Shrouded Heir of the Seven Hills: Constantinople

Shiki

Mystic Eyes of Depth Perception
Original poster
LURKER MEMBER
FOLKLORE MEMBER
Posting Speed
  1. 1-3 posts per day
  2. One post per day
  3. Multiple posts per week
Writing Levels
  1. Give-No-Fucks
  2. Beginner
  3. Elementary
  4. Intermediate
  5. Adept
  6. Advanced
  7. Prestige
  8. Douche
  9. Adaptable
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Male
  2. Female
Genres
Sci-fi, Magical
Far above, almost within the realm of God, streamed in clerestory light. The man turned to his wife, dressed in finery to rival his own, and gave her a smile. She smiled back, and he nodded. He turned back towards the carving on the ground.

It looped and swirled like tangled thread, weaving in and out into countless shapes. In the middle? A sacrifice of gold. “Ye, I seek, thou ancient hero. Let thy soul know flesh and thy blood know fire! Thou, o lost heaven; thou, o stray sky! I beseech thee! If this tribute doth please thee, come to mine aid!”

The woman stepped forward, purple rustling across the white ground as the room began to glow a bright red. “Thy strength shall be mine and my strength shall be thine!”

“Thou who art clad in wandering heavens!” the man cried. “Bear thee these sacred words!” He stuck out his right arm over the light. “Come thou from the Circle Broken! And let the scales be shattered!”

—————

Initiating process. Confirmed.
Karmic Ties established. Confirmed.
Central control established. Failure.
Abort. Negative.
Initiating materialization procedure. Confirmed.
Class containers formed. Confirmed.
Souls instituted. Confirmed.
Completing all final procedures. Confirmed.
Activation.


Eleven Servants manifested on a hill overlooking exactly nothing. The Counter Force had failed to collate much information, and their only data was highly vague. Location: unknown. Enemy location: unknown. Enemies: unknown.
 
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Well, this was a rather tight situation.
Ruler surveyed his surroundings, trying to find anything that would help him find where he was. When he saw no such thing, he instead turned back to his fellow Servants.

"Well, hello there, Gentlemen. Do any of you happen to know where we are?"
 
Charlemagne blinked open his blue eyes as he surveyed his surroundings, taking a look at his hand as he turned it for a moment before glancing up. His fist clenched for a moment before he dropped it to his side. "Well, this is an interesting development," he murmured as he sighed, ruffling the back of his head with his hand before glancing over at the Ruler, "Ah, hello. Saber. ...I know we're not supposed to tell True Names but call me Charlemagne, I prefer it like that. Or Charlie. Whatever floats your boat." He grinned as he held out a hand. "Pleasure to meet you, er...? Your class?" His grin turned sheepish as he still held out a hand.

@Aspiring Shoulder
 
The sight of unfamilar ground put Rider at unease. That, and the fact that he was alongside nine other servants didn't help. This wasn't at all a normal situation to be in. What and who is he suppose to be fighting? What were their numbers? What kind of weaknesses could he exploit from them? These questions drifted in his mind as he took a look around him. There seem to be quite the variety in servants around him. Some of them even started talking to each other.

The man let out a light sigh while rubbing the back of his neck. The servant before him posed a good question. "That, I do not know. Not like there is much around us to figure out our location either." Rider started off into the vast distance before him. Even with one eye, the other being covered with some cloth, he still had some eyesight to his name.

His name. He was just in the middle of debating whether or not he could tell his true name when one of the other servant openly reveals their own. The act of doing so caught him by surprise as a toothy grin formed on his face. He closes the distance between him and Charlemagne so he could place his arm on his shoulder. "You got guts, Saber! I like that. Charlemagne, huh? It's nice to meet you! I'm Rider. Rider of Lightning!" He says with the same grin on his face. Just how long could he keep his name a secret. That would be a fun little game to place, now wouldn't it.
 
Saber's lips curled up in a small grin as he surveyed the scene unfolding before him. A new land to explore. New people to meet. Had the people here heard the word of Buddha? He supposed that a little missionary work might be in store. A ruler's work was never done, after all. Clearing his throat, he turned to address his newfound comrades.

"Greetings! I am Saber of Wa!" It was best to keep names a secret. After all, one could never know who could be listening. It was a lesson that any noble knew by heart.
 
