#thgw: chapter 1

[tgrailwar-zero]

...Right.

AVENGER took Blanca into his hands and let her flutter off. Hopefully PRETENDER would get the memo. Hopefully she'd be able to get to him in the first place.

Easy enough. The light helped a bit but the darkness was oppressive.

He went up the steps.

It was darker.

He approached where RULER was, wading into the blackness, before a figure slowly shambled out of the darkness.

"Ghhhoouhhh..."

AVENGER took a step back, summoning his blade. A Servant in pitch black armor, shrouded in black smoke. The red of his visor shone brightly in the darkness, establishing himself as something to be feared.

Luckily, AVENGER didn't feel fear that easily. He prepared himself for battle. Even if he was recently awakened, he could--

Thud. Thud. Thudthudthudthud--

Footfalls landing all around him.

Neither you or AVENGER sensed them around the building. It would have been near impossible. Did they just appear out of the darkness? Manifest? Teleport? Was this the result of top-ranked Presence Concealment?

And... there were so many of them. As far as his eyes could see, there were leering skeletons staring him down. One of the faceless shadows dropped forward, speaking.

A voice. A man's voice? A woman's voice? A person's voice?

...A killer's voice.

"Greetings. I was hoping to catch the bug in this little web of ours, but you'll do. It's a shame you'll die so early during this Holy Grail War. Nothing personal."

You're surrounded on all sides. Both you and AVENGER will need time to think before making a move.

Both you and AVENGER fighting blind. You don't know how your stats fare against the other Servants, or how that'll impact the results, so you'll have to pick a choice and hope...

[tgrailwar-zero]

Chapter 1: phantom/grey messenger

Darkness. Never-ending, ever-black. Cold and unfeeling. Quiet and resolute. To exist within a void is to exist as nothingness, and yet you can feel something. A breeze. A whisper. Emotions that shouldn't exist within a space like this, and yet they are ever-present. This feeling is familiar, unnervingly so. The sensation of transitioning from one 'nothingness' to the next.

A moment washes over you, before replaced with a burning sensation. Agonizing. Intense. Binding.

A sigil, made of pure mana, emblazons itself upon you, and light quickly fills your vision. Darkness turning to light, and light turning into scenery.

Looking around, you see a destroyed building, and a figure standing in the middle of it. A Servant. Your Servant.

The Servant before you reeks of death and desecration, the armor surrounding them constantly outputting a dangerous, off-putting aura.

You can recognize this Servant as AVENGER. He speaks. It's hard to tell whether he's addressing you or not.

"I am death. I must kill the one that is loved by God. My name is… my name is… Who…who am I…?"

AVENGER hovers in front of you, addled and confused, gripping at his head.

Looking around at the chaos, you're not sure if you're the ones responsible. However, you do understand that you're most likely not alone. Both in terms of enemies, and allies.

Welcome to the T.H.G.W, a Fate-based Quest run via polls!

There are two different posts to progress. Standard polls, that allow you several 'premade' options, and 'Blank polls'- which give the observing Masters a chance to 'write-in' an answer for a following poll! Your poll results will impact the story progression in a number of ways, both based off the choices made, and how many people picked that option! On the base level, the results would be impacted like this:

When dealing with a 2-Option Poll:

90%+: Spectacular success, no consequences are incurred.

76%-89%: Great success, if there are consequences, they’re minimal.

61%-75%: Fair success, the action is successfully taken, and while not the worst possible result, there are a few snags along the way.

50%-60%: Rough success, the action is taken, but there are notable consequences due to your indecision.

When dealing with a 3-Option Poll:

80%+: Spectacular success, no consequences are incurred.

56%-79%: Great success, if there are consequences, they’re minimal.

41%-55%: Fair success, the action is successfully taken, and while not the worst possible result, there are a few snags along the way.

34%-40%: Rough success, the action is taken, but there are notable consequences due to your indecision.

When dealing with a 4-Option Poll:

70%+: Spectacular success, no consequences are incurred.

46%-69%: Great success, if there are consequences, they’re minimal.

31%-45%: Fair success, the action is successfully taken, and while not the worst possible result, there are a few snags along the way.

