The Library

Within the depths of the massive Library, past the last well lit rows of book shelves, there lays a section that has not seen the light of day in.. Well. Not since the last time the Library had been called upon to aid in the Grail war. Here, the walls laid in blackened soot, the wallpaper cracked and damaged by flame that once took these halls. Bookshelves lay in shambles, crumpled remains of books that used to hold countless worlds of knowledge now lost. The mark of war had even touched this sacred place, despite it's guardian's best efforts.

A sore spot of pride.

Ancient eyes creaked open, dusty with age but still some light that glowed within.

"... I have.. Visitors.." It's voice, velvet in the darkness caressed the ruins like an old friend.

Creaks and pops resounded off the dried damaged wood as the creature stirred within.

"..Best go see if they mean to cause trouble.."
 
Magnan turned from where he had been watching Lady leave, looking towards the newcomer as they opened to door to the library. It took one look for him to start wracking his brain for any sort of clown spirit he had heard of, but came up blank.

Not yet out of the bored daze he had entered, as while he had been staring in Lady’s general direction his mind had been daydreaming, he wondered if, should he throw his shield, hoe far the scrawny figure would go.

Finally realising that this was another servant, he snapped out of his reverie and turns towards the garishly dressed man. Looking st him properly, he couldn’t help but notice the rather large gun. So Archer, possibly Mage.

Mentally warding Revenant back and out of sight, and towards the general direction of Lady in the hope of distracting her and her master, he speaks to the man.

“And you are?” His rock-in-a-blender voice echoed through the area.
 
Jannik watched as Lady and Valerie stalked deeper into the rows of shelves, only swiveling around as Archer suddenly entered the Library. He paused, giving the man a once-over to determine if he was a Servant or a Master, and decided that it was likely the former. He took a longer moment to suss out the class than Rider had, but he noted the gun as well, immediately guessing it was Archer.

"So, a Lady Knight and a Cowboy. Lovely." He'd lost any joviality from his voice, his nerves firing rapidly, warning him that he was liable to die at any moment. After all, Archer wasn't with his Master. A lone Servant, roaming freely, was bad news. That it was Archer, even with the class's independence, made it that much worse. He sighed.

"Perhaps our welcome is now overstayed, don't you think?" he asked, turning to look at Rider. "After all, we have some other business to attend to, unless you'd like to chat some more. If you do, I'll go back to looking through some books while waiting, though it might become a longer wait on your end." He chuckled softly, dropping any vocal affectations he'd held when talking to Lady and Valerie. They weren't important, and using any differences to throw off the competition would only serve him well, he figured.
 
Well, the other two seemed to have written them off like they were flies in the room. It struck her as odd because hadn't Lady boasted that the Servant was a good man? Maybe the thick magic of the library had addled their manners. Just as well, it was no lost love for her. She had research to do. Valerie was on her third step around the corner when the ominous sound of the opening door creaked through musty shelves. She stiffened.

"Well, hello there," a tense voice called out.

Valerie turned, dark eyes narrowing on the figure standing on the moon-lit library steps. The door closed solidly behind him on their own accord, locking all three parties in. "...Hi," she responded, voice tight. One other inquired who he was, and she chipped in,"...Don't suppose you like books too, huh?" She joked dryly, feeling him out. At the very least snob one and two around the corner seemed content to leave each other to their tasks, but would this stranger? She studied him closely, blinking at the heavy mass at his hip.
 
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Lady heard the large doors of the library open with a draft carrying a few indistinct whisperings. The magic of the place liked to taunt everyone it seemed. She could feel the presence of another on the otherside of the shelves and before she could assess further Valerie was already turning around to inspect.

Lady paused and turned to look at the newcomer standing there in his long coat and hat. The device at his hip wasn't some thing they had in her own world, but her Grail given knowledge told her it was a ranged weapon. A gun. This was their Archer and it appeared as if he had come here of his own will, such as an archer would do.

Slipping to Valerie's side, the swordswoman listened to the masters exchange with them. Mag and his master didn't seem to know this Servant either, which meant it was not some sort set up.

Lady kept her right hand resting on Sperest's pommel as she surveyed the man, and then nodded. "You have the look of a Ranger, Sir," she said, more curious than anything, "I am Lady."

Rangers didn't often perscribe to the code and the man would most likely refuse to give his, but the table had been set for civility. Another question crossed her mind as well. If he was a ranger, and at least a decent one, he would have probably heard of Max Forrester at that point. "Have you come to research the interloper in the Holy Grail War?"
 
Archer eased his hand from his gun, offering it open palmed towards the assembled group gawking at him before letting it fall to his side, maintaining a wary caution in retaining his skill's effect. At the barrage of questions, he raised a brow, internally groaning.

