Breaking Stride [Private; Invite Allowed]

Things - worms - writhed and crawled in the shadows all around the edges of the room, their chitinous forms writhing alongside one another to produce an eerie and disgusting ambiance.

It smelled of rot and death and... other things... and the stench was unfathomable.

An intricate circle had been carved into the circle, then filled with oily blood.

Within it he stood, posture bent and warped as things - like those which crept along the walls - burrowed about beneath his skin.

If he could be anywhere but here... if there were any way but this...

...it didn't matter. This was the only way forward. The only route open to him, to save the one he needed to save.


He spoke the words. Magic coursed through his veins, and his body was wracked with pain, but he spoke the words.

His voice did not waver. In this, he could not - would not - allow it. For her sake...




The circle flared with light, and his body trembled, but he would not break. For her sake...

It was strange. This place she found herself in... was it a place, really? She wasn't really sure. She seemed to just... 'be'. She was just idly existing, as far as she could tell. But, occasionally, she would seem to 'dream' about other places, times... but it was not ever as clear as what she was experiencing now. She felt a pull. Something was calling out to her.

It was strange... she could tell that whatever it was, it wasn't reaching out for her specifically. It was almost like a distress call; seeking anyone or anything to help them. She couldn't tell what it was they wanted... but she could sense something else. A desire. A strong, unwavering desire. A desire to protect someone precious.

She didn't know the details, but she knew that someone, somewhere, was begging for help to protect someone else. And after the mess she had made of her own life... she couldn't ignore something like that. So with little hesitation, Akantha 'reached out' to answer the call.

He did it. A tear of blood streamed from his left eye, and the worms flexed beneath his cheek and crawled toward his neck.

His breath was ragged and his chest heaved for air, but he forcefully stilled it and brought his body to heel.

In the center of the circle, there stood a woman. She was wearing what looked suspiciously similar to the sort of space-suit a mecha pilot might wear in an anime (or real life, for that matter), but the glower in her crimson eyes dispelled any notions of mockery before they could form.



He glanced at his "Grandfather" out of the corner of his eye, face barely restraining a grimace as the worms implanted into him flexed in response to the man's interest. Or because he felt like poking his "grandson." Decrepit bastard.

"It seems you managed to succeed after all, eh, Kariya?" He cackled terribly, dark eyes sneering even as his face portrayed a mockery of a genial smile, "As you know, my aid ends here. This old man will give you an hour to settle your affairs and begone. Be sure to give little Sakura your regards, kehehehehe..."


And then he was gone. One might think he stepped away by foot as the tapping of his cane indicated, but it could equally be said he seemed to melt into the shadows and surroundings of the room, the worms closing about to seal his passage.

 "...cheh." Kariya spat a glob of blood at the place where his wretched "grandfather" exited. The worms at that spot chittered shrilly and devoured the nourishment without care. Only once that wretched mummy was gone did he dare let his weakness show, and collapse to the floor to recover his strength.

Bastard was probably watching through the worms even then.

Akantha stood quietly, observing her surroundings. This place... well, her first impression was not a good one, not in the slightest. She remained silent as the nasty old "man" spoke to what she knew to be the man that had summoned her here. Summoned her here... as a 'Servant', with him as her 'Master'. Information had been given to her as the summoning was completed, and her brow furrowed with irritation, her lip curling with disgust. Both at her surroundings, and at certain facts of her own situation.

However, she knew better than to jump the gun here, and assessed the situation. She was one of seven Servants, summoned for the purpose of competing to win the right to the Holy Grail, and thus being granted a wish. She knew the seven 'classes', and that she had been summoned as a... Berserker. She couldn't help but sigh at that. How... appropriate. She supposed it was less of a blow than being summoned as an Assassin. She had an understanding of her abilities, skills, and parameters, which was a strange thing to think about, but she would get used to it. For now, she'd shift her attention to the situation of her 'Master'.

From the conversation, she was inclined to believe that this 'Sakura' was the person he sought to protect. She would not be surprised if it was to protect her from that 'man' who had just left. At the moment though, she had to speak with the man before her, Kariya. She regarded him for a moment, before walking over to him, and kneeling down to look him in the eye. "Are you able to stand? I do not wish to linger in this foul room, and I would have... words, with you."

The Servant stepped forward out of the circle. Well, it's not like he told her to stay there, but--

"Are you able to stand? I do not wish to linger in this foul room, and I would have... words, with you."

--that was just his luck, wasn't it? Did he screw up after all? Gritting his teeth, Kariya nodded and forced himself back to his feet.


"I wouldn't talk here either... but the Old Man'll probably be listening wherever we go. At the least... I need to leave this place anyway. But... on our way out, while we leave, would you mind astralizing? The less prana you consume, the slower my... condition... will advance."

