The North Quarter

Max raised an eyebrow, chuckling. "Is that so? I admire your confidence, but be sure not to underestimate our opponents..." he paused, amused once more. "At least not their combat potential. I suppose I'll leave estimating their dancing potential down to your judgement," he added with another huff of laughter. "I don't know if I'd call the music in there refined exactly. You ought listen to a symphony sometime. I'm hardly a music snob, but I think that a little orchestra is probably considered more 'refined' than DJ Mistro."

As their path wound back towards the quieter part of the city, and the hubbub of the centre was behind them, Max allowed himself to relax a little - although not by much. There was no telling when an opponent might strike, given Ruler knew his face. It might even be worth disguising himself more thoroughly. It wouldn't fool Ruler, but it might be enough to avoid him matching any descriptions given of him. That could be a plan for tomorrow. "Once we're back home, you have free reign to either rest or scout as you'd like for the rest of the night. Whatever you decide, I plan to head out at nine tomorrow, so I'd like you to be back by then. I have some ideas myself beyond continuing to scout out hotels and other likely residences, but what would you suggest as our next move?"
 
Alex thought about it for a bit, contemplating their next move. "Well when I first encountered another servant he was withing the area. And I doubt a servant would venture to far away from their master so it may be safe to assume that they may be holed up within the area somewhere. We could always search through the quarter and see if that assumption is correct." He said after a minute, "But that is only an assumption."
After walking a bit further, he said, "I will be heading back out once I know you are safe in the hideaway." He told Max, "there are many more places to check and I can move much faster than you can. Are my orders the same? To observe but not engage?"
 
@Ver

But as the servant tried to contact his master, he'd find a very distinct.. Absence.

In fact, unbeknownst unto him until now, his master had been followed by another. As the darkness took over the city, things do happen in the shadowy places in the allies at night. But Assassin would find that he was now masterless.

But not all was as bleak as it would seem. A small voice would speak out to him. 'Meet me at the high school in the East Quarter of the city.. On the rooftop, please. I have a business offer I wish to discuss with you..'
 
"?!"

Assassin blinked, or at least, more like he paused notably in apprehension whilst in spirit form as his Master's presence seemed to suddenly... fade. Like a bygone memory. And indeed, like a memory, there was nothing that linked him to the present. It was as though he were a ghost, forgotten even within the age of information, and this was all even coming from the Heroic Spirit who existed as a spirit right now himself. He scowled mentally, wondering what the cause of this sudden phenomena could be, but it seemed that before he could wonder on the possibilities in his head, a course of action made itself known to him when the voice had come to him, as formless as he was, yet also with a source.

Assassin did not reply, remaining mute as he ran the option through his head. A school in the East Quarter? Were they the reason why his Master had ceased to be? Was this a trap? There were too many factors to weigh. A Servant like him who held Independent Action... It would have been redundant to deliberately rid of his Master. He couldn't even tell if they were an enemy or a prospective ally, but... Assassin knew he was at a crossroads, and sooner than later, he'd have to take his path. So he did.

"Fine, then."

He said it curtly, heavily wary of the predicament, and with that, made for the East Quarter.
 
Chloe smiled softly and pushed her glasses back to the bridge of her nose. 'Not too much further, I promise. Unfortunately, I would believe a horse drawn carriage would pull more attention to us than we care for, my dear friend. Otherwise I may have considered it for our future travels.'

As promised, they stopped a few minutes later. She paid her fair and swiftly left the cab. She stuffed her hands in her pockets and started walking down the street, quietly humming to the music playing in her headset.

'Sense anyone?' She asked. 'I also plan to set up triggers around the city to let me know if a servant is near by. But I will need to find good locations to set it up where they won't easily be found by another magus, and I will need time to set them up. Think you could scout places for me and watch my back while I get them ready?'

@Ver
 
As Assassin and Chloe exited the cab, the Servant, still incognito, continued following Chloe around. "Not in particular. It's a big town, after all," he responded, before his Master went on about triggers and possible areas to put them in, giving a nod when followed up with a question.

"Leave it to me, Master!" He exclaimed, before clearing his throat just as quickly, "Though, perhaps I should ask, are you a person who abides by the philosophy of "out of sight, out of mind," as they say, or hiding in plain sight? Both are effective methods when the art of deceit is involved, but we must be careful about if it corresponds with the target as well."

