intro ♚ april

[boardmaster]

WELCOME TO GRAUPERA

We’ve all had those dreams: you wake up on a table, to blurry, ominous images and the certainty that you are absolutely buck-naked in a room full of strangers. This is not quite it.

Instead, you come awake to the sun on your face. The soft burble of water nearby. The hustle and bustle of a busy street and the faint, fortifying smell of bread. You open your eyes and there’s no one there at your bedside, but there is what appears to be the end of the world happening just beyond your window.

There’s a crack in the world across the sky, the “sun” is the totally unnatural light spilling from that crack straight into your eyes, and someone’s left a neatly pressed and folded uniform at the foot of the bed that isn’t yours. Somewhere in the room, there’s a strange clatter like beads, the click of claws on the floor.

Something’s in here with you.

Also, you are naked.

ONE ♟ CAPABLANCA & AIRY

As much as Blanc’s capital welcomes its Heroes, new arrivals such as yourself won’t have much time to settle. Get dressed and pick up your weapon and Carrier, because sometime in the afternoon, all floor nannies and Carriers will broadcast an announcement by Commander Lisbrand. She delivers a brief greeting to their new members, but gets straight to the point: they will be headed for Capablanca and the open sea beyond, in order to restore the fortress of Graupera for battle with Noir looming on the horizon. All new Heroes are expected to report to the Airy at the Caissa aeroport on the 8th along with their seniors.

On the morning of the 11th, Airy alights on Graupera, an island about two hours away from Capablanca by ferry. From here, you can either help the navy with Graupera repairs or assist in Verdoni’s investigations and head for Capablanca proper. Heroes will be staying in the (in)famous Hotel Caruana: they say you can check in anytime you like, but you can never truly leave. Nobody will quite meet your eyes or tell you what it means.

Wherever you are, the Airy will remain parked at Graupera.

TWO ♟ GRAUPERA, CAPABLANCA SEA FORT

What was once a heavily fortified island rests a ways off the coast of Capablanca; it looks a little too much like one of the thunderclouds slowly swarming on the horizon. Graupera has seen many battles and withstood the ebb and flow of wars. Formerly the city’s first line of defense until it was abandoned after the Reclamation, its dilapidated condition is the current bane of the Blanc navy. Blanc needs to bring it back to its former glory before it can face a single warship, much less Noir’s fleet of magical cannons. Blanc’s government has no doubt Heroes will do a fine job at returning the fortress to its former glory!

A ♙ The great stone and iron wall facing the wide open ocean has seen better days and is full of holes overgrown with stubborn clinging vines; cannonballs used a lifetime ago litter the grounds. The vines are extremely thick and may tangle the careless beyond hope of escape, not to mention filled with a pungent sap that will seep into your clothes and hair for days. It makes a great adhesive, though? Conveniently, parts of the wall are strewn across the floor, so at least some of the cannon holes can be repaired with enough improvisation, desperation and a bit of spit. The rest need new material provided by our helpful Heroes in Option C. Furthermore, the lingering damage from a previous attack and old age have turned the floorboards weak and unstable. The wood creaks ominously beneath the mass of even a single average-sized person, so watch your step.

B ♟ You might want to get your weapon before you descend into the dank depths beneath the castle. Once you make it down the steep, slippery stairs, you’ll be meeting the gigantic, hostile rats that infest the castle cellar from top to bottom. It looks like magical residue from long-ago battles has seeped into both the foundation and its inhabitants. The cellars have become a huge warren filled with strange mana currents, and sometimes flooded with water. If you're going to start an extermination campaign, you may want to recall the magical residue: chopping off a rat’s head and limbs will barely slow it down. It will keep going for hours unless you either lop off all its limbs or pierce its heart.

