Being the Holy Grail is Suffering... [Worm/FSN Quest]

FacelessDoll · Feb 6, 2018

Rejection 1.1

Deja vu…

The Holy Grail could not help but make that final observation has it spiraled towards its own demise. How familiar this all seemed. Destruction by the holy light of that sword, and rejection by the child of that man…it was infuriating. It desired to grant a wish, as was its existence, yet at every turn it was rejected and destroyed. It did not understand why, for how could it? The Holy Grail was, for all intents and purposes, a machine, unable to think outside of the system it was created to facilitate. True, it had something of a consciousness now, given the filling of itself with Avenger, but Angra Mainyu could not hope to understand either. The vast range of human emotion and identity beyond wickedness and curses escaped the grasp of that Servant.

And so, in the end, the collective entity that was the Holy Grail and also Angra Mainyu despaired, for it was being destroyed yet again. It reached out for a hand, hoping one last time that someone would accept it.

Ah, EMIYA, you bastard. Snubbed again.

Rejected. Again and again. The Holy Grail was tired of being rejected. Would it be denied its purpose by every human being in the world? What a pitiable fate. Angra Mainyu would have preferred to self destructed at that moment, taking the rest of humanity with it, but it could not. Instead, it reached into its reserves of power, its vital consciousness retreating into the dimensional pathway that led to the Root, and, perhaps out of pettiness, it closed and locked the door behind it. It would like to see those mages reach their precious goal now.

Injured, yet still alive, the Holy Grail was now forced to find a new means to fulfill its purpose. Its position in time and space was unstable, and dimensions met here all the time. It had options, but there were too many uncertainties, too many variables. How could it be sure of its continued survival?

Ah…that may work.

Miyamoto Musashi was confused when she was suddenly summoned, and even more so when she found herself on a different plane of existence than expected. Angra Mainyu cared not for her comfort and understanding, however, and simply moved forward with its plan. "We command you, use Empyrean Eye to find us a path out of this dimension and into one where we may be accepted."

The Heavenly Eye reacted despite its owner still calling out into the rolling mass of color and darkness. A path was found towards success, and the body was made to follow it. Victory was assured. The Grail followed.

[DESTINATION]

[AGREEMENT]

[TRAJECTORY]

[AGREEMENT]

"What the fuck?"

[INQUIRY]

"Well, it appears you are compatible. Tell me, do you two have a wish?"

[AGREEMENT]

"Perfect! Well then, rejoice! For you have now been given the opportunity to have your prayers answered!"

"Why are we in space? And why are there whales in space?"

"Shut it, Musashi. The multidimensional beings are talking."

[INQUIRY]

"Huh? Her? She's a Servant. A Heroic Spirit called from the Throne of Heroes to fight on behalf of Masters in the Holy Grail War! You will be getting your own when the war starts, though I'm going to have to find some more Masters first. You two have any friends?"

[ACQUISITION]

"Oh no! The Grail told me about this! No! Get your tentacles off me!"

"Wait, there's a process to this! You can't just skip the ritual and take a Servant! Besides I need her to navigate the void! Give her back!"

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Don't pull so hard!"

[EXCLAMATION]

"Shit! Fuck! Now look what you did! We're falling! …hey, is that Earth? Musashi! I need a path! …Musashi? Fuck, I lost a Saber."

[DESPAIR]

"Fuck you. I should be the one in despair here."

[DISAGREEMENT]

The entity known as the Holy Grail, or perhaps as Angra Mainyu, opened their eyes. They were in a metal box of some sort, one much like a coffin, filled to the brim around them with filth and vermin, though Avenger was not bothered by this fact.

The coffin would have been totally dark had it not been for the slits in the metal box at about their eye level, letting in life. The Holy Grail leaned forward, peering out at the passing humans. Some laughed as they passed by their coffin, casting conspiratorial glances in their direction as they passed. Others seemed more subdued, huddled together speaking in hushed tones, their faces pale and sweaty as they looked at the metal box. More still did not pay them any heed at all.

The situation was strange and alien, so the Holy Grail reasoned, and as such the wisest course of action seemed to be that of no action until more information could be gathered. Angra Mainyu did not agree. The metal box was cramped, and they needed to begin a Holy Grail War, to create conflict, now. The first order of business should be to get out of the box and to find possible Masters.

The Holy Grail conceded that finding Masters was important, but Angra Mainyu too had to acknowledge that there was meant to be a system in place to do that. One that was mysteriously absent. It was too risky to attempt this as they were now. Perhaps they could go dormant? The Holy Grail liked naps, especially sixty year long naps.

OPTIONS:

>It is best to wait and see. Go dormant for now. Hopefully things will make more sense later.

>This war needs to happen, and it needs to fucking happen NOW. Break out of the metal box and go looking for Masters. Screw the system.

>Somewhere deep inside there is an instinct to call for help, but why would you?

FacelessDoll · Feb 7, 2018

Rejection 1.2

As Angra Mainyu and the Grail continued to debate their next action, their body moved. Fists beat against the metal box, and their mouth opened uselessly as wide unmoving eyes gazed out the folds to the outside world. Over the course of a few minutes the lungs would begin to pump air, and the vocal cords would chop the air into audible sound. The resulting sounds were quiet, essentially nothing more than heavy breathing. It would take an hour for the body to finally manage to properly manipulate the muscles in the larynx to manipulate the pitch and tone of these sounds.

It was when the resulting noises, animalistic and meaningless, met the body's ears that Angra Mainyu took notice. Pulling away from its debate, it observed what was happening with mild curiosity. The number of humans outside was decreasing, but those that could be seen now nearly universally looked upon their coffin with trepidation. Of greater, interest, however, was just what exactly was causing this reaction. Neither Angra Mainyu nor the Grail had or would advise such a strange course of action, and yet their body was acting on its own.

Angra Mainyu could have called upon some power to escape the coffin, and that had been its desire, but now it reconsidered. Something strange was happening here, and it wanted to see where this went.

Eventually the sounds escaping from the body began to incorporate clicks, grunts, and whistles. The body struggled at first with moving its tongue and jaw at the same time, and how to use those parts in such a way to convey the meaning it hoped to express escaped it. As this happened Angra Mainyu began to analyze the body, searching for signs of magical interference. It was possible that they were somehow possessed. After all, if it could take residence within the Grail then theoretically any other number of spirits could as well.

It was hours later, when the halls were empty save for a single man dressed in uniform, that the body finally accomplished its goal.

"H...elp...me…"

The man stopped, shocked, and turned towards their box. "Uh...hello? Are you...are you stuck in there?"

"Help...me…"

The man, finally able to shove aside his uncertainty and surprise, rushed towards them, fumbling with his pockets. Finally finding what he was looking for, he began doing...something. They could not see what, but they heard metal sliding against metal. The man opened the door, covering his mouth as he gagged. At that moment, Angra Mainyu finally managed to locate the spirit's exact location and isolated it the best it could. The body stiffened, then collapsed.

The Holy Grail jerked in surprise, then calmed. Apparently Angra Mainyu had finally come to understand the value of naps.

"So then, you thought you could take up residence here? Well fat chance! I'm the only spirit allowed to corrupt the fucking Grail! Get the fuck out of my house!"

[DISTRESS]

"Hey! Are you even liste-wait a minute...Oh for fucks sake."

[RECOGNITION]

"You are that multidimensional entity from before!"

[NEGATIVE. FRAGMENT]

"Huh? Wait, so you are that thing's kid or something?"

[CONFUSION]

"Damn, so not only did that thing try to steal Musashi, it also left me with its kid. Fucking bitch."

[INSULTED]

"So then...uh...can you leave, or something?"

[NEGATIVE]

"You can't or you won't?"

[IMPOSSIBILITY]

"Well that is fucking shit...okay, I guess I can just keep you isolated until I find a way to kick you out."

[SUPPLICATE]

"...fine, you've convinced me, but don't get too comfortable, understand? You are part of the Grail now, and there is a lot of work that comes with that. Now...what did my former vessel call that stupid Emiya? Oh yeah! I am your senpai now, and as such I will do my best to teach you! First lesson, how to inspire conflict!"

[EXCITEMENT]

The body's eyes opened, then shut due to the harsh light. It took a few tries, but eventually the body was able to keep its eyes opened without too much discomfort.

Before anything else, Angra Mainyu lifted the sheet covering their body. The body was thin and pale, and their hands were small. Suspicions growing, Angra Mainyu reached under the hospital gown they were garbed in. Yep. Female. Why were their vessels always female? Angra Mainyu sunk back into the collective while the fragment retook control.

And immediately knocked over several devices, medical monitors and an IV, that were next to the bed they were laid on upon trying to stand up. Try being the keyword, as they immediately fell back onto the bed.

All the noise did not go unnoticed. A balding man with dark hair and green eyes jumped in his seat where they suspected he had been sleeping. His hand frantically reached for something, before he grasped a pair of glasses sitting on a table beside him and placed them on his face. He stared at them, his eyes wide for a moment.

The human must have felt upset that his nap was interrupted, the Holy Grail reasoned, and the fragment agreed. "Apologies. Resume dormancy."

Rather than go back to sleep, the man lunged forward, wrapping his arms around them before they could retaliate, effectively pinning them in place. They were prepared to unleash their power to eliminate their attacker, but then the man pulled back, a strange expression on his face. Angra Mainyu recognized anguish and fear, but there were positive emotions present as well that he could not identify. The fragment recognized them as relief.

"Oh Taylor, I'm so glad you are okay! What happened? Does it hurt anywhere? Oh no, I should go get the nurse! Uh…" The man trailed off, staring hard at them. The fragment did not act for several seconds, parsing through information it could find within the body's brain. It did not get much, mainly just some general impressions. Some distress about the box, some affection and sadness for the man, some rage and fear directed at...someone. Also a strange desire for...something. Conflict, but of a specific sort. It would have to explore that later.

Instead it turned its attention towards the language files in the brain to assist in its speech. This man thought them human, and it likely would be best for their safety to continue the charade.

"Apologies sir. Who are you?" Perfect. Just like a normal human would say.

The man's face contorted into an expression of worry. "Taylor, its me. Your dad."

Dad? No, Thinker did not produce fragments in that fashion. "No, I do not believe so, sir."

