WAR FOR THE GRAIL - Part 1: World Of Origin

[-Desert-]

^
I second this. Surely it can't hurt to ask her why she's excited?

[Lizzie]

If I can actually make such a vote: E all of the above plus try to tell assassin to reign it in untill we know what's really going on, also because fighting a servant with a invisible sword is kiiiiiiiiinda a bad idea.

[Droid]

Just casually query D, then A

[Anna]

"What's got you so excited?" I manage to ask, my eyes starting to slip closed.

Assassin shifts, tilting her head towards me, "I'm flying! It's awesome! Totally awesome!"

I can't help it. Despite the incredible pain I'm in and the shock that's finally starting to set in, I start laughing, giggling as I clutch onto Assassin's shoulder and curl into a ball. One of Assassin's hands closes over me, holding me in place with surprising gentleness for a giant mechanical hand.

"It's not that funny..." Assassin retorts in a dejected mumble, and that just makes me giggle even harder.

"I-it is... it's... so funny... my giant robot... is all excited that she can... fuckin'... fly... heh... heheh..." I choke out the words, between wheezing gasps and giggles, my left hand closing over the shredded remains of my right shoulder.

Assassin sighs softly and gives a small shake of her head, "Just rest, Master. We'll be somewhere safe soon."

All I can offer in response to that is a weak little nod of my head. My whole body feels numb, and staying awake seems increasingly difficult, so I finally decide that it's safe to give in. Soon, everything fades to darkness, and awareness leaves me completely, the last thing I hear the sound of Assassin's jets as she keeps up with Saber.

********

Interlude

A dark figure stands in a hidden room, deep within an underground bunker, looking down at the huge purple mech that he summoned as his servant. He presses a few buttons on his cybernetic suit as he approaches her, chuckling to himself.

"So, Caster, all the Servants have now been summoned?" He asks.

The purple mech named Caster lifts her head, her mechanical eyes coming back into focus, "Yes, Master. My clairvoyance units detected a battle between Berserker and Saber's Master. In the middle of the battle, Assassin was summoned. That makes all seven."

"That's a shame. Didn't you have plans to summon Assassin for yourself?" He asks her as he approaches her large armored chassis.

Caster shifts, and a holographic image of a woman wearing a purple shroud appears in front of her robotic body, smiling as that armored man steps towards her, "I did, but who can be certain if it would even have worked? While I may possess Originator Circuits, I am a Servant myself. A Servant summoning another Servant would set a dangerous precedent, after all."



"Regardless, it's a pity we'll never know for sure either way." He tells her, gently resting a hand on the shoulder of that Holographic woman, "And the other thing you were working on?"

She smiles, a faint blush rising on the cheeks of her holographic figure, "Nearly finished, Master. Still, I find it troublesome that this new Master appears to be allying with Saber's Master."

He shakes his head, moving his hand away. He turns and makes his way over to his personal armory, opening a cabinet to withdraw a pair of advanced shock-fists, "Don't fret, Caster. As long as they're human, I'll defeat them, and with you enhancing my Battlemech, I should be able to give some of the Servants a surprise as well."

"As long as they do not use their Noble Phantasms." Caster adds in a cautious tone, "Master, are you sure you wish to take the front line...?"

He turns to her, offering her that self-assured smile that for some reason makes her knees weak, "I'm certain, Caster. You will support me, and together we shall defeat the other Masters. The Grail will be yours."

Caster smiles and gives a small nod of her head, that human holographic representation fading away, "As you wish, Master. Thank you for your trust."

Interlude - Out

*********

Waking up is hard. It feels like my awareness is swimming through an ocean of treacle, and every time I breach that ocean of unconsciousness and into awareness, I'm only there for a moment before the tide pulls me back under, into darkness. I catch snippets here and there. Galahad and a transparent blonde woman in strange blue clothing and armor gazing down at me, concern in his eyes, distrust in hers.

Another time, I feel a hand on my shoulder, and I glimpse a humanoid figure wrapped in a black cloak, a skull masking her face. She has green hair. How strange.

"Master, you're going to be okay." I hear her say, and I try to mumble something sarcastic in response, but again that darkness seizes me.

Other, less coherent snippets of information filter through those brief moments of consciousness. I hear an unfamiliar voice speaking, saying that my biology is almost completely alien, that surgery is impossible. I remember trying to get out of bed, using my right arm to push myself upright before I pass out again.

"She's ---- recovering at a remark---" More brief moments of awareness, "Almost entirely arti ---- could be some permanent ---- only time will ---"

All concepts of time are useless. I'm not sure if I've been sleeping for hours, days or even years. But eventually, finally, I wake up.

