926/Maelstrom: The Art of War

Maelstrom: The Art of War
Date of Scene:	06 November 2014
Location:	Grail Chicago
Synopsis:	Sir Gawain and his allies attempt to ambush Rider of Gold and his Master Hiroto Matou...but things don't go as planned.
Thanks to:	To everyone who showed up! No animals were harmed in the making of this scene.
Cast of Characters:	12, Maya, 253, 346, Sir Gawain, 560, 603
Tinyplot:	Fate/Maelstrom

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Sir Gawain has posed:
IN CHICAGO, 1987

The weather is overcast, as the evening slowly begins to approach. The ambush against Rider of Gold, set up by Sir Gawain, also known as Saber of Gold, and his 'ally', Mikhail Alkaev, and Mikhail's Servant, Caster of White, is going to begin shortly.

For all intents and purposes, this is a showing of Servants: Sir Gawain and his Master, Psyber, will be meeting their allies, Mikhail Alkaev and Caster of White, in a discreet location in the city to demonstrate abilities. The location has been picked ahead of time, scouted by Mikhail via familiar, the courtyard of an old decrepit warehouse in an oft-untraveled part of the city.

However, being an ambush, it's much more than that. The ambush team has been instructed to arrive first, and enter the warehouse via a side door to the right; it's locked, but rather easy to break open. Maya, Shirou, and Jude were the ones sent here, along with a Tesla coil on a dolly, for one of the three to wheel in.

Meanwhile, due to the fact that Servants can sense other Servants, Saber and Mordred have been sent coordinates to another building nearby, but most likely out of the senses of a Servant; they'll strike with the others on cue.

Nearby is an old building slated to be an office building, but was never put into use; the rooftop can be reached via some working of stairs and ladders, and has a good look over the warehouse.

Mikhail and Caster of White are the 'first' to arrive, Mikhail wearing brown-rimmed glasses to match his short brown hair and brown eyes, and a long-sleeved sweater, a pair of gloves over his hands hiding his Command Seal. He has a backpack slung over his back.

Caster of White is not dressed for the weather, a fine three-piece suit making up his attire, his trimmed mustache and finely combed hair possibly confirming his identity for those who have used Wikipedia: Yup, he's Nikola Tesla.

Sir Gawain arrives not long after, presumably with Psyber in toe. He's dressed in his flower-patterned armor, blade not present. He's on guard for Servants, as is Caster of White.

Mikhail speaks, starting the charade. "Ah, Saber of Gold, Psyber. I am glad you accepted my invitation. I know you've been meaning to see Caster of White in action, and I the same with Saber. Could you possibly have him summon his blade? I would like to see it in person."

Whilst it is known Rider of Gold uses birds in combat, not many are nearby; those that are seem docile. However, those with keen hearing might hear aggressive dog barking from afar. And it's getting closer by the second, it seems.

Sir Gawain summons his blade to his hand; an elegant blade, which he puts the tip to the ground. Mikhail smiles, as he reaches into his backpack. What he pulls out...is some sort of odd pistol, or ray gun, with what seems to be a radio dish on the front as the barrel. "And this is Caster's handy work. Do you like it?"

No sign of Rider of Gold, and no signs of distress. Perhaps there will be no need for the ambush after all.

Maya has posed:
Maya got the idea about hte abmush she had the means to cloak herself and anyone else who'd be willing to allow such to happen She was cloaked already and and ready she only had to wiat for the proper time at this point she watched as the trap is being set it's almost time for the Rider of Gold, just where the heck are they? Well bes to make reasy and keep alert she mused. She'd thought about bringing Runner but that was a poor idea givne how hard to control the big mecha dog was sometime. She get the idea the tessa coil's needed but she's not quite sure why she'll find out soon enough however for now she lays in wait...

Psyber (253) has posed:
    It's important to dress nice when meeting new people. Or re-meeting new friends! And so Psyber is dressed in a pin stripe suit with a matching duster. Black gloves cover his hands, which spend most of their time in his pockets. There's a cigarette in his mouth, glowly slightly in between exhalations of smoke while he follows Gawain in.

    The half-angel tilts his head a bit at the strange gun, looking at it, "I admit to being a man who favors ballistics over energy weapons, but it certainly is interesting in design. Tell me, what purpose does it serve? What is its function?" He inquires, hands still kept in the pockets of his coat.

    Despite the cool outward attitude, Psyber is on edge. Red eyes flick left and right while the hands in his pockets clench and unclench, anticipating an attack or betrayal. He gives Mikhail and Caster a slight smile, barely a flicker, "I have never seen one of your inventions in person, after all."

Mordred (12) has posed:
    IN THE OTHER BUILDING

    "This game is ridiculous!"

    A blonde midget of a knight in silver and red full plate stands in front of a foldable table. There is a Risk board on it. The blue soldiers are dominating the glove by far, with only a handful of red left holed up in Australia. And by holed up we mean stuck there.

    "In a real war situation I could try speaking to your men to make them betray you! In a real war situation these dice would not keep rolling ones!" Mordred frowns. "And in a real war situation I would not be unable to use these cards because I don't have enough similar ones!"

    She huffs.

    Well, Arturia was always the better strategist.
    And her instincts (skill or otherwise) are superior.

    "Father and son bonding my rear, you killed my dudes and destroyed my bases. If I didn't think you above such I'd think this is revenge."

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    As possibly the most technically inclined - as far as Earth tech is concerned - of the trio, Shirou's decided to wheel in the Tesla Coil and examine it. Even plug it in somewhere if he needs to.

    But he's not quite sure about this whole plot. The Grail War seems like a rather nasty bit of work... will things turn out like they should? What if Assassins are onto this? "Man, I don't like this at all. I don't know anything about the area... hopefully Psyber and Sir--... Sir Saber." Yeah he'll go with that for Gawain, "Are on top of things... is that really the famous inventor?" Even Shirou's heard the name 'tesla' before.