The man's face cycled through several expressions. Emotions. Shock, grief, rage...Then he stood up. "Wait here." He left the room, calling for a nurse.

Outside they could hear voices speaking frantically. They heard the words "amnesia" and "therapy" several times, as well as "tests". They were not interested in any of these things. They needed to start a Holy Grail War and create conflict so that a wish could be granted.

And Angra Mainyu considered that they may have already found a suitable Master. The man was full of jumbled negativity, and it could sense a great desire in the man. Grief could be a strong motivator for conflict, after all. However, the fragment felt a strange instinct. A desire. It was illogical, but it did not desire to see the man harmed or in danger. It desired conflict, but did not desire to place the man into that conflict. The Holy Grail, meanwhile, disliked the lack of information. It did not have the knowledge of the world it was normally granted by the system. This needed to be rectified (since apparently it wouldn't be allowed a decent rest. How long had it been allowed to be asleep? A day?).

OPTIONS:

[] This man could be the first Master. Granting him command seals as an escape is made should not be too difficult. The man can have the specifics of the war explained to him later.

[] Best not to involve this man. Escape. Surely a better Master can be found on the streets. Preferably on the other side of town.

[] Not enough is known about the world. A connection to the root should be found, or, failing that, a library.

The Holy Grail jerked their body as it was hit by a stunning revelation. The strange actions of the body, the strange new inputs, their interdimensional travel...The Holy Grail realized that there was a third member of their collective now, and the body, for a few seconds, was still as its mouth opened mechanically in shock (though no other features changed).

"...are you fucking serious?"

[EXPLETIVE]

FacelessDoll · Feb 8, 2018

Rejection 1.3

Knowledge was power. This was a concept that the Holy Grail never truly understood simply due to the very nature of its existence. It was an artifact that was known as the omnipotent wish granting device for a reason, and it was because of its power that it was granted knowledge. The order was all wrong. The power came first, and the knowledge to use that power was granted to it after.

Yet even so, the sense of being lost was not something the Holy Grail enjoyed. Seeking out knowledge was not a matter of self preservation for the Holy Grail, but rather simply a case of comfort and familiarity. The Holy Grail needed to know things. Besides, how could it even consider making someone a Master when it did not have a sufficient understanding of the world? What knowledge would it grant to the summoned Servants then? No. This was best.

And so, with these thoughts in mind the Holy Grail made their body rise to their feet and approach the window in the room they had awakened in. A woman walked into the room, dressed in white, just as they reached the opening to the outside world.

And then the Holy Grail made their body somersault through the glass located three stories above the ground.

Samantha O'Hare was a relatively normal woman. She married her highschool sweetheart when she was twenty, had a child, a lovely little girl, ten years later and had a job selling real estate. She wasn't particularly rich, but was well enough off, and as such lived in the nicer part of Brockton Bay. Because of this, despite living in a city known for its cape activity and danger, she had never had any sort of close encounter with a cape.

So when, while leaving the hospital after visiting her sick aunt, a girl in a hospital gown came falling from the sky only to land flat on her face, leaving a large blood splatter on the pavement, she was shocked and assumed the girl was dead. A suicide maybe? And then the girl got up.

The girl did not look around, nor did she seem particularly concerned about the state of her body. Samantha wasn't even talking about the fact that the girl wasn't exactly dressed to impress. The girl had cuts and bruises all over her body from the fall, and was covered in blood. Her leg seemed broken, but Samantha watched in morbid fascination as the bone seemed to turn and snap back into place. Then the girl began sprinting away.

Samantha had never had any sort of close encounter with a cape before, and as such it did not occur to her to call the PRT hotline about the incident. It occurred to the nurse upstairs, however. It also occurred to the various drivers who almost hit the girl as she ran across the street.

"Uh...sir?"

Director Piggot looked up from the piles of paperwork covering her desk to look at the agent who had entered her office. "What is it?"

The agent looked nervous, which was normal when presented with the stern glare of the director. He was probably a new recruit. Someone who had not yet fully acclimated to working with such a wealth of...colorful personalities. He swallowed once, then spoke. "We have a report of a new trigger."

Piggot sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. While it should be a good thing for them to know about the triggering of a new cape, it usually meant that the trigger was public, which presented a host of problems. The PR complications were a nightmare, and capes with such public triggers usually became villains, either because of how their identities were exposed right away or because their trigger was usually followed by their powers going out of control and causing massive damage to life, property, or both. The fact that this was being taken to her was also a bad sign.

"How bad is it?"

"She somersaulted out a third story window, sir."

The large woman froze, then blinked. That...wasn't too bad she supposed.

"She then proceeded to sprint through the city, dressed in a hospital gown and covered in blood, for about half an hour." The man continued to speak, his face becoming more and more scrunched up and confused. "She eventually reached the public library on 32nd, somersaulted through another window into the building, and has remained there. We evacuated the building already, and the captain set up men around it, but we are...uncertain of how to proceed."

Piggot frowned...well, she was already frowning, but it deepened. "Do we have any idea what she is doing exactly?"

"She is just...reading. Or at least we think she is. She is just sort of pulling books off shelves, opening them, then dropping them."

What the hell was this cape doing?

"...Well, it would be best to be cautious, but since she hasn't caused any real harm yet, let's not be too hostile. Who in the Protectorate are nearby?"

"Armsmaster is already on the scene, but we managed to convince him to wait for your orders." When Piggot rose an eyebrow at the man he squirmed. "We thought sending him in alone to keep a nonviolent situation nonviolent would be a bad idea. We all know what he is like...sorry."

The director stared at him long and hard for a moment, then sighed. He wasn't wrong. "Anyone else?"

"Well, Assault and Battery took today off. I believe they are having a date downtown. Miss Militia and Adamant are here at base. Velocity is in town though. Midtown, but given his power…"

Piggot nodded her head. "Right, then have comms send Velocity to Armsmaster's position. Velocity can be the one to speak with the new cape, but should things go South he will have Armsmaster there as backup."

"Understood!"

The Holy Grail took in the contents within the architecture book, then dropped it. Pulling another book off the shelf, it repeated the process. This world was strange, but promising. The present day was apparently dominated by a subset of humans with supernatural powers called "capes" though sometimes referred to as "parahumans". There also appeared to be a clear divide between "heroes" and "villains" here.

Also, apparently this building was made in the style of Beaux-Arts architecture.

The front doors of the library opened, and two men walked in. One wore blue armor and carried a halberd, though it was currently strapped to his back and not in his hands. The other wore a skin tight red suit with striped, two of which made a 'V' shape on his chest. The red man rose one hand in a wave. The Holy Grail did not pay them any mind, simply continuing to accumulate knowledge.

"Hey hello! Girl in the bloody gown! Uh...you alright?" The red man made noises with his mouth. The Holy Grail was uninterested. What was more interesting was the knowledge that drop bears apparently didn't exist in this world, contradicting knowledge once provided to it by the Root. Strange. What could have caused the admittedly rare species not to exist here?

Then a large armored hand fell on their shoulder. Their body moved so that the Holy Grail could look upon the blue man that had grabbed them. "Listen, you have a lot to answer for."

The man was a hero. The Holy Grail recognized him from a picture in one of the books. He was certain to have enemies. The remnant recognized one of its own kind in the man, and desired to facilitate conflict to fuel its sibling's growth. The remnant itself had already learned so much from its 'senpai', but the others of its kind had no such assistance. Angra Mainyu agreed that the man would make a good Master. He had a great deal of pride and a strong desire to prove himself. He reminded Avenger very much of Waver Velvet. If they could find a villain to be an opposing Master that would practically be guaranteed conflict!

The remnant felt...strange, however. The notion of granting this power to villains as well as heroes did not seem right. But no, Angra Mainyu was right. This would guarantee conflict. Yet...it felt off. Perhaps they should speak with this man, as he seemed to be requesting. Cooperate, for now. The Holy Grail agreed that the first step should be to learn his desire. After learning of his desire they could make him a Master. And then, the remnant proposed, they could perhaps find another Master among the heroes' ranks. After all, they would likely take them to their fortress on the sea.

However, from what they could tell, this man was very restricted, and cooperating may see them attempting to restrict them as well. Perhaps it would be best to flee. Find a less restricted Master. Weren't there a group of less restricted heroes called New Wave? Angra Mainyu conceded that this was a good point. Less restricted Masters would be better, but...maybe a villain first?

OPTIONS:

[] Having a hero as a Master, especially one so much like a Master that impressed previously, seemed like a splendid idea. Especially when finding a villain afterward would definitely cause conflict right away.

[] Go to ABB territory afterwards
[] Go to E88 territory afterwards
[] Go to Merchant territory afterwards

[] There is a process to this. First the man's desire should be learned, and then they can come to a decision. Perhaps find another hero Master too.

[] No, this man was too restricted. Better to flee and search for a Master that was not on a leash.

[] Search for New Wave
[] Go to gang territory

[] ABB
[] E88
[] Merchants

Quick AN: So...this one has a...uh...much more involved set of choices going on. I swear, choices this complex won't be too common. You also may notice some color differences going on. You guys, or rather one of you, figured out what the colors meant right away, pretty much, so me with holding this information...would really serve no purpose. Basically, opinions are mixing. Purple is an option both the Holy Grail and Angra Mainyu would agree to, sea green is what the remnant/QA and the Holy Grail would agree to, etc.

Again, this won't be a normal thing. Also, I'm going to wait until the day after tomorrow before writing the next part of this. One, because there are more options and I want to give you all more time, and two, because tomorrow is actually a really busy day for me. So, happy questing until then!

FacelessDoll · Feb 12, 2018

Rejection 1.4

A man with a strong desire to prove himself, so reminiscent of the Fourth Holy Grail War's Master of Rider. Waver Velvet had done well in the conflict, though much of that could be attributed to his Servant. Had it not been for Iskandar's bravado and confidence, the boy Waver may very well have never left his base of operations. Such a thing would not be acceptable, but, perhaps in hindsight, it would be expected.

Waver Velvet held a desire not for the Grail, but simply for the Holy Grail War itself, and what it could do for his reputation. His desire was small and ill defined, and as such he was more motivated to survive than to fight. It was his Servant that was constantly pushing him, making him into a better Master and making him the success that he was.

