NeoCardMaker Holy Grail War

[LordCowCow 839]

"Actually, I was thinking the opposite. See, if this Berserker is so strong, it might be best to let them keep going for a while. They can lower the number of enemies. Going after them first means we risk taking heavy damage that'll leave us at a disadvantage. I say we avoid fighting Berserker for now. What do you think, Saber?"

[yui 574]

On 12/27/2019 at 7:36 PM, Chaos Sonic said:

OoC: This guy seems to be important...dude has glass chess for crying out loud!!

"Yes sir, that would be us."
>Acting cordial and sits down
"And may I ask who you are? The suit definitely shows you're one of high class, least from my point of view. Giorgio Armani?"

"Doesn't ring a bell. My name is Lando Medici." As if ignoring you entirely, Lando's eyes shift over to Rider. "And you are?"

"Just a wanderer who happens to be--"

"Don't try and bullshit me." Vaguely gesturing at various details of your Servant as he continues, Lando observes "Out of place attire, impressive physical condition, not to mention the winnings you pulled downstairs. You weren't seen anywhere in town until just last night either, around which time there were rumors of other strange, out of place characters. I know exactly what you are. You and your Master over there have put me in a bit of a pickle, you see."

On 12/28/2019 at 4:48 AM, Tormented said:

I laugh and applaud. "I'm sure that isn't his only trick either."

"Indeed we should probably focus on taking down those who are less friendly. I still think we should focus on Berserker where possible heavens forbid one of us tackles it alone"

On 12/28/2019 at 4:53 AM, LordCowCow said:

"Actually, I was thinking the opposite. See, if this Berserker is so strong, it might be best to let them keep going for a while. They can lower the number of enemies. Going after them first means we risk taking heavy damage that'll leave us at a disadvantage. I say we avoid fighting Berserker for now. What do you think, Saber?"

"I concur. Letting Berserker rampage among the other enemies would give us time to strategize."

"They've got a point, Master. Berserker isn't a class to trifle with, so letting them thin the herd for us makes it all the easier once we take them down. It also means we can try to find them and get a feel for what exactly we're dealing with. Know the enemy and all."

"There is also the matter of Assassin. No matter how formidable the Servant, it would be problematic if Assassin simply skipped them over entirely and killed the Master directly. Teaming up would make it more difficult for them to accomplish this and get away with it."

[Ash 237]

"My only concern is what if Berserker has already teamed up with others? Do we just hope that they get concerned with one another and turn on each other? Assassin is also a concern, sticking together should mitigate some of that though."

[LordCowCow 839]

"If Berserker has allies even more reason to avoid a fight with them. Now come on, I don't want to sit around here doing nothing. We're not going to get anywhere without stirring some enemies up. Only way I know to do that is stroll around proud in public. Keep an eye on us and you'll see. Come on Saber, let's get going."

"You know, I don't actually know what we'd do about Assassin if they came for me. I'd feel more comfortable facing Berserker than them."

> Head towards Park

[Chaos Sonic 442]

18 hours ago, Yui said:

"Doesn't ring a bell. My name is Lando Medici." As if ignoring you entirely, Lando's eyes shift over to Rider. "And you are?"

"Just a wanderer who happens to be--"

"Don't try and bullshit me." Vaguely gesturing at various details of your Servant as he continues, Lando observes "Out of place attire, impressive physical condition, not to mention the winnings you pulled downstairs. You weren't seen anywhere in town until just last night either, around which time there were rumors of other strange, out of place characters. I know exactly what you are. You and your Master over there have put me in a bit of a pickle, you see."

>Seems quite surprised, but plays it calmly
"You know what he is? Well, that's definitely a new one...regardless, we had no intention of putting you in what pickle you find yourself in, Mr. Medici. We're simply doing what we can to survive. That said, would you mind me asking, how can we make this better for you? Surely we can negotiate something."

>Commence link with Rider
"...okay this is a turn I didn't expect, Rider. He knows your a Servant and I, your Master. This guy seems to know a lot...be ready."

[Saikazo 241]

Quote

"I'll indulge you, Master of Berserker. I spy something that should have stopped moving long ago." Caster peered out the window, looking at a group of three people passing by. It was hard to tell if they were men or women with their getup. Scarves, goggles, basically, every measure had been taken to ensure you couldn't see who was underneath. But their posture was slouchy, and their movements slow and jagged. "Vile creatures, truly. Looks like we're in the right part of town to find our necromancer, but these are merely her minions. Your orders, Masters? Seems they don't know we're here."

