The Eternal Sanctum (Holy Knight Headquarters)

[Apollymi]

Siegfried settled down into the healing process and didn't seem to have any complaints. Anais for her part seemed content to manipulate the warm mana around him and force its interactions with his body to heal his wounds. This was quite strange, in touching him so directly she realized his physical constitution was a lot higher than a normal being. If Charles had chosen a more human target to vent on, this could have been a much more serious situation. She gave thought to that gentle reminder to come later all the while a conversation carried on between Charles and Martha. The latter wanted to know why things couldn't be normal and Charles claimed that this was normal and to get used to it. Martha decided the last forty-eight hours had been particularly deterimental to the lad's psyche but didn't see it as her place to interfere.

Martha had been alive for a long time and every new thing introduced was getting more and more ridiculous. Maybe sometime after this adventure it was time for her to be a normal person, and forget about outlandishness. They started heading for the Sanctum and Martha, Sakura and Yume would begin walking along as well. "You want to get to work, what exactly do you plan on doing? Tracking a moving hidden, target isn't exactly within the knights expertise..." she asked in a straight-forward manner. He was quite committed to getting help, but what did that actually mean. A crunch for time was one thing, but he didn't even know where the thing he was looking for was, and the last time someone did something like that it was Francis Drake.

While that happened, Ailen was content to speak to Anais as if she wasn't currently busy. Considering her ability to multitask, she had no problem addressing him while placing the finishing touches on the physical form of Siegfried. "Hm, I suppose I didn't consider it. I've lived in this realm most of my life, though within the bubble of Aincrad. According to what's written in Jeanne's journals all the lands up here have varying degrees of mana density and it has an effect on both the wildlife and people. It was a problem the early grail holders had to combat to keep their weaker constituents alive until they adjusted. But the lands seemed to adjust naturally, but that probably means each place here has its own climate and thus plant and wildlife variation. It really could change a lot of things you've already taught me, Shishou," she mused. Finally finished she withdrew her hands from Siegfried and looked him over her ears twitching as she tried to spot anything forgotten or any anomalies? "Does anything hurt? I felt like that one was better for those kinds of wounds, but there was a chance it could have felt pretty invasive, sorry," she apologized and waited for the lad's answer. If it was satisfactory she'd stand.

[Bloodedge]

Now that the annoyance of the day had been dealt with, there was nothing left to do but plan the search. Charlemagne walked confidently toward the sanctum, believing none who saw them would be quick to think negatively with the escort of Martha. Along the way, Martha questioned his plan. How would he execute the location of Aincrad? Knights were indeed not equipped for reconnaissance of this scale, but as a long-standing resident of Aincrad, he knew things most knights didn't. "I kept living there for the last thousand years. I know some things," he said. Finally, Charlemagne set foot in the sanctum. In doing so, he thought to address a few more specifics. "There are a few ways we can find Aincrad. If not by geolocation, we can find the next potential location of a Holy Grail. Certain groups of Templars are sent out on a regular basis to locate them. If we can find where they're going, we can find where they're going back to," he declared.

Meanwhile, Ailen continued rubbing a blade of grass betwixt his fingers. Such plentiful mana could be found in the simplest of plants here, the elf was excited to begin experimenting. Anais explained what she knew of Finis Chaldea and how mana density worked in the upper world, and he became even more interested by the moment. "Really? Hmm. One would expect that at this elevation, biomes would be less likely to change, not more. That truly speaks to the quality of magic present here. I'd like to see the beasts as well. When you have time, we should explore and make some new discoveries together. We'll both go at it as students for once," he rambled. Moments later, Siegfried was beginning to move again. He'd been treated by the elafia in a very succinct fashion ─ more so than he remembered receiving healing from most dedicated healers in the past. Strange, however, was her method of application. A few twists of the shoulder, a few cracks of the neck and a rotation of his previously-slashed ankle, and Siegfried was able to determine his wellness. "That's good. I am in your debt," he said. From the look of things, it would be best if they caught up with the others. Yes, he'd do that; there would be no point in keeping uninformed when the vengeance of Jeanne was an apparent option.

[Apollymi]

As they walked it was mentioned by Charles that living within Aincrad for a thousand years led to him knowing some things. Martha avoided being snarky though it was admittedly hard for her. Given the lad didn't seem to know very much by his own words even a few minutes ago. Yep, she'd keep that thought to herself. Moving on from that part though, there was the issue of how to find it. They could either use geolocation or track down the next Holy Grail. Regardless of the next step taken, "So either we wait to figure out where it rotates around, or we... look for a Holy Grail? The only time I've heard of a Holy Grail being tracked down was the one found by Galahad, her squire and Percival," she stated clearly. "We haven't even seen one spawn since then..." she finished speaking. Of course, it made sense if Aincrad was busy tracking down Holy Grails all the time then none would have really heard of any spawning anywhere, given their...nature.