26%-30%: Rough success, the action is taken, but there are notable consequences due to your indecision.

-

However, your Servant's statistics, as well as items you find along the way, may also serve to either help or hinder your choices! Work along your Servant and stay aware of their strengths and weaknesses in order to survive the Holy Grail War! Additionally, all posts after this one will exclusively be on @tgrailwar-zero, instead of being crossposted to @tgrailwar!

[tgrailwar-zero]

It was dark.

As AVENGER's breathing aligned with MOONCANCER's, the darkness seeped in. Calm, like the rising tide and cool like the mountain breeze. Her words grew distant as the darkness settled in, and you saw an internal look at AVENGER. One that even he couldn't see or comprehend.

Something had gone wrong with the summoning.

Several Servants tried to answer the call, and while some had been overwhelmed nicely, others had fought harder for the chance to be summoned. Catalysts clashing, souls attempting to be pulled from a greater gate- and while one had won out, it had come out cracked and damaged. A Saint Graph that would turn to ash the second it took a step within the virtual space, fragmented and incomplete, filled with fissures and leaks, not meant to fight or wage war of any kind.

But like a miracle, something kept it together.

The realization that there's something there. Something latched on, keeping the Spirit Origin from breaking apart due to sheer weakness. However, this proposed a contradiction, as realizing this 'something' exists would cause AVENGER to tear himself apart in utter rage due to the undying hatred associated with his class.

One light orbiting another, like the Moon orbits the Earth, like the Earth orbits the Sun. A twisted accompaniment, fitting as a twisted sense of fate. A Servant that would never be whole, and so to resemble that wholeness had something supplanting the gaps.

Leaving him in a limbo. To be at ease, that 'something' would need to be untouched. To be whole, that 'something' would need to be opened.

An artist, marred by hatred. Only his music remained as a remnant of his former self. The curse of a Heroic Spirit, to give up being a 'human', but desperately wishing to remain a 'musician', however even the music he loved so dearly was twisted and dirtied by the lies that made up his entire being.

And as his being as a 'musician' was at risk of shattering as well, a hand reached out with the cruelest of kindnesses and preserved that.

Even if his True Name couldn't be unlocked.

Even if being an Avenger was a lie.

There was still music.

[tgrailwar-zero]

Avenger, could you ask Pretender if there is any more specific information he could give us about Berserker. Say for example, their apparent physical gender, what sort of culture or region of the world their clothing appeared to be from, what their weapon looked like if they used one, how affected by madness enhancement they appeared to be. That sort of stuff. Any tiny scrap of information could help.

Though if Pretender was a bit to shaken up by the sudden attack to notice or remember any of those details I understand.

PRETENDER 'eloquently' recaps his encounter with the Servant he assumes is BERSERKER. How he and RULER were scouting together, before being ambushed by a massive, terrifying Heroic Spirit with explosions and swords and BAM CRASH WOOSH BABOOM KAPOOW WOWOWOWOWOWOWOW--

...and so on. And he didn't want to die, so he ran, and he assumed RULER ran too. Because that'd make sense for them both to run, because there was NO WAY they were fighting that thing. You don't get anything too useful from what he's describing.

AVENGER asks. PRETENDER responds...

"No idea!"

Actually, that had been on AVENGER's mind too. Most Heroic Spirits were... well, human-sized. So PRETENDER's situation was odd. He asks about it.

PRETENDER smiles and explains that this is his 'recon mode' (name secret, for True Name purposes). He rides around on various insects, and is harder to both catch and detect. Speaking of, he hopes that the ones he sent to protect you weren't too much of a bother.

His 'recon mode' allegedly has a pretty notable impact on his intelligence, but he reasons that it probably isn't THAT noticeable.

...His behavior from earlier is starting to make a little more sense.

[tgrailwar-zero]

…Well, you all were clearly hiding something. And more than a few of you sounded guilty about it. And also wanted him to get drunk. Because that'd help his reputation with his teammates.

