5601/Double Double Toil and Trouble

Double Double Toil and Trouble
Date of Scene:	10 December 2017
Location:	Fuyuki Alternate <FA>
Synopsis:	Saber, Berserker, and their Masters are called to Fuyuki to investigate a magical disturbance. Things go from Bad to Weird.
Cast of Characters:	227, 415, 151, 946

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Moonlit Saber (227) has posed:
It's a normal enough evening in Fuyuki, but something has been tickling at the back of Saber's mind all day. That bad feeling only got worse when she received word from Kotomine that there were strange magical readings in town. The same message went out, albeit late, to Berserker and her Master as well.

With her hand already on the hilt of her sword, Saber arrives at the indicated leyline intersection. "I do not like anything about this, Master. Something seems very wrong." Of course, the entire Grail War has been really abnormal since the start, Saber herself included, but still... "..are you certain that our alliance with Berserker and her Master still holds? I know I consider her a... a friend. But the terms of our alliance included the rules of the Union, which no longer apply." Green eyes glance this way and that in search of anything out of the ordinary. "I do not want to have to fight her."

Kazusa Ujikane (415) has posed:
    Life has been interesting in general for Kazusa Ujikane; after the big change in the Multiverse, the lack of a Union to give her life direction has left things a bit... odd. Adrift. A visit to Fuyuki has provided some needed focus already, and with something going down that's rather strange, all the moreso. "I'm pretty sure we'll be alright. Berserker will listen to what Ainsley's got to say, and unless I misunderstood Ainsley pretty bad, I don't think she's gonna drop us just because the Union's gone! It'll be alright."

    It had better be alright. She hopes.

Ainsley (151) has posed:
When Ainsley shows up, it's in her black police-like uniform, her sword in its scabbard on a black leather belt. She wears black and white instead of her black and red from before, with the ribbon on her tail and in her feathered crown longer and white-colored. A metal-bound book with a mirrored surface shines on one side. She has her usual hard-to-read expression, which cracks in favor of a subtle smile as she approaches. She doesn't say anything at first, only glancing over her shoulder to where Berserker is walking behind her to check for her presence.

    "Been a while," she remarks to Kazusa and Moonlit Saber. "Shame we have to meet again under circumstances like these." She looks around, her bright blue eyes seeking the origin of the magical disturbance. She hasn't proper magical senses like some mages do, so she asks the others while her eyes scan their surroundings, "Do we know where the disturbance is? We should investigate immediately."

    Seems the pact is still in effect. Ainsley doesn't easily forget her alliances.

Frankenstein (946) has posed:
    Berserker's been walking behind Ainsley, silent as ever, shaking her head some when the other Servant and Master duo is in view. She knew about the pact, but they were no longer of the Union, nor were they. For now, she'll act for her Master and approach non agressively. She takes a soft breath, looking left... then right. The Servant at least on the look out for anything that may want to try to eat or hurt her Master... When no such immediate threats are known to her, she turns back towards the Saber and Master..

    "Hello." it's slow... it's grumbly... it's a greeting at least. "Library... visit on... hold. Got... message from... allies." she nods, turning to Saber. "Are... you well.... Saber?" comes a curious question from the Berserker... "You... are silent... for long time..."

Moonlit Saber (227) has posed:
Saber is a bit on edge as she sees the pair approach, but the greetings make her relax a bit. It seems her Master was right... which makes her very glad. "Berserker. And Miss Ainsley." As she releases her hold on the hilt of her sword, Saber allows a faint smile to come to her face. She walks forward, reaching out for Frankenstein's hand and giving it a squeeze. "I am well. I am sorry. Thigs have been hectic since... well, you know."

She tilts her head slightly toward Kazusa. "We received word on something strange going on here and came to investigate. I am not sure what it would b--" She cuts herself off suddenly, and the expression on her face instantly changes. Her eyes widen and her smile grows cold as she draws her sword, turning to face an alleyway... just as a misshapen homunculus bounds out. Only one is easy enough to deal with, and a swift slash from her blade dispatches it, but she can see more movement in that alleyway as dozens of glowing eyes become visible.

Ainsley (151) has posed:
Ainsley doesn't pause to think about the situation when a strange homunculus lunges out and gets cut down. She lowers her eyes to the slain thing briefly, and then her sword was pulled immediately from its scabbard and held in both hands. She spoke a single word in an odd and ancient tongue, and in that moment her eyes began to glow with eerie and impossible colors. With the spell cast, she scanned the alleyway and beyond it for life signatures, seeking to put a number to the forces to determine her initial actions. She stands defensively with her weapon and simply gives a command to her Servant without breaking her glare on the glowing eyes in the dark.