"I'm just going to hang back for a bit, and wait until I get a report from Archer," I comment, before turning to the other two Masters. "I hope you understand, but I rather our servants take those things on then trying to do it myself,"

[Sethera 290]

"Whoa, didn't realize my I Spy game would have results so quick!" I gasp, but quietly, as I realize that I should probably be quiet right about now.

I glance at the others. "So...what's the plan then? Go in, guns blazing, or take the sneaky stealthy route?"

[Blake 312]

"Stealthy seems the best. I trust Caster to do what needs to be done, we can keep observing."

[Skaia 578]

I'll chuckle a bit at the sight and say, "sorry about that. We can go get another if you'd like." After that, I suppose I'll go and observe the rich looking car from afar and the people around it. 

[yui 574]

On 1/4/2020 at 5:02 AM, Tormented said:

"My only concern is what if Berserker has already teamed up with others? Do we just hope that they get concerned with one another and turn on each other? Assassin is also a concern, sticking together should mitigate some of that though."

On 1/4/2020 at 5:37 AM, LordCowCow said:

"If Berserker has allies even more reason to avoid a fight with them. Now come on, I don't want to sit around here doing nothing. We're not going to get anywhere without stirring some enemies up. Only way I know to do that is stroll around proud in public. Keep an eye on us and you'll see. Come on Saber, let's get going."

"You know, I don't actually know what we'd do about Assassin if they came for me. I'd feel more comfortable facing Berserker than them."

> Head towards Park

Indeed. The best weapon against an Assassin is vigilance, however. With two Masters and two Servants, it would be dangerous to engage either one of you.

With your sparring match wrapped up and an alliance made, the two of you make for the park. Lots of greenery about, and people enjoying the scenery. So as to avoid drawing attention, Saber and Lancer have returned to their spirit forms, but are keeping their eyes peeled for anything fishy. Aside from the sight of a distraught-looking girl and a dog running off with what seems to have been her ice cream cone, the place seems pretty normal.

At least, here was normal. For Saber's Master in particular, a sudden mental sensation would strike. A trap set up somewhere had been triggered.

On 1/4/2020 at 1:59 PM, Chaos Sonic said:

>Seems quite surprised, but plays it calmly
"You know what he is? Well, that's definitely a new one...regardless, we had no intention of putting you in what pickle you find yourself in, Mr. Medici. We're simply doing what we can to survive. That said, would you mind me asking, how can we make this better for you? Surely we can negotiate something."

>Commence link with Rider
"...okay this is a turn I didn't expect, Rider. He knows your a Servant and I, your Master. This guy seems to know a lot...be ready."

"This is common knowledge in mage society," Lando responds. He glances over to the chessboard for just a moment. With a flick of his wrist, you notice one of the white pawns move forward a couple spaces. "But I couldn't care less for your war, as long as you keep the fighting out of this part of town. What I'm interested in is money. And seeing as I own the Midas Palace, you've cost me quite a bit of it. All I want from you is to return your winnings. I'll even let you stay in the penthouse for a couple extra nights; nobody ever comes by to rent them out around this time of year anyway."

20 hours ago, Saikazo said:

"I'm just going to hang back for a bit, and wait until I get a report from Archer," I comment, before turning to the other two Masters. "I hope you understand, but I rather our servants take those things on then trying to do it myself,"

Speaking of me, I've got something for you. Found this crummy old house in the graveyard; clearly hasn't been inhabited for decades. Nothing impressive, but it looks like a mage has been setting up shop. In a related update, I'm stuck in one of the windows and can't get out. Whoever's here was pretty thorough about setting up some sort of binding trap.

18 hours ago, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd said:

"Whoa, didn't realize my I Spy game would have results so quick!" I gasp, but quietly, as I realize that I should probably be quiet right about now.

I glance at the others. "So...what's the plan then? Go in, guns blazing, or take the sneaky stealthy route?"

16 hours ago, Blake said:

"Stealthy seems the best. I trust Caster to do what needs to be done, we can keep observing."