At the same time, there was some pleasant conversation taking place between mentor and apprentice. He seemed surprised about the changes to the land and wildlife, but there were curious things to discuss. Anais would address this as she put the finishing touches on the healing of Siegfried. "Several of landmasses didn't start out up here... and were shock treated to it. The ones that started out up here though have to be really interesting too..." she explained of the situation. "I'm sure there will be time. We're adventurers still. I'll look forward to learning with you, Shishou~" she mused happily. And with that she watched as the Dragon Knight stood to his full height and got a feel for his physical form. "Iia, don't worry about it. I'm glad you're alright," Anais mentioned. She'd also turn to head towards indoors. Being part of the discussion was likely good for the group and quite important.

[Bloodedge]

Frankly, Charlemagne thought the better option ahead of them was to find the next Holy Grail... or any location one could easily expect to contain it. Finding Aincrad based on its rotation had far too many variables, and would likely take longer than the years he expected finding a Holy Grail to take. Ah, but there was more to the finding of a Holy Grail. True, only three had been credited with its discovery before, but that was a long time ago. "Well, it helps to know what we found out earlier today. A Holy Grail doesn't just spawn as it is. Before it's a grail, it's a child with extraordinary abilities and potential on the lower world. That's why they haven't spawned. It seems Aincrad only sends a select few because they're the ones allowed to know they're raiding villages and kidnapping children who are about to transform," he explained. "If we approach it that way, I think there's another thing we can accomplish too. . ."

The others had begun walking as well, with Siegfried believing he would be replaying his healer of the day, even as she insisted that he not worry about it. Obviously, she hadn't been much of a knight for very long. Oh well. Ailen, on the other hand, was given additional reason to be excited. He hadn't even begun to consider what would happen to a risen land compared to those that began in the sky. "Ah, that will be excellent! It would be most worthwhile to see how things have changed in a land not originally on this level. I already find myself theorizing how a flourishing land such as Munetsuchi would develop within one, two, even three to three hundred years. The possibilities are beyond imagination. If that friend of yours decides to raise lands of his own, I hope I am able to study them beforehand. I'd like to use that as reference, if such an eventuality should present itself."

[Apollymi]

Charles gave some information that no one who didn't know was ready to hear. He gave the information concerning the nature of Holy Grails before they became cups. They were children with extraordinary powers who were having their home villages raided and were being kidnapped. "That is terrible," Martha said. Of course, she didn't know that information because why would she, but the idea of raiding villages and kidnapping children would seem like a bad idea to anyone with a conscience. "But I guess it does explain a certain problem we always have while trying to help people that have obviously been having a bad time," she said. Actually, now that she thought about it, a lot of lower world place seemed to hide their children whenever anyone in armor happened to be around. She supposed this explained a lot. And there were lots of places which used to have people in them, that they found abandoned and empty across the land. Sometimes people move or bad famines and the like are issues, but it was a bit too consistent. If however one was to link all of these problems together it would be quite easy to assume what happened in certain places.

It seemed that Anais didn't fully understand the nature of the truly knightly types. Perhaps that was true, her own group went for honor, but most things that happened between them happened between friends. She didn't think about things in such strict terms. Regardless there was the exciting conversation about potentially flourishing new places as they rise, which was rather interesting indeed. "Hai, I'm sure would be fine with it. It also isn't likely a lot of places have risen so it is possible to get ahead of the curve and likely find a place as it rises or fairly soon after," she admitted. "I do wonder about Munetsuchi, it is already in exceedingly good condition compared to the lower world, it would be quite interesting to see if creatures or plant-life gained some additional things by rising into a more generally mana dense area..." she commented. Having come back in time another small thing about Anais could be noted. And that was, even with the distance between them she'd heard the entire conversation between Charles and Martha thus far. Knowing this information made it rather obvious why she couldn't really sleep ever. "What other thing are you trying to accomplish?" she asked picking up from there immediately. Yume seemed to finally snap back into the conversation. "Wait, are we skipping over the kidnapping thing?" she asked likely because she was very new to the world. "I was kidnapped like that... I'm not a Holy Grail though, so I am pretty sure whatever method they are using to do this isn't full proof. I am also very sure that the more destructive raids only happen in places that won't give up their children..." she offered but that didn't make the situation any better to Yume.

[Bloodedge]

The tale of Holy Grails being children in their original forms was believable, as Charlemagne somewhat expected from those who frequently visited the lower world. It had been his assumption since learning that information for himself, that there had to be some signs in places near grail acquisitions. "I figured that would be the case. Sadly, we never got to see the signs; at least I haven't. I thought all those missions were being given to me because I cleared the Labyrinth and was the only one who could do them, but it was probably just to send me specific places and keep me stupid," he griped.

