Sanctum
Jan 23, 2016 21:42:42 GMT -5
Post by Mass-produced Junk on Jan 23, 2016 21:42:42 GMT -5
Alexis Conzette and Saber VS Keiji Oshiro and Assassin
Monday. 9:32 AM.
For thirty short minutes the young master and her servant rode across the city. While Saber was mainly focused on forming an image of the place's intricacies for later strategic use, Alexis was genuinely enjoying getting some fresh air. The night was relatively young and she was well rested, so she would still have plenty of energy for the impending battle to be set in a few hours' time.
The two had reached a bustling commercial district packed to the brim with neon lights with tourist attractions of all kinds. Normally Alexis hadn't much interest in such a place, due to her upbringing in the prestigious Conzette household, but the great family ambition was seemingly lost on her, if only for a short while, so her thoughts drifted to a simpler life, one of a normal girl on a late-night ride with a close friend.
The generations past since the dawn of the first Sanctum War were many, and just as plentiful were the years of the Oshiro family. Now, the labors of countless powerful eastern mages was accumulated in a singular individual, the head of the Oshiro family- Keiji, the "Faceless Philosopher", as the outside community knew him as. On this very night he now stood proud, scrutinizing a weapon of master craftsmanship. Among his ranks were Hiroto, his old butler... Zen, the lesser mage and one forced into submission... and the philosopher's very own servant, Assassin, alternatively named "The Soothesayer". However, in Keiji's own eyes, he could forsake every last one of them and still be able to decimate the competition with the use of a weapon of his own creation. He now felt nothing but unadulterated pride in his work, and was fully ready to put it to a real test.
The area he was currently in was not far from the mages' lounge in which he summoned Assassin. This place was used in the past as a complex arena in which for mages to battle. The complex, bearing resemblance to a run down power plant, had seen many battles relating to the Sanctum War, and a personal favorite meeting point for the Oshiro family in past years. Soon, it would be stained with blood.
The philosopher lifted his golden weapon up high and released numerous short bursts of pure power across the entire city. These were harmless, but easily detected by any given mage- a beacon, messaging all surrounding mages that he was ready to fight, and a challenge for anyone who dared to approach. The bursts continued for a few seconds in a repeating pattern, then Keiji lowered the rod and signaled to the Soothesayer, who promptly began to blow his pipe in a magnificent, horrifying song...
As midnight approached, the likelihood of a challenge increased with every passing minute. Alexis and Saber were now gone from the busy district, and circulated the outskirts of the city. Alexis soon found it harder to relax as time pressed on, and soon what little confidence she had was replaced with tension. Suddenly, a blast of magical force illuminated the sky briefly. Invisible to normal mortals, but both she and her servant had felt it- a direct challenge.
"Are you ready, Master?" Saber turned around briefly.
She rested her hand on the anthology. "Definitely. Take us to the source of that beacon!" With that command, the two sped off.
Tracking the source of the message lead them to a side road, at the end of which was an old, abandoned power plant. The front gates were wide open, and rusted over. Once within the complex, Saber dismounted, followed by Alexis. The moon was brighter here than anywhere else, possibly amplified through the natural process of magical residue's effects on the light spectrum, so this on its own provided enough illumination to force the structures to cast long, eerie shadows. Within these shadows, faintly glowing eyes could be seen. A bulky rat emerged from a nearby trash bin, and Alexis was taken aback. A revolting purple mucus dropped from the rodent's mouth- plague. Saber summoned his sword and thrust it to the ground, then he crouched down and began to pray.
"I beseech thou, holy Virgin Mary, bearer of the lord's own flesh- I humbly request your blessing."
While he performed this simple request, the air accelerated into a brisk wind circumventing his sword. This continued for a few seconds, then the wind faded and, in a flash, a beautiful blue raiment appeared, d****d against the blade's hilt. Saber stood up and retrieved it, then carefully handed it to his master. "Master, this is a blessing from the Virgin Mary. It will protect you against disease and mental contamination. These rats carry an ancient plague- no doubt, the work of Assassin. He will directly target you- do not let your guard down."
Alexis gratefully took the cloak and slung it upon her shoulders, carefully eyeing the rat. "You don't have to worry about me. Enough stalling, let's go after that mage." The two ran past the creatures and into the worn building.
