[IC] Fate/Grand Order: Chaldean Irregulars

[lord pringle]

[Chaldea Security Organization, Global Environmental Model Room]
You just recently received your servant after a rather rushed week of training. Your three command seals still sting on your hand, both from the new sensation and the weight of the mana grafted on to your magic circuits. In front of you is the current Acting Head of Chaldea, Alejandro Alcanthus and behind him is the giant glowing globe of CHALDEAS. Its blue light is casting strange shadows across the room, though the pinpricks of red across its spinning surface are making the light even stranger. As the globe spins, you can see that the biggest collection of red dots is consolidated around St. Petersberg in Russia.
Alejandro clears his throat. "I apologize for the rushed pace of your training, but we need to move now," he taps some buttons on a console next to him and a countdown clock at the base of the globe illuminates reading "07:01:15:59"
"That is how much time we have until an extinction level event occurs in the past and then spreads through time. Seven days, one hour, fifteen minutes and fifty-nine seconds. Our only solution is to send you into the temporal singularity and hope that you are able to retrieve the counterfeit grail before the world ends.
You will be Rayshifting to Petrograd in July of 1918. Your primary objective is to find the grail and rayshift out. In order to leave and also to reestablish contact, you will need to draw a contact circle, as you were trained to do, at a lay line nexus. In order to aid you in performing that, you will be provided with watches that have a doomsday timer, a device to track the time of the point you're standing in and a thaumatic compass that should point to the nearest nexus. As long as you perform those objectives, how you accomplish them is entirely up to you. Good luck."
With his speech done, you head into the Rayshifting coffins to prepare for transport.
[Hurdling through Time and Space, ???]
Rayshifting is a strange experience. It feels like every part of your body just gets lighter and you feel like you're moving so fast and you're flying but also moving so incredibly stably and slowly. It's enlightening. You see the forms of the three master-servant pairs you're traveling with as glowing beams of colored lights. And then you hear a noise that hurts your very foundation. It sounds like a roar, but it's so loud that you can feel the force of the sound waves hammering into you. You see the other beams of light scatter into other directions instead of the predetermined point you were supposed to hit and you even feel yourself moving off course. And then you land.
[Rozen and Lancer, ???]
The two of you land face down in a field of snow. It is likely the coldest thing either of you have ever experienced, well below zero. The chill hurts you in your very bones, your Chaldea Uniforms not designed to handle this kind of weather. According to your watch, this is still July of 1918, despite the weather feeling more like December. Sun Wukong, as a servant can tell that the snow and cold around you seems to be laced with mana. As you get your bearings from the nauseating landing, you realize that you're surrounded by a series of small figures, maybe four feet tall, all wearing black cloaks with skull masks, lurking just away from the trees of the snow-covered forest around you. About half of them have pistols that they have trained on you. None of them say anything, seeming more confused about your sudden appearance.
What will you do?
[Jean and Saber, ???]
The two of you land on a big dining room table. It's an incredibly fancy room with a red carpet, real silver silverware, incredibly fancy artwork adorning the walls and a grand window with a view of a fancy city, the promised Petrograd, though every flag is still a tricolor and not that of the communist regime. As you get over the nauseating feeling of your imperfect Rayshift, a trio of servants enter the room pushing a cart of hot food.
What will you do?
[Yael, Remus, Rider and Caster, ???]
The four of you land face down in a field of snow. It is likely the coldest thing any of you have ever experienced, well below zero. The chill hurts you in your very bones, your Chaldea Uniforms not designed to handle this kind of weather. According to your watch, this is still July of 1918, despite the weather feeling more like December. Your servants can tell that the snow and cold around you seems to be laced with mana, through their enhanced senses. As you get your bearings from the nauseating landing, you get the feeling that you're being watched, though you can't tell by what or from where. There is a strange howling noise coming from the snow-capped forest around you. "WEENNDIGOOOOOOO!"
What will you do?

[KreenWarrior]

Rider

Rider takes in her surroundings, the chill setting into her bones. Clucking in slightly irritated fashion, she helps her Master to his feet, brushing the snow off his head. "Master,
we should find shelter as soon as possible. This weather will be lethal in but a short time." Outstretching the wings from her back, she runs mana through them, generating heat and light.

Remus

Remus groans and gets up, "That was... loud. And rather unpleasant." He looks up at Rider's words. "Shelter, yes... but the mission first." He pulls out the thaumaturgic compass and looks to find where they are supposed to go, and hopes it's in the direction of civilization.

What do we know about Wendigos?

[Yael]

Yael

"Remus, we should find a ley line ASAP, maybe that way we can join the others. Assuming their landing was better than us." Says Yael, as he cleans snow off his clothing, but a bunch still remains over his hair.
As the mage gathers his gathered stuff, he notices the faint howling noise. For which he readies his Gandr spell.
"Caster." He communicates via his mind to his servant.

Caster

The servant landed on his feet, and his clothing was not even wet by snow. He was the first to detect the mana traces on the snow, but he said nothing until asked.
"Wendigo. Interesting creature, although I am not well informed off their appereance or features." The servant answers mentally to his master.

[Quiver]

"Aha! Excellent," Saber declared. She approached the cart without missing a beat, breathing in the aroma drifting off the plates and grinning. She ignored the servants, standing beside a chair and looking at Jean.
When he made no motions, Saber rolled her eyes. She sat at the table, and began sorting the cutlery with the ease of motion that only a seventeenth century french noble could manage.

"Aren't you going to take a seat?
Jean looked at the table, and the food. The smell wafting off it didn't do a stomach recovering from a rayshift any favours. He shook his head quickly.

"Mordioux! Excuse his manners," she added quickly to the servants, with the air of mock-confidentiality, as if he couldn't hear. Or as if she was a parent, apologising for an overly fussy child, sighing with a pointed disappointment.

Jean, for his part, stared at the scene unfolding in front of him, and looked at the servants with the wariness and caution that his ser- partner had elected not to. She was, apparently, used to scenes like this.

[KreenWarrior]

Yael

"Remus, we should find a ley line ASAP, maybe that way we can join the others. Assuming their landing was better than us." Says Yael, as he cleans snow off his clothing, but a bunch still remains over his hair.
As the mage gathers his gathered stuff, he notices the faint howling noise. For which he readies his Gandr spell.
"Caster." He communicates via his mind to his servant.

Caster

The servant landed on his feet, and his clothing was not even wet by snow. He was the first to detect the mana traces on the snow, but he said nothing until asked.
"Wendigo. Interesting creature, although I am not well informed off their appereance or features." The servant answers mentally to his master.

Remus
"Agreed. We can't afford to stay here." If there are no nearby points of reference, Remus will orient using the compass and head towards the nexus, shielding his face from the snow, as Rider accompanies him, keeping a watchful eye out.