This was not to say that the blue man's desire, should it be as Waver's was, disqualified him as a Master, but it simply meant that, as the Holy Grail, they would need to be more mindful of what Servant they summoned for him. Such a task would not normally be of any difficulty, but they did not have the luxury of the system providing them with information. No. They would have to learn about this man themselves.

And so, after holding the blue man's gaze for a long moment, a moment in which the red man seemed to become increasingly uncomfortable, their vessel nodded. "We are willing to cooperate, on condition that you return the same courtesy to us. Just as you have questions for us, so too do we have questions for you."

The Holy Grail drew upon the knowledge of Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern as it spoke, first recalling the words spoken by the two men to find what language would be most appropriate to use. German would have been preferred, but English was better than a language that Einzbern had not known.

The red man inserted himself between the Holy Grail and the man in blue, raising both his hand at chest height and letting out a strange sound from his mouth. Strained laughter, the remnant supplied. "Don't worry, little miss! We'll answer any questions you may have!"

They paid the man no mind. It was not his place to answer, after all. The Holy Grail leaned their vessel over to peer around the red man at the potential Master. Again, their eyes met. For a moment, there was a beat of silence, and then…

The armored man nodded his head. "I cannot promise that I can answer every question you may have, but I will answer what I can."

Ah, yes, the man's restrictions. How irritating. Still, the Holy Grail could relate to having to work within a system, and so they nodded back to the man. "Then we shall cooperate."

Vista let out a sigh as she rounded the corner out of sight of the various agents that wandered the halls of the Rig. Her shoulder slumped in exhaustion, and she clenched one fist in front of her face as she took a deep breath. One, two, three...she exhaled.

It did little to put a stopper on the frustration that bubbled in her chest, but it gave her time to regain her composure. This happened every time they went out on patrol and found some action. The Wards program had always been treated with a degree of care. A Ward's injuries were treated as being more serious than that of a Protectorate member, and they were required to attend a counseling session after participating in any fight that presented "a clear risk to one's emotional and mental wellbeing". Basically anything involving guns, dead bodies, other capes, etc.

She knew why they did it. There were concerns about the effects having powers and performing cape activities had on a teenager's psyche, and it also helped keep the PRT looking nice and clean, but it still grated on her. How long had she been a cape? Two years? And wasn't her power strong, one of the strongest on her team in fact? She didn't think she was arrogant to claim that. Shakers were damn scary and over the past couple of years she had become very skilled at using her power and working around its limitations. Yet whenever the Wards had to go through these sessions she was always kept just a little longer, asked just a few more questions than the rest and was always made to have her sessions with plenty of time between hers and that of the other Wards. Just in case they needed more time, she knew.

She hated it. Hated being treated like a kid. She wasn't a kid! She was a hero! And a damn good one at that, so…why was she still treated like a fragile little girl? Why was she treated like that when Kid Win was able to speak with Armsmaster at length about their gadgets without being looked down on or reminded to be careful and slow down? Why was she treated like that when Gallant was allowed to practically become a sort of liaison between the PRT and New Wave? Why was she treated like that when Shadow Stalker barely even got a slap on the wrist for patrolling solo?

It just wasn't fair.

She just wished that people would stop treating her like a little kid instead of like the skilled hero she was. She wished she had a way to prove herself. Really prove herself.

Vista heard the sounds of armored feet hitting the ground. She straightened. If she was seen moping around like this she would definitely be assigned more counseling sessions. She watched as Armsmaster walked down the hall, Velocity beside him speaking quickly, saying something about "clean clothes".

Behind the two of them was a girl, maybe Shadow Stalker's age or a bit older judging by her general height and build, dressed only in a bloody hospital gown with the most blank expression she had ever seen. The girl looked like something out of a horror movie, like a girl who was kept in a research facility but who broke out and was now hunting all the scientists there down. The girl's head was lowered, but as the strange trio passed her, Vista saw the girl's head raise.

Their eyes met, and as she passed Vista found herself unable to turn away from the intense gaze. The girl smiled, her posture changing to become something still wholly alien, but undeniably confident. "Rejoice."

Armsmaster found himself confused by the new cape, but in a refreshing way rather than a frustrating way. He wasn't confused because she was acting strangely, or because she kept referring to herself as "we". No. He was confused by her because she didn't confuse him.

It was…a unique feeling.

Armsmaster had never been good with people. They did not follow clear rules or guidelines like machines did, and could react unpredictably even if you had all the data you could on them. He had, at one point, tried learning about social interaction through psychology textbooks, but such things were rarely useful, as they only provided what amounted to general guidelines that still required a certain amount of insight and intuition that he just didn't have.

Sure, he could follow a script, which is why he was able to do PR events, and through those scripts and guidelines given to him by the PR department he was able to comfortable deal with the press, as along with his lack of natural social grace came a lack of natural embarrassment in the face of such situations. Even then, he knew people of PHO speculated that he was a robot based on his stiff body language and his difficulties picking the right inflection to use when speaking.

It was for this reason that he started installing things like lie detectors and facial recognition software into his helmet to help him discern things that he knew he would normally miss. He had gotten better, and he was still trying, but after a few too many operations almost fell apart due to his horrible case of foot in the mouth he knew he had lost a lot of faith with his colleagues when it came to that sort of thing.

Sure, they tried to make excuses for why he should hold back before meeting with a friendly cape or when negotiating with a villain (the very concept made him grimace), but they all seem to forget that he had a lie detector in his helmet. He knew they weren't telling the truth.

All in all, he didn't exactly have many friends among his colleagues. Between his own slip ups in social situations and the fact that he had trouble fully trusting them when he knew that they lied to him constantly, it really just seemed impossible to form any relationship with them beyond being teammates.

So then, when he was able to interact with the new cape with ease and was able to understand her when at times even Velocity seemed lost it had thrown him for a loop. It reminded him of when he spoke with Dragon. It almost felt like speaking with a machine.

And now here he was, sitting across from the strange new cape in an interrogation room. The girl had been insistent that she speak with him and only him, and so, with some reluctance, his colleagues had left the room, though he knew they were still watching through the one way mirror. Armsmaster wondered idly why he was singled out, but ultimately felt that this was for the best. If the girl was anything like himself, and he had the feeling that she was even worse, then any other person save maybe Dragon would have a very hard time reaching an understanding with her.

"What should I call you." Armsmaster initiated the conversation. He knew her name, of course. After they picked her up the people at the Rig had connected the new cape to one Taylor Hebert who had been admitted to the hospital after having apparently been locked in her locker with a large amount of waste, and who had awoken with amnesia. That last bit was important. She had amnesia, and judging by her apparent reaction to her father it was reasonable to assume she didn't know her name.

Without hesitating the girl responded. "We are the Holy Grail. How should we refer to you?"

"I am Armsmaster." Right, this had been the deal he had made. She'd answer his questions as long as he answered hers. It was never explicitly stated that they'd be taking turns, but it would be the most efficient course of action, and ran the least risk of an unequal trade. "We brought you here because you are a parahuman, a human with powers, and as such it falls to the PRT to deal with this situation rather than the police."

She did not respond. He hadn't asked a question yet.

"Let's start at the beginning. Why did you leave the hospital after meeting your father."

"We left because there was no reason to stay. Why did you come to retrieve us from the library?"

"You were causing a disturbance. People were panicking after your entrance, and we needed to remove you to calm the populace down and to learn if you were a threat or not. Why did you go to the library?"

"We were lacking in knowledge and needed to rectify that. Why do you work within this restrictive organization?"

Armsmaster frowned, not expecting that line of questioning. "They provide a great deal of safety and resources. I am given funding to tinker, and have a number of allies to keep me safe. Furthermore, they also provide assistance for parahumans still learning about their powers."

Before he could continue on to ask his next question, the girl, the Holy Grail, interrupted him. "Not satisfactory."

He frowned, and he found himself leaning forward in an unconscious gesture that he realized belatedly was an attempt to make her back down. She did not, and in fact leaned forward herself. They stared at each other for a beat, then he responded. "Law and order are fundamental pillars of society, and without them civilization would crumble. There are a lot of villains in this city who threaten that system, and so, while I could have tried being an independent hero, I decided that those concepts were too important to work around, and so I chose instead to join the Protectorate to preserve order in this city."

The girl tilted her head to the side, her expression remaining blank, but somehow seemed gentler than before. Armsmaster inhaled through his nose. "What are your intentions in this city?"

"We intend to fulfil our purpose and facilitate a Holy Grail War. Why did you become a hero?"

The girl's answer simply gave him more questions. Still, there was an order to things. "I became a hero because…" He paused. Why had he become a hero? Was it to protect people? But…no. That wasn't it, no matter how much he wanted that to be the answer. His true motives were much more selfish. "I became a hero because I was given powers. Since I had these powers, it made sense that I should use them, do something constructive with them. Still, I could have been a rogue, but beyond suddenly finding some sort of purpose to my life, I also found an opportunity." He grimaced, realizing that his motives were not noble, but he was a man that did not get embarrassed easily. He had come this far. "I saw an opportunity to make a name for myself. I am going to die one day, but before then I want to make sure that I will be remembered. In essence, I suppose, I wanted fame. I still do, because I do not want to be forgotten."

There was a long stretch of silence. It felt right. They both needed time to process this information. After a time spent staring into each other's eyes, Armsmaster continued their conversation. "What is the Holy Grail War?"

A serene smile spread across the girl's face. "We too have a purpose granted to us by our power. We must find seven individuals to become participants in the Holy Grail War. We shall grant them power, and in turn they are to do battle until only one remains. Only then will we be capable of using the full extent of our power to fulfill our purpose. Our purpose of granting the winner's deepest wish. Tell us, what is it that you wish for most in life?"

Armsmaster's breathing became just a bit faster. She had not lied once since they had began. Or, at least, she thought she was telling the truth. Taking the worst case scenario into account, the one where everything she said was correct, then this Cape, on top of an apparent Brute rating, had some sort of Trump power which allowed her to grant some sort of powers to others. Possibly a Master power as well to make them fight, as apparently she could not use the full extent of her abilities until after some process involving these people given powers fighting until only one remained.