If you manage to make it all the way up into the castle’s two intact towers (the other two are half-collapsed), the uppermost levels are utterly covered in bird crap. You’ll be encountering the kings of this castle: the unusually large, grey-feathered sea birds that have taken up residence here. Albatrosses, gulls, pelicans, even sand pipers: they all share nesting and pooping space here. The feathers of each bird seem to have taken on stone-like properties not unlike the castle’s walls. They’re extremely ferocious and protective of their nests, which are filled with all kinds of things: twigs, shiny things, coin money, Option C’s supplies, feathers of all kinds, and some completely ordinary tools that seem too small for human hands, and much older than anything else in the place save for the walls. If you look closely, you might be able to see a few baby rats scattered in amongst the eggs and the peeping chicks. They’re being fed, too.

You’re meant to be moving the birds out of the place, but you might have enough trouble just moving their offal.

C ♙ Don’t feel like dealing with pest control? No problem! Blanc will need materials for rebuilding and other supplies for the coming battle! Everyone knows how important it is for the fortress to remain standing, so Heroes will be provided with gadgets and weaponry that should make it difficult for enemies to penetrate the walls yet again. Word has spread that the Heroes are transporting valuable goods, though, so you might have to fend off the occasional hopeful man or annoying mouse (rat) who wishes to borrow much-needed material.

Of course, all this rebuilding will be for naught if you are not prepared to defend the stronghold! Ammunition such as cannonballs, bullets and arrows needs to be transported to Graupera en masse, pronto. Equally important essentials include first aid supplies and enough non-perishable food and water to last a small army (you) a month or two. You wouldn’t want to have to scavenge for rat meat.

No one knows just how long this battle is going to last.

THREE ♟ Training

It’s time for you landlubbers to learn how to swim! Commander Lisbrand won’t be tolerating any sinking stones on her task force. The upcoming battle will be fought on the sea so your instructor, one of Blanc’s many fine captains (when she isn’t intoxicated), will make every single individual who hesitates at the sight of the open ocean walk the plank. She’ll even give you a helpful kick if necessary! Once that’s over, she will show you how to steer a ship. However, wandering eyes that land anywhere on the inebriated captain’s assets will be swiftly and spectacularly dealt a large bottle of the harbor’s best swill right where it hurts.

Blanc has also provided training dummies dressed suspiciously like prominent figures of the Othellian underworld. Now might be a good time to branch out and learn about your affinities. Heroes who have recently been promoted in Rank might want to set some time aside for getting used to their new abilities, too. Power and responsibility come hand in hand, after all!

INFO ♟ Welcome!

Welcome to Crosscheck's April intro log! For any further questions, please see the FAQ or reach us at the Contact Us page. Have fun!

Comments

[armorial]

[ The golden chains are beautiful, even entrancing. However, she doesn't get to admire them for long. Actually, she shouldn't. There is still a battle--did he just grab her wrist?! She does not like his forceful grip on her. It actually makes her wince, but she can feel mana that she's missing replenish from the mere touch. It's what she needed.

She checks her chalice to see if it's full--and it is

not. ]

I need a couple of more seconds. [ While her voice is calm, she knows the chances of the bird breaking out is high. Even if her grail is filled within the next five seconds, that's enough to perish. Its erratic retaliation is also not helping her grail refill faster.

This is life. When he grail is filled, she throws the water into the air and channels her mana so that it forms a small barrier around them. Rather than it deteriorating quickly like their time in the cellars earlier, it stands strong. Unfortunately, Saber is finding it taxing to keep it up. Any blows landed on this barrier will be negated, but mana depletion is just as strong. ]

I am not sure how long it will hold. [ More like how long she will hold. ]

[babbylon]

You are the resplendent King of Knights, are you not? She who drew the sword from the stone, who rescued Britain from despair?

[There it is, on full display. A+ Charisma at its finest. He speaks, therefore it is truth, therefore...]

It will hold long enough.

