he was trying to do good, to prevent more deaths. Still, the healer found herself distrustful of both the man and his methods. He wasn't the enemy though, at least not for the moment. He was technically an enemy, but the enemy was whoever or whatever had caused the tragedy that lay before them. Harry was perhaps... morally questionable, but he wasn't evil.





Tristan's suggestion to avoid being followed was a good one, especially considering everything that had happened. "Right. We'll take care, right Saber?" She looked to Gawain for support, though she couldn't help but feel somewhat bad for the knight. He had fought gallantly, but his reward for his courage had been nothing, no, worse than nothing. Still, she was certain such a letdown would not shake his will. They would persevere, after all, it was the right ting to do, the only thing to do. After a moment, the auburn-haired woman added, "You should be careful as well." Whether they were enemies or not, Sylvia didn't like the idea of the others being hurt.



Everyone agreed that remaining where they currently stood was a poor decision of monumental proportions. The night had been baffling enough without the added problem of explaining the situation to the authorities, an explanation that A: couldn't be given and B: wouldn't be believed. Sylvia nodded, but froze up as Tristan mentioned the Command Seals. That was right. In all the commotion, the strange fourth mark had all but escaped her memory. Sylvia looked down at her hand, and then glanced towards the other Masters. Tristan probably wouldn't have mentioned such a thing if his Seals were ordinary. Harry seemed apprehensive to give away such information, an understandable bit of concern, all things considered.



Sylvia glanced to Gawain for a moment. The number of Command Seals a Master carried was one of the most important bits of tactical information one could possess during the Grail War, but at the moment, such a thing didn't seem like too much of a concern. After all, who would have used a Command Seal this early? Well, perhaps if one had summoned a particularly dangerous Servant... Sylvia nodded, raising the back of her hand toward Tristan and pointing at the circle of Command Seals, tapping the black mark in the center of the ring. "I still have all of mine... all four." She lowered her hand. "Going in, I was led to believe the standard number was three, though."
 
Four? And an odd-appearing one as well.... Harry was actually a little surprised that Sylvia opted to reveal so much, but it only led to more questions. If she and I have the same set-up, it is likely the others do, as well. What could the black Command Seal mean? Yet another thing to add to his growing list of research once he got away from the battlefield.

Harry contemplated lying about his own Seals, but he already sensed the distrust against him from the others. Given that Berserker was nowhere nearby to defend him, he elected to go with the flow. Besides, if they all had the same aberrancy with their Seals, then there was no advantage or disadvantage to revealing his marks. He pulled back the sleeve of his suit, revealing the same four Seals as Sylvia.

He let the others deliberate these new revelations while he telepathically communicated with Berserker.

I'll be done here soon, Berserker. You and I have a lot to discuss. To bring you up to speed:

I have identified two of the Masters: a boy named Tristan and a young woman with healing magic named Sylvia. Both seem to have an unusual set-up with their Command Seals, like mine -- four Seals, one appearing abnormal. No one knows why.

Tristan commands Lancer, who seems to have a healing-based Noble Phantasm. Lancer will need to be taken down swiftly in this War, given her powerful supportive properties.

Sylvia holds Saber, who has some skill or Phantasm that increased his strength while set against impossible odds. Be very careful if you ever engage him. An ability like his means that fighting you might actually make him your equal in might.

There is another opponent, as yet unidentified. Whoever this enemy is, they were able to summon a familiar that required Servants to destroy it and demonstrated the ability to mentally dominate other humans, commanding them like puppets. I suspect a powerful magus or a Servant of the Caster-class.

For now, contact with Lancer, Saber, and their Masters has been diplomatic. That may not stay that way....
 
For all his efforts, for all his might, the monster continued to advance, inching closer and closer with each blow he struck, each wound it healed. But Gawain did not waver. A step back was to admit defeat, and the Knight of the Sun would not allow his master to see such a shameful part of himself. Its tentacles extended, almost grazing the surface of his armor, and yet, Saber stood strong, sundering flesh all the while, frost forming on the windows that remained within the Nightshade café, the smell of burning flesh blown out by the shockwaves of his swings.

His will shall never collapse, not while his mistress still stood behind him.

And, just like that, the monster retreated, slinking off where it came. His instinct told him to give chase, to finish it off while it was still weakened, but the duty of a knight was first and foremost to shield his master from harm. A flick of his sword rid the blade of what flesh was seared onto the surface, before he sheathed the glowing sword. With a hiss, it slid into the sheath, warmth coming back to the ruined café. His silver eyes tracked the two monsters that leapt out at them, expressionless as their identities were revealed, the evil force that controlled them dissipating to reveal two dead children.

A part of him wanted to scream. Another part of him wanted to rage. A third wanted to tear through every single building within Sasebo and root out the blight that had invaded this seaside town and willingly caused so much chaos and sorrow, but the fourth restrained his emotions.

So instead, Gawain hardened, a silent fortress as others made amends, plans, objections.

Every part of his body was tensed, filled with an unknightly wrath that begged to be released in the face of this injustice that Caster had caused. And still, he silenced his tongue, allowing his master to speak in his stead as a storm howled beneath.

"Of course, my Master," was his response to Sylvia's query, something more reflexive than anything else. In the distance, the sirens howled, ordinary individuals encroaching rapidly. He needed to burn it away, this excess energy. Needed something to do. "We shall depart now then," Saber said, finally, wrapping his cloak around Sylvia's body, before picking her up suddenly, cradling her against his armored chest. "I pray that your retreat goes well, and that no more trouble visits you upon this bloodsoaked night, Lancer."

With that, he allowed just a little bit of his anger to be directed in his movement, cracking the tiles of the floor as he leapt up and out, landing on top a building two streets away, before continuing his too-fast retreat from the resting place of two innocent souls.
 
Daybreak on a tense city.

The news reports were as clueless as one might expect, given the obliviousness of civilian life to the great magical world. Statements came in about a supposed bloody serial killer running rampant in the streets around a cafe, and how a brave group of fellows took it down with gunfire... Albeit illegal gunfire, given the booming sounds that came with them.

Two children were found dead, stabbed in the back by the same raving lunatic, it was presumed. The people who had intervened were, as expected, vanished into thin air by the time the police had arrived. In a quiet place like Sasebo, in a nation like Japan no less, the news came as shocking and strange to its populace. Headlines were dominated throughout the day, and likely into the weeks as time went on.

Whatever the cause. Whoever the culprit. Whichever way the heroes went... It was all lost, left to speculation, though the investigators of the city dared not drop the case; uncovering such an event would bring them grander glory than anything yet encountered before. The participants of the War would do well to keep themselves under wraps.

Still, the idea of leaving things be -leaving the culprit be- was unimaginable. Whatever their intents or plans, simply forgetting any of it happened was implausible for more than one reason. Some reasons being more important to a certain individual... But a night had passed, and with three of the Masters revealed, none could be sure how things would continue. Would the empathetic alliance last until the child-killer was defeated?

Or would diplomacy end while the getting was good? There were, after all, four more teams to be found, they believed...
 
After wishing Saber and his Master that the days would shine brighter in return, it had been a quiet journey back to Tristan's apartment. Battle and bloodshed was to be expected, and in all in, things had ended up quite smoothly in terms of their wellbeing. She had also wished Harry a good evening, though Tristan didn't seem so keen to follow suit. Was there something in that third master - with a seemingly invisible Servant - that Lancer couldn't see? She could see intelligence, but no signs of... evil. One could only hope Tristan was being paranoid about things, and his suspicious attitude wasn't justified. Regardless, she gave no comment on the matter.

By the time the two arrived home, it seemed like neither of them felt like sleeping after the events that had unfolded, and instead settled for relaxing on the cushy furniture in Tristan's apartment. Though the mood was still dark, it was a good time for the two to bond somewhat through a mix of small talk and the sharing of stories. Plus, if the attacks truly weren't over, she could keep Tristan safe.

Although the occasional friendly chat with her Master helped, what remained of the night still ticked away slowly; almost painfully. Waiting for that sun to rise once more felt like waiting for adhesive-mixed sand to drain from the top of an hourglass. She had passed off the deaths of the children as unpreventable scare tactics... or, at least tried to tell herself that. The more she was left with her wandering, on-edge thoughts in the shroud of moonlight and darkness, the more guilt and sorrow began to spread and linger.

Could she have saved them?

And before she could find a definitive answer, the benevolent dawn seemed to suddenly rise. It seemed the two, for now, had been spared from further attacks.

Knowing that day would soon come, Lancer, by now, had the insight to change her clothing into something less strange for such a culture. Although they were slightly baggy, spare clothes Tristan had seemed to serve fine. A simple, plain white t-shirt and a pair of khaki trousers and trainers seemed enough for her. Untying her ponytail, she let her silvery hair flow just above shoulder-length instead, for a more natural look. Whilst there was still something foreign about her, even in such simple attire, she wasn't so strange even at distance now, at least.