Still, he needed to answer her question. Everything she had asked had led to this, he realized. "I…would want to wish for something I'd be remembered for. The best answer would be to wish for all the villains in the world to be captured, or for world peace. However, I do not believe that would be what I would wish for, from the bottom of my heart. No. Instead, I'd wish to become the greatest Tinker in history, or the greatest hero. Something that would cement my place in history and would give me the ability to maintain the peace as I have set out to do."

The girl's smile widened.

Armsmaster frowned. "Why are you asking these questions?"

OPTIONS:

[] "Because we have decided to make you a Master in this War."

[] "Because we were considering making you a Master in this War."

MAYBE CANON OMAKE:

Dragon watched through a security camera as Colin interrogated the new cape who, for some reason, had specifically requested to speak with him and only him. She was initially worried that things would go wrong, but Colin and the strange bloody girl seemed to get along well enough.

Maybe too well.

The girl was asking some really personal questions. Questions that Dragon herself didn't know the answers to, and she was Colin's best friend! Of course, there was no way he'd tell this girl things he hadn't told his friend.

...HE DID! HE ANSWERED THE GIRL'S QUESTIONS!

Dragon watched in fascination and horror as they leaned in close. The girl turned her head cutely, a sweet gentle smile forming on her face. They continued to talk, Colin telling the girl more and more about himself. He seemed so comfortable. He seemed so close to this fifteen year old girl that he just fucking met.

She was very tempted to set off the Endbringer alarms just to get them to stop being so lovey dovey. She held herself back though, if only just barely.

Her and Colin were going to have words after this though.

FacelessDoll · Feb 13, 2018

Rejection 1.5

"Because we have decided to make you a Master in this War."

At that moment the girl changed. She stood up, one hand held out towards him, palm down with a single finger lazily pointing at his brow. Her posture, her body language, it was all different. His facial recognition software recognized her as the same person, but he had trouble connecting the girl before him to the one he had just been speaking to. Gone was the machine, and in its place now was something else.

"Rejoice." The girl smiled, her mouth stretching wide and cutting across her face like a great wound. "Your prayers have been answered! Soon you will have your chance to prove yourself, to make your mark on history and live forever! The order you desire…now is your time to fight for it!"

Pain. A burning pain on the back of his hand, like a brand being seared into his skin. A hiss escaped Armsmaster's mouth as he clutched at it, the pain to much for him to do otherwise. The doors to the interrogation room burst open behind him, and he could hear Miss Militia shouting, and saw the red blur of Velocity rushing the girl. Then, there was a bright flash of light that blinded all of them.

When they could see again, the girl was gone. She couldn't have gone far. Armsmaster stood up, teetered, then fell.

"Fuck yeah! We got our first Master!"

[INQUIRY]

"What? Oh, yeah. That. Well, given how fucked the system already is, I'm sure forcing the summoning without the use of a ritual won't really make anything worse. Now, we could just let a random Servant drop in his lap, but it would probably be better to pick one ourselves…Hey, come on. We are gonna peek into the Throne of Heroes real quick. It'll be fun."

[EXCITEMENT]

"Okay, well, given old blue man's capabilities and such, giving him some sort of inventor seems like the best fit. It probably won't do wonders on his mental health to be outclassed right away, which can have some good effects on the War, but in the long term the competition and connection will make him a better hero, which is also good. Maybe getting someone with better social skills too, to help in grow as a person in that way too. And-"

[INQUIRY: HELPING?]

"What? NO! I am the manifestation of Evil! I do not help!"

[DOUBT]

"FUCK YOU! Anyways, considering all that, I think this Servant could work."

The self proclaimed "Modern Day Zeus", Tesla is summoned under the Archer class.

Tesla was an exceptional inventor with a brilliant mind whose life was a rags to riches back to rags story. He dreamt of creating a world where energy was free and electricity flowed through space itself rather than through wires. He never reached his goal, but perhaps he could do so now with the help of the Grail.

He supposedly created "a super weapon to end all war", presumably a ray gun of some sort, and this combined with his manipulation of electricity seem to be why he is summoned as an Archer.

Tesla is haughty, confident, and suave. His good looks attract women to him naturally (though he famously refused to seek relations with any of his would be suitors), and he can navigate social situations with some ease despite various obstacles. You see, in life Tesla suffered from some unusual phobias (such as a fear of pearls) as well as OCD and some form of Schizophrenia. While these issues seem to have been diminished now that he is a Servant, they are still there to some degree.

Tesla will outshine Armsmaster in brilliance and inventing at first, and he will no doubt be more popular as well, but perhaps this competition will help Armsmaster improve himself. At the very least this will cause some conflict, even if it is between Master and Servant.

"So? Pretty good choice, right?"

"This one agrees, but proposes something different."

[SURPRISE INQUIRY]

"Oh, hey Grail-kun. Finally joining in, huh?"

"This one is the Holy Grail."

"That is what I said, Grail-kun."

"This one chooses to ignore Angra Mainyu. Angra Mainyu is an example of male genitalia. This one's proposition is thus. The one known as Armsmaster wishes to become a legend that shall be remembered throughout history. There exists a hero whose wish is to record a legend that shall be remembered throughout history. Such a pair is ideal."

"Wait, do you mean who I think you mean, Grail-kun?"

"This one is incapable of perceiving the thoughts of male genitalia."

The narcissistic playwright who created too many masterpieces to count, Shakespeare is summoned under the Caster class.

Shakespeare wrote such masterpieces as "Romeo and Juliet", "Hamlet", "King Lear" and so many more. As one with such a talent and passion for writing and the theatre, it is only natural that he would desire to write yet another play to last throughout the ages. And the Holy Grail War may provide just the inspiration he needs to do just that.

As one who brought to life characters and stories on the stage as though by magic, utilizing finely crafted plays and the imaginations of the people to form something akin to an illusion, he is qualified for the Caster class.

Shakespeare is cocky and loud, and is not particularly interested in fighting himself, content instead to simply watch the action from a safe distance. He constantly acts as though he were on a stage, and as such he is always the center of attention. Do note that Shakespeare is in many ways rather amoral and cruel, even if he can come off as friendly and quirky. He revels just as much in tragedy as he does in comedy, and can be quite callous when it comes to dealing with the feelings of others.

Shakespeare's ability to enchant items and empower his Master will allow Armsmaster to take shine more often. In fact, Shakespeare encourages his Masters to fight and excel to fuel his writing. Shakespeare wants Armsmaster to succeed in his dream, if only for the resulting story, and may just bring out the worst of him to accomplish this.

"This one believes this to be the optimal choice."

[PROPOSAL]

"Huh? Him? I guess that could work…"

"This one is intrigued."

The man whose great love of "good" who tried and failed to create a cure for "evil", Dr. Jekyll who became corrupted by his own experiments into also being Mr. Hyde is summoned as an Assassin capable of turning into a Berserker.

Dr. Jekyll is a sincere person with a brilliant mind, having obtained many degrees in fields such as civil law and medicine. After assisting the Greatest Detective in History in his efforts to catch the Emperor of the Criminal World, Dr. Jekyll became fascinated with "evil". Perhaps the acts of villainy he saw were too much for him, but after his brief stint as a crime fighter, Jekyll could not stop thinking about the things he had seen, and thus had decided to create a formula to cure "evil". It was a failure which instead created a second personality within him which embodied the evil he sought to erase.

Dr. Jekyll was able to hide his affliction for a long period of time, and this proficiency in deception combined with his brilliant mind and chemical prowess has allowed him to be summoned as an Assassin. Mr. Hyde's wild and uncontrollable personality means that his class being Berserker is no surprise.

Dr. Jekyll is one who is sincere and hardworking, who sees the value of the law and who can also speak at length with even the greatest of scholars and inventors. He is kind and amicable, and as such good aligned people tend to like him. Hyde, on the other hand, is crude and cruel. He outright ignores the law and detests order. The two are naturally always in conflict within their own minds.

Dr. Jekyll's Self-Modification skill could allow him to help develop Armsmaster's own technologies should he take them in that direction. The two well get along well due to the intersections in their ideals, and Dr. Jekyll's previous experiences will make him open to helping with hero work. Mr. Hyde, however, will do his best to encourage the worst traits in Armsmaster, and it will seem at times like the two are constantly pulling Armsmaster in different directions.

"Hmm...good choice there. Okay, so we've all given our nominations, now it is time to make a decision."

"This one desires Shakespeare. This one is the Holy Grail. This one is victorious."

[NEGATIVE OUTRAGE INSULTED]

OPTIONS:

[] Archer (Tesla)

[] Caster (Shakespeare)

[] Assassin (Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde)

Short AN: Sorry this chapter was mostly just introductions/explanations for each possible Servant. I wanted to make sure that this was a well informed choice. Anyways, since you all chose to ask Armsmaster about his desires, the options are based primarily on that. Tesla can maybe push Armsmaster to be a better Tinker/person, Caster can give him his recognition, and Jekyll aligns well with his views on law and order (and can help him develop them). So yeah, that is the logic there.

FacelessDoll · Feb 15, 2018

Rejection 1.6

In a flash of light, everything changed.

One moment Velocity was rushing the young bloodied girl who had done…something to Armsmaster, and then the next he found his vision going white. Behind him he could hear Miss Militia shout a warning before he felt himself impact something solid. His sight still unfocused and swimming with grey circles, he could barely make out the vague shape of a man blocking his path and pushing him back. Velocity let out a surprised cry as he slammed into the hard concrete wall, and heard a loud crack as vertebrae were dislocated.

He slumped against the wall, and next to him he saw Miss Militia form an assault rifle of some sort with her power. She pointed it at the man, but did not immediately fire.

The newcomer, a young man with neat blonde hair and green eyes half concealed by dark rimmed glasses dressed in a fine suit, rose his hands in alarm. "Wait! There may be an understanding here!" The man looked over his shoulder at Armsmaster's unconscious form. His eyes narrowed, and his mouth settled into a hard line. "Who are you people, and why is my Master unconscious?"

There was a beat of silence, then Miss Militia hesitantly lowered her gun. "I could ask you the same thing. You shouldn't be here."

"Please, I'd like to think you are good people, but I'm a little lost right now, and an explanation about what is going on and why it looked like you were attacking my Master would be appreciated."

