towerofanimus | The Tale of Sir Lancelot

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The Tale of Sir Lancelot - part 1. Dolorous Guard

Characters: Sir Lancelot, aka the Servant Berserker, and All & Sundry
Setting: All Around the Tower
Format: Prose and Action are Both Welcome
Summary: Having just lately arrived, Sir Lancelot is in search of his Master
Warnings: No Warnings at Present. Unless you are a Monster, then look out.

Your world has been destroyed...

Lancelot, for he knows himself at the moment, is largely unmoved by the strange letters. He destroyed his own world long ago.

At the moment he is more concerned with his immediate surroundings, the mysterious clothing (and the collar) on his body, and the absence of his Master. His last memories before waking are of fire, of wind, and of thwarted rage. But he feels nothing now save a grim wariness. If this is indeed a Reality Marble, it is a mysterious one, and might contain anything. If an event caused by the Grail itself, then he can only meet what will come. If a device of his Master's-- Lancelot finds himself less than pleased with the idea.

Alone in the room where he has woken, he wastes no time in materializing his armor, and, as the situation seems an unusually urgent one, his sword. Both are as black as ever. His helm he leaves, as in carrying his blade he will be known regardless. He does not open the chest.

Reaching out to his Master, Lancelot is gratified to detect a faint pull. He will follow it, wherever it leads.

The Dormitory Hallways
Lancelot makes his way along the hallways nearby, but not limited to, 3-02. Any monsters he encounters, he will fight and slay. Any people he encounters, he will speak with.

The Cafeteria
Unable to pinpoint his Master's location, Lancelot proceeds to the bottom of the Tower. He is intrigued by the Cafeteria, and also by the idea of eating, which he has not done since he was living. He finds the idea of eating food in this place to be problematic, as he wonders if it might not be cursed or enchanted in some way. Being reared by Faeries will leave one with such ideas. Still, he's aware how important it can be to abide by the rules of magic in a possibly magical place. You'll find him stirring his oatmeal contemplatively.

Floor 10: The Aquarium
In the midst of continuing his search, Lancelot is distracted in the Aquarium. Water draws him like nothing else. He finds it calming, even now, in spite of his agitation at following his Master's poor prana signature. This water, obviously enchanted as it is not contained, is full of life. He shouldn't dally long here, but the sight is lovely, and it's difficult to resist stopping a moment.

Floor 25: The Meadow
This would indeed be an odd place for Lancelot to find his Master. Usually, the magus huddles unseen in dark corners, sewers, alleyways, and the like. He's searched in such places, and slain some few Monsters in the process, but has yet to find his Master. Still, there is a refreshing breeze here, and no obvious threat.

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[Kariya is lying in the meadow as he often does, peacefully, when suddenly he feels what can only be described as a tug, on both his body and soul. The worms twitch, he convulses, and suddenly there's blood on his lips. He reaches up to wipe it away.

What...?

But he doesn't need to ask what. He knows what this is. It's a feeling both painful and familiar. This drain on him only comes from keeping his Servant manifested. It's not as much of a drain as it's been in the past, but it's undeniably there, pulling away at his magical energy.

Berserker.

He gazes down at the Command Spells on his hand, wonderingly. Has Berserker really arrived here? In spite of the fact that there are other Servants here, somehow, he hadn't thought it was possible. What can he do? He'd made his way to this floor by himself, but now he's weakened, and at any moment, the demand on his energies might increase to the intensity of before, when Berserker was in battle. So he stays where he is, waiting among the flowers.]

[Lancer yawns as he regards the penguins swimming in the water, either blissfully unaware or having long since adjusted to their strange neighbors.]

[This is a calm, relaxing place. A nice place for someone to rest. Having not gone back to his room for several days, he's gradually become fatigued.]

[However, he tenses up as he feels the presence of another Servant. He throws a casual glance over his shoulder, quickly noting that it's not any of the Servants who he knows.]

Well, it seems like there's a new one in the Tower...

[At the sight of the man in armor, Sephiroth, who is traversing the halls in his usual birdlike way: not quite walking, not quite hopping, not quite teleporting, comes to a complete standstill.

That armor. That sword. His eyes light up. Literally as well as figuratively. If cool were a term he was likely to use, he would use it to describe the man before him.

