Fate/Extra Re:Birth

[Takoe]

"You're Irish."

Surprisingly, the first thing out of Saber's mouth wasn't a answer.

"Neat."

It seemed like a brief, genuine praise, as she considered for a moment.

Click to shrink...

"It's not even originally Irish though..." he muttered, clearly having encountered this line of reasoning at some point.

"What's your ride?"

Then a eager grin settled in.

Click to shrink...

He perked up at that and a proud smile appeared on his face. "The greatest horse ever to be sired; Divine is his blood and unmatched is his speed and strength. Now, Come forth Amerigo! Ride like the wind, son of the Gods!"

With yet another flourish of his staff Rider struck the ground once more, though this time it was distinctly different. The staff hummed with magical energy as it was planted deep in the soil, shaking the earth apart and forming a fissure. A fissure of which the bottom could not be seen and radiated such emptiness that it simply had to connect to another realm entirely, if it even had an end in the first place. Yet from out that impossible, gaping darkness a faint sound could be heard: That of hooffalls. The sound grew louder with the moment and if someone well acquianted with horses were to listen thoroughly they'd notice that the rythm was off, as though there was a second horse coming as well. The reason for this became apparent when with a triumphant whinney a grey horse with a second set of forelegs shit up from the hole and gallopped through the air, making a few overhead circles before landing there where the now closed chasm had been.

"Amerigo my friend, it has been far too long." Rider said, laughing hearthily as he ruffled through the magnificent horse's mane. "I'd like to introduce you to Saber. we'll be travelling with her in this contest for a Holy Grail we've been summoned in to. Try and be nice to her." he continued after a few moments, waving at Saber as he mounted the unbridled horse without any difficulty whatsoever.

The divine beast regarded Saber with his eyes, curiously the exact same shade of blue as his Master's and filled with a deep wisdom and intelligence, before opening his mouth to whinney. However, that never came. Instead it spoke with a melodic and amused voice, traces of some nondescript southern european accent clearly present despite everything. "So, have you finally decided to let that half hearted vow of celibacy go entirely and get married? I must say, you certainly could have done worse. So young as well! Oh, you old fox!" Then he half whinnied half laughed in smug joy. Judging by Rider's heavy sigh and facepalm, this was no change of the norm.

 

[Jemnite]

"Well, if a city that's population is mostly, um, transiate can have tourists, anyway. But, you know; Lots of fancy churches to look at, restaurants, a few... let's call them art galleries here and there." He paused. "A casino or two along the edges, but the zoning committee's been trying to get them shutdown for years." The man shrugged. "I don't go to them myself: They only take Bitcoins, and the exchange rate is terrible." His face scrunched up. "I'm not actually sure how they haven't gone out of business yet."

Click to shrink...

Lancer perked at the mention of churches- back in her time Christianity was a religion imported from far in the west, barely mentioned or heard of. Thus, she never had any grudge against them- but she had donned her current face from a woman who was burning down a church with a look of sadistic delight- so she sneered somewhat to stay in character. Method acting was important, after all.

Speaking of which, she wondered whose face she had donned could be. European features, armor, a woman and French, if the banner was any clue. Nae nation but the French would carry about them a flag of white, of purity and power. Only the French claim such a symbol, and they would crush any other on the field of battle who dared take up their banner. Yet the make of the flag was in itself troubling. A female heroic spirit of France born in the age of knights and armor- that could only be Joan of Arc, but she was recorded to have carried a white flag covered in golden fleurs, not this flag of stark black and white. And her hatred of God, surprising given her holy reputation.

Could she have denounced God in her final moments, bitter at the way his power was used to hurt her? Internalized the flames as a sign of her final betrayal? Lancer almost gave serious thought to the matter but realized...

She didn't actually a give a shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit. WHO CARED? She was just wearing Joan's face to screw around- she could discard it easily enough.

He then glanced back at his charges. "Don't worry about that to much: Aside for the Heroic Spirit thing, this happens all the time. Just don't make eye contact and keep walking."

Click to shrink...

Lancer snorted in derision. "What sort of self righteous, impudent fool would announce his entrance like that? His buffoonery is both grand and stupid. Nothing good will come of idiots such as these."

Wait a minute. Lancer looked around- oh, right. "Present company excluded of course," she said to Archer.

 

[Nanimani]

The interior hall of the tower's ground floor sported warmly-colored walls and a velvet rug that gave it an almost cozy feel. Music echoed through the building from some unknown source, probably a design of the Moon Cell itself. Both sides of the hall were lined with elevator doors of varying shapes and sizes that seemed to stretch on forever, which was a boon for the incoming tide of Heroic Spirits and Spiritron Hackers who were starting to feel a bit cramped getting through the bottleneck that was the door. Each elevator door was outfitted with an up button and a down button on a panel beside its respective door for reasons that most likely escaped the comprehension of most parties present.

Click to shrink...

Pushing a few more people aside, Jeanne saw the many different elevators. She also saw the people ahead of her that wanted to be in said elevators. With a spark of will, a wall of flame sprang to life, blocking one of the smaller elevators of entirely just before one of the eager competitors could get in. With that, all she had to do was walk to the elevator, undo the firewall, and step over the corpses of those that though they could totally get through the fire into the elevator.