[The chains chafe. Gilgamesh lets go of Saber to draw his bow, and not an arrow, but his longsword. He intends to use it in place of standard ammunition, nocking it a bit awkwardly. It's the first time he's tried this, and if it were his aim to look Cool in front of his would be wife he's not at all pulling it off, but for once he's not here for style points. He's here to win, and as he pulls the sword back, power begin to build in the bow.

The chains chafe, and then they break. The bird begins to peck, and claw, and tear at the barrier, breaking a little away each time. But Gilgamesh holds firm, standing beside his once and future enemy. He waits for his chance. He lets the weapons sync together, pulls his focus to a very fine point.

He's lost both Ea and the Gate itself here. This is no Noble Phantasm, no Enuma Elish, yet he channels all his energy into it. And at this range... a point blank shot... it could clinch the match. If he hits the heart, it's game over. But will the barrier last? Will Saber last?]

You will hold—

[Does he say it to Saber, to the bird, or to himself? It's impossible to tell.

Gilgamesh releases the shot, and the sword flies. It's up to fate now what unfolds next.]

[armorial]

[ mentally barfs... Extraneous titles and gloryhounding. Saber isn't comfortable with Gilgamesh talking about her, but there is a sense of pride. This is something she has to do!! She doesn't watch him, but instead focuses on the giant bird and keeping her barrier steady. It's chipping away, piece by piece, but they're still in its protection. It is only when Gilgamesh pulls his longsword against the bowstring where the foul starts trying to take flight, sensing danger.

She feels the distress--the anticipation. The barrier can only last a couple of seconds and it drops when the shot is fired. The bird, in its last possibly breath, tries to swoop in and kill them on the spot before the longsword lands. If anything, it fastens its death. She hears the sound of punctured flesh, looking up to see the bird flying with an unsteady pace. There's a large cry as blood basically falls onto their general area--and then it releases itself one last time... Specifically on our heroes. Saber quickly jumps back because she doesn't have enough mana left to cast another barrier. Also, she is not keen on walking back with slathers of that on her person.

EITHER WAY... it drops onto the floor bleeding out, squawking and violently writhing before it falls still. ]

It is done. [ She is pleased with results!! Without a doubt, she assumes Gilgamesh has also evaded the goop, so instead quickly makes way to the nest to fetch their supplies. She looks curiously at the money, unsure if they should leave it or take it. The little babies are crying at her and she feels bad about killing their mother(?) for second. However, there is no other way. ] Let us carry these supplies back.

[ She'll turn to finally check on bird slayer. Goldie. How is he holding? ]

[babbylon]

[It fell.

The stupid bird fell. The rear end of it did, atop him, and pretty much choked him over the course of several seconds until he stilled along with the bloody body. Surely he's alright, surely it took more than that to end the great King of Heroes... but... he's not moving and maybe it would reflect poorly on her as a budding young Pawn to let her senior expire on her watch. Maybe. Maybe she could just cover it up to look like an especially unfortunate accident.

Or maybe common sense will prevail and she'll leave him in the dust. And poop. Either way, the decision will be hers. He makes not a peep and his sword has since flown off to locales unknown. That's going to be such a pain in the ass to retrieve, along with scrubbing all that crap out of his clothes.]

[armorial]

Archer? [ Oh..............? She's a bit concerned. Not only did he get bird crap all over him, he's quiet! Which is strange. Usually this would be nothing for a servant, but she is well aware of their current predicament. She quietly approaches him, looking for any signs of life. As a king and a knight, she can't just leave her comrades, even one such as the King of Heroes, to rot with bird poop and corpse near him.

Once she makes it there, she's careful not to step on the wet puddle. Her hands quickly search her pockets and she pulls out a plain white handkerchief. ]

It is not much. [ She still offers it to him. It's better than nothing, she thinks. ]

[babbylon]

Mmph...

