Ninja Gaiden [/fin]

[Genessa Satellizer]

Ponte a Marino had proven to be slightly more public than what she preferred, but at least the accomodation were splendid. The apartment she had bought and currently occupied for the single purpose of this night and the events proceeding. Nothing that stands out too much compared with the other apartments in the neighborhood, as she didn't want to attract unnecessary attention. She had also introduce herself to her neighbours for the sake of hiding a flower in a forest trick, blending in among the neighbours. A normal procedure, for an Enforcer such as her to make sure her track is covered.

Genessa stood in the living room of her new establishment with all of the furniture completely removed. Engraved into the floor was a complicated design, circular in shape and covered in runes and other geographical figures. In a crude sense it could have been seen as a door, perhaps. Its purpose, as it were, was to summon a Heroic Spirit. She had practice drawing it many times before just to make sure the summoning is flawless.

Her preparations nearly complete and she had shed her business suit for a more comfortable dress. The intention was to make herself as comfortable as possible, letting herself loose and not too wound up for the summoning procedure. Grand Rank or not, careless mistake would not be tolerated and so it would be prudent to take any necessary precaution.

The clock on the wall shows the time is 1:59 a.m. She took a deep breath and stepped up to the edge of the circle. In its center was a simple piece of clothing. A scarf she took from a magus she had sealed, years before in the Land of Rising Sun. If his research is correct, then the Heroic Spirit she's going to summon will be a servant suitable for her.

At last, the final minute had arrived. The British magus knelt down to the circle and drew her pocket knife from her pocket. The instrument was one of the few things she possessed that was simple in design and appearance, unlike the other knives she had brought along with her. In the final ten seconds, she lacerated the end of her index finger and let the drops of blood land on the summoning circle before her.

At precisely 02 00, she ignited her circuits; pouring her mana through them. The crest on her arm flared up as she began to feed the primal energy into the circle she had created. Her incantation had been completely memorized and she was saying it without even having to cognitively think about the words. Instead she imagined the one she was going to summon.

Her plan had been thought out for some time. The brute force tactic seemed to lack a certain Eefinement, so she was planning on something other than a hot blooded warrior. Nothing too flashy, as she herself already take care of that department. What she needed.....is a cold-blooded silent killer, ones whose presence will attack the enemy psychology, mentally wearing them down without physically showing himself.

As she muttered the final chant, she snaps her circuit and call out to the Heroic Spirit matching the catalyst(Goemon's scarf) from the throne of Heroes.

"Come past thy restraining rings, and be thou the hands that protect the balance-! "

[Ishikawa Goemon]

And nothing happened.

The clock ticked, chimes ringing through the room. The pentagram had failed to give any indication that the summoning had succeeded, nothing had changed. Did she fail? Was her prana used and her blood spilled for nothing? Did she waste her time practicing, planning, preparing for the arrival of the servant that she believed would guarantee her victory?

Obviously not.

There were not great flashes of lights, no explosions, no blasts of energy. In their place was a flickering of the lights. At first it was just a brief darkness. A warning, if you will. Mere moments after the lights quickly blinked on and off before finally deciding on the darkness of the night. The clock's hands moved, it's ticking echoing through the silence that had filled the apartment. The very aura of the room had shifted, what was once a dull housing had gained an eerie presence akin to that of a graveyard. What she had summoned was a master of death, after all. A killing machine from an era long past. It had no doubt put more people in the grave then she could possibly realize.

And from the darkness appeared four, emerald eyes.

They could be made out through the darkness, briefly shinning as if to get her attention before turning into a dull glow. It was the only thing you could see of him, really. His body hidden within the deepest shadows of the room, almost supernaturally so. The eyes, stoic as they were, turned to the one standing within the circle. He finally realized something. He had regained consciousness. His body had been moving on it's own, an internal instinct developed over a life time of dancing through the shadows. It was only now that he was finally able to comprehend his surroundings.