[lord pringle]

[Yael, Remus, Rider and Caster, Heading to the Nexus]
The compass is pointing north by north east, down what is likely a path, though with the recent snow, all tracks have been obscured. The snow buried path leads from your clearing through a trail barely large enough to move a cart down. As you crunch your way through the thigh deep snow, you hit a point where the forest hems you in enough that you have to walk single file. And that's when you're attacked. The things (https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjCu7OeiNnWAhVEKCYKHcbhC3EQjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ancient-origins.net%2Funexplained-phenomena%2Fbe-wary-wendigo-terrifying-beast-native-american-legend-insatiable-hunger&psig=AOvVaw1OsJ1kqxiMrR6xtqdOoY14&ust=1507278526571215) are lanky monsters about 8 feet tall and lanky with a head like a deer's skull and they are just suddenly there. Not like they teleported in, but like they were always there, right next to to you but your brain wouldn't let you see them. You think there are 6 of them, but they keep fading from your sight as soon as you notice them. One is attacking each of you, with an extra one on the servants. They are a mess of fangs and claws, nearly impossible to dodge.
[Jean and Saber, A Pleasant Dining Room]
One of the maids, a pale woman with vacant blue eyes walks up to the two in their dining room. "Excuse me, madam, the dining room is not open until the Czar decrees it is. Please evacuate the room. Please bring your guest with you," she says in a halting, emotionless rehearsed voice. The other two women there have equally vacant eyes the exact same shade of blue. All three have paused what they are doing, completely mid action, and are doing nothing but staring, mouths slightly open.

[Quiver]

"The Czar?" Saber rose to her feet, glaring at the dispassionate woman. An irritated tone had crept into her voice. "Do you not realize whom you are addressing? I-"

"Am clearly in the wrong place," Jean interrupted. He approached the table, stepping between the table and his servant. Saber glared at him, and he met the look, eye flashing to her belt to show her he hadn't missed the way her hand moved towards her sword.

He looked back at the maids, and tried to affect more confidence than he felt. "We seem to have taken a wrong turn somewhere. We'll take ourselves out of your way, won't we?"

He glared again at Saber, who grumbled something that must have been assent. He looked again at the maids, then at the cart and -against the wishes of his churning stomach- added "We'll both be looking forward to dinner."

If the maids don't have any reaction following up the above portion, then, I'm having them do the next part continue with this part:

"I was looking forward to eating now," Saber muttered when they had exited the room.

"We happened to run into a group of maids whose only reaction to trespassing and musketeer cosplay was to politely ask us to leave. I'd rather not press that luck. Besides, you don't need to eat, do you?"

"It's the principle. They hardly seemed as if they would react to anything. What's 'cosplay'?"

Jean frowned. "Yes. There's 'servility', then there's... that."He looked around for sign of anyone else, then fished into his pocket.

"Presumably, we are on the right course. To have landed right within the enemy stronghold - thrilling! What's cosplay?"

Jean ignored the question, and pulled out the nexus compass. It seemed like the quickest way to meet up with the others. At any rate, it seemed like a better option than wandering around the palace aimlessly...

[KreenWarrior]

Remus calls to the life energy in the wood of the forest around them, and the branches reach down and slash and smash at the wispy beings. He puts his back to the biggest tree and moves his hands to direct the magic as his magic circuits glow green. "Anyone know anything about these things? Any weaknesses?

Rider defends her Master as best she can, striking with blasts from her wings. "If you can clear some space, I might have something that would be effective. Assuming fire works."

[Yael]

Yael

"No, I don't, nor does Caster, apparently." Yael readies his arm, for which his magic circuit glows below his clothing. "I can't properly aim!" The weird nature of the creatures fool the mage's aim.

Caster.
Lovecraft raises his left arm, which makes a circle appear below him and Yael.

"Nnn-nglui sgn'wahl uaaah"

His words make a faint echo, raising a boundary field about 5 feet, creating a sphere around both Caster and his Master.
This should aid you against physical attacks, Master. But I cannot do anything about lowering their speeds for you. He mentally transmits to Yael.

nnn- = Protect/Watch
nglui = Threshold
sgn'wahl = Share space
uaaah = Finish spell

[lord pringle]

[Yael, Remus, Rider and Caster, Heading to the Nexus]
The wendigo are coming at you in full force. They seem mostly flummoxed by Caster's force field, slamming against it with full force, but failing to penetrate it. The transparent circle gives Yael a horrifying glimpse at what these things look like, with teeth too long attached to bloody gums, with bits of hair in between.
Remus's defense is mostly effective, smashing most of the monsters behind the onslaught of branches. But then a heretofore unseen one, with particularly gnarled horns appears next to him, and cuts into his arm, though, in the heat of combat, he can't tell if it's a claw or a bite. The thing then rears back to hit him again, before having its head split open by an axe.
As it collapses, you see a tall First Nations man, holding two axes and dressed in weather appropriate leathers. "Hey, idiots! Run, get out of-- Wait, you're servants?" He bellows. He is a servant, and the masters looking at him, are suddenly aware of his parameters.
Strength: C
Agility: B
Endurance: D
Magic: B
Luck: E
Noble Phantasm: C

[Jean and Saber, Strolling through the palace]
As the two of you walk down the hallway, away from the maids (who put up no objections to you leaving) you pass by a window revealing a large ballroom full of extravagantly dressed noblemen all standing around vacantly just looking at nothing with the same empty blue eyes the maids had.
You check the thaumatic compass, and it shows that the two of you are south of the nexus. And then its needle spins, registering a large surge of magic. The ballroom below explodes with applause as three figures enter. One is a tall grey man with piercing eyes in a priests uniform topped with the Imperial Crown of Russia. Next to him is a beautiful regal woman with the now typical vacant blue eyes wearing the Lesser Imperial Crown. The third figure is a beaten, bloodied but still regal looking jester, bent onto all fours, attached to a leash held by the priest. "Attention, Ladies, Gentlemen and Esteemed Guests, " The Priest's voice booms, clearly amplified with mana. "I, Czar Rasputin, have returned from a leisurely walk, as is my wont. Now the party may-"
He is interrupted by the jester screaming, "This farce has gone on long enough, you blasphemous adulterer!" As he takes a breath and begins to rise, a peal of thunder echoes through the palace, as he seizes and spasms as if being shocked.
"Nicholas, Nicholas, Nicholas. Every night, you try to reclaim your title and your wife. You simply do," he punctuates his sentence by kicking the buffoon in the face. "not. get it. I'm in charge now. Now, loyal citizens. Hopefully, Dog Nicolas has learned his lesson and will be ready to preform for us during tonight's feast. But, now let the party commence!" With that said, he smiles and raises his arms, every noble bursting into a dance, an orchestra playing for them. Not one person is out of place and not one person misses a step.
A couple of servants rush past the two of you, pushing a cart of various alcohols, each step in tune with the music. As you watch the scene, you realize that Rasputin is clearly a servant.
Strength: E
Agility: C
Endurance: D
Magic: A
Luck: B
Noble Phantasm: A

[Yael]

Yael

"A servant?!" Yael yells at the sight axe-wielding figure, but quickly regains focus of the thing at hand. "So those horrendous creatures can be sliced!" The mage takes a second to search for a tiny blue quartz stone, shaped like a small blade. He makes a faint chant, which glows along with his magic crest. He releases the seal the moment the creature tries to strike him for a second time.

Aqua santuc maian forfetz!
(Piercing Water Spray)

The gem breaks in hundreds of fragments that liquidify and solidify in a rain of needles, all empowered and sharper than usual fragments of precious stone, aiming to hit the attacking creature.