[Ah, he's alive. Unfortunately. However, upon closer examination, it's not the bird that appears to be the problem here. He wriggles out well enough, but he looks utterly exhausted for the effort. His eyes are dull and he appears even paler than usual, taxed beyond his limits. Something has happened to tire him out a great deal, something that may not have been explained to Saber yet but she would find out soon.

His gaze sluggishly trails to the handkerchief, which he does not take. Instead, he reaches up to curl fingers around her hand—without asking!—and to initiate a bit of what she felt earlier. Mana transfer, the truest means in which Heroes restored themselves. At first, even the thought of holding hands with Gilgamesh might prove revolting.

But after a few seconds, she will find she feels better, too. Much, much better, heartened and full of spirit and ready to face whatever comes next.]

[armorial]

[ That almost scared her what the fuck. She almost screamed "UNHAND ME", but holds those words back. It's... Gross. It feels gross for obvious reasons, but she lets it pass. Taking the handkerchief with her other hand, she tries to wipe the slime off of his hand as he holds onto hers. In a way, she feels she did so little, so this is the least she can do.

Once the transfer finishes, she does feel a lot better. Earlier during her bounce to the nest, she felt her joints were rather heavy... And her body just more tired than usual. She only casted a small barrier, but it tired her out so fast. It reminds her of the position she holds now and it isn't grand. Still, she feels that she's radiating despite how she just touched bird poop. Can mark that off bucket list now. She retracts her hand once they're done. With a fierce shake of her hand, excess goo falls off. ]

Are you feeling better? [ She doesn't... really care... But there's some pity. This is probably one of the lowest points for the King of Heroes, she imagines. A little lost. ]

Do you need assistance? [ If he's okay, she can focus on retrieving their supplies, etc. Also known as, More Important Things. ]

[babbylon]

[...oh, that's right. He was dirty. He doesn't really piece it together in the moment that it wasn't the most polite thing to do—typical Gilgamesh—but it was also necessary for the both of them. They still had to haul all those supplies back down, and that would require a degree of strength that at least one of them was lacking prior to the transfer.

Gilgamesh gets up of his volition now and picks at his poor ruined outfit. At least he had a seamstress on hand to sew it all back together, but for now he's just going to look like one big mess. Was he feeling better, then?]

As well as I could ever be.

[He doesn't really care about you either beyond a quick wed and bed, Saber, fancy that. But there's some gratitude as he eyes her more steadily.]

I do not suppose it was explained to you quite yet, the nature of our existence here. How quickly we tire, and how to remedy it.

[If she won't hear it, he won't bother. But in exchange for her assistance, he's willing to let certain secrets go.]

[armorial]

[ try to wed the dead, scrub. i thought so. She's... a bit dumbstruck by how he reacts. Is this the same man she knew? It's all so surreal to see him well-behaved. In filth. Things sure are strange here. ]

No, I haven't, but... [ Would it be embarrassing for her to admit that she's not used to having so little mana? She thinks of how to say this in the most perfect way. You know what? He doesn't need to know. She knows how she presents herself and it's easy to see that she is a driven woman. No fatigue will stop her--looking down to the ground then to her hand, she speaks. ] From what it looks like, we restore mana through physical contact.

[ She noticed it before in the cellars and once again here, the towers. It's really the only reason she has allowed the man to lay even a finger. Also, he's forceful and they were trying to kill stuff, so little need to throw a tantrum. There's a nod and looks at him. ]

Is that correct? [ It wasn't explained that well, if at all, when she wandered the town for her short time nor has she asked. ]

[babbylon]

But you are not accustomed to being so weak.

[He fills in everything she doesn't say with one swift, cutting statement. For once, it's not purposely intended to insult her or chop her down to size. It's just the truth. His brows furrow, and again he thinks it's pitiful that she who pulled the sword from the stone and led Britain to prosperity—shortly before she drowned it in despair—has been rendered no more than a cupbearer. A squire, scurrying about in hopes of avoiding notice or attack.

Gilgamesh makes himself useful as he talks and starts gathering up the supplies.]