Akantha paused, then nodded slightly. "Understood..." Her form shifted, becoming intangible, and invisible to the naked eye. She stood near him, just in case. "You lead the way. Our conversation can wait until you are in a more comfortable position." She was somewhat surprised with herself, that she was willing to be accommodating to him in the current situation.

Nodding his acknowledgement, for he could not spare the breath at the moment, Kariya steeled himself and limped his way up the stairs to The Pit, and into the house proper. He limped stoically along one step at a time, only the occasional wince and writhing of things beneath his skin belying his suffering. As he bypassed the exit to the house and ascended a spiral stair, it seemed his current objective was different than his previously stated intent.

Or, at least, higher in priority.

Any questions Akantha might have were likely answered, however, when he rounded a corner and came across a girl heading away from him. She was young - perhaps eight to nine, and certainly below ten. Her hair was a peculiarly flat purple - as if all life and luster were absent from it, and her dress matched it in color. Both shifted and swirled as she turned suddenly to face Kariya, alerted by something or other.


"Kariya-ojisan?"

---Her eyes were... hollow.

But as she turned and caught sight of Kariya's wretched state, her face shifted from quiet resignation to shock and despair.

"Yo... Sakura-chan." He said, tiredly, yet steadily, somehow smiling in spite of the pain he must be suffering.

Akantha remained silent for a good while, but as it became clear that Kariya was going much farther than she intended, she started to get rather annoyed. "Excuse me, but do you intend to actually stop at some point, or are you-" She cut herself off when they turned a corner and she saw a little girl. And then the girl turned around. Those eyes... Akantha suddenly felt a surging anger welling up within her, but grit her teeth. She would keep quiet, and allow this conversation... but she wanted answers.

"Y-your face..." The girl trailed off, stuttering only for the barest of moments.

Kariya's face twisted with self-recrimination, "Aha... Your ojii-san isn't as strong as you are. I've kind of lost a little to the worms inside me already... But, you won't need to worry about that anymore. Soon."

She shifted. "...Grandfather said I wouldn't have to train for the next few days..."

Kariya's face became almost unreadable, filled only with traces of regret and pain. "Yeah... I'll be going away for a while. But I'll be back, and then we can go away from here." The girl didn't respond, her gaze shifting aside. The withering man hesitated, before offering with a faint smile and some hope, "We'll take you back to see your mother and your sister again. How about that?"

"I don't have such people, anymore." With a straight face and voice filled with indifference, she shook Kariya to his core. "Grandfather said I should forget they ever existed. It'll be easier that way..."

Without her notice, Kariya limped his way across the distance between them, and drew the child into his arms. She stiffened in shock for a moment, only to relax therafter. "Hey... That's not true and you know it. I will take you to them and you'll play together again, alright? So... until then, just wait patiently. This will all be over soon."

"I could see them again...?" Was that hope? The faintest bit of emotion entered her force.

Of course, he hastened to nurture it. "Without a doubt." He declared solemnly. "So... wish me luck, okay?"

"...Un." As the girl gave her weak assent, he released her and patted her soldiers. Then, he limped back the way he came. "Bye-bye, Kariya-ojiisan."

He didn't pause, stepping out of sight.

"Bye-bye..." She repeated quieter than he could hear, as if she'd never get the chance to say it again.

Akantha remained at first, for just a moment. She was watching the little girl, this 'Sakura'. The look in her eyes, and that faint trace of hope that Kariya had given her... this hit her closer to home than she had ever anticipated. After a moment, she hurried to follow Kariya, emotions warring within her. She wanted to grab him by the collar and demand answers, but... that would be counterproductive. She needed information, and now... and she would keep calm until she got it, at the least. Once away from Sakura, she glanced at Kariya.

"I want answers. Now, if you please."

Well, it's not as if leaving would really make Zouken any less likely to eavesdrop anyway. "...her father sent her here to learn magic. Gave her away, even." Kariya started, pausing every so often as the worms inside him shifted, or his breath fell short, "and I guess he didn't know - or care - that this... family's... magic comes in the form of these parasites. They take and take, your body, your mind... your soul... for Grandfather. He wanted an heir. I didn't want to serve. He sought elsewhere, her father accepted for some insane reason... and now we're here." He paused, leaning against a wall by the door, "...clinging to some dim hope I can win that blasted cup, and he'll let her go."

Akantha stared hard at Kariya through his explanation, but after a bit, her expression softened a little as she sighed. "After everything, I'm once again made to serve someone else, but at least it is a cause I can sympathize with..." She shook her head, crossing her arms. "I want to make sure I have this perfectly clear. We are to fight in this 'Holy Grail War', and your motivation for fighting is not to win the Grail, but to win Sakura's freedom, correct?"