"Archer, and I'd rather keep the knowledge I seek to myself..." His gaze wandered over the swordswoman, a slight scowl touching his mouth. He recalled the other Servant he'd encountered, also bearing a sword. Drifting back to the giant in the room, his scowl deepened.

Three of them. While he could think of four of the seven using one, Assassin was highly improbable, as was Berserker. The former wouldn't be brazen enough to reveal themselves so easily, the latter would have likely already demonstrated at least aggression. That left Saber and Rider in his thoughts, which meant...

"Shit." The gunslinger muttered under his breath. He was almost entirely sure he'd encountered the eighth, and though Caster was a possibility, it was a slim one. "I'm going to guess that one of you is Rider, and one of you is Saber. If I'm right..."

"Then I might have a few answers I'm willing to share." His expression made clear this wasn't a pleasing thought, but he didn't see much other choice if his hunch was right.
 
The lights flicker inside the library where our guests have taken to socializing. Archer will feel the presence first, followed by Saber, then Rider himself. A very large and powerful entity is on the way to the front of the Library.

Clicks and snaps resound from the door as the doors' very intricate lock starts to turn. After a few moments, the door.. Locks.. Tight...
 
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Rider wasn’t one for talking, and as these wannabe-mysterious people continued to try and act all vague, he found himself growing increasingly annoyed. He had remained silent in deference to his master and general politeness, but the moment he could he seized the opportunity.

“I am happy to leave, Master.” He states, ignoring the others in the room. He had only seen them for a few minutes, but he felt something close to aggravation. Why couldn’t thing so be a bit more simple?

“I think we may have over stayed our welcome, and I fear for your safety with two other Servants around.” He says bluntly as he ushers his master towards the door, shouldering past the smaller ‘cowboy’. At a whistle from him, Revenant appears atop the bookshelves to Saber and her master’s right, watching wearily as the massive wolf leapt to land next to Rider.

Reaching a hand forward, Rider places his hand upon the massive door and... nothing happens. The sound of gears emanated from the door, and Rider felt a feeling of foreboding wash over him as his titanic strength pressed upon the doors, gears audibly whining but refusing to move.

“This... may be a problem.” Rider states, his body tensing and he hackles of Revenant raising as the duo was turned around. Something was watching them. It had locked the doors, and odds were, it was coming.
 
Jannik walked with Rider to the door, and at his words, he paled. If the doors wouldn't open, then he was stuck in a horridly magical library with another Master and two other Servants. As someone who was less than able to hold his own in a duel between mages, he realized the problematic situation that he was stuck in. All sense of cockiness dropped as the realization settled on his shoulders.

Despite his nerves, Jannik pulled out his scribe, quickly kneeling down to scratch a small glyph into the tile at his feet. When the metal didn't make so much as a line on the smooth stone, he settled instead for digging the symbol into the soft rubber sole of his shoe, taking the item off his foot and sitting cross-legged to do so. He repeated it with the other shoe, then set one on either side of him. Together, they would create a thin, nearly invisible, and very strong curved pane of force about a foot in front of him. It might not stop heavier attacks, but most small-scale stuff would shear off of it.

"Rider, I have no clue what the hell you're picking up on, but if you're saying this might be bad, I'll let you know that I'm about ten minutes from finding a good corner to hide myself in. I'm exactly zero percent keen on getting myself killed in this building, and I can only assume you share the sentiment." He looked over at the cowboy, and then watched as Lady and her Master poked back around the corner. The return of the latter pair actually brought a smirk to his lips, something visible to them. In his haste to protect himself, the makeshift cowl he'd thrown together had drifted from his head, settling around his neck in a rumpled mess instead and without him noticing.
 
When the lights flickered, Lady instinctively reached for Sperest's pommel and stepped closer to Valerie than what the woman was probably comfortable with. The pommel would provide light if the lights went out permanently and she needed make sure her Mistress was close enough to guard. There were too many servants and masters running around not to be on guard. Her eyes focused on the door which gave a heavy, mechanical click. They were all locked in it seemed, even those who could leave.

Frowning, Lady could feel something stirring at the edges of her awareness. Something old and powerful, and distant yet. She watched as Rider and his master fiddled with the door, the latter exposing his face to reveal a coy smirk. He was as young as she had speculated him to be. "It appears we have all been invited to stay," Lady said, tilting her head in the direction of the smirking man.
 
Archer's brow furrowed, as his question was followed by the flickering of the lights. The sensation of something approaching set him on edge, his mind idly wondering if he was going to have to unveil his Noble Phantasm for something entirely outside of the normal parameters of a Holy Grail War. The presence approaching was...substantial. Even within the magic-laden halls of the library, he could feel it. His hand found his revolver's grip, every skill he possessed priming for swift action if it was called for.