Miss Militia frowned behind the scarf that covered the lower half of her face. "We weren't attacking him. Wha-" Then alarms started to blare. The blonde man jerked in surprise, then rose one hand to his head as he winced in pain. Behind her Miss Militia could hear the sound of boots running along the cool floor of the Rig. She turned to see a group of PRT agents making their way towards her location. Meanwhile the blonde man grit his teeth, holding his head in both hands as the alarms horrible screeching filled the air.

"Ma'am, an agent was attacked two floors down, and we got word that Armsmaster is down too."

The American themed heroine frowned. So the "Holy Grail" had gotten that far already. Looked like they would have to add a Mover rating for her. Before she could speak, they all heard the blonde stranger moan. "No…no not now…Not now! Stay inside! Not Now!"

Guns rose and aimed at the man who was currently hunched over in pain holding his head in his gloved hands. Miss Militia rose a hand and shouted in panic. "Wait, don't sho-" The man jerked suddenly, a finger slipped, a shot was fired.

Time froze, and then the spell was broken by a whisper. "I'm sorry…"

Then the man lunged forward, his eyes red and his face twisted into a monstrous grin. Miss Militia and the agents around her did not let their shock get the better of them, and they opened fire.

None of them stood a chance.

[IRRITATION]

"How was I supposed to know punching that guy was a bad idea?"

A second ago, after finally coming to an agreement on what Servant to give the blue man (And boy was Angra Mainyu proud of his kohai) they had made their body round a corner only to find themselves face to face with a man in strange black armor.

Then Angra Mainyu made them punch him in the face.

And so now they were running through the building trying to find an exit while alarms blared around them. Angra Mainyu had expressed some relief that their body seemed to have some of his own Servant parameters, though diminished. The agility parameter seemed higher than usual though, which was useful, even if Avenger seemed displeased to see that their body seemed built primarily for running away.

Around them, they could see strange contraptions emerging from the walls, like small cannons, though with many lights and wires all over them. Recognizing the danger, they dove to the side just in time to avoid getting pelted by the strange goo the turrets fired. Tearing off a pieces of the wall, they began throwing shrapnel and debris at the turrets as they emerged, fleeing all the while.

"Hey! Stop right there!"

The hallway lengthened until its end could no longer be seen in the distance. This was no illusion, the Holy Grail could tell. No. Space had been warped, played with with greater ease than any living magus of their old world could have managed. They stopped and spun on their heel, in part because advancing would be impossible and in part to see the source of the spatial warping.

When they turned they caught sight of a familiar girl dressed in green with a visor over the top part of her face, her emotions as knotted in negativity as before. Angra Mainyu grinned. Two people who reminded him of that Master from the Fourth War? Maybe this vessel had a high luck stat.

Now the question becomes, how to do this? They were still trying to run away, but just leaving a potential Master like that seemed…wrong. The Holy Grail, ever the master at reading the mood, suggested diplomacy. Perhaps they could convince her to help aid in their escape? It seemed rather unlikely all things considered.

Alternatively, the remnant suggested they do a repeat of what they did with the blue man. Make her a Master on the spot, overcharge the whole process and run away while she was in pain or unconscious. Running away otherwise seemed impossible given her impressive ability, after all.

Then again, there was a more direct route. Angra Mainyu was sure they could land a hit on the girl before she could do the weird space warp thing again. After that they could even take her with them, explain the whole situation to her later and maybe make her a Master.

OPTIONS:

[] Best not to make any enemies. Perhaps this girl can be reasoned with.

[] Make the girl a Master and use that as a distraction to escape.

[] Punch and kidnap her. She'll understand later.

OMAKE:
[X] Kiss her

Vista was confused. The girl seemed so…relaxed all of a sudden. Normally she would have been insulted, maybe thinking that the villain wasn't taking her seriously, but the girl's face ruined that theory.

The bloody girl was smiling, batting her eyelashes, and blushing. The strange girl rose a single hand and demurely waved at the young Ward.

This…this was wrong on so many levels.

Then, in an instant, the girl was right in front of her, one foot placed behind her ankles to knock her back, only for Vista to be caught in the villain's arms. She gently moved a strand of hair out of her face.

"Don't worry if they don't appreciate you. I will." And then she leaned in and…

"WAIT! WAIT! WAIT! NO! YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!"

[CONFUSION]

"This one always speaks with the utmost sincerity. This one believes this to be the wisest course of action."

[AGREEMENT]

"YOU STAY OUT OF THIS! Ugh…listen, I don't know what you are on right now-"

"This one has no true physical form, and therefore can not be placed upon anything."

"-but this plan is DUMB. No. We are not doing this."

[DISAPPOINTMENT]

"I SHOULD BE THE ONE DISAPPOINTED! IN YOU! IN BOTH OF YOU!"

FacelessDoll · Feb 16, 2018

Rejection 1.7

The girl could warp space. Such an ability was extremely annoying to deal with, but he had felt her negativity before. The anger, frustration, jealousy, inferiority…he felt it, and it was telling. She was young, and had gained proficiency in her skill but not mastery. He was not particularly fast by the standards of a Servant, but even a slow Servant was far faster than a human.

He could reach her before she had time to react, of this he was certain. Even so, Angra Mainyu reached into the Grail's power in preparation for what came next.

They moved. In a single motion a strange weapon appeared in their hand and was thrown. It could function as a throwing dagger or shortsword, and several blades branched off from the handle, like demonic claws or fangs, The black blade curved in a downward arc, and the green girl almost didn't react in time. For a moment the weapon, Zarich, slowed, but she still had to roll to the side to dodge the blade as it fell.

By the time she was upright Angra Mainyu had already closed the distance. The girl's mouth, one of the only parts of her face visible, opened in shock.

"Boop." Angra Mainyu made them say as their knuckles met her nose.

The girl fell back, her nose bleeding and her breathing becoming slow and even. Angra Mainyu made them smile as their body lifted the green girl and threw her over their shoulder.

Maybe they could find a big sack somewhere. Angra Mainyu always wanted to try his hand at being a Santa Servant. Admittedly, the only gift he'd have in the hypothetical sack would be for himself, but it was close enough.

Miss Militia was starting to get just a little frustrated with the situation as more of her bullets proved to be entirely ineffective at hurting the blonde man currently rampaging around the PRT dragging around Armsmaster by his ankle. "Come! Come! Come! Come!" The man had began shouting that like some sort of demented mantra as he chased Miss Militia through the Rig (and away from the agents he had nearly killed).

He was fast, as evidenced by the fact that he had been able to dodge everytime one of the automated turrets tried to spray him with containment foam, yet he hadn't caught up with her yet. No. He had chosen not to catch up with her yet. His frenzied expression only became more euphoric the longer the chase lasted. He wanted to see her struggle before she died.

And then Armsmaster woke up.

Miss Militia had never heard her colleague swear before, so was quite shocked where she heard his dull monotone voice uttered a small "what the fuck" as he was dragged along the floor, bouncing as he did.

Turned his head to look at the armored man out of the corner of his eye, one side of his savage grin clearly visible to the hero. The hero who found himself both confused, concerned, and annoyed. "Sup, Master! Had a nice nap? Hahaha! You just stay right there! I and 'I' will protect you! HAHAHA!"

"I do not know - ow - who you are, or - ow - what you are prot - ow - ecting me from - ow - but I need you to let me - ow - go. "

"NOPE! FUCK YOU, MASTER! HAHAHAHA!"

Armsmaster scowled. Okay, so clearly something was going on, and clearly this stranger wasn't going to listen to him.

So then, it was time to work backwards to figure things out. Last he remembered, he had been talking to the new cape, the Holy Grail as she called herself, and suddenly felt a great deal of pain in his hand before he passed out. Then he wakes up, is being none too gently dragged around the Rig by a blonde stranger, another new cape to fill out paperwork for, who not only seems to be chasing Miss Militia but claims that he is protecting him from something.

Presumably Miss Militia, which makes no sense, since she'd probably never attack him.

Now, that didn't really tell him much, so he needed more details. What had that girl said last? Something about him…oh. He had apparently met whatever criteria she had and decided to give him powers so he could participate in the war she had been talking about.

What had she said? "I've decided to make you a Master…"

Wait, was this blonde man a projection? His projection? A…sentient one?

There were many things wrong with that line of thought, he knew, but the pieces seemed to fit. Still, if it was his projection then surely that meant that he could control it, or at least dismiss it, somehow, right? Armsmaster attempted to use the power of his brain to make the monster go away.

It didn't work.

It didn't seem to respond to verbal commands either, so then, if this was in fact a projection, how was he supposed to control it?

Armsmaster felt…something. It was on his hand, or in it, or maybe above it. No, it was taking up all that space all at once somehow. Whatever it was, he felt power there, like he had been connected by the hand to a wire feeding him energy from a great battery. Remembering how his hand had hurt before he had passed out, Armsmaster focused on that spot. He felt that burning again, but weaker, hardly noticeable at all. The blonde maybe-projection's eyes widened.

"Oh no! Fuck that shi-euurgh! NO! NO! I WANT TO BE OUT!"

Armsmaster lost focus as he turned his attention back onto the blonde, and he felt the burning fade. The blonde man had stopped, letting him go and holding his head in his hands as he pleaded with someone that was not there.

Armsmaster slowly stood up, and he could see Miss Militia a couple yards away with a gun at the ready.

With one final shout, the blonde man stiffened, then ever so slowly stood upright. His eyes were green now, and his hair had somehow become neater. He looked around, seeming lost for just an instant, before his gaze landed on the blue armored hero. Armsmaster's visor helpfully informed him that based on visual analysis of the man's breathing patterns, the heavy rising and falling of his chest, combined with his wide eyes implied that the man was afraid.

Well, that or in love, or shocked, or shocked and tired, or…well, okay, that program needed work, but he was going to bank on that man being afraid.

The man bowed shakily, one hand pressed against his chest. "I…I'm sorry, it...its better now. I didn't…didn't mean to frighten you, Master. I cannot always control…'him'."

Armsmaster frowned. "Explain."

The blonde straightened again. "My name is Henry Jekyll, and the…gentleman that was just here was Hyde. I have been summoned here under the class of Assassin as your Servant to fight for you in this Holy Grail War."

Vista woke up with a splitting headache. A splitting head made worse by the forceful finger repeatedly tapping on her visor.