I'm lying in a hospital bed, in a plain white room, wearing the standard white hospital gown that leaves a patient their modesty but leaves limbs uncovered. I sit up slowly and look around. I'm alone, and the building must be underground, because there are no windows, just a cool, calming blue-tinted light shining down from the ceiling. There's a painting on the wall, and an empty chair next to my bed.

Looking down at myself, I see my left arm, the back of my hand marked with three strange red glyphs that have an odd glow to them, but more remarkable is my right arm. It's back. Sort of.



I stare at it for a moment. It's completely artificial, but it doesn't look like it was attached surgically. Rather, it seems to have grown out of my flesh, cybernetics growing out of my body to replace what was lost. Moving it around a bit, I'm relieved to discover that it seems just as flexible and responsive as my old arm had been. Finally, after the surprise wears off, I lower my arm and shift in the bed to get comfortable.

After thinking about it for a moment I...

A) Call for a Doctor
B) Call for Galahad
C) Call for Assassin
D) Get out of bed, leave the room and find out where I am
E) Other

The vote options now are suggestions more than strict rules. You can submit a suggestion that is entirely your own if you wish, and I'll use a mixture of popular-vote and what-I-think-sounds-best from suggestions to decide what to do next.

[Lizzie]

Call for a doctor, ask what the hell happened to your arm, also ask for whoever deposited you in the hospital.

[Ristyo]

I second Lizzie. After that go find Galahad.

[natan_j]

Sounds sensible enough. We have a consensus so far on this vote.

[Necrontyr1998]

I concur.

Keystrokes

[Lukasmah]

Call for a doctor, ask what the hell happened to your arm, also ask for whoever deposited you in the hospital.

This, but try to ask it in a more polite manner than suggested here. You don't want to be an ass to them right away.

[Latooni]

Attempt to get out of bed, if for no other reason to prove that we can. Marion's probably a little paranoid here, and as a trained soldier, she should probably catalog her options. After we check things out a little, we can summon a doctor.

[Siber]

Lizzie's plan of action seems fairly complete. I'll back it up.

[Anna]

I slowly climb out of the bed, just to make sure my body moves, if nothing else. I'm a bit sore, but I've been worse, so I'm rather relieved. Taking stock of the room, I find little that can be used as a weapon, aside from the chair next to my bed, but hopefully there won't be any need for that. Raising a hand, I press the comm button on the monitoring machine next to my bed.

"Um... can I see a doctor, please?" I speak into the microphone hesitantly.

There's no response, but after a few seconds the door to my room opens and a doctor steps inside, a younger man wearing blue scrubs and a white coat. He's followed in by a pair of soldiers wearing the uniforms of the Akashic Independence Movement, and Galahad with them, wearing the same uniform, unwilling to meet my eyes.

Tensing up, I ball my hands into fists, and then another person steps inside. No, not a person, exactly. She's human-sized, but it's clearly Assassin, a black cybernetic body and a skull mask concealing her face, with short green hair.



The doctor raises both his hands, "Lt. Pupa. I understand you're feeling rather uncomfortable right now, but you're not a prisoner, despite your allegiances. You're here under your brother's protection, and while he is... one of us, our leadership doesn't wish to incur the wrath of his Servant. Or yours."

That's enough to allow me to relax a bit, and Assassin approaches my side, resting a hand on my shoulder, "I'm glad to see you recover so quickly, Master. We're not safe here. We should go."

I hesitate, looking to her and then looking to Galahad, "How could you? You're a traitor? You defected to the AIM?"

Galahad takes a deep breath, appearing to steel himself before giving a small nod, "That's right. But you're safe here, Marion. Nobody's going to hurt you."

"For now." I mutter, glancing at the other AIM soldiers, and the Doctor, with suspicion.

The Doctor steps forward cautiously, checking my readings on the monitoring devices, "Well, it seems as though you're fully recovered. Vital signs are stable, but there is..." He gestures to my arm meaningfully.

"So I can go, then? If I want?"

He frowns, "Well, I suppose you could..."

"We should. I don't trust these people, Master, and I do not like being under the eye of another servant. We are not safe here." Assassin states.

I rest my head in my hands, groaning. I didn't expect this. I wasn't ready for it, but now I need to deal with it. I...

A) Leave the base with Assassin and return to a TAC Base.
B) Leave and find somewhere away from both sides of this conflict.
C) Stay here, for the moment, and demand answers about what's going on.
D) Tell Assassin to start killing. The AIM are our enemies, and we're in a perfect position to take them out.
E) Other

[Lizzie]

C, ask about what the fuck's going on.

[Latooni]

C, but tell Assassin to stand by in case of treachery. Scum cannot be trusted!

[Siber]

C seems solid to me. Knowledge is power and shit. And Galahad probably has a good reason for swiching sides.