    And he peers out the window to have a look, if only briefly.

    He times it well too, without meaning to, for another purpose entirely...

Saber (346) has posed:
     As expected from his regular patrols out in the Dun Realtai downpour, the esteemed sir Bedivere, reluctant Master of the Servant Saber of the Fourth Holy Grail War, was predictably in bed with the cold Arturia had warned him about. As vocally unhappy as he was over it, the silver-haired knight was left behind to heal. It was not unlike years ago against the final battle with the invading barbarians from Saxony, after which Bedivere had nearly succumbed to all his grievous injuries following his rare berserker rage. Then, Arturia had been forced to remain aloof for the sake of impartiality; now, she fussed at him to her heart's content.

    But it was probably just as well that the Marshal of Camelot was currently bedridden and unable to accompany his king. Currently, her partner in the whole endeavour against the dangerous Rider of Gold was none other than Mordred, Saber of Red in an altogether different war, and a homunculus created from her genetic material. In legends, the son of King Arthur who had led the rebellion which ended the era of Camelot. The reality, however, was much more complicated. Bedivere resented her for the slaughter of his brothers-in-arms, his kin, and the woman he loved. But for the moment, 'father' and 'son' were currently embroiled in an altogether different sort of 'war' as they awaited Gawain's signal.

     "Well, that is what happens when you rush into situations," the King of Knights mildly scolded the other Saber. On the other hand... "Though, to be fair, those rolls were...less than ideal."

     That was her admitting that rolling dice over 'battles' did indeed suck.

     But perhaps to the other Servant's surprise, Saber simply smiled faintly, mysteriously. "Things do change, over time." Or maybe that was her marshal starting to rub off on her.

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
Some have said that the Grail of the Fourth Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City is corrupt. That may or may not be the case. A version of it was, but who is to say this one is? But Emiya Kiritsugu is not the type to leave things to chance. So, just incase, and since there seem to be an awful lot of different Grail Wars going on, the Magus-Slayer has decided to look into the possibility of obtaining a Grail from a different war. Whether he is killing six Masters and six Servants from his own world, or seven of each from another matters nothing to him. However, he does not yet have a Servant, and seeing the results of others' conflicts seems prudent.

That office building sure is an obvious location to observe from. Good for sniping too. Maiya Hisau's voice comes over the radio headset, pointing that fact out. "That's right. It's probably the best location to observe from. Anyone who saw it would realize that," Kiritsugu answers as he watches while kneeling on the roof alongside a dormant ventilation shaft of an abandoned warehouse. He sweeps the multi-optic scope mounted on his rifle across the area, eventually spotting something.

"Maiya, make your way around to the opposite side of the warehouse, and set up on the roof of the building there. Keep an eye on the taller building. Remaining outside isn't in our best interests right now." "Right away," Maiya responds. Kiritsugu has visual cover from above as long as he remains where he is, but he has heard that Rider of Gold employs birds somehow, and while the birds in the area seem dormant, they could potentially be turned into familiars or otherwise controlled by a Servant in an eyeblink. The sound of dogs barking in the distance is coming closer, and that also worries Kiritsugu. Better not to assume about what type of animals can be used or in what way.

He slides down off the warehouse roof, and only a scaffolding, making sure to slow his momentum by hanging onto the edge of the roof and letting himself down quietly. Underneath this overhang his view of the skies is more limited, but with Maiya watching them and already informed of the potential danger of obtaining avian-aggro, he just needs to watch the ground for now... He has at least two other methods of accessing that office building if the need arises, one involving a depowered electrical line, the other involving bringing the building down to his level.

For now, he waits, and observes. The thermal imaging of his scope should give him an idea if anyone's magic circuits have been activated. If someone unrecognized enters the area, identifying them as a magus or not is totally viable, potentially even through some solid barriers, even if Kiritsugu can not directly observe them. The wonders of modern technology.

Sir Gawain has posed:
"It makes things die." Mikhail smiles as he says this; it's a direct hint to what the device is: Tesla's Death Ray. He looks over Gawain's blade for a second, a satisfactory smile remaining on his face. "Very impressive blade. Truly worthy of the Saber class."

Caster of White remains silent for now, as Gawain responds with a smile of his own. "It is the finest weapon to have ever served me, and I am glad to have it at my side.". Though, he seems a bit nervous. Is he sensing something?

Shirou will notice something about the coil if he goes to plug it in: There's no plug. No wires at all to hook it up to somewhere. How the hell does it work? Additionally, it seems to have a faint sense of mana to it...

The warehouse's main door is locked from the outside, but once the lock is gone, it is very easy to lift the shutter from either side, allowing the ambush party to move out.

The aggressive barking gets closer and closer...until Kiritsugu and Maiya may notice something /very odd/. A pack of dogs is swarming through the streets, straight towards the warehouse. Some of them have collars, others have broken rope or leashes around their necks, but there's something about them. They're faster than dogs should be, though they're all medium breeds or larger, and if you're close enough, they seem to have mana around them.

And then, the dogs rush into the courtyard. Dashing nearby quickly, possibly noticable with the binoculars, is a man carrying a teenager. No, scratch that: A Servant carrying his Master. The Servant leaps up onto a short building nearby, setting down his Master: They have a good view of the warehouse, but those outside the warehouse can see them as well. The Servant is clad in yellow robes, what seems to be a folded cloth used as a hat. He seems to possibly be Asian, and has a short black moustache and beard. Rider of Gold has a bronze sword at his side...and in his hands...is that a zither? As he plays it, the canines seem to react; additionally, the nearby birds that were once docile are flying into the air; mana surrounding them as well, as they grow faster and fly at the two Servants and their Masters.