Crimson eyes scanned over featureless terrain as Françoise Prelati took a moment to assess her new environment. Under normal conditions, she would’ve tried to sense the amount of Mana in the atmosphere, but such a method would surely be disrupted by the residual energy of eleven freshly materialized Servants. After several seconds, during which she noted the lack of visible summoning circles, catalysts, or thaumaturgical apparatus, the Caster turned her attention to the others standing on the hill.

“Rather than finding where we are, perhaps it’s easier to start from where we aren’t,” she suggested calmly. “I don't see any Masters arriving to form contracts, and for so many of us to manifest at once - in the same location - can only mean that we’ve been summoned in unusual circumstances, not to fight a standard Holy Grail War.”
 
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Manfred von Richthofen
Location
- Unknown
Time - Unknown
Mentions - @Shiki, @Supremacy, @Yankee, @Torack, @LunaticRedEyes1, @0th Law, @Sidereal, @chaosheart13, @Brother Gabriel, @Aspiring Shoulder

The sensation Manfred felt was an unusual and strange one. This had never happened to him before, his mind was overflowing with new information that just seemed to appear in it from out of nowhere. The last thing he remembered was barely being able to land his plane after being hit and then slowly succumbing to his injuries. Now there were thing in his head that didn't really belong there.

The people around him, for the most part, were very obviously soldiers like him or maybe even generals and kings, most of them being clad in armor and having weapons with them. Richthofen patted his side and was pleasantly surprised that he had a Mauser at his belt along with a set of knives.

"If I may chip in. I agree with the miss. Standing here will likely not help much in finding out where we are or what we are supposed to do here. Though, I would assume that the lot of us are supposed to fight together? As she had said, this does not seem to be a regular … grail… war… and there is no masters present here. It almost feels like we were summoned by something powerful rather than someone, powerful or not." The words 'Grail War' felt strange to say. Grail? The holy grail of Arthurian legend, the omnipotent chalice capable of fulfilling wishes. But there was no way in hell that that thing was real. And who exactly were these Master folks he knew about?

"If we are truly to fight together, then… I haven't done this in a while, let's see if I still got it." He took on an even more straight and militaristic position than he had already just standing. His right hand went up to just above his right eyebrow, saluting.

"I am the Rider of Skies, my name is Manfred Freiherr von Richthofen, commander of the Jasta 11 of the german air force." He was quite pleased with himself that he still had the militaristic tone and stance down, it had been a long time since he introduced himself like this. He loosened his pose just a little and clasped his hands together behind his back, "Although if you find my name to be hard for you to pronounce, you can refer to me by my classes name, or as the Red Baron, many referred to me as that, I will leave it up to you what you choose to call me."

"I would suggest we get to moving, yes? As far as I understand we are all renowned heroes, correct?"
His head turned a little toward the woman who had spoken before with the last question. She seemed to be knowledgeable, and Richthofen still had to acclimatize to the things that were planted in his memory and the fact that he was alive again in the first place, "Perhaps, as we move one of us will be able to recognise this place. Introductions can still be done as we move, can they not?" Richthofen had fallen back from his 'military voice' that he used to command his allies back into his usual, more friendly voice as he spoke.
 
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“Rather than finding where we are, perhaps it’s easier to start from where we aren’t,” she suggested calmly. “I don't see any Masters arriving to form contracts, and for so many of us to manifest at once - in the same location - can only mean that we’ve been summoned in unusual circumstances, not to fight a standard Holy Grail War.”
"If I may chip in. I agree with the miss. Standing here will likely not help much in finding out where we are or what we are supposed to do here. Though, I would assume that the lot of us are supposed to fight together? As she had said, this does not seem to be a regular … grail… war… and there is no masters present here. It almost feels like we were summoned by something powerful rather than someone, powerful or not." The words 'Grail War' felt strange to say. Grail? The holy grail of Arthurian legend, the omnipotent chalice capable of fulfilling wishes. But there was no way in hell that that thing was real. And who exactly were these Master folks he knew about?
"Actually," a man in a lab coat with wild white hair spoke up, "that is probably the worse option. If we pick a direction and simply start walking, we are less likely to reach our ideal destination as we are to come upon nothing. I suggest we wait until nightfall, so I can determine our location from the stars, and we can thus figure out the best direction to go in... Also, you can call me Caster."
 