As the doors were closing, hands latched on, beginning to pull them apart for the mindless hordes to enter and cram the elevator's occupant to the wall for lack of space. Said occupant, of course, wasn't having it. The sharp tip of her banner thrust out through the doors again and again, coming back with new virtual blood each time, until eventually those near her elevator either though better of trying to forcefully gain entry or found themselves physically unable to do so. The doors finally closing, Jeanne pressed the up arrow and was finally able to enjoy her trip up the tower in peace.

 

[EnderofWorlds]

The Young girl looked up from the safeties of the bench to look up and watched as the 2/3 divine being 1/3 mortal came from the heavens to show just how awesome he is. "What," was all she could say. Even the archer and redhead looked up to see what's going even. Even the suspiciously suspicious man looked to see what's happening.

Click to shrink...

-and was promptly vaporized by a stray bolt of lighting from on high, leaving behind nothing but a blackened smear on the sidewalk where he once stood.

Click to shrink...

The mighty King of Heroes looked at the feeble mongrels who's minds couldn't handle his sheer majesty in disdain. For if this meager display of his glorious splendor was enough to break them, then they clearly weren't going to be as entertaining as he had initially anticipated. Thus, they were somewhat beneath his notice unless whimsy brought on by utter boredom took hold of him.

Grigori felt the tingle of static across his body, and ducked low just in time for the lightning bolt streaking their way to hit a steel sign post instead of him: The metal... didn't do anything, actually, because the sign was a lazily put together virtual billboard that didn't have enough depth to experience wear.

He'd... have to take that up with the Public Quality Commission, actually: That kind of shoddy work is what had cost them a trophy from the National Civic League.

After a moment of contemplation, he glanced up at the golden spirit bringing destruction and death to the city while declaring his magnanimous superiority.

He then glanced back at his charges. "Don't worry about that to much: Aside for the Heroic Spirit thing, this happens all the time. Just don't make eye contact and keep walking."

Then, eyes looking in any direction besides Gilgamesh's, Grigori resumed walking a little faster down the street.

Click to shrink...

This, however, he could not abide. If this wretched fool is going to grovel and flee in utter terror, then he shall do so properly.

By looking at your gaze as you judge him and find him wanting; the sheer despair of seeing his total worth being disseminated within your eyes mixing wonderfully with the primal fear of being driven off by your absolute might.

To correct this folly, Gilgamesh fired a volley of mid-power Noble Phantasms to cut off their path and gather their attention. And if a limb or two were to be shorn off in the process...well, it was no skin off his back. The mongrel should've known better than to have shown such disrespect in his presence.

Nanako watched as the CYBER DIVA was vaporized as if he was an ant caught by a magnify glass. The brain damaged redhead decided to fight the overpowered 2/3 god shouting more spouts of 5rd grade philosophy while the archer shrugged and walked elsewhere to watch from a distance. Nanako did the sensible thing, she screamed and panic as she started running towards the middle of the city.

@EnderofWorlds: OOC: The redhead is yours to deal with.

Click to shrink...

Oh look, another mongrel who doesn't know any better. What are the odds?

Once again, he educates the foolish wench of the folly of her misconduct, the same way he did the priest. Noble Phantasms solve many problems.

As for the brain-damage baboon, he couldn't care less; so instead he pulled out his auto-defensor and let it take care of things. The moment he tried to attack, it'd activate and fry him with a lightning bolt. Unless the retard did something interesting, this was the most he could be bothered to care about his worthless gibbering.

 

[Jemnite]

To correct this folly, Gilgamesh fired a volley of mid-power Noble Phantasms to cut off their path and gather their attention. And if a limb or two were to be shorn off in the process...well, it was no skin off his back. The mongrel should've known better than to have shown such disrespect in his presence.

Click to shrink...

Lancer idly snapped her fingers and a dervish of spinning polearms materialized in the air, each moving to deflect an errant blade. Most of them seemed to be warning shots, but some of them looked as if they were off target. By quite a bit.

Well one thing was sure, whoever this guy was, he wasn't an Archer. No Archer would have aim this terrible.

Though.. the weight of the blades was a little bit surprising. The polearms were all wielded as if they had her strength, so it wasn't enough to stop her defense, but she was certain that they weren't just normal meta. In a feat of superhuman ability she leaped up in a boom of air, and caught of one of the blades instead of bouncing it off her staff to examine it. Huh. It was a noble phantasm.

In fact they were all noble phantasms, Lancer realized looking around at the strewn about and discarded blades. Different ones, too. What sort of person could drive someone to collect so many of them? One or two was usually enough for everyone.

...compulsive hoarding, maybe? She knew a couple of people like that- they had tended to have anxiety problems or were depressed. Some were schizophrenic.

She looked up at the golden man floating in the air. Nope. She wasn't going to try to council him on his problems. Lancer dropped the blade dismissively behind her and then added a condescending sneer. Just to stay in character, you know.

