[X] Have Archer get ready to evacuate the Tabernacle
Archer he may be, but his actual single-shot firepower is relatively low. I doubt his ability to take out a servant in a single shot, and in his wounded state starting a fight you can't finish very quickly is a bad idea.
Archer, get ready to take LeBlanc and the notes. Saber is out here, and I don't think she's friendly.
You feel Archer's frustration - it's against his nature to run from a fight. Warchief, I may be wounded, but I can still-
I know you can. But I won't risk it.. You hope you won't have to use a Command Seal, but you can tell you're pushing him. You turn to Caster. "What can you do against a Saber?"
"My Noble Phantasm should be as effective against her as anyone. But otherwise… she likely has her Class's Magic Resistance."
You haven't asked his Noble Phantasm, and you don't believe he saw Archer's, nor have you volunteered it. You and LeBlanc and your Servants still don't trust each other fully - you both know you'll be enemies eventually.. As for the latter part of his response, you know of no legends attributed to Richelieu being a great mage, and he was likely too busy meddling in French politics to develop the craft seriously, meaning he's left with only the innate powers of the Class vessel. Nothing to underestimate, especially in his special Territory,, but still a dangerous matchup against Saber.
Saber seems to be losing patience, and draws her wooden sword. It looks like a child's plaything of nailed together wooden planks, roughly cut into an approximate shape. "Very well! I will force my way in!" She effortlessly backflips 15 feet, then starts to charge the door.
Before she does, you call out, still hidden behind the window frame, "Wait! We're terribly sorry, but… which priest?"
She stops mid-stride, looking as if she was going to stumble and drop the sword but translating the movement into an extravagant bow, then bounces back up. "Why, how many do you have? I'm in the market, so I'll take the lot, as long as the price is fair!"
You and Caster exchange looks. "I'm afraid our stock is… spoken for. They're not for sale."
"Hmm, that's not the right answer." Red-orange light blazes from her eyes and she raises her sword. You see the patches on her costume begin to crawl about in nauseating fashion, as she cries out in a deep, booming voice, "WHERE IS THE PRIEST WHO TOOK MY BROTHER?"
Hearing no answer, she rushes forward and Caster raises a silvery barrier of force. She raises her sword high then brings it down, and the wooden prop improbably cleaves through the wall of light, barely slowing.
Caster opens the door now and stands in the threshold, clad in robes of office rather than armor. He is limned in silver, and the ground of the Sanctuary is glowing with that light, although circles of inky black, writhing like snakes, prevent the light from reaching her feet.
She stares at him. "You… are not one of the priests we fought. Who are you?"
"I am a servant of God, and you are an unclean thing trespassing on holy ground." He is a sea of serenity - he portrays no trace of fear or hesitation. You actually feel reassured.
She smiles under the mask. "Well, I suppose one dead priest is as good as another - I have no love for any of your kind, of this Church or those who call your God a different name.
"I am dead, but I will not leave this world today. But I will send you back, for I recognize you now that you are in my Sanctuary - Magog, you have no right to tread the World again." You see the crosses in the interior of the Tabernacle begin to blaze silver as Caster's mana suffuses them.
"We were invited! By a priest of your Church, though your God was not his true Lord. We came through the same crack he made in her prison." The light from the crosses through the window and door burns small holes in her costume, but she advances nonetheless. Her wooden sword is held before her, and Caster isn't backing down. In fact-
"Ultima Ratio -
Caster is about to unleash his Noble Phantasm. Do you:
[ ] Interrupt him and offer Saber information on Ivanov and his men, you're pretty sure that's who she's looking for.
[ ] Give Archer the "Go" order, have LeBlanc order Caster to stall her while you all get out of here.
[ ] Let Caster unleash his Noble Phantasm and go all in on the fight.
[ ] Let Caster unleash his Noble Phantasm as a distraction, then give Archer the "Go" order.
You see the patches on her costume begin to crawl about in nauseating fashion, as she cries out in a deep, booming voice, "WHERE IS THE PRIEST WHO TOOK MY BROTHER?"
Who would that be? I half-suspected her to be referring to Roark, but she mentions him later specifically.
Ivanov? When did that happen? For that matter, who is "her brother"?