Hiroto Matou looks more normal: An Asian teenager, long black hair and brown eyes, one glove over his left hand and the other bare, showing no marks, a fine jacket over him that looks rather pricey if you take the time to look. As the dogs move in, he shouts, Rider of Gold playing the zither in tune as he shouts, "Rip their hands off!"

At this cry, the dogs are moving for the Masters, lunging for the arms and hands; their bites are stronger than a normal dog, and can even harm a Servant. They seem to be enhanced by the zither.

Sir Gawain, as the dogs and birds swarm inwards, moves Excalibur Galatine up and slices at the chain of the warehouse, cutting it in two. He shouts into his radio for assistance, and moves forward, prepared to fight the dogs. Caster of White moves to the side, apparently...doing nothing. Is he going to be useless?

Mordred (12) has posed:
    "Next time we'll find a game without any luck involved in it. Then I'll show you I can outplay you any day of the year, father!" Mordred declares, before essentially flipping the table and then moving to a window to glance out. That is a lot of noise. Even without the signal it would be hard to miss.

    "Alright, time's up! Let's see if you still have what it takes to be on a battlefield. Games are one thing, but it's our steel that decides our worth!"

    The blonde Servant dashes up a set of stairs... to the roof?

    A few moments pass, and the bestial roar of a motorcycle suddenly flares louder than the dogs' chaos. There's a flash of red light, and Saber of Red appears, riding an obviously enhanced, red and silver armored motorcycle OFF a roof, making a jump that would have ruined a lesser machine.

    Clarent appears in her hand, and her mouth smiles wide.

    It looks like she's coming straight down at Rider of Gold, with the motorcycle AND the blade. Doesn't take a genius to see there won't be a landing, there will only be a catastrophic crash onto that roof, and then through the rest of the building. Unless Rider wants to stop the impact, anyway-- by getting hit, or by hitting back.

    "RIDER! SHOW ME YOUR MOUNT!"

Psyber (253) has posed:
    The answer from Mikhail gets a slight laugh from Psyber, but he doesn't say much else. He'd rather let the two Servants talk. So he simply rocks back and forth on his feet, waiting to see how this meeting plays out. It's the calm before the storm that Psyber always hates, because when he's in the middle of battle he can simply focus on that. But before and after, he has to content with his thoughts.

    Of course, he doesn't have to deal with his thoughts for too long before the barking of dogs. Psyber narrows his eyes a bit. Bronze sword and a Zither. A number of candidates go through his mind and he settles on the most likely one, though likely an incorrect guess on his part. Still too many people that could fit, though he can think of one that stands out.

    Without enough info to make a guess for certain, Psyber stays quiet on the matter, not wanting to mess this up with false information on his part.

    Instead, he steps back and away, hands coming out of his pockets, "Einherjar. Come." He says firmly, holding out one hand. A ripple of electricity runs up his arm and to his palm before exploding in a blast of lightning. This lightning swords and condenses into Psyber's first blade: Einherjar, the Fallen Sword of Lightning.

    And then he steps in towards one of the dogs, his body surrounded by holy lightning that crackles and burns. His arm swings, bringing the broadsword in a strong, upwards slash that tries to bisect a dog not unlike Gawain did. He has to be careful, though, lest one of the dogs actually get ahold of his arm and reveal more than he wants revealed at this meeting.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    "Dogs...?" Shirou's confused by all the barking. Who let all these dogs out? It's almost... oh no.

    He realizes a moment too late that there really shouldn't be THIS MANY DOGS OUT.

    "Maya, they're coming!" Well she probably knows already. Shirou's a dolt who can barely even sense anything odd about this strange gizmo he was told to wheel in. Hope Caster's team is trustworthy, he has no clue what this thing's gonna do!

    "Trace, on." As Gawain cuts the chains, Shirou throws open the doors and leaps out. A weapon forms in his grasp from a flash of golden lightning - a somewhat lengthy katana. Swift as moonlight, lethal as a viper. It's not a magical weapon, merely finely crafted, but against dogs? Perhaps it shall do.

    The tip is razor fine, after all.

    The redhead barrels out into the streets. It's not much of an ambush if they can't surround their enemy, but the order's been given to deploy so here he comes.

    "Uuoooooooahhhhh!" Blood pumping, fear swallowed down, he can only hope that the two Sabers make it here in time...

Maya has posed:
Maya is awaiting for the signal however she has to wonder at this point she tilts her head as she pick up he radio call something's happened at this point. Maya might also sense something odd anmd she sense that there's something wrong here stolen dogs bewiched by magic? Okay whoever did this is /scum/ and is going ti die but firs she is going to see what she can do about this she looks and sees what's happend some strays others not so much are coming. Something's not right here as theycome on in. She noties the incoming attacker and they are not alone she looks to the teenager and she narrows her eyes. Okay she knows what she's going to do.

The masters tended ot be weaker meat than the servant, and if they went down it was pretty much game over for the summoned.

Maya heads outside and the cloak fades. She looks like something out of Mad Max or the sort of post nuclear war stories and she's not looking happy. She's got a card in hand as she now is meoving into the frey at this point. She focuses on her dispell there's too many but maybe she can free a few of these innocent creatures. The tactics of this master and servant are not leaving Maya with a very good view, blue fire covers the card and is leeching out of Maya's body. It's magic but an alien sort to this world. She then lets off the spell trying to dispell whatever holds some o the attacking animals but she's left open.

Saber (346) has posed:
     Well, she /was/ used to this. Mordred had a competitive streak a mile wide, and Arturia had no one to blame but herself for that. Even if her treacherous half-sister had not used her genetics entirely, the fact was that she could see herself in that. Even the elder Servant had to admit that she hated to lose.

     But there would be time enough for reflection later. It hadn't demanded any special senses to observe the building cacophony.