Still, there was a time and a place for everything, and AVENGER had currently been thrust in the middle of this social situation- so he adapted. With a high, he returned his focus back outward to look at the two Servants that were staring at him like he had truly lost his marbles- which, with the way he had barged in- wasn't entirely unfair. A poor second impression so far.

...That seemed like a fair enough idea. He composed himself, before speaking.

"…Madame MoonCancer. I appreciate the help, but it seems as if I found myself in a bit of a daze. My Masters claim I was sleepwalking? Do you think it had anything to do with your inspection earlier?"

MOONCANCER frowned, shaking her head definitively.

"Sleepwalking? I'd assume not. Was it not a habit you had when you were alive…?"

AVENGER let out a bit of a sigh.

"Not that I can recall. However... this may limit my capacity as a Servant."

Now she seemed more than just a bit troubled. AVENGER actually felt more than a little bad, as she wrung her hands, trying to figure out the best way to get the situation under control while still trying to accommodate him.

"Hm. This may be a problem. I was trying to figure out how best to organize ourselves. I'm planning on sending out someone to retrieve Alter-Ego, and another to go get the Seventh Spirit Origin."

FOREIGNER chimed in abruptly, placing a hand on her hip as she looked AVENGER up and down, discerningly.

"Thing is, there's Enemy Programs all over. Weaker than a Servant, sure, but still a problem nonetheless. So if you go out to try an' help, you're gonna need a chaperone. And stayin' back at the base... if the Red Team decides to go on the offensive, can you really hold 'em off? Even with our Attack Programs?"

That seemed reasonable, if not a tad embarrassing as a Servant. It didn't seem as if she thought you and AVENGER were incompetent, but clearly not skilled enough to handle any missions like that on your own.

...Things really didn't seem fine, but now wasn't the time to comment on that. Concerning the skills... no real change. Removing the Mystic Code was one thing, but the skills hadn't just opened themselves up. It seemed like something had bumped MOONCANCER back before she could get everything set, potentially. There'd be no reason for her to not want AVENGER at full power, especially when they were short staffed like this.

Those thoughts aside, MOONCANCER continued speaking.

"The situation is like this. Alter-Ego has been on the move, but I've solidified their location as of now by the port town. In the case of the Seventh Spirit Origin, it seems to be deeper within one of the forested areas…"

FOREIGNER nodded.

"MoonCancer's managed to get in nice with the NPC's by the port town, though there's a few larger, nastier Enemy Programs. On the flipside, the forested mountains is totally uncharted territory, but I think the general gist is that they're weaker- but denser. Pretender didn't finish his survey on the area."

MOONCANCER groaned, rubbing her temples.

"…Either way, one of us needs to stay here to keep hold of the Citadel and make sure our defensive Attack Programs are running at full capacity. I suppose that means you, Avenger, and Pretender are back on the field. I'm sorry, Foreigner. If we weren't running so tight on numbers…"

"It's fine, it's fine. That's what this War is about anyways, right? Workin' together and figurin' how to handle ourselves."

She turned to AVENGER, with a smirk.

"What's your fancy? Portside, or feelin' like a hike? Or MoonCancer can sit you down somewhere nice and cozy while we keep bustin' our asses, huh?"

[tgrailwar-zero]

"Avenger…? Avenger?"

Your vision snapped back to the room, as MOONCANCER stared down at AVENGER, frowning worriedly.

"How odd… it was like hitting a wall. I apologize, I felt something click, but I wasn't able to tell what. I don't believe I was much help this time around."

AVENGER sat up, looking down at his clawed hands for a moment, before focusing back on MOONCANCER, bowing his head.

"Quite frankly, it's the opposite, Madame MoonCancer. I'm feeling more revitalized than ever. However, if you don't mind… I'd like to speak with my Masters in private."

His tone was smooth and even, different than the curt, yet respectful tone he held earlier.

Acquiescing with a smile, MOONCANCER nodded and exited the chambers as AVENGER pushed himself up to his feet. He waited until she left, and a few moments more before his shoulders relaxed and the Mystic Code fell away.

"Goodness… what a needlessly stuffy thing this is… what is he, a masochist?"

A wry voice rang out from the armor, lighter in many senses than AVENGER's calm rasp, the sly smile audible in his own tone.