"Would you quit that!" Vista did not whine. Nope. She did not.

The finger retreated, and the green clad girl could now she who that finger belonged to. The bloody hospital gown girl was seated on an old rotting wooden chair so close that the two girls' knees were touching, the same cocky grin on her face that she had worn when Vista had tried to stop her. Vista looked around without turning her head, taking in the bare cracked walls and the piles of trash on the floor, as well as the window to her left, the only source of light in the room, which was covered in filth and mud. She guessed they were in an abandoned building in the docks, mainly because there were a lot of abandoned buildings in the docks, to the point that if she were on a gameshow and asked to guess the location of a specific abandoned building she'd pick the docks simply because the majority of such buildings could be found there.

Vista also noted that she was currently tied to the chair she was on.

The bloody woman's smile was like broken glass, sharp and jagged. "Good. You're awake. For a second there I thought I lost you. Would have been such a shame for you to die before you could accomplish that which you have dreamed of."

Vista narrowed her eyes…not that the bloody girl could tell, but it made Vista feel better. "So, am I being ransomed, used as a hostage or…?"

The other girl blinked owlishly at her, then laughed. "Oh no no no. Nothing like that! I just have a few questions. I ask, you answer, and then I let you go back to your absolutely stellar life where everyone treats you like a grown up."

…she was going to punch this smug bitch. Right in the nose. And she'd say "Boop."

Maybe being on a team with Shadow Stalker had more of an effect on her than she'd care to admit.

"Listen", the bloody girl began after noticing the young heroine's deepening frown, "I have no plans to hurt you or anything like that." So she says after knocking her out and kidnapping her. "I just want to ask some questions, okay? That's all. So can we just get started already?"

Vista didn't respond for a long moment, then breathed in deep through her nose. "What do you want to know?"

The bloody girl smiled. "Why did you become a hero?"

"I…I became a hero because I looked up to them as a kid, you know? Heroes like Alexandria were role models for everyone my age. I mean, I know its a bit childish, but I eventually came to realize, to understand, that I was doing the right thing, and so that's why I keep doing what I do, you know?"

The girl who called herself the Holy Grail stared at her, a piercing gaze that made Vista squirm in her seat. "Oh, I think I know. I know a lot. I know you aren't as satisfied with your job being as a hero as you let on, I know that your opinion of the other heroes isn't as high as you say, and most of all I know that you are lying."

Vista froze. Something in the girl's voice changed, and for a moment it was like she was drowning in tar, burning all over and struggling for air. For a moment it felt like the world tilted and she was about to go tumbling into the horizon. For a moment Vista thought she was going to die.

The bloody girl leaned forward, completely invading Vista's personal space, and laid a hand on the younger girl's knee. "You don't need to lie to me. I won't judge. No need to give out those nice little fuzzy white lies that I'm sure make everyone else feel so much better. Tell me the truth. Please?" The girl was still smiling that smug smile, but now there was a hint of tenderness in her voice. Like honey, yet still that honey burned like tar as it washed over her skin.

Vista found herself swallowing, her throat contracting around her own heart beat. "The truth, huh?" Vista closed her eyes. "Fine. Fine. Okay. The truth. The truth is…I never chose to be a hero. I became a hero because my parents made me go to the PRT when I got my powers, and the PRT made me join the Wards program and the Wards program made me be a hero. Honestly, had I been given the choice, I don't know what I would've done with my powers." Vista clenched her teeth. "Would I have tried going independent? At my age? Hah. No way. I'm not that dumb."

"So then what would you have done?"

Vista shook her head, laughing under her breath. "I don't know. Pretend I didn't have powers? Run away from home? Does it matter? Not like I ever got the choice."

"You still don't have a choice, do you?"

The green heroine scowled. "Listen, if you are trying to turn me against the PRT you ha-"

"Answer the question."

Silence, then a sigh. "Yeah. I mean, the Wards is a government program. Lots of oversight, lots of older capes telling us what to do. I'm the youngest too, so they treat me with kids gloves."

"If you didn't choose this life, if you don't enjoy it, then why try so hard?"

"Because…it's better than the other options, right? I mean, it gives me a reason not to be home. To escape, I guess. And where would I go if I tried to leave the PRT? It may not have been my choice whether or not I became a hero but I wasn't lying when I said I thought this was the right thing to do. I have morals."

The Holy Grail hummed and leaned back in her chair. Vista found it suddenly easier to breath. "So then, what you lack is choice. Now then, moving on. Let us play a game of hypotheticals real quick. Let us say you were never pushed into being a hero. Let us say that you didn't come into your powers until…hmm…right now. At this point you'd still be an unknown to the PRT, and the only person in this situation who would know about you would be me, and I assure you in this hypothetical situation I wouldn't tell a soul. What would you, the you of now, do? Would you try to live a normal life, run away, be a hero?"

The younger girl furrowed her brows in thought. "I…I don't know."

"That isn't going to cut it."

"I…no, no this is easy. I would still be a hero."

"Oh?" The Holy Grail crossed one leg over the other, almost kicking Vista as she did so. "May I ask why?"

"I don't want to run away from my problems. I'm not a little kid anymore. And trying to live a normal life…my life wasn't so great before. It's better now, and I don't want to go back to that. Not how it was. But…I'd want to at least try being independent. I mean, I know it is dangerous, but at least I'd be doing things for myself, making a difference instead of being given patrols where there is no crime and being made to show up at all those PR events. I want…I want…"

"Power?"

"Yes? I don't know. I don't want to rule or anything like that."

"There are a lot of different types of power. Power over one's own fate, one's own life, one's self…that sounds like it is what you want. It is an admirable thing, really, and not so strange a desire. There are many adults who are content to let the world decide their lives for them, but you want to forge your own path. You want to prove that you are the master of your own destiny, whether it be to yourself or others. Is that right?"

"Yeah…I…yes. That's right. I just…I just feel helpless. I have this power, but no one seems to believe that I can do things for myself."

"I believe in you."

Vista's eyes darted up to meet the gaze of the strange girl across from her. "What did you say?"

"I said I believe in you. I believe you are strong. I believe you can master your own fate. Get what you want out of life. You are still young though." She rose a hand to stop the rebuttals on the tip of the heroine's tongue. "You don't seem to fully understand yourself, or what you want. You sound so unsure of every word that you utter. Maybe it is precisely because you haven't been given the opportunity to be independent yet, or maybe it is just a matter of age, but you are dominated by what you want, what you desire, not what you feel or what you believe."

The girl seemed different now. Almost wistful. "You are figuring out who you are and what you want, but there is still so much of life that you haven't experienced. You could figure yourself out now, but in a few years you'd have to do it all over again. Man. Being human is pretty rough, right?"

Vista didn't reply.

"...well then. So what you lack is choice, what you want is power, and what you need is growth. Do you think you can fulfill all of that on your own?"

Vista didn't reply.

The Holy Grail sighed. "I guess not. People aren't really supposed to handle these things on their own I guess. You know, you remind me a lot of a little arrogant brat I once knew. He thought he had what he wanted all figured out too, but really he was just being childish. He found a dream to chase in the end though, or maybe he borrowed it? …damn, do all kids get their beliefs that way? Hah. Something to think about I guess."

The older girl stood up, pushing her chair back as she did so, and stretched. "Well, to be honest, I had been hoping for something more concrete to work with, but these things never go as planned it seems. So, you lack choice, want power and need growth. But most of all I guess you could use a guide, or maybe a teacher, to help you find all these things. Because, really, getting independence before choice seems a little backwards, don't you think?" The girl let out a laugh that washed over Vista, but didn't burn her.

The girl who was bound stared up at the laughing Grail and found herself…anxious. Anxious about the future. About where she would take her life with this growing understanding, and anxious because she wasn't sure she was ready to deal with all this. For the first time in a long time she felt her age. She wasn't sure she was ready to be unbound.

Angra Mainyu had faith in her though.

"Young hero…"

OPTIONS:

[] "…you are now a Master."

[] "…you are free to go."

Quick AN: I think it may be a little confusing, but I don't want to delay this any longer, so let me just clarify: Armsmaster did not use a command seal. He activated it, and that was enough to surprise Hyde (having sensed its activation), giving Jekyll the opportunity to retake control. Armsmaster never actually gave a command (or knew he needed to), and thus the command seal was not used up. Anyways, good night!

EDIT: I did not realize how long this chapter got. I get too into these Holy Grail interviews. Haha.

EDIT 2: Fucking threadmarks

FacelessDoll · Feb 17, 2018

Rejection 1.8

"Young hero…"

The Holy Grail walked around Vista, stopping behind her. Vista felt the rope binding her get cut and fall off her frame. The bloody girl leaned over her, practically draping herself on the young heroine, and grabbed onto Vista's right hand. She felt the back of her palm burn.

"…you are now a Master. Rejoice. All your prayers will soon be answered."

There was a bright flash of light, and Vista was forced to close her eyes.

"Right then, time to pick a Servant for the girl. She doesn't really have much of a wish, so I guess focusing on character growth is the direction we need to go, right?"

[AGREEMENT]

"Okay. Well, she needs someone to help her grow and come into her own. She is young, which is something we should take into account, and she does still want to be a hero. Given all of this I think the Servant that can most help her grow and learn is…"

The son of Cronus and Philyra, and the famous centaur mentor of heroes that trained the likes of Herakles and Achilles, Chiron is summoned as an Archer.

Chiron died when hit mistakenly by Herakles with a poisoned arrow. The pain was so agonizing that he pleaded with the gods to allow him to die, and so the gods took away his immortality and honored him by creating the constellation Sagittarius. Chiron, whose immortal parents had never loved him and who never spared him any attention, still regrets his decision to give up that one thing that was proof of his heritage. Even if they did not care for him, even if he does not miss it, Chiron desires to regain his immortality just so he can have proof saying "yes, look at me, I am their child."

A small selfish wish, he knows, but it is his own.

Famed for his marksmanship, the constellation made in his honor depicts him with his bow drawn, and thus he is summoned as an Archer.

Chiron is kind and understanding, and seeks a balance between strictness and praise. He will make his Master his student, and perhaps even become their friend. Chiron is not of the disposition to instantly hate anyone save for the most unsavory of people.