    "Berserker," she states with a cool calm, "Smash them."

    Her eyes flick in search of 'stronger' life signatures, hoping to spot a Servant in the fray, or perhaps their Master commanding the homunculi.

Kazusa Ujikane (415) has posed:
    Oh, good, they're not attacking each other. Okay. I mean, no, Kazusa was totally confident they were still buddies. Totally!

    Ohhhh crap that's a homunculus. It doesn't take more than a heartbeat for Kazusa to fall back into Standard Master Position - in other words, right beside Ainsley, letting the Servants do the work. But while Ainsley watches the horde for signs of their real foe, the card-user starts watching their back, eyes open for assault from another direction, just in case.

Frankenstein (946) has posed:
    The hand is taken and she squeezes it back.. at least understanding this part of acknowledgement and the like... but when the Saber catches wind of that homunculus... Berserker is immediately going into her own battle stance, her Bridal Chest open and sparking, ready to take on whatever shows up... at least, until Saber takes it out. "Mmm. Berserker... Underestimated...you." she comments, a slight ego boost and a genuine compliment.

    The new eyes show up... and the command from her Master is simple and to the point, something the Berserker likes. She makes an affirmative grunt before kicking off the ground in those armored boot-heels. "Grrawwrr!" comes a groaning battle cry from a charging bridal berserker, leaping into the new found fray... and the Bridal Chest sparks up to life as it's swung around hap hazardly, to smash anything in her way.

Moonlit Saber (227) has posed:
Despite their size and shape, the homunculi are fast. They're also not terribly durable, and both Saber and Berserker are able to dispatch them in single strikes. There are just quite a lot of them. While there doesn't seem to be any sign of a stronger magical signature among them, there -is- something strange going on at a magical level. The entire area seems to be going a little unstable, as the leylines beneath the streets pulse and flare.

Keeping watch is still a good idea, though, since several other alleyways appear to be overrun with the creatures, and they begin to advance from all sides...

Taking a deep breath, Saber swings out her blade, releasing an invisible arc of cutting air to slice several of them in half. As she charges toward one of the larger ones, raising Kusanagi high...

...she freezes in place, for just a brief moment. There's a sudden YANK of magical power, and Kusanagi falls from her fingers, clattering to the ground before vanishing in a puff of energy. Saber reaches a hand up, clutching her head, as her cold green eyes flicker rapidly between green and silver... then suddenly turn the latter, shining the same as pure moonlight.

For a moment, anyway, until the large homunculus runs her completely through with its bladed arm, spearing through her chest and out her back. "...hrk!"

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    Ainsley's head turns when she realizes they are being SURROUNDED. She takes up a position nearer to Kazusa, prepared to defend her fellow mage. As the homunculi advance from all directions, she makes sure to stab and to slice the beings as they approach, not hesitating to fight alongside the Card Mage no matter their future potential rivalry. But then she feels something, something strange and magical, something between her and her connection to Berserker. It would make her heart skip a beat, her eyes turning...

    Just in time to see Saber get skewered by one of the homunculi. She clenches her teeth, and doesn't allow the distraction to make her vulnerable either.

    Panic thrums in her head, as she tries to get some breathing room to see how Berserker is faring...

Kazusa Ujikane (415) has posed:
    By now, Saber's bladework is almost a comfort. It's so familiar, both from seeing it in action and from using it for herself. But even with that, the fact remains they're being advanced on. "Hey, uh. We got more of 'em coming in-"

    Wait, what just...?

    Even Kazusa can feel something twist in their connection. She turns, deep concern on her face only growing deeper when she sees the strangeness happening to her Servant. And then- stab. "...Saber-!?"

    Who needs self-preservation instincts?

    Kazusa goes running forward at full speed, trying to slam the homunculus away from her Servant with all five pounds of her weight. "Hey, get away from her!"

Frankenstein (946) has posed:
    One swing.. one homunculi. Another swing, another one. Bteween Berserker and Saber... they're falling, but not as fast as she or possibly her ally wants... "Nnngh..." she groans out, "Blas...ted...." she starts to chant, "Tre...." she freezes in place once she hears Saber's hrk'ing... interrupting her Noble Phantasm to show some concern towards the Saber-class. "Sa...ber?!" there's a concerned look upon that emotionless face... moving towards her briefly, only to watch Kusanagi clatter... and dissapear.