Not at all intimidated by sword, armor, or the size of the man, he heads toward him, walking normally now. He knows he has to speak to him.]

Hello.

[He carries a sword of his own, sheathed, although it's a slight weapon compared to Lancelot's blade.]

[Not a monster. At least not outright. But he would swear the child, for it is a child, was Fae. His bright, strange eyes and light feet, his bold demeanor and his fair face-- Lancelot has not seen anything like this child since he was nearly one himself.

As the boy's sword is sheathed and his greeting is courteous, Lancelot lowers his own blade. He nods gravely in greeting.]

Hello. Tell me, are you captive here, or are you of this place?
I am called Lancelot.

Edited 2013-02-16 06:20 (UTC)

Every now and then, Tohko would wander into the cafeteria to eat some normal food. She couldn't taste it, but she had to keep up appearances. However, when she saw a man stirring a bowl of oatmeal, she guessed he was new, and she was never one to ignore a newcomer.

Or anyone else in need, really.

"Sir? Pardon, but are you a newcomer here?"

[He continues to gaze up at the man admiringly, eyes wide.]

I was brought here. I'm a captive. [He doesn't like to think of himself as being a "captive", doesn't like that sense and idea of being confined, but it is true, so he answers the question accurately.]

My name is Sephiroth. I'm pleased to meet you, Lancelot. [Even in his admiration, he remembers his manners.] This is the Tower. Are you a soldier?

[This Servant (for he can feel that much) isn't known to him, and so he does not draw his blade. He turns to face the man, feeling a fleeting regret that the silence he enjoyed has been broken-- but he must find his Master, and he should be more wary of ease and pleasure in such a place as this.

He gives a courteous nod of greeting. Given that he lacks his helm and goes uncloaked, he sees no need to withhold his name.]

I am called Sir Lancelot. I do not know you, or whom you serve, but perhaps you can tell me whether or not this is a place of the Grail. There must be other Servants here, for you to speak as you have done.

[The Meadow proves an assault on his senses. The rustling of the grass, the warmth of the sun-- and the smell of blood, the thread of his Master's prana thickening, snapping tight.

There.

The man lies as if fallen, with blood on his mouth. A familiar enough sight, but for that it is more usual in some dark, dank place. His Master is weakened, yes, but not as badly off as Lancelot had expected to find him. He sheathes his sword before dropping to one knee beside his Master, his gaze is unwavering, stern and assessing. Now that he has found the man, he will have answers.]

Master. Have you brought us to this place?

[Kariya can feel his Servant's approach once he's near enough. They're connected, after all. He's almost afraid. No, he is afraid. He remembers what Berserker's like, and he knows Berserker can't be fond of him. The way they're always struggling against each other, Kariya wanting to go one way and Berserker another. What if the Command Spells can't protect him here?

But then he sees him, and he half forgets his fear in surprise. The Servant's helmet is off, and he's gazing down at him, his face a normal human face, and, if not untroubled, at least relatively calm. He has long, dark hair. There's intelligence in his gaze, and strength. So the Mad Enhancement isn't operative? That's a relief. No wonder the drain on him is so much less.

Master, Berserker calls him, and he's never heard him speak so clearly. Kariya feels uncomfortable under the weight of that stern gaze. Berserker, like this, is both familiar and unfamiliar.]

I– No, I haven't. I didn't bring us here. The administrators did. I didn't know you were going to come.

[Maybe not the clearest answer, but his thinking isn't at its clearest.]

We're prisoners here. Trapped. I don't want to be here.

[The boy, "Sephiroth"-- it even has the sound of a Fae kenning-- is bright and mannerly. Lancelot wonders at his bearing and his weapon, but feels no pang at the kidnapping of a child. He himself was taken as a babe, after all-- but to a far better place than this, as he has judged it.]

Well met, Sephiroth. You have an unusual name. Though I suppose my own must sound as strange to you.
I'm lately arrived to the Tower, but no, I am not a soldier. I am a Knight. I serve a Master and fight on his behalf.

You look to have a fine weapon. Have you used it here?

[This much has not changed, his Master still frustrates him. Though at the moment, seeing that the man isn't in immediate danger of death, seeing the Command Seals still complete on his hand, it's properly anger that he feels-- not Berserker's Enhanced rage, but hardly simple frustration, either.]