@Knosis
 
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The girl giggled softly and tilted her head up enough to look at the sky. 'I believe in the philosophy of using whatever is necessary at the time.' She said. 'Currently, it is known that my family decided to bow out of the war. It is better for me to remain in plain sight. Just a school girl skipping school. And seeing that they cannot sense you, I'm most likely to be the least of their worries if I'm spotted around town. However, if our mask is uncovered, we will go to hiding in the shadows.'

She blinked and pulled a strand of her red hair to look at it. '... I may have to change my appearance regardless. In the day, I can blend in with a crowd, but if we do anything at night that is a bit more risky, they would know who I am..' She pressed her lips together. 'Perhaps a wig and a mask to wear while we're on our night missions?'

She shrugged slightly to herself regardless. 'Go ahead and find me a good first location to place my first ward. I can hear you anywhere, but my range to you is limited. The further you go, the harder it will be for me to keep communication with you.'

@Ver
 
"Playing hooky, eh? Scandalous for a little lady," Assassin teased, before listening to the rest of what Chloe had to say. "Indeed, a disguise may be able to mask your identity. A shame to have to hide it all, but... to borrow from another philosophy, all is fair in love and war, right?"

With all that said, he nodded (or at least, he would have if he were corporeal at the moment). "Understood. I'll scout around this immediate area and see potential places to put your wards," he said, and with that, he was off, out to scout the whole quarter, but taking care not to go too far from Chloe in the interest of maintaining communication.

As the moments passed and Assassin scouted about, remaining undetected like second nature, he eventually stopped in the middle of the Main Plaza, dead center where most of the action was, and a place where he had visual access to the other parts of it. Tapping into his link with Chloe, he spoke. "Master, what about the plaza? Considering its wide berth, it is likely that we would be able to detect an enemy passing through this area, especially given how... crowded this place tends to be. Or would you rather someplace more intimate?"

@Knosis
 
The girl dodged around the crowd and hummed quietly to herself as she made her way over to the Main Plaza. There was a huge fountain there that most tourists threw coins in despite it being illegal. The council had finally given up on trying to enforce this rule, however, and just opted to clean it out once a month.

Chloe fished for a coin out of her pocket and muttered under her breath the enchantment for a ward, sticking it on the coin before tossing it in the middle, the coin plopping heavily into the water.

'It will work. Though, with the way I did that one, we'll have to place a new one once a month. Good luck to any magus trying to find it in there though. This place is always crowded, and they'd stick out like a sore thumb trying to reach that coin.' She chuckled to herself. Gently, she sat down on the edge of the fountain, fanning herself slightly. 'This is the main plaza, it would probably benefit us to put a ward on all the main entrances as well to this area. But that will take a few hours for me to get there on foot, walking around in this crowd as it is.'
 
"Well, then. Let's hope you have plenty of coins to spare then, hmm?" The Heroic Spirit spoke, before making his way back to his Master for a small while.

As Assassin's "presence" settled itself nearby Chloe, the invisible Servant hovered over like a protective spirit, continuing to converse with her. "A splendid idea. Of course, are we in such a rush? If you believe it would be a pain to do it immediately, perhaps we could revisit during the night when it is less crowded, and I can carry you in my arms like a kitten to your destinations? And in the meantime, we could scout around the other centers of the city? Or would you rather an alternate immediate course of action?"

@Knosis
 
Jannik walked up to the door of the darkened antiques shop he'd purchased before the Grail War had begun, or rather after it had begun but before things had gotten violent, and unlocked it with the key. He didn't bother to look around, knowing that if he were being watched, there wasn't much he could do about it right then. Luckily, in an odd sort of way, his mana was low, so he wouldn't register as terribly dangerous to anyone who could tell he had magical capability. Unfortunately, that was because he wasn't very dangerous. He'd used up a lot of his mana in the fight with Lancer, more than was likely sound, but it had shown him that he had to prepare in a different way if he intended to survive and win this thing. Static defenses would always be good, but active ones would serve him better.

But that was a thing for another day.

As he entered the shop and got out of the line of sight of the front display windows, he visibly relaxed. The door's frame held several potent, if hastily-made, explosive runes to trigger against other servants, and the windows had runes inscribed in their bases to strengthen them to an absurd amount, but beyond that, his new hideout, his new atelier as his parents might have referred to it, was hardly ideal. Luckily, there were a few deeper parts of the shop that would hold magic and mana much better. That, and it rested atop a focus of mana in the city, providing a beneficial fountain of unseen energy for him and Rider to pull from if the battle came to them once more.