Keiji stood inside with his head held high and not an ally in plain sight. On standby in his earpiece was Hiroto, his eyes and ears, hiding outside. He had recently reported seeing a master and servant, attempting to disclose details but failing to find the English words for what he intended to say. The philosopher had a basic idea, though, and was fully prepared for battle. It wasn't long before he could hear the footsteps of his two targets. There was a young girl wearing a cap and what appeared to be a royal blue shawl. She was accompanied by a man of similar age, clad in a leather jacket. All the philosopher could do was smile now.
"Pah..." he began, not bothering to wait for the two to make proper introductions. "...Must I ask which of you is the master, and which is the servant? Or, are you even participants at all?" Keiji mocked them. It seemed at surface to be an irrational stance of arrogance, but he did this to examine his enemies to perhaps spot psychological weaknesses. "No... I see your command seals. However, I'm still having a hard time believing it. You, of all people... a clearly inexperienced young girl as yourself has managed to summon a heroic spirit?"
Throughout all of this, Alexis was riddled with frustration. She hated to be underestimated, but she would hate it infinitely more to lose after all of these insults. "Saber." She spoke sharply. "Take him out."
Without a word, Saber's clothing faded away, and in its place was his signature black armor. He took out his rusted sword, Durendal, ready to unleash its full power at a moment's notice. He carefully eyed Keiji, who simply twirled his golden weapon before deciding to make a move. From the dust and minerals found in the ground, he conjured up a thin, long pole composed of a material stronger than steel. From one end protruded a menacing blade, forming a deadly scythe, which the philosopher grabbed out of thin air. With great dexterity he rotated the giant blade to a defensive position and held out his palm to taunt the servant.
"So... you are Saber, the so-called 'Mightiest of the Seven Classes'? I suppose I should make an example of you... The Sancutm Key is mine!"
"I see you're confident in your abilities, but I can see the markings on your hand." Saber responded, readying a frontal assault. "You're a master. Where is your servant?"
"Fufu... I don't need a servant to defeat you. Come at me!" Finally, Saber thrust forward with the first strike. The rusted blade was an equal rival to the philosopher's mineral scythe, but due to its strange design, he was deflected and kicked to the side. In a single motion Keiji's weapon circulated the air and was brought down upon saber's arm. The attack dealt no physical damage but set a barrier between him and his sword. Such a distraction was crucial, he soon found, as he saw other scattered minerals fly from the ceiling. He was pelted with the spray, which further disoriented him. Finally, Saber rolled over and got to his feet. The two combatants retrieved their weapons with eyes fixated to each other.
Alexis stood back to observe. The surrounding area seemed to blur, and focus was drifting away, but when she clung to her new raiment, she could somehow feel relief again. In the shadows up above, looking down upon her, was the soothsayer, playfully shuffling a deck of cards. While Alexis flipped her tome to The Book of Flame with intention to support her servant, she saw multiple summoning circles arise around her. From them emerged three silent medieval soldiers, each equipped with a lance and a shield with a spade emblem on the front. The soldiers charged, so she stepped back and shot two volleys of spark at each. Without too much trouble, the men fell down and faded away. More circles emerged, though, and more powerful soldiers appeared- Three more simple peons, but they were accompanied by two twin leaders, one with a heat symbol and one with a club.
"Are these... playing card knights?" Alexis thought to herself as she struck them down. However, just as some knights fell, others took their place. "No... someone's stalling me out. I can't waste any more mana!"
Among the weak minions were plague rats, fighting on the same side. She switched to ignis to surround the infestation and prevent them from passing, but eventually such a flame would go out. Suddenly, from behind her, she heard a thump. From the ceiling descended an tall middle-aged man clad in bright red clothing. He held a long, colorful pipe. On his right hand were two crystal rings.
"Assassin... so you're the 'Mage-Killer'?"
"It's a pleasure to meet you too, my lady." In contrast to his bright attire, the soothsayer harbored a harsh voice. "Let's cut to the chase." From behind them, Saber was thrown out of his battlefield, crashing against the floor in front of Alexis. She panicked and ran forward to aid him, but razor-sharp spikes shot out in front of her feet. Keiji stepped forward, in a position that rendered Alexis between a powerful master and a cunning servant. Slowly, Saber got up beside her. He picked up his blade and shed its rust to unleash its true form, shining bright as ever in plain defiance of the darkness that Assassin made use of. They were surrounded- one one side, the philosopher. On the other, the killer of mages. And among them, an army of knights and bloodthirsty rats...
