Fate/blood sport

[Zelos Wilder]

"Yeah, yeah, so," Viktoria sat back down on her wooden bed, clearing her throat, "th-that sounds good. Then we have time to decide future tactics, or something..."

And then her stomach grumbled, again... she really needed something to eat. Viktoria kicked up some dirt, turning a piece of fruit around in her palm. This really wasn't enough. Looking up to Lancer, the Master spoke hesitantly, "Can you, um, go look... for food, if-" She stopped herself short, realizing that this Lancer was her Servant, and she wasn't obligated to ask what works for his convenience. But then again, she just knew she can't help being polite. "Some, some meet would be good." Her mouth pulled back into an almost apologetic, closed smile, before her eyes darted back to the ground at her feet.

"A-and afterwards we can try to, uh, strengthen the defenses around here, or..."

[Eruedraith]

"Hunting would be an excellent way to open the day," Lancer said, rolling his shoulder. "I'll find some game for you. In the meantime, Master, I ask that you remain vigilant. To die because your Servant isn't around.... well, it's a bad end, to put it simply. I'll return in a few hours." he turned, summoning Tonbogiri into existence and preparing to return to spirit form. Hunting was easier when you were effectively nonexistent, after all. And it made little sense to him to allow the prey some sort of chance. They were not thinking beings like other humans - there was no point in honoring it by giving it a chance to escape.

For a moment, he thought of inviting Viktoria along, but then realized that she would be safest here. "Good day, Master," he said with a smile, and dematerialized.

[Zelos Wilder]

Viktoria didn't have the chance to respond to Lancer before he disappeared, wanting him to know that she would be fully safe within the camp. After all, the camp itself was invisible, and anything inside would be invisible as well. And the boundary field would let her know if anything came within a few hundred feet.

So, there was little to do until Lancer came back. Viktoria figured she might as well start a fire, by inscribing a rune on the dirt before placing dry grasses and sticks on top. While doing this, the young magus's mind turned to the subject of the other teams. As far as she knew, all Servants except Berserker were still out and about. And she knew nothing about them! But didn't Lancer say that it was Assassin who killed his old Master? Hopefully he had more information on the Servant, so Viktoria would have to remember to ask him about it later.

But the other Servants were completely unknown to her. She had no clue what kind of power they held, and how well Lancer would be able to combat them. Lancer didn't have one of those big, flashy, annihilating Noble Phantasms, so easy kills might be tough, but with enough effort and strategy Viktoria was determined to come out on top. Now where was Lancer and the food?

[Eruedraith]

Stalking prey really was easy when dematerialized, Lancer thought as he struck down at a deer with Tonbogiri, materializing as he fell. The blade pierced the animal's skull at its base, shoving into its brain. The animal died instantly, and Lancer pulled it from the head as he landed, rolling to one side. Taking a moment to clean the blood from his spear, he lifted the creature onto his shoulders. After allowing it to settle more comfortably against his armor, he dematerialized his blade and leaped away into the forest, intent on returning to his Master.

Speaking of...

Master, he thought, utilizing the low-level telepathy link that existed between Servants and their Masters, I've got food. I'm on my way back, now.

[Zelos Wilder]

Oh, good, Lancer was returning. Viktoria didn't really bother responding to her Servant, as she was still absorbed in thought concerning the competition.

'I wonder what the Saber's like...' The young magus was fully aware of the fact that Saber is usually regarded as the strongest Servant in a Holy Grail War, so she couldn't help but worry how powerful it might be in this competition. Could Lancer compare? They're both of the Knight-type classes after all, considered the best of all classes. And a sword is rarely a match for a spear, so Viktoria was hoping that her team could come out on top due to simple military logic. 'But it's no use worrying 'til I see what's up...'

The girl sighed, and stuck a twig into a little mound of dry grasses and other kindling. "Sowilo," she muttered, half-heartedly. The fire sprang up before her fair face, but the girl didn't move much. The heat felt nice. Viktoria almost wished that she hadn't sent Lancer away to find food, even if it's only been five minutes... she felt lonely. And this island was probably the worst possible place to feel lonely.