If that were her master, we wouldn't be having this conversation now... unles Ivanov has more scruples and is less averse to the risks of leaving Masters alive than I was willing to credit him for.
So on further review, I think I didn't make it as clear as I meant to on the last update - it was meant to be a bit vague, but still possible to figure out what she was getting at, at least partially. She was almost certainly referring to Roark as the priest who invited her, etc. You can assume she made some somewhat cryptic comments about the events of the night before and her brother, which lead to you believe she might have been referring to Ivanov as the priest she was looking for. The stuff about the prison still hasn't been fully explained.
Oh, and to be clear, we're deep into non-canon territory at this point, deeper than we were already. 😅
"Ultima Ratio Regio!" you let Caster finish, and spheres of light fill the Church behind you. You have just enough time to do the mental translation from Latin to "Last Argument of Kings" before they coalesce into cannons.
Lots of cannons.
Arrayed and mounted on wheels and platforms, gilded and decorated with crucifixes and bearing Latin inscriptions. They all seem to be pointed at Saber.
Saber's eyes go wide and she stares at the assembled artillery for a dumbfounded moment.
Get us the hell out of here! You yell at Archer over the link. You're not sure whether the Phantasm will kill Saber, but somehow you doubt it will be that easy.
The first cannon goes off and Saber blocks the incoming ball with her wooden sword. There's a glow from her sword, and the ball… bounces off. It drops to the floor, oddly light, and you see it's been transformed into a styrofoam model of a cannon ball. She grins, and then the inside of the Church becomes bedlam as the arrayed artillery starts going off in volleyed fire. Cannon balls and grapeshot flash towards Saber, who dashes, capers and somersaults madly about in an attempt to avoid the projectiles.
Suddenly, Archer is at your side, a satchel over one shoulder, and LeBlanc over the other. He looks at you and meets your gaze for a moment. Will he really run? Or will he require a Command Seal? Then he cries out, "Up you get!" He grabs you and boosts you up and you cling to his other shoulder.
You look to Caster. He is grimly focused. Saber is still dodging and blocking the onslaught - she's taken hits from grapeshot, but nothing major. She's laughing wildly, almost seeming to enjoy it.
"Come on, we're going." Caster shakes his head. "No. It is my duty to eliminate this creature. Gog and Magog cannot be allowed to walk the World. There are prophecies-"
Of all the times for Caster to decide to have a Heroic episode… "Whatever she is, she's a Saber, you're a Caster. This is math. We're leaving."
Caster raises his hand, pouring more mana into the Phantasm and the cannons seem to increase their firing speed. LeBlanc shivers quietly. "No. I will redeem my name here. I will not be the villain of this war."
The smoke of the cannons is choking, the noise deafening. You can barely see Saber anymore. "There's a person in there! Do you want to kill them?"
Caster raises his other hand. "Then I will be the villain again… for the greater good!" LeBlanc jerks and you turn to Archer. He nods and begins sprinting away out the side window.
As you look behind you, you see Caster standing like a statue amid smoke and flame in the Tabernacle. And then, a wooden blade emerges from the smoke. Your breath catches… and Caster disappears in a flash of red.
You look back and see LeBlanc's raised hand, and a faded Command Seal, leaving him two of three. He meets your eyes, then turns away.
Archer covers ground quickly, injured or not. But in broad daylight it's best not to do so for long. He takes you through back alleys until you're sure you've lost Saber, then you both rest for a moment.
Caster seems to be sulking in spirit form, or at least he's not coming out of it. You look to LeBlanc as he leans against a wall. "Are you okay?"
"I'll live. Caster drew a lot at once, but I don't think my Circuits are damaged, maybe just a bit sore. He… might have been right to try what he did. If that was Magog, and her 'brother' is Gog… that's not good."
"Who even are they?"
"Demons, spirits, entities of chaos. I'm not sure exactly. Islamic magi sealed them away a long time ago. I'd need to review the Church records to know more."
"I'm getting pretty bloody tired of things that were supposed to be sealed away showing up and trying to kill me."
He shivers again and rubs his arms despite the warmth of the day. "I don't understand. I don't understand why Roark would be involved in something like this - demons and everything. He was a good man to me. Kind in his way… harsh only when I deserved it. I know he was involved in Church politics, and I always knew that's what the War was really about. Gaining influence back, reinforcing ties with the Mage's Association. But I thought it would help the Church help people."