"Nothing needs to be done to them," Caster shrugged. "They probably don't even have the brains to realize they should be dead. Killing them may alert others roaming around, so leaving them be might be for the best. That said... I do wonder where they report in to their leader."

1 hour ago, Skaia said:

I'll chuckle a bit at the sight and say, "sorry about that. We can go get another if you'd like." After that, I suppose I'll go and observe the rich looking car from afar and the people around it. 

"That's quite alright. We can find some at a store on the way back, no doubt. One with less mutts running around freely." You go to check out the expensive car you'd noticed earlier, but it seems while you and Assassin were talking and hanging out briefly with a dog, the car has left. Assassin surveys the people around the park, to find only one not accounted for. The man that was playing chess by himself is gone. Meaning that was his car. Although she was about to comment on it, Assassin's expression suddenly shifted.

Master. Don't be alarmed, but I'm picking up the presence of no less than two other Servants.

[LordCowCow 839]

"Hm, I wonder, if you appeared, would someone come for us, thinking there was just the one?"

>Heads for a swing, notices the ping.

"Oh my. Seems somebody came knocking at my door. Hope they brought something for the cat."

[Chaos Sonic 442]

1 hour ago, Yui said:

"This is common knowledge in mage society," Lando responds. He glances over to the chessboard for just a moment. With a flick of his wrist, you notice one of the white pawns move forward a couple spaces. "But I couldn't care less for your war, as long as you keep the fighting out of this part of town. What I'm interested in is money. And seeing as I own the Midas Palace, you've cost me quite a bit of it. All I want from you is to return your winnings. I'll even let you stay in the penthouse for a couple extra nights; nobody ever comes by to rent them out around this time of year anyway."

"Oh, your a mage as well. Amazing, there are a lot more here than I would've expected."
>Looks at Rider and then at Lando, clearing my throat.
"Myself and my Heroic Spirit here played a few games, yes, but everyone has a small run of luck in gambling. Besides, I'm fairly certain our win ratio didn't exceed any other patrons you've had come and go from the Midas Palace. I assure you, everything we did was legit in the eyes of the law. Regardless, maybe I can offer a counter offer."
>Moves self to be in front of the chess board and flicks my own wrist, causing one of the black pawns to move a few spaces.
"Me and my Servant can make sure the war doesn't come down this side of town. That, I know will affect you more than anything. After all, if some disastrous war comes running amok through this side, it'll be bad for business. I'm somewhat proposing a bit of a partnership, after all, you being someone within mage society, I would assume, would actually benefit greatly from this. We can give you half of what we received during our first night here as well as keep this war away from this side of town and away from the Midas Palace. All I'd ask is you'd allow us sanctuary in the penthouse as well as possibly providing any information you may have about the war and the participants. And if half our earnings isn't good enough, I'm willing to part with 80%, with us having only 20%. It's a gamble and as someone who runs a casino, you can't deny that these odds are well in your favor."

Edited January 8, 2020 by Chaos Sonic

[Sethera 290]

"Should we follow them then?" I ask. "We can be like secret detectives then!" I start to hum the Pink Panther theme. 

Edited January 8, 2020 by Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd

[Ash 237]

(Assuming this experience was only felt by Cow?)

"What on earth are you on about? Lancer are there any unusual traces of mana around here? I can't seem to sense anything... Mind you I'm not trying particularly hard..."

[yui 574]

On 1/7/2020 at 6:07 PM, LordCowCow said:

"Hm, I wonder, if you appeared, would someone come for us, thinking there was just the one?"

>Heads for a swing, notices the ping.

"Oh my. Seems somebody came knocking at my door. Hope they brought something for the cat."

On 1/8/2020 at 2:38 AM, Tormented said:

(Assuming this experience was only felt by Cow?)

"What on earth are you on about? Lancer are there any unusual traces of mana around here? I can't seem to sense anything... Mind you I'm not trying particularly hard..."

I'm not picking up anything around here. Whatever Saber's Master is sensing, it must be connected to some sort of magecraft he set up elsewhere.

