A New Base of Operations

Kirei furrowed his brow, but surprisingly didn't appear very upset. "I worried that would be the case. I am sure that the Master was telling the truth. It's possible she moved on to another place, or another Master got to her first. I will keep a familiar posted at the Temple just in case." He cracked his knuckles. "In the meantime, I suppose we have no further use for this Master."

Atalanta nodded. "Let me know if you require any assistance. Though I'm sure you do not."

"I await our next move!" Astolfo quickly excused himself before anything grisly started.

"I would like you to keep watch, Atalanta," Kirei responded. "Though I'm confident I've disabled him, we can never know if he has any tricks up his sleeve."

The Master was still lying there in a pool of his own blood and filth. Marnin's glazed eyes turned on Kirei as he walked over and stood over him. There was no expression remaining on his face.

Kirei considered him for a few minutes. He had never killed a helpless person before; he wasn't sure how to feel. This Master had certainly been a force to be reckoned with. It was a shame that they hadn't fought for longer--it would have been a good fight.

He slowly placed his hands around Marnin's neck. The Master didn't make any show of resisting; he just stared. He squeezed down hard, cutting off the blood flow to his head. Marnin's eyes bulged, and his face turned red, but Kirei only pressed harder and harder.

Kirei felt the master's heart pumping hard under his hands, and his own heart sped up with it. Adrenaline flowed through his body. He felt wide awake, fully focused. He felt... excited.

Marnin's mouth sagged open as he tried and failed to gasp for breath, but steadily his heart slowed. The Master's eyes rolled back in his head. He waited for a few more moments, feeling the heart slow... slow... Then stop.

He kept his hands on his neck for several seconds, ensuring that Marnin was dead.

Kirei stood back and looked down at his body. His skin tingled. He noticed then that he was genuinely smiling. A wide, toothy grin that he hadn't been conscious of wearing.

He adjusted his priest's clothes and turned to walk back to Archer.

"It is done... We should--"

He stopped and whirled back, hand diving into his robes.

Marnin's eyes were focused on Kirei, his pupils pinpricks, one hand ripped free from his bondings. Marnin extended a finger, gathering mana and preparing one last spell.

He never finished it. The blade Kirei's Black Key passed through his hand and his neck. There it remained rigid, wobbling, supporting Marnin's hand in the air as blood poured from the wound in his neck. The look of surprise remained frozen as he died for real this time.

Kirei adjusted his cuff. "A time-altering spell to temporarily stop his heart. Clever." He was smiling again.

Though the scene she had just witness was rather macabre, she felt and odd pleasure at seeing her master happy. She returned a more reserved smile. "I see you're beginning to feel." it seemed like she could end the statement with 'better' but she left it as it was.

Kirei, noticing he was smiling, quickly put on a more stoic face. His eyes, however, were still sparkling with energy.

"It seems so." He cleared his throat. "I suppose now, all we have to do is wait for nightfall."

" I agree...perhaps after the battle, if victory is ours, we should celebrate? I think some items that I purchased recently survived Marnin's weapon."

"I am not usually one to partake in self-indulgence," he said, then paused. "But it may make a nice change."

"I think it will." Atalanta made quick trip to the ruins to recover her celebratory materials, then returned to the theatre to await nightfall.

As the trio cleaned up the body, and sat around waiting for nightfall, listening to the news for any signs of the apostle, finally they hit a break. Apparently he was at the school. If he hadn't been permanently, he was now at least. She turned to her master. "Thoughts?"

Kirei scratched his chin, then called Rider to join them.

"It must be him. I would say he is baiting us, though I don't know why he would reveal himself like this. Perhaps he realizes he can't win without an open confrontation. Either way, we should expect a trap."

Rider sat with the others, still in a maid's uniform from mopping up the floor earlier. "Shall Miss Atalanta and I scout together, or do you have another plan?"

"I'm not particularly worried about traps. Let's go." Atalanta readied herself and packed a few guns just in case. She kind of liked them. They were very sleek. And ranged. Perhaps she might try one out sometime. "I will stash this in a tree for you or possibly bury it..." she trailed off as she had a thought. "I have a suggestion...perhaps when this is all over, or if we at least defeat the servants master, I could use my other noble phantasm. It would definitely strike a good blow to the other team."

"Let's all go together," Kirei answered Rider. "It's time to finish this."

"Your other Noble Phantasm?" he answered Archer. "What would that be?"

Rider strapped a gun over his shoulder and looked at his book. They'd done well so far, but maybe, if he could just remember...

fuyumin carried out 1 launched of one (Saving throw.) :

"A pelt I recieved from hunting a very large and angry boar. If I charge through the field while wearing it, it will cause anyone near me to be completely confused and attack anyone, no matter if they are allies or not. Because of that, I feel it would be best to leave on that note, so that our team does not try to hurt each other. It's not permanent, however, so I can also perhaps begin the battle this way, and ensure that none of us enter the field until the effect has worn off. However that will lessen our chances of killing the Apostle."

Rider lamely kicked the still-closed book with a toe. "Maybe I could go in first, that way I could suppress magic and cut a path and you could charge on the way out?"

[[Rider remembers!]]

Kirei thought for a moment. "That's an interesting effect. Best left for the end of the battle, I think, provided you have the mana left to spare. It would be best for all parties to be focused on the Dead Apostle until it is dead." He grinned slightly. "It would certainly cause a great deal of chaos."

Words began bubbling up in Rider's mind. Ca... Casa... He jumped with a gasp and pointed a finger at the thick tome on the floor. "Casa di Logistilla!!"

The book's cover flew open with a whud, light poring from its pages. Rider pranced around it with delight, clapping his hands to a rhythm while singing. "Casa di Logistilla, ole!"

Archer raised both eyebrows as she watched him dance around, "Wha...what?"

Kirei stared for a long moment, knowing nothing of Rider's struggle to remember the name of the book.

"What are you doing."

He picked up the Manual and hugged it to his chest happily. "I forgot the name of my book when I was summoned, I've been trying to remember this whole time!! Now I have defense against all kinds of magic!" He hummed while flipping through the pages, arcane marks of binding written on the aged paper.

He slammed the book closed and pumped a fist in the air with a wild grin. "Now I'm ready for anything!"

Atalanta broke into a wide smile, "Oh my! Good for you!" she gave him a hug, picking him up and spinning him a little. "This will definitely give us a big advantage."

"All kinds of magic?" Kirei asked. "That will undoubtedly come in useful against the enemy Masters. Something to think about later. For now, we need to get going."

He laughed as Atalanta spun him around, clinging to her. Even if their Master didn't revel with him, Atalanta was always fun.

"Lead the way, milord!"