Caster

Caster remains silent, not caring for the creature at hand, but paying more attention to the sight of the newcomer. Even if that servant sliced a wendigo, there was no trace or information to unlink him with the creatures, it could be a facade to make them all low ther guards for a surprise attack. Yes, very untrusty, but he would not trust anyone, not even himself.

"I wonder who might you be." Lovecraft says in a low, yet audible tone, even for the circumstances, while holding his book closed.

[Quiver]

'Czar Rasputin? Jean frowned, watching the scene unfolding on the other side of the window. 'And a servant on top of that?'

A Caster, he'd guess. Which explained the obvious magic being used on the maids and the nobles.

"We need to rendezvous with the others," he said quietly. The compass seemed to be tracking Rasputing wherever he went, so finding him again later would be simple enough... "Saber?

Sabers sword was rattling, her glove tightening around it's hilt. Her eyes were focused on the ballroom floor, most especially at Rasputin, at Nicholas on his leash, at the enthralled queen of Russia by Caster's side.

"Saber, wa-"

A flash of blue movement, and the orchestra was interrupted by the sound of the window shattering as Saber crashed through it.

She landed nimbly, not seeming to notice either the glass falling around her, or her master's look of shock and horror at what she had done.

"If this is a Russian party, consider me unimpressed," Saber said cooly, rising to her feet. She drew her rapier, a shrill ring of metal echoing from the scabbard.
"Dismiss your guests, Czar Rasputin! This 'party' has come to an end!"

I kind of just want to say that... I realise this is probably not the smartest move, but it felt like the action most in-line with Saber's personality.
And interrupting a party by crashing a party through a window is one of the most swashbuckler/musketeer-like things I can think of.
(Crashing through a window, onto the chandalier and gesturing while spouting hero talk was THE most swashbuckler-y, but I figured that was probably a step too far.)

[KreenWarrior]

Remus

Remus hisses and pain and examines his wound. His only hope is that these things cannot transmit any contagion or curse like a vampire. Once the fight is over, he will pack it with an herbal poultice.

Rider
Daedalus fires more blasts at any remaining wendigos before turning to the newcomer. Servants? Yes, we are. Who are you?"

[lord pringle]

[[Yael, Remus, Rider and Caster, Heading to the Nexus]
With three servants and two mages going all out, the Wendigo are dispatched within seconds. "My apologies, ma'am, he says, dismissing his hatchets. "Name's Jack Fiddler, shaman, chief and Wendigo hunter by trade. I guess the grail made me an assassin so I can hunt these monsters better."
He spits on the ground and goes up to the nearest Wendigo that Daedalus didn't kill, saying a quick "Miskwà" causing its corpse to ignite.
"You need to burn these sons of bitches before their spirits escape. You let that happen and the mass infection gets worse. None of you humans got bit, did you?" He then looks around and notices what the masters are wearing, "Aw, crap, we probably need to get you out of the cold before it kills you. C'mon, I have a shelter not too far from here."
[Jean and Saber, Grand Ballroom]
"Ah! I see the Revolution has obtained another servant and from the looks of it, another saber. Have you dogs become so desperate that you've resorted to sneak attacks? For all your general's rants about honor, you clearly have none. But very well," Rasputin waves his hand and the music stops, and every guest rushes out of the ballroom, except for the Czarina and the former Czar. "Let's let that party end and ours begin. For now, it is time for EYES OF BEAUTY"
Once he says those words, his noble phantasm releases, his eyes glowing a bright blue that coats the room in front of him in its sharp light. And Saber's legs crumple beneath her. From what you can tell, her magic resistance is preventing the full effect of his gaze, but it still feels like gravity has increased a hundredfold. "Dog of the Revolution!" he barks, "Swear fealty to me and I shall let you live!"

[KreenWarrior]

Remus

In regards to the Wendigo hunter's question, Remus raises his arm and displays the wound. "Is this going to have to come off, then?" He says it with dry humor, but the prospect still makes his voice quaver.

[Yael]

Yael

"Is that where your Master is, Assassin?" The mage asks while cleaning the snow. The barrier disipates and Caster enters spirit form. "Thank you, by the way. Anything you can tell us about those things?" And he follows them.

[Morcleon]

Rozen and Lancer

Groaning and sighing as he lifted his head, Rozen frowned at the situation he had landed himself in. Just his luck to be surrounded by potentially hostile creatures in a definitely hostile environment. With a brief glance over at Lancer, he slowly raised his hands into the air and gave the mysterious figures a sheepish smile, speaking in a voice laced with just a tiny bit of magical suggestion. "Ah, how about we just talk things out peacefully? It'd be much appreciated."

Mentally, he murmured to his Servant in a clipped tone that conveyed just a bit more stress than he was currently showing. "Be ready to block their shots if they fire. I don't want to start this mission bleeding out in the snow."

"Ah, of course. It'd do me no good if you went and died, yeah?" Lancer quipped back, standing calmly with a teasing grin, though watching the cloaked figures from the side of his eye.

[Quiver]

Jean's knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists at the sight below, Saber on her knee's before Rasputin. For a second, he wondered if she had fallen prey to his Noble Phantasm... then she spoke.

"One of du Winter's eyes was more beautiful than this entire palace," she said, contempt lacing her every word. "And if I wouldn't kneel to her, what makes you think I'll do it for you?"

She pushed herself back to her feet, levelling her blade towards Rasputinn.
Her bravado didn't make Jean feel any better.

'She's a Saber class, so d'Artagnan ought to have an advantage against a Caster, he thought. Except, her magic resistance is below average for her class, and we're in Caster's domain.

At least her magic resistance was enough that she wasn't glassy-eyed. On the other hand, whatever she might have declared, the way she moved and held herself was enough to show the toll the room was taking on her. She was stepping carefully, as if each movement required effort. She had sharp reflexes, so if Caster made a move, she should have the time to dodge or to parry it. Maybe.

Damnit, Saber. They''d had the drop on him. If she had used her phantasm, she might have been able to score the first blow, maybe finish him off if the cut was deep enough. They could have picked a battlefield that was good for them instead of him.

He almost wanted to yell at her, except that would probably break her concentration. And it might require stepping into Caster's line of sight. A magus might be able to resist this 'Eyes of Beauty' phantasm, but Jean would prefer not to be put into a situation where he'd have to find out.

What they needed was a plan. What they needed was...
Saber approached the cart of alcohol the maids had delivered to the guests, and from where he was standing, Jean could see a smirk curve her lips.

"I don't know what Saber's you are familiar with, Rasputin," she said, "but I am no mere revolutionary girl."
She suddenly lashed out with a kick, sending the cart towards Rasputin. Jean watched the tumbling movements, various bottles of alcohol falling from it and smashing their contents on the ground, and he realized what they needed:

'We need booze.'
While Saber contended with Rasputin, her master turned, hurring down the hall towards the room they had landed in, and hoping that pre-Revolutionary Russian vodka was 80 percent proof.