Why would I not come? I am bound to you, and you to me-- and if you are a prisoner, then I must be also. I have little choice in the matter.
Just as when you spend yourself selfishly, I must suffer a loss for our cause. I thought you nearly dead.

The porridge had proved to remain unimproved by stirring. It seemed all the more awkward to break a fast of centuries on such a dish, but he would see this done without losing more time to the task.

Half-glad of the interruption, Lancelot regards the young lady evenly He half-rises from his seat, bowing his head in greeting before taking it once more.

"I am lately arrived, yes. I am called Sir Lancelot-- your servant, lady."

[He pauses before replying. It's true that ordinarily, what Berserker says would be correct, but that hasn't been the case.]

I've been here for a while without you. Months.

[He's gone without any real drain on his prana for that long, except for the few times he's used the Blade Wing Worms.

He doesn't know what Berserker's talking about. He's still somewhat overwhelmed by the man's presence, even though his current appearance is less alarming than the incoherent, raving knight with a helm. He doesn't seem like he's going to hurt him, but Kariya isn't unaware of his anger. It makes him hesitate again.]

Spend myself? I don't know what you mean. I've done everything I can to win. We're going to win.

[He's still certain of that. It's true he was in a bad state, before, but nearly dead?]

[Ruler had long since gotten used to the twinge at the back of her neck that meant the appearance of a new Servant in the tower. But this time wasn't so much a twinge as it was a full-on shudder shooting straight down her spine. This one was different, and oh boy, she hoped he'd be easy to deal with.

So she makes her way through the halls of the dormitory level, her aura calm and her face blank, until she spots him. And he's... familiar. Sort of. She can still recognize that unique black armor from her Grail-given memories. But he's not thrashing about wildly in the insanity that so fiercely gripped most Berserkers...

She pushes back the confusion, though, and cautiously approaches, her own sword held loose and pointing down in a posture of non-aggression.]

You are new here. Have you been informed of what exactly is going on?

I have never met anyone else with my name. [He's slightly proud of it, as he's proud of his uniqueness in general.] Or with your name. [Because it's certainly not a common name, where he's from.]

A knight. [He likes the sound of that, although knights are just old stories of the distant past where he's from.] Are you fighting in a war?

[He's pleased to have his own blade mentioned, and he nods.] I have used it to kill monsters. Your sword is also a fine weapon. I haven't seen one like it before. [It's new and interesting. he'd like a sword like that.]

[He has to do a double take at how quickly the other Servant confessed his name. At least he's somewhat used to it given Diarmuid's behavior. If the legends are anything to go by, this man is a knight of the same caliber.]

My name is Cu Chulainn. Though I go by Lancer since it's my class.

[He shakes his head.]

No Holy Grails here, even if there's a bunch of us Servants. Most of the time, we aren't fighting each other.

When Lancelot bowed, Tohko smiled and curtsied in response. So, this was another Servant involved in the Wars. Just how many wars were there?

"It's nice to meet you then, Lancelot. I'm Tohko Amano, the book girl. However..you're not my Servant. I'm not involved in the War, and I don't like having normal servants. If you want though, I could tell you everything I know about the Tower. That way, you'll know what you're up against."

Ever since he's started making himself rest, when not in his room, the Meadow has been one of the places Diarmuid has spent a lot of time. Though he's been unsure about seeing Kariya since they haven't spoken since the mermaid incident, he kind of hopes to run into him today. Diarmuid's mood is actually kind of light, and he is hoping they might have the chance to do a little writing together. He still remembers the man mentioning during the experiment that he had once done some writing and since Diarmuid himself writes a bit off and on, it is something he figures they can do together.

What he finds when he arrives in the Meadow, though, quickly crushes his good mood. His eyes narrow in anger and his hands close tightly around his sketchbook. Still, he doesn't quite call his armor to himself choosing to remain in his casual clothes--white dress car and black pants. Berserker's presence might be darkening the Meadow, but he doesn't seem the same as the other times they met during the war.

He's not raging at least...

"So this place has seen fit to torture him even more by bringing you here. Why am I not surprised."

[If the Black Knight could remember anything from the haze of insanity that had gripped him during the Grail War, he might recognize notice the silver-haired woman standing a ways away, seemingly lost in thought as she stared at the fish swimming idly by. Her attention is dragged away from the sight, though, when she senses the presence of a nearby Servant, and her eyes widen in surprise when she notices just who it was.]