"I couldn't give a damn about the cup..." Kariya bluntly declared, "Don't get me wrong... I'd hate to see how it could be used wrongly, least of all by someone like Grandfather... but..." He hissed, "...what choice do I have? Even if I tried to use it to save Sakura directly..." - the worms inside him writhed furiously, driving the man into the ground with a muffled scream.

He laid still a moment, breathing heavily. Scattered crimson droplets fell to the ground. "...that."

Akantha stared down at Kariya for a moment. "...So he can punish or kill you remotely then. I suppose that removes the option of just killing him and being done with it?" She sighed, and knelt down, helping the man up into a sitting position. "...Your cause is one I can get behind.... for various reasons. But I need you to understand something very important." She waited to make sure he was fully paying attention before she continued.

"And... that is?" Kariya grit, forcing himself to focus through the pain.

Akantha looked him in the eyes before she spoke. "We may be defined as 'Master' and 'Servant', but you do not control me. I will work with you as an ally in this, and I will play the role of 'Servant' if I have to while dealing with others, but that is all. And the moment you try and use those seals of yours to force me to do something I don't wish to do, you will not live to regret it, do you understand?"

There was a terrible chittering from all around them as the worms inside him calmed. Bastard was laughing at him for having an unruly Servant. Well... joke's on him - Kariya didn't care. As long as Sakura was safe... "That's fine."

Akantha seemed to be mulling things over, and searching Kariya's face for... something. After a moment, she nodded, and carefully helped Kariya to his feet. "In that case, I suppose we have much to discuss. I would like to be familiarized with our 'battlefield' in this war, and we can get acquainted with each other and our capabilities. Anything you might know about our enemies would also be greatly appreciated. I am used to going into a fight with an advantage in information..."

"I can tell you the lay of the land, at least," Kariya stated, perhaps unhelpfully, "but until... this... I kept my nose out of magic. I could tell you where Tokiomi lives, and that he uses gems for his magic somehow, but outside of that..." He shrugged his good shoulder, wincing at the pain it caused its lame counterpart when it tried to follow the motion. "For now... we need to find somewhere inconspicuous to... rest. I can't set up any sort of arcane defense or anything, so... We'll probably be best off just wandering the city night to night and laying low."

"Any information, no matter how seemingly insignificant, could be potentially useful. Regardless, I agree, we need to find a temporary base of operations now." She paused. "If you need my help to get around, let me know. Anyway... lead the way."

"That might be more credit than such a place deserves..." Kariya murmured agreeably, "but... I'll explain what I can on the way."

And so he went, explaining Fuyuki's basic layout. The Mion River in the center, separating the older and traditional Miyama Town from the new, modern Shinto District. Of the temple on Mt. Miyama, which Zouken mentioned was a font of energy and some kind of natural fortress. He spoke of where people would congregate, and where they couldn't expect to find much of anyone - especially at night. Any detail he could gather - even the location of the schools - he brought to bear, trusting his partner to take note of that which could be used, and that which could not.

Akantha listened intently to Kariya's words, as well as taking note of her surroundings. She asked for clarification in certain instances, but otherwise just let him talk. Eventually, she addressed another necessary point. "You said you could tell me a little about this 'Tokiomi', which would be appreciated, but is there any insight you can offer as to who could potentially be 'Masters' in this battle?"

"I don't know much, unfortunately." Kariya answered, "Tohsaka uses jewels for magic and lives in Shinto. And he's a prideful ass. His house is probably heavily defended, and he has a lot of money to throw around. Everyone else... I know the Tohsaka, Einzbern, and Matou families are all guranteed a Master. I'm representing the Matou... Tokiomi's the only possible Tohsaka Master - even if he were so warped as to let little Rin participate in a deathmatch like the Grail War, she just wouldn't be a practical choice. And the Einzbern... Well, they specialized in the creation of homunculi, but... they got wiped out a few years ago. Utterly, or so the old man says. Apparently they touched something they shouldn't have and someone else took offense. As for the remainder... it's likely they're pompous Association Magi like Tohsaka, but they could really be anyone."

Akantha nodded slightly. "At least it's something to note... so we have six unknown enemy Servants, four completely unknown enemy Masters, one suspected enemy Master of the Einzbern family, and Tokiomi. Not much to go on... but it's better than nothing."

"Not by much." Kariya griped self-depreciatively, before sighing. "Before I can propose any plans beyond 'keep our heads down' I'll need to know the basics of your capabilities." He eyed her, observing her paremeters as they became apparent. "...You seem quite fast and... you can hide and..." He exhaled. "By your skill listings alone, you are quite possibly the least Berserker-y Berserker I can imagine... But I suppose that 'Innocent Monster' Skill would have something to do with that, huh. Ugh, this is useless. What do you think you're good at?"