Section 1: Elisa the Nine-Tattooed Dragon, Master, and Forming the Mount Liang Outlaws

Okay, we're here!

Oh wow, this place looks really different. I never would've guessed we're in Eastern Europe right now.

I'll say.

Hmm. If anything, it looks more like East Asia.

Really? So then, does that mean you're the only one of us with some connection to this place?

If nothing else, it looks like we're probably not going to get any kind of terrain bonus.

Hey, Master, check it out. It's a little far away, but I can see a building up ahead. And it looks like someone's home, since the lights are on.

Wow, good eye! No wonder you're such a good hunter.

I might be a far cry from the best, but I'm still an Archer. 'Sides, you don't last long in the woods without good eyesight.

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Ooh la la, this is exhausting! Are mountains supposed to be this steep?

I know what you mean. There's only the barest semblance of a path, too.

How are you doing, Master? Ça va? Are you still alive?

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Don't try to tough it out.

If you need a break, Robin Hood, Boudica, or I can always carry you.

Just so you know, I'm not cut out for hard labor, all right? The best I could do is wrap you up in my cloak.

Good point, Robin. There's no one here better than you when it comes to hiding. So if things turn bad, we'll be counting on you to keep Master safe.

Well I can't slack off now, can I? All right, Ms. Boudica, you got it.

Hehe. All right, Master, don't you worry about a thing. If you need help, just ask.

What will you do, Master?

Understood. But if you change your mind, just say the word.

No problem. All right, you two take it from here.

You got it. Hup.

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All right then, I'd like to keep going with our investigation, but...

Oh.

Master, I'm detecting multiple hostile non-Servant entities.

Yahoo! Hand over your money, your food, your men, and your women!

Oh wow, classic bandits!

You want to take EVERYTHING? A plague upon all things banditry, you are.

...Why is it they ain't scared?

I'll tell you.

It's because we're part of an organization more villainous than any band of thieves!

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Hahaha. All right, let's do this, shall we!?

Sorry, boys, but I won't be able to hold anything back against the likes of you.

For your sakes, I hope you've said your prayers!

Aaarrrgh! You got uuusss!

B-but just wait until the boss shows up! Hey! Call the boss!

I would, but she's sleeping!

Well, shit! We surrender!

Just like that!? That was fast!

Our boss gets reeeal cranky when she wakes up...

Last time I woke her up, she almost bit my head off.

Hmm.

It sounds like this leader of theirs is the Servant we saw in the briefing.

Why don't we pay her a visit?

We don't yet know if she's the one who made this Singularity...

...but it's a very safe bet that she's involved with it somehow. VERY safe bet.

In fact, I'll be shocked if she's not.

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O-okay then, we'll take you to her!

Hmm. You could say this place has a rustic charm about it...but it's basically just a half-ruined castle.

You should've seen what it was like before we cleaned up... Anyway, here she is.

(Zzz... Zzz...)

You'll have to wake her up if you want to talk to her. Well, bye!

Well now, he didn't waste any time getting out of here, did he? So, who's going to do the honors?

... ...

I'm sure we can all agree to leave Master out of contention, so...why don't we settle this with rock-paper-scissors?

Doesn't get much fairer than that. All right, let's do it.

Rock!

Paper! Scissors! Shoot!!!

Ah, dammit. I knew we should've flipped a coin...

Go ahead, Robin.

Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. ...Hey. Wake up.

Come on. Wakey wakey... Rrgh! Wake up, dammit!

(Chomp)

Gaaah!!!

Oh wow. She actually did bite you.

She didn't just bite, she literally sunk her teeth into me! I can't get her off!

All right, I guess I'll just have to pull you off. Here goes... Hup!

Yeooow! That hurt worse than a dog bite!

Nnn... (Smack, smack...) ...Hm? Hmm?

Who're you guys!?

Hup. (Meeting her at eye level)

We're Servants. ...Do you know what those are?

I'd appreciate it if you told me your True Name. I think I already have a pretty good idea, but just in case.

Oh! Servants! You're Servants, huh!?

Then that means you're my comrades! Did you hear that, Shi Jin!? They finally showed up!

Oh, right. Gotta introduce myself!

My name's Elisa! Or as most people call me, Elisa the Nine-Tattooed Dragon!

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Elisaaa!? (Not actually surprised at all)

So, welcome to Csejte Mount Liang!

But that's kind of awkward, so we usually just call it "Mount Liang"!

Nnn, hang on. Let me make sure I've got all this straight.

First off, you DON'T have the Holy Grail, correct?

Holy Grail? Sure don't! Not even a tiny piece of it!

I see. That was such an energetic answer!

Great job.

Teehee.

So, um, Elisa the Nine-Tattooed Dragon, what is it you're doing here?