The headlines had been just as expected.
"...Tch. To think they believe the murderer of those children was 'shot dead', without even finding a body. I doubt the police of this town could stop the true killer of those children, anyway... but... finding this temporarily faceless evildoer seems to be up to us." Lancer commented, her golden eyes blank as they glared and squinted into a television screen. Trying her best not to look too amazed by the moving pictures was proving somewhat difficult.

Taking some time to think, Lancer suddenly looked up, her eyes clearly burning with a desire to find the killer of the twins. Whilst she was clearly forgiving and compassionate, when faced with an evil that threatened the balance of normal life, there was a wrath to Lancer that made her golden eyes glint with something brighter.
"...Saber supposedly fell that beast, did he not? It seemed to 'melt away' into the sewers near that seaside café." She got to her feet, taking a moment to glance at the crowd outside a sunlit window. "...It may not be the most pleasant work, but... perhaps there's something to be found. Some remains of the beast, or some sort of 'clue'."

Getting to her feet, she glanced to her Master.
"Do you think that best? And... erm... my apologies again, for having to borrow some of your clothes... and for looking like such a fool in them, more importantly." She murmured, letting out a brief, quiet, half-joking laugh towards the end of her sentence. "I can 're-summon' my armour at any time, but if I 'un-summoned' it back there, I would've been-" she swiftly cut off before Tristan got too excited at the idea. "Well, a-anyway. Shall we head out?"
 
Servants were spirits. They did not need to satisfy needs of the flesh.
As such, once blood had begun to be shed, a Berserker did not sleep. A Berserker waited.
This particular Berserker, however, was unfortunately very impatient.
She had splattered pigeon after pigeon throughout the night to try and suppress her boredom, but it had been to little avail.
Of course it had. Even now, she still felt cheated.
The more she thought about it, the more bitter she became, and she'd had all night to think about it.
Saber, Lancer, Caster, even her own Master, even two uninvolved non-magical children had managed to get involved in a fight yesterday.
She had not. And she was not pleased about it.

Getting in a fight was the one thing she had come out here to do!

And another thing, she grumbled mentally as she punted another pigeon into the growing metre-odd tall pile of feathers and gore as if her staff were a golf club. If that really is Caster, then they're not even worth fighting!
The best they could do was an army of small fry? It didn't matter how many there were; as far as the Monkey King was concerned, trash mobs were trash mobs. If even the trash mobs of the gods could be mown down so easily, what chance did this Caster possibly have? If they weren't strong enough to fight even a Knight like Lancer, who according to Harry-shi focused on support, directly, then there was no way in hell Berserker was going to get any entertainment out of heading out to "1v1 them irl", as these modern humans so eloquently put it.

And on top of all that...!
She made another addition to her sculpture with a hearty thwack.
"Screw this city and its weak-ass birds!" she yelled into the noise of morning life.
Sitting down in a huff, Berserker hugged her knees and grumbled. "I wanna get pissed off heavenly wine and go fight a demon... Xuanzang needs to show up and get herself kidnapped..."
Watching the people and cars go by one after the other for about five minutes, she made a decision.

｢Hey, Harry-shi. Dunno if you're awake, but I'm bored, so I'm going exploring,｣ she informed him matter-of-factly before assuming spirit form.
With that, she leapt off the roof into the streets below, leaving the stinking pile of bird guts around the height of a child behind.
 
Sylvia's eyes widened as Gawain picked her up and lept off into the skyline. She instinctively clung to the knight, thinking for a moment that this is what flight must feel like. She doubted she would ever grow accustomed to the superhuman nature of Servants. It was amazing, at least in the case of Gawain. As she had already seen, though, that amazing power could also be terrifying. She looked at the knight, frowning a bit. He was trying to conceal it, but the tragedy of the night was obviously effecting him as well. It was plain to see in the hasty retreat they were currently making, and the cracking of concrete every time the knight landed only served to reinforce the notion that rage was bubbling just beneath the surface.


Sylvia remained silent for a while, the wind whipping at her scarf as she and Gawain made their way back toward the hotel on a confusing and roundabout route that likely would've thrown off any pursuer, especially at the speed Gawain was going. After a time, Sylvia finally put her thoughts into words. "It bothered you too, didn't it?" The sound of rushing wind roared in her ears. "Don't worry... you hide it well." Another brief landing on a rooftop. "I understand..." The auburn-haired woman shivered as a single tear slid down her cheek. "Those were two more I couldn't save."


By the time they made it back to the hotel, the first rays of sunlight were beginning to cut through the sky. Sylvia led the way into the hotel room, immediately going to check the potions she had left on the counter. It seemed they had now had enough time to mature. The magus nodded. At least something had gone according to plan. After noting that one small victory, Sylvia slumped down on the small bed in the corner of the room. She sighed, it wasn't as if she had any intention of sleeping.