Even in this, he did not miss the telltales confirming his suspicions. The immense wolf that bounded to the giant's side was proof of his suspicions, and the reassuring touch of the woman's hand on her blade made him almost positive he'd guessed right twice in a row.

"So it seems, ma'am." Who could miss the sounds coming from his rear, after all. "And I was just about to mention I think I met our eighth friend in this war."

Archer gave a wry smile that didn't touch the hard, wary eyes that searched relentlessly for whatever approached.
 
The lights flickered again. The shadows slowly elongated on the floor ominously. Books that sat abandoned on tops of tables started flipping their pages as if a breeze passed them by.

A ghostly shadow floated towards them silently. Letters from the opened books started pouring from the pages and dripping to the floor like an ooze, forming and shaping into.. Something. Soon the blob grew into a massive looming form, the shape of a massive bird like an owl. However, where its face should have been, a porcelain smiling mask sat, its eyes glowing from beneath.

It slowly turned its unwavering gaze over the guests in its presence, studying them in an ominous fashion. It made no noise, and it wasn't entirely sure if this was its true form. The edges of its form wavered and shifted, letters running over its 'flesh' in lines.

Finally it tilted its head until it was upside down. "Good evening. Welcome to my Library. It would appears you are all contenders to yet another Grail War." It did not seem at all pleased by this.

"My name is Leabhar. I do hope you are all having a.. Pleasant evening."

Its accent was not of this world, and it spoke slowly as if unsure of the words it was speaking.
 
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Rider looked at those around him. So this was the person(?) responsible for the presence? Didn't exactly look like much. Then again, beast-lords mever did, but he'd seen many a brave warrior torn apart by fang and claw. Not to mention, the mask was new, and the disturbing way its outline seemed to waver was... distracting. Beside him, Revenant's hackles raised as a low, unearthly and haunting growl was emitted from what was left of his throat.

Deciding tact was best, Rider mustured all those long forgotten lessons in diplomacy, and spoke to the being. "Greetings Leabhar. Your library was of great use to my partner and I. We were just about to leave when the doors behind us locked. Are you behind this?" He asks, nailing it in his proffessional opinion as his deathrattle voice added to the weirdness of accents.

While he wasn't entirely sure what the being before him was, he knew it was powerful. The weird figure and presence of the being aside, if it was the owner of the library, as he claimed, odds were he knew everything about every spirit in the room, including their weaknesses. He would need to be careful, should things turn violent.
 
Valerie had no qualms with pressing close to the protective form of her servant. After all, physical strength and size were not her forte, and she was not vain enough to put a brave front over her weakness. She was quiet as the scene panned out before her, dark eyes sharp and probing as she outwardly studied every piece of every person that came into view. Somewhere in the information she was gathering was a hint at who they were, and who they weren't. All she had to do was watch and listen.

It was Archer that held her attention the longest, the girl outwardly squinting through the shadows at the metal concealed under the hand resting at his hip. A gun, obviously. She blinked hard, brows furrowed, her mind spinning as she tried to place a feeling of deja vu. Something about it rang a dim bell in the back of her mind from something she had studied a year ago. But... she had studied so much then, the batches of books and images her parents had sent her unrelenting.

The mystery was dropped for now, the Librarian demanding everyone's attention as his shifting presence could even been felt by her. "Oh look, they have manners after all," she murmured under her breath, secretly pleased to watch the rider and his master squirm a little. Where was their bravado now?

Okay, so she was petty. Sue her.

"Likely, servant," she answered for Rider, finding it awkward to add in her own greetings and overload the stranger with questions from everyone. She merely nodded at Leabhor, showing him the same neutral wariness she had to the others. "The question should instead be why. Have we upset you, ancient one?"
 
Jannik watched as the others in the room seemed to become less aggressive, and the change caught him off guard. While formalities were always a nicety, he hadn't expected them in such a war, let alone after his own show of cockiness. Only then did he feel the unquestionable force of something coming closer. He turned in time to watch the thing form from what looked like rivers of ink as it passed the shelves. Needless to say, even with the barrier in front of him, between the creature and himself, he felt small.

As his Servant addressed the being, Jannik took some stock of the situation. He realized his face was visible, and while he regretted it for happening, he didn't beat himself up over it. So what if the girl saw his face. It was doubtful she'd known him by looks alone, considering he was little more than a disowned son of a powerful family without actually being disowned. Also, he recognized that he was flat out terrified of the thing before him. he had no idea what it was, let alone what it was capable of, but if it was the owner of this place, then his barrier wouldn't stand up to anything it could throw.