...Something was happening to him. Knowledge, so much knowledge, was flowing into him. Master. Servant. Grail. Wish. War. Fuck. War. He had been summoned to war once more. He was to become the blade of his master, to loyally follow their orders and protect them from harm. It would be through their efforts that they obtained the grail, a...device, that granted them whatever wish they desired. What was it he desired?....Another chance to live again. How he wanted to. Not under the guidance of a lord or dictator, but to be his own master. He wanted to be free. But for now, he would have to serve another once more. To make this dream of his a reality.

"...I am he that walks the shadows." He started. " I am the weapon of my lord, the extension of his will. The one who gives life to nightmares. Death personified." He paused, looking the woman standing before him straight in the eye. " I have been summoned from the depths of oblivion to fight once more. I ask you, are you my master?"

[Genessa Satellizer]

At first, shock is reflected clearly on the face of the Grand rank magus. The pentagram did not indicate any sort of indication the summoning was successful. There is no one standing in the middle of the circle where it should be. She was sure that she could feel the pull of prana as she engaged in the summoning...did she overlook something? All the precaution she had taken....had all been in vain?

What the hell...

Before the Brit noticed that the light starts to flickers on and off, soon accompanied by the sudden burst of pain on her left arm. Surprised, she pull her sleeves upward and noticed a red tattoo, her command mantra glowing. Which means...the pact has already been made. It was then that the room finally decides to settle on darkness, the silence broken by the ticking of the clock.

The figure that took shape before her eyes did not move. His body seems to have been made from darkness itself. The only thing she could barely make out within the darkness are the emerald eyes, four of them even. And the aura that the figure carries... she could feel goosebump, as if she had stepped into the graveyard in the middle of the night. Not that she had never experience that before but....this feeling....no doubt. Standing before her is a ghostliner, summoned from long past.

Ishikawa Goemon...

"...I am he that walks the shadows. I am the weapon of my lord, the extension of his will. The one who gives life to nightmares. Death personified. I have been summoned from the depths of oblivion to fight once more. I ask you, are you my master?"

"Aye, I am. Took the scenic route eh?" a small smile formed on her face as she bend down and grab the scarf lying on the floor. The eerie feeling in the house slowly settles down. Or rather, she gotten use to the eerie feeling. The summoning was a success. She was deal with the card Assassin, the stealth killer. The rest, is up to her wit and her skill now. With that she hold out her left arm towards him much like a lady towards her knight. The movement was graceful, not too exagerrated. There is something she needed to get done first.

" On your knees, Servant Assassin. And pledge your eternal loyalty to me. "

Servant may not always accept their Master. They could even bare their fang towards their new Master. However that will not do with her. A tool does not control the owner. A mutual respect is needed between the Master and the servant. Only then they can fight to the fullest.

[Ishikawa Goemon]

"Aye, I am. Took the scenic route eh?"

And thus the contract was sealed. He could feel the mana surge into him. His senses sharpened, his muscles tightened, his mind cleared; it felt like he was a weapon being sharpened. and it felt wonderful. He stood up, and as he did so the lights flickered back on. There was no need to conceal himself now, not in front of his master. He moved his arms back, feeling his bones pop. Ah, good old flesh and blood, how Goemon missed you.

Feeling good as new, Goemon removed his mask to get a better look at his new master. She was shorter then him by a few inches, so nothing big. Slim, fit, something that was apparent through that dress of hers. Especially when he got a look down it when she bent over to pick up his scarf. Not that he cared for anything other then the scarf, mind you. It was one of the few things he could claim sole possession of. As in he didn't have to steal the bloody thing . He'd be asking for it later, that was a given.

" On your knees, Servant Assassin. And pledge your eternal loyalty to me. "

Right after he stood up? Figures. Oh well, he might as well not fight it. Doing this would probably let her sleep easy at night, after all; not having to worry about her (not really) crazy servant stabbing her in her sleep. Once again lowering to one knee, he began his pledge. "I, Assassin, hereby swear to serve you for as long as you hold your command spells. Or until one of us dies, either way." It was short and to the point as he was hoping they could move on to more beneficial things.