Do you:
[ ] Offer him words of comfort
[ ] Convince him he needs to face the truth, no matter how much it hurts.
No, the things that were meant to be communicated were communicated. It's just they are vague.
Those were less like questions and more like notes we might want to investigate/clarify.
For example, Magog said she was "invited", and got through the cracks in "her" prison. But was the invitation explicit, or incidental? It is clear that Roark attempted to unseal/summon something he wasn't supposed to, but is Magog a part of it, a part that he deliberately called forth, - or is she a byproduct just like a centimani we fought on the first day was?
...are Gog and Magog one Servant, or do we have two Masters working in concert? Ivanov must be pretty scary if he and his Executors have done what Caster couldn't.
LeBlanc looks utterly distraught, and you're not sure how to help. How can you reassure someone who's had their whole world turned upside down overnight? At least the Mage's Association never claimed moral superiority like the Church did. You'd never been shocked by the idea that those you respected might have ulterior motives.
"...come on. Let's get some food." It would help with the mana recovery, and it would be good to get some real food - the snacks in the Tabernacle's basement had been plentiful, but not exactly healthy.
As the afternoon lengthens into evening, you peruse downtown Bayview's bewildering array of options - aside from the usual American chains, Thai joints crowd next to taco shops and sushi bars. You've ended up in a small Mexican restaurant and are currently working on a plate of tacos, beans and rice, while Archer devours his second of the largest burritos you've ever seen in your life. A television displays the news, talking about a girl killed in a home break-in. The nearly seven foot tall headhunter has certainly attracted some looks, but no one seems inclined to challenge him, and you're out of direct view of the street so you're hopeful you can avoid any other unexpected encounters.
Caster remains in spirit form - you're not sure if it still qualifies as sulking when it's probably best for LeBlanc's recovery.
The revelations of the morning are on your mind, and the mood is still a bit too grim to start on lighter topics. "So, who exactly is Ivanov?"
LeBlanc grimaces. "One of the Cardinal's rivals in the Church. The humble title is just for show - he's influential. He's adamantly opposed to the Mage's Association and hated the idea of resuming the Grail Wars. I know he's heavily involved with the Executors, especially those who hunt magi and spirits."
"Saber seemed to think Ivanov took her 'brother'. Could that have been Gog, then? If Gog was a Servant, could they really do something like that?"
"I don't know. Servants are much more powerful than humans, and conventional wisdom is they can't be fought… but the Church has all sorts of secrets and Sacraments even I don't know about. If Ivanov came here to shut down the War, even on short notice, he would have come prepared. I don't know that he really understands what a Servant is, but he knows about the other Grail Wars. He's not an idiot."
There's a lull in the conversation then as you all contemplate the possibilities. Archer finishes the burrito half he's working on and leans back for a moment, eyeing LeBlanc, and asks him "Why don't you tell us about your sister? The one you want to save."
He laughs a little. "Oh, Sabrina… she was amazing. Heir to our family's magecraft… a prodigy like you, Mishra. But… she reached too far, I guess. All Magi want to reach the Root… she thought she'd found a way to do so, about ten years ago. She was going to change her Origin."
You suck in a breath. You'd heard stories that Origins could change in unusual circumstances like long exposure to powerful Mysteries, but to do it deliberately, to yourself, seemed hubris.
He smiles sadly. "The idea was that your Origin comes from the Root, right? She wanted to change hers to "Following the Path Backwards". She hoped she could then use that to find her way back to the Root, since the Root is the source of an Origin. It... didn't work. Her Magic Circuits were warped, twisted, along with her body. She's alive, but she rarely stays conscious for long. I try to visit her in the hospital when I can. Sometimes she recognizes me enough to talk. Sometimes it's like she's a different person. Other times she's just asleep."
"Is she here in Bayview?"
"Oh, yes. Roark moved her to a hospital here when the project started. As thanks for my hard work, he said."
"What about the rest of your family?"
"Oh, they were furious at her. My father especially. They couldn't believe she'd do something so stupid. At least… once I told them I didn't want to be a mage either, they started being angry at me instead of her." He stares down at an empty plate. "Once they decide on one of my cousins, I guess they'll transfer her Crest to them, and then I'll be the only one that cares about her."