On 1/7/2020 at 6:15 PM, Chaos Sonic said:

"Oh, your a mage as well. Amazing, there are a lot more here than I would've expected."
>Looks at Rider and then at Lando, clearing my throat.
"Myself and my Heroic Spirit here played a few games, yes, but everyone has a small run of luck in gambling. Besides, I'm fairly certain our win ratio didn't exceed any other patrons you've had come and go from the Midas Palace. I assure you, everything we did was legit in the eyes of the law. Regardless, maybe I can offer a counter offer."
>Moves self to be in front of the chess board and flicks my own wrist, causing one of the black pawns to move a few spaces.
"Me and my Servant can make sure the war doesn't come down this side of town. That, I know will affect you more than anything. After all, if some disastrous war comes running amok through this side, it'll be bad for business. I'm somewhat proposing a bit of a partnership, after all, you being someone within mage society, I would assume, would actually benefit greatly from this. We can give you half of what we received during our first night here as well as keep this war away from this side of town and away from the Midas Palace. All I'd ask is you'd allow us sanctuary in the penthouse as well as possibly providing any information you may have about the war and the participants. And if half our earnings isn't good enough, I'm willing to part with 80%, with us having only 20%. It's a gamble and as someone who runs a casino, you can't deny that these odds are well in your favor."

"Eighty percent of your winnings back in my pocket, and keeping the Holy Grail War out of my territory? Quite a tall offer for something that simple. You've got yourself a deal." Lando lifts his hand, moving one of his bishops across the board, just out of reach of the opposing pawns. You note that he didn't actually touch the bishop. Thinking back, did he touch the pawn at all, either? "There's not much I can tell you, I'm afraid. I generally keep my information network small but dense, in this district of the city. Although, you may be interested to know that somebody else gambled themselves some hefty winnings around the same time you did."

On 1/8/2020 at 12:04 AM, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd said:

"Should we follow them then?" I ask. "We can be like secret detectives then!" I start to hum the Pink Panther theme. 

"I'm inclined to agree with Berserker's Master. We may be able to locate their leader by such means."

[Chaos Sonic 442]

9 hours ago, yui said:

"Eighty percent of your winnings back in my pocket, and keeping the Holy Grail War out of my territory? Quite a tall offer for something that simple. You've got yourself a deal." Lando lifts his hand, moving one of his bishops across the board, just out of reach of the opposing pawns. You note that he didn't actually touch the bishop. Thinking back, did he touch the pawn at all, either? "There's not much I can tell you, I'm afraid. I generally keep my information network small but dense, in this district of the city. Although, you may be interested to know that somebody else gambled themselves some hefty winnings around the same time you did."

Deal was made!

"Someone else gambled around the same time? Would you happen to have any names or images of this potential someone? If they also gambled themselves into hefty winnings, I'd bet that they'd also be a Master and a part of this Grail War. So seeing at least their face would help out in the long run."
>Looks over at Rider
"Unfortunately, if they are a Master, we won't know what Servant they happen to have at their disposal. But I guess we'll cross that bridge when we arrive there."

[Skaia 578]

I'll look at assassin and jokingly say, "we'll steer clear of strays, I promise." 

Internally, I will think to her, "oh that is so bad. Wow, this is yikes. Holy -  Alright, well, just keeping acting natural and don't look at them. Though, if you can tell anything more about  them that'd be good. But we should remain inconspicuous first and foremost."

[Blake 312]

"Let's just make sure to be quiet. So no Pink Panther."

[Ash 237]

I nod my head "What are you sensing?" as I look towards Cow

[LordCowCow 839]

"Oh, just a sneaky little rat. Someone's poking around my new house is all. We could probably find them if we go now."

"What do you think, Saber, would we be able to make it there fast enough?"

[Sethera 290]

"Aww," I make a sad face. "That's no fun. But all right then, let's do this!" I pump my fist and then glance at Berserker. "Right Miss Berserker? Misserker?" I think for a second. "Bermiss? Nah..."

[yui 574]

On 1/12/2020 at 2:42 PM, Chaos Sonic said:

Deal was made!

"Someone else gambled around the same time? Would you happen to have any names or images of this potential someone? If they also gambled themselves into hefty winnings, I'd bet that they'd also be a Master and a part of this Grail War. So seeing at least their face would help out in the long run."
>Looks over at Rider
"Unfortunately, if they are a Master, we won't know what Servant they happen to have at their disposal. But I guess we'll cross that bridge when we arrive there."

"If I did, I would have found them myself already. But if they're a Servant like you and I suspect, you'll have to end up crossing paths with them eventually. Either that or they'll just get killed by someone else."