Heavy handed Utena reference, but eh. #AnimeShoutout

[lord pringle]

[Yael, Remus, Rider and Caster, Heading to Jack's Shelter]
Jack gives Yael a quizzical look. "The hell do you mean Master? I don't have one, I get all my mana straight from the grail, just like every other servant here. Don't your servant friends?" he scratches the back of his head, groaning softly with annoyance, "Anyway, these monsters are wendigos. They're what happens when a human feasts on another human's flesh and invites evil manitou into their body. And the real strong ones can infect you with their bite."
He stops, suddenly and abruptly, his back towards the group and summons one of his axes. "Now, did it bite you?" he asks, gripping tightly to the axe, "Because these weren't the alpha, but they could still be strong enough. If it did, we've got a couple options: 1) Do nothing and hope it won't be strong enough and if it turns out to be, we'll have to kill you. 2) Just chop your arm off now and not take any chances or 3) try to find whatever alpha is bringing these things into the world and kill it before it can kill you." He pauses and takes a deep breath, staring off into the distance, haunted by something, "I trust you'll make the right choice."
[Jean and Saber, Grand Ballroom]
Rasputin seems completely stunned by Saber's ability to stand up and thus fails to dodge out of the way of the cart flung at him, which startles him and nearly knocks him over. "Well, well, well. If you aren't with the revolution, maybe you're a wild dog like Fiddler or a trained dog like the German or just a rabid dog bent on attacking everything it can." He pulls an arm length metal rod out of his robe and it hums to life. "No matter what, you're still a dog, and dogs need discipline." The rod crackles with thunder as it fires out three blasts of lightning at Saber. "TASTE GOD'S WRATH, YOU IMPUDENT DOG!"
[Rozen and Lancer, Forest Clearing]
One of the figures quirks its head and shouts at you, "How do we know you aren't with the Czar?" From the way her voice sounds, she's a kid, 12 years old at the absolute oldest. Another kid, a boy no older than her, chimes in "They're clearly Servants, Natalya! We need to go get the General like Richard said."
Natalya snaps back, "I know that! But Assassin said we're not supposed to use our real names in front of enemies, you stupid idiot!" The two get involved in a pointless childish argument, about who is better and more fit to lead. While this is going on, a much younger kid, still in the same garb, walks over to Lancer and asks, "Are you two bad guys?"

[KreenWarrior]

Remus

Remus extends his arm for inspection. "I honestly don't know if it was a bite or a scratch. But on the whole, I'd rather find and kill this 'alpha' instead of taking my arm off on a suspicion." He tries to inspect the wound magically as well as physically to see if he can tell for sure what's happening.

[Quiver]

She side-stepped the first bolt. The tension in the room slowed her enough that that wasn't an option for the second, but somehow -luck, probably- she managed to swing her rapier to parry the lightning, as if it it were a blade.
The third, she was less fortunate. It caught her in the chest as she was switching positions, slipping through her guard. Saber was flung back, smoke rising from the burn on her tabard, and coughing.

"A dog," she grunted, pushing herself back up and glaring at Rasputin. "You say that like it's something I shouldn't be proud of. Dogs are loyal. A dog knows who it's master is, and will fight to defend them. When you corner and beat a dog, it snaps and bites. Yes, Czar, I'm a dog"

Saber struck up a duelling pose. A cloak, an aura of mana, began to gather around her. It almost seemed to coalesce into figures behind her. "Ah, and one other thing about dogs." Her expression and tone had gone flat, serious rather than her previous mocking bravado. "We run in packs. So, Czar, prepare yourself. For this is the power of the Four Mus-"

Her words were interrupted by a sudden explosion of heat from the window she had leapt through. The shroud of mana dissipated as her concentration, and her boast, were broken.

Jean leaned against the window, looking more than a little shocked. Soot clung to his face and the ends of his lab coat, and he was blinking with some bemusement.
"I... guess I miscalculated," he said, rubbing some ashes from his glasses. He looked down at the two ballroom. Saber! We're getting out of here!"

"What?! One moment Rasputin," she added quickly, "What?! What cowardice are you talking about! Our duel is about to reach it's climax and-"

"And the Czar is going to be rather busy." He folded his arms, and turned his eyes from Saber to Caster.

"Rasputin. You're attached to this palace, aren't you? So you might want to get to work putting out the fires I've started. Russian vodka, plus a spark of magic. Either you let Saber and me le- tactically withdraw, or you can start looking for another domain. Assuming you get out of here before the Revolution notices the great big bonfire the winter palace is about to be."

"Jean, you... you set a building on fire?" Saber stared, horror morphing into something almost like glee. "I knew you had the makings of a musketeer! This is exactly the kind of plan I would come up with!"

So, I guess I should qualify this? I kinda view d'Artagnan as a 'fragile speedster' type of Saber. She has good speed and strength, and above average luck... but with Endurance only being a C, she can't really take much damage. Just... explaining how I view her stats wise, I suppose? In case it seems like she's taken more damage that she "should" have.
...I also think I'm probably leaning a little harder into the comic relief role. Er, sorry?

[Morcleon]

Rozen and Lancer

Rozen tilts his head to the side, a rather bemused grin on his face. He shrugs, chuckling softly, "...well, probably because I'm not really sure who this Czar is, yeah? Would you care to enlighten us?"

"Me? Bad?" Lancer breaks into giggles, waving his hand dismissively. He crouches down next to the kid and pats them on the head. "Nah, I'm not bad. I'm a Heroic Spirit, after all."

[lord pringle]

[Yael, Remus, Rider and Caster, Heading to Jack's Shelter]
Jack exhales a breath that seems like he's been holding since the second he started talking to you. "Alright," he straightens his back and dematerializes his axe. "But if it hits your brain before the alpha dies, you're going to wish I'd amputated."
He shrugs and rubs his eyes. "Shelter's up over there. It's nothing fancy, just a cave, but I have some elk drying, some pelts for winter wear, a fire pit and a couple of hammocks." He looks out across the landscape disapprovingly. "Feel free to rest up and take as long as you need. Shouldn't be any more wendigo hounding us for a while and we'll hear one of the armies coming."

[Jean and Saber, Grand Ballroom]
"Heh. Heh heh. HAHAHAHAHAA!" Rasputin's dry chuckle breaks into a mirthful uproarious laugh. "Very well, Musketeers. You've certainly earned an escape attempt. And if you survive, you've earned your seat in my court whenever you so choose." He turns around at walks toward the fire, Nicolas and Alix in tow, before whipping his head back and bellowing, loud enough to shake the walls of the ballroom, "LANCER, HELP ME WITH THE FIRE! ARCHER, HUNT THE TWO INTRUDERS DOWN!"
The second he says that, you hear the sound of a servant materializing. Appearing on a balcony is the most beautiful woman you have ever seen. She's clad in a fine, jewel encrusted toga and orbiting around her is a one foot long cube covered in intricate runes and designs.
"You miiiiight want to start running," she says in a beautiful, enchanting voice, pulling a golden spear over a meter long out of the box. "Ten. Nine. Eight."
Strength: C
Agility: B
Endurance: C-
Magic: A
Luck: D
Noble Phantasm: EX