"Rider, you can exit Spiritual form here. This is our new safehouse. Whenever you leave or return here, you must do so in spiritual form, so that we can minimize the amount of instances where you're seen moving near here. It won't likely do much against our enemies, but it might do enough." he shook his head and pulled off his jacket, chucking it into a corner where it lay it a smelly, soaking heap.

"Tell me, did you happen to see what the hell grabbed Lancer's Master, by any chance? I saw a flash of Green, but you and Revenant are connected, and I was wondering if you saw something based on his eyes instead of your own." His question was spoken softly, but the stillness of the air in the shop let it carry clearly from Master to Servant. Jannik wondered for a moment if they might be heading back to the Library anytime soon. It wouldn't likely be a good idea, considering what had happened the last time, but it would be a necessary thing if they were to learn Lancer's weakness and anything else about the green flash.

@TheGreenerGrey
 
“I believe it to have been a caster Servant.” Rider rumbled as he came into view once more. At his side Revenant burst into being as well, the large hound slowly beginning to regrow the flesh upon its bones, even as the finer points of Rider’s armour sealed up under tiny streams of blue light. “Large green claws materialised and dragged Lancer’s master away. While this could have been Assassin, an Assassin would have ended the fight there and then. Not only that, but Revenant can still smell him. He is... no longer of this realm. Alive, but disconnected.”

The titan’s body crackles and snaps as bones realign and fix themselves. Ira had done quite a number on him, and he would need time to recuperate, even with his stamina and strength. “Lancer was a challenge, and one I do not believe I am fully capable of defeating should we both go at full power.” He continues, a whine coming from Revenant as a small flake of golden power was burnt away.

A memory flashes through Rider’s mind. Minute little movements of his opponent that spurred him to open his jaw. “However, I believe that with this Lancer they are heavily dependent upon choosing the battlefield. He invited us, and is far from stupid. Not only that, but... he backed off when by all rights he should have pursued me. I don’t know why, but it is worth noting.”

“However, none of that matters if I cannot touch him. He is an extremely slippery opponent, and his teleportation is seemingly usable as many times as he wants. Should we encounter him again, I believe it best be on our terms.”

“So.” He looks towards Jannie as his eyes renew their usual blaze. “What’s our plan now, Master?”
 
Jannik sighed and ran a hand through his hair, only to give his palm a reviled look at the sight of the muck he'd pulled from his locks. He turned and sighed, smearing his palm over his pants, thoroughly ruined as they were already, and watched as his Servant healed.

"Now, we need to make a choice. Caster, if that's who took that man away from his fight with Revenant, is by far a larger threat than I could've thought. I'd always worried about the possibilities that Caster could employ, but that green flash..." He paused and shook his head. "You said it was green claws? If they moved as fast as they did, I shudder just thinking of having to go toe to toe against that. Especially if their Master is still in control."

He looked around and began to disrobe, flinging the bits of clothing into the same pile that his jacket had made. As he made his way to the bathroom so that he could shower off any remaining gunk, he spoke up to be heard more readily, although it wasn't strictly necessary.

"So, we can either try to track down Lancer, wherever he and his Master may be, or we can try to figure out what to do about Caster. Personally, as much as I'd really rather not have to go near that damned library again, it may be one of the few places we can go to learn about either of them, but I don't see many other options. Not unless you've got anything in mind, that is." As he finished speaking, the sound of water cascading down onto the plastic of the shower would resound from the bathroom.

If nothing else went well, and he were to die from a sneak attack, Jannik would at least die clean vice looking and smelling like he'd just crawled out of a septic tank.
 
Rider simply stood outside of the bathroom, the room quite literally too small to fit his hulking frame as he listened to what his master suggested. Tilting his head, he scratches Revenant behind the ears as he considers. “I reccomend we not visit the library again, master. I am not on good terms with that librarian beast, and you as my master would most likely be included in that. As I am now, I do not believe I would be able to effectively defend you.”

“As for my fellow servants... I leave that decision in your hands. Please do note, however, that I am not combat ready right now. It will not take long at all for me to fully recuperate, but until then I recommend starting a battle. Due to my nature, and thus Revenant’s, I may be able to send him on a scouting mission to identify the master of caster and caster themselves, provided they remain static and don’t move in the time it takes for Revenant to reach the barrier between dimensions.”
 