 

[Crow]

Wait a minute. Lancer looked around- oh, right. "Present company excluded of course," she said to Archer.

Click to shrink...

She levels an offended glare at her companion ignoring the guy in the sky.

"It would be remiss of me to not announce the return of my proud self! it is only polite to do so! they would hear of my presence in due time anyway!"

Lancer idly snapped her fingers and a dervish of spinning polearms materialized in the air, each moving to deflect an errant blade. Most of them seemed to be warning shots, but some of them looked as if they were off target. By quite a bit.

Click to shrink...

Archer was about to bring forth her guns but stopped herself as her companion dealt with that.

Truly, she´s found someone quite useful this time around.

She folds her arms and gets ready to summon them should there be a need to. Complacency has killed many of her generals in times past and she would not fall to that particular blade anytime soon.

"How quaint. Points for presentation but minus points for eloquence and wardrobe. Too much gold, he should mix it up a little! even the greedy monkey knew to add some more colors to his wardrobe for contrast!...though that might just be Nene´s doing. That girl was always supporting him from the back. He was quite the lucky one." She smiled in remembrance of the foolish couple, how Nene would come to her crying when Hideyoshi went on one of his escapades to indulge in his womanizing ways.

How she sharpened her ninja tools and weapons as she hiccuped her way through explaining it all.

Ah young love~

She blinks suddenly and thinks to herself. Was that how it felt? All those old warriors like Gramps Hirate and Father smiling suddenly with their attention elsewhere. Is that a sign of old age?! she was not that old right?!

 

[Look to the Left]

Oh look, another mongrel who doesn't know any better. What are the odds?

Once again, he educates the foolish wench of the folly of her misconduct, the same way he did the priest. Noble Phantasms solve many problems.

Click to shrink...

Huh... Oh look... One my of legs are gone and and there's now three spears in my back pinning me to the ground... Was her thoughts as she laid on the ground bleeding to death...

I thought dying would be more painful... I just feel cold... She squirmed a bit to look at the people running pass her in fear, some drunkards too in their drinks to notice the 2/3 divine and that one stupid kid staring at her. She decided to engage in her vice one last time in her dying moments since it's was basically her last. "C;ash Gr@b... " she said unleashing her program on the people around her.

At first it glitched out and gave 1400 yen to the stupid kid. She had to use it a second time to get it back along with an extra 100 American dollars. She used it on the drunkards and got a meager 5 Canadian bucks. She continued using it (with the occasional glitch) on the people around her until a heap of money from different countries, plus 60 bitcoins, surrounded her as she slowly bleeds out more. "Oh money... Your my only friend... I may not have become a billionaire but at least I'll die happy... Surrounded by fucktons of money... Wonder if I'll go to hell for this... Eh... Doesn't matter I guess..." She said to herself as her eyesight slowly turns dark.

 

[EnderofWorlds]

Lancer idly snapped her fingers and a dervish of spinning polearms materialized in the air, each moving to deflect an errant blade. Most of them seemed to be warning shots, but some of them looked as if they were off target. By quite a bit.

Well one thing was sure, whoever this guy was, he wasn't an Archer. No Archer would have aim this terrible.

Though.. the weight of the blades was a little bit surprising. The polearms were all wielded as if they had her strength, so it wasn't enough to stop her defense, but she was certain that they weren't just normal meta. In a feat of superhuman ability she leaped up in a boom of air, and caught of one of the blades instead of bouncing it off her staff to examine it. Huh. It was a noble phantasm.

In fact they were all noble phantasms, Lancer realized looking around at the strewn about and discarded blades. Different ones, too. What sort of person could drive someone to collect so many of them? One or two was usually enough for everyone.

...compulsive hoarding, maybe? She knew a couple of people like that- they had tended to have anxiety problems or were depressed. Some were schizophrenic.

She looked up at the golden man floating in the air. Nope. She wasn't going to try to council him on his problems. Lancer dropped the blade dismissively behind her and then added a condescending sneer. Just to stay in character, you know.

Click to shrink...

Oh? A mongrel bitch dares to interfere? How amusing. He took note of their appearance and their abilities, if only so that he may grind them into the dust for later. But, a single thing of interest does little to change how utterly du-

Huh... Oh look... One my of legs are gone and and there's now three spears in my back pinning me to the ground... Was her thoughts as she laid on the ground bleeding to death...

I thought dying would be more painful... I just feel cold... She squirmed a bit to look at the people running pass her in fear, some drunkards too in their drinks to notice the 2/3 divine and that one stupid kid staring at her. She decided to engage in her vice one last time in her dying moments since it's was basically her last. "C;ash Gr@b... " she said unleashing her program on the people around her.

At first it glitch out and gave 1400 yen to the stupid kid. She had to use it a second time to get it back along with an extra 100 American dollars. She used it on the drunkards and got a meager 5 Canadian bucks. She continued using it (with the occasional glitch) on the people around her until a heap of money from different countries, plus 60 bitcoins, surrounded her as she slowly bleeds out more. "Oh money... Your my only friend... I may not have become a billionaire but at least I'll die happy... Surrounded by fucktons of money... Wonder if I'll go to hell for this... Eh... Doesn't matter I guess..." She said to herself as her eyesight slowly turns dark.