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Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis
Tunis, Tunisia
August 27, 1270
Before the City
"My King!" His brother, Charles of Anjou, said as he approached the bed, fell on his knees and held his hand, "B-brother . . . tell me thou wilt be well! I beg thee, the crusade will meet an ill fate without thy leadership." Charles tried to hold back the tears but failed to do so as he saw the deteriorating state of his beloved brother, King Louis IX of France.
"Charles . . . call in the Priest, death harkens me, The Lord is calling me home." Louis ordered to Charles, "But Brother-" Charles tried to speak but Louis answered immediately, "Brother please . . . I am dying, allow me to take the Viaticum, my last rites before I depart into Purgatory." Louis begged his brother, who was still kneeling before his majesty, unsure whether to follow his command or defy it.
"I ask thee this, not as King, but as a fellow Catholic dying in the line of duty . . . In this noble Crusade" Louis pleaded with his lukewarm brother who gave him one last pleading look to reconsider, "Please!" He told him, Charles relented and stood up and left the tent in order to fetch the Camp Priest.
Louis quickly lay down on his bed again, the abdominal pain he felt was insurmountable like something inside him was killing him, and no earthly elixir or medicine can cure him of this ailment, "Pater!, Pater!, am I not to see Jerusalem one more time? Am I not to visit the Gardens of Gethsemane, where you felt all the pains and sins of the world?! Am I not to recapture the Holy Land for Your Glory and Name? Pater! Deus Meus!" Louis called out in agony, he felt deeply hurt that he was able to fulfill his promise to God; to return the Holy Land back to Christian hands. He felt defeated and beaten, aside his body falling apart and his health rapidly failing, he felt mentally weak but spiritual strong at the same time, a weird oxymoron, for he never doubt The Good Lord but doubted himself, on his capabilities, was he to suffer two humiliating defeats at the hands of the Saracens? Was this God's punishment to Him for his sins? What will happen to Margaret and his son? So many questions flooded his mind and none of them were answered.
His train of thought was interrupted when he cough roughly, it was painfully and agonizing to go through, and every cough he felt his life ebbing away and death takes a step closer to him.
"Milord!" He heard a voice called out to him, it was Father Henri with Charles in tow, Charles quickly kneeled beside him and took his hand, "Brother hang in there!" Charles told him.
The Last Rites were conducted, the Anointing of the Sick was given to Louis and as he took the Holy Eucharist.
"Glory be given to God on the Most Highest." He said and with a smile, he fell to the sickness, the last thing he heard on this earth was his brother calling out his name as the world turned dark around him.
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King Louis has convoked, All the barons and knights.
King Louis asked, "Who wants to follow me wherever I will go?"