     She didn't react at Mordred's declaration, neither did she make her way to the roof. Instead, the armour-clad Servant simply channelled mana to her limbs, and with a burst of speed which nearly broke the sound barrier, became little more than a blue-and-silver blur as she cleared the entrance to the warehouse. As she ran forward, Saber summoned Excalibur to her hand, the blade cloaked in the Bounded Field of the Wind King.

     Unlike the Saber of Red, however, she moved into a defensive position in front of the Masters to tank the wave of canines. While she might be injured, at least that would prevent them from attacking the Masters while keeping the controlled dogs at bay without killing them as she used Wind King to blow the controlled dogs back.

     Indeed, Bedivere was certainly wearing off on her.

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
It seems Kiritsugu's suspicion was correct. More than just birds can be controlled, and the birds can be mobilized upon arrival - much like familiars, though whether they were prepared in advance or simply enchanted on the spot is unclear. The dogs being brought in as well indicates a control over very different species. And that control might apply to more than even those. It's fortunate that neither Kiritsugu nor Maiya had any familiars with them. It would not be wise to test their magic against a Servant's. As the ordered chaos of battle begins, swords flashing, teeth biting, and dispel magic being unleashed to try to free some of the creatures from their magical bonds.

The source seems to be the musical instrument being carried by the Servant. It seems evident who the Master is, though the glove on one hand and not the other is suspicious. Passing someone off as a false Master is a completely viable strategy. One that Kiritsugu himself would likely have employed (and apparently did in another timeline, based off of Saber's testimony). It may still be worth it to eliminate him if he turns out to be a magus, but until someone gets the Servant's attention, that may not be an option. And based upon how close Rider is staying, it may take some work to get an opening.

The fact that the boy ordered the dogs to bite the hands off the others indicates that he at least knows how to take away Command Seals and thus a Master's ability to control a Servant. No matter what, he is a target. "Maiya, do you have a clear shot at the Master from your angle?"

Maiya, perched on a rooftop has been keeping an eye on the birds mostly, who seem to be preparing to attack. She tracks down for a moment, and then replies, "No. The Servant is in the way. The birds seem to be preparing to attack, and the Servant believed to be Saber of Red is descending on Rider's position as well." Over the headseat, Kiritsugu says, "Hold off for now. If you get an opening, take the shot."

Fire support for those in battle? Perish the thought. The target is there on the rooftop, with a motorcycle-riding Servant heading towards him. The rest is not important unless it interferes with the mission.

Sir Gawain has posed:
Though the dogs are strong, and surely more durable than a regular dog; a sword can easily dispose of them. The dog Psyber strikes is easily bisected, whilst Gawain beheads another in a quick slash, though his face is grim and uneasy. Mikhail says something...whatever it is, it does not translate, and is not in English, but suddenly, a dog with it's jaw on his arm is blasted backwards as the oxygen inside it's lungs ignites, killing it instantly.

Maya's magic has some effect: A handful of the dogs lose the charm over them, and after a second of confusion, run off in fear. Rider of Gold seems not to retame them, indeed, his focus seems to be on those he already has in his control. Saber's wind easily blasts the dogs back as well; they only have the advantage in quantity, not strength.

Rider of Gold plays the zither faster, differently; the dogs are moving to attack all parties! Until suddenly, a wild Mordred appears! Rider of Gold dashes to the side, grabbing his Master as he narrowly gets out of the way of the bike, part of it injuring his arm, to land on the ground. During this moment that he is not playing the zither, the dogs stop completely, no movement, no growling, nothing. He hurredly returns to playing; except the birds are now moving towards him; nay, towards where-ever Mordred landed, attempting to dive bomb her.

"I have no reason to bring out my vehicle. May you be Rider of White?", Rider of Gold replies. He seems intellectual by the way he speaks, but he doesn't attack directly himself. Yet.

Hiroto Matou moves away from Rider of Gold, as he pulls out a bottle of...water. It seems normal, until he speaks an incantation of sorts...and the water begins to boil before turning completely into steam. The scalding steam blasts forward at those in front of the warehouse, but he's also potentially open for a sniper shot, if Rider of Gold cannot react in time.

Caster of White decides now is the time to react. He pulls from his coat a small switch, with one button...and presses it. Suddenly, the Tesla Coil springs to life, electricity soaring out; however, it only aims for the dogs! He seems to be able to mentally control the targets the coil aims for, and the dogs it hits fry easily.

But Rider of Gold still hasn't shown his mount. He must have one, being a Rider, as far as they know. What ishe hiding?

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber carries through the swing after the dog is cut in half, moving easily to the side in anticipation of an incoming attack that never arrives, for the dog coming at him was momentarily paused thanks to Mordred.

    Psyber hops back and his dress shoes skid along the floor in a smooth motion, not made for traction. He catches a glimpse of the Tesla Coil going to work and frowns a bit. Mentally, he notes down that if he ever has to go against Caster, he doesn't want to use Einherjar. He might be able to subvert its electrical flow and use it against him. This thought is filed away for later.

    Right now he has a fight to focus on. Dogs are moving again and Psyber has to return to his guard. One of them, in a lunging bite, puts a cut across his outer arm through his suit and his jacket. Psyber frowns at this, watching as blood splatters the ground from his wound. Definitely not normal dogs and definitely foes to be taken seriously.

    Right now he wants to repay Mordred for alleviating some pressure off of him earlier. So instead of focusing on the canines, Psyber swings his sword and lets loose an arcing blast of electricity that soars through the air and tries to chain-fry the birds that are harrying the Saber of Red.

Mordred (12) has posed:
    Landing? From that jump?