Click to shrink...

"Heh..."

The wretch had been inadvertently struck down by his weapons, dying in their last moments.

"Heheheh..."

And yet, with her dying breath; she didn't even try to save herself. Instead she simply reached out and greedily took as much money as she possibly could. Indulging in that base and disgusting desire of greed.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!"

How glorious.

Gilgamesh floated down and returned all his blades back into the Gate, while also pulling out several elixirs. One was meant to erase injuries and restore life, but the rest? He supposed the could be considered a 'reward' for amusing the king so.

He spoke to the girl as he doused her with all the magical potions simultaneously, "Rejoice, girl. For your boundless greed and desire has...amused me. Continue to entertain me so and I may find fit to indulge in affording you the smallest margin of the favor of the King. Be grateful, for such a blessing would normally be beyond you, if so many already here were so...disappointing."

 

[Ψυχή]

Calmly walking northward, Assassin soon found themselves in a lovely park —

During her battle of great concentration against the code menace, the young Nanako Kujo was all but oblivious to the ongoing mayhem around her. Such as the projectiles chewing through concrete at supersonic speeds that whipped by her a bit too close to comfort, accompanied by violent back-and-forth shouting of 5th grade philosophy between the perpetrator of the ranged offense and some redhead who was probably brain-damaged. Oh well, it was not her place to judge.

At some point in her Herculean endeavor (speaking of which, was that the actual Hercules swatting Servants aside in the distance over there?), a stranger snacking on a chili dog had seated themselves on the edge of the park bench, half of which was now terminated in a jagged mess of splintered artificial wood from the aforementioned Archer's efforts. Nanako had been taught well in the perils of stranger danger, but the man seemed mostly harmless despite his douchey gelled-up green hairdo and neon pink shirt emblazoned with the text 'CYBER DIVA.' He motioned as if to take a bite out of the hot dog that had been burdened with a mountain of ground beef, beans, onions, cheese and assorted other toppings, but a stray arrow from the ongoing conflict exploded the tube of pig meat out of his grasp, bun, toppings and all. His fingers were not coated in a messy mixture of what had once been a perfectly good dog, but he was so thoroughly outraged that he pulled a false phone from his pockets that expanded into a digital screen so he could update his social media profile in utter rage.

Another arrow zipped by, this time puncturing his trachea. He tugged frantically at the child's book while attempting to ask for her to call for help, but all that came out were sputtering coughs and bloody gags.

Click to shrink...

— perhaps one that had seen better up until today...

The mighty King of Heroes looked at the feeble mongrels who's minds couldn't handle his sheer majesty in disdain. For if this meager display of his glorious splendor was enough to break them, then they clearly weren't going to be as entertaining as he had initially anticipated. Thus, they were somewhat beneath his notice unless whimsy brought on by utter boredom took hold of him.

This, however, he could not abide. If this wretched fool is going to grovel and flee in utter terror, then he shall do so properly.

By looking at your gaze as you judge him and find him wanting; the sheer despair of seeing his total worth being disseminated within your eyes mixing wonderfully with the primal fear of being driven off by your absolute might.

To correct this folly, Gilgamesh fired a volley of mid-power Noble Phantasms to cut off their path and gather their attention. And if a limb or two were to be shorn off in the process...well, it was no skin off his back. The mongrel should've known better than to have shown such disrespect in his presence.

Oh look, another mongrel who doesn't know any better. What are the odds?

Once again, he educates the foolish wench of the folly of her misconduct, the same way he did the priest. Noble Phantasms solve many problems.

As for the brain-damage baboon, he couldn't care less; so instead he pulled out his auto-defensor and let it take care of things. The moment he tried to attack, it'd activate and fry him with a lightning bolt. Unless the retard did something interesting, this was the most he could be bothered to care about his worthless gibbering.

Click to shrink...

...but the underlying 'natural' beauty still had a unique serenity — with Noble Phantasms strewn about. It was almost as if this world offered him tempting easy pickings for the fortune of fate he had granted upon the loser in the alleyway, like a pity begat upon him for pity.

It would have been insulting to consider it as such.

Oh? A mongrel bitch dares to interfere? How amusing. He took note of their appearance and their abilities, if only so that he may grind them into the dust for later. But, a single thing of interest does little to change how utterly du-

"Heh..."

The wretch had been inadvertently struck down by his weapons, dying in their last moments.

"Heheheh..."

And yet, with her dying breath; she didn't even try to save herself. Instead she simply reached out and greedily took as much money as she possibly could. Indulging in that base and disgusting desire of greed.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!"

How glorious.

Gilgamesh floated down and returned all his blades back into the Gate, while also pulling out several elixirs. One was meant to erase injuries and restore life, but the rest? He supposed the could be considered a 'reward' for amusing the king so.

He spoke to the girl as he doused her with all the magical potions simultaneously, "Rejoice, girl. For your boundless greed and desire has...amused me. Continue to entertain me so and I may find fit to indulge in affording you the smallest margin of the favor of the King. Be grateful, for such a blessing would normally be beyond you, if so many already here were so...disappointing."