[Genessa Satellizer]

The servant removed his mask and move into the light where she had a good look on his features. His face is clean-shaven, with sharp eyes that seems to be picky at tiny details. His body is well built, not like a jock but athletic enough. His gear seems light for the sake of mobility and darkly colored for the sake of camouflage. She mentally give him a point on the way he presents himself. Next she tested him on his loyalty. Telling him to pledge on his knee as soon as the summon is done, she will make accurate judgment from his reaction.

" On your knees, Servant Assassin. And pledge your eternal loyalty to me. "

There was no outburst of protest. No witty remarks. No looks of confusion. The servant she summoned just loyally bowed down to one of his knee and take her hand, making his pledge. He understands the necessity behind the order. Perfect. A good understanding companion suits her more than a wild uncontrollable beast.

"I, Assassin, hereby swear to serve you for as long as you hold your command spells. Or until one of us dies, either way."

"Good. You may stand up. Or if you prefer, have a seat on any one of those chairs"

She replied after the pledge before drawing her hands from his. Now that's all said and done, fatigue and pain finally washed over to her, causing her body to slump as her adrenaline left her. She make her way to the couch which was carelessly pushed over to make way for the summoning circle. Plopping down, she readjusted her position so that her eyes are trained at him.

"Now then. I'm sure both of us have many question. We'll start with yours."

One thing she notices that her newfound servant speaks the same language as her, which she was thankful for an otherwise a large language barrier to overcome. She was also interested in knowing just how much he knows about the current world. But there's no hurry. All in good time.

[Ishikawa Goemon]

"Good. You may stand up. Or if you prefer, have a seat on any one of those chairs"

She said, drawing her hands away from him. Standing to his feet once again, he watched his master drag herself over to some furniture she had in the corner of the room...It was a couch. Huh. Couch? The Grail was providing him with all sorts of information. 'Your are in a war over a magical cup that grants you wishes' 'You are a servant in service to the one who summoned you' 'She is your master and source of existence in this world' 'That's a couch'. Nice to see the Grail had it's priorities straight.

He casual walked over towards the chair nearest to his master, calmly sitting himself down in the and kicking his feet up into an empty chair just in front of him. He lazily crossed his arms, lazily twirling a knife around his hand's fingertips. It didn't take a genius to realize she had just shoved everything aside to make room for his circle. Or to see that she was utterly spent. The funny voices in his head were telling him just how much energy it took to summon him into existence and he had to fight back his urge to cringe. Sure, the grail paid for nearly all of it, but that last tiny percent would be enough to knock weaker individuals out.

And after realizing this, he felt the sudden urge to congratulate his master on being strong enough to no be collapsed face first on the floor. Hmm. On second thought, maybe it was due to him being an assassin, the weakest of all, more then her actually abilities?...No, he could tell by her body language she was experienced. That wasn't the case. All servants were painful to summon, regardless of class. His master. His master was just that damn good.

He glanced over at her and locked eyes with his silver-haired master. "Now then. I'm sure both of us have many question. We'll start with yours." Q&A time eh? Works for him.

"Time. Date. Current location." He paused, briefly poking his brain for what he wanted to know. He broke eye contact to have a look out the window. They were in a city, of course. But which? And where?"...May I have a map of the city? I would like to scan over it."

He turned his glaze back to her."I would also like to know what experience you have combat wise master." Just because he could tell she wasn't the...average joe? Damn Grail and it's priorities. Teach him something useful. That didn't mean she was a hardcore combatant with years of experience. Well, even if she did tell him she was he'd have to see her in action before Goemon would honestly believe his master.

"and if you are familiar enough with the modern day worlds weapons, would you mind teaching me?" He was a master killer, after all. Even the dullest of blades could kill something as squishy as these people, if used correctly.

"...Finally, master. May I know your name?" Really should have been asked first, but eh, he'd know it eventually. He also wanted to know her sizes, but he figured it was too inappropriate to ask.

[Genessa Satellizer]

"Time. Date. Current location."