...Faint chanting hummed from Saber's sword. It grew louder. He raised it to the heavens, and the chanting escalated. The small draft among them grew into a raging wind, then a furious hurricane. Some of the rodents were wiped away. Assassin played his instrument, summoning larger, more aggressive rats. Keiji tightly gripped his golden rod in one hand, and the scythe in the other, and charged himself with more power.
Yet, despite this challenge, the wind raged on. The light from Saber's blade surged from gold to blinding white, and even his red eyes seemed to glow. The rats and knights both charged with intent to kill. Alexis backed away and shot a volley of chains form The Book of Steel at Keiji. He tore them to shreds but stepped back to focus on the enemy master. The hurricane continued.
Saber stared Assassin right in the face, without winching even at the pain of being bitten and stabbed from all over. In an instant, a pulse of holy energy shook his surroundings, forcing away his aggressors. Soon after, the blade was pointed right at the servant.
"DURENDAL!"
From ten miles away one could see, for just a brief second, a flash of light in the distance in their direction. This was followed by a smooth, dreamy breeze, a reminder of a time long ago.
Instantly, Assassin's minions were utterly destroyed. The massive attack struck a gash right through the ceiling of the building, causing its very walls to begin to crumble. The soothsayer vanished to regain his strength. Had the attack directly impacted him, he would be no more, but he was only grazed, and thus he retreated. Saber, too, needed to rest.
Far away from this scene was two mages engaged in brutal combat. Alexis made use of forming barriers of flame with Ignis, then shooting from a vantage point. However, the more she used this, the less effective it became. Keiji proved more and more capable of adapting to any situation she could create, and was slowly becoming the aggressor. He swing at the floor beneath them, tearing away at it and creating holes to the basement. And with each hole created rubble, which he used as weaponry due to his power. Alexis lost her balance dodging one attack, and she fell down into the pitch-black pit. The old room was infested with roaches and creatures of the night. She quickly lit a flame around her, which lightened up the room, but she was now cornered. Keiji jumped in after her, slowly dragging his scythe's edge across the graphite floor which generated a horrific noise.
"...Pah. You've put up much more of a fight than I would have expected." He dropped his scythe to the ground and focused on the hand that held it. The whole fight he had been building up energy into this palm, and he was ready to unleash it. Sinister energy gathered in the room, and he prepared his final attack.
"Is... is this the end for me?" Alexis began to feel herself tremble.
"I see you're afraid. Well, it's a good thing you'll be... 'skipping' the finale that's sure to take place in a few days' time. Soon I will hold the Santum Key in this very palm..."
"This man... I can see the insanity in his eyes. With the power he holds right now... What would such a man do if given Sanctum's power? What... terrors...
...No. I won't allow it."
Alexis turned to the book of thunder and unleashed a shockwave. Keiji was pushed back a few feet but still had his focus. The palm he possessed was about to release an attack capable of tearing her body to pieces, but she bargained everything on a last strike of her own. Her tome was already turned to The Book of Thunder...
Five.
The draft in the room was gone. Saber would be too far to be able to save her in time, even with a command seal.
Four.
The time was nearing the hour of twelve. The countdown to one seemed like a painful eternity. Alexis had not an eternity before she would lose her life.
Three.
"It feels almost bad..." The philosopher began.
Two.
"...To have to kill a girl who clearly didn't know what she was getting into."
One.
"Time's up. My sincerest apologies."
The philosopher's palm silenced for a second, which signaled that the attack was a fraction of a second away from being unleashed.
Zero.
However, the blast heard that night was not one from the golden rod. It was from The Book of Thunder's prototype spell, Smite. Keiji was directly struck by a massive bolt of lightning. He dropped his weapon and fell to the ground, gasping for air, body twitching, writhing in pain. Alexis slowly got up and put out the flames.
Saber saw the flash of light from where he was standing. Following the thunder, the sky darkened once again, yielding a light flow of rainfall. Somewhere, at the point at which this battle ended, another began.
---
The motorcycle was exactly where the two had left it. Alexis was exhausted, but in high spirits. Saber was just worried for her health, but was relieved when he found no broken bones. The two mounted the vehicle. On Saber's back, Alexis wanted to fall asleep, but they were still ten miles from Conzette Manor, so she forced her eyes open. The soft rain was cold, but oddly refreshing. The old ruins they entered were never the same, once they had left.
