WEEK 5.

[trustfellows]

WEEK 5 Tabitha Smith, Sigrun Eide, and Solf J Kimblee are all dead. Regardless of what you think of the trial or the events leading up to it, there's no denying that you can feel the dent in your numbers now. After all, ten people are gone now. It may be hard, but all you can do is keep going. Saturday is given to regrouping and sleep; come Sunday morning, the clock chimes the hour at seven o'clock and there are no dead bodies to be found, so it can be assumed that all of you are safe for the time being. That said, you'll be feeling a little groggy when you wake up; it seems you've regained something that you didn't realize you'd lost... What with Jericho's excitement at the last trial, it's evident now more than ever that the new floor that's opened up to you is a gift, a reward for a job well-done. Because while surviving is something that you'll continue to try to do of your own merit...well. Let's say that he's so, so very proud of you. PARTICIPANTS REMAINING: 25 PARTICIPANTS REMAINING: 24 PARTICIPANTS REMAINING: 23

SUNDAY | MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY
[OOC: Welcome to week five of Trustfell! Feel free to make as many top levels as you'd like and tag out to other characters! This post is for all of your interactions this week... at least until the weekend. Don't forget to save those threads for coins and the activity check!

If you'd like to get in contact with the Coordinators, you can do so through private meetings with Alena!]

Comments

[heritrix]

[She'd probably scoff if that wasn't such a rare look on him.]

...Seriously? [How could he not know? Even in her memory, she was sure of it. The only complication was they didn't know Kirei's whereabouts to properly question him. Unless—No, that's not possible either.] I'm sure Caster's only made the church her base recently, since I spoke with you on the phone after that incident at school. Did Shinji never go to you in the first place?

[He's a coward, so she'd find that twice as shocking over him suddenly having the most powerful Servant in the war.]

[blackmass]

...What?

[??????????]

Caster's done nothing of the sort, and I don't believe I've spoken with Shinji Matou in recent memory. What incident are you speaking of?

[heritrix]

[Kirei not only has she taken over the church she's stuck Saber in a sexy wedding dress right under the cross, it's like the weirdest Playboy pinup.

...Incidentally, she has an inkling she knows what's going on here. It's not like Kirei to play dumb. If he doesn't know what she's talking about with this it'll confirm it.]

A few days before I arrived here, Shinji had Rider activate a bounded field over the school to harvest everyone's mana. No one died, but it was a close thing; dozens of students and faculty had to be hospitalized.

[You know, the kind of incident you have to tell the overseer about immediately so they can cover it the hell up.]

[blackmass]

...I see.

[It fell into place as events became more disjointed, ironically enough. Kirei frowned, folding his arms behind his back as usual.]

Even with all the talk of Second Magic, I hadn't considered this outcome. Had you come to me with any of this a week or two ago, I might have presumed our lost memories merely failed to line up. But I'm afraid even that can not account for the fact that I have no idea what you are talking about.

[heritrix]

So you've come to the same conclusion I have. How frustrating.

[Sighing, Rin raises a fist to her chin.] Should we compare notes? If there were major discrepancies like the nature of our relationship or the nuances of magecraft, we should have noticed them before now. Whatever difference there are, they're probably recent.

[blackmass]

I agree with that--any core differences that would result in tremendous shifts would certainly have come up by now. As it stands, perhaps catching each other up on the situation would be a wise choice.

First, tell me about this eighth Servant and what he's doing with Shinji Matou of all people.

[heritrix]

[Another sigh, this one more exasperated.] That's what I'd like to know. Since I can't give you that answer, the best I can do is explain how we encountered them.

[At least it's fresh in her memory, since it was the very dream she had today. Rin intuitively skips over certain details and focuses on the basics.]

Emiya-kun and I were intending to strike an alliance with Illyasviel von Einzbern, but by the time we made it through the forest, it was obvious a battle was going on. We snuck into the castle just in time to see her Berserker facing off against a Servant we hadn't seen before.

It was an intense fight, but Goldie bested Berserker in the end by exhausting all twelve of his lives. Strangely, his defeat didn't seem to be their main goal, though. After he was killed and Illya was likewise dead, Goldie tore out her heart.