For a moment her servant breaks their eye contact and look outside the window. Of course, it's still dark out there and she's not foolish enough to summon without pulling the curtains over the windows. Confident she might be in pulling off the spiritual evocation, it would not do if she get interrupted or seen by the norms. Although there was a part of the window not covered by the curtain but that's the reason a cleverly concealed mousetrap was laid on the floor where one would stand.

" It's 6 minutes past two. The date is 31st January 2027. We're in the Holy Church Backyard, Italy. Ponte a Moriano to be exact."

"...May I have a map of the city? I would like to scan over it."

"The map is on the table. You can have a look at it later. Of course, you'll be scouting the terrain yourself to familiarise. "

And sure enough, upon the table lay various map of the city with various quick sticky yellow notes on it. The leylines, noteworthy activities which happen in the last couple of days and also translation of Italian words to English for some places, a tell sign that she's meticulous. Of course, she only bother to do this because it's not her home. She does not know how fast the Italian cops work but she's sure they should not be any better than the New Scotland Yard.

"I would also like to know what experience you have combat wise master."

Combat experience? Well she's no deadweight for sure. But trying to impress her servant at this point is useless. No matter how splendid her magecraft is, she would not be able to defeat any servant by herself.

"Suffice to say, I got into a couple of fights. So I can pretty much hold my own."

A couple is an understatement. CCB held mock duel among it's members as regular as monthly if nothing big is happening. That, plus her own experience in various part of the world should put her as good as the SAS at least.

"and if you are familiar enough with the modern day worlds weapons, would you mind teaching me?"

Excellent. It might take a human several months to fully master a weapon, but the time should be reduced rapidly when it comes to servants. She's no expert, but she had a few accomplice in the past whose major field in that area. Basically she knows how to operate it but her field experience is lacking. Most of her knowledge can be made up straight from the book.

"Fine with me. My house no armory so for now, pleasure yourself with my USP later."

The gun of German origin she had bought for "self-defense" on site she's actually going to use in tandem with her knives. That's why she bother with getting a license for it, at least she has something to defend herself against...let say a bank robbery in broad daylight? It'll be pathetic to get murdered like some side characters in a bank robbery due to forbidden usage of magic in daylight.

"...Finally, master. May I know your name?"

" Claire Farron but that's not my real name. It'll be troublesome if someone run my background check using my real name. Prove your combat ability in the battlefield and I'll grace you with my true name."

She replied, as she stretched in her couch. Is that all? Her servants didn't ask her for anything after that so time to change the court and play the server.

"I know who you are from the legend Assassin. But I want to see how accurate it is. So tell me about yourself. Namely Habits, like, dislike, hobbies, phobia, modus operandi and of course, your wish for the holy grail."

She finished her inquiries with a tiny smirk.

[Ishikawa Goemon]

"It's 6 minutes past two. The date is 31st January 2027. We're in the Holy Church Backyard, Italy. Ponte a Moriano to be exact." She replied, following up with the answer to his next question. "The map is on the table. You can have a look at it later. Of course, you'll be scouting the terrain yourself to familiarize. "

Gladly, there was only so much you could aquire from maps after all. If one wanted to get a firm grasp of the terrain they would traverse it would have to be by looking at it with they're own two eyes. He felt excitement over the thought of getting to stretch his legs on a good run around the city, but it was a brief rush that he soon quelled in favor of keeping his mind focused at the task at hand.

"Suffice to say, I got into a couple of fights. So I can pretty much hold my own."

So she says, and so her word will be tested against the horrors that would come to be in this war. It would be battle fought to the tooth and nail in hopes of acquiring the sought after wish granter. The holy device that could grant any wish the user so desired. Or so he was lead to believe, at least. 'The grail is a magical cup that was created by a family of loli's. It grants wishes. Because it's magical' Yes, thank you grail. We have established this already. But what was a loli? He would have to ask his master about this later.

"Fine with me. My house no armory so for now, pleasure yourself with my USP later."

Excellent. He would be able to acquire knowledge on this worlds weaponry. Hopefully. That answer wasn't very specific. And what was a USP? He should ask for a specific definition of the device and a list of what weapons she did have under her possession. It'd let him get a grasp of what he could rely on in the future, after all.