Location: Unknown
Date: ?????
Terra Incognita

In a flash of bright light did he appear, manifesting like an ethereal spirit coming from the hereafter, he opened his eyes only to see a grand sight of vast beauties, a land so strange and alien to him yet somehow he felt like he has some knowledge about it, his face twitch and eyes blinked so rapidly as a plethora of new and weird information flooded his mind, Grail Wars, Servants, Classes, Masters, and other information that was strange to him even when he basically know about them, as the processing of this new information was done he looked at his hands and clenched them and then opened them, trying to see if his body was properly functioning, the last thing he remembered was dying and receiving communion, " Strange . . . It seems God has given me another chance." He murmured to himself and silently prayed to God.
Based on the gauntlets on him, he was wearing his armor on but strangely his helmet wasn't on.
He looked around, trying to see if a master was here to form a contract with for a 'Grail War' but when he turned around he didn't see a person with ambition but was greeted with the sight of Eleven Servants and from what he can tell that a majority of them were ancient but a numbered few were from a time that was way ahead of his,' My Ruler instincts must be kicking in' he thought to himself.
He approached them and he felt their confusion and frustration at the suddenness of this weird excursion, with no enemy to face, and no goal to obtain, what was their purpose here. "Christ . . . guide us." He murmured to himself as he was observing the servants.
His attire consists mainly of a black and white tunic with blue accents, black pants, thigh-high armored boots, and a short white cape with a black edge. Aside from his boots, his left arm has a gauntlet, and he wears a set of faulds at his waist. A sword scabbard hangs at his left side, and red marks coat his right gloved arm. Something deep inside his soul calls out for the young man, telling him that this young man was a great hero and connected to him in a weird sense. Alongside the young man was a rugged middle-aged man, from afar Ruler can tell that this man was a legend and another great hero, he wears armor from a very ancient time and Ruler can feel this man is a powerful hero with a name that resonates throughout history. He looked at the others, an Asian man dressed in queer panoply that was truly alien to him, he hasn't met a lot of Asians in his life except for the Mongols of his time like Eljigidei, the Mongol military commander stationed in Armenia and Persia. Another was a man in a very long green dress, he looks French as he had a handsome face but he isn't sure about it but he can tell from afar that he was the same class as him so they might be the best of friends. A young woman with crimson eyes and near-white hair who he feels is a nun of the Holy Church but something doesn't feel right about it but he unsure about it either. An elderly man with white hair that gave off an eccentric vibe and dressed in weird white clothing, 'He must be a great alchemist or wizard.' Ruler thought to himself and finally a young lad with a weird dark cloak wrapped around him with a hat that gave Ruler an impression that this young lad was a warrior, a warrior of what and when? He must get closer to find out, in fact, he must get in contact with them in order to fully know them, their stats and all that but he prefers to do it in a diplomatic way.
"Well met, dear friends, I am Ruler of White." He said as he humbly bowed before the great heroes he will be fighting alongside with, "As a sign of trust and as well as necessity, considering our perplexing situation, I will tell you my True Name; I am Louis IX of House Capet, former King of France." He said as approached them, "I would use my authority as Ruler to gain information about you all but that would be unfair and since this isn't a proper Holy Grail War and in order to earn your trust in me, I will ask your names in a normal way as it seems we will be comrades in this conundrum." He asked them all.
 
@Supremacy @TheSly @Brother Gabriel @0th Law @LunaticRedEyes1

Aaaand he was left hanging there awkwardly, don't mind him. He let out a sigh as the introduction fell flat before he felt a hand clap onto his shoulder. Blue eyes flickered to the Rider of Lightning before he grinned. "Ah, well met, Rider! Pleasure to meet you, then!" Those eyes then began to rove to the other Servants as he hummed in thought. "And a pleasure to meet you too, Saber of Wa. I think we'll be able to get along, no?" They went back to scanning everyone else quickly. So many different ones, yet not for a Holy Grail War. A special situation, just like the one in SE.RA.PH. And with Karl... Again? Shall we have to do something like this again? he wondered as he contemplated things, Karl, I wonder...if my other half will be on the other side of this...war. It is not a Grail War and yet...

He jolted as he listened to Manfred before bursting into laughter. "Ah, a German? Good to meet you. I might be a Frankish king of the Holy Roman Empire but I do know of your modern German," he chuckled before sobering up, "Ah, a direction...indeed, where should we go from here? To find the source of the problem, hm..." His eyes flickered to the white haired man in a lab coat as he shook his head. "No, we hadn't the time. We need to the solve the problem as quickly as we can. This is like with Karl in SE.RA.PH, that serious, yet I can feel it is without the brainwashing that is Oracalization and assimilation to his idea of a perfect world without strife... I will not allow it. I won't allow this world to fall into ruin. So the sooner we can get things done, the better," he told him, brows furrowed as he thought. His eyes flickered over to the Ruler of White as he grinned. "Louis IX? A king, I would assume? I, unfortunately, do not know of that name, but I have known of the French kings in my youth and beyond... I will introduce myself again since I don't hide my True Name. I just can't. Anyway, Saber, Charlemagne, pleasure to make your acquaintance," he chirped as he glanced around, "Anyway, time...it really isn't on our side." He let out a sigh as he ruffled his hair again. "Maybe if we hear the sound of battle, we can gain a bit of bearings, though there is a possibility there is no battle nearby. Knowing wherever we are summoned, though, we will have to fight... I hope some of you know how to fight as of now, sword, gun- oh that's new. Bow, dagger, anything. And for Casters they must rely on their magic." Again, his eyes began to rove to everyone, eyeing them critically. "Will you be able to fight? If it's anything like SE.RA.PH, then we will face hordes of the opposition."
 