You want to say that you're sure his family cares for her, but your words die on your tongue. You weren't there, you don't know them. Besides, you know exactly what mage families can be like.
Archer claps him on the back. "Well then! There's a simple solution! Win the Grail. Heal her." You both stare at Archer, nonplussed. He grins fiercely. "That will be very difficult with myself and my Warchief here, of course. But when the time comes to face us, be a worthy foe. I want nothing less."
LeBlanc looks… less than reassured by that, but at least he's not on the verge of tears anymore. It's early evening now.
Do you:
[] Hunt down Ivanov and find more information on Gog, Magog and Roark.
[] Find Sebastian Tekkala, the last Master who was involved in the Grail's Creation, and try to get information from him.
[] Find Alicia Asturias. Since her father was working on the Grail, she might know more than she thinks.
Ouch. That would probably sting much worse than a betrayal of the Church's ideals would. A double cross by the supposed benefactor... and his sister doubles as a hostage now.
[x] Find Alicia Asturias. Since her father was working on the Grail, she might know more than she thinks.
"You sent Assassin forth, against instructions." The voice was neither harsh nor forgiving, but the speaker was not pleased.
The false priest knelt. "My lady, he is… difficult to confine. And murder is in his nature."
"Wouldn't it be better to say murder's nature is his?" A fanged smile crosses the speaker's lips. It is not a reassuring sight. "He does take after me, in his way. No, he will not be controlled easily. I cannot blame you for that. I think I would be disappointed were it otherwise."
"Death is part of the War. It will not attract suspicion. We are still hidden. No one even knows to look for us. And now we have one less enemy, and the first of the Keys. The others will come to us in time, and then the Lesser Grail-"
She leans back in the chair. "Oh my dear priest. I am glad you have such faith in your plans. But they are already going astray, are they not? Those two pests came out with me and were summoned into Servant vessels. The Tabernacle only damaged, not destroyed, and your little pet survived and gained a Servant himself. Little tangles in the web you weave, but together they add up." A hand tipped with small claws drums on the arm of a chair.
Roark's eyes widen in fear. "My lady, I took every precaution-"
She shakes her head. "No, you did well. Better than any of my followers in many thousands of years, to bring me this far. Not even the wisest can foresee all ends, and I do not desire perfection, only excellence. But I believe it is time to take steps. I will not wait for your Assassin to do his work in secret. Tonight I will start to call to those who will hear me."
The priest looks worried. "Ivanov is in the city. He never knew my true loyalties, but he could grow suspicious. And the other Masters-"
"Then let them be suspicious. I will not let fear control me, not even yours, as well intentioned as it is. I will not let anyone control me. You have grown too used to skulking in the shadows, and have grown to fear the light. Soon, you will have to grow to love the light again, when it is mine. But for now, sleep. And dream."
The wealthiest families in Bayview occupy the large hills overlooking the ocean, particularly the eponymous Bay, with the larger homes almost seeming like small estates. LeBlanc knows the address for the home of Martin Asturias, now Alicia's, and it takes you to one such home of middling size in an antiquated style. You arrive later in the evening, and find the entrance of the home is blocked off with caution tape.
You should have paid closer attention to that news report. But you recall the police hadn't wanted to release a name yet.
In theory, the death of a Master in a Grail War should be handled by the Church administrator, if the killer wasn't kind enough to dispose of the body themselves. But for obvious reasons, that hasn't happened here.
You look to Archer, and he starts to disappear into motes of light… before reappearing suddenly and throwing himself at you and LeBlanc. "Stay down," he hisses between his teeth, then materializes his weapons and starts scanning the area.
You don't dare move, just ride Archer's senses as his eyes dart to a figure crouched on the roof of a nearby maintenance shed. With Archer's eyes, you can see a tall woman, a Servant, with tanned skin and dark hair in two tight braids, dressed in a pale, sturdy tunic and skirt closed with a colorful belt. She has a rifle pointed in your direction.
LeBlanc gets an unfocused look in his eyes, and Caster appears to forge a barrier of silver light around you as Archer readies a dart.
A girl with purple hair and eyes, wearing a black scarf over a simple blue dress, appears from around the side of the shack. She raises her hands in what you think is a gesture of peace, and beckons you forward.