    There's another hrk... this time from Berserker herself, her head turns downwards as a long peircing implement is ran through the bridal berserker's chest... staining the white dress red as her eyes go wide. "Ma...ster?" she whispers... the Bridal Chest dropping soon after... sparking after a few hits upon the ground before, like Kusanagi, dissapearing in a wave of fleeting dust. "Ma...ster?!"

    She turns towards Ainsley, her eyes look like they're losing color from them... only for the Berserker to drop to her knees... "I... can't... feel you." she shouts out... "Master....!"

Moonlit Saber (227) has posed:
Cough. It's a wet, ugly cough, as Saber slowly blinks, looking down at the tendril through her chest. "...oh." She turns her head and gazes blearily as Kazusa charges in, knocking the homunculus away. Just as slowly, she looks back down at the tendril and grips it with both hands... burning right through it. "This is.. unpleasant. Master, you should keep your distance." Her voice in battle usually has a hardness to it, but right now it's just... cold. There's no emotion in her words.

Despite the blood dripping from her robe both in front and back, she turns toward Berserker and reaches out... then shoves Frankenstein with surprising strength, to launch her free of the impaling homunculus. "I... I cannot access my sword, Master." Her other hand closes on midair as she tries to summon it, pausing only to reach out and glare at one of the homunculi closest to Kazusa. Nothing seems to happen, until it just... dissolves under her gaze. Yes, something is definitely wrong. "Permission to use my Noble Phantasm, Master?" Yes, she is indeed ignoring the fact that there is a gaping hole through her body, only bothering to hold her robe closed to hide it.

Kazusa Ujikane (415) has posed:
    Oh no. That coldness. Kazusa knows that tone. This is very not good, if only for the fact it indicates that things have gotten very bad. She's quick to put some distance between her and her Servant, of course. And she's just as quick to give Saber a quick, firm nod. If something's gone weird, they really can't afford to hold back. "Do it."

    Only then does she realize something's happened to Berserker. "B- Berserker?!" She pauses, torn between running to Fran's side, or staying where she can assist Saber.

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    Ainsley spots Kazusa running to Moonlit Saber's side, and promptly makes the same decision for her own Servant ... especially when she makes such a yearning comment in her confused pain. The lizard gets between another homunculus and her Servant and speaks a single word: Death.

    And her hands begin to glow with, somehow, the absence of light, warping the air around her fingers. She snaps out at one of the nearby homunculi, batting it away with the back of her hand... and as if the impact had robbed it off all of its life force, it simply collapses, spiderwebbing veins of necrotic damage visible from where she struck it. She does the same with each homunculus that dares get in range of her or her Servant. She trades some damage for this tactic, but she is competent enough to hold her ground against these numbers.

    Her tail wraps around Berserker's forearm. She speaks up.

    "I'm here."

    Her eyes glance aside to Moonlit Saber and Kazusa, the withering gaze from the Servant making Ainsley swallow and hope nothing like that is turned against her.

Frankenstein (946) has posed:
    There's a straining noise coming from Berserker, as if she's reaching for something... that something being her Bridal Chest. "Mmm.." she mutters, a low groan coming... it intensifies and becomes all encompassing, only to stop as she's unceremoniously shoved, pulled free from that homunculus. She tumbles a moment, only to pick herself up to her knees.. feeling her Master's tail around her arm. She looks up... a frown upon her face. "Master...?" she whispers... turning back to the group of homunculi.

    "I... feel... tired." she whispers, picking herself up slowly. She turns around, keeping the feel of that tail around her arm. "I... can't... Bridal... Chest... unavailable." there's a pause, there's a lot of homunculi... then there's her Master... then the Saber and her master. She gives a bit of a nod...

    "Mas...ter? Can... I use.... it?" she requests, speaking of that one thing...

Moonlit Saber (227) has posed:
A single nod is all she gives to acknowledge Kazusa's permission. Those otherworldly silver eyes close for a moment and she begins to murmur softly, "This princess exiled to a far off land, in the name of Kaguya-hime, I humbly request for a refuge from this cruel world."

Her eyes open again, silvery moonlight shining out from them, as she spreads her arms wide. The moon above begins to shine more brightly as the Bounded Field forms, and the homunculi near her just start to... dissolve. "Last Refuge of the Exiled Princess..." The range is somewhat limited, but Kazusa can feel a massive draw of mana. This is... not exactly how it went last time, was it?