[Rozen and Lancer, Forest Clearing]
Natalya's jaw drops (or at least presumably does, it's hard to tell with the skull masks), "You don't know who the Czar is? Even the German does and he's, well, German!" she shakes her head, "Czar Grigori Rasputin! He's the big evil jerk who took Saint Petersberg and all the food and makes all of us peasants pay massive taxes, even during the war and all this harsh weather!"
The boy who was disagreeing with her earlier chimes in, "That's why we're members of the Glorious Revolution! We're going to take back the city and all of the Czar's riches will be ours!"
The sound of hoofbeats in snow rings through the clearing as an adult figure dressed in the same robes and mask mounted atop an identically dressed horse bounds through the trees. "Oh man, you guys are lucky that I found you before the others," he says, in a deep, rich masculine voice. He takes off the mask, revealing a handsome Englishman with messy brown hair and green eyes. A servant.
Almost of all of the kids cry out in unison, "Richard!" though a few of the older ones say, "Rider!" instead. Richard chuckles, "Hey kiddos, these guys didn't hurt you did they?" As the kids start to run up to him, he turns to you and says, "Please tell me you two aren't with the Czar. And if you are, at least let me send the kids away first."
Strength: A
Agility: B++
Endurance: B+
Magic: D
Luck: D
Noble Phantasm: D

[KreenWarrior]

Rider
Rider relaxes slightly. If the other Servant had decided the wound needed to be dealt with immediately, she would have had to face a... very hard choice between practicality and her loyalty to her young Master. "What does this creature's lair look like? I might be able to locate it from the air, once the storm clears" In the meantime, she ran down her mental list of medical knowledge, one of many fields she had dabbled in in life.

Remus
Remus clutches his clothing tighter around himself. It was probably his imagination, but he felt the cold penetrating his body, particularly from the wound. Surely, if he had been infected, it wasn't already taking effect? At the other Servant's words, he started towards the promised shelter.

[Quiver]

Saber stared at the Archer readying her spear, long enough that Jean wondered if she was going to squander the proffered head start. His knuckles whitened as he gripped the balcony, preparing to shout at his partner, when she materialised by his side in almost a flash of movement.

Her eyes didn't leave Archer however. She raised her sword, pointing towards the woman as if with defiance. As if an EX rank noble phantasm wasn't something she should be running away from that very instant.
Wait, she's not pointing. Jean blinked, a vague sense of comprehension dawning over him as Saber smirked.

"C'est magnifique," she declared. She sheathed her sword -her salute, Jean realised- and added, "I'd almost mistake you for French."
"Saber..."

A quick sweep, and Jean sudenly found himself in Saber's arms. He decided that she was using a bridal carry for convenience rather than insult.
For a moment, he wondered if she was going to try taunting the servant more, but the expression on her face cut that thought short.

She didn't show it -or she tried not to show it- but Jean was a doctor. He could see the micro-expressions on a patients face, the subtle way someone moved when they were nursing an injury. Saber had a C-class magic resistance... but a lightning bolt to the chest was still a lightning bolt to the chest.

She leapt down the hallway, away from Archer, eyes flashing for a window leading to the city beyond the palace.

Short post but... not many ways to write 'Brave sir Robin ran away' I think. So... yeah, main priority is escaping the palace with her Master? Not sure of the layout, or how Archer will react, so Saber is going to take the most direct route.
If that happens to involve flashy crashing through windows and other swashbuckler-ness, the better.

[lord pringle]

[Yael, Remus, Rider and Caster, Heading to Jack's Shelter]
"The lairs are hard to find. All of the wendigo have a form of presence concealment that only functions in the snow. Unless you have some form of presence detection, clairvoyance or something similar, it's going to be near impossible to find without me. Sorry about that." He blows some hot air into his hands. "Besides, the storm hasn't stopped for more than a few hours in three months."
The shelter is as Jack described, a barely furnished cave in a hill that could probably hold the four of you for months. There's plenty of meat, fish, canteens and about twelve outfits of various sizes. There are four makeshift hammocks with warm looking bear pelt blankets and a fire pit with plenty of firewood near it. And the place just provides a nice natural cover from the piercing arctic winds outside. Remus is the warmest he's been since he arrived and even that is too cold for comfort.
[Jean and Saber, Fleeing the Palace]
The two take off, running down the unfamiliar palace, which is larger than either would thought. As they get to the spot they rayshifted in from, they see Archer run up behind them. She shouts, "Gáe... Buidhe! as she hurls the spear, though she does so right as they turn a corner, leaving it stuck in a wall. "Well, well, well. Someone sure is lucky." she smirks, retrieving a Grecian bow and several strangely shaped swords from her cube. "I guess I'll just have to do so well even the Gods can't stop me from killing you."
Saber and her master manage to get into a hallway that curves in a sharp right angle. Behind the two is the rapidly advancing Archer, nocking a drill shaped sword as if it were an arrow. Directly in front of them is a large window that overlooks the large, snow-less city, that would also, Saber's musketeer senses tell her, serve as a pretty good vantage point for a sniper to fire at them. The fork, however, leads to a column of fire, billowing smoke and heat in every direction.

[KreenWarrior]

Remus

Remus looks about for a pot and water, and sets it over the fire, sprinkling some leaves into it and uttering a quick incantation. A pungent smell, earthy and not unpleasant, fills the room as he steeps it and takes a mug and begins to drink. He gestures to any of the others to help themselves if they wish. It's a quick draught for cleansing and healing. It won't cure him, but it might slow the effects of the poison down... if he is infected.

"A storm that's lasted for three months? That sounds unnatural. Is it an effect of the Grail?"

[Quiver]

I'm going to get this done as a proper POST but... I have to do last minute cover at work, during a week when I'm already working extra shifts. So, just in case I don't get a chance to post the next stage of the Great Escape attempt...

What I want them to do is to go ahead and jump out that window, to whatever the nearest building is... then leap from that to a higher floor of the palace to avoid Archer sniping at them.

[lord pringle]

[Yael, Remus, Rider and Caster, Jack's Shelter]
"I... don't think so?" he says, tilting his head quizzically. "I'm getting mana from it, I would know, right? And why didn't I think it was weird until you said something?" He paces around a little. "The hell is going on here?" Jack asks no one in particular.
[Jean and Saber, Swashbuckling]
Saber bounds off of a tenement building into an enormous stained glass window in the palace. From below the two hear a muffled, "Calaaaad-bolg!" as the drill shaped sword burrows it's way through the floor, though it misses saber and continues to fly up through the roof. Her cube floats up through the hole, her voice emanating from it, "Well, since you keep running from me, I'm going to have to break out the big guns. Doron Titanes!"
A pristine blueish-metal sickle attached to a golden chain comes whirling out of the cube, the chain emerging from a blue vortex on the side. It comes flying at the pair, turning with each turn of the hallways, making a high pitched whining noise as it cuts through the air around it. It seems to be perfectly homing to their every moment, moving ever so slightly faster than them, the chain showing no signs of stopping.

[KreenWarrior]

Rider

"I'm not sure, but it spunds like maybe the Grail is exerting some sort of influence over the Servants. Or maybe someone else is. What Casters are present here?"