Click to shrink...

But it seemed to be a true challenge offered — a wonderful little twist indeed.

Assassin watched with interest as the weapons were subsumed in a golden light as an armored shining figure descended to an injured person, drawing potions from the light as he offered the woman his blessing for his amusement at her act of 'boundless greed and desire'. With such an attitude and so many treasures at his disposal, the identity of this Golden King was unquestioned in the mind of the hooded man.

And it made him all the more excited to have such a worthy obstacle to overcome.

For all the powers afforded him, the Assassin-Class Servant chose simply to step forward to a respectable distance and observe the girl's bizarre baptism by the King of Heroes. "Rather nice to see such avarice in modern humanity."

 

[Azrael]

"Yes; we should hurry," the saint replied, as she began to follow her. "I do not know if the Tower holds greater trials than this one, but if the one most blessed with common sense is not a Heroic Spirit, then our quest will definitely be more difficult to complete should she come to harm."

Click to shrink...

The interior hall of the tower's ground floor sported warmly-colored walls and a velvet rug that gave it an almost cozy feel. Music echoed through the building from some unknown source, probably a design of the Moon Cell itself. Both sides of the hall were lined with elevator doors of varying shapes and sizes that seemed to stretch on forever, which was a boon for the incoming tide of Heroic Spirits and Spiritron Hackers who were starting to feel a bit cramped getting through the bottleneck that was the door. Each elevator door was outfitted with an up button and a down button on a panel beside its respective door for reasons that most likely escaped the comprehension of most parties present.

Click to shrink...

Sliding through the now-open doorway, Mitsu looked over the hall briefly. Ducking and weaving through the crowd, she followed the lead of most present and pushed the 'up' button on the nearest mostly non-crowded elevator.

Turning to her companion, she shrugged helplessly.

"It seems we have naught to do but wait."

 

[The Out Of World]

Looking over his customer, Shopkeep noted that he didn't even need his ability to read people to tell he was dealing with a sort of egomaniac. One who had damaged his store, yes, and would require repairs, but still.

Deference was usually the right method of swindling people like this, so Shopkeep nodded.

"Ah, of course, your majesty." Shopkeep nodded. "Ah, please allow me a moment, I must fetch the oranges you seek from the back room. It wouldn't do to keep them here where the peasants could dirty them, not at all. Please allow me a moment, so I can ensure the fruit is high enough quality for one such as yourself."

With that comment on the nature of the poor, Shopkeep bowed, and moved into the backroom. Completely ignoring his stock, Shopkeep pulled out a bucket, with a gold coin at the bottom.

There were no oranges back here, in this store, but for someone who smelt of riches as much as the man who had just wandered in, letting them wander off to spend their market at a supermarket would be to go against Shopkeep's nature.

Fortunately, Item Creation was useful in this regards. In a way, at least. Shopkeep didn't have the knowledge to construct an orange, but by making use of that positive modifier of his...

Holding his hand over the bucket, the gold within it shifted. Slowly, it melted, growing all the while. Then, it grouped into ball-like shapes. Solidified again. Turned an orange colour. Became edible.

Ah, that was a useful ability, was it not?

Still, this was quiet an expensive creation. Those six oranges had cost him over a thousand dollars, and doing the necessary repairs would likely cost a gold coin...

Hm, perhaps Shopkeep could use Item Creation to make a replacement door and desk, actually. It's not like he needed sleep, anyway.

Picking up the bucket, Shopkeep walked back to the rich man awaiting him.

...Hm, the self-proclaimed King hadn't done any more damage to the shop while he had been in there, had he? Well, if he had, Shopkeep would just have to raise the prices of the fruit. Perhaps a thousand each, for now? And perhaps he could try and tempt the man with the idea of a 'Smart Phone.' If the average person was able to be tempted to immortalise and share their self-portraits with these devices, one who loves posing as much as this King should be easy to tempt...

Click to shrink...

The pharaoh nodded in agreement with the shopkeeper's sensible business strategies. The finest oranges could not afford to be stained by the hands of the unwashed masses! Only the finest fruit could be fit for a king! Upon his return, the Egyptian began to gaze at his bucket of oranges with sparkling eyes, his mind enraptured by the expensively crafted citrus. "Magnificent! Magnificent!" He spoke in an awed whisper, "See how these oranges glow with all the warmth of the sun like stars plucked from the heavens and brought to the unworthy Earth! I cannot stand not to have them all for myself; the glory of Ra commands it! What price must be paid to bring these sumptuous jewels to their rightful place in the sky above, greengrocer?"

 

[The Out Of World]

@Nanimani @Bondo @Azrael @MrEgret @ApocalypticFish

The masses continued to pour in the tower like a deluge, heroes and hackers alike scurrying to elevators along the seemingly endless hall to secure an elevator for themselves, but there was no small amount of competition to seize those elevators closest to the entrance. Be it for pride or petty reasons, several Servants began to squabble amongst themselves over the right to pass through those prized doors. Argument gave way to violence and the entrance erupted into a maelstrom of lightning bolts, blades, spears and spells as innumerable ancient warriors began a war for something inconsequential next to the narrow bottleneck of the tower's entrance, which incited much complaint among the heroes were still trying to push their way inside. One thing led to another and the entire crowd outside the tower became a warzone.

