The Church on the Hill

The church itself was small and unassuming, but Archer could feel the magical energy around it. The Church sat atop a confluence of mana, a leyline.

The crow landed on the stoop of the church's belltower. Below it, standing before the Church doors, the young priest Kotomine patiently awaited the Servant's arrival.

She approached, stopping at least 15 feet from the man before materializing. " I assume the crow belongs to you." she stated, hands ready to leap to her weapon at a moment's notice.

Kirei looked her over for a moment. "Yes." He bowed cordially with his hand to his chest. In doing so, he also showed the Command Spells on his hand, one of which appears to have been used.



"My name is Kirei Kotomine. I will get straight to the point. You are in need of a Master, and I am in need of a Servant."

"Ah, I heard your last servant utter your name. He was distraught. I assume because you used one of your seals to make him do something he didn't want to do. What was it?"

"He would have ran and hid, knowing he couldn't beat you," Kirei answered readily. "So, I ordered him to attack you instead."

Atalanta nodded. She admired his tactics. It was a smart move to trade a lesser servant for a better one. She walked towards him and offered her hand for shaking. "I am Atalanta. If you'll have me, I will be your new servant."

"Well met, Atalanta." Kirei shook her hand, though his face remained serious and grim. "Would you come inside the church? This church is well-known to the other Masters; I would rather stay away from prying eyes."

He opened the door and headed inside toward the basement stairs. "I am relieved that you recognize opportunity when you see it. Assassin was a weak Servant, and I have faith that you will not disappoint."

"I promise you, even if I die, it will be at great detriment to my enemies." she followed the man inside the church, closing the door firmly behind them. She took stock of her surroundings. "This is a...christian place? Unexpected." she observed, running her hands over the wood of the pews.

"Yes. The Holy Church may not have a major presence in Japan. However, the founding families of the Grail Wars asked for the Church to oversee the Wars since the last war sixty years ago. Since then, we have maintained a constant presence here in Fuyuki."

Kirei led Archer past the altar to the stairs, leading her down into a dark basement filled with magical equipment. On a large table in the center of the room was a map of Fuyuki marked with several points of interest.

She walked up to the map, it being what piqued her interest. "Fill me in. What are these markers for?" she gestured to the table, eager to plan.

"Two things, thus far.  First, the locations of the leylines under Fuyuki."  He pointed to the church itself, Ryuudou Temple, as well as two spots in rural Miyama and downtown Shinto.

"Secondly, the locations of every known Master.  Two currently inhabit the Tohsaka Manor.  One lives in Einzbern Castle in the woodlands outside the city.  Another may be living in northern Miyama.  Now that you have come here, I may continue my reconnaissance in almost complete safety."

"I apologize for the subterfuge," he continued.  "Please, do not be alarmed.  I needed you to come in here before I could tell you the truth.  As I said, the church may be watched, and it was necessary for any observers to continue to believe that Assassin was slain."

A figure emerged from the shadows in the corner of the room, stepping next to Kirei.



Assassin quickly flashed both hands to show she was unarmed, and bowed to Archer.

"The other Masters will believe that you will be my only Servant.  Meanwhile, Assassin may scout for us with relative impunity.  Is this arrangement satisfactory?"

Atalanta was not very happy with being lied to. She was silent for a long time, mulling the situation over. Eventually she spoke, "It is satisfactory." she was not pleased, but would go with the situation for now. If necessary, she could betray the man and his servant when they were no longer useful to her. She didn't particularly like him. He bothered her.

"Very well, then."

Kirei extended one hand toward Archer.

"I hereby propose.
Your fealty shall be mine, and my fate shall be yours.
Heed the Grail's call and obey my will and reason...
Do so, and I shall entrust my fate your bow."

His Command Spells began to glow after his chant, and Archer felt the tug of the Grail's magic. Touching Kirei's fingers would seal the Master-Servant contract between them.

She reached out and took the man's hand with her own. She was increasingly uncomfortable about being connected to the man, but at this point she had little choice. She would be able to find a way around whatever obstacles she was faced with.

A flash of light emanated from their joined fingers, and Archer instantly felt mana begin to flow into her once again, anchoring her to the world and empowering her.

"With that done," Kirei said, "we should begin to form a strategy. I would welcome any suggestions, seeing as you know your abilities more than I." He paused in thought. "Speaking of which, I don't believe I am familiar with the legend of Atalanta. I'd like to know more about you."

" I believe you have the ability to research it yourself. My personal life isn't really your concern, I think." she said with a small smile. "I suggest we find the weakest master first and defeat them. I can engage the servant in battle, and assasin can take care of the master."

If Kirei was bothered by Archer's guarded attitude, it didn't show on his face; he still wore the same grim, dead-eyed expression. "I understand. A sensible attitude. As I've asked you to take considerable risk, I will trust your judgment. I am currently tracking down the Master living in northern Miyama. I believe that will be our most likely target."

"Then let us begin. There's no reason to wait. What can you tell me about this master?"

"Nothing much, yet. They have been on the move all day, and my Assassins have had difficulty keeping up while remaining hidden. I've seen two young women riding on a moped throughout Miyama. I haven't yet located their base, or discerned their current intentions."

"Let us engage them then." she was definitely ready for battle. Striking swiftly and strongly would hopefully take the other masters and servants off of their guard.

"Very well, then." He pointed to a spot on the map close to the northern edge of downtown Miyama. "They were last seen in this area. I will have one of my Assassins rendezvous with you when you arrive."

Atalanta retreated to spirit form and rushed to the location. The feeling of running again was extremely satisfactory, and she smiled at the air brushing past her as she moved, even in spirit form. She returned to corporeal form and ran the last few blocks, though through alleyways as not to alert too many of the townsfolk. She savored the feeling of her legs pumping and making contact with the pavement. Eventually she came to a stop behind the building the master was currently at with her servant. She awaited contact from the assassin.

There was a long pause, but finally the church door opened. Another Assassin was the one to open it, this one rather short and skinny. He took a furtive glance at Archer and Rider, face hidden behind white skull mask, then stood aside to let them in.

Kirei and Risei both stood near the altar, having been in the midst of a conversation. Five other Assassins stood around them, each one of a different gender, height, and build.

Kirei furrowed his brow in concern at Archer's unexpected companion. "What is the meaning of this?" he asked, not in an angry tone, but one of genuine concern.