The person under the armor was wrong.

Even in a short amount of time, a Master could obviously sense the connection between them and their Servant. But this was different. Strained. Unnatural. As if something else was temporarily taking the same space.

The sense was simply 'something'. Neither angel nor demon. Good nor evil.

Prideful.

Intelligent.

Divine? Incorrect, but close. Potentially. It was a confusing mass of data in the shape of something.

A Servant.

An orchestral conductor, shrouded in wolf's fur. By his vary nature, he existed as a genius, and yet that very nature made him seem inhuman. A man who shamelessly drew the spotlight away from others to shine it on himself, yet equally held the talent to pass that light onto others, a shimmering being akin to the Devil himself.

"Surprised? What can I say, I'm a show stealer. You know, you really made a mistake activating that Code Cast. Now both you and your Avenger have a whole new problem on your hands."

The Servant grinned, with an exceedingly arrogant sense of blitheness and charisma.

"Me."

[tgrailwar-zero]

This situation wasn't optimal, but it was salvageable. On instinct, AVENGER attacked. Not using his blade directly, but by relying on the one thing that came naturally to him as he summoned his blade.

Music.

Magical energy flared from the blade as lines of blackened mana, like the strings of a violin, shot out from AVENGER's own neck. He placed his blade like a bow upon them, before rapidly and suddenly bowing against them. You watch as the masked conglomerate hiss and fade further back into the shadows, while the armored Servant lets out a pained roar at the noise.

You're not sure how much you've done, but you do know that hurt. You also can feel as if you've burned a fair amount of mana to do pull this off without getting too hurt.

With them stunned, the next course of action was clear. AVENGER sprinted to the window, his blade soaring through the air as he slashed through the glass, and he found himself jumping out into the night city skyline. A dagger shot past him, grazing his shoulder, but ultimately missing as he began plummeting downward.

"Gh- Berserker! Handle that Servant, but don't risk your life over it. The insect is still around here somewhere, and we have their Ruler! I don't want to be the one to tell Saber you died for nothing!"

The skeleton-masked ensemble faded back into the shadows as the BERSERKER sprinted after AVENGER.

"AAAARRRRRR--!!"

Unnatural speed, even for a Servant. Without hesitation, the black-armored Servant surged out the window, gauntleted hands ripping away at the paneling of the windows as black mana slowly and poignantly corroded them, turning them into deadly weapons.

One is blocked with a well-timed swipe of AVENGER's blade, but the other lands a direct hit against AVENGER's torso. He yells in pain, spiraling in the air before colliding with the ground, rolling against rough asphalt before using the momentum to spring back up to his feet, drawing his blade again.

The screams of the various citizens of the city resounded around AVENGER and BERSERKER as he slammed into the ground, letting out a guttural, raw scream. The scattering crowd, the approaching Servant, his heavy armor clearly no hinderance to his own agility.

This was good. BERSERKER is clearly powerful, so making it out unscathed was an impossibility. But you made it out, and the other Servant wasn't able to pursue you and AVENGER.

You have some distance. You could keep running, get out of the city, and try to find where the rest of your allies (MOONCANCER and FOREIGNER) are. But PRETENDER and RULER are still somewhere within this place, and presumably in danger. Maybe PRETENDER could catch up, but RULER may not be able to.

You find yourself an an impasse.

Avenger's Current Statistics:

Current Health: 4/7 (-2 from BERSERKER's attack, damage reduced and other attacks dodged due to success).

Current Mana: 7/7

Current Items:

Code Cast, heal(16); - [ Recovers +2 Health ]

Code Cast, m_lacrimosa - [ ERROR, Corrupt Data from Summoning, ITEM UNUSABLE ]

--

Due to AVENGER's C-Ranked Mana parameter, it costs 2 points to attack with magical energy, but it'll do 2 points of damage to enemy Servants in-turn. It seems like that first burst of energy was free due to your success. Congrats! You did an additional +1 damage because of your AVENGER skill! You lost that boost, but instantly regained it due to taking damage!

You currently have no way of seeing BERSERKER or the skull-masked Servant's health!