Monday. 9:32 AM.
For thirty short minutes the young master and her servant rode across the city. While Saber was mainly focused on forming an image of the place's intricacies for later strategic use, Alexis was genuinely enjoying getting some fresh air. The night was relatively young and she was well rested, so she would still have plenty of energy for the impending battle to be set in a few hours' time.
The two had reached a bustling commercial district packed to the brim with neon lights with tourist attractions of all kinds. Normally Alexis hadn't much interest in such a place, due to her upbringing in the prestigious Conzette household, but the great family ambition was seemingly lost on her, if only for a short while, so her thoughts drifted to a simpler life, one of a normal girl on a late-night ride with a close friend.
---
The generations past since the dawn of the first Sanctum War were many, and just as plentiful were the years of the Oshiro family. Now, the labors of countless powerful eastern mages was accumulated in a singular individual, the head of the Oshiro family- Keiji, the "Faceless Philosopher", as the outside community knew him as. On this very night he now stood proud, scrutinizing a weapon of master craftsmanship. Among his ranks were Hiroto, his old butler... Zen, the lesser mage and one forced into submission... and the philosopher's very own servant, Assassin, alternatively named "The Soothesayer". However, in Keiji's own eyes, he could forsake every last one of them and still be able to decimate the competition with the use of a weapon of his own creation. He now felt nothing but unadulterated pride in his work, and was fully ready to put it to a real test.
The area he was currently in was not far from the mages' lounge in which he summoned Assassin. This place was used in the past as a complex arena in which for mages to battle. The complex, bearing resemblance to a run down power plant, had seen many battles relating to the Sanctum War, and a personal favorite meeting point for the Oshiro family in past years. Soon, it would be stained with blood.
The philosopher lifted his golden weapon up high and released numerous short bursts of pure power across the entire city. These were harmless, but easily detected by any given mage- a beacon, messaging all surrounding mages that he was ready to fight, and a challenge for anyone who dared to approach. The bursts continued for a few seconds in a repeating pattern, then Keiji lowered the rod and signaled to the Soothesayer, who promptly began to blow his pipe in a magnificent, horrifying song...
---
As midnight approached, the likelihood of a challenge increased with every passing minute. Alexis and Saber were now gone from the busy district, and circulated the outskirts of the city. Alexis soon found it harder to relax as time pressed on, and soon what little confidence she had was replaced with tension. Suddenly, a blast of magical force illuminated the sky briefly. Invisible to normal mortals, but both she and her servant had felt it- a direct challenge.
"Are you ready, Master?" Saber turned around briefly.
She rested her hand on the anthology. "Definitely. Take us to the source of that beacon!" With that command, the two sped off.
Tracking the source of the message lead them to a side road, at the end of which was an old, abandoned power plant. The front gates were wide open, and rusted over. Once within the complex, Saber dismounted, followed by Alexis. The moon was brighter here than anywhere else, possibly amplified through the natural process of magical residue's effects on the light spectrum, so this on its own provided enough illumination to force the structures to cast long, eerie shadows. Within these shadows, faintly glowing eyes could be seen. A bulky rat emerged from a nearby trash bin, and Alexis was taken aback. A revolting purple mucus dropped from the rodent's mouth- plague. Saber summoned his sword and thrust it to the ground, then he crouched down and began to pray.
"I beseech thou, holy Virgin Mary, bearer of the lord's own flesh- I humbly request your blessing."
While he performed this simple request, the air accelerated into a brisk wind circumventing his sword. This continued for a few seconds, then the wind faded and, in a flash, a beautiful blue raiment appeared, d****d against the blade's hilt. Saber stood up and retrieved it, then carefully handed it to his master. "Master, this is a blessing from the Virgin Mary. It will protect you against disease and mental contamination. These rats carry an ancient plague- no doubt, the work of Assassin. He will directly target you- do not let your guard down."
Alexis gratefully took the cloak and slung it upon her shoulders, carefully eyeing the rat. "You don't have to worry about me. Enough stalling, let's go after that mage." The two ran past the creatures and into the worn building.