    With all the grace of a motorcyclist who pretty much just jumped off a building with his bulky, reinforced magical bike, it would be more accurate to say Mordred plows through the roof where Rider was standing moments ago. And then several floors down. Miraculously (or maybe not, it's magic) the bike is pretty much intact, and green eyes glare down towards the other Servant (through the window, presumably). She's still grinning. Her helmet is still on, even if it isn't visible, so it's not like her stats can be seen. She's a mystery Servant!

    "Sure, we'll say I'm Rider of Whatever if it makes you take me seriously. NOW YOU STAY THE FUCK THERE, when I find stairs to ride this thing down to you you are going to GET IT."

    The bike roars, and Saber of Red looks around the room. Also, birds.

    Mordred suddenly goes full speed ahead, and rumbles down the remaining floors of this building by, well, plowing down the stairs on a motorcycle. The birds are free to follow her, and a few will likely nick her armor, but she's pretty sturdy-- and Psyber's helping. A few long seconds pass, and then the headlight of her motorcycle shines on Rider of Gold as the front door bursts open.

    "I found some! Now get serious, or I'll do it for you!"

    Ramming speed!

    The bike surges out of the building, beelining Rider.

    Mordred's still holding Clarent, but it looks like she's aiming to print the bike's front into the Servant's torso first and foremost. It (the vehicle) would probably not survive the impact if that did happen, but it'd probably be pretty painful. Hard to say if she's taking this seriously, intentionally trying to provoke the man, or just screwing around. Probably a mix.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    These poor dogs. So many beloved pets amonst the likely handfuls of strays... they can't be saved, and it's not their fault that Rider's abusing them so. It rankles Shirou, but survival? Survival's a bit more important right now!

    "Uuuuuuooooar!" Slash, slash, slash. The constant sparring with Bedivere - when the knight hasn't been sick anyways - has given Shirou some appreciation for tactics and forethought. Rather than rush into things, he's staying QUITE BEHIND Saber. The Uchigatana proves quite effective against dog flesh. It cuts deep, dicing off limbs, cutting arteries, and beheading creatures in a bloody mess. Thankfully, he doesn't have to strike down many... as very few are getting past the heavy hitters here.

    But each mutt that dies with a yowl angers him even further.

    It's the music stopping, and the dogs pausing, that gives him a sudden bit of insight. His eyes widen. "...That's the answer...!"

    He plants the Uchigatana into the ground. Immediately the projected weapon starts evaporating into nothing, but Shirou doesn't care. He takes cover behind the others... and projects a modern bow, complete with elaborate pulleys. That's for his left hand, anyways.

    In the right hand... Kusanagi appears with a flicker of light--

    Then he sees the incoming STEAMBOMB.

    Shirou's just not fast enough to respond to that unusual trick. He's caught in the steamblast, and stumbles out of the cloud coughing and hacking, choking for air, literally somewhat boiled. All his exposed flesh feels like it's ON FIRE and it's a darned good thing he closed his eyes.

    Thankfully, this close to Saber? Avalon is working at full power. He only staggers for a few moments before wrenching himself up to his full height and mounting Kusanagi on the bow. With a fierce look on his face, Shirou takes aim...

    And as he draws the weapon back, it thins, compresses... it's become a fairly heavy arrow. Heavy, but...

    FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!!

    ... when it's let loose? It flies like a rocket. The wind carries the arrow at tremendous speeds, while providing an extra drill-like cutting vortex at the tip.

    On the other hand, the bow itself, moments later... cracks, shatters, and dissipates into mana. That's all it could handle!

    Oh yes, what's he aiming for?

    The Zither.

Maya has posed:
Maya is going to keep at this reducing what she can and watching as Psyber does his thing she makes no comment of it. This is a horrible of a situation they are in. She intends to take it out wholly on the master. For now she continues her efforts at this point to free more of the dogs and lessen the enemy's forces she let lose with more of the dispelling and she ponders for a moment. Maya's got a plan and even as her dispelling continues she attempts to boost it's radius of effect by drawing a second card this one glows red as she combines two spells making her effect have a wider radius.

Maya catches that Hiroto is indeed using magic which means Magus yes this effects her plans.

"A Magus?!" Maya does not have time to dodge or even put up a barrier the best she can do is protect her face with her arms and she's very glad she's not wearing revealing clothing that /does/ help protect her given the nature of the leather. She's hurt and she's looking at him for a moment. She's trying to make ready here for an attack but she could work to distract him.

She's clearly gathering power the blue flames burst to life about her body, just what is she planning? Well she's making ready for an attack and hoping to distract the master for a certain sniper to do his thing.

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
It's not the ideal distance between Master and Servant. The fact that Rider of Gold has not yet made obvious use of his transportation is also a matter of concern. As is the glove on the boy's hand. There are a lot of unknowns in this situation. But one thing is clear, and that is the magus assisting Rider of Gold needs to be taken out. "Maiya, if our attacks fail, prepare to divert attention. On my mark," Kiritsugu instructs. A Noble Phantasm is usually pretty damn durable. Even a high-powered rifle is unlikely to destroy one in most cases. Trying to attack that is probably not an option. Same for attacking the Servant. They aren't equipped for fighting Servants. Even one of the 'weaker' Servants, like Caster or Assassin would be far beyond mere mortals.

But what can snipers do?

As magic circuits activate in the magus, Kiritsugu sees the change in body temperature through the scope. As Shirou attacks the Noble Phantasm of Rider of Gold, and Maya builds magical power for an attack, Kiritsugu says a single word. "Mark."

Two rifles are fired simultaneously. One rifle fires at the Matou's head and torso. Maiya's shots. The other is Kiritsugu firing just one very precise shot, aimed right at the boy's gloved hand. The shots come from two wildly different angles from two very different distances. To someone who didn't know better, they might suspect magic being involved.

Even to those familiar with sniper tactics, the silenced rifles might make the exact nature of the attack amidst everything else a matter of confusion - at least for a few seconds.