It seems as if picking an option with 'Endurance' or 'END' prompts your Servant to take care for defending. If that option isn't there, then you'll get hit regardless, and your success determines how well you can reduce the damage.

...That item is new. When'd that get there? Well, that seems like a question for another time. No use messing with it now.

[tgrailwar-zero]

right. okay. cool. we can talk to artificial teenage girls, we're wizards. we do that all the time.

avenger, try taking your mask off first. itll make you seem less... unapproachable. not as much like an edgy cosplayer. then ask if they know of any violent incidents occurring recently, or if theyve seen a pretty woman with an owl.

This was a lot of advice. He would unfortunately have to veto the one regarding taking off the Mystic Code. Mainly because he realized that taking it off… wasn't really an option. It's staying on. Whether he wants it to or not.

Onto the topic of talking with two virtual teenage girls, however...

The question that had been constructed by AVENGER with this advice was something along the lines of:

"Have you seen any violent happenings lately? Also, I'm looking for my band member for my musical performance. Who is dressed as a holy woman. Also I do cosplay. Do you do cosplay? Also, do you play video games? If you do, they're bad. Do you know any magical leylines throughout the city? As an unrelated question."

This was good. This was a good thing you've instructed your Servant to say, and the way that the two girls are snickering at him is not a bad sign at all.

They're fake teenagers. Remember that they're fake teenagers. There's nothing they can say or do to actually hurt you.

[ NPC B: 'So you're like, a cosplay performer-slash-cop or something? That's…' ]

'NPC B' clicks her tongue with a smug grin.

[ NPC B: '…Nice.' ]

…He really didn't like the way she said 'nice'. Also, neither of them answered ANY of your questions.

Right. Keep it simple.

"...Have you seen anything strange?"

[ NPC A: 'Like, outside of what's happening right now?' ]

You walked into that one.

The only issue with the code is that you probably couldn't tell whether it was successful or not. You just sort of think that biting passive-aggressive-bordering-on-actual-aggressive comments are hardwired into their programming, rain or shine.

[ NPC B: 'If you are looking for your priest-y girlfriend or whatever, like, I think I saw a girl like that at one of the high-rises? But like, are you sure you're going to see her looking like that?'

NPC A: 'Who knows? Maybe 2007 Edgelord Cosplay is in fashion. I'm totally not judging.'

NPC B: 'Right, right. You really are brave for going out in something like that.' ]

Okay, now it's actually high-aggro. There's a non-zero percent chance these are enemy Servants trying to emotionally kill your AVENGER.

[tgrailwar-zero]

There wasn't much anyone could do as Conductor strolled down the halls like he owned the place, calmly whistling to himself as he found one of the doors that he ascertained belonged to Foreigner. He raised a hand and gripped the doorknob, grinning before suddenly stopping, a pained expression crossing his face as he began to double over.

"Wait… hang on a mo-- Sa--"

If only for a moment, the air distorted. Twisted and layered into themselves as Conductor's space in the world seemed to be suddenly and abruptly overwritten with that of another Servant. A more familiar Servant, the tether between you all and AVENGER reestablishing itself in full force.

The issue was that this 'Conductor' was in the midst of entering the room as this happened, as he stumbled inside, the person left behind wasn't the annoyingly suave Servant from before- but a man who seemed to be constantly teetering on the edge of extreme duress, his face slick with sweat as his eyes darted around.

"Where...?"

He had been asleep, and now he was here. Had he been sleepwalking? It was all a haze, as he took in a few shallow breaths.

The two people in the room, FOREIGNER- and unexpectedly MOONCANCER stared back at your AVENGER with both concerned and a bit tense expressions. The entrance had been abrupt, and FOREIGNER was already reaching for her spear-sized brush on instinct, as MOONCANCER's body tensed in her habit, the mana in the room briefly growing tense with confusion and aggression, before it settled.

"You alright there, Avenger? I'm guessin' it's you, right?"

FOREIGNER asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically.

"I believe so. This is what he looks like without his armor, I suppose."

MOONCANCER pursed her lips, concerned as she stepped over to help AVENGER stand up straight.