[lord pringle]

[Yael, Remus, Rider and Caster, Jack's Shelter]
"There's only one Caster, far as I can tell, and it's Czar Rasputin. Based on my spying, there's only one of each class, except for two Assassins and no Berserkers. Rider, Saber and Assassin with the Revolution and Caster, Archer and Lancer with the Czar." he looks around and lowers his voice conspiratorially, "I know a couple of their true names too. Assassin is Davy Crockett, Saber is Spartacus and Archer is Pandora. Don't tell anyone I told you that, both sides already barely tolerate me."
Jack looks back at the masters, "You two warmed up and made any preparations you need to? It'll get dark soon, and then we'll be set to hit the nest."

[Quiver]

"Mordioux, she's persistent. The last time someone chased me this much..."

Jean ignored his servants' comment. There was a note of frustration, an edge, in Saber's voice that betrayed what she was really thinking. Jean knew, because he was thinking the same thing:

'Archer is the worst match-up for Saber'

Saber's magic resistance may have been sub-par, but it was still a small advantage over Caster. She had no such luck when it came to Archer. An Archer was all about keeping the opponent at more than arms-length... the distance Saber would need to close to fight back.

And she has to make sure Archer doesn't hit me in the process. Taking out the enemy master would be the quickest way to defeat a servant, and it certainly looked like Archer had enough tools to do it. Gae Buidhe, Calad-Bolg, Doron Titanes...

"How many noble phantasms does she have," he muttered. He looked over Saber's shoulder, eying the sickle-and-chain with apprehension.

"The first two sound celtic," Saber said. "Doron Titanes... latin?"
"She doesn't look Celtic. Unless she picked up the toga to confuse people."
"Oh, so that's what cosplay is?"
"Really not the time!"
"So," Saber continued, ignoring him, "a maybe-Grecian with multiple phantasms from different parts of the world. Anything come to mind, Jean?

Saber was right. With that much information, they should have been able to piece Archer's identity together. And if they knew who she was, they ought to be able to figure out a weakness for her...

Of course, in the meantime, the cube was the more pressing concern. Archer had a potent phantasm, and even d'Artagnan's luck could only last so long.

The cube. Something about that struck him, like a puzzle piece he couldn't quite fit into place.

Couldn't fit this into the post proper @_@ Saber is going to dodge into the next room they come across.
(The idea being 'a room is bigger than a hallway', so they'll have more room to mover and (slightly) less of a shooting gallery)

[KreenWarrior]

[Yael, Remus, Rider and Caster, Jack's Shelter]
"There's only one Caster, far as I can tell, and it's Czar Rasputin. Based on my spying, there's only one of each class, except for two Assassins and no Berserkers. Rider, Saber and Assassin with the Revolution and Caster, Archer and Lancer with the Czar." he looks around and lowers his voice conspiratorially, "I know a couple of their true names too. Assassin is Davy Crockett, Saber is Spartacus and Archer is Pandora. Don't tell anyone I told you that, both sides already barely tolerate me."
Jack looks back at the masters, "You two warmed up and made any preparations you need to? It'll get dark soon, and then we'll be set to hit the nest."

Rider
A small chill shivered down Rider's spine as she heard the name Pandora. No matter how the woman's Noble Phantasm worked, it couldn't be good. "Pandora could be responsible for almost anything. Well, specifically her box could. I hope as a Servant she has that thing under more control than she did in the history I know. But if someone is manipulating minds and the weather,
and it's not the Grail, my bet would be Caster. But my first priority has to be saving my Master. How do we find this alpha wendigo?"

[Yael]

Yael

"I agree with Rider." The quiet mage finally speaks. "Pandora's box is pretty much a well-known story even in modern culture, her lore of the contents of the box could be strong enough to outmatch most servants." He sighs. OR so I believe, he thought.

"We may as well raise a barrier or go hunting, I suggest the later as you may or may not be running out of time, Remus."

[lord pringle]

[Jean and Saber, Swashbuckling]
The pair dodge into the nearest room, which happens to be a gallery full of statues and paintings, many of which have been altered to be of Rasputin instead of their previous subject. The priceless art does not seem to be a deterrent to the Divine Sickle, which slams through anything in its path, turning at hard angles to avoid going through walls or doubling over itself. It continues to make that horrible whirring noise and as Saber sees it close as it rushes towards her face, its edge is thinner than anything she's ever seen before.
[Yael, Remus, Rider and Caster, Jack's Shelter]
"Pandora's Noble Phantasm is pretty much as bad as you think it is. About a year ago, I was watching a battle between the Czar's forces and the Revolution's. Right as the first shots were fired, Pandora flew up and truly opened her box. Whatever came out of that thing killed everyone involved and burned right through the snow. It looked like mud, but it was hot like a forest fire. It felt awful to look at and I feel like it would get worse if I touched the stuff." Jack blinks, trying to get the memory out of his head. He lets out a slow breath, like a deflating balloon before continuing, "In all the time I've been here, I haven't spotted the Alpha. That said, there's a big nest not too far from here, near the ley line nexus. I'm sure it'll be there. If it isn't, then something is wrong with it. These monsters stick in packs and the Alpha surrounds itself with the strongest it can. We need to go now and burn the whole place to the ground if we want to help everyone here." He rubs his temples. "Ugh, my head hurts."

[Quiver]

Saber muttered a harsh French swear at the room. "What kind of gallery doesn't have one tapestry with which to entangle the opponents blades?"

Given the sharpness of the sickle, Jean doubted that was likely to work anyway. Archer's weapon seemed to cut through stone and canvas easily enough; expecting cloth or a table to stop it seemed overly optimistic.

Saber let her master out of her arms, her eyes focusing on the approaching cube. Jean wasn't sure if it was the effect of being carried at high speed by a servant, or that awful sound filling the room, but his stomach felt like it was lurching.

"Jean. When I attack, make a break for the exit."
"Att- you're going to try fighting it?"
"There's one of it, and one of me. It's a duel. And I love duels; they are my specialty." She smiled as she drew her rapier, but the eyes watching the sickle were grim, and when she spoke, her tone was more serious. "Archer's boxed us in. Je suis désolé. This is as far as my even my luck can stretch. The only option left for us now is... "

Saber raised her sword, shifted her footing so that she was standing side-on.Jean stepped away as her eyes flashed, following the sickle. It was difficult enough for Jean to follow, practically a blur of movement. He wasn't sure if d'Artagnan's ability to follow it was due to her attributes as a servant, a general, or a duelist.

'She can't be serious. He preferred her more absurd moments; at least those he could dismiss out of hand. He didn't like what she said much better. After all, if the divine sickle could cut through statues and paintings, who was to say a sword would fair much better against it?

Not that it was just Saber's strategy that bothered him. There was something else about what she sad. Something that felt so blindingly obvious and important that it was staring him in the face...

Archer's boxed us in.
Archer's boxed.
Archer's box.
Archers' box.

"This has been a merry chase, Archer," he heard Saber say. "Very flattering. And since you've shown me your Phantasm, I shall allow you to see why I, Saber, am the greatest of the four musketee-"

"Parlay!"

The pale shroud that had gathered around Saber's feet dissipated as her master interrupted her. Jean swallowed, hope his tone sounded more steely than he felt, then continued.