[Eruedraith]

Lancer arrived some minutes afterwards, relieved that he hadn't been attacked by any wandering Servantas while he was out. "Master," he greeted her as he entered the camp. Grunting, he heaved the corpse of the animal from his shoulders onto the ground. It made a dull, heavy sound as it fell, and Lancer gave a satisfied nod.

"Excellent. Do you have a knife around here, Master? It would aid me in cutting this beast up. Perhaps we can talk while I'm doing that?"

[Zelos Wilder]

Ugh, what was that? A... rabbit, maybe? That sure was one large rabbit... Viktoria winced at the sight of the animal. Not that she wasn't grateful, no, she was very happy that Lancer found food, but some part of her wished for something a little less, rustic.

"Oh, ah, here..." She dug her hands into her bag, retrieving the large knife she uses for... well, everything. This island presented the fighters with some sick twist on a camping trip, so could anyone blame her? Handing the slightly dirty knife to Lancer, Viktoria sighed, looking down at the rabbit.

"Yeah, yeah, w-we can talk..." She wanted to chat as much as Lancer probably did, if not more. "What, uh, what do you...?"

[Eruedraith]

Lancer took the knife, nodding his thanks, and began to skin the animal on the ground, being careful to set aside the pelts as did so. He was quiet for a few moments, mulling over how to start, and then asked Viktoria, "Why are you fighting in this war, Master? You're certainly younger than the rest of the Masters. Why would you risk dying at such a young age?"

In fact, this had been bothering Lancer since he had seen her, yesterday. He wasn't fond of cutting down little girls on the battlefield, no matter how necessary it might be. It comforted that he was protecting her now, as that meant he didn't have to kill her, but it still bothered him.

[Zelos Wilder]

Oh man, that's not really a conversation Viktoria wanted to start... but she did tell herself that she'd talk with Lancer, hear anything he has to say while seeking information for herself, so maybe this was the only way to do it.

"I, ah, well..." Wait, just how old are the other Masters? Gah, that's not important right now. "I need to win m-money. Or, at least that's what my father told me to do..." She sat on her wooden bed, obviously depressed as she recalled her out-of-war circumstances. "But I'm still an able-bodied magus, you know? I studied a whole lot for this kind of thing, as if..." She had looked up at Lancer, but her face slowly descended as she reflected on her own words. She felt as if her father had raised her for this competition.

"Y-you, you trust me... right?"

[Eruedraith]

Money? Well, you need it, I guess. Everyone does. But would you really risk your life like this for it? Something's off, here... Ah. I see. Raised from birth for this? All right, I'm starting to get a better idea of what's going on here, but there are still a few holes. Lancer raised an eyebrow as he slowly peeled a large clump of muscle away from the meat.

He raised his head, a somber expression on his face. If it had been someone else, he would have thrown in some snide comment about not having a choice in that regard, but this girl probably wouldn't respond well to things like that. "Yes, of course," he said, nodding briefly.

[Zelos Wilder]

Hrm, Viktoria didn't know if she was relieved quite yet. While Lancer had said that he trusts his young Master, Viktoria still knew that the Servant must hold some shred of doubt in the girl's competence. After all, if he was so concerned about Viktoria's placement among all the other Masters, Lancer must be a little less than confident in their chances.

"Alright, if you really trust me..." She needed Lancer to understand that she was actually willing to give this competition every ounce of effort she had within her frail body, even as her demeanor suggested that she'd prefer safety and inaction. "Please, just... I, I need to win this war." The magus sighed, her tone sounding a bit desperate. Could anyone blame her?
"Believe me, I know I'm hesitant, but... I'm gonna change." If not for Lancer, then for herself. "W-we'll destroy the competition, okay?" An anxious chuckle escaped through a toothy half-grin. The magus looked to the rabbit Lancer was preparing, her mind deviating back to food for a second. The fire was roaring, so Viktoria was waiting on Lancer at this point. She didn't rush him, or even give him a stern look, but her politeness may have been working against the assertive goal she was trying to develop for herself and her Servant.

"Okay, I'll tell you what." Hopping off the bed with sudden vigor, Viktoria took a few steps away from the camp, hands planted firmly on her hips. She was going to show Lancer an active, stronger Viktoria Axelson, even if she had to force it. "After breakfast, we'll go for a walk. Not too far from the boundary field, of course, b-but I want to check the area for signs of activity from the other teams." She turned her head to Lancer, her wavy brown hair whipping away from her face. "Any objections?"