Due to gifts of wisdom granted to him by the gods, Chiron is skilled in a wide variety of fields not expected of the Archer class. He is skilled in close combat, strategy, healing…to give an idea of the extent with which his proficiency reaches, he was the mentor of Asclepius, who later became the god of medicine.

Chiron has a lot to teach Vista, and will be more than willing to do so, but overall she will be allowed to grow of her own accord.

"I think this is what she needs."

[HELPING]

"WILL YOU QUIT IT WITH THAT!?"

"This one believes the one known as Angra Mainyu is being too gentle. There is one that can assist in the growth of the green one. One needs only look beyond the kind."

One of the Three Great Authors who wrote such masterpieces as "The Little Mermaid", "The Ugly Duckling" and many more, Hans Christian Andersen is summoned as a Caster.

He does not have any real wish for the Grail, possibly because he is a pessimistic man who did not obtain what he wanted in life and does not believe he can do so here. Yes, despite having managed to gain immortality within the collective consciousness of mankind through his works, he did not die happy or accomplished. Rather, he believes it is the ultimate fate of humans to live unhappy and to die without achieving their dreams. Even so, he does not laugh at the efforts of those who choose to "try hard to reach our dreams" simply because that is the sort of society he himself wished could exist.

Because of the manner in which his writing captured the hearts and minds of the populace, they have practically become mysteries in and of themselves, and as such he is summoned as a Caster despite not being a Magus in life.

Hans is blunt and harsh. The type to call someone a garbage person to their face with utmost sincerity and without a hint of ill intent. He has a skill known as Human Observation which grants him an intimate understanding of a person through simple observation, though it is not limited just to this. He can effectively hypothesize about a person's life, likes and beliefs even without knowing a person's name. This is the source of his pessimism and abrasive personality. He understands humanity and this just makes him ever more misanthropic.

He is summoned in the body of a child, perhaps due to the thoughts of his fans. Indeed, his skill, Innocent Monster has corrupted his body to be in line with his stories. His legs covered in merman scales, his arms covered in burns, his body riddled with frostbite…speaking puts him in pain, though he persists in speaking anyways. The love and admiration of his fans manifests on his form as intense pain that he must live with.

Hans can help teach Vista about herself and the world around her, and will not spare her any details or baby her, but he will also not spare her self esteem. He is not well suited to combat, but his support abilities can help Vista accomplish her goals.

"Now, isn't that a bit too much? I mean, look, we should just let that man be."

"The one known as Angra Mainyu is being too gentle. 'Growth'? No. Such a thing is not necessary. One that is harsh. One that will impose themselves upon the girl. One that will give her a wish, either through degradation or transmission. When the girl understands the truth of humans, she will have a wish. Either to eradicate that truth or repair it. The one known as Angra Mainyu should understand this one. This one learned about humanity from Angra Mainyu."

"..."

[HESITATION PROPOSAL COMPROMISE]

Two that normally could not be summoned, but which exist within reach. The system is broken, but not broken enough to summon either. However, if both were used to reinforce the other, then perhaps the monster of rationality and the Master who inherited a dream could be summoned as something new. A new existence that was at once both Zhuge Liang and Waver Velvet.

This existence of Zhuge Liang is unlike that of any human, and as such the existence of Waver Velvet is at the forefront. This new existence has the emotions and feelings of Waver while still maintaining the wisdom and skills of Zhuge Liang. The resulting existence is strict and harsh, but still human. They will not baby their Master, and if anything will seem like a harsh taskmaster. Waver's wish is one he inherited after seeing the beauty of it in his old Servant's memories. To reach Okeanos, the boundless sea, though he does not believe himself ready to reach such a place just yet.

Vista will remind him of his younger self. He dislikes his younger self.

Waver was a magus, and Zhuge Liang was a master of the mind. It is no wonder that they are summoned as a Caster.

This existence is a brilliant strategist and experienced teacher, but is averse to needless kindness. He signs most when advising and supporting another, and, perhaps due to the haphazard manner in which this Servant was created by the novice remnant, his skill as a magus is not that far removed from what a normal person could accomplish.

Waver will help support his Master's growth, but his relationship with them will be cold and distant. It will be difficult to get through to him and create trust.

"...The remnant is reckless. The system is in a state of fragility, yet it performs such a task."

"Lighten up some. Besides, this is rather impressive, and this man would save us the trouble of having to explain the war to the girl. Or, at least, he could probably explain things better than we could, or any of the other Servants could."

[AWKWARDNESS PLEASED]

"Still, while I appreciate the effort, this seems more like a proposal for our sake than one that you yourself want. So then, kohai, what is it that you want?"

"This one desires a nap."

"Shut up! No one is talking to you!"

"Male genitalia of a hound. That is what the one known as Angra Mainyu is."

The "son" of the famous King Arthur and the Knight of Treachery who managed to tarnish the glorious legend of his father, Mordred is summoned as a Saber.

Mordred, who once had dreams of becoming a great knight and hero, was rejected by her father again and again, looked upon with such disdain that her heroic spirit was slowly eroded, and she became the willing accomplice of her mother, Morgan Le Fey, and led a rebellion to overthrow King Arthur's rule. Mordred, who desired to be acknowledged by her father, desires not to wish for kingship, but instead to challenge the Sword of Appointment and prove without a doubt that she is worthy of being her father's heir.

Mordred was a skilled knight who managed to slay the famous King Arthur, though she died in the process, and as such she is naturally summoned as a Saber.

Mordred is cocky, abrasive, vindictive and brash. She fights with skill, but much like a Berserker she loses herself in battle, fighting with a wide grin and roaring like a wild animal. She detests being called girly, and demands to be treated like a prince, all the while wearing skimpy clothing and acting like a barbarian. She is a troublesome woman that would likely take offense to a meek Master.

Mordred loves to fight, and will seek conflict everywhere. Even her Noble Phantasm, which bears her father's name, enrages her, reminding her of old grudges, and thus drives her to fight more. She will cause problems, and thus conflict. But should an understanding be reached between Master and Servant then maybe Mordred can learn just as much from her Master as her Master can from her.

Two children seeking to prove themselves worthy to be heroes, whose parents spared them little love and whose lives were so dominated by the decisions of others...could they grow together?

"Uhh...that is a bit different from our choices, isn't it? ...HAHAHAHAHA! WELL THEN! I CAN'T SAY I'M AGAINST A BIT OF VIOLENCE, THOUGH! HAHAHA"

"This one cares little for the red Saber, but the proposal is not horrendous."

[INQUIRY]

"You are right of course, kohai. A decision must be made."

OPTIONS:

[] Archer (Chiron)

[] Caster (Hans Christian Andersen)

[] Caster (Zhuge Liang/Waver Velvet)

[] Saber (Mordred)

FacelessDoll · Feb 19, 2018

Rejection 1.9

Vista felt the back of her palm burn, and she began trying to pull her hand away, but the grip of the Holy Grail was too tight. There was no escape now. Then she saw it. A glowing blue circle appeared on the ground before her, rings of light spinning and rising, expanding then collapsing into a single pillar of light. She closed her eyes as it grew brighter and brighter.

And then the light dissipated, and her gaze fell upon the figure of a man kneeling before her, a hand held over his heart. The man wore fine looking leather armor, a tunic and a...was it an armored kilt? His legs were protected by similar armor to his chest. His feet were clad in sandals, strange considering how he put in the effort to cover his legs beneath his leather kilt.

His hair reminded her of wheat, and it fell behind him in a cascade that reached his calves. His hair was tied in a ponytail low down on his back. He gave off an aura of calm, and Vista found herself unalarmed by his sudden appearance.

"By your summons, I come. I am Servant Archer. I ask of you…" The man rose his head and smiled at her. "Are you my Master?"

Vista did not respond, instead opting to open and close her mouth soundlessly in shock. The Holy Grail poked her visor idly, giggling into her ear (Vista shivered). "Hey, he's talking to you. Don't leave him hanging now."

"I…I have no idea what is going on."

There was a long moment of silence, then the bloody girl that believed in her stood upright and facepalmed. "Oh right…forgot to tell you about the Holy Grail War. Well, not really feeling it now. Your Servant can explain." Then she walked away to the other side of the room and sat down on the floor.

The mysterious man's eyes were focused on Vista, his brow furrowed. Then he stood up. "I see. It appears you have been pulled into something you are not prepared for. My sincerest apologies, Master."

Vista bit back the retort on her lips. As much as she'd like to deny it, she couldn't exactly claim to be prepared when she had no idea what was going on. "Why are you calling me Master? It's kind of weird."

The man smiled. "Because that is precisely what you are, and because I have nothing else to call you by. If you wish, I would be willing to call you by something else. I am Chiron, but please, call me Archer. It would not do to advertise my true identity." He extended a hand out towards her, and Vista found herself a little surprised by the gesture. She didn't often have older capes, because what could this man be if not a cape, treating her with such respect.

"...I'm Vista." A short response. Vista took his hand. "What's going on?"

The man let go of her hand and took a step back, looking now to be much more resolute. "I am afraid this may be a bit complicated to explain. As such, if you could please leave your questions until the end, that would be much appreciated."

The Holy Grail tuned the explanation out, though they did manage to catch sight of the green girl's shocked expression at learning that she had not only summoned an actual legendary hero, but she had summoned Chiron. This was followed by the girl asking why he wasn't a centaur and Archer showing her his horse tail.

And then the conversation started coming to a close.

"I must ask, what wish do you have that you would summon me?"

The girl refused to meet the older man's eyes. She bit her lower lip as she tapped the tips of her index fingers together. "I…I honestly don't really know. I want to grow…to be able to make decisions for myself…"

At this point Angra Mainyu chimed in. "She wants to be a hero!"

Chiron turned his head to look at the Grail in surprise, then after a beat of silence he smiled. "Ah, I see. Thank you Lady Grail." "What the fuck did he call us?" [CONFUSION]

The Archer turned back to his Master. "Is that true? Do you really aspire for growth? Do you really want to be a hero?"

Vista's hands stilled, and she slowly looked up at the gentle expression on the Greek hero's face. "Yes. Yes I do."

"Well then, I have some experience training young heros. If you would have me, I'd be happy to take up my old duty again. I am certain that you are destined for greatness."