She turns her head slowly, looking at Kazusa, then Berserker and Ainsley, and, despite the glow from her eyes, she looks confused. "Something is... not... right..."

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    Ainsley doesn't hesitate to answer Berserker. With them surrounded and their allies likely hamstrung by whatever has been done to the Servants, she answers Berserker with a single phrase.

    "Do it."

    She punctuates it by performing a great overhead swing of her sword, which bites into a homunculus as it comes toward her. It comes short of skewering her as she steps back and to the side, leaving her a gap just big enough to chop its outstretched appendage clean off. She doesn't come away without a scratch, but she has yet to sustain a mortal wound the way the Servants have.

    "Could it be Caster...?" she thinks aloud.

Kazusa Ujikane (415) has posed:
    This. Kazusa remembers this. And yet... no, it wasn't like this. Something's going very wrong with both Servants. The only natural conclusion is that it's something central to all the Servants, or at least all from this Grail War. With the mooks dissolving away, Kazusa goes scambering over to Saber immediately, already fussing over her injured Servant, but she does pause to turn to Ainsley. "I dunno, but... if it's not him, then it's /something/ with the Grail here. I don't like this..."

Frankenstein (946) has posed:
    Berserker gives a bit of a nod. "Thank... you." she states, clearly. She moves to pick something up, a stick... or a metal pipe... and she starts sparking. There's a loud moan coming from the Berserker and a noticable spike in power, oddly enough Ainsley doesn't feel /any/ mana drain, even though the seals are still quite visible on her hand. Bolts of green lightning spark around the earfins... the horn.. and the stick-like object in her hands, holding them tightly.

    She closes her eyes... then runs into the fray once more, leaping in the air, there's a ball of lightning energy upon the tip of the stick-like object, and with a resounding echo... she shouts. "BLASTED...." a pause "TREE!" there is a lot of power behind this one as she slams the stick into the ground, and a giant tree made of lightning arcs up into view, bolts of thunder strike down on random homunculi in the vicinity, ten.... fifty.... a hundred... all targeted.

    The explosion is huge, wind buffeting from the shockwave as what's left is Berserker... kneeling down... and looking transparent. Her head lifts up... eyes colorless but they move to stare at Ainsley, Kazusa and Saber. "Caster...?" she questions, slowing her breathing. "A...re... you safe...? Master...?"

Moonlit Saber (227) has posed:
Most of the homunculi explode from the lightning, leaving only a few still standing. Those few still up, though... don't seem to be moving. In fact, they're slowly melting into very foul-smelling puddles.

Saber still looks very confused as Kazusa fusses over her. "Master, what are you worried over? The threat has passed. I am already healing from my wounds." It was a great victory! She's not even the type to cough blood for no reason.

But then, her eyes shift again, fading from a glowing silver back to their usual green, and she pitches forward as her legs turn to jelly. "What... what was... What happened?" She lifts a hand and Kusanagi appears in her grasp, and a faint frown crosses her lips. "Am I back to myself again?"

Kazusa Ujikane (415) has posed:
    Kazusa tries to catch Saber.

    Kazusa immediately loses her balance in trying to prop Saber up.

    Kazusa is now on her butt.

    "Owowow... Saber, you... you turned on the no-emotions thing, and you and Berserker were on the fritz, and Kusanagi disappeared, so you activated the moon, only it was different, and Berserker used her lightning tree at full pow... er..." It's here Kazusa trails off. And slowly turns her head. Because Berserker using her lightning tree at full power is... Bad.

    'Berserker seeming to fade away' bad. "...oh no..."

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    Ainsley turns her eyes on Berserker, shock in her gaze as lightning courses into the homunculi around her. Her ears ring and her eyes burn from the light, but her gaze fixates on Berserker nonetheless. Why wasn't she feeling her mana being drawn? Why?

    And then the reason she feared became true. She feels her head spin, and her mouth cracks open. She drops her sword aside with a metallic clatter, and she kneels down to try to scoop up the fading Servant. She clutches at the Bridal Berserker as she begins to vanish.

    Caked in the blood of homunculi and hugging the spiritual shape of an artificial being. She hasn't words for Frankenstein's Monster except for two. She whispers, 'Don't go.' And a soft red glow shines from her hand, a burning sensation as an old magic responds to her own and it's expressed as a proper Command. It happens because of the emotional weight behind her demand, the desperate consideration to just use her own power to bring life to the lifeless to simply try to recreate Fran... Not out of a selfish desire to keep her alive, but because of something more tragic than even that.