[Eruedraith]

Good. She was starting to grow a spine. "Yes, Master," he said, hiding his satisfied smile. "Let me just cook this, and I'll be right with you. How do you like your meat, Master?" He rose, taking with him several large cuts of deer meat. The meat of these animals was Lancer's favorite - and in no small part because one of them had saved his life once. He always did everything he could to make sure that the body of the animal was well-used, not simply left rotting away once the prime cuts had been taken. He had plans for the rest of the body.

[Zelos Wilder]

"Oh, uh..." Viktoria had yet to give much thought on how she wanted her food to be cooked, as she was mainly concerned about just... eating it. Would Lancer even be able to skillfully cook gamey meat over a little campfire?

"M-medium rare," This raised another question to Viktoria, are Servants granted knowledge of modern culinary techniques upon summoning? "If-if that means anything to you." The Master walked in a small circle, trying to stand tall and puffed up, as if she was trying to create some intimidating visage. Her eyes then turned to the sky... a baby blue island morning, not a cloud in sight. And... a hovercam. Huh. Viktoria had almost forgotten about the fact that she was constantly being recorded. How did she appear to the worldwide audience? Was she widely hated, for being an emotional "kid", or did someone out there root for her? She knew her parents were strongly wishing for her victory...

"Alright, I want to leave in, like..." If only there was a way to tell time. She had failed to bring her watch, and her cellphone was dead. "Fifteen minutes. Then w-we're off."

[Eruedraith]

"That should be enough time," Lancer said. He did, in fact, know what medium rare meant. It was sort of like he had a massive library in his head that he could access whenever he wished, but it didn't take up space so long as he didn't think about it. Hell, he even knew how to play these... video games that were so popular nowadays, and that was about as far as that particular train of thought was going to go.

It took him only ten minutes to cook two cuts of meat, after storing the rest. "Do you have any plates around here, or shall we just eat barehanded, Master?" he asked with the slightest dry inflection.

[Zelos Wilder]

Ha, plates. "Our hands are fine..." It was just cooked meat, after all. And Viktoria was hungry... snatching her share of the food, the girl viciously bit into the meat, ripping and tearing. She was really hungry.

Viktoria stood by herself while devouring her food, not caring about how she appears in such a state. But her mind did turn back to Lancer as she recalled her earlier contemplation of the enemy teams. She had wanted to ask Lancer about a certain Servant...

"Lansher." Viktoria attempted to speak with her mouth full, coming off much too unladylike. But who cares, honestly? She finished her current bite of meat, clearing her throat to sound a lot less brutish. "Gah, uh... Y-you said you lost your last Master to... Assassin, right?" Viktoria hopped over to the wooden bed, sitting down while picking at the last few bits of deer meat in her hands. "Is there, uh, anything you can tell me about...?"

[Eruedraith]

Lance chuckled quietly to himself at Viktoria's refusal of a plate. He hadn't pegged her as such a practical - if inelegant - eater. Then again, maybe she was just hungry. He ate as she did, chewing vigorously - however, it slowed when Viktoria asked her question. He set the last scraps of his food down, swallowing carefully before saying, "After the battle with you and Berserker, I was badly injured. My Master healed me, but it took her most of the day. Assassin and his Master arrived during the night. Apparently, my Master and his had a past. A bad one. Assassin attacked her."

Lancer's entire body tightened, his every muscle tensing. "I would have been able to protect her, but not for long. I guess she knew that. She told me to run. Used a Command Spell. Maybe she knew that you could use me, maybe not." he fell quiet, and resumed eating, quickly swallowing the final bites of his meat. Lancer sat at attention, calmly waiting for Viktoria's answer, and perhaps command.

[Zelos Wilder]

Oh. Well. That was... not exactly the answer Viktoria was looking for. But interesting, nonetheless. The magus had finished her meat by the time Lancer explained his past situation, and the girl sat silent for a moment, not knowing exactly what to say in response. Should she... express condolences? Lancer didn't seem too depressed about what had happened... Of course, he could have been bottling his emotions, but Viktoria preferred to think that the Servant was past that and now content with the fact that he has a living Master. Yeah, that sounds good.