Our intrepid heroes thankfully had secured elevators of their own before the hallway became a battleground, much to their relief. After several minutes of listening to the music as the elevator ascended, the contraption announced its arrival at the intended destination with a loud ding and the doors parted to reveal something most unexpected. Floor Zero of the Moon Cell was a gargantuan city that replicated the livelihood of urban life without flaw. Floor One, though? Floor One looked like a wasteland. The tower from Floor Zero ended at this floor, its height coming to an end at a tall but no longer seemingly infinite pillar rising from the surface of what appeared to be a range of bleak grey mountains and mountains and more mountains that extended in all directions forever. The group arrived on a plateau atop one of the mountains' peaks, where the only feature that stood out in the drab expanse was an ominous stone arch the span of several houses placed side-by-side.

A man stood by the arch with a clipboard and pen in hand, dressed in the striped monochrome uniform of a sports referee.

 

[BlackHadou]

The divine beast regarded Saber with his eyes, curiously the exact same shade of blue as his Master's and filled with a deep wisdom and intelligence, before opening his mouth to whinney. However, that never came. Instead it spoke with a melodic and amused voice, traces of some nondescript southern european accent clearly present despite everything. "So, have you finally decided to let that half hearted vow of celibacy go entirely and get married? I must say, you certainly could have done worse. So young as well! Oh, you old fox!" Then he half whinnied half laughed in smug joy. Judging by Rider's heavy sigh and facepalm, this was no change of the norm.

Click to shrink...

Saber just stared. And stared. And stared.

"I'm not his bride."

It was a low, dark voice that was full of implications of suffering, as she spun with a huff.

"Your horse is stupid. I'll walk."

 

[Mortifer]

The pharaoh nodded in agreement with the shopkeeper's sensible business strategies. The finest oranges could not afford to be stained by the hands of the unwashed masses! Only the finest fruit could be fit for a king! Upon his return, the Egyptian began to gaze at his bucket of oranges with sparkling eyes, his mind enraptured by the expensively crafted citrus. "Magnificent! Magnificent!" He spoke in an awed whisper, "See how these oranges glow with all the warmth of the sun like stars plucked from the heavens and brought to the unworthy Earth! I cannot stand not to have them all for myself; the glory of Ra commands it! What price must be paid to bring these sumptuous jewels to their rightful place in the sky above, greengrocer?"

Click to shrink...

"I'm afraid these oranges are rather expensive." Shopleep noted. "Though I feel one such as you should find it affordable. Each orange should cost about one thousand American dollars. Expensive, I know, but I assure you, you shall not find oranges as advanced as this in the rest of the city. Even if you could find oranges in this city, it would be an orange farmed and picked by the unwashed masses, by fools who have yet to understand the glory of the sun."

Looking over the King and thinking it through, Shopkeep took into account the cost, and the numbers, and made another appeal to the King'd vanity.

"Though... For you, your majesty, perhaps I could offer a discount." He said, hiding his shudder of revulsion. "Your presence in my shop has been like a sun rising on a world that has yet to see it's light, and for granting your presence before me, I can find it within myself to offer a discount. For the entire bucket of oranges, I would be able to reduce the price to about... Five hundred dollars each? And allow you to take the bucket, for free."

Five by six was thirty, so that was still three thousand dollars, triple the cost of it. The idea of a discount hurt Shopkeep in his very soul, but perhaps it would earn the King's goodwill, and make him more likely to hear him out on his offer of a Smart Phone...

 

[Takoe]

Saber just stared. And stared. And stared.

"I'm not his bride."

It was a low, dark voice that was full of implications of suffering, as she spun with a huff.

"Your horse is stupid. I'll walk."

Click to shrink...

Amerigo was about to retort when he was smacked over the head by Rider's staff, the man himself looking rather angry. "An excellent observation and proposition, Saber. I'm sure this stupid horse of mine would just love to slowly walk through a city and keep his even stupider mouth firmly shut while doing it." He snarled before looking apologetically at Saber.

"I'm sorry. I should have known he'd do something like this. Too clever for his own good, this one."

"And yet you keep me around. Now what does that say about yo-" The horse tried to retort only to be smacked over the head again.

"Horses don't talk." Rider said with a no small amount of smugness.

"I'm not some mere horse to be beaten into submission!" Amerigo replied indignantly. "I'm a divine spirit! Show some respect!"

"Pot meet kettle." Rider stated with a full smile "Besides, you're already doing my bidding so drop the posturing." At this Amerigo looked around in shock to realize that he was indeed leisurely trotting towards the immense tower at the centre of the city. Amerigo then muttered something under his breath about animal abuse, though it might just have been resigned and annoyed horse noises. Either way, Rider was laughing jovially and motioned at Saber to move. "Come, Saber! I imagine there's quite the crowd near our destination by now. Wouldn't want to have to Noble Phantasm the lot just to physically get to the exit, now would we?"