"Is there something wrong? If your Spirit Origin is unbalanced, then I may have to check you over again… If I missed something crucial, then I greatly apologize…"

[tgrailwar-zero]

You've reached one of the high-rises. With the information from the teenage girl NPCs who were absolutely helpful and did not hurt AVENGER's feelings in the slightest, in addition to PRETENDER's insect reconnaissance, you managed to find the right place together.

As you and AVENGER step inside, you're greeted with the theoretically calming sound of ambient piano music. Considering your recent issues with musical humming, you get the feeling that AVENGER is blocking it out and replacing it with something more atmospherically fitting.

Frankly, you all should just be a hop, skip and a jump away from Ruler. Especially if you have PRETENDER with you--

"I'll keep watch from outside! I'm not a combat-oriented Servant, so I'm sticking back for support. But call me if you need me! You'll know Ruler when you see her. Tiny woman. Brown hair. White and red robes. Owl. Got it?"

Oh. AVENGER reserves the urge to ask what exactly 'tiny woman' means in comparison to the bug-sized Servant, but it's a fair assumption PRETENDER means 'tiny' in average person terms, and not in comparison to a beetle.

"Here, Blanca can help out if you need her! Just send her off, and I'll be there ASAP!"

He leaves you and AVENGER a moth, and then he vanishes out of sight, flying on the back of a different. Maybe that's for the best? Still, at least you're certain he's around. AVENGER hurries his way up the steps, blade in hand and moth on back, just in case.

AVENGER continues up the steps, before eventually reaching the top. The room at the top of the building is wide and open… and RULER is right there. Just standing there. In the middle of it.

Neat. This seems normal. She matches the description PRETENDER gave. So, you just need to--

"YOU!"

She yells, with far too much intensity. Tiny woman, big voice, apparently.

"Come… closer…!"

She yells, commandingly. That's the authority of a RULER if you've ever heard it. So, obviously, you…

Uh.

What exactly do you do here?

-

You've fallen into a 'Blank space' situation! Progress isn't determined by a poll, but simply by your asks. Certain actions may end up prompting a poll, however!

[tgrailwar-zero]

this is a 21 servant grail war isnt it. hoo boy.

"Too much focus on the number. 14. 21. 35. 700. It doesn't matter, because your only goal right now is to kill all of them. If you don't mind me expositing for a bit, let's illuminate your current situation."

"Is there ever just one rat in the laboratory? Of course you're not the only ones. There are tons of sets of Masters here. And each Servant following their will. Souls that have 'nothing', and are searching for the 'everything' that the Grail can provide. The Servants are hollow in the sense that their Masters are hollow. Just like you. A mass of voices and ideals pushing forward, but you can't even remember how this all started, can you? Just that you're 'Masters fighting in a Holy Grail War'. Nothing else."

"These are Servants and Masters who have gone through the same process. Constantly pushing towards 'absolution', but not getting anywhere. They can't even slip into the theoretical 'third act' without slaughtering everyone. A virtual hell, with an exit that may or may not exist. A liminal space."

"Ever heard of Schrödinger? How's your box, Masters?"

"But most importantly, they're fighting under the pretense that this is a 'Great Holy Grail War' with 'Teams'. In reality, this is a solo match with a helpful handicap. You fight alongside your team, destroy your enemies while learning about your allies strengths and weaknesses, and then go for the throat while the unaware are celebrating."

"Perhaps some of them have realized that already, on both sides. Maybe they're all still mistaken that if they all work together, then they'll all be the 'winners'. You might have some loose prejudice left over from whatever scraps you can call memories. My advice? Don't trust those thoughts. That realization isn't just a matter of cunning. It's a matter of knowing."

"Maybe your entire team is on your side. Willing to believe in you and fight alongside you to see this Grail War through to the end."

"But you're late, too. Maybe your entire team has already conspired to kill you as the weak link once their 'real' Grail War starts."

"That's the sort of vague, tasteless paranoia that permeates this Grail War, the one you should both ignore, yet never let go of. And the nature of this 'second act'. The smartest, strongest Masters make it to the end, and get to the core of everything. Either to find answers. Wishes. Unending power. Whatever you believe is at the end of the proverbial rainbow."