An Assassin wouldn't linger on the crime scene. Another of the Masters, then. It'd be foolish to pick up a fight when there are two Masters and a cooling body of a third one, clearly killed by another party.
Mages aren't the most reasonable (or sane) of people, of course, but I think the current circumstances dissuade further violence.
You're not going to expose yourself to enemy fire. You stare at the purple-eyed girl from behind Caster's light. "Who are you?"
"You may call me… Galatea." She meets your eyes, and her voice is thin but steady. "Did you kill Miss Asturias?"
She's scared, Archer informs you over your link.
Please keep your eyes on the woman with the gun, you fire back. Her Class container is definitely Archer… so there really are duplicate Servants.
You relax slightly, but only slightly. She's still an enemy Master, with your little group in her Servant's sights. "That's the question I had for you."
She looks viscerally offended. "I loved Miss Asturias! I would never have harmed her!"
"Loved her… oh." Several things about her, including her eyes and name, click into place, making you feel a touch slow. "You're a homunculus, aren't you?"
"I was made by Miss Asturias's hands and mana, yes." She stares at you. "Why are you here? Do you know what happened to her?"
Her lips thin. "I don't think that's any of your business… enemy Master."
"Please, it could be important. There is more to this War than we were told. The Church administrator, Roark, he…"
"His incompetence lead to the death of my maker's father!" She shouts, and you can see her form trembling. "And now you bring two of his lackeys with you to pick over her grave!"
"We aren't with him! He was plotting something, we just don't know what!" You look around you. The houses are farther apart here, and no one seems to be about at this time, but you still don't like shouting into the open air. You try to speak more quietly. "He called something, using the Grail. I think that's what this was all about. I was hoping Alicia might know more."
Caster murmurs to you. "I wonder… if she was so loyal to Miss Asturias… why was she not there to defend her against her assailant?"
That's a good question. You feel a bit of a chill, and not just from the night air, as you examine the artificial lifeform before you. There are a hundred stories of homunculi going rogue… far more stories than there are recorded incidents in mage history, but it has happened… horrifically so. Just who was Galatea? What had been her real relationship to Alicia?
"We don't want to loot anything. Maybe… we could go through her house together? I just want to see if there are any clues about what Cardinal Roark planned."
She shares a look with her Servant. Discussing by telepathy. It takes many agonizing seconds. "My Archer will hold one of you hostage. I will accompany the other alone."
LeBlanc nods to you, and gestures slightly to his wound wrappings. "I'll do it. This could be important."
You nod, and LeBlanc slowly walks towards the shack as you and Galatea move towards the Asturias residence, your paths meeting before the door.
You feel the wisps of defenses, but whoever broke in, plus the flow of law enforcement in and out, seems to have worn them away.
A CSI is still in the entrance room and begins to shout "Hey-" before a wave of your hand puts him into a trance and a few sung notes from Galatea lulls him to sleep.
"Where should we look?"
Galatea turns and leads you into the house. It's not quite a mansion, but it's well appointed - books and objects of curiosity and small power decorate the walls. You quickly find yourself in a crime scene. Blood is pooled on the floor, and evidence tags and notes are laid out seemingly haphazardly. You see copies of crime scene photos, still showing Alicia's body.
You extend your senses to Archer. Can you make something of this? His skills as a tracker might reveal something.
You can feel him taking in the small details, piecing it together. She was sitting in that chair… she stood up suddenly and turned. She was cut with a blade across the chest… she cast something at him, it hit him partially, but he dodged part of it then she collapsed… then her head was bashed in. He was a tall man, powerful.
You don't feel like sharing the blow by blow with Galatea. You rather wish you didn't know it yourself. What about her Servant? Without an Archer's Independent Action or an independent source of mana, he would not have survived her death long.
Not here during the fight, but… you feel him using your eyes, looking at a footprint in the blood. Those are bootprints. The killer's footwear was different. He came in after. Knelt beside her, I would think. And… walked to the bookcase.
You glance over to Galatea. She is distracted, looking at the photos of Alicia with a disturbed look on her face. With your mage senses, you can tell that one of the books on the shelf contains mana.
Do you:
[ ] Take the book privately and attempt to conceal it from Galatea.