" Claire Farron but that's not my real name. It'll be troublesome if someone run my background check using my real name. Prove your combat ability in the battlefield and I'll grace you with my true name." She then stretched herself out and assumed a more comfortable position on her couch

"Pffff, whatever." He said, idoly playing with the knife in his hands and half-heartedly staring at 'Claire'. At least the girl was smart enough to crop up a fake identity.

While Goemon wasn't likely to ask any more questions at this point, his master had decided to move on. "I know who you are from the legend Assassin. But I want to see how accurate it is. So tell me about yourself. Namely Habits, like, dislike, hobbies, phobia, modus operandi and of course, your wish for the holy grail."

Goemon couldn’t help himself, he grinned "Well master, I'm not a very complicated man. Oh no, I lived a humble life back in my day and it has shaped me into the man you see before you. My habits include killing anyone that I consider an obstacle. My likes include killing anyone that gets in my way. My dislikes is not killing people swiftly and getting blood on my clothing. My wife always scolded me whenever I came home with large splatters of blood on my clothes. It was just more work for her, after all!"

“My hobbies include stabbing men in the face. I also enjoy long walks along the beach. My phobias…well, if you know anything about my legend like you claim you do, you could probably guess them.” No use in speaking about them so openly. Not when the walls could be listening. "And my Modus opernadi? I’ve never heard o-“ ‘It means how you operate, dumbass’ “…Anything that guarantees victory master. Poison, traps, gases, hostages, ogre piss…don’t ask about that last one.” Goemon looked down as if in shame. There were just something’s that even a master of death didn’t want to talk about.

“Finally, you want to know my wish?” Goemon raised his head. “My wish is to be free. For me to have a second chance to live my life the way I want to. No lord. No master. No status as a servant. I just want to life my life without having to follow another’s decisions. That is all I want, master.” It was probably the only answer he took seriously, really.

[Genessa Satellizer]

Her new servant grinned at her question before he start talking rather animatedly quite unlike the first impression he gave when he was summoned. As she listened to his story, her eyes glanced to her clock. Good. There's still enough time for her to sleep until sunrise. Hormone works better when you sleep in the dark than light but let's not delve into biology lesson now.

"Well master, I'm not a very complicated man. Oh no, I lived a humble life back in my day and it has shaped me into the man you see before you. My habits include killing anyone that I consider an obstacle. My likes include killing anyone that gets in my way. My dislikes is not killing people swiftly and getting blood on my clothing. My wife always scolded me whenever I came home with large splatters of blood on my clothes. It was just more work for her, after all!"

So basically the servant she just summon is a killing machine. He killed enough that he can talk casually like that and he certainly not the type to hesitate. How many piles of corpse had this legendary figure build? To the Master of death, all lives are expendable.But don't take it personally. It's just business. No pain without gain. Not guts, no glory. No Assie without Genny.

“My hobbies include stabbing men in the face. I also enjoy long walks along the beach. My phobias…well, if you know anything about my legend like you claim you do, you could probably guess them.And my Modus opernadi? I’ve never heard o-…Anything that guarantees victory master. Poison, traps, gases, hostages, ogre piss…don’t ask about that last one.”

So it's just like she expected. This will be a tough one especially if one knows his identity very early in the war. She'll have to revise some part of her strategies to ensure a clean victory. But what's an ogre piss? The female magi cannot help but wonder about it. It's a subject that even the Death master prefer not to talk about, so she assume he had bad experience with this....ogre piss. Maybe she should ask him after her sleep.

“Finally, you want to know my wish? My wish is to be free. For me to have a second chance to live my life the way I want to. No lord. No master. No status as a servant. I just want to life my life without having to follow another’s decisions. That is all I want, master.”

She couldn't help but give a light-hearted chuckle at that. He really is a simple man. And if that's all he wanted from the grail, that should be easy. Why she could even do that now, using up all three command seals on her arm. But she still need him. For her own wish.