"So? Still feel like fighting the good fight? It's either answers, or you lose and... well, who knows what happens then?"

[tgrailwar-zero]

The spell itself was quick. In a glow of light, you and AVENGER found yourselves in the midst of a briefing room.

Two women stood around a table, a holographic map before them. As AVENGER and PRETENDER made their presence known, they both looked up from what they were deciding. The woman in the nun's habit smiled slightly, glancing over to PRETENDER.

"Ah. You're back, and with Avenger, I assume. Good work, but… where's Ruler?"

PRETENDER grimaced a bit, before answering.

"Sorry, MoonCancer. We were ambushed by a Berserker and who I assume was Assassin. I managed to get Avenger and get out, but it seems like they're holding the central city. Sorry."

The woman-- MOONCANCER-- couldn't fully hide her displeasure, but refocused and compartmentalized it as she turned to look at AVENGER. She seemed to look him up and down, before she and the other woman introduced themselves openly.

"Well, at least you're finally here. My name is… well, my class is MoonCancer. It's a pleasure to meet you."

The other Servant waved casually, as the octopus-like creature orbiting her stopped to wave as well.

"Call me Foreigner. Nice t'meet ya! Welcome to the team, Avenger! Yer a scary one, ain't ya'? Heh, can't wait to see what you can do!"

They seemed nice enough, especially considering the situation. After the introductions finished, MOONCANCER closed her eyes, thinking.

"This is certainly a shame, though… trying to mount a mission to save Ruler while we're already looking for Alter-Ego and the Seventh Spirit Origin…"

MOONCANCER sighed, glancing back to the map before her.

"Still, that means they're holding onto the Nameless City. Our enemies having such a central spot isn't ideal, but we can make it work. I feel as if they won't risk moving Ruler from that spot for fear of an ambush, either on the road, or us taking the city while they shift their defenses. That buys us time…"

She said, out loud but it seemed as if she was mostly strategizing for herself. Still... MOONCANCER seemed to match PRETENDER's description. She was a calm, capable woman who was willing to take charge in this situation.

"What a mess you've dumped on me, Pretender. We'll need to find Alter-Ego and uncover that missing Spirit Origin as fast as possible now, so we can make up for the gaps in our ranks. Haah… for this to be the Administrator's attempt at 'balancing'… if this was a simple battle, sure, but not for actual warfare..."

FOREIGNER chuckled a bit, scratching the back of her neck as she stepped over to AVENGER.

"Sorry 'bout MoonCancer. Normally she and Ruler did the strategizin', but now she's stuck on her own. I'm not really a war person, yanno? And Pretender… I mean, he says he's a king, but I don't buy it."

PRETENDER rolled his eyes, scoffing.

"I am a king, but that's not what's important. We need to get a heavy hitter so that we can mount an attack to save Ruler, which means that we're not returning to the city anytime soon. So, let's get you comfortable in our home base, okay? Welcome to the team!"

MOONCANCER, done with her internal musings, stepped close and placed her hand on AVENGER's cheek.

"Not yet."

Both you and AVENGER felt a rush of magical energy, calm and cooling like a freshwater stream, that surged before finally settling down as she gave AVENGER a quiet, yet knowing smile.

"There. Now, welcome to the team. Officially."

-

Thanks to MOONCANCER, you've learned the Code Cast, contact_allies(); and check_location();!

'contact_allies' is a Code Cast for AVENGER to use if you need to call them for advice, via the code 'contact_allyname'();. Just be sure to use it in moderation, just because you have their contact info doesn't mean you should call them for every little thing.

If you want to be aware of both your current location, use 'check_location();'! It will also tell you the current location of your allies! However, this is a rather rudimentary Code Cast, so more experienced hackers can potentially jam it!