Even though he's with Shinji, he's obviously the one calling the shots. Shinji wanted to fight us, but Goldie determined to leave because he was more concerned with preserving Illya's heart.

[blackmass]

... [Kirei frowned, narrowing his eyes in concentration as he carefully turned this information over in his head. What was Gilgamesh thinking? For that matter, what on earth was he thinking? Control of the vessel was paramount to awakening the Grail, that much was obvious. Whether the vessel was living or dead made no difference, Kirei knew that much through experience. But why so straightforward, and why take out her heart rather than merely recover the body itself? Perhaps to make someone else the vessel through transplant, but that seemed pointless.]

[...speaking of vessels-]

Is there anything else out of the ordinary about the war? An unusual number of fatalities through collateral damage, for example.

[heritrix]

...that's a very specific question, Kirei.

[Rin sharpens in on that immediately, like she suspects it pertains more to his version of events than her own. There's an edge to her voice that demands he explain himself once she's humored answering him.]

The Holy Grail War is a secret war, so that would be a terrible outcome for us and one to be avoided at all costs. As near as I can tell, even Caster has been cautious about that. We've had close calls thanks to Shinji, but the only fatalities have been the ones you'd expect.

[Servants and other Masters, essentially.]

It's not the same for you? If you're asking me this, I have to assume something went sideways.

[blackmass]

[...Well, no point in being coy about everything. It would likely be to his own advantage to be straightforward about some of it while keeping a few other cards a little closer to his chest.]

First of all, Shinji Matou is--or was, at my last recollection--no longer a representative Master from his family. [Not that he ever really was, but that was down to semantics and details that meant nothing. He was inconsequential, and therefore glossed over.] At the time of my most recent memory, the Holy Grail War has been waged for approximately...two weeks, I believe. Illyasviel von Einzbern was in some moderate peril, but still alive.

More pertinent to your question is the matter of a quite literal dark shadow plaguing the war at the moment, and the individual who was until recently influencing it.

Zouken Matou has...or had sway over the vessel of the Lesser Grail.

[heritrix]

[So Shinji's no longer a Master... And most likely dead, if she's understand Kirei correctly. Rin can't help but frown at that. If he's dead, he brought it all on his head, but whatever she might think of him, he was still Sakura's brother. She wanted to avoid that outcome.

It seems like Illya is alive in his place, however, and curiosity compels her to ask about Shirou after Kirei explains himself. When he does, however...]

Vessel...?

[She sounds confused. Look, it took us a little longer to get the important deets on that plot point in UBW, okok. But she can put two and two together with this much.]

You're saying the Lesser Grail is a person. [...and with that she can make sense of one mystery.] It's the Einzbern's role to provide the Grail for the war, so that can only be Illyasviel. Zouken captured her?

[blackmass]

While none of that is objectively incorrect according to my memories, perhaps I misspoke. What I should have said is 'Zouken Matou had sway over a vessel of the lesser grail'.

[heritrix]

[...what?]

You're not making sense, Kirei. Zouken has had zero presence in my Grail War for me to draw on, so you should tell me what you're referring to plainly.

[As she says this, Rin walks around the table, scowling up at him with no mind to the height difference. Kirei's always been the sort to drag things out, like he enjoys provoking the questions, but if she could make sense of it on her own she would have already.

If eight Servants are impossible, a second Lesser Grail should be more so. She can wrap her head around the vessel being a person, but she has nothing to work with to make the picture Kirei is trying to paint for her any clearer than that.]

[blackmass]

It's quite simple.

[no the absolute candy-coated fuck it ain't]

Illyasviel is the true vessel, the White Holy Grail of the Einzberns. However, a second vessel was created out of fragments of the Grail following the end of the fourth war. This vessel became the corrupt Black Holy Grail of the Makiri, and has already consumed Saber, Lancer, and Berserker--I suspect it has also devoured the eighth servant you speak of.

[heritrix]

[So he did know what she was talking about before. Rin might remember that... later, when she thinks about everything Kirei said more closely. But for now, she's stunned.]

Even Saber was defeated?