You're...

[Berserker? But... no, something was wrong. That aura of darkness was gone, as was his helmet...]

No obvious threat until now, anyway. A tremendous figure clad in grey war-plate looms in the meadow, some 8 feet in armor that hums and purrs with life. He reeks of slain monster himself, and holds himself in an almost feral manner, a monstrous blade of grinding, rotating teeth in one hand, and a huge cannon-like weapon in the other.

He stalks across the meadow, but pauses, briefly. Another knight. A dark one, to his grey. His red eyeslits gleam as they stare at Berserker.

Edited 2013-02-16 23:21 (UTC)

Lancelot finds the residents he's encountered thus far a curious bunch-- this odd, though well-mannered, young woman is no exception.

"If you know of the Grail War, maid, then you must have spoken with other Servants-- I am of course, only your servant in a chivalrous sense. I seek my Master and would gladly accept your offer of information, as you must by your title be a keeper of knowlege here. What do you know of the others here who are like me-- and is there Battle here among them?

Tohko sighed. Lancelot didn't seem the type for small jokes..not that she could blame him..but she did sometimes use them to help take the edge off things.

"Actually, a Master told me..but it wasn't his fault. I deduced most of it myself. And..I was joking when I said you weren't my Servant in the War..and you don't have to be my servant in a chivalrous sense either.

I don't know who your Master is, so I can't tell you whether they're here or not. However, there is no Holy Grail here, so there is no War. Everyone is just trying to live and survive here. As for the Tower itself.."

Tohko sighed and thought as she gave her usual infodump.

"It's called Animus, and is run by five people: Dax, a humane man, Jason, who is a doctor that enjoys torturing and experimenting on us, Riki, a secretive fellow who manages the records and builds the Tower, Zo, a small boy, and Ruana, a childish immortal who possesses some interesting powers.

All of them, with the exception of Dax will lie to you, so take everything they say with a gain of salt. Oh, and your universe isn't destroyed! There are a few people here who wouldn't be able to exist if their universes were destroyed, so don't worry. Your universe is fine.

Death is not permanent here. If you die, you'll just wake up in your bed the next day, but I imagine that if you die too many times, you'll get punished, so be careful. Monsters roam the halls at night, but I don't think you'll have a problem with them.

However..you had better eat that oatmeal. If you don't, you'll throw up anything else you try to eat until you finish it. However, you can add things to it to improve it's taste, and other people can eat it with you! If you want, I'll help you eat it."

[Lancelot's tone is as dry as old bones, his anger still hot beneath the words.]
That is a gratifying thing to hear indeed, Master.

Months.

This place is truly enchanted then. For I have only lately been in Battle, against Archer (Arthur...) -- and you say you know nothing of this. I tell you that you quit the field, to pursue another Master. What happened to you I cannot say, but I came to this place on the edge of defeat. I had not enough of you to sustain me.

[Lancelot reaches out, gripping Kayria's jaw in his fingers. His grip is surprisingly light, for all his gauntleted hand looks heavy. He turns his Master's face toward his, seeming to take his measure. The measure is obviously short.]

You seem somewhat less sickly. [He releases Karyia's face, mailed fingers clicking.]
As I said, you spend yourself too freely in taking selfish, foolish risks. Desperation is the mark of a weak man.

[The name earns an interested, respectful reaction from Lancelot-- the powerful warrior of legend is known to him from stories around both mortal and faery fires.

He does not relish announcing his own class, and so leaves it for the moment.]

Well met, Cu Chulainn.
Tell me, what do Servants do here, if not fight each other?

Myself, I am seeking my Master. A frail Magus, blind in one eye, who walks with a limp. Do you know of him?

Protect those who are weaker, like heroes are supposed to do. That, and enjoy our lives living upon this earth again.

[Saber had the right idea about that.]

Huh...I might have seen him. Does the name of the Matou family ring a bell?

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Page 1 of 10

The Tale of Sir Lancelot - part 1. Dolorous Guard

Floor 25

aquarium

Dormitory floors

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Cafeteria

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[Dorm Hallways]

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Cafeteria

Floor 25: The Meadow

[Floor 10]

Floor 25, the Meadow

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Cafeteria

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