Current Allies:

Avenger - Current Position: Azure Citadel Pretender - Current Position: Azure Citadel MoonCancer - Current Position: Azure Citadel Foreigner - Current Position: Azure Citadel Ruler - Current Position: Nameless City AlterEgo - Current Position: [ Location Unknown ]

[tgrailwar-zero]

Youve got that B rank luck, don't you Avenger? The most ideal route would be to also get Ruler and Pretender's attention! Make some music, LOUD music, as you go to let Pretender and Ruler know where you are! Alerting enemy servants isn't as much a concern since Berserker is on your trail and any that attempt to help him will likely get caught in the crossfire!

"...'Play defensively' and 'get loud' is a better plan than 'poke the bear' for the time being. Lest I die before I can reach my full potential. So then..."

"Let's play some music."

The tune meant nothing to AVENGER. It was inherent, like breathing, and yet absolutely meaningless.

...No. If it was 'inherent' then he would be a genius. A musical wunderkind. This was something simply... latent. Pulled from patchwork memories like an unripe fruit from the vine.

He couldn't appreciate it either, due to the constant nagging at the back of his mind that it wasn't good enough. That it was just falling behind. But it was doing its job.

"Tell me, Berserker. Do you have the proper ear for the arts?"

He could see the BERSERKER slow in his tracks as the sound echoed around. A bit more time to decide where to go next.

[tgrailwar-zero]

If there was a time to run, it'd be now. With the music leaving BERSERKER a bit stunned and shaken, AVENGER immediately began sprinting away. Not leaving the city, but building up space between him and BERSERKER was paramount. You felt the healing power of the Code Cast surge through AVENGER's body, but the spell fizzed out just as quickly as you lost it. It worked, but wasn't sustainable. Still, it kept AVENGER healthy, and at the moment that's all that mattered.

However, the roar of BERSERKER grew fainter, meaning that distance was being covered.

From a distance away, a figure watched as the AVENGER found a building to hide in. There was too much going on at the moment. They took in a quiet breath, nodding to themselves.

Not yet.

Victory came to the patient after all.

The building you entered was dark, but the light at the back of the room drew you further in, like a moth to a flame.

It wouldn't be too long until BERSERKER found you, unless you were well-hidden. Glancing on the ground, you could see insects skittering and pushing forward deeper into the store.

You had a feeling you knew where it led.

The swarm of insects culminated in a shadowed figure, stepping into the light. PRETENDER frowned, clearly seeming a bit worried.

"Are you alright? Blanca told me that you were in trouble, and the next thing I knew you were being chased down the streets!"

He looked around warily, before giving a kind smile as he stepped further into the light.

"Don't worry about enemies. At least for a while. This is a pretty weak bounded field, but it should be enough to figure out what to do next. MoonCancer left a Code Cast that could transfer two Servants out of here… I had been waiting to use it for Ruler and I, but if we need to get out of here…"

PRETENDER sighed, shaking his head.

"I'm not the type of person to say that someone's a lost cause, but Berserker alone would make fighting back impossible. We might just have to put our faith in her, and come back when we're more prepared."

[tgrailwar-zero]

Compliment her mask! Mask buddies! She wouldn't kill a guy who's a mask buddy, right?

"You know, I couldn't help but notice we're all wearing masks. It seems as if all we're kindred spirits, no? Perhaps we can reach an agreement."

A beat of silence, before the sound of dry laughter from the chorus of skulls.

"...Did your Masters come up with that defense? Maybe killing you will be a mercy."

"It wasn't their best, but frankly it wasn't their worst either."

...You can assume that this is AVENGER's best attempt at defending your honor as Masters.

[tgrailwar-zero]

Hey bby girl you come here often?

You can actively see AVENGER refuse to address RULER as 'babygirl'.

But AVENGER does remark that his Masters find her owl... aesthetically pleasing, and that they're also thankful for the Code Cast that she left behind. That seems like proper enough etiquette. He apologizes as well, trying to think of exactly why he'd need to. Perhaps she's a bit mad at him being late to the war?

She sort of squints at you for a moment, as if processing what you just said--

--Before just giving you a thumbs up.

Woman of few words apparently, and the words she does say tend to be pretty loud.

"..."

He is death. He is darkness. He is... petting a moth. Well, it's soft and hasn't made any abrupt screeches at him, so it's fine enough. He'll just need to be careful not to squish it within his clawed hands.