"Leabhar? Not any dialect on this world," the mage muttered to himself. "Must mean that this is more closely tied to things beyond humanity and our comprehension. Interesting to say the least." He otherwise remained silent.
 
Lady studied the guardian as it formed more curious than afraid. It seemed a spirit of it's own will, a powerful magic made symbiotic with written word and bound to the library. If that were the case, then it would likely protect the library like it's own body. The keeper didn't seem entirely thrilled for them to be there either. What spirit would like someone poking around it?

"Leabhar," she said, giving a respectful nod, "It is our only wish to read and leave peacefully. I ask what my mistress does, has some offense been brought to you?"
 
Archer watched the entity form with narrowed eyes. As unsettling as it was, it also triggered a warning against acting against it. If this...thing formed from the words within the books, he could only imagine it could continue to draw upon them to maintain itself. He wondered what it would take to overcome it...if it became hostile.

He nodded at its greeting, casually tipping his hat. He kept his silence for the moment, too many questions being flung about to add more to the chaos.

Though Leabhar's form made him curious for another reason. If it claimed ownership of the Library, it stood to reason this was a Librarian. And a librarian normally helped one find what they sought...
 
Leabhar turned his gaze to each who spoke in turn. He was silent for a very long moment afterward, as if processing what was requested of him. "No. I am not from.. Your world." He said to Rider's master. He slowly turned to the lady knight and her master. "If it is your desire to seek knowledge within my walls, then you are more than welcome to spend your days here lost within the pages of my mind. You and your comrades have not brought offense to me, however..." He slowly turned to Archer and gazed at him with his bright glowing eyes.

".. One must not be too cautious. I have lived through many Grail Wars, and many heroic spirits and masters have walked peacefully within my halls seeking knowledge the may not have otherwise have gained. But I must err on the side of caution anymore. There have been those who have destroyed a part of my collection in the past, and I will not tolerate those individuals within my halls again. My rules have been simple. You come for knowledge, you leave only with knowledge. You do not take from my walls. You do not destroy my tombs. I do not care what spar you bring upon yourselves while in my library, I have long passed my time of participating personally within the Grail War itself. But should your destruction of each other harm a single page of my precious books.." His eyes seemed to bore into each and every one of them. ".. You will face. My. Wrath."

The odd creatures shifted in its stance, lifting a wing to tuck its head within. It slowly began to reform into something else, but was listening, none the less.
 
Riiight. Okay. This Beast-Lord was certinly... strange. And perhaps not all there. Who would kill over some books? "Well, consider the warning heeded." Rider responds, before turning his titanic frame towards the exit, one hand open and gestured towards the massive doors. "In fact, my master and I would rather leave at this moment. If you could perhaps let us leave, then you would only have to worry about two Servants to damage your precious library." He had to say, this whole 'speaking diplomatically' thing was beginning to strain on him, trying to remember those long gone lessons. It was rare he met an opponent he couldn't just intimidate into doing what he wanted.

Glancing over at the newcomer servant, he had to wonder just for a moment where his master was. The skeleton had only just noticed the lack of a mortal next to Archer. Perhaps this was the result that that unique Archer ability? Where they could leave their masters at great distances? It never really made sense to him, granted. Why would you ever leave your charge? But hey, it wasn't exactly like Rider had any idea how being an Archer worked.

Looking over at Lady and her Master, the skeleton was almost... disappointed. As much as he wanted to leave the eerie Beast-Lord right now, he had been looking forward to testing the lady Knight's skills. To see a woman in armour is a rare thing, due to all the hardships and prejudice they must face, especially with a face like that. To become a spirit afterwards? Truely an impressive feat. He had hoped to test his steel against the beautiful woman. Although, he imagined that the fight would not have been as fun as he woukd have wanted, due to the fact he was quire sure that when it came to masters, he was a distinct disadvantage in this foreign territory.
 
Right, well... Her and Lady were in the clear. She just wanted to study. Truly. There was something comforting with being armed with information, and all these unanswered mysterious revolving around her were fraying her nerves. She followed the Librarian's gaze to Archer, her brows furrowing as he seemed to take a particular interest in the spirit whose identity she just couldn't plac- She gasped.

Unanswered mysteries. The runes on that metal. She couldn't be certain, her view of them was slightly obscured. But the gun was big and those runes ever so unique... "You," she breathed in disbelief, stepping out from behind Lady's protective form just as the Librarian faded from view. Her eyes were ablaze, hard yet oddly vulnerable. "You were meant to be mine. How is this possible?" A second passed, and then understand snapped through her. "Where is your master?" She demanded sharply.
 
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