Tohsaka Mansion - A New Day

Yui sat up and stretched, eyes blinking in the bright sunlight. She checked her clock, surprised to see she had already slept past noon. After she woke Berserker and dressed herself, she headed downstairs to find Lazarus and Caster.

To her amazement, Lazarus was still outside, setting up defenses around the mansion's perimeter. For a moment, a feeling of horror washed over her when she saw how much damage had been done to the yard. These flowerbeds had been planted by her great-grandmother! But she quickly calmed herself. After seeing what Archer and that Dead Apostle were capable of, she should be grateful for whatever defense they could get. She was glad they hadn't attacked them yet while she slept.

"Lazarus!" she called out the window. "If you have a moment, there's something important I have to discuss with you and Caster!"

"Just let me get these golems going and then I'll be all done!" he called back to her. Granted, it would take quite awhile before they were finished, but he was so close to completion! He absolutely could not stop now.

Yui couldn't decide whether to be amused or worried at how long Lazarus was spending building them. "As soon as you're ready, meet me in the basement!"

She left to go let Caster know the same thing, before heading for the basement with Berserker.

Lazarus arrived to the basement covered in earth and a little blood. Usually he would have been alright, but he HAD been in a hurry. "So miss yui! What have you got for us to speak about?"

Yui leaned over the map of Fuyuki. "I realize this is still fairly early in the War, but I figured we could give it some thought while we have time to spare. After three Servants have been eliminated, we will need to progress to the second phase of the War: summoning the Grail itself." She paused to take in Lazarus' state of being. "Although, it might best for you to get some rest before we talk about it."

"No no, I'm fine!" he said waving her concern away with a hand. He would be falling asleep shortly however, but he could muster enough power to speak with Yui about this very important subject. Besides, he still had a magical tether to the leyline.

"As you say," Yui chuckled. "First, you need to know a little more about the Grail. In case you were curious, the fact that the War took the form of a battle royale like this isn't a coincidence or a formality. The Grail can't manifest without the death's of the Servants. As each Servant dies, their soul fills the Grail and gives it the power it needs to be able to grant wishes. With me so far?"

Lazarus chuckled. "Of course I am!" He tried his best not to be insulted by the younger woman doubting his intelligence.

"So for the summoning of the Grail, you basically need two things: an active leyline, and the Grail's vessel itself. The vessel only becomes the Grail itself as it collects the Servant's souls, but it has to be on top of a leyline in order to truly materialize."

Lazarus' eyes lit up with excitement. "oh! oh you MUST tell me what the vessel will be!"

"Well..." she started with uncertainty. "This is where it gets tricky."

"The Holy Grail War was started by the three founding families: Tohsaka, Einzbern, and Matou. The Tohsaka's provided the land with the necessary leylines, the Matou's designed the Command Spells, and the Einzberns provided the vessel."

"The Einzberns prepare the vessel for every war, so they already have a large advantage with their Master protecting it. It normally takes the form of a literal grail, a golden cup."

"Here's where it gets tricky. The last War failed because the vessel was destroyed amidst combat, guaranteeing that the Grail couldn't be summoned. Afterwards, there were rumors circulating among the three families that they planned to alter the vessel somehow. Most likely by giving it a less obvious form. Before the war, I did everything in my power to find out more about their plans, but I didn't have any luck. So, as far as the vessel is concerned, we're almost completely in the dark."

"Oh, well that certainly isn't good. Do you have any more information? Perhaps we could try our best to deduce what it might be!"

Yui frowned. "That's all that I know. The Einzberns keep their secrets locked tight. I can't even be 100% sure that they truly did alter the vessel's form. And if they did, it could be anything at all."

Lazarus tapped a still dirty finger on the countertop while he considered their options. He turned to Yui, "What kind of information do you have about their whereabouts and how they're set up there?"

Yui pointed to the forests to the south of Miyama. "The Einzberns own a large plot of land outside the city that they use as their base. It's been that way since the first Grail War, so the castle is highly defended. There are likely far more enchantments and protections on in than this mansion. But, it is not on top of a leyline. Meaning, at some point, they must attempt to secure one of the remaining leyline points. Fortunately for us, they will probably take the vessel there, leaving it vulnerable."

She crossed her arms and pursed her lips. "The Shinto leyline is undefended. But, I can't rule out the possibility of them attacking us at the mansion instead. If they have the firepower, so to speak, they might prefer to take out two Servants and secure a leyline in one fell swoop. We still don't know anything about their Servant or Master, so I can't say how likely that is."

"Well then firstly, we definitely need to fortify our defenses. While I continue that, why don't you go send a familiar to investigate the other leyline and see if anything odd is going on there. Is that agreeable for everyone?" Lazarus beamed. He had just had a great idea for a defense. He would have to sleep for just a bit at least, but if anything he could have Caster begin the work.

"Sounds good to me," Yui answered with a smile. "I've already set up about as many defenses as the mansion can handle, but I'm sure I can cook up a few additions."

"Sounds great!" Lazarus rushed upstairs, showered, and slept. He meant to sleep for only a couple hours but ended up sleeping for nine. As soon as he awoke he began work on his leyline mines. He would definitely have to write this spell down later for future generations to enjoy.

Lazarus read the letter. "Oh! Well that's not so bad! Yui~!" He called through the house as he searched for the young woman. "We need to contact the other masters immediately~!"

Yui, in the midst of working on some new enchantments, poked her head out in the hallway. "Why, what's going on?"

Caster looked over the letter, the neck of his robe mussed and wide from a short rest after placing the mines. Good to know the modern day church could be just as focused on their dogma as the church of his time. At least now, however, it worked in their favor.

"We received a letter from the burial agency. We have two days to take the dangerous master we met, or they will kill all of us. Obviously we have no choice but to work with everyone else to ensure his defeat, but I don't see that it should be an issue. I'm thinking that we should propose truce to battle him, followed by a week long truce so that everyone is able to get any damaged defense levels back up to where they were before this started. Do you think the others will bite?"

Caster's eyes widened. "All of us? Isn't that a bit extreme, or do they not wish to risk corruption by this Apostle?" He tapped the letter against his lower lip. "I'd dare say they might not have any other choice but to agree to a truce. This... nuisance must be unexpected, and that way we could at last meet the rest of our opponents face to face."

Yui was shocked by the Agency's reply, but rubbed her chin in thought. "Hard to say. I'm not sure about the week-long truce, but we all have a pretty strong motive for teaming up against the Dead Apostle."

Berserker stepped out into the hallway behind Yui, listening with interest.

"Well, firstly, we don't know if everyone will work with us. Because we don't know that then we don't know how much damage each party will take. I deduced that a week would be sufficient time to make up any damage. It will also be fair to everyone. Nobody wants to be setback because of such a situation after we've all most likely been working very hard on fortifications."