Forming the Mount Liang Outlaws, of course!

That's why you're all here too, right?

No, it's not.

Oh yes it is!!! And don't you forget it!

(Yup, that's Elisabeth all right. I'd recognize that stubborn pushiness anywhere!)

So, uh, Mount Liang... From the Chinese folktale or something, right?

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Oh, I see. Then allow me to summarize.

Mount Liang is a major location in "Water Margin," one of China's four great classic novels.

And the plot of "Water Margin"...

...it's about outlaws and outcasts banding together at Mount Liang to make a name for themselves.

One-hundred and eight of them, to be exact.

They each have their own star of destiny, and their own unique backstories.

They go on to rebel against the tyrannical Song dynasty government that was ruling China at the time, fighting back against the enemies they face any way they can.

And in the end, it's revealed that their meeting and banding together was ultimately the work of fate.

You are correct. If you'd like, I'd be happy to go over it.

Very well.

Mount Liang is a major location in "Water Margin," one of China's four great classic novels.

And the plot of "Water Margin"...

...it's about outlaws and outcasts banding together at Mount Liang to make a name for themselves.

One-hundred and eight of them, to be exact.

They each have their own star of destiny, and their own unique backstories.

They go on to rebel against the tyrannical Song dynasty government that was ruling China at the time, fighting back against the enemies they face any way they can.

And in the end, it's revealed that their meeting and banding together was ultimately the work of fate.

I see. Then I'll spare you my rundown.

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I have to make this Mount Liang real big to get my hands on the Holy Grail!

I was kinda worried for a while 'cause all my minions are thieves and bandits...

...but now, you guys are here! Yaaay! I'm not all alone anymore!

May I ask you something, Elisa the Nine-Tattooed Dragon?

What is it?

Are you saying that, in order to acquire the Holy Grail...

...you need to gather more Servants here on Mount Liang?

Yup! You're pretty smart, huh! I think that's what I gotta do!

I see. Thank you.

There you have it, Master.

I think she's telling the truth.

Or at least, that she believes she's telling the truth.

So...does this mean we have to gather more Servants ourselves?

That's right. One-hundred and eight of them.

That many!?

That's definitely a lot... I don't suppose we could get away with half that number, could we?

Nnn, from everything we've heard so far, I suppose the 108 part is pretty important.

That's how many outlaws there were in "Water Margin," after all.

There are some versions of the story that begin with 36 outlaws and end with a different conclusion...

...but the part about 108 outlaws all eventually banding together is pretty set in stone.

That's probably why there were so many Rayshift-compatible Servants this go-round, too.

Suffice to say, I think we're going to need to Rayshift more Servants here.

Roger that! I'll get things ready over here. Although, in that case

Who do you think our enemy is this time, Boudica?

Hmm. Some Song dynasty armed forces, maybe?

That would be my guess, too.

Some of the outlaws in "Water Margin," like the Zeng family, only fought against Song dynasty forces to make a name for themselves...

...but by far, the most formidable enemy in the story is the evil Gao Qiu and his forces.

Though I don't yet know how, or even if, he'll show up here.

I see, I see. So our basic goals here are to defeat the enemy forces, whoever they are...

...and gather 108 Servants in the process.

That's right.

If I were a betting man, I'd say that our Rayshift here is going to get things in this Singularity moving.

That should, in turn, help us attract Rogue Servants, who can then become this Mount Liang's new outlaws.

Though of course, we'll also need to prove how strong we are for that to happen.

After all, it just wouldn't feel right if Mount Liang were to lose.

Are you guys done talking yet!?

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Then it's all up to you now, Leader!

Leader?

Yeah!

I've been watching over Mount Liang since the beginning...

...but now that we've got a real leader, I'm just gonna do what you tell me!

I see.

(I think...she means she's going to obey Master as his Servant?)

(Though I'm pretty sure the leader here is supposed to be either Song Jiang or his predecessor, Chao Gai, the Pagoda-Shifting Heavenly King.)

I think you should accept the position, Master. That way, it'll be much easier for us to repair this Singularity.

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I can't believe Senpai is now the leader of Mount Liang... I never dreamed this day would come!

What an incredible honor! I can already tell this is going to be one for the books! I'll have to record everything in immaculate detail!

...Huh. I just had a weird vision...

Hehe, Leader Fujimaru, huh? I like the sound of that!

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Yay! We've got a real leader!

Now I know Mount Liang's in good hands!

Hahaha. Still, I can't say I'm looking forward to facing off against enemy armed forces...

Okay, here's what we're gonna do tonight.

Huh, that was fast. Are we gonna make a move on the enemy forces already?

We're gonna have a party!

Ooh, I definitely like the sound of that!

Ahaha. I do love a good party.

