Holy war

Itori didn't often visit other towns. When she wanted to be a part of civilization she tended to stick to Ace of Spades, when she wanted to get out she chose some spot where there weren't too many living so she could explore the world at her leisure and speak with the spirits without being interrupted or get looked at strangely.

However it looked like she was going to be in Magnolia Town real soon for a pretty simple reason: she had seen an omen which told her to go here. Walking through the streets of Ace of Spades she had passed by a construction site only for someone to drop one of the tiles they were sticking to the external wall. Itori was pretty sure it was meant to be a bathhouse or something when it was done. Regardless, looking down she saw that the tile had broken into pieces, and that those pieces had formed a vortex split in two. An event where all the focus would be in one place, and something which would either be a division or a distortion. As behind her the man who'd dropped the tile was getting chewed out by another worker Itori looked up and saw two birds flying overhead, heading towards Magnolia Town.

A focused event with a distortion or divide, where humans would be involved and in the direction of Magnolia Town. And Itori wouldn't be alone. Part of her wanted to immediately head to Magnolia Town and figure out what was going on, but she knew patience. You didn't live for a long time without realizing that there was a proper order for things. Two birds travelling together meant Itori would join up with her companion here before heading in that direction. She could ask if anyone had heard anything coming from that part of Fiore, but other than that she'd have to settle down and wait to see what would happen next.

Fate was a curious thing. It wasn't as easy to defy as many stories would like you to believe: if something was predestined then any action you took would lead towards it, even if you did exactly what you thought shouldn't let that happen. Fate wasn't the type to simply let people walk free. However it was pretty malleable: certain events were set in stone, but the path to those events could be very flexible. Itori found that if she did what she was supposed to do rather than being obnoxious for the sake of exercising her free will things tended to go smoother, and it was easier to steer things in a more positive direction.

So no heading for Magnolia Town on her own. She'd go back to her kitchen and prepare a big feast. She didn't know when her companion would arrive, but she didn't think it would take very long. Once they departed there was no guarantee there would be another feast available in Magnolia Town, so she'd better stock up in Ace of Spades so she could keep going for a long time before needing to feast again.

Which was why she was in her kitchen eating enough to feed a dozen people when she felt someone approach. Sensing both magic and souls acutely she could tell that her guild master was heading her way with a decisive step, and that he wasn't bothering to mask his approach either. Probably wanted to give her time to prepare, since she was pretty sure he was aware of her sharp sensory abilities. Accepting the unspoken politeness Itori finished the part of her feast she was working on at that moment, then cleaned up as best as she could before Kite walked through the door. Once he did Itori turned around and bowed towards him, showing proper respect to the man in charge of the guild she had been a part of for the last couple of years.

"Good fortune to you master. While I was enjoying a meal you are not interrupting as I was awaiting your arrival." She answered with her gentle voice, soft but lingering in the head and reminding those who heard it of calm and happy times."I received an omen that I would be busy quite soon, so I made sure not to plan anything in the near future that I could not afford to abandon if need be." When Kite offered her the flyer containing details of the job Itori took it, scanning it with her vermilion eyes. Her eyebrows lowered as she read what was going on, but her face remained largely calm as she finished reading and offered the flyer back. "The rift does not lead to a spiritual realm or I would have felt it even from here. However that still leaves many possibilities open, and if those that step through fail to return after the most likely possibilities are the more dangerous."

She looked troubled, but then her features smoothened out as she nodded. "I shall accompany you if you ask this of me master. The omen suggested strongly that I would travel together with another person, and this task does look like one where two can accomplish more than one."

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Total Wordcount: 867/5.000

Itori smiled as her guild master complimented her cooking. Food and the preparation of food was one of her passions, and she was always happy when someone voiced their approval of her skill and taste. While she was already quite happy when she could indulge herself it was even better when she could share the bounty with others. "I will remember to notify you the next time I plan to prepare a large feast master. I would be happy to share my meal, although I would have to make sure to prepare additional dishes to ensure each of us has sufficient to sate us." Of course with Itori sufficient usually came down to 'as much as she was allowed to eat'. She wasn't sure just how much Kite ate on a regular basis, but he looked like the type to have a large appetite (although unlike herself still within biological limits).

Noticing Kite's confusion at her explanation that she'd been expecting him the kitsune bowed once more. "Considering the difference between my kind and humans it is not surprising that it would slip your mind, especially since I have been neglecting my duty to maintain active relations with the rest of the guild."

When the topic of her manner of address came up Itori suppressed a sigh. She was aware that her guild master wasn't too happy about being addressed too formally, but she found such matters important. He was the master of the guild and she was a relatively low-ranking member. To treat him as an equal would be disrespectful and improper. "My apologies master, but respect must be shown to the leader of the clan or an organization of similar nature." She could oblige his desire to be called by his name if she ever managed to climb the rangs both in rank and power, but a low ranking subordinate shouldn't be too casual with the leader. Even if the interaction between the subordinate and the leader wasn't harmed by it there could be discontent in the rest of the organization.

Moving onto the next topic she quickly shook her head. "I am prepared to depart immediately. I made sure I was ready for departure before I began to prepare the meal while waiting." That said she quickly followed Kite, er footsteps silent as she moved through the hallways like a ghost. Once she was welcomed aboard she entered the airship, her vermilion eyes exploring the insides before she moved to join Kite in the cockpit. She wasn't familiar with such technology so this was definitely catching her interest, but she didn't want to have to enter a shouting contest to have a conversation with Kite as he piloted the ship. When he asked her what she thought it was the kitsune hummed for a moment, considering the situation and the potential answer.

"Given that it is neither spiritual nor demonic it is most likely a physical realm, given that most other supernatural planes would be easily recognized." Any portal to a divine realm was going to be glowing with holy energy, after all. "That said... any guesses I make are hindered by the fact that this is most likely a portal created with purpose. If it was an accidental rift between this world and another there would be record of something coming out from the other site, and there would not be a perfect record of everyone who enters failing to return. So it could be a portal to supernatural plane but altered to hide its origins."

She frowned as she continued her train of thought, vulpine eyes staring into the distance almost lost in thought while her tails slowly swayed from side to side behind her. "It could be that the rift only exists on this side, and that the reason that those who enter cannot find their way back is because once one steps through that rift they are deposited in a random location on the other side with no sign of the rift. The other answer is that there is something on the other side preventing anything from stepping through. If that is the case it is highly likely that it is a pocket dimension of sorts, used to gather living materials for one purpose or another." Which almost certainly made it evil. "I cannot say that I am the most knowledgeable about these matters given my focus on spiritual matters, but it would be prudent to assume that there is something on the other side which would attempt to dictate our movements or inflict harm upon us, so we should be careful while stepping through. Our weakest moment would be just after we entered, given that we would need time to assess the situation which could delay our response to hostilities."

She was aware that her response wasn't really sufficient, but she wasn't lying when she said that any guesses on her side were hindered by the almost certain purposeful creation of the rift. If it was created on purpose there could be a lot of different motivations and lots of different tricks, so trying to guess would not only be futile without more information but could even be dangerous, as the wrong expectations could lead to one walking straight into the trap. The best she could say was that they should be careful.

While Kite piloted the ship Itori closed her eyes and sat down, pulling her sword from it scabbard to polish it and make sure it was in perfect condition. Somewhat oddly enough she did all of this without opening her eyes, humming softly as she went over the white blade with her ears occasionally twitching.

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Itori inclined her head to accept the praise from the guild master. "I apologize for not being able to identify the nature of the rift beyond that it is most likely dangerous. Caution would be our best ally in these circumstances." She was hoping that once they arrived at the scene there'd be a lot more information, because the way things stood the rift could just as easily be a death trap. In which case Itori would have to try and deal with it. She was better suited for death-related issues than most after all...

When they arrived at Magnolia Town and debarked Itori hastened over to the rift which was hovering ominously outside of the town. It looked like quite the stable rift, something which was supposed to last a while. The kitsune frowned as she closed her eyes and listened, trying to figure something out from sound instead of sight. "I can sense powerful souls on the other side of the rift. It is a very faint sensation though... However it does not sound like stepping through the rift is in itself deadly." It was difficult to explain in words what she heard with her ears. Strength resulted in very steadfast sounds, and the portal lacked the sharp sounds of discord which indicated the damaging of whatever were to step through.

When Kite offered to either go first or together Itori shook her head, the vulpine woman opening her eyes and stepping forward until she was standing in front of the rift. "With all due respect master I believe it would be more prudent if I were to enter first. While you are undoubtedly more powerful than I, I would estimate my abilities to be more suitable for escaping a trap should there be one waiting on the other side. Furthermore if I am incorrect and this rift does kill those who step through I would definitely be better suited for testing it, as I can survive the destruction of my body." That last part she didn't admit to under normal circumstances since it was a rather dangerous secret, but there was nobody else around and it was important in this scenario. "So unless you have objections I shall be going first master."

Once she had received permission from Kite Itori would turn back towards the rift, reaching out with one hand to carefully touch it. Once she touched the rippling and warping surface of the dimensional rift she could feel it quickly pulling her in. The foxgirl steadied her footing to resist the pull, frowning before she stepped into the rift entirely and let it swallow her, her tails the last thing Kite would see before those also disappeared into the twisted energies that formed and sustained the rift.

Once on the other side Itori's first sensation was that she wasn't directly placed in another world. Instead she was drifting in a space filled with the precence of countless people, all of them distinct and noteworthy. She could feel the boundless energies that saturated this plane swirling around her, interacting with her body and soul. She grabbed her sword and scabbard defensively but couldn't immediately figure out how to react, especially since there wasn't even any ground or scenery. She could only float there as she could feel something constricting around her being, making it harder to breathe as the pressure increased... until finally whatever process was going on finished and Itori found herself standing in the streets of a city ravaged by war. The smell of smoke and fire filled the air and her nostrils and she could hear the sound of combat and hungry fire all around. The sky was dark and while the street that Itori herself was standing in was abandoned it was littered with the results of whatever disaster had struck it. More than one corpse could be seen from where she was standing along with the numerous shards from shattered windows and mounds of rubble made of stone and wood.

Looking back and up Itori could quickly deduct that her estimation that there was no real rift on this side was correct. Whatever path had led her here was nowhere to be found, which meant that unless she wanted to spend a long time in here she'd have to figure out what was going on.

At least the good news was that the rift wasn't immediately dangerous... although she still felt like during the trip from her own world to this one something had been joined to her being. Being a spiritual creature she could feel that she had picked up some baggage on the way through.

---

On the other side of the rift Kite would feel the tear in space begin to pull at him, space itself drawing him in as if gravity was shifted to make him fall straight into the hole in the world. The process which had begun with Itori entering wasn't going to stop until it had finishesd, and to be finished it needed a second mage to step through. After all Itori could only fill one role, and whatever created this rift required two roles to be played out.

Itori has become the Servant, class Saber. +75% physical damage, can't use spells.

WC: 877
Total Wordcount: 2691/5.000

As she waited for Kite to arrive Itori felt the world around her... adapt to her presence? In a way it felt as if she was becoming more solidly a part of this world, and that sensation was accompanied with a stronger sense of awareness of where she was and what was going on. A world where wizards summoned heroes of legend to fight for them, all for the sake of an artefact said to be able to fulfil any promise... And the only way to win was to eliminate all the other contenders. Itori frowned as she tightened her hold on the hilt of her sword. She had the suspicion this wasn't going to be a pleasant experience.

When Kite arrived Itori quickly checked for signs of distress or ailments. The results were puzzling. She could sense that physically and mentally Kite wasn't doing too badly... but she could also feel that his magical presence had been subdued by something. Was he hiding it on purpose? It was hard to tell. For now though there weren't any hostiles nearby so she didn't need to act with haste just yet. Although given the fact that they were in the middle of a city which had been ravaged by war and combat she didn't think the peace and quiet would last for very long.

"That does appear to be the case master. Admittedly when I stepped into the rift I did not expect to encounter something such as this. It gives me the idea that this entire world has been set up for a specific task, and one with unpleasant conditions." Such as killing one another for a wish-granting goblet. Itori shook her head, her tails also swaying behind her. "However for now there appears to be no way back to our world but to play along with the play that we have been cast into. As the servant it will be my task to do most of the combat master, so I will be relying on your guidance." She bowed, her sword still at her side. "Unfortunately the magic that has bound us and granted us knowledge of the situation has also put a strong restriction on my magic. I might be able to create an explosive burst if needed, but I will not be able to cast any spell requiring finesse or delicacy. As such it seems I will be completing the task before us primarily with the aid of my sword."

When the guild master asked for her opinion on the next step the kitsune looked around, vermilion eyes once more taking in the scenery around them while at the same time her nose twitched and her ears swivelled to catch sounds from all directions.

"There are no opponents in our direct vicinity, but I doubt we will have much longer to talk before something or someone will arrive to interrupt us. We have obtained some information but not a lot, so I would suggest that we try to find one of our fellow competitors and gain firsthand experience on how this world works and how effective we might be at achieving our objective." One answer for why both hers and Kite's magic appeared to be limited was that this world simply didn't have a lot of magic. It wasn't a thought Itori was very happy with but it was realistic given the circumstances.

She closed her eyes briefly before reopening them and pointing to southeast. "In that direction there are other people. They are far enough away that I cannot immediately discern their nature or purpose. Do I have permission to investigate master?" In a situation like this information was very valuable. If they were to compete in (and win) this holy grail war they'd need to become more knowledgeable about the exact details. And hopefully find a way to avoid having to kill the others. Itori wasn't a foreigner to ending the life of another but she preferred to have a better reason than  "somebody thought up some kind of fancy murder-game and forced me to be part of it." It was sadistic, useless and made her feel used. She didn't care for any of those things.

WC: 701
Total Wordcount: 3392/5.000