"I, ah, well..." Her lips were twisted, unsure of what to say. "Well, we can make sure her, her sacrifice wasn't in vain, right?" Viktoria figured that Lancer already motivated himself with such a thought, but maybe hearing it come from his new Master could give him some... peace of mind.

But Viktoria still didn't hear the information she needed. It was probably due to the poor wording and hesitation of her previous question, but still, it can't hurt to ask again. "B-But, what about... What about the Servant? Assassin? What's it like?"

[Eruedraith]

"It's damn fast is what it is," Lancer said. "I didn't see much of it. Assassins are good at hiding, after all... anyways, it seems like this one's got some sort of alternate form, or something. It looked like a... a wolf, that's what they're called, right. A wolf, except with the build of a man, if that makes any sense. No weapons that I saw, but when you've got claws and teeth and jaws like that, you don't really need them." Lancer tapped his fingers against his armor a little more, trying to recall the events of the past night more clearly. "His Master is a woman. Red hair, that's all I remember from the fight. Has a gun, if I recall correctly, though I didn't see enough of it to identify the type." Or, more accurately, ask the Grail what type.

"Anything else, Master, or shall we be off?" he asked.

[Zelos Wilder]

A wolf... man. Wolfman. Werewolf? Hm. Viktoria didn't think such a heroic spirit existed. Or maybe, it wasn't much of a heroic spirit? Regardless, it sounded dangerous. But then again... it was an Assassin. Generally regarded as the weakest class, one that makes better use of its abilities by going straight for the enemy Master. And Viktoria was a bit of an expert at misleading and hiding from people, so that should prove more than useful. Then Lancer can take care of the rest, right?

"Mm." Viktoria sprang upright, wiping her hands on her jeans. "I think that's it for now. Fr-from me, at least. You can talk all you want when we're walking..." Snatching her bag, Viktoria walked ot the edge of the camp, gazing into the forest. Which way to go? Looking back at Lancer, Viktoria said, "I'm not expecting to fight, or anything, but make sure to stay, like, extremely vigilant... okay?" With that, she trotted off into the brush, headed west-southwest. Hopefully nothing was waiting in ambush.

((let's fill this page with just us posting))

[Moonside]

Boring. That's what all this walking through the jungle was. Boring. Some old trees, some ugly animals, and... nothing interesting happing. Boring. Boring boring boring BORING
"Eeeeehhhh..." "Lancer" lied down next to a small-ish river, clearly... well, bored, due to the fact that she hadn't run across any of the other teams yet. "Maybe I should have stayed back at the camp... boss seems to be pretty uptight, but at least I could flirt with her or something..."

Contrary to "archer" and a couple of her other companions, "lancer" didn't care at all about hiding in any way, and her clothing reflected this. Her white dress was simple and loose-fitting, but also very revealing - one didn't have to try very hard to see some of her cleavage or legs... and this would most likely divert attention from something else that was quite interesting, which was the material that the dress was made of, being visually reminescent of a dragon's wings or something similar. Lastly, clashing strangely with the simpleness of the robe was the armor covering her arms, being quite shiny and intricate, with special mention going to the shoulderguards, that resembled the heads of a sheep and a bull. But of course, most of these details would easily go over people's heads, as the most impressive thing about "lancer" is how ridiculously good-looking she was.
...a bit too much, in fact, to the point that there was something clearly unnatural about her beauty.

A small deer appeared, and hopped over to next to her, probably looking for the water. ".No, no, you're not the kind of thing I'm looking for... But mmm, I guess if you came by, maybe one of the other teams will too?

...yeah, right."



(I'd have posted something before, but it would've been exactly this post, and then I wouldn't have anything to post now.

Also, this is relevant:

Mystic Body: B+
[A spell inherent to one's body. Anyone who looks at "lancer" instantly becomes sexually attracted to her. This effect works regardless of gender, though Magic Resistance and certain skills that protect against mental interferences can negate it.])

[Eruedraith]

[[The Fate/Blood Sport cooking show will return after this quick break.]]

Lancer grinned. Good, now they were getting somewhere. He jumped after Viktoria, closing the distance easily between the two of them until he was jogging lightly beside her, restraining himself so that he wouldn't outpace Viktoria's merely-human speed. He held out a hand, and Tonbogiri materialized in a swirling cloud of dusty motes, and was quickly slung casually over Lancer's shoulders as he moved along with his Master.