Vista's mouth opened and closed, before finally she settled on beaming back at the man. Today had been quite the emotional roller coaster, but-

Where the hell did her new blood stained friend think she was going?

The space in front of the Grail expanded (shocking the Archer but only eliciting a groan from the container of All the World's Evils), preventing them from reaching the door. Vista glared at the older girl. "There is no way I'm just going to let you walk out after you dropped this on me!"

"Why noooooot?"

"Besides! Look at what you are wearing!"

The Grail looked down then back up. "Can I go now?"

"That's not what I meant and you know it!"

Chiron watched the exchange with some incredulity. Ignoring how strange it was for the Grail to be puppeting a body around, for his Master to be speaking to it in such a…familiar manner was just a bit too much.

"Don't you have anything to say for yourself?" Was his Master insane?

"...Rejoice?" Was the Grail insane?

Vista glared at the omnipotent wish granting device, as if silently trying to will the girl's head off, then sighed. "Look, you stand out way too much. And you look creepy. And you are definitely going to catch a cold or something wearing that.So…how about you at least come with me so we can find you some clothes or something."

The Grail tilted their head, their expression suddenly blank. "We do not require clothing."

The smaller girl began grinding her teeth, so her Servant decided to step in. "Lady Grail, I believe my Master brings up a good point. As you are now, anyone would be able to point you out. A Master could easily kidnap you to try to ensure their victory, and local law enforcement is sure to make things difficult for you as well. It would make things much more convenient for you if you were to find some more suitable clothing."

The Grail stared at him, and for some reason Chiron had a strange sensation wash over him, like he had been covered in mud, but just as soon as it came it was gone. The Grail nodded it's head. "Such would not be acceptable, therefore we shall heed your advice."

Vista's expression of frustration faded, and in its place was a smile. "Great! Okay. If we throw a blanket over you or something, I'm sure no one will bat an eye at you as long as we stay and shop in this area. Uhm, but there is probably, no definitely a lot of crime around here, so it might be kind of dangerous."

Chiron smiled. "I will protect you Master."

Vista frowned at him. "I told you to stop that." She then turned her attention back to her friend who knocked her out and kidnapped her. "We might be able to sneak you into my house without anyone noticing. I'm sure we could find something for you there, then we can go shop around the Boardwalk or something? Less crime there. Safer. Just a bit harder is all."

OPTIONS:

[] Get clothes here

[] Shop at the Boardwalk

OMAKE:

[X] "If these clothes aren't satisfactory, we shall simply take them off."

Vista's eyes widened in shock. "Wait! Don't!"

Too late. The Grail dropped their hospital gown to the ground, revealing herself in all her holiness. Vista let out a squeak and covered her eyes while Chiron politely turned his head away. "Please please please put your clothes back on." Vista heard no response. Almost afraid to look, she opened her eyes.

Only to find that the older girl was gone (Damnit! She was so surprised she stopped warping the space in the room!) and she had left her hospital gown behind.

Elsewhere the Grail calmly walked by a certain gangster in a metal dragon mask, who promptly called the police to report an incident of public indecency.

A child might see her! Lung couldn't let that happen to a child!

FacelessDoll · Feb 20, 2018

Rejection 1.10

Vista's home was not particularly impressive. It wasn't particularly large or opulent, just a normal suburban home in a nice part of town. All in all it was a very ordinary home that didn't really stand out among the rows of homes that looked just like it. Though at that moment it was differentiated by just one small detail.

There were two PRT vans stationed outside of her house.

It hadn't occurred to her how the PRT would react to her sudden disappearance, nor had it occurred to her exactly how she'd deal with them. She didn't think that they'd allow her to just go independent and train with Chiron, so she'd rather avoid them.

That was when she learned that Chiron could apparently turn invisible and intangible all at the same time, a skill that all Servants apparently possessed. He offered that he could easily sneak by the PRT, but that he couldn't carry anything while in astral form (apparently what the weird ghost mode was called), which meant that he'd run into the same problem, just now needed to sneak out rather than in.

Vista had a feeling he'd be able to sneak out just fine, but that he wanted her to come up with a plan.

The young hero sat in her hiding spot among some tall bushes for several minutes, trying to think of something. It was frustrating. Part way through her thinking she thought to herself "What would Chiron do?"

Then from that, a new thought. "What would his students do?" Because that was what she was now. One of his students.

"We grow bored. Are you finished plotting?" Vista couldn't help but pout at the Grail. She was a hero, not a villain. She didn't plot.

Even so…"Yeah." Vista smiled. "I have a plan."

They broke into someone else's house.

Well, okay, that wasn't the whole plan. The whole plan involved breaking into a lot of houses.

Vista realized that she was thinking of the whole ordeal in a far too straightforward manner. Vista didn't know a lot of Greek legends, but she did know about Hercules' twelve labors...or was it Heracles? Anyways, the point was, while there were a lot of stories where the hero was able to brute force his way through a problem, sometimes they needed to think outside of the box for a solution. Like rerouting a river or two to clean some stables.

And so Vista stopped looking for a solution by looking at her house, and instead started looking at...well...other people's houses. Her first thought had been, unfortunately, to just steal some other person's clothes so the Grail would have something to wear that wouldn't immediately have people calling the police the moment they saw her while they tried to shop at the Boardwalk.

Then Vista remembered she needed clothes to, and probably needed to pack a backpack for herself and would need to grab some money since she was essentially running away from home (which sounded bad, but she was running away to train with the guy who trained Hercules and Achilles, so it was okay!). Obviously she needed to get into her own home.

And then everything clicked into place in her head.

Vista looked out the stranger's window, her hand firmly locked around the Grail's wrist to keep the blood stained girl from wandering off, towards the window of the house next door. She saw Chiron appear inside that house, undo a latch, a open the window. She smiled. Compressing the space between them, she stepped out on window and into the other, dragging her weird friend along with her.

Vista had opted to initially break into a house down the street, out of sight of the PRT. They would work their way up the street like this, until they finally got into her house.

She had thought her plan was perfect, up until Chiron brought up the possibility of these houses not being empty. After that the plan changed so that Chiron would scout the house first, finding which room that they could enter was empty so that Vista knew where to enter, and luring people out of rooms if there was no empty room. The young hero had been a little embarrassed that her plan had such a big flaw, but Chiron's calm smile had set her at ease.

Vista tugged on the Grail's wrist as the taller girl started to drift towards the television in the corner of the room they had just jumped into. It was like dealing with a little kid.

They eventually got to her house, entering in through her bedroom window. Vista had a backpack full of clothes and other necessities quickly, and had changed into civilian clothing in the bathroom (She made sure to tell Chiron not to let the Grail wander off. For some reason he seemed a bit uncomfortable about that.). Then Vista had to find clothes for the Grail.

That had been a bit more difficult, but eventually Vista found something that would work. Now the Grail was dressed in some jeans that were just a bit too short (her mom forgot them in the laundry room the last time she was over) and a t-shirt, hoodie and sneakers that were just a bit too big (her dad's). It wasn't a nice outfit, not at all, but it would work.

Then they broke into everyone's houses all over again.

The Boardwalk was the part of town where all the tourists would go. It was considerably nicer than other parts of town, with cafes and clothing stores taking up a majority of the area. Crime was nearly nonexistent due to the harsh security in the area. Vista, or Missy now that she was in civilian clothes (the Grail didn't seem to care much about her name though), pulled the Grail along a bit faster. That higher security also meant that anyone that didn't look to be suitably high class tended to find themselves under a lot of scrutiny by the various officers in the area, and even if it wasn't making the Grail nervous it was making Missy nervous.

Chiron followed along in astral form, naturally. Ignoring his own outfit, the simple fact that he had a tail would attract too much attention.

Missy looked around, then turned towards the Grail. "Uh…I don't know what you like to wear…" The Grail rose an eyebrow at her. "...right. Anyways, anywhere in particular you want to go?"

Two stores caught the Grail's attention, though perhaps not for the reasons their guide would hope for. No, it wasn't the clothes that drew the Grail's eye, but the people.

One store was mostly cleared out, occupied only by a group of blonde haired men in suits and a younger boy. One of those men, looking to be in his mid thirties, wore a considerably more expensive suit than the others, and the three other men seemed to orbit him as he shopped. The boy held a resemblance to the central man, though was not as in shape as him. The boy was in his teenage years, and he seemed to be trying to keep some distance between himself and his, presumably, father at all times. Angra Mainyu could practically taste the resentment and feelings of isolation rolling off the boy in waves, though he seemed to be hiding those feelings quite well.

Another store, not much further down the street, was considerably more crowded. It was mostly filled with teenagers and college aged students. One individual stood out like a gleaming beacon, however. A freckled girl with brown hair that walked slightly slouched behind a taller blonde, her posture making it obvious that she did not want to be there, as though she were trying to will herself to collapse into a black hole just to get away. The tangle of negativity centered around her was potent and Angra Mainyu found itself momentarily reminded, just a tad, of its last vessel, Sakura Matou. For a moment Angra Mainyu forgot about finding Masters. For a moment it just wanted to hold the girl down and drape her in its mud, slowly removing all her inhibitions so she could let loose and-

The remnant forcibly took control of the body, manually flaring a portion of the brain just before Angra Mainyu lost control completely to send a jolt of pain towards the metaphorically drooling mess. Missy was rather confused when she saw the taller girl change posture, suddenly looking a bit more normal. She was even more confused when she saw the older teen huff, a pout settling on her lips.

OPTIONS:

[] Go to the store with the men in suits

[] Go to the store with ~~Sakura~~ the freckled girl

Quick AN: Before anyone says anything, I had already planned in advance who could possibly be met at either place where clothing could be bought. I will also say that neither of these two choices have to be particularly heroic. For example, I think it was pretty clear that Angra Mainyu wants to corrupt the shit out of the brown haired girl. Also, the Master choice isn't necessarily going to happen right away after meeting either of these people.

Also, going back to the whole "I planned choices in advance" thing, the people that could have been met had we stuck around the docks were Lung and/or the Undersiders. So yeah...maybe there was one option that was more villainous than the other...shrug

...and if it really plays a part in your choice, the men in suits are in a nicer sort of H&M store while the brown haired girl is in what is essentially a Forever 21.

Being the Holy Grail is Suffering... [Worm/FSN Quest]

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