Leaning back against the wall, Sylvia looked up at the knight. "We can't let something like last night happen again. We need to find whoever or whatever is responsible and... put a stop to them." The healer's teeth dug into her lower lip. She couldn't say it. 'Kill them.' Even against something so horrible, she couldn't bring herself to say it. It was justified, it was the only end suitable for the sort of monster that would kill children, and yet she knew, if the source of that tragedy was at her mercy, she wouldn't be able to harm them. She looked at Gawain, her hand balling into a fist at her side as she struggled with her ideals. "I know you probably want to prevent any more tragedy as much as I do..." She looked dejectedly at the floor for a moment. "And I'm sure it would be an easier task if your Master wasn't so... soft."


She shook her head. "But we'll investigate further today. Maybe we can find the one who summoned that creature, or at least some kind of lead..." Her eyes flashed up "Speaking of which, you fought that thing Gawain. Did you get any sense of what exactly it was, or anything about it?" She wasn't a fighter, but she had heard that sometimes soldiers were capable of learning something about their opponent through combat, like some sort of violent exchange of information.
 
He felt a sense of relief as Sylvia spoke those words, but at the same time…

A gauntleted finger brushed away that singular tear, another sign of his own weakness, his own inadequacies. He hid it well, but he did not hide it well enough. A vassal should never cause their master to feel any sort of concern. Those emotions would be better used on fuelling her resolve to track down the perpetrator of last night's incident. He didn't need her kindness.

Returning to the hotel room, Saber allowed his armor to dissipate, enjoying the steady return of his own strength. The sun was rising over the horizon, golden radiance spilling through the clear window. His silver eyes looked out, over to the city of Sasebo, where a trail of smoke could still be seen. The bodies would be found, and after that, the families would be notified. Funerals would be had, tears would be shed, two gravestones will be erected. All while the murderer continued to scheme in the darkness, untouched by the investigations of the police force.

Despicable.

And yet, even then, Sylvia refused to break her Hippocratic Oath.

"Master, I have said this before," Saber replied, turning to face her once more, "Your ideals are not your weakness. They are your strength, your individuality, the spark that sets you apart from so many others in this world filled of those weary of life. It will not be an easier task if it was someone else. It will be a different task."

He gave a little more thought before answering her other question.

"It…isn't natural. Nothing like trolls, dragons, or other mythical creatures," the knight finally spoke, "It's an aberration, created or imagined rather than something that actually 'lives'. Frankly, Master, it seems clear to me that the Caster of this Grail War is one of ill-repute, a sinner instead of a saint."

But what sort of Caster had the power to create existences with combat ability equal to that of Servants?

What did it matter, once he cut them down?
 
The other Master-Servant teams departed, leaving Harry alone with the corpses in the middle of a ruined street. He could hear sirens in the distance, rapidly approaching. He thumbed a cigarette into his mouth and lit up, taking a thoughtful drag. "Hmph. So...that's the power of the Servants of this War, hm?" Sending mana into his legs, he leaped dozens of feet into the air, landing gracefully upon the roof of a nearby building.

He received Berserker's telepathic message of wanting to go exploring, so he leaped across the rooftops and tracked her down to join her. Fortunately, the capricious female Servant elected to explore one of the less crowded parts of the city, so joining her in a back alley was surprisingly circumspect. He dropped from the rooftops to the streets below, then allowed his runic tattoos to cool; the familiar burn of mana and power left his limbs instantly.

He was surprised at how well he was moving, actually. It seemed that both Lancer and Sylvia possessed quite the mastery of the healing arts. The injuries he had sustained in combat should have left him bedridden for at least a few days, and certainly kept him out of the field for at least a week. Yet, he moved as agilely as he normally did, albeit with some soreness that he could work around.

"Berserker," Harry greeted. "I trust you've been keeping yourself entertained? Did you receive my updates?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "If I had to judge, I'd say this first battle of the Grail War was...pyrrhic. It was too high profile, yet I was able to ascertain a lot of useful intel concerning our opponents. Our principal priority, however, is going to be the Caster of this War. I may be able to track him down, but I'll need some help. We need to quickly determine if there are any areas in town that have had a rise in kidnappings, disappearances, or unexplained deaths. I can check local police and EMS reports, but I'm hoping you have some tricks up your sleeve to track down magical emanations in those areas. Caster seems capable of taking over human bodies, turning them into puppets and weapons. That is certainly distinct enough of a calling card that we should be able to differentiate that kind of magic from others."
 