 

[Azrael]

@Nanimani @Bondo @Azrael @MrEgret @ApocalypticFish

The masses continued to pour in the tower like a deluge, heroes and hackers alike scurrying to elevators along the seemingly endless hall to secure an elevator for themselves, but there was no small amount of competition to seize those elevators closest to the entrance. Be it for pride or petty reasons, several Servants began to squabble amongst themselves over the right to pass through those prized doors. Argument gave way to violence and the entrance erupted into a maelstrom of lightning bolts, blades, spears and spells as innumerable ancient warriors began a war for something inconsequential next to the narrow bottleneck of the tower's entrance, which incited much complaint among the heroes were still trying to push their way inside. One thing led to another and the entire crowd outside the tower became a warzone.

Our intrepid heroes thankfully had secured elevators of their own before the hallway became a battleground, much to their relief. After several minutes of listening to the music as the elevator ascended, the contraption announced its arrival at the intended destination with a loud ding and the doors parted to reveal something most unexpected. Floor Zero of the Moon Cell was a gargantuan city that replicated the livelihood of urban life without flaw. Floor One, though? Floor One looked like a wasteland. The tower from Floor Zero ended at this floor, its height coming to an end at a tall but no longer seemingly infinite pillar rising from the surface of what appeared to be a range of bleak grey mountains and mountains and more mountains that extended in all directions forever. The group arrived on a plateau atop one of the mountains' peaks, where the only feature that stood out in the drab expanse was an ominous stone arch the span of several houses placed side-by-side.

A man stood by the arch with a clipboard and pen in hand, dressed in the striped monochrome uniform of a sports referee.

Click to shrink...

Looking out over the massive open space with naked interest, Mitsu took in her surroundings. After a moment, she held her bloody cloth to her mouth and hacked violently into it, the dusty nature of the bare stone mountain doing her condition no favors.

After a moment, her coughing calmed, and she turned to address her companion, cloth still held over her face.

"An impressive sight, if I do say so myself. Intellectually, I am aware of the nature of this 'world', yet to see it with my own eyes is a totally different matter."

Indeed, it was one thing to be told 'the environments in the Moon Cell are interconnected yet distinct Reality Marbles'. It was another to take an elevator from a city with clear skies up to a massive mountain range.

Looking at the man and the arch, Mitsu voiced her immediate impression aloud.

"...A race?"

However, she quickly decided idle speculation would do her no favors, and began to walk towards the man to ask exactly what their first -or perhaps second? - trial was.

 

[ApocalypticFish]

@Nanimani @Bondo @Azrael @MrEgret @ApocalypticFish

The masses continued to pour in the tower like a deluge, heroes and hackers alike scurrying to elevators along the seemingly endless hall to secure an elevator for themselves, but there was no small amount of competition to seize those elevators closest to the entrance. Be it for pride or petty reasons, several Servants began to squabble amongst themselves over the right to pass through those prized doors. Argument gave way to violence and the entrance erupted into a maelstrom of lightning bolts, blades, spears and spells as innumerable ancient warriors began a war for something inconsequential next to the narrow bottleneck of the tower's entrance, which incited much complaint among the heroes were still trying to push their way inside. One thing led to another and the entire crowd outside the tower became a warzone.

Our intrepid heroes thankfully had secured elevators of their own before the hallway became a battleground, much to their relief. After several minutes of listening to the music as the elevator ascended, the contraption announced its arrival at the intended destination with a loud ding and the doors parted to reveal something most unexpected. Floor Zero of the Moon Cell was a gargantuan city that replicated the livelihood of urban life without flaw. Floor One, though? Floor One looked like a wasteland. The tower from Floor Zero ended at this floor, its height coming to an end at a tall but no longer seemingly infinite pillar rising from the surface of what appeared to be a range of bleak grey mountains and mountains and more mountains that extended in all directions forever. The group arrived on a plateau atop one of the mountains' peaks, where the only feature that stood out in the drab expanse was an ominous stone arch the span of several houses placed side-by-side.

A man stood by the arch with a clipboard and pen in hand, dressed in the striped monochrome uniform of a sports referee.

Click to shrink...

...Well, it was the only sign of anything for miles. So, it only made sense to go towards it.

She traded a look with Jean, and they started jogging towards the stone arch, seemingly racing each other to it.

@Bondo

 

[MrEgret]

Our intrepid heroes thankfully had secured elevators of their own before the hallway became a battleground, much to their relief. After several minutes of listening to the music as the elevator ascended, the contraption announced its arrival at the intended destination with a loud ding and the doors parted to reveal something most unexpected. Floor Zero of the Moon Cell was a gargantuan city that replicated the livelihood of urban life without flaw. Floor One, though? Floor One looked like a wasteland. The tower from Floor Zero ended at this floor, its height coming to an end at a tall but no longer seemingly infinite pillar rising from the surface of what appeared to be a range of bleak grey mountains and mountains and more mountains that extended in all directions forever. The group arrived on a plateau atop one of the mountains' peaks, where the only feature that stood out in the drab expanse was an ominous stone arch the span of several houses placed side-by-side.