"Well met, dear friends, I am Ruler of White." He said as he humbly bowed before the great heroes he will be fighting alongside with, "As a sign of trust and as well as necessity, considering our perplexing situation, I will tell you my True Name; I am Louis IX of House Capet, former King of France." He said as approached them, "I would use my authority as Ruler to gain information about you all but that would be unfair and since this isn't a proper Holy Grail War and in order to earn your trust in me, I will ask your names in a normal way as it seems we will be comrades in this conundrum." He asked them all.
"Albert Einstein." The elderly man introduces himself.
His eyes flickered to the white haired man in a lab coat as he shook his head. "No, we hadn't the time. We need to the solve the problem as quickly as we can. This is like with Karl in SE.RA.PH, that serious, yet I can feel it is without the brainwashing that is Oracalization and assimilation to his idea of a perfect world without strife... I will not allow it. I won't allow this world to fall into ruin. So the sooner we can get things done, the better,"
"And how would wandering aimlessly serve to aid us?" Einstein points out. "We would spend more time doing that than we would if we were to wait for nightfall. At least this way, I, and any other Casters among us, can produce items that should serve to aid us."
Again, his eyes began to rove to everyone, eyeing them critically. "Will you be able to fight? If it's anything like SE.RA.PH, then we will face hordes of the opposition."
Einstein shakes his head. "I will not fight. I can aid you all with the technology I produce, but I will not fight. As an aside, what is this "SE.RA.PH" you speak of?"
 
@0th Law

"Albert Einstein?" Ruler said to himself but gave the elderly man a smile, "Well met, Albert Einstein!" He gave the old man a pat in the back and made sure to make it a light pat as he fears that putting too much force into the pat might break the elder's back, regardless if he is a heroic spirit or not, Ruler was trying to be careful.
"Pray tell, Albert Einstein, you are a Caster aren't you? Were you an Alchemist in your life? A great wizard or sorcerer in league with the Great Merlin? If so, who is this king you have anointed, Kingmaker?" He was curious about the servant in front of him, this Albert was a very peculiar and strange man, Ruler couldn't tell what age or era he was from or even what country he was from. Was he from England? nay, he knows the English too well. German? Possibly, kinda hard to tell if he is a citizen of the Holy Roman Empire due to his old age. "Also, from which kingdom are you from so that I may have a background on who you are . . . if it's alright to divulge such information, my friend."
Ruler heart stopped for a moment when he heard the young man's name, "Could it be? Surely you didn't say thus in Jest?" Ruler said to himself as he quickly genuflected before the young man, "Great Charlemagne! God must have blessed me to have you, the Great Charlemagne, with us!" He said with candor and felicity, "I-I am Louis IX of France, your Francia! And I am a descendant of Hugh Capet who was descendent from your sons, Louis the Pious and Pepin of Italy through his mother and paternal grandmother respectively." He stuttered for a bit as he looks at the great king before him, his blue eyes shine with wonder and amazement, he was expecting Charlemagne to be quite taller and more . . . gaudier and mighty, like the great and awesome king the portraits and paintings depict him. Probably that Charlemagne was summoned during his younger years . . . which makes the situation a bit weird since Ruler was summoned at his Late 20's, at his prime, so that might make him a bit older than his hero, he was shaking with enthusiasm and happiness, his childhood fantasy fulfilled as he often dreamed of fighting alongside the great kings of yore, most specifically; Charlemagne himself.
'Calm down, Louis, you're embarrassing yourself in front of the Great Charlemagne, keep calm! keep calm damn you! Mother would have me recite the Litany of Saints the entire day if she sees us ill-composed and unkingly in front of people."
He breathed in and out in a motion to let himself be calm, and when he wasn't shaking like a fanboy seeing his idol anymore he spoke with clarity of thought, "Great Charles, I beg of thee pardon for my . . . errr.... unkingly action, I was taken with great joy and happiness to be able to fight with one of Christendom's great kings and the Father of Europe himself! so I ask forgiveness for my ill composure as your humble servant. "
 
@chaosheart13 @0th Law @TheSly

The servants were making good points. They do need to figure out where they are and where they need to be going. He releases his hand from Charlemagne's shoulder and placed it on his own chin to ponder. The last thing he would want to do is simply just head out in a direction and hope for the best. In an unfamilar land like this, that would simply open them to too many opportunities to be ambushed. They could defend quite well on a hilltop as well so if they were to wait around for nightfall, this place would be the most ideal place to do it.