The two of them moved in quiet for a while. Lancer didn't have much else to say at the time, and preferred to keep his eyes and ears open rather than clogging them with idle conversation. He couldn't risk a surprise attack. Not again.

Suddenly, he felt something. Now that he was Viktoria's Servant, he was able to sense prana more readily. There was definitely something nearby, of a Servant level... but at the same time, it wasn't. He frowned, and whispered to Viktoria out of the corner of his mouth, "Keep alert, Master. I think something's watching us."

[[All right, "Lancer", we're ready for ya.]]

[Moonside]

...right after saying that, however, "lancer" suddenly felt two presences approaching... a Servant and a Master!

"Aaah!" She quickly got up, and turned towards the deer. "That feeling! Well, maybe you brought me some luck after all!"

While stretching her right arm out, as if calling something, a long, meaty-looking... thing... came out from under her dress, and coiled around it. The blade the covered the thing's head clearly showed that it was a weapon, and sure enough, it wasn't too hard to see it as a sort of moving spear, though the fact that it seemed to be made of living flesh was a little unnerving. "Now, now, don't worry, dearie..." "lancer" said, kindly caressing the thing, "we'll hopefully soon have some people to play with, mmmm~ ? Ah, but I wonder what they're like... a handsome guy, maybe? Or a cute little girl..."

At this point, the two presences had stopped moving, probably having felt "lancer"'s presence as well. Noticing this, she started walking back into the jungle, but now not as uncaringly as before. "Helloooo...?"

[Eruedraith]

Lancer's grip on Tonbogiri tightened as he heard the voice of a woman call out to them from out of sight. His other hand gripped Viktoria by her shoulder, stopping her movement. "Get ready to go invisible, Master," he said in a low voice. "I'll cover you, and try and draw this Servant out of hiding."

Stepping a little away from the girl, Lancer engaged in a complicated movement with his spear, allowing it to spin about his shoulders and neck, before it slipped down enough for him to hold it comfortably in his right hand, where he held it at an angle to his body. "Come out and show yourself," he growled in a carrying voice. "Unless you prefer to hang about in trees and call out like a bird, I suggest that you show yourself." he said. "Things are always more interesting when I can see the enemy's face."

[Zelos Wilder]

Great. Viktoria wasn't exactly looking forward to a direct confrontation with another Servant. But still, it wasn't entirely unexpected...
A female voice... Hm. Viktoria didn't think this could be the Assassin. With the way Lancer had described it, the wolf-like Servant didn't seem like a good match for this... alluring voice. So what was Viktoria supposed to expect? Saber, Caster, Archer and Rider... the remaining possibilities. Bah, there's no use in thinking about this kind of thing. Viktoria realized that she'd better spend her time hiding herself.

"Licht beugen, täuschen feinde." Within a moment, Viktoria once again disappeared from sight, leaving behind a perfectly accurate illusion of her visage. The magus darted over to a dense, dark thicket, further concealing her already invisible being. 'Be careful, Lancer, but don't hesitate in using your spear if you think you need it...' By communicating with her Servant via telepathic link, Viktoria did her best to make sure she wouldn't give away her position. If she can managed to stay still, completely undisturbed for the next few minutes, she might be able to manage to cast an illusory enchantment over Lancer. But that depended upon how the confrontation with... whatever it was developed. Over there, through the foliage, it was...

[Moonside]

"What?!" "Lancer" froze as the man finished speaking, which conveniently enough, was when he entered her vision. "How insulting! And here I was glad to finally be able to meet someone today... but it turns out that it's just an asshole! Even though you look like a knight, and is even wielding a spear too..." A look of disappointment appeared on her face, but upon noticing the girl by his side, this was quickly replaced by a smile. "Ah! But your Master is really cute, mmmm~ Well, alright then!" At that moment, the tentacle-like thing coiling around her arm moved to her hand and straightened itself, turning into an actual spear, albeit a really weird-looking one. "I didn't exactly want to fight, but if that's what you want, then I guess I can comply... and I'll take your cute Master from you too! Now, en garde!"