Sir Gawain has posed:
As Psyber does his magic, the birds flying around Mordred are incinerated. Rider of Gold sees Mordred coming; and chooses to ignore her, suddenly dashing in front of his Master. Two bullets hit straight into Rider of Gold, in the chest in head, and if you're close, you can hear a grunt from him. Another bullet flies from the other side, however, piercing through Hiroto Matou's hand; through the hole and around the blood, a Command Seal is visible, as he roars in pain.

And then a blade is shot from a bow, flying straight into the zither. It does not destroy the zither, persay, but several strings are broken; the control over the dogs is released. Any still alive stop where they are, obviously scared, before fleeing into the streets.

At this point, Rider of Gold turns towards the Mordred that is about to impact him. "This is enough. I will destroy all the Servants here with a single attack."

And then, he speaks. "Zhuolu.". Suddenly, as the words leave Rider of Gold's mouth, prana eminating from him is very obvious; he's using his Noble Phantasm. Thick fog suddenly covers the entire courtyard, as Rider of Gold moves both himself and his Master out of the way of the strike, narrowly saving both Rider of Gold and hopefully Mordred's bike. The fog obscures vision, but it's not impossible to see; for those near Rider of Gold, they may see something...manifest. It's a covered chariot with a single horse, with a tiny figurine with an outstretched finger on top, pointing south if one can tell the direction. He seats himself inside the chariot...before suddenly, it starts roaring. And somehow, through the fog, it moves accurately - aimed straight for Mordred, with Rider of Gold's sword outstretched. Thundering drums and horns can be heard, as some may see what looks like a winged yellow dragon flying through the fog, as well as a woman; but if they try to attack them, nothing happens, they're just visions.

"Let this end!"

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "Damnit." Psyber says under his breath, twirling the sword in his hand as he tries to appraise the situation. He looks around the area after the birds are dispersed and tries to figure out what his next move should be. The fog is thick and capable of creating illusions, meaning he's at something of a disadvantage in direct combat against this ability. And the drums are deafening and disorienting.

    "Caster!" Psyber shouts aloud, gripping the sword in his hand, "We need to burn off the fog. I'm going to try to overload one of your devices and you disperse it into the air to try to cook it away." The half-angel grips his sword, running the electricity into one of his palms.

    And then with a flick of his hand, he tries to arc that magical electrical current into the nearest coil.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    There's UTTERLY NOTHING Shirou can do in the face of this mess! When the fog comes and there's a rush of messages over the radio... he decides to clear out. Gawain's going to be doing something CRAZY, after all! The boy scrambles. He'll even grab Maya and drag her if he has to! Around the warehouse. With the Yellow Emperor's Noble Phantasm bearing down on them all, his heart's pounding. Can Gawain do this? And most importantly... will he make it through?

    Shirou halts at the corner and once again projects his bow. In the other... an estoc appears. He starts launching arrows through the fog in the general direction, as clearly as he can see. A few Estoc-Arrows are unlikely to do more than ANNOY Rider, but if they distract him from Gawain... all the better!

Mordred (12) has posed:
    There's the mount! Now we're talking.

    The fog is kind of inconvenient though.
    And is that a dragon? Holy shit it is.

    Mordred, against all better judgment, charges right in with her big grin still plastered on her face. The reinforced motorcycle passes by the chariot, and the massive silver sword crashes into Rider's, before their mounts would invariably take them away from one another.

    In the scuffle, it seems the bike gets fairly badly damaged, and the magical plating is starting to fall off. Mordred herself, likely hasn't landed a good hit in there. She's not suited to besting a Rider at his own game, not with her combat style. She skids to a halt, the bike turning to face Rider again, who is likely turning for a second pass too.

    "TAKE TWO! That's a crippling charge you have there, you think my steed can take the impact of another weapon clash between us? Come on, let's joust!" The female knight laughs and presses on.

    If this doesn't distract Rider from whatever the others plot, she wonders what can. Gotta be careful though, if Gawain is charging his sword, it'll be a huge pain to avoid the blast too.

    This is why, in the midst of the second charge, she suddenly puts Clarent away. A massive surge of red prana flows from her body into the motorcycle, and it begins melting from the overload.

    She knows the bike can't take a second round.

    So she suddenly dismounts, and just straight up swings the thing to throw it at the one horse, prana burst going full bore. RIP that bike, she really liked it. But the impact and red flash of an explosion should let her disappear into the fog and get out of the cone-shaped death zone Gawain's about to trace, or be enough on the edge she won't get wrecked.

Maya has posed:
Maya does not notice the sniper round in all at all in the chaos she's got too much to deal with. She's still builing up magic when the fog comes nad the idenity of whom they are facing comes to light. The man who founded one of the oldest and longest enduring cultures on earth. China is quite the nation in that regard while fairly ignorant she knows it's history is indeed old and it has lived through much.

However he's been made a pawn in this game and has made his choice She's looking about at hte fog and is told to back off she's already working up a spell however she's yet to cast it and she shifts gears rather than a spell to attack the master she turns upon her allies and has a pair of cards once more in hand.

She mutters something and strange aura's will appear about her and those cloest to her warning them for a short time against fire. She is however moving away as asked Gawain has a plan and she trusts him. As she finish the spell Maya's grabbed and dragged. Shirou then does dragged her along!

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
It's not the ideal distance between Master and Servant. The fact that Rider of Gold has not yet made obvious use of his transportation is also a matter of concern. As is the glove on the boy's hand. There are a lot of unknowns in this situation. But one thing is clear, and that is the magus assisting Rider of Gold needs to be taken out. "Maiya, if our attacks fail, prepare to divert attention. On my mark," Kiritsugu instructs. A Noble Phantasm is usually pretty damn durable. Even a high-powered rifle is unlikely to destroy one in most cases. Trying to attack that is probably not an option. Same for attacking the Servant. They aren't equipped for fighting Servants. Even one of the 'weaker' Servants, like Caster or Assassin would be far beyond mere mortals.