"I have to agree with Albert on this one. We can't afford to simply wander aimlessly and hope for the best. For all we know, that is exactly what our opponents are planning for. We aren't really being pressed for time either. Unless.." He took a look around at the servants before him again. Some of them have to capable of quickly scouting the area for them. He couldn't tell from a glance, but he did hear of one name that might help. The Rider of Skies.

Rider turned to face the other Rider among them. "So, Red Baron, is it? I figure your title of Rider of Skies isn't just for show, correct? Are you capable of scouting the area around us from above?" He hopes that would be the case. Having a servant capable of aerial scouting would be a great asset when it comes to gathering information. Especially in the situation they are in right now.
 
Manfred von Richthofen
Location
- Unknown
Time - Unknown

"Albert Einstein! I knew that you seemed familiar to me. It is an honor to meet such an influential scientist." Richthofen could not help but laugh just a little after recognising the name of the man.

"I seem to be surrounded by kings and men of great minds, aren't I? A mere soldier among the truly great of their time." Manfred said to himself, shaking his head in surprise at the high company around him, as he turned toward the man who had introduced himself as Rider of Lightning.

"As a fellow Rider servant, you and I should both make for splendid scouts shouldn't we? But you're indeed correct, I can travel the skies without problems. In fact, I was considered the very best of the best when I was alive. Here, Rider, let me show you my ... What's the word? Noble Phantasm, yes. The Fokker Dreidecker I." As Manfred said this he, as if by instinct, reached for the Iron Cross on his coat detached it, brought it up to his mouth, kissed it and then buried it in his fist. Even through his skin it was visible that the Iron Cross began to glow and a few seconds later a faint engine sound could be heard that came closer and closer with extreme speed before, with the squeaking of braking wheels, dying down.

His blood red plane had seemingly autonomously descended from the sky and had landed next to him. Fully equipped, he could even see his flying cap was in its usual spot within the cockpit. Manfred was quite surprised at this sudden event.

So that is what the power of a heroic spirit is? She just appeared from nowhere!

Manfred immediately jumped up toward the cockpit, checking it along with the machine guns mounted on the plane. Fully functional, what a blessing. He was so eager to sit in his plane again and roam the sky, he was almost frothing at the mouth from temptation alone.

"What do you think?" He said to his fellow Rider. Manfred turned around and sat on the outside of the plane's cockpit, spreading his arms with pride for his machine.

"She is quite the machine isn't she? A little unruly, but that's what you'll eventually get to love about her." He said, not just to the other Rider but also to himself.

"What do you all think? Should I take off for a little and see if I can spot anything at all from up there near the clouds? Back in the day, when I was part of the army I did scout flights every once and a while. Usually outsourced it to some cadets, but if I can be reborn as a heroic spirit for my skills in this thing then I can also do some simple scouting." Manfred was practically asking anyone who was listening, not directly wanting to interrupt any conversations, like the flustered wanna-be flirting between two of the servants who seemed to know each other from their past life.

Who knows? Maybe those two were lovers once? He thought to himself, barely holding back his laughter at the thought.
 
@0th Law @Brother Gabriel @Supremacy

"Mm, I suppose so," Charlemagne murmured as a put a hand to his chin in thought, "I feel like the sooner we solve the issue, the less lives are at stake. ...We do not need anyone to die needlessly..." He blinked for a moment at Einstein's earnest behavior before beaming. "Oh, good! One who doesn't fight yet can fight in another way without hurting another, an admirable trait! I wish I had that as king, but even so..." He let out a sigh as he dropped his hand. "Alright, well, scouting will definitely help I'm assuming. In the meantime-"

He paused as he was bombarded by Louis IX himself and he began to smile, mouth somewhat open as he held up a finger. "...A descendant. Interesting. Well, I don't know what to say to that but..." His smile faltered and he immediately sobered up at the apology. "No need to apologize, my King, for we all have our moments of being a 'fanboy.'" He did quotes in the air as he said "fanboy." "If anything, loosening up is just what you need! Unkingly action? I was able to be like that with the Twelve Paladins. ...I remember an incident with Roland. He um...he was...streaking out of sorrow and anger. We had to calm him down and I was most certainly not kingly then." He laughed at the memory as he went over to Louis and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "It's alright now, you needn't fear me nor anyone else. Everyone is a friend here, no? So why don't we take the time to banter while they scout, as hypocritical my words may be?" He was grinning, just staring at his hair as he was tempted to ruffle it.
 