A man stood by the arch with a clipboard and pen in hand, dressed in the striped monochrome uniform of a sports referee.

Click to shrink...

The saint sighed as she saw the expansive mountainside laid out in front of her. She couldn't remember the last time that she had seen such a magnificent sight. Not even her wanderings through France had yielded such a blessing.

Now, if only there was a river where she could take a dip, then it would be perfect. Perhaps that gentleman in the striped shirt might know of one?

Looking at the man and the arch, Mitsu voiced her immediate impression aloud.

"...A race?"

However, she quickly decided idle speculation would do her no favors, and began to walk towards the man to ask exactly what their first -or perhaps second? - trial was.

Click to shrink...

Martha began to follow after Mitsu, her staff striking up small clouds of dust as it impacted with the Earth. "An interesting idea, and this locale appears to have the space for one. Perhaps from the arch to the mountaintop and back? That would seem most appropriate for a gathering of Heroic Spirits."

Internally, she worried that Mitsu would not be able to compete with such august company. Surely, a human woman suffering from consumption would not be able to keep pace with the greatest heroes that Humanity had to offer! Can such a race really be called "fair?"

She shook her head, and dispelled her doubts. As a servant of the Lord, Martha would lend her whatever aid she needed on her quest. If it came down to it, she could always invoke her Noble Phantasm. He should be more than strong enough to convey them both to the finish line.

 

[Nanimani]

After several minutes of listening to the music as the elevator ascended, the contraption announced its arrival at the intended destination with a loud ding and the doors parted to reveal something most unexpected. Floor Zero of the Moon Cell was a gargantuan city that replicated the livelihood of urban life without flaw. Floor One, though? Floor One looked like a wasteland. The tower from Floor Zero ended at this floor, its height coming to an end at a tall but no longer seemingly infinite pillar rising from the surface of what appeared to be a range of bleak grey mountains and mountains and more mountains that extended in all directions forever. The group arrived on a plateau atop one of the mountains' peaks, where the only feature that stood out in the drab expanse was an ominous stone arch the span of several houses placed side-by-side.

A man stood by the arch with a clipboard and pen in hand, dressed in the striped monochrome uniform of a sports referee.

Click to shrink...

Jeanne took a few seconds just to look around. Really, this place was impressive, but the effect was... what's the word... Half-assed. If the Moon Cell wanted, it could've just had a warp instead of a fake elevator ride that wasted a few minutes of the lives of everyone involved. If it wanted to go for simulating the world, it could do that a lot better than sudden wasteland from an elevator.

Still, half-assed or not, there's definitely something to be said for the view. And how few people there were to get in her way of said view. Good thing she'd gotten up the elevators ahead of the rabble.

Looking out over the massive open space with naked interest, Mitsu took in her surroundings. After a moment, she held her bloody cloth to her mouth and hacked violently into it, the dusty nature of the bare stone mountain doing her condition no favors.

After a moment, her coughing calmed, and she turned to address her companion, cloth still held over her face.

"An impressive sight, if I do say so myself. Intellectually, I am aware of the nature of this 'world', yet to see it with my own eyes is a totally different matter."

Indeed, it was one thing to be told 'the environments in the Moon Cell are interconnected yet distinct Reality Marbles'. It was another to take an elevator from a city with clear skies up to a massive mountain range.

Looking at the man and the arch, Mitsu voiced her immediate impression aloud.

"...A race?"

However, she quickly decided idle speculation would do her no favors, and began to walk towards the man to ask exactly what their first -or perhaps second? - trial was.

Click to shrink...

...Well, it was the only sign of anything for miles. So, it only made sense to go towards it.

She traded a look with Jean, and they started jogging towards the stone arch, seemingly racing each other to it.

@Bondo

Click to shrink...

The saint sighed as she saw the expansive mountainside laid out in front of her. She couldn't remember the last time that she had seen such a magnificent sight. Not even her wanderings through France had yielded such a blessing.

Now, if only there was a river where she could take a dip, then it would be perfect. Perhaps that gentleman in the striped shirt might know of one?


Martha began to follow after Mitsu, her staff striking up small clouds of dust as it impacted with the Earth. "An interesting idea, and this locale appears to have the space for one. Perhaps from the arch to the mountaintop and back? That would seem most appropriate for a gathering of Heroic Spirits."

Internally, she worried that Mitsu would not be able to compete with such august company. Surely, a human woman suffering from consumption would not be able to keep pace with the greatest heroes that Humanity had to offer! Can such a race really be called "fair?"

She shook her head, and dispelled her doubts. As a servant of the Lord, Martha would lend her whatever aid she needed on her quest. If it came down to it, she could always invoke her Noble Phantasm. He should be more than strong enough to convey them both to the finish line.

Click to shrink...

Well, most of the rabble, at least. Still, Jeanne could at least go and talk to the NPC with the clipboard for what she was supposed to do to keep going up without a swarm of people all trying the same thing. And so, after some time walking that could have perhaps been lower if she ran, she asked him a question.

"So, what am I supposed to do here?"