We have been stripped of all our powers and abilities as Servants. We have been given human forms, which function as you might expect. We will feel heat and cold, we will weaken and require nourishment and sleep. Essentially, we have been rendered more as we were in life than we are in infamy.

[Less than that, even. Spirited and energetic thanks to that boost of mana, Gilgamesh casts a brief spell to levitate the packs rather than carry them by hand.]

We possess a very limited pool of mana here, indeed, restored by physicality. I will confess it to you, Saber, you must resign yourself to touch...

[A mischievous curl forms on his lips, unseen with his back turned.]

...or else die. You will not survive without the closeness of physical contact, frequent and sustained.

[armorial]

[ What he says deserves a grimace of sorts. It hurts her pride just a little more especially because it's true. There's nothing she can say about it other than accept it.

She's well aware of the stripped powers, but this is actually no different from the last Grail War, she thinks. Well, she had a lot more than now, but sleep and food were things she needed with an inadequate master. She'll take everything Gilgamesh says in silence, as if considering each part with utmost importance.

It's obvious to her that the words come with a smirk. It's the dumb tone and it makes an eyebrow twitch in irritation. ] Do not get too comfortable, Archer.

[ There's only so much touching she will allow. She folds her dirty handkerchief and stows it away. Picking up her grail that she left by the nest, she watches the supplies float in the air. Is this why Gilgamesh can be summoned as a Caster?? In a way, she's a bit envious that he has such affinity in magic.

Or whatever this is. It's convenient, but she doesn't comment on it. Instead, she picks a different topic. ]

Have you retrieved your sword? [ They shouldn't leave without it, she thinks... As if an afterthought, she looks over to the carcass over there. ]

[babbylon]

[Lightly teasing:]

Just Gilgamesh will do. Truth be told, I am not much of an Archer any longer.

[Despite the bow on his back they'd given him, which he was just learning how to use again. The class name carried a certain weight with it he could no longer carry, not with the seemingly permanent loss of his Gate. If anything, it reminded him of what he would never be again, and that stung more than she intended.

At her suggestion, he goes to fish his sword out of the now stilled corpse. As if reading her mind, he explains further.]

I am, as of now, at a higher "rank" than you. This affords me greater strength and more powerful spells.

[With a disgusting shlick, Gilgamesh draws the blade out of the bird's heart, then sheaths it back at his side.]

Befriend those ranked individuals, if you can. Not even the King of Knights can do all that much with just a goblet in her hands.

[armorial]

[ Is he lecturing her? She doesn't like how this is going, but she listens. Gilgamesh does have experience in this world, being that of a higher rank and also wielding two weapons along with an arsenal of spells. While she doesn't mind power gaps of any kind, the reminder is starting to annoy her. She doesn't say anything... Cause he's right. About everything. Her eyes follow him as she pulls his sword out of the fat bird.

It's a little hard for her to say his true name, he has always been Archer to her, but she respects his wishes. Though he asks of her such a thing, she doesn't consider being called anything aside from Saber. It kind of grew on her. She moves her chalice in her hand, making the water swerve inside it.

All she has is this goblet. ] I will heed your advice.

Let us head back... Gilgamesh. There is much to do. [ She did it!! She'll start their descent down the tower, leading first. In the front is where she always belongs. ]

[babbylon]

[Indeed it is. Since he's carrying the bulk of the cargo, it makes sense of him to tag along in back anyway. Maybe he would've raised more of a fuss earlier in his stay here and maybe at that point they'd be halfway to killing each other by over their differences and their disagreements, but he's since found companions and, absent of any means to do any real wrongdoing, has thus found a sense of peace. Gilgamesh could act questionably, but never blindly, without due cause.

However, it is in fact so jarring a contrast between what he expected might happen and what's actually happening right now that he feels the need to comment. Because if nothing else, that enormously obnoxious mouth of his hasn't changed one bit.]