But what can snipers do?

As magic circuits activate in the magus, Kiritsugu sees the change in body temperature through the scope. As Shirou attacks the Noble Phantasm of Rider of Gold, and Maya builds magical power for an attack, Kiritsugu says a single word. "Mark."

Two rifles are fired simultaneously. One rifle fires at the Matou's head and torso. Maiya's shots. The other is Kiritsugu firing just one very precise shot, aimed right at the boy's gloved hand. The shots come from two wildly different angles from two very different distances. To someone who didn't know better, they might suspect magic being involved.

Even to those familiar with sniper tactics, the silenced rifles might make the exact nature of the attack amidst everything else a matter of confusion - at least for a few seconds.

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
As Rider blocks two of Maiya's shots, the others missing due to the Servant getting his Master out of the way, at least Kiritsugu's shot finds its mark. The Matou magus's hand has a nasty hole clear through it now. Hopefully that took out one of the Command Spells. But Rider is swift to get his Master out of further harm, finally revealing his mount and Noble Phantasm. Kiritsugu hears over the radio the identity of Rider of Gold, and sees the fog that begins to gather, hearing it is in fact the Servant's weapon. The images appearing within, the sound of drum beats and thunder, make it clear that there is a lot more to this than simply visual cover. Shirou did damage to the zither at least, freeing the dogs, and sending them every which way. Psyber either dispersed or destroyed the mind-controlled birds. Saber of Red, now identified as Mordred thanks to Gawain, is on a collision course with Rider as the mighty chariot appears. There is an exchange of blows in the fog, difficult to track by mortal eye even under the best of conditions, let alone under fog cover. The superhuman speed and strength only Servants can muster clash again, when Mordred throws her motorcycle at the enemy's horse.

"Pull back to a safe distance," Kiritsugu instructs. Maiya is already doing it, however, having also been clued in by the radio chatter. Kiritsugu slips down from the scaffolding. He intends to pull back too, right? Not quite. He rides an electrical line across to the office building he originally seemed wary of. He was told there was to be no killing of Masters. But he has no real reason to listen to that order, does he? He is not part of this war, did not agree to help Gawain, and is even present right now for his own reasons. Outside of potentially damaging his tenuous relationship with the Union, there is no down-side to taking this Master out.

It's difficult to tell what Psyber is up to in the mix of fox and high-speed movement as Kiritsugu reaches the building and then runs through empty office space to find a better point to observe from, but the electricity leaping through the air is brilliant enough to tell something is happening there. Shirou is firing more sword-arrows, it seems, and some unrecognized magic related to those card-spells of Maya's, seen in his first meeting with her, is being cast on her allies.

Kiritsugu is out of visual contact now, and said on the radio he was withdrawing. He probably is not going to be a recipient of the ward, but he doesn't know how it works.

He just knows he has a bag of explosives in his coat, a building he can drop on the enemy, and the only thing stopping him is all the supposed allies in the place the building is going to fall.

That, and the fact that this isn't his war.

While he has no obligation to follow the rules laid out by Gawain, Kiritsugu also has no clear gain from ignoring them. Infact, it may be more beneficial to simply watch now. He came here to gather information that might benefit him in his own Grail War, and perhaps, in keeping Illyasviel from having to suffer a terrible fate. She will be his sole reason for living when this is all over, assuming he can not save Irisviel somehow. The Magus-Slayer still is not sold on the corrupt Grail idea, but he honestly hopes that if it's true, that means he can abandon the War and save the mother of his child).

Already, he has learned the identities of two Servants, a Noble Phantasm, and is about to see another, all for the price of a few bullets. Kiritsugu looks into the fog that Psyber and Caster are going to try to burn off, trying to find Rider's Master. He's ready to duck behind the wall, given there is apparently going to be fire involved very soon, but being in a position to witness as much as possible is the best he can do right now.

Not for this battle, but for his own War.

Sir Gawain has posed:
Silently, Caster of White keeps the button pressed on his remote, moving himself and Mikhail from Gawain's range of fire. As the electricity arcs into the coil, it arcs back aimlessly into the fog, dispersing any fog in it's path. It's pretty useful...until the coil suddenly overloads, exploding. However, Caster seems like he expected this would happen.

Rider of Gold's bronze blade is chipped in the hit, but he keeps going; the chariot able to take the blow, as he makes a sudden turn himself. It's a joust between Rider and Saber now, it would seem.

Until Gawain shouts that he is going to use his Noble Phantasm on the radio. Turning towards Rider of Gold, he yells out. "You shall not win here, Yellow Emperor!". He places Excalibur to the ground, and begins to trace it in a circle, as he shouts. "Excalibur....".

Before he can even finish tracing the circle, at Gawain's words, Hiroto, still bleeding from the wound, steps up from where he was kneeling. The fog is already starting to disperse as the woman in the fog starts to dance around, before suddenly vanishing, causing a drought in the courtyard. Hiroto Matou raises his bleeding hand, removing his glove; one of his three Command Seals has been destroyed, leaving only two, for now. "RIDER! Retreat! Get me out of here!"

As much as Rider of Gold would wish to continue the battle, he cannot. The Command Seal on Matou's hand glows, before vanishing, leaving one. As the bike flies at Rider of Gold, he suddenly rushes his horse forward, the chariot taking the bike head on, causing it to stumble; but the power of the Command Seal stopping it from stopping him in his tracks. Riding straight towards Hiroto Matou, he scoops him into the chariot, before preparing to ride off if left unstopped.