"How has the spirit of humanity's inquisition allowed herself to come to this! Two mysterious strangers appear before you, bypassing the palace defenses and safety measures, and instead of asking 'why' or 'how', you try to kill them? Since when have you followed the orders of someone else, Pandora?"

And thus, a servants identity was deduced thanks to grammar:smalltongue:
(And at this point, I think Jean interrupting Saber's Noble Phantasm/specifying is a running gag. Sorry.)

[Edgedancer]

And for those that didn't catch it in the OoC thread, I'm taking over where Morcleon left off, so this post continues right from there. Starting with Berserker in human form to make the transition as smooth as possible.


The name Rasputin sticked out to Nora. A man that should have been dead by the current date seemed like a clear connection to the cause of the singularity.
Before she could decide what to do with the information, another servant entered the scene, Rider or Richard as some of the children called him. Lionheart maybe, given his looks. She might be able to get more information out of the children, as excited as they were, but she couldn’t help herself. Seeing the way they rushed to him left her unable to do much but smile. Rider didn’t seem like he wanted to pick a fight either. Running into him like this might have been a stroke of good luck, especially if Rasputin really was the problem.
“Pfft. As if he could take me,” Berserker whispered under her breath after Rider had addressed them.
“Berserker,” Nora said quietly. Please don’t screw this up, she thought to herself.
“Relax, I don’t feel like killing runts anyway. You do your thing.”
“Thanks,” Nora said. Berserker just rolled her eyes in response. Nora turned back towards Rider. “No need to worry. We’re not with the Czar. To be entirely honest, we just kinda stumbled into things here, so I’d appreciate an explanation of what exactly is going on. Though, if the Czar’s rule is bad enough that children have started to take up arms, I doubt I’ll like what you can tell us.”
“It’s nice you’re starting to like ‘em,” Berserker said and pulled Nora in with an arm around her shoulder. “Personally they had me at ‘the czar’s riches.’”

[lord pringle]

[Jean and Saber, Art Gallery]
As Jean shouts out, the blade stops, the chain pulling taught inches away from Saber's face. The chain loudly begins to go backwards, clinking as it moves into the cube, link by link. When the racket finishes, the cube and Pandora both enter the room. "You know, there's a funny thing about my summoning here," she says, her sandals clicking on the gallery's marble floor, "Were I summoned as just about any other class, but especially Berserker or Avenger, you'd be spot on. But here, as an Archer, this is me before I opened the box. And, try as I might, I just can't think negative thoughts about my betters, be they kings, gods or titans. And boy, knowing the end of my story makes that particular mental block really annoying." She smiles, though her eyes betray a murderous rage.
"This isn't even the right vessel, you know. It's not even a box, it's a πίθος, a vase. But enough human morons think that it's a box, and bam, when summoned it's a box. A box that has all the wickedness and curses in the world. How the hell could people think that stuff would spill uncontrollably out of a box?" She yells, before stopping and exhaling a long breath.
"You know what? You've got my attention. How did you get in here, bypassing every defense and not triggering our thaumatic detectors? Tell me that and I'll see what I can do about letting you live."

[Rozen and Lancer Nora and Berserker, Forest Clearing]
"Well, it's been a long couple of years. I'll give ya a quick breakdown. When we all got summoned, the revolution was just starting. As a conquering crusader, I naturally sided with the revolution. The other two with me, Assassin and Saber are both really into the whole revolution thing. They're, uh, they mean well. We figured that the grail summoned us specifically to win the war. My Noble Phantasm, Deus Lo Vult, lets me turn a mob of well-meaning commoners into a powerful army. That, plus Saber's contagious enthusiasm, made us a force to be reckoned with." He beams, clearly remembering a wonderful time in his life. His smile fades relatively quickly.
"Aaaand then we started having to fight against Archer and Lancer. The Czar keeps their armies working tirelessly without fear of them losing morale. Which is tricky enough on its own, but Archer is a one woman wrath of God and Lancer has a reality marble of his greatest military victory. We're tough enough that we haven't lost, but we haven't gained much ground in the last few years. Not only that, this storm ruined every bit of farm land we have. We have to rely on this German guy to import our supplies. He's a slimy war profiteer, but we need him."
He stops and shakes his head. "Speaking of the storm, you must be freezing. Assassin helped make these robes in honor of this cult I fought Saladin with, they're both intimidating and infused with mana to keep you from freezing to death. I'm sure if you come back to the base with us, we can find one your size."

[Yael(?), Remus, Rider and Caster(?), The Nest]
Jack leads you through the forest, him walking through it as if he was intimately familiar with every inch of snow covered ground. After about an hour of prowling through the forest, he stops in front of a section of forest where trees have been knocked over and piled on top of each other, forming a makeshift fort that looks like a giant, upside down, bird's nest. "I'm going to sneak in," he says softly, "There aren't any wendigo on this side of the nest right now. Unless you can vanish like I can, you'll need to get in soon. I'll provide some support once you're in, but there's going to be a lot in there. The ones who have had the longest time to adjust to their bodies. Good luck."
He rubs his temples and lets out a pained groan, before vanishing into the snow.

[Edgedancer]

Nora had barely been able to stop herself from shivering before. Now that Rider reminded her of the cold the shaking came back in full, the circumstances he told her about likely didn’t make things better. Though, as bad as the situation sounded, there wasn’t anything Nora could do by standing out here and freezing. “Yes, one of those robes sound lovely.”
“Great, sounds like we won’t need this to keep you warm then,” Berserker said and lifted up her wolf skin.
“Yes, thank you for holding out for me,” Nora said with an easy smile. She was happy to know that Berserker had been worried about her. It also seemed to have been what was keeping her from donning the skin herself. Given how Rider talked about his allies, Nora frankly wanted Berserker as in control as possible but keeping her occupied through the entire walk to the base seemed like it would only irritate her even more. No point in trying to stop her then.
Berserker slipped into her wolf skin. Her hands warped into claws as the fur spread over her entire body. A thick layer of muscle grew under her new pelt, stretching her body into that of a wolf just slightly taller than Nora herself. It only took a short moment until her transformation had finished. She let out a small satisfied rumble and nudged Nora towards Rider and the others.
“Alright, sorry for the delay, we’re ready to go. Also, we kind of got separated from our group. They’re three more pairs like Berserker and me. It sounds like you already have plenty on your hands but I’d appreciate if you could keep an eye open for them.”

[Quiver]

Saber made a noise that sounded like a growl. Jean tensed, expecting a sarcastic comment about the box, but instead she said "The more I hear of your Czar, the less I like him."

She practically spat the word.

"Saber," Jean began placatingly, "Maybe this isn't the best-"

"Time? Why- because we are engaged with one of his agents? What finer time is there than now?" Saber turned from Jean, meeting Pandora's eyes.

"Slavery is not loyalty. Rasputin may be a powerful servant, but how can one respect a man who magically ensnares his servants, and who parades his captives before them in chains? I, Charles de Batz de Castlemore d'Artgnan, commander of the Musketeers of the Guard, know what loyalty is."

"Saber-!" Did she even realize what she was doing? She waved Jean's objection aside.