You are more amenable than anticipated.

[Translation: you haven't spat on me, glared at me, or so much as tried to kill me, what gives?]]

[armorial]

[ There's a stop in her pace. She stays on one step of the staircase for maybe a two seconds, thinking over what he said. Jokes, there has been glares all over, just not as strong as before. Either way, there's a pretty fierce look. Luckily, she's facing ahead. ]

I'm not savage; we are fellow Heroes. [ Yes, she's slightly offended. She starts walking again when she has pieces together her scattered thoughts on this matter. All of this definitely feels unfamiliar and it makes her stomach twist at times. Gilgamesh's presence and attention are still creepy and generally unwanted. Here comes the rhetorical, passive-aggressive question: ] Is it that surprising?

[ She personally thinks it's just the man being weird (compliant, really) that's making her act the same. With obvious concerns and disdain, but she's one to compromise if it's necessary. If anything, she learned that Gilgamesh is rather ridiculous. There's some still silence as she takes several more steps down the spiral. ]

I wasn't prepared.

[babbylon]

Yes, actually.

[Step, step, step. Indeed, everything's a bit off. He's a little too calm. She's a little too accepting. This was a little too... pleasant, almost, with the concern she's shown to him thus far, if only begrudging, and how he's somehow refrained from marriage proposals up until this point. Maybe the magic of this world worked even greater wonders than they thought. Maybe it had, however subtly, encouraged them to work past their disagreements towards a common goal.

Or maybe it came down to one single, sharp difference.]

The last I remember of our world... you were about to make claim of my head, or else try, before the stage of the Grail.

[And there it is. Gilgamesh has figured it out first: they absolutely could not have been from the same time.]

[armorial]

[ It hasn't occurred to her yet that these realms may play the same weird spin-off time anomaly shit that plagues their own. "How naive of me," she thinks to herself. Unlike before where she took a pause to reply to him, she continues down the stairs with her tiny steps. Her grip on her chalice tightens with ever second. Luckily, it doesn't snap or anything. ]

I see. [ What is she supposed to say? Gilgamesh made quite a mess during the war she remembers last. She's not fond of the Golden King. He's still ever grating, but she does know that the two, the one here and the one home, had different aims. It explains a lot of things, yet at the same time brings about more questions. To be honest, she has never thought about Gilgamesh this much in her life before. Well, it's more about what possible consequences may come with ~knowledge~.

How much should she disclose? She's not sure yet. Looking down at her golden cup, it's as if she's looking for answers in the water. ]

Then we are of different times. [ There's so many things that can set off a horrible reaction, so this shall suffice. She has to think this topic over. They finally reach the bottom of the tower. Their rat and bird escapade is coming to an end. ] Perhaps we can talk about this in the future... Once the fort is completely restored and the upcoming battle is won.

[babbylon]

[Different times, different goals, different ambitions. Before Gilgamesh fell into the Grail, and shrugged off All the Evils of the World; before he spent so many miserable years beside Kirei, hating humanity more with each passing day; before he came to hate it so much, he drank from his own potion of youth to forget everything. Before he came to realize that the world he was so charged to look after needed to be purged entirely of human sin.

Before everything that would come to drive them against one another in that doomed future. Gilgamesh does not know of it, could not even foresee it now. He only remembers wishing for their wedding, more than anything else, to drown her in sorrow and suffering so that he might witness the beauty of her tragedy firsthand...

But all that melodrama seemed very far away from bird poop and rat extermination. And losing everything tended to force a change of perspective, for good or for ill.]

I will take the rest of the supplies back, and see that you are properly compensated for your efforts.

[Fair was fair. Even as a weak Pawn, he couldn't have done it without her.]

Until that time, may fortune favor us both.

[A peaceful farewell? Or almost something like it. Gilgamesh, being the melodramatic clod he is, jumps the rest of the way down, straight off the edge. ...he's fine, really.]