Path: SUN
-Master
[X] Negotiate. Try and reason with them.
-Servant
[X] Cry in distress and make the Magus think she's causing harm to an innocent bystander.
Path: MAZE
-Master
[X] Glance over at that bystander and note how sexy she is.
-Servant
[X] Prioritize your Master's defense in case the enemy Master counter attacks.
-Familiar
[X] Tell Jersey that this is a bad idea.
Jersey and Asterios continued to chop and punch at the blonde, bespectacled Master. Asterios tried to be mindful, though. He didn't want to go all-out, lest this Master counter and try and go for his own Master, or worse, he harm his master with the shockwaves of his blows. Besides, this Master might have his Servant somewhere nearby... Jersey, meanwhile, found herself getting increasingly distracted by the girl this Master had been with. She looked harmless enough, maybe a friend of his? But wow, she was sexy... Wait, was she wearing just an open jacket? Hot damn, she was well-endowed. And Jersey though her own breasts were huge... She didn't know whether to be aroused or jealous.
Horrors just shook his head in disapproval. "Child, I really don't think this is a wise idea," he remarked, causing the bystander to glance over and cock an eyebrow at the talking cat. Huh, she looked like she gave good scritches...
Will tried his best to dodge and weave his way around both the massive horned man's labrys and the punches of the increasingly raggedy-clothed girl, who's clothes were getting increasingly torn as the battle went on. He had to think of something. Hmmm... Well, when it came to Will Goldman, his first go-to was always diplomacy.
He stopped and held his hands up placatingly. "Wait, wait, wait! Can't we talk about this?"
At first it looked like it had worked. The massive axeman actually paused, no doubt noticing that Will had yet to attack. His Master, however, her gaze partly on Assassin, didn't seem to notice his attempt at parlay, her Reinforced fist heading straight for him.
Crying in distress, Assassin dashed forward, getting between the two just in time to take a blow to the gut. Coughing blood from the wall-demolishing force of the blow, she went flying backwards, knocking Will over and and continuing to tumble backwards several feet, causing smears of blood to trail the ground.
Jersey, meanwhile, winced and waved her hand, searing pain going through it. Motherfu-That girl was tougher than she thought! Did she... Yep. A feel of her fingers proved it. Jersey just broke her hand. Ugh, she'd put so much Reinforcement into strengthening her arms, she forgot to toughen them... That's what she got for going all shounen protagonist on their asses.
Will scrambled to his feet, running after his fallen Servant to kneel by her side. "No! Hang on!" He cried. The genuine distress in his voice actually caused any and all adrenaline coursing through Jersey to go stone cold. Did she just... kill an innocent bystander?
Horrors trotted in front of her. "Child, you really need to find a way to curb your impulses. Look what you've done now. Broken hand, bloodied innocent, and noise that might just draw the diners nearby. Plus, look. You've shredded your clothing."
"What?" Jersey looked down at herself, seeing that, in her rush into combat and haphazard blows, she'd reduced her clothes to little more than scraps barely hanging off her body and covering absolutely nothing. "Eep!" She hastily covered herself with her arms. At least, as much as she could with a broken hand.
"Shall we run then, child?" her Familiar asked.
Jersey looked to the young man tending to his friend. "I... No. I caused this... I need to... make amends."
The black cat sighed. "Admirable of you, child... And very un-Magus of you as well."
The girl rolled her eyes and padded forward on her now-bare feet, stopping only when she saw a glow of light blue light as the young man started applying what was clearly Magecraft to his friend's wounds. Getting her wits back about her, she walked up, still covering herself as she knelt next to the two. "Uh, hi... Sorry... about that?"
The young man sighed. "It's okay... Uh, I'm Will. Will Goldman," he said awkwardly, not looking up from his work. Jersey could see the sexy girl's wounds slowly closing before her eyes. It's okay? She caused what was no doubt massive internal damage to his friend and it was just okay?
"Uh, Jersey. Jersey Bullock. I'm sorry, I... Berserker thought you might've been a Master, so I got so excited about my first battle of the Grail War, that I... jumped the gun," she explained, biting her lower lip.
Will chuckled. "Well... You're not wrong. I am a Master. And this..."
"Will, don't..." the bystander groaned.
"No, it's okay. I... If I'm not honest with others, how can I be honest with myself? This is... Assassin."
Jersey gasped, bringing her hand to her mouth and wincing at the pain. That was the broken one... Hearing her gasp, Will turned to look at her and saw her broken hand. "Oh. Hang on, I'll heal you in a minute." He looked up to make eye contact with her, and that's when the Reinforcement specialist felt her heart skip a beat.
His glasses seemed to have fallen off when Assassin's trajectory knocked him over. As she gazed at his face without them, his green eyes clearly visible, she couldn't help but notice just how... sexy he was. Not handsome, not cute... Charming, hot, and dead sexy. She could swear, he was the sexiest man she'd ever seen, with his spiky blonde hair and oh my gosh those... "Most gorgeous eyes I have ever seen..." ...Did she say that out loud?
"What?" Will stopped his healing and reached up to feel his face. "Shoot! My glasses!"
"Right here, lad."
Will looked down to the source of the voice, seeing the black cat walk up with his glasses gripped in his mouth. He gently took them from the feline and placed them back on. "Uh, thanks... Familiar, I take it?"
He nodded. "Indeed. You're quite knowledgeable. And a skilled healer by the looks of it. The damage my child dealt to your Servant was actually rather extensive. In fact, had Berserker not been holding back to avoid harming his Master by his side, I'm sure you would not have lasted as long as you did."
Will reached up and rubbed the back of his head just as Assassin was stirring and moving to sit up. "Heh... Thanks, Berserker. And, uh, yeah... I'm a Healing Magecraft and Golemancy specialist." He turned to Jersey next, but started at the sight of her nudity. He glanced away with a blush on his face as he reached out to hold her hand in his, applying more of that blue grow. She could feel her bones mending and resetting, wincing a bit at the awkward feeling. Wow, so this was Healing Magecraft...
Berserker stepped up, moving to sit down with the four of them. "M'... sorry."
Jersey smiled up at him. "It's okay, Berserker. I said to charge, you charged. I'm sorry... I should've considered things..."
"Indeed. I've seen more situational awareness from people starting political debates in the comment sections of Internet porn videos."
All four bipeds turned to stare at the black cat.
"What? My paws can hunt and peck," he stated matter-of-factly.
"Regardless, we need to get out of here before the people in the B-Line Diner wonder what the noise is about..." Will said.
"Speaking of, I have a proposal," Horrors began, again drawing the attention of the four bipeds. "Will, your Healing Magecraft and Golemancy aren't really suited for combat, yes? And Assassins are not exactly the biggest powerhouses among the Servant Classes. Jersey, Berserker is powerful, and you are powerful, but well... With your tendency to rush in with little self-preservation, and the brute's lack of stealth, I think you're a little too specialized as a team."
Assassin tilted her head to the side. "Are you proposing-"
"An alliance, yes," the Familiar confirmed, nodding. "With Assassin and Will's Golems, he can gather information and strategize, while keeping my Leeroy Jenkins of a child healed. Jersey and Berserker, meanwhile, will be the ones doing active combat when needed. By the end of the Grail War, when it is just you two, well... Perhaps we can see what we can do then."
"I don't kno-"
"Agreed. I accept," Will said.
Assassin's jaw dropped. She reached over and put her hand on her Master's forearm. "Will... are you certain of this?"
He looked to Assassin, nodding. "Yes. We're great with logistics and support, but we won't stand up in a fight. Jersey and Berserker are powerhouses, but don't have much going for them besides that. If we team up, we can cover each other's weaknesses. Like I said, I want the Grail, but I don't actually need it, not when I can accomplish my goal by just fighting for it. And as a show of good faith..." He turned to Jersey, but blushed and looked away when he again saw she was nude. "I'm from the Goldman family. We have wealth, prestige, reputation, connections, and resources that should be invaluable to you two. Our manor has a Bounded Field that's nearly impregnable and is full of undyingly loyal Golem servants. I can take you there right now where we can discuss the details over breakfast."
["Will, the fuck?"]
["Mata Hari, no mental connection around an ally."]
"Will, the fuck?"
The Magus turned to his Servant. "What?"
"This girl just tried to kill you. Why are you inviting her to your home?" Assassin hissed.
"She explained why she attacked me out of nowhere. I believe her, I understand. What better way to show that I forgive her than to invite her to my home?"
"By home, you mean... Your Magus family's fortress of solitude?" Horrors deadpanned, his tail flicking.
"Don't worry, my parents aren't home. They're out of town for a week. And our Golem Servants will listen to me."
"Lad, do you know anything about the Moonlit World?" Horrors hissed.
"I do. And I hate it. Why, does Jersey?" Will countered.
Horrors grit his fangs. "No, her master didn't get that far..."
"There. I'm extending an olive branch, not as a Magus, but as a person," he said.
Mata Hari stared at her Master, worry in her eyes. Will... are you sure this is purely about compassion and objecting to the ideals of the Moonlit World... or are you just so desperate to have a friend that you'll put yourself at risk to win one over?
"But first..." He turned to his Servant. "Assassin, would you please rematerialize your top and hand Jersey the jacket I lent you?"
Jersey watched the exchange, a bit bewildered. She... wasn't entirely sure what they were talking about... But, should she agree to this alliance?
As for Assassin... Should she mess with her Master? He could use a mood lift, and it'd be nice to see him blush after that serious moment...
CROSSROADS
Path: SUN
-Servant
[ ] No... She attacked Will and floored you in one blow. She can streak.
[ ] But, but... It's Master's jacket. It smells like him, and it's like an all-day hug.
[ ] Okay, but take your time rematerializing your top.
[ ] Okay, but don't rematerialize your top.
[ ] If Master says so...
Path: MAZE
-Master
[ ] Horrors has a point... They'd be quite a team if you covered each others' bases.
[ ] Fuck it, just get somewhere private. You don't want to draw attention.
[ ] No... You aim to win. Even if he doesn't want the Grail, another Master is a liability.
[ ] ...Maybe with a Geas in place to seal the alliance and prevent betrayal.
[ ] Well... it is Horrors's idea. He's pretty smart.
[ ] Consult with Asterios. He deserves just as much say in this as you do.
-Familiar
[ ] Voice your objections.
[ ] Voice your objections STRONGLY.
