Fate/Tempus Odyssey

Astolfo seemed happy enough to be summoned, all things considered. A young man, his form was perhaps a bit lankier then you would expect of a knight, however, his mouth was set in a smile. Still, there was one thing he'd said that would not leave Shinji's mind.

"Why not Saber?" He asked. He could remember a whisper from a long time ago, 'whoever controlled Saber would probably win'. It was words that were meant for another at the time, but they stuck out in Shinji's memory.

He couldn't remember if it was Zouken who'd said them or someone else, though. Astolfo just smiled sadly.

"Well, I suppose to answer that..." He mused. "I need to ask you a question in return. When you think of King Arthur, what is the weapon you think of first?"

"Excalibur." Sheba answered, rather matter of factually.

"Right. Goro Masamune?"

"Honjo Masamune." Shinji knew his history well enough to answer that.

"Right. Now… what do you think of when you hear Astolfo?"

"… I don't." Shinji admitted. Sheba pursed her lips briefly.

"Your lance." She answered. Astolfo clapped his hands together.

"Bingo. Can you even think of a sword I used?" He asked. Sheba shook her head. "That's because I usually didn't. This..." He lifted his sword belt to punctuate his words. "Isn't a Noble Phantasm. I called Saber my worst class because I don't have the Noble Phantasms I prefer in it."

"A drawback for greater stats." Sheba muttered. "Is the trade off worth it, I wonder..."

"Who cares!" Astolfo seemed cheery regardless, slinging his arm around Shinji's neck. "It is what it is. Make do with what we've got and all. There's no reason to worry about it."

Shinji couldn't help but join in that infectious smile. Astolfo seemed happy to simply be here. That was reassuring, to say the least.

"Speaking of..." Sheba's lips twisted. "That's odd."

"What's odd?"

"Here is no longer where it was a few moments ago. We must have crossed near a time." She muttered. "You might get to work sooner then you think."

"Right, so where's Archer then?" Astolfo called out, glancing around. "Come on, I know there's one more."

Shinji and Sheba simply looked between each other.

"I never summoned an Archer." Shinji muttered. Sheba just rolled her eyes.

"He can sense Archer's Saint Graph in the worm." She answered. "We don't actually have an Archer, one is just engraved inside Shinji." Astolfo just stared for a long moment, before pumping his fist.

"Got it. Didn't expect to meet another person like Sieg, but I can deal." He answered. "Don't worry, Master, uh… Caster?"

"Sheba." Sheba grumbled. "It's easier to not get mixed up."

"Any relation to the Queen of the middle east?"

"Not really."

"Pity." Astolfo just grinned. "Well, I suppose it's better to know then to always wonder. I've been there before."

Shinji knew he was going to have to ask for the details of that later. Sheba let out a short breath, making her way to the hold's door.

"I better go ask Jason what's going on." She muttered. "Before something blows up."

The way she spoke made it sound like that had happened before.

The deck did not look like it had when the Argo had taken off. The colours in the sea had drifted to a singular hue of orange. The stars in the sky had grown few. Sheba took one look, and groaned.

"Of course I'd be wrong. Time doesn't exist. Why would we follow a logical travel time?" She complained. "Jason, how rough is it?"

"Getting pretty bad." Came the man's reply. "I'm ready to breach the timeline. Think we're close enough?"

"Only one way to find out!" Sheba called back.

"Right, breaching time! Grab something guys!" Shinji was about to open his mouth and ask what, exactly, breaching meant, but Astolfo just giggled.

"Wow, it is pretty here." He declared, spinning in a circle. "So this is what the world looks like from outside time?"

"To normal eyes, yeah." Sheba mused. "I suppose it must look weird for you two. I can see it for what it is, but you can't."

"And what do you see?" Shinji asked. Sheba just smirked.

"Possibilities." She pointed at a singular spot of gold in the distance. "That is what we're aiming at, the resonance of a Holy Grail. That's where we'll find our singularity."

"Yes, the strongholds of the enemy." Shinji almost jumped at the voice. It was soft, almost kind and warm. He'd heard that one once before. "They say that by destroying the singularities and gathering the Holy Grails, we'll be able to pierce the stronghold of the one who incinerated the world."

"That would be right, Istari." Sheba nodded. Heine leaned against the mast absently, a green haired girl melting in beside him. "Archer. Where's Rider?"

"I asked him to stay below deck. He did not seem eager to watch the boat arrive. I suspect he might be motion sick, strange as that sounds." Heine's answer was gentle. "So this is Saber, I take it?"

"Astolfo of the Paladins!" Astolfo had introduced himself before either Sheba or Shinji could open their mouths. Heine just chuckled as Sheba's palm met her forehead.

"Right, you don't have working common sense." She grumbled. Even so, the huntress that was called Archer didn't seem too bothered.

"Atalanta, huntress of Artemis." She introduced in kind. Heine just raised an eyebrow. "Fair is fair, Master. Besides, he's more tolerable then the weed up there."

"Pipe down Atalanta! I'm steering!"

"Focus on your job, you spineless invertebrate!"

"I take offense to that! I have at least half a spine!"

"Yelling for Herakles to save you doesn't count!"

Shinji wasn't exactly sure where the tales of Atalanta and Jason intersected, but the two appeared to know each other quite well. There was very little venom in her words. Indeed, it sounded like she was shit talking an old friend.

Though where she'd gotten the apple she was currently munching on, Shinji had no clue.

"Should we call up the other Masters?" Shinji asked. Heine just shook his head.

"Enjoy the view and savor the moment, kid." He answered. "You might not see another like it."

"Besides, I doubt Jason's gotten better at docking his ship." Atalanta retorted. "You're probably safer up here." As if to prove her point, the Argo heaved, as it smashed nose first into something.

"Breaching the timeline! Tie yourselves down! Argonautica! Haul anchor!"

Shinji simply squealed in terror as reality around them seemed to smash, his body lifting from the deck as if it was lighter then air. It was like he'd been flung into the distance, yet something had seized him by the scruff of the neck at the last second, holding him in the air like a flag.

"Hmm. He's not very good. Even Medea's worst is better then that." Atalanta quipped. Sheba just shrugged.

"He'll work it out eventually."

"And if he doesn't?"

"Then we'll start tying him to the mast."

"Oh, I can do that!" Astolfo declared. "I have some experience with ropes!"

"Kill me." Shinji was not at all enthused by the line of discussion at all.

The world around the Argo slowly melted into clouds, and the world came into view beneath them again. Shinji was far more glad to be deposited back on the deck, and not be dangled about like a flag.

Yet there was one, huge white ring he could see in the sky.

"Isn't that…"

"Ars Almadel Salomonis." Sheba confirmed. "The enemy's grand weapon. Don't worry, we won't have a repeat. It doesn't work in this time period."

"Huh?"

"It's a wave of light powered by the destruction of human history. In order to wipe out the world in the modern day, it had to draw the power from elsewhere." Sheba answered softly. "So, we're safe. The enemy already used it. He won't try again. Not unless he's sure it'll hit."

"Like while we're in the middle of fighting?"

"Hah. Their reach is not so precise. Their vision has the same limitation mine does." Sheba retorted. "He can see the outcome a Singularity can lead to, but not what's in it."

"He?"

"The murderer of man." Kayneth's voice cut in. "I see we are all assembled. Good." Behind him, his son and the Einzbern Master stood, Galahad standing just behind his Master. None of the other three Servants were visible, yet Shinji was sure they were watching, waiting. "Gentleman. Ladies. I need not tell you the time has come. This is the task Chaldea was made for. Recover the Holy Grail and seal the Singularity, and we will be one step closer to rescuing humanity." He nodded at Sheba. "Where have we arrived, if you will?"

"The year is 1867, year of the Lord in case you were curious, though not for much longer. The Holy Grail is within the Japanese capital of Kyoto." Sheba answered. "I'm sure some of you can guess, but this is a significant time."

"The Maeji Revolution." Shinji muttered.

"Speak up, boy." Kayneth's voice urged. Shinji just steeled himself.

"It's the Maeji Revolution. The end of the Tokugawa Shogunate and the revitalisation of Imperial Rule." He stated. Sheba nodded.

"Normally, yes."

"Normally?"

"Well… take a look for yourself." She nodded towards the side of the boat. Shinji merely crawled forward, glancing over the side.

He saw a city of fire and smoke. Thick stacks of black reaching to the heavens.

"What the hell is going on?"

"Well, I suppose you might interpret this better then I do, but here goes." Sheba mused. "About three days ago, the Singularity began. Time becomes unknown and the Holy Grail arrives. Immediately before that, the coup of the capital began." She raised an eyebrow, as another form of a Servant, a strong man in holy vestments and bronze armour, strode onto the deck, almost attempting to hide a green hue on his face.

"I sensed demons. Are we under attack?"

"Stand down, Rider." Heine's voice cracked like a whip, and the Rider nodded.

"Demons?"

"You could call them that. Monsters of imagination spewed out of a Holy Grail." Kayneth was somewhere between explaining and patronising. "They have more in common with curses that have taken a physical form then anything else. We have encountered this before."

"They set them on Kyoto?" Shinji asked. Sheba just nodded.

"It looks like it. The grail is somewhere in there." She motioned at the burning city below them. "The real question, is how do we go about even getting it."

"Two teams. Two Masters to a team." The Einzbern spoke up. "That is protocol. One team investigates the city, the other the outside areas. We meet up and share what we learn."

"Yes. That is a good start." Kayneth's son snarked. "Of course, it would be a waste of my Servants talents to keep Assassin with us. I will send him to investigate, father."

"That is your decision." Kayneth's answer was blunt. "If you believe it right. Masters. Teams. Who will pair with who?"

[ ] Pair with-
-[ ] Einzbern (Galahad and Caster).
-[ ] Heine Istari (Atalanta and Saint George).
-[ ] Idael Archibald (Berserker)

Assassin is not available during pairing up.

Investigate…
[ ] The ruined city of Kyoto. Lancer Diarmuid will assist.
[ ] The outer areas of Kyoto.