"Albert Einstein?" Ruler said to himself but gave the elderly man a smile, "Well met, Albert Einstein!" He gave the old man a pat in the back and made sure to make it a light pat as he fears that putting too much force into the pat might break the elder's back, regardless if he is a heroic spirit or not, Ruler was trying to be careful.
"Pray tell, Albert Einstein, you are a Caster aren't you? Were you an Alchemist in your life? A great wizard or sorcerer in league with the Great Merlin? If so, who is this king you have anointed, Kingmaker?" He was curious about the servant in front of him, this Albert was a very peculiar and strange man, Ruler couldn't tell what age or era he was from or even what country he was from. Was he from England? nay, he knows the English too well. German? Possibly, kinda hard to tell if he is a citizen of the Holy Roman Empire due to his old age. "Also, from which kingdom are you from so that I may have a background on who you are . . . if it's alright to divulge such information, my friend."
Einstein chuckles. "I am no mage, at least, not by teaching, nor am I a kingmaker of any sort, despite many people's attempts to put me in nationalistic roles. As for my nationality..." his smile thins into a grimace. "I used to be German. Now I am Swiss and American."
"I have to agree with Albert on this one. We can't afford to simply wander aimlessly and hope for the best. For all we know, that is exactly what our opponents are planning for. We aren't really being pressed for time either. Unless.." He took a look around at the servants before him again. Some of them have to capable of quickly scouting the area for them. He couldn't tell from a glance, but he did hear of one name that might help. The Rider of Skies.

Rider turned to face the other Rider among them. "So, Red Baron, is it? I figure your title of Rider of Skies isn't just for show, correct? Are you capable of scouting the area around us from above?" He hopes that would be the case. Having a servant capable of aerial scouting would be a great asset when it comes to gathering information. Especially in the situation they are in right now.
Manfred von Richthofen
Location
- Unknown
Time - Unknown

"Albert Einstein! I knew that you seemed familiar to me. It is an honor to meet such an influential scientist." Richthofen could not help but laugh just a little after recognising the name of the man.

"I seem to be surrounded by kings and men of great minds, aren't I? A mere soldier among the truly great of their time." Manfred said to himself, shaking his head in surprise at the high company around him, as he turned toward the man who had introduced himself as Rider of Lightning.

"As a fellow Rider servant, you and I should both make for splendid scouts shouldn't we? But you're indeed correct, I can travel the skies without problems. In fact, I was considered the very best of the best when I was alive. Here, Rider, let me show you my ... What's the word? Noble Phantasm, yes. The Fokker Dreidecker I." As Manfred said this he, as if by instinct, reached for the Iron Cross on his coat detached it, brought it up to his mouth, kissed it and then buried it in his fist. Even through his skin it was visible that the Iron Cross began to glow and a few seconds later a faint engine sound could be heard that came closer and closer with extreme speed before, with the squeaking of braking wheels, dying down.

His blood red plane had seemingly autonomously descended from the sky and had landed next to him. Fully equipped, he could even see his flying cap was in its usual spot within the cockpit. Manfred was quite surprised at this sudden event.

So that is what the power of a heroic spirit is? She just appeared from nowhere!

Manfred immediately jumped up toward the cockpit, checking it along with the machine guns mounted on the plane. Fully functional, what a blessing. He was so eager to sit in his plane again and roam the sky, he was almost frothing at the mouth from temptation alone.

"What do you think?" He said to his fellow Rider. Manfred turned around and sat on the outside of the plane's cockpit, spreading his arms with pride for his machine.

"She is quite the machine isn't she? A little unruly, but that's what you'll eventually get to love about her." He said, not just to the other Rider but also to himself.