Uh, is this really the time for that?

You can't have Mount Liang without parties!

We're all gonna drink alcohol, and eat meat, and dance, and sing, and other fun stuff!

Hahaha, you make a good point. Why not?

A party may be just the thing we need to strengthen our bonds.

You're just a huge pushover when it comes to kids, aren't you!?

Oh, I don't think I'm anywhere as soft on them as you are, Robin Hood. Oh, shall we get some children's champagne for the occasion while we're at it?

Champagne! I know what that is! It's yummy! But that's okay. We've already got lots of booze!

Come on, I'll show you! This way!

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Eesh, someone's in a good mood.

Nothing wrong with that. Children SHOULD be bright and happy.

This is it!

Mon Dieu! The stench of alcohol is overwhelming!

Let's see... I think this place is called the Infinite Alco-Falls?

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Oh my. This could be dangerously tempting around the wrong people.

Man, I'm beat. Time to break out the bucket.

(Glug, glug, glub) Wooo! Now that's good booze!

I can't wait to get back to the grind tomorrow!

Pretty awesome, right!?

Oh yes, it's really something! It's so impressive I'm not even wondering how it got here!

Well, there are some Assassins I could name (cough) Jing Ke (cough) who say this world is heaven as long as there's booze to go around...

All that aside, this place is quite the sight, isn't it? I don't think it's what created this Singularity, but still.

I don't know. Legends of lakes and waterfalls that turned alcoholic are more common than you might think.

It could be that a leyline connecting to this place caused weird things to happen.

My minions wouldn't let me drink from here before, but it should be fine now, right? Down the hatch!

Nnn, I don't think that's a good idea.

I don't want to get too into it, but your physical and mental age match up, right?

So how about I make you something yummy to eat and we forget all about the Alco-Falls?

Okay!

Th-that was a lot easier than I thought it'd be...

Well, even if she is a Servant...

...I don't think any of us want Master seeing a child drinking alcohol, right?

How does some orange juice sound?

Sounds yummy!

You know, the original Elisabeth's always been pretty honest about what she wants...and not always in a good way.

But looking at this one, it makes me think that maybe she just needed to be raised better.

I guess it just goes to show how nobles raised in the lap of luxury will turn out either really good, or really bad.

But, anyway, with all this alcohol here for the taking, it would be a shame not to have at least one drink!

So we're having a party right after we get here, huh. Well, I guess these things happen sometimes.

So, do you have any ingredients we can use to cook?

Nope! What do we do?

I see... All right, then we'd probably better start by getting some!

Can you handle that, Robin?

Yeah, yeah, I'm on it. Let's see what the hunting situation is like here.

Perhaps I'll help with a little fishing.

There should be some fish in the nearby lake that we saw, no? I'll go see to that.

Oh, there are fields too, and they oughta have veggies!

Then I'll go see what we've got there. What will you do, Master and Elisa?

I'd appreciate it if you could help one of us out.

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Then Amakusa and I will stay here and get things ready for the party.

I'm good at these sorts of odd jobs, so we should be done by the time you all get back.

See you later!

All right, let's do some hunting, shall we?

What should we hunt first, Bro!?

...The hell? Where'd you come from?

We always ingratiate ourselves to strong guys! That's how we get by in this world!

That's just how bandits are. Trust me!

Guess bandits are basically the same no matter where you go. Well, for now, we should probably focus on

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Yeah, that sounds right. Pretty standard stuff, but oh well. Okay, let's see what we can find!

I can't wait to help! I'm gonna turn them all into mincemeat!

Too far. Let's save that for when it's time to cook them. You like hamburgers, right?

Of course! I bet you love them too, Robin!

Ooh, you decided to come with me, huh? Coucou♪

I love fishing! How's it going?

Nnn, comme ci comme ça. So far, it's been Sea Fiends, Sea Fiends, and more Sea Fiends.

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I'd love to catch one the size of a whale, but...at this little lake, that's probably not realistic.

Anyway, you two can use these rods. Now let's catch some fish! On y va!

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This is taking forever. I'm bored.

I'd still take this over the Sea Fiend barrage from earlier.

At least we got a few actual fish, even if they are just small fry.

Oh, I've got something! It feels like a big one!

Ghh! Definitely a big one!

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Yeah! Hold on, Molay! We've got you!

Okay, on the count of three, let's all reel this fish in! One...two...three!

Wow, someone's been taking good care of these fields!

Right!? I worked hard on them!

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Yup! It was easy with Shi Jin!

Shi Jin? Um, is that your weapon?

Uh-huh!

Isn't Shi Jin a character in "Water Margin"?

That's right. Shi Jin, the Nine-Tattooed Dragon.