"If you want freedom be prepared to exhaust every ounce of your muscles. Your going to work double time moving those buttocks or choose to drop dead, rolling in the mud. Do I make myself clear? "

She yawn slightly after saying. Man, she must be exhausted. She definitely need a little bit of shuteye. Hopefully her servant going to behave himself and not try to do anything funny while she sleep.

"Well since you tell your wish, might as well tell mine. There's a girl I want to court. Due to some circumstances on her part, she's not available. Still, the opportunity door haven't close yet. I vowed to her and nothing shall stand in my way to my beloved. And your going to help me whether you like it or not." she replied with conviction. Armed with steel resolution she's going to brave the odds. Fight and Win. Loss is untolerale.

"Now if your hungry help yourself on the fridge in the kitchen but try not to make a mess. So leave me alone and let me catch some z's." she said before closing her eyes. She's too tired to move to her bedroom. Besides... this couch is comfy. Zzzz~

[Ishikawa Goemon]

He finished answering his master's questions and finally stopped spinning the dagger in his hand. Goemon was bored of it now. He slid it back into it's hoister, not having any other use for the weapon at the moment. His master, who had been listening intently to his replies, let out a small chuckle.

"If you want freedom be prepared to exhaust every ounce of your muscles. Your going to work double time moving those buttocks or choose to drop dead, rolling in the mud. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal." Did she even need to ask him? Seriously, Goemon could handle whatever she had planned. He was a master of espinoge and death, after all. Why would she even think he wasn't willing to push himself? He was fighting for his own dream, after all. And his body was totally ready for it.. She yawned, her exhaustion apparent. Frankly, he was surpised she was able to keep herself concious for this long.

"Well since you tell your wish, might as well tell mine. There's a girl I want to court. Due to some circumstances on her part, she's not available. Still, the opportunity door haven't close yet. I vowed to her and nothing shall stand in my way to my beloved. And your going to help me whether you like it or not."

"Sure, sure. We'll work together to make our wishes come true master. Just try not to get in my way too often." Not like he couldn't make her wish a reality, it was only fair if she was going to help him accomplish his.

"Now if your hungry help yourself on the fridge in the kitchen but try not to make a mess. So leave me alone and let me catch some z's." And within moments, she was out like a light. The light snoring more then confirmed it for Goemon. Said ninja didn't really have anything to do, really. Sure, she told him he could get something to eat but what exactly was a fridge?
.....
....
...
...It's usually around here that the grail voices in his head give him the information. Nothing. huh. Maybe he'd be lucky and it would shut up permanetly? Shaking his head, he stood up from his seat and had another look around the room. Couldn't find it. Damn. That meant he'd have to scrounge around the house for one. 'check the closet. It's by the apartments door.' Oh, your back now? What are you up to? Goemon made his way across the tossed aside furnature and over to the closet near the appartments entrance. Opening the door, he found what he was looking for. A blanket.

Grabbing it, he quietly closed the door and flicked off the lights on his way back to where he had been sitting previously. Passing by his seat, Goemon opened up the blanket as he made his way towards his master. Naturally, one could put two and two together to figure out what he did with it. he strangled her with it and tossed her corpse into a lake

For all the death and destruction he caused, Goemon wasn't an utter monster all the time. Sure, he'd be perfectly willing to stab an old lady in the face or slap some explosives on a kid and send him to give his parents a big hug but that was only when he gained from it. No pleasure in killing, after all. Just business. So whenever he wasn't takin business or on mission, there was a sort of..friendlyness that emerged. He was kind whenever the situation allowed him to be. Though rare would that ever be the case.

"May your rest renew your mind, and your will to kill once more." He whispered, placing the blanket over her. No, wait, that wasn't right. He shouldn't be repeating what his father told him. Instead, he should say what he told his son. "Sweet dreams, Claire. May you always sleep soundly with me watching over you~." 'Caaannn you feel, the love tooniiggghhhtt~.' God damn it grail, you planned for this didn't you? Goemon released the blanket and walked back to his seat, plopping himself down in it. He returned to his former position, legs proped up and dagger spinning in his hand. He had nothing better to do then wait for his master to wake up, after all.