"What do you all think? Should I take off for a little and see if I can spot anything at all from up there near the clouds? Back in the day, when I was part of the army I did scout flights every once and a while. Usually outsourced it to some cadets, but if I can be reborn as a heroic spirit for my skills in this thing then I can also do some simple scouting." Manfred was practically asking anyone who was listening, not directly wanting to interrupt any conversations, like the flustered wanna-be flirting between two of the servants who seemed to know each other from their past life.

Who knows? Maybe those two were lovers once? He thought to himself, barely holding back his laughter at the thought.
Einstein smiles slightly. "Maybe I can help with the scouting." He stretches forth his hand and, tapping into the skills allotted to him as a heroic spirit, accesses the skills needed to use Projection Magecraft. With those skills, he manifests a four-limbed contraption, each limb ending in a propeller. He does this slowly, marveling at the ways the magic shapes the structure, glimmering lights of prana condensing and transforming into metal, rubber, plastic, and numerous other materials. Once it is complete, he lifts it up into the air, and it takes takes flight, soaring into the heavens. He quickly repeats a similar process, creating a rectangle of plastic, with a screen of glass. Upon the screen, an image appears, showing a bird's-eye view of the land around them.
 
Saber let out a loud chuckle.

"Truly, it is amazing to be in the company of so many foreign rulers! Such a thing was unthinkable in my lifetime." He grinned cheerfully. "Although, I don't believe I'm familiar with any of your lands. Your names and nations sound quite foreign to my tongue. France, German, Swiss? I have never heard of lands with names such as that."

Right after saying that, however, his grin turned into a light frown. "But is it so wise to give out our True Names so freely? Whatever enemy we were summoned to face could be watching, after all." Suddenly, his eyes widened as if a lightbulb had gone off over his head. "Of course, I can determine if any prying ears are listening." His brow furrowed in concentration as he took off his earmuffs, utilizing his second Noble Phantasm. He could now hear everything in the five hundred meters surrounding them. Not even the sound of a blade of grass swaying every so slightly in the wind escaped him.
 
The air shook - pushing the grass and the Servants alike with immense forces. The source was clearly north-northeast; the boom that had sent the air into a frenzy was none too subtle, if “none too subtle” means “louder than a rocket liftoff from five feet away.” Any normal human would be short their eardrums, and possibly their eye lenses. Einstein’s drone lost any semblance of lift, crashing into the ground thirty feet away with enough sparks to be visible at that distance.
 
Saber became acutely aware immediately afterwards of what was going on. Namely, the (literally) deafening explosion. What followed was an impressively long string of curses in various East Asian languages (namely, Japanese, Chinese, and Indian, in dialects that were practically unrecognizable to a modern speaker). Of course, this was all spoken very, very loudly, due to the fact that volume control is rather difficult when you can't hear anything. Immediately afterwards, he began attempting to calm himself down by chanting some sutras. Of course, this was at the same volume as his charisma break.

"GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATE BOHDI SVAHA." He continued his chant, blissfully unaware of the high volume he was reciting at.
 
@TheSly @0th Law

"Well, my mount isn't exactly good for scouting.." Rider lets out an awkward laugh while he rubs the back of his head. An elephant roaming around wouldn't be the fastest creature to scout around with after all. The sight of Manfred summoning forth his noble phastasm has Rider in awe. Especially after seeing the beast of iron that came forth to Manfred's call. It was an impressive sight to behold indeed! "She's glorious! Fit for someone who claims the title of Rider of Skies!" Rider has a look of complete awe and amazement on his face right now. If only he had access to such things, maybe things would have went a little differently for him. The thought placed a wolf-like grin on his face as he realizes how much this would change things up on the battlefield!

His excitement continued as he saw Caster manifests a device as well to help with scouting before him. These things were simply amazing! They could relay information to them in the heat of battle; see exactly where the cracks are in the enemy's line and where they need to fortify their own line. "Caster! I need more of those things!" He pointed at the drone as it flew in the air. However, his excitement couldn't last forever.

He couldn't see it, but he did hear it. 'So the enemy decided to strike first then' Rider thought to himself as he recovered from the shock. Though, at least he was faring better than one of the other servant who seems to be screaming profanities left and right after choosing an ill time to put off his protective ear muffs.