"Well, this has been a lovely meeting. You'll get back your money, we won't have some mobster breathing down our necks, and we even get to stay here a bit longer. Let's get going, Master. We've just about set up our trap, so it's time to go find some bait."

On 1/17/2020 at 10:25 PM, Skaia said:

I'll look at assassin and jokingly say, "we'll steer clear of strays, I promise." 

Internally, I will think to her, "oh that is so bad. Wow, this is yikes. Holy -  Alright, well, just keeping acting natural and don't look at them. Though, if you can tell anything more about  them that'd be good. But we should remain inconspicuous first and foremost."

I'll keep you updated if I manage to get any information on the other Servants.

Then there was the matter of remaining inconspicuous. Some people within the crowd seemed to be talking about that car that was here until not long ago, and the person driving it. Whoever that man was, he must not have been some small fry if people were gossiping about him. And so, Assassin opted to blend into the crowd by simply doing the same. "That was an awfully nice car he had, wasn't it? What sort of job do you suppose he had to be able to afford it?"

On 1/20/2020 at 8:57 AM, Blake said:

"Let's just make sure to be quiet. So no Pink Panther."

On 1/20/2020 at 3:35 PM, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd said:

"Aww," I make a sad face. "That's no fun. But all right then, let's do this!" I pump my fist and then glance at Berserker. "Right Miss Berserker? Misserker?" I think for a second. "Bermiss? Nah..."

@Saikazo

"Berserker," Berserker insisted.

"Ah, they seem to be moving on. Let's follow them, but remember to keep quiet and hidden."

As you - the trio of Masters and duo of Servants - follow the shambling thugs, you get a small tour of this general area of town. You observe that people go out of their way to observe this bunch, and anyone else like them, going so far as to cross the street just at the sight of them if not abandon their path to their destination entirely. Eventually, you finally find out where they report in, as the group you're tailing heads into a small house that is - relatively speaking - very much not falling into grim disrepair. You can hear voices coming from inside, but can't make out what they're saying from out here. All the windows are boarded up too, preventing you from peeking inside.

On 1/20/2020 at 10:05 AM, Tormented said:

I nod my head "What are you sensing?" as I look towards Cow

On 1/20/2020 at 12:21 PM, LordCowCow said:

"Oh, just a sneaky little rat. Someone's poking around my new house is all. We could probably find them if we go now."

"What do you think, Saber, would we be able to make it there fast enough?"

If I and Lancer carry the two of you, we should make it with ample time unless you set up half-hearted traps.

[Chaos Sonic 442]

2 minutes ago, Yui said:

"If I did, I would have found them myself already. But if they're a Servant like you and I suspect, you'll have to end up crossing paths with them eventually. Either that or they'll just get killed by someone else."

"Well, this has been a lovely meeting. You'll get back your money, we won't have some mobster breathing down our necks, and we even get to stay here a bit longer. Let's get going, Master. We've just about set up our trap, so it's time to go find some bait."

"Very true, Rider. Well, Mr. Lando, I believe we'll bid you a good day. And once again, I do apologize for the entirety of this little situation."
>Gets up and prepares to leave
"Now, we should probably set something up for the bait in our trap. Aside from myself or you, we need to think of a better alternative to this."

[Sethera 290]

"All right all right. Berserker. Spoilsport," I mutter without any malice. "Speaking of Servants and stuff though, I hope Archer's all right. Haven't seen them in a while."

I follow the others to the house and then think for a bit. "Now what?" I whisper. "Should we see if we can sneak closer?" I hum the Pink Panther theme inside my head.

[Saikazo 241]

I was lost in thought as I processed the info Archer gave me. So much so I almost missed the others about to leave. "Oh yeah, guys, important update," I call out. "There's a house in a graveyard that seems abandoned, but a mage is setting up shop there. Also, Archer's stuck in a binding trap at said house. In fact, lemme take care of that," I raise my hand, sighing that I had to use a Command Seal, but I didn't want Archer to get caught now. One Command Seal now to save too many headaches in the future."By my Command Seal, I order you Archer to come by my side!"

When we got to the house, I considered Berserker's master's words. "Hmm... I don't think we can just sneak up... But I might be able to sneak in," I say. "You all want to take that chance?"