---
Keiji stood inside with his head held high and not an ally in plain sight. On standby in his earpiece was Hiroto, his eyes and ears, hiding outside. He had recently reported seeing a master and servant, attempting to disclose details but failing to find the English words for what he intended to say. The philosopher had a basic idea, though, and was fully prepared for battle. It wasn't long before he could hear the footsteps of his two targets. There was a young girl wearing a cap and what appeared to be a royal blue shawl. She was accompanied by a man of similar age, clad in a leather jacket. All the philosopher could do was smile now.
"Pah..." he began, not bothering to wait for the two to make proper introductions. "...Must I ask which of you is the master, and which is the servant? Or, are you even participants at all?" Keiji mocked them. It seemed at surface to be an irrational stance of arrogance, but he did this to examine his enemies to perhaps spot psychological weaknesses. "No... I see your command seals. However, I'm still having a hard time believing it. You, of all people... a clearly inexperienced young girl as yourself has managed to summon a heroic spirit?"
Throughout all of this, Alexis was riddled with frustration. She hated to be underestimated, but she would hate it infinitely more to lose after all of these insults. "Saber." She spoke sharply. "Take him out."
Without a word, Saber's clothing faded away, and in its place was his signature black armor. He took out his rusted sword, Durendal, ready to unleash its full power at a moment's notice. He carefully eyed Keiji, who simply twirled his golden weapon before deciding to make a move. From the dust and minerals found in the ground, he conjured up a thin, long pole composed of a material stronger than steel. From one end protruded a menacing blade, forming a deadly scythe, which the philosopher grabbed out of thin air. With great dexterity he rotated the giant blade to a defensive position and held out his palm to taunt the servant.
"So... you are Saber, the so-called 'Mightiest of the Seven Classes'? I suppose I should make an example of you... The Sancutm Key is mine!"
"I see you're confident in your abilities, but I can see the markings on your hand." Saber responded, readying a frontal assault. "You're a master. Where is your servant?"
"Fufu... I don't need a servant to defeat you. Come at me!" Finally, Saber thrust forward with the first strike. The rusted blade was an equal rival to the philosopher's mineral scythe, but due to its strange design, he was deflected and kicked to the side. In a single motion Keiji's weapon circulated the air and was brought down upon saber's arm. The attack dealt no physical damage but set a barrier between him and his sword. Such a distraction was crucial, he soon found, as he saw other scattered minerals fly from the ceiling. He was pelted with the spray, which further disoriented him. Finally, Saber rolled over and got to his feet. The two combatants retrieved their weapons with eyes fixated to each other.
Alexis stood back to observe. The surrounding area seemed to blur, and focus was drifting away, but when she clung to her new raiment, she could somehow feel relief again. In the shadows up above, looking down upon her, was the soothsayer, playfully shuffling a deck of cards. While Alexis flipped her tome to The Book of Flame with intention to support her servant, she saw multiple summoning circles arise around her. From them emerged three silent medieval soldiers, each equipped with a lance and a shield with a spade emblem on the front. The soldiers charged, so she stepped back and shot two volleys of spark at each. Without too much trouble, the men fell down and faded away. More circles emerged, though, and more powerful soldiers appeared- Three more simple peons, but they were accompanied by two twin leaders, one with a heat symbol and one with a club.
"Are these... playing card knights?" Alexis thought to herself as she struck them down. However, just as some knights fell, others took their place. "No... someone's stalling me out. I can't waste any more mana!"
Among the weak minions were plague rats, fighting on the same side. She switched to ignis to surround the infestation and prevent them from passing, but eventually such a flame would go out. Suddenly, from behind her, she heard a thump. From the ceiling descended an tall middle-aged man clad in bright red clothing. He held a long, colorful pipe. On his right hand were two crystal rings.
"Assassin... so you're the 'Mage-Killer'?"
"It's a pleasure to meet you too, my lady." In contrast to his bright attire, the soothsayer harbored a harsh voice. "Let's cut to the chase." From behind them, Saber was thrown out of his battlefield, crashing against the floor in front of Alexis. She panicked and ran forward to aid him, but razor-sharp spikes shot out in front of her feet. Keiji stepped forward, in a position that rendered Alexis between a powerful master and a cunning servant. Slowly, Saber got up beside her. He picked up his blade and shed its rust to unleash its true form, shining bright as ever in plain defiance of the darkness that Assassin made use of. They were surrounded- one one side, the philosopher. On the other, the killer of mages. And among them, an army of knights and bloodthirsty rats...