Mikhail doesn't say anything, just watching them flee. Additionally, Gawain suddenly stops his Noble Phantasm, frowning. They're getting away, but he's not going to waste his Noble Phantasm on them when they are fleeing. They are cowards, but it is not worth the prana. "...We know his identity now, at the least. Huangdi...the Yellow Emperor."

Mordred (12) has posed:
    If Mordred did not have enough of a reason to get the hell out of Rider's path, the Command Seal boost is one. It is fortunately not long before she's no longer visible, and not much longer before she just kind of walks up to Gawain with her arms crossed and a frown to equal his'.

    "Still can't bring yourself to hit someone in the back, huh?"

    She won't tease him about it more than that.
    It's not like anyone died or anything.

    "Well, better start digging in books and find out what the guy's weakness is. I don't know off the top of my head. Might not have one, too. You just tell me if you need muscle for anything else."

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Shirou emerges, shaken slightly. That was CRAZY. The whole group could've gotten killed... and he only just now realized how dangerous it was. The magus gasps, doubling over as the magnitude of what was going on finally hits him. Wow, this is a fight between Servants. "Th-they're practically monsters..." Well, monsters in a good way at least, where Gawain and Arturia are concerned.

    This is the fight that his adoptive father wants to win?!

    "That could've blown up the whole street!" The boy blurts. How can anyone keep THAT under wraps?!

Maya has posed:
Maya takes a moment as everything fades for a moment she looks to Shirou for a moment and she sighs for a him.

"I admit I don't know, I'm from a worlds where the nature of our world's not hidden form anyone."

Only in some cases she shakes her head and now goes to see if any of the downed dogs are alive and might be healed if not she's got dog tags to collect... and ... people to give the bad news. Maya hate for Maguss conties to grow, only makeing her feelings fom the last grail war /even/ worse..

Psyber (253) has posed:
    With the enemy Master and Servant fleeing, Psyber takes a moment to catch his breath. The half-angel heaves a heavy sigh and then tosses his sword skyward, the blade reaching the peak of the toss and then vanishing with a crack of thunder.

    He reaches for the breast pocket of his suit and takes out a crumpled pack of Lucky Strikes, sticking one in his mouth and then lighting it with a silver lighter before flicking it shut and sighing, exhaling smoke as he does so, "Well, at least we beat them into a retreat. I don't think this will be the last time we see them, though."

    He reaches up and takes the cigarette from his mouth, flicking some ash to the ground, "This was a good first showing, though." He's not talking to anyone in particular and more making a general note about how the night played out, talking to himself, "But any surprise about outside intervention is gone now. It's going to get around we have multiple outside Servants and Magi in our corner." He frowns at this.

    It would have, tactically, been better if Rider and Matou had died. But he also wasn't going to force that point after Gawain allowed a retreat. It was also ethically grey on shooting people square in the back. He lifts up his cigarette again and takes another drag, sighing once more.

    Taking out a hankerchief, he wipes away the blood from his arm, which has healed itself shut by now and then places it in the outside pocket of his jacket, "We should clear out. This probably made an awful racket, what with the war drums and all, and authorities may come."

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
Rider retreats, his Master using up another Command Spell to save himself. That leaves him with only one. Enough to fulfill the final act of the Grail War (assuming this particular Master wins), but still not a good position to be in. Gawain cancels his Noble Phantasm before it is released, so that bit of information is denied Kiritsugu. But the Magus-Slayer has seen what his allies can do, at least in some measure, and that should help with understanding them and coordinating efforts in the future, if such becomes necessary. He has already come to realize that some individuals possess physical prowess, magical ability, and raw power that put them on a level approaching or equalling a Servant, but actually witnessing it up-close, first-hand, is something else entirely.

Mordred... Arturia... Gawain... How many more Servants come from that era? How many more are nothing like he would have expected based on their legends? As he unslings his rifle from over his shoulder and sets it down against the wall, Kiritsugu ponders the implications of all these Grail Wars. Several seperate Wars... Are they all for the same Grail, or is there a different one for each of these worlds and times? If there are that many, can they all really be omniponent wish-granting devices? Could it be that there is just one that exists in multiple universes at once? Kiritsugu pulls out a cigarette, sticks it between his lips and lights it with a silver lighter from his coat pocket. He takes in a drag from it and then lets it out slowly in a cloud of smoke. While he adapted quickly, there is still a lot of information he's missing about the multiverse.

His dead-looking eyes find Psyber down below... The 'Saber of Red' who stands near Gawain... Maya with her unique card magic and compassion... Shirou with his earnest efforts and determination even amidst doubts... Saber - King Arthur - somewhere down there as well, having done her best to keep her allies safe and the enemies at bay. The Nikola Tesla Caster, and his Master... Many interesting individuals, who could be useful in a fight.

But is fighting in the Grail War worth it if he doesn't know whether the wish he'll be granted will actually save the world? Will his killing have to continue? Will violence and wars never stop?

To get the answers he seeks, he needs someplace he can settle in and gather information. Allies he can work with without having to watch his back all the time. Dun Realtai isn't going to work. Everyone there distrusts him as much as he distrusts them. But maybe that man down there who seems practically to be a Servant himself can serve as a good starting point.

As Kiritsugu picks up his rifle and begins to move out of the area without stopping to gather with the others, he makes a mental note to look Psyber up sometime soon.

Sir Gawain has posed:
Gawain dematerializes his blade, as he looks towards his fleeing opponents, and then at the corpses of the dogs, which do not dematerialize as he wish they would. With a faint nod to Psyber, he stares into the sky. "The next time we meet will be the last time Rider of Gold fights. I will make sure of it."

And then he parts, presumably back to his apartment to study up. The dog deaths would be left unexplained, in the news as some sort of 'Animal Butcher' with no known identity, the collapsed roof as an old building finally giving in.

And as he parted, Gawain only had one thought on his mind. He would win this war. Or he would die trying.