"I will not cower beneath a cloak of flattery! I shall respect Rasputin's strength, aye, but nothing more! If you intend to spare our lives by bringing us into his court, Pandora, cast the notion aside. Rasputin shall never receive my loyalty - only my contempt."

Jean's eyes widened, horrified at the sight unfolding before him. It felt like watching sand sift through his fingers, like an opportunity slipping through their grasp.

[lord pringle]

[Nora & Berserker, The Revolution]
As Sigurd transforms, a voice enters her head. It's not like the wordless scream of Mad Enhancement, but more like a second Master's voice in her head. "Yes, My Child," it whispers in a deep voice, each word pounding in her head like a psychic assault, "Let The Madness Consume You, My Child. As The World Freezes, We Will Live. We Will Thrive. We Will Rule. Return To Your Mortal Dream, My Child, I Will Call On You When I Have Need Of You." And with that last word said, whatever method whatever it was used to communicate with her vanishes.
"Huh, neat trick," Richard says, eyeing her over. "Anyway, let's get going. Follow me, kids!"
As you roll out, a weird feeling washes over the two of you. Not a feeling of cold or control, but of strength. One of Berserker's parameters (your choice which) increases by 1 rank. And as Nora looks at herself, she sees she's become, well, not a servant but she has the parameters of one.
Strength: E
Agility: E
Endurance: E
Magic: E
Luck: E
Noble Phantasm: N/A
After about 45 minutes of travel, you arrive at a burrow built into the ground. Richard dematerializes his horse and knocks on the metal hatch seven times rhythmically. After a minute or so, the hatch pops open and several people all wearing the assassin robes, lead you down into a massive network of underground bunkers. There are a large number of people moving around, some in the robes, but most not. Very few of the people are adult men and and even then the vast majority of the people look under 18. You pass by a room with the most adults you've seen here and they are all very injured and reclining in a medical bay.
Eventually Richard stops and opens a blast door to a room that has a table with a map of the area. Sitting inside this room are a man dressed like a fur trapper, complete with a musket on his back, on the left side of the table and a behemoth of a man with grey skin dressed in a suit of roman armor with a strange face plate on the right side. Looking at both of them is, somehow, causing a light ringing sensation in your heads.
"HAHA! I see Richard has found another recruit for our GLORIOUS war against the OPPRESSORS!" The giant booms at you. "I am General Spartacus, leader of this GRAND REVOLUTION against the tyrannical RASPUTIN! And also this is Davy Crockett next to me. Say hi, Assassin."
Assassin waves noncommittally.
Strength: A
Agility: B
Endurance: A+++
Magic: E
Luck: E
Noble Phantasm: B
Strength: ?
Agility: ?
Endurance: ?
Magic: ?
Luck: ?
Noble Phantasm: ???
[Jean and Saber, Art Gallery]
Pandora stares angrily, but doesn't move. Her cube lets out a hissing scream like a tea kettle from hell and starts to shake violently as it orbits around its master. "You. Should rethink the way you talk to me," she bristles. "I am not a slave. I am Pandora, gifted by all the gods, wife to Prometheus. My breeding is greater than even Heracles's. If you do not apologize," she says, the box's shaking growing faster and faster, "I will burn down this entire palace."
Her restrained, biting back her tongue, rage rapidly bursts into shouting once more, "And you STILL haven't told me how you're here!"

[Edgedancer]

Sigmund let out yet another satisfied rumble as what had to be Rider’s Noble Phantasm rolled over them. Nora couldn’t say she disagreed. She could see how it would be a game changer in an ordinary war. Her parameters may be abysmal but Servants were inherently on another level than an ordinary human. The advantage shriveled away once other servants or even magi were involved. Though her low luck stat was somewhat disconcerting, was that something she could explain away with a Servant’s power level? She’d have to find out and if worst came to worst, she’d still have Sigmund at her side.

The way to the rebellion’s base wasn’t a distance Nora couldn’t handle but the snow covering the ground alone was enough that she wished Sigmund would let her ride her. Alas, her partner’s pride wouldn’t allow it.
Because of that, she felt a pang of joy when they finally arrived at the bunker. That feeling quickly faded when it dawned on her that the armed children had less to do with how dire their situation was but with the simple fact that little more than the children were left.
Then they were lead to the other two Servants. Spartacus made quite the first impression. It was almost enough to mute the unease still sitting in her stomach. Unsure how to react to him, Nora instead returned Assassin’s wave. “Hi, Assassin.”
Sigmund did not have her problem. She shoved her snout just inches away from Saber’s faceplate and sniffed at him. Nora walked up to them and run a hand through Sigmund’s fur, partially to calm her, partially to nudge her away from Saber. “Sorry, she’s bad with people just taking charge. She has experience killing kings though, for all that’s worth.”
Sigmund let out a little growl in agreement. It was maybe the first time Nora heard a wolf sound prideful. Of course, Sigmund herself was also a king and killed other kings for revenge, looting or other less than noble motivations but Nora felt it best not to mention that given the current company.

[KreenWarrior]

Remus

Remus nods and makes a motion to roll up his sleeves before thinking better of it with the cold. He waits a bit for Jack to get into his position, then raises his hands and speaks an incantation, and the trees warp away from each other, leaving a hole. He gestures to Rider, who stalks in before him.

Rider

Rider raises a hand and bites back a suggestion of burning the wendigos out of their nest before realizing the man is already gone. Still, she palms a fire grenade as she stalks in, wings extended forwards with the mana-focusing spikes charged and ready to fire at anything that comes at them. When the alpha appears, then it will be time for her Noble Phantasm. Until then, although this is not her favored battlefield, she will make do. In her mind, Remus's features morph briefly into those of her son. She will not lose another young man entrusted to her care.

[Quiver]

"Saber has a hot temper, a big mouth, and an ego the size of Russia!"

Saber turned from Archer, staring with wide-eyed affront at the suggestion. Jean ignored it, focused entirely on the cube which, somehow, seemed downright indignant.
Angering an EX-rank Noble Phantasm wasn't something he was particularly eager to do, especially after somehow buying a moments reprieve.

Of course, after Saber had spent so much time poking Pandora, he was probably going to have to part with a lot more information than he wanted to. Especially if Saber resumed her baiting; she was eyeing Pandora with a look and a stance that was ready to draw her sword if the matter came to it.

"Magic," he said at last. "Saber and I... Saber attacked Rasputin, but we aren't part of any revolution. Actually, Saber is a monarchist...

"Anyway, the people we work for, they have a magic. Rayshifting. It's like teleportation, but more. We..."

He paused, considering his words. The answer he had given so far was vague. A name, no details on how they accomplished that trick. As if he could give any of the details; the science behind rayshifting went over his head.

And given the noises the cube and Pandora were making, he wasn't sure if that information would be enough to placate her. Whatever she said about her class, a part of Pandora had to crave curiosity; she wouldn't be so angry if it didn't. And there was one thing he could say that ought to pique anyone's interest.

"Jean..." Saber realized it too. Her tone was serious for once. He gave her a small nod; d'Artagnan pursed her lips, gave a tight nod of her own, then looked back at Pandora warily.

"The magic that brought us here didn't just teleport us across space. It sent us through time, as well. Saber and I are from the future."