[And Berserker, and Gilgamesh... Having literally just recalled the battle between those two in particular and with it fresh in her mind, it's shocking.]

She was one of the biggest powerhouses in the war, along with the ones you mentioned. It's hard to imagine what could take them all out like that.

[Holy shiiiiiit she's not envying her other self right now, sucks to be you, HF!Rin.

...Actually, thinking of that:]

You said Zouken lost control of it, and that there's been collateral damage. Does that mean the vessel of the Black Grail is attacking indiscriminately?

[blackmass]

I did not say that he lost control of it in so many words. In fact, until recently I believe it was not in his interest to stop the black Grail's actions, assuming he did have the capacity to. Zouken himself was killed and his Assassin neutralized while pursuing Illyasviel, though I am not sure what is to happen after that.

[or, 'he was controlling it and now he's dead']

While my memories fail me as to the specifics, I believe it has been doing exactly that.

[heritrix]

[What is with this Servant roulette going on. Zouken took Assassin from Caster? If Shinji's dead, what happened to Rider? Rin presses a hand to her temple, but deigns not to pursue those thoughts; ultimately, for her understanding it's flavor text for now.]

If he's that twisted, I need to keep him on my radar. Since my Command Seals are missing, I assume my Holy Grail War has already reached its conclusion. I haven't seen any sign of him in my memories, but it's possible he made the same preparations while pursuing a different plan.

[She grimaces.] If he did, that could cause trouble down the line. If I'm still alive, I can't afford to overlook that.

[blackmass]

Zouken Matou is an insidious insect that needed to be disposed of.

[Kirei was never one for out-and-out malice when he spoke, but that certainly edged towards something very like it.]

I have very little reason to doubt that he would be planning something in any iteration of the fifth war, though he is more suited to indirect action.

[heritrix]

[Make that another check mark off the scavenger list of "holy shit, Kirei has more than three emotions". If she gets two more, does she get a prize?]

What did he do to you? It's rare for you to show such open disdain.

[blackmass]

He's done nothing to me at all--as a matter of fact, our paths have only ever crossed twice.

But once alone was enough for me to understand he was someone that can not be allowed to exist.

[Even evil has standards, and those standards are 'no but fuck zouken tho'.]

[heritrix]

[Just don't fuck Zouken, no one wants that h-scene.

But fine, she's going to leave well enough alone then.]

Alright. I only needed to hear what Zouken had done to agree with that, so I don't need every grisly detail.

[Though it gnaws at her gut to think Sakura has spent eleven years with such a twisted person...

...on that note, actually:]

That said, on the subject of the Matous I can't help but think you left something out. You implied Shinji is dead, but Rider wasn't named as one of the Servants that was consumed. Was Sakura her Master after all?

[blackmass]

Yes--originally, I believe that was in fact the case, and most likely is so following Shinji Matou's death.

[heritrix]

[Envying HF!Rin even less now, tbh. This should have nothing to do with her, but Rin sighs all the same.]

When I cornered her in the school and made her show me her hands and arms, she didn't have Command Seals. It wasn't until after that I realized Shinji was a Master, and Rider died in the same instance so it became a moot point, but I'd wondered. Shinji is someone who should have been ineligible as a Master in the first place.

[And now on her side of things, he has that golden Servant; one that's far more powerful than anything Shinji should have the capability of summoning. So who is he working with? If Zouken is up to something after all, then she has to consider even...]

...It's not my business, but I am curious. Is Sakura on her grandfather's side in all of this?

[blackmass]

[honey you've got a big storm comin]

...My memories are unreliable enough that I am not certain who Sakura Matou is truly aligned with.

[Lying through omission was something that came as easily as breathing to Kirei. He knew very well that the crest worms still remaining in her nerves made her effectively Zouken's puppet, but he certainly hadn't asked whose side she was on. Plausible deniability and all that.]

[heritrix]

By your explanation, she's one of the only remaining viable Masters in the war. I know everything's gone to hell, but I'm surprised you're not keeping better track of her as the overseer.

Putting aside what she can or can't contribute, it would be a problem if her Rider was consumed as well. It's just her and Archer left, yes?