...Faint chanting hummed from Saber's sword. It grew louder. He raised it to the heavens, and the chanting escalated. The small draft among them grew into a raging wind, then a furious hurricane. Some of the rodents were wiped away. Assassin played his instrument, summoning larger, more aggressive rats. Keiji tightly gripped his golden rod in one hand, and the scythe in the other, and charged himself with more power.
Yet, despite this challenge, the wind raged on. The light from Saber's blade surged from gold to blinding white, and even his red eyes seemed to glow. The rats and knights both charged with intent to kill. Alexis backed away and shot a volley of chains form The Book of Steel at Keiji. He tore them to shreds but stepped back to focus on the enemy master. The hurricane continued.
Saber stared Assassin right in the face, without winching even at the pain of being bitten and stabbed from all over. In an instant, a pulse of holy energy shook his surroundings, forcing away his aggressors. Soon after, the blade was pointed right at the servant.
"DURENDAL!"
From ten miles away one could see, for just a brief second, a flash of light in the distance in their direction. This was followed by a smooth, dreamy breeze, a reminder of a time long ago.
Instantly, Assassin's minions were utterly destroyed. The massive attack struck a gash right through the ceiling of the building, causing its very walls to begin to crumble. The soothsayer vanished to regain his strength. Had the attack directly impacted him, he would be no more, but he was only grazed, and thus he retreated. Saber, too, needed to rest.
Far away from this scene was two mages engaged in brutal combat. Alexis made use of forming barriers of flame with Ignis, then shooting from a vantage point. However, the more she used this, the less effective it became. Keiji proved more and more capable of adapting to any situation she could create, and was slowly becoming the aggressor. He swing at the floor beneath them, tearing away at it and creating holes to the basement. And with each hole created rubble, which he used as weaponry due to his power. Alexis lost her balance dodging one attack, and she fell down into the pitch-black pit. The old room was infested with roaches and creatures of the night. She quickly lit a flame around her, which lightened up the room, but she was now cornered. Keiji jumped in after her, slowly dragging his scythe's edge across the graphite floor which generated a horrific noise.
"...Pah. You've put up much more of a fight than I would have expected." He dropped his scythe to the ground and focused on the hand that held it. The whole fight he had been building up energy into this palm, and he was ready to unleash it. Sinister energy gathered in the room, and he prepared his final attack.
"Is... is this the end for me?" Alexis began to feel herself tremble.
"I see you're afraid. Well, it's a good thing you'll be... 'skipping' the finale that's sure to take place in a few days' time. Soon I will hold the Santum Key in this very palm..."
"This man... I can see the insanity in his eyes. With the power he holds right now... What would such a man do if given Sanctum's power? What... terrors...
...No. I won't allow it."
Alexis turned to the book of thunder and unleashed a shockwave. Keiji was pushed back a few feet but still had his focus. The palm he possessed was about to release an attack capable of tearing her body to pieces, but she bargained everything on a last strike of her own. Her tome was already turned to The Book of Thunder...
Five.
The draft in the room was gone. Saber would be too far to be able to save her in time, even with a command seal.
Four.
The time was nearing the hour of twelve. The countdown to one seemed like a painful eternity. Alexis had not an eternity before she would lose her life.
Three.
"It feels almost bad..." The philosopher began.
Two.
"...To have to kill a girl who clearly didn't know what she was getting into."
One.
"Time's up. My sincerest apologies."
The philosopher's palm silenced for a second, which signaled that the attack was a fraction of a second away from being unleashed.
Zero.
However, the blast heard that night was not one from the golden rod. It was from The Book of Thunder's prototype spell, Smite. Keiji was directly struck by a massive bolt of lightning. He dropped his weapon and fell to the ground, gasping for air, body twitching, writhing in pain. Alexis slowly got up and put out the flames.
Saber saw the flash of light from where he was standing. Following the thunder, the sky darkened once again, yielding a light flow of rainfall. Somewhere, at the point at which this battle ended, another began.
---
The motorcycle was exactly where the two had left it. Alexis was exhausted, but in high spirits. Saber was just worried for her health, but was relieved when he found no broken bones. The two mounted the vehicle. On Saber's back, Alexis wanted to fall asleep, but they were still ten miles from Conzette Manor, so she forced her eyes open. The soft rain was cold, but oddly refreshing. The old ruins they entered were never the same, once they had left.