Berserker was surprisingly taken with the city around her. She had taken it for some grimy hive at first, but under daylight, it was actually a half-decent place to hang around.
The people didn't seem negative or gloomy in particular, so that was a definite plus. After all, it was better to be somewhere completely grey than mostly black with white spots. In theory, of course.
Well, not like she would get much of a fight out of it these days.
That said, she was getting some questioning looks from passersby as she moved down the street, quickly pinpointing the cause: her appearance. Between the tail, the band on her head, and her Chinese dress, she really was the spitting image of... well, herself. They must have taken her for a cosplayer, but Sasebo didn't really seem like that kind of place.
Oh, come on. Like it was any of their business what she looked like anyway.
She was very close to yelling at them all and telling them to piss off when she was interrupted by another train of thought entirely.
A child had walked past her in dungarees.
And never had any Buddha needed something so badly and not known until she had found it.
That settled it. She was getting some dungarees right now and there was no force on this Earth that was in any position that she would allow it to stop h--

Her Master dragged her into an alley and began lecturing her on his priorities.
Come on, dude, just give me twenty minutes.

Berserker made a grumbling noise, breaking eye contact and pulling a face like some sort of moody teenager.
"Yeah, yeah, I heard you," she said. "But listen. Nobody cares about Caster. A Caster would always pull a stunt like this at the beginning if they don't wanna die, so this really isn't something worth caring about. If you wanna find Caster, just find their workshop and wreck it. They'll come running back and then go down in one hit."
She gave a nonchalant shrug. "Saber is maybe a roadblock for you here, but that's it. Everyone else is child's play. I'm not gonna fight 'em, it's boring. Let 'em kill each other. I just want to mess up the strongest Servant some."
 
Sylvia bowed her head, nodding at Gawain's encouragement. She couldn't let her determination waver, no matter the cost. "I'm sorry, you're right. What happened last night was a tragedy, but I won't let it tarnish my goal... our goal. My resolve won't waver again." It was natural for such a bizarre and terrifying occurrence to jay even one such as Sylvia. Even one's most vital beliefs could be shaken when reality itself seemed uncertain. In one night she had seen both the great heroism and utter depravity that Servants were capable of, as well as their inhuman power. Even in the face of such absurdity, though, it was vital that she remain resolute. No matter what stood in the way, she had to achieve her goal, for the good of humanity.


Sylvia listened closely to Gawain's description of the monster, thinking to herself. That thing hadn't fallen in line with any familiar she had ever heard of, even in her extensive travels, and if Gawain didn't recognize it either, it was clear that it was someone's personal creation, something 'imagined'. But who would imagine such a thing, much less give it form? Sylvia nodded at the knight's assessment. "You're certainly correct. Whoever or whatever this Caster is, I fear they may be among the worst humanity has to offer." 'Humanity' didn't seem like a fitting word. To do something so deranged, one would have to renounce any part of themselves that might be considered 'human'. "That makes dealing with them all the more urgent. If last night was any indication, they have zero regard for human life, and apparently no qualms about making public attacks. If they aren't stopped soon, the whole city could be at risk."


Sylvia stood up from the bed, nodding to herself as she retrieved the potions from the counter and placed them in her medicine bag. "We'll set out at once, then. We've got very little to go on, but if the enemy is a Magus, then perhaps we can uncover their workshop. To conjure monstrosities like that creature from last night, they certainly must be using a lot of magical energy. I imagine they also would be hiding somewhere out of the public view. Even if they won't hesitate to attack us in front of bystanders, it'd be risky to have a workshop in a very populated area. I suppose we should start with the city's darker corners, places where it would be easy to hide." As she spoke, she had already headed toward the door, turning the handle and squinting in the morning sunlight.


As the pair left the hotel, Sylvia continued racking her brain for any information they may have missed. She looked toward the knight at her side as they walked. "Did you happen to see anything else out of the ordinary last night?" Perhaps there was some small detail she had missed. After all, her eyes weren't as sharp as a Servant's. The morning sunlight shone down on the pair of them brilliantly, and the town seemed to be going about life as normal. Sylvia smiled weakly, her eyes glittering behind a few stray strands of hair. "This is what we have to protect." She held her arms out by her side, gesturing to the city around them. "This bright little place deserves peace." It wasn't clear if she was speaking to Gawain or just thinking out loud. She frowned a bit. "Maybe we should start looking in the areas surrounding schools. There's no guarantee, but if Caster is preying on children specifically then their workshop is probably near something like a school or a park..." She winced slightly.
 
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