He's an outlaw with the Minute Star of Heaven as his Star of Destiny, and one of the first characters to show up.

Though I'm pretty sure his weapon of choice is either a staff, or a three-pronged podao.

This is my Nine-Section Staff! It's awesome! It can stretch, and change shape, and do lots of other cool stuff!

I even ploughed the fields with it!

Wow, really? That's amazing!

But we're just going to be harvesting these veggies, so we probably won't need it now.

Monkeys!

Uh-oh. They must want these veggies for themselves.

Oh well, I guess we'll just have to give them a few headpats and send them on their way.

Kill 'em all, huh!? Got it!

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Hmm. Okaaay, if you say so, Leader.

All right, death to all of them! I mean, NON-death to all of them!

Ahaha. Looks like it's going to be my job to keep things from getting out of hand!

This, uh, isn't quite what I had in mind...

Can we eat them...?

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I guess we should bring them to Boudica and see what she says.

So you got poultry, game, and seafood. That's great. Huh? Are they safe to eat?

It'll take some time and a good bit of elbow grease to prep them, but yeah, they're fine.

But I'll be counting on you to help me! Got that!?

That tracks!

Uh, I just remembered something I gotta do, so I'm gonna go!

Hey! Get back here! ...You wouldn't ditch me, right, Master?

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So you're with me to the end, huh? Thanks, Master. All right, let's do this thing!

How are we supposed to eat THAT!?

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Why not? I can eat everything! (Obviously proud)

Aww, what a good girl you are, Elly. But even grown-ups like us couldn't eat...that...

Really? But they looked yummy.

...Now I feel like we're being picky. Perhaps we could make it work if we prepped thoroughly enough?

Please snap out of it, Molay! There's no way anyone should be eating that!

Thank you! I was this close to losing my mind!

And you know, we did catch some proper fish, even if they are all small fry. These should be enough.

Molay, Boss! We caught some fish!

Whoa, this many!? How'd you do that?

What do you mean? We used a net...?

NOW you tell me I should've been trawling instead of fishing!?

At least we've got lots of fishies now, so we should be all set!

Hang on. We did technically catch that merman. If we're talking sheer weight, then we caught at least as much as you guys!

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Phew, that got rid of them. Okay, let's start harvesting these veggies.

'Kaaay!

That was great, Elisa. I can tell you're going to be a big help.

Okay, everything's all set!

Ahem. The floor's all yours, Leader!

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Well yeah, you're the leader!

Go on!

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Cheeers!

Short, simple, and sweet. Perfect. No notes.

Who do you think you are!?

A minion!

This is super yummy! I love it!

Hehe, thanks. There's plenty more where that came from if you want seconds.

Oh, I'm a man of the cloth, so I shouldn't dri Well, maybe just a little.

Besides, I am a Servant, so it's not like I'll get drunk. Not at all.

Holy hell, are you sure you're a priest!? You're guzzling that booze like there's no tomorrow!

It's fine! I don't get drunk!

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Hahahahahaha. ...Well, maybe a little.

That's strange. Servants don't usually get drunk off of alcohol.

Well, more accurately, they shouldn't get drunk once they decide to resist getting drunk...

Yeah, now that you mention it, I haven't felt tipsy like this in a long time.

Maybe it's because that water from, uh, Alco-Falls is connected to a leyline? It is unlimited alcohol, after all.

Well, I'll let you guys worry about the complicated stuff. As for me, I think it's time to dance♪

Wow, she's glowing! Huh? Am I going to sing?

Nnn... Nah, I'd rather eat!

(...I see. So she didn't have any interest in being an idol at this age.)

(If only she could've kept going like this... Then again, for all we know, that could make her turn out even worse.)

On a different note, we still have to gather a hundred more Servants, right? Doesn't feel like we have time to be hanging out like this.

A hundred and eight Servants throughout all of history, all in one place. I guess this really is Mount Liang.

Yeah, yeah. Looks like we've got a long road ahead of us.

Oh, don't worry. It's much easier to cross the finish line when you can see the goal up ahead.

For tonight, I say we just relax and drink to our hearts' content. Man, this stuff's delicious!

Heh, you're really enjoying this, aren't you? Some priest you turned out to be.

Another round!

Wooo! Looking good, Mata Hari!

Thank you♪ Now go on! Keep eating! Keep drinking! There's plenty to go around!

Hehehehe...

It seems things are proceeding exactly as we planned.

Hehehehehe... Hahahahaha...

That being said, it would be quite the problem if they continue slacking off like this.

Don't worry. So long as Mount Liang exists, the Imperial Army will be there.

Once they catch wind of their enemy, it won't be long at all before they march out to battle, waving their little banner of justice.

Hehehe... And whether they win or lose, we're the ones who will profit...

Hehehehehe!