The shower turned off as Jannik finished. He'd let Rider's words mull over in his mind while showering, the hot water and relaxation helping him to focus on only the things he needed to get done in the next bit of time, rather than the effusive and elusive things he desired. After getting dressed in more casual attire than he normally wore, this time a navy polo shirt and khaki slacks, he approached his Servant with a smile.

"You said you met some of the other Servants at a bar downtown, right? Well, with the problem of the extra Master and Servant in this war, as well as with my concerns with Caster, I wonder if it might not be a good idea to try it again. After all, I've only been rude to one of the others, so maybe it'll work. That, and beer and food would be fantastic right about now. You in?" He figured there would be a positive response to his words, and having taken his time showering, he suspected his Servant would be in close to peak condition if not there already.

He himself was fairly recovered, the natural leyline convergence having boosted his recovery of mana while he relaxed. It wasn't something he could feel moment by moment, but he knew he was recharging like a living battery, and he felt good, so he figured he was nearer to full mana vice low.
 
“I shall accompany you wherever you wish to go, Master.” The giant bodyguard rumbles as he falls in step behind Jannik, each footfall making the small china plates in the shelves rattle. “Not to mention, should I bring Revenant we will be able to grasp the scent of the servants.”

“That being said however, I do believe that the longer this war drags on the higher the chance of another servant finding us. Perhaps it would be beneficial to take a page out of Lancer’s book and start a fight ourselves, on out own terms?” His deathrattle voice grates as Revenant padded over and presented something grasped in his mouth to him.

He holds up the small grey shirt that Jannik had made for him as a disguise, his eyeless helmet turning to him and tilting his head in a silent question. While it would be beneficial for being disguised, he did not want to ruin it should his Master decide it was time for combat.
 
"Hmm. Take a page out of his book, eh? Sounds like a decent idea, though unfortunately he'd set himself up right beside the battlefield I'd tried to make. Still, I'll have to be careful if we decide to take the aggressive route. After all, as you're aware, and as Lancer is now too, I'm not as handy in a fight as some of these other Masters are." He shifted slightly and heard his stomach rumble.

"Still, food and good beer sound like a much better immediate option. And I would love to see the expressions of others at seeing how the shirt works out, so feel free to walk with me. Other Masters may catch wind of what you are, but normal people aren't going to mind too much. Especially if things get to a point of fighting. I suspect they see you getting ready for a fight, they'll scatter pretty fast."

He walked to the front door after checking his wards, only to place another one quickly. It wasn't much more than an alarm, something that would cause a mental awareness to ping through his mind when the door was next opened or the building was entered.

"Shall we?"
 
“That is what Revenant is for, Master, and if worst comes to worst I can defend you.” Rider says, slipping on the large shirt. Immediately his form once again downsizes to more appropriately human levels, and the tanned wall of muscle stepped out into the world after his master, holding a briefcase in his hand. Beside him Revenant’s form blurred and vanished with a gust of wind, the wolf moving faster than the eye could see as he circled around them.

Holding his suitcase tightly Rider looks down at himself. It looked like his Master had made some changes when he wasn’t looking. His grey shirt was replaced with a rather formal looking black business suit with a red tie, and looking into a glass window saw him with shades and a completely bald head. He looked much more like a bodyguard for the young man he was accompanying now, and had to admit he liked it.

Making sure to stick as close to Jannik as possible, grip tight on his briefcase, Rider began to guide him in the direction of the bar that he had met Lancer and the woman he was quite sure was saber. Hopefully, if one was there, they wouldn’t have the gall to start a fight.
 
Jannik looked up from putting a few items into his messenger bag, noting the large, though more human, size his Servant had adopted. With the changes he'd made to the shirt, allowing it to offer both a casual and professional appearance, Rider now looked like a powerfully-built man from one of any number of security firms. Considering his family's status, it fit well, though bodyguards weren't necessarily magical.

"Looks good, though I wonder about the briefcase. I wasn't certain if it would work as well, but it looks fine. Very professional, and very, very intimidating. Don't be too surprised if you find women fawning over you and guys wanting to pick fights. Especially drunken ones." He chuckled and followed Rider to where the bar was, feeling nervous about being jumped by something more than just a street thug looking to grab some quick cash.
 
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