    All she can think of in a moment where she thinks she will lose Fran is how the most notorious of artificial humans may lose the chance to live a real life of her own, free of the torment of her loneliness. But, in her desperation, it was the only connection she could think of to prevent her Servant from fading away.

Frankenstein (946) has posed:
    Blasted Tree, full power. The one thing that would take her life, would also save not only her Master, but another Servant and Master. "I... did ... good." she whispered towards Ainsley. "You... are a good... Master." she comments, hoisted to lean up against her Master. "Ain...sley." she smiles... "Keep them.." her head turns towards Saber and Kazusa... "as ... friends." she sighs. Eyes close and... soon she dissapears. Mostly at least. That burst of mana from the Command Seal.

    That mana... it was a nice feeling... the fading of the berserker slows and soon reverses. There's a small gasp, and a twitch from the servant. Next to her a fin slowly comes into view, a weapon forming slowly. The energy coming from Frankenstein is different though... the rage... the feeling of the Berserker doesn't seem to be there. Something else does though. "Mmm?"

    Frankenstein's eyes slowly open, the heterochromic eyes look up towards Ainsley... and she gives a curious tilt.. "Master?" her voice seems clearer, no stutter either. "What... happened Master? Where are we?" she moves her head a bit, looking towards Saber and Kazusa, "Oh... our friends are still there. Are you two okay?"

Moonlit Saber (227) has posed:
Saber isn't that heavy! ...okay, so she had momentum going. But there had better not be a word of this later! "It was strange, Master. But... but I am fine now." She lifts a hand to rub at her eyes as she shakily gets to her feet. "...I will need rest, though, to recover. I believe I am missing several important organs." She places a hand to her chest, holding her robe together, as she turns to look at Frankenstein and Ainsley. "You seem... different, Berserker. Not Berserker?" She looks confused for a moment, but that soft smile comes again. "At least you seem to be unharmed."

23:41, 9 December 2017 (CST)~~

Meanwhile, in another part of Fuyuki...

A robed figure clutches its chest, stagging back from a cauldron. On a table beside it sits several shards of a shattered sword, along with a rusted hilt. In a fit of rage, the robed figure slaps the pieces of sword to the ground. "Bah! And I wasted good heroic souls for this experiment!" Letting out a breath, the robed figure shakes its head. "That was too close. I never thought her Saint Graph would wrest the Caster shell from me... Ah, well." A thin hand comes out, holding a pencil, and scratches off an item from a list on a piece of parchment. There are several others scratched out, and quite a few not. "We don't learn unless we try. Now, perhaps this one might be more fruitful..."

23:41, 9 December 2017 (CST)~~

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    Ainsley opened her eyes when she heard Fran's voice again, but when she hears it she realizes something has happened to her Servant. She releases the former Berserker, and leans back to get a look at the new appearance the Servant has likely taken on, and blinks owlishly at the sound of a more coherent version of Fran's voice ringing in her head. She gathers herself to a stand and peels back her glove to get a look at the Command Seal. She frowns at it for a moment, thumbing over the one faded portion of it.

    "We need to find that Caster," she asserts, holding out her hand to help Fran up to her feet.

    "... I don't think she /is/ a Berserker anymore," she murmurs, "What class are you?"

Kazusa Ujikane (415) has posed:
    "Berserker? You're talking more..." Kazusa trails off, blinking once or twice, owlishly. "...w-wait... change classes?! Oh my gosh, that's..." She pauses, frowning faintly. "...actually, that's kinda worrying. But if you're okay, then we're fine, right?" There's a beaming grin there now.

Frankenstein (946) has posed:
    Frankenstein blinks a bit.. "I... was a Berserker. I don't know what you did, Master... but..." she moves to pick up the newly reformed Bridal Chest. She swings it a bit and the head pops open to reveal a poleaxe head. "If... I have to say.. I'm ... a Lancer?" she questions curiously, "Umm, is... our alliance still valid since... well... I'm a Lancer?"

Moonlit Saber (227) has posed:
"I think figuring out what happened is something that should take place somewhere warmer." Saber pauses a moment, obviously not bothered by the cold, but... she doesn't like being out in the open and wounded, especially when the cause of the attack is still at large. "I am sure that the priest in charge will be able to tel us more when we inform her." She pauses a moment and just stares at Frankenstein... then smiles faintly. "The alliance was between Masters, so it is still valid, as far as I am concerned."