Soon enough, Anais and Ailen were with them once more. Siegfried joined as well, content to listen and mull over the information being shared during these planning stages. It was Anais who wondered aloud what Charlemagne's additional plan was. Well, he'd gladly tell her and everyone else... after an interruption from Astolfo. "Does it involve the beach episode we still haven't got?" the lad wondered. With his thought process broken, Charlemagne sighed. "... No, Astolfo. No. Aincrad is the reason Holy Grails haven't been spawning for the last thousand years, after only a few of them. They're basically a myth to the lower world now, right? If we take down Aincrad, we take down the thing stopping the Holy Grails. Why not let the people know they're real at the same time, with a bang? Father An sends down groups of seven. I say we take seven, we find the kid, and we call it a grail war. Once we've taken that group down, we can access Aincrad with their portkeys. Seven go out, and seven take on Aincrad."

[Apollymi]

Charles hadn't seen very much as far as signs were concerned. According to him, it was likely the case he was being sent out to be kept in the dark. Martha could understand if he was being sent out but not really looking around he may have missed things. Thinking about the amount of time it took place over it was a bit suspicious, but if he had no reason to trust then his ignorance wasn't necessarily a sin. Actually, it was fairly similar to the practices in ancient civilizations of keeping human sacrifices happy so that they would be pleasing to whatever god they were being killed for. "Even seeing things on the inside if you aren't assuming anything bad is happening it wouldn't have made sense. I remember that kids showing up in the orphanages and people talking about finding Holy Grails were being talked about around the same time... and I didn't see the connection and I grew up in one of those orphanages," Anais added. There wasn't really anything that group could have done... to help him realize it sooner.

"Why?" Anais mumbled. She was comforted knowing that Charles at least also wasn't prepared for Astolfo's antics. Moving on from that no, no beach episode but instead there would be a likely slaying of whatever seven An sent down them, capturing the potential kid and letting everyone know that Holy Grail Wars were still a thing. "Ah, like a Holy Grail War restart... get people moving towards a goal again," Anais thought of this and figured it would be fine. People from their own world were likely to remember wanting to get them if they played the game. And it would bring more diversity to this upper world, that would be better for everyone and keep the lower world from getting stagnant. "I don't know much about the extra time this whole thing took but keeping another kid from being kidnapped and other people from dying over kidnapping is a great idea at base," was Yume's opinion. "Hm, I see no problems with this either, aside from figuring out where it will show up and if or how we can get there before anyone else..." Sakura mentioned having thought through some other possibilities.

[Bloodedge]

Regardless of what Anais said, Charlemagne gave himself partial blame for all that happened. He was ignorant and therefore inactive. Even being thrown into a position of leadership, and separately a position of high responsibility within the organization, he counted another massive failure on his part. "That doesn't matter. Hindsight is 20/20, but I could have seen something!" he insisted. Not to cry over spilled milk, though, he stepped into a conference room of sorts, as remembered from his time spent in the sanctum. "This is still here? Cool." Inward he went, taking a seat at the edge of a long dining table. Charlemagne remembered having a few meals over meetings in this very room. Now, there would be just a meeting. "So, here's the next stage. Based on the last Holy Grail Expedition in Aincrad, I'd say we've got about three years to find what we're looking for. But..."

Charlemagne did have a thought. Sakura's singular concern was identifying and being the first to locate whatever Holy Grail would be appearing, which was inline with his idea. "I was thinking about that too. There has to be a fast way of finding them, right? Those expeditions go out like clockwork, but I've never heard of anyone doing recon beforehand. I'm going to be checking with the Nexus again later, so I'll find out if another plan I have works. Since we know the grails can connect those who've earned them, even if they no longer own a grail, I wonder if the Nexus can help us find the next grail. If that works, that's one problem taken care of. If not, we'll have to do a lot of searching. Either way, we should work out a Party for when the day comes, and probably train within that group. We've got some of the best healing and buffing I've ever seen through Annie and Asta. We'll need some heavy hitters if we want to take down the kind of defense Holy Templars will bring," he gathered. In the group he brought along, there were two relative unknowns. As such, Charlemagne's gaze traveled between Sakura and Yume. "If either of you is willing to fight, what are your combat strengths?"

[Apollymi]

Charles would continue to beat himself up over his overlooked things. Anais understood this to some extent, she did similar things when her mind was too quiet. As such she was content to let the lad have out at himself as he navigated the Holy Knight Headquarters as if it were second nature to him. Well, he had mentioned being here before so it was hardly a problem. All the girls ended up inside the room Yume seeming pretty pleased. "This is really impressive," mentioned Yume. "Yeah, Aincrad's leader's tastes are so dated. I'm like super amazed by everything I've seen lately," Anais commented. She'd eventually take a seat at the table and so would the other girls. Sakura sat at Charles side, and Yume sat to Anais's right giving the elafia girl a strange sense of de ja vu. Martha would sit nearer to one of the windows and look at this group while thinking things over.

According to Charles the expeditions out of Aincrad didn't do recon, so it was likely some way to track the appearance of a Holy Grail through another. His main plan was to ask the Nexus to help them locate it. He also went on to suggest potentially building a party with the currently avaliable resources. Of course, both Anais and Astolfo were included automatically for their known main abilities and Yume and Sