[] "I have a safehouse of my own cut off from the network my employees had made. I have some items I need to procure that may aid us."
You had a few ideas.
Contacting your employees now would only show your hand. You didn't spend the last few months preparing for your carefully laid plans to go unused. You had several things in play and you should use your employees as a last resort.
You didn't want a repeat of Arjuna's assault straight at your base. With Assassin, she should be able to make use of her ability while you were safely hidden. You needed to change tactic a bit to adjust to your Servant.
"I have a safehouse cut off from the network my employees had made," you explained as you limped towards the door, "I have some items I need to procure that may help us."
"Are... Are you going to drive again?" Assassin asked with a wary tone.
"We'll be taking the taxi. Or rather I will be. Can you keep up on foot?" You asked her with a raised eyebrow, "You don't seem find of vehicles good."
"No. They resemble metal coffins," Assassin said as you chuckled at her words.
"Well... You're not wrong," you said as you walked out the door, "Let's go."
.....
....
...
The city remained more or less the same but that was to be expected. You didn't walk through it as a homeless individual but as yourself. Disguising yourself and going off radar allowed you to evade the advances of the Luctworth household. You still carried the secret of their magecraft after all so it was obvious they wanted it back.
You limped forward using your cane as Assassin no doubt kept herself hidden and out of sight. Your command seals were hidden away with a black glove and you were wearing glasses which obscured your face with an illusionary trick.
Making your way through some buildings, you entered downtown where you normally stood around before. Here you hid away a hideout for you to use when the homeless life grew too tiresome for you. It was a hidden passage between a dark alleyway sealed by your wards and runes.
The hideout was more or less an abandoned cellar beneath an apartment which you refurbished and kept people away from. It was by no means a luxury suite but it was useable for long stays. You just didn't stick around for fear of it being discovered before the war even started.
Turning on the lights you were greeted by a single room with a bed, a table, a chest and a corkboard on the wall. The objects in it were minimal but it served their purpose. The Inn room you just left was bigger than this.
The room was maintained by some charms to keep it fresh and clean, you didn't have to worry about dust. You walked over to the chest and opened it, setting your cane aside before picking up some maps.
It detailed the location of leylines in the area. You had an idea on which to target first but you could easily made these spots possible hunting grounds for Assassin. Masters would no doubt gather in these spots to perform their magecraft and initiate their own reconnaissance.
You set aside the map and took a mystic code from the chest. You constructed this one out of the scrap you gathered from trash and you were quite proud of it.
"Hey little buddy, wake up," you whispered to the automata as it shuddered before spreading its wings.
You named this particular one Scrap Bird. You were inspired by the drones modern humans love to make these days and decided to make your own spin on the concept. With the Bird, you would be able to see what was going on from the comfort of this hideout without being present.
You utilized a similar move in the previous war to keep tabs on more inexperienced Magi. It was more or less a familiar you can turn on and off.
And finally, you had a list of Magi present in the city. You couldn't pin them all down one by one but the more prominent ones have been highlighted by your employees as they passed the information along. You took a pen and crossed out Valses' name among the many on the list.
Many of them were crossed out already by virtue of being assassinated by your people. On the off-chance a civilian with no experience was chosen by the Grail, you would have an easier time disposing of them than a Magus.
You looked at the names at the top of the list and one in particular caught your eye.
"Phamrsolone," you murmured with a grim tone, "Not gonna deal with that. Let's just hope that family stays out of this mess."
You continued looking through your chest until it was emptied of anything important. You stood up and stepped out into the entrance of your hideout. You let the Scrap Bird spread its wings and take flight.
"Master, are you finished?"
"Yes. You can come in if you like," you said as you slipped back in.
You got in just as Assassin went past you and stood by the armchair. You decided to sit by the work desk you made and sighed.
"Well, until something discovers this place, we'll be staying here," you said as you leaned on your cane.
"I see. Then what will be my next orders? Should I begin my search for the Grail?" Assassin asked with a curious tone.
"That is an important thing to consider given the format of the war. Prep work to stay hidden is mostly done," you said as you rubbed your chin, "Have you seen anything out of the ordinary?"
"Nothing I could discern. I did not sense the presence of magecraft or servants nearby," Assassin said with a tilt of her head.
"I can't be the only who summoned their servant..." You said with a frown.
It was quiet. Almost too quiet.
"Whoever we're up against must be some very cautious Masters. I'm sure that as soon as the Grail is found, things will start getting chaotic," you said as you stared at the floor.
"It... It bothers me as well. Should I make a thorough investigation?" Assassin asked with a curious look.
"That would be wise," you said as you considered your options.
Snake's Den
[] Order Assassin to scout out the city. Have her report back to you on any anomalies she finds.
[] Give Assassin the list of Magi you have. Investigate them and if they have openings, kill them.
[] Send Assassin to the prominent leylines in the city and investigate if there's been activity in them. If they find a Magus summoning something, kill them.
[] Lay low for the night. Have Assassin stand by while you look through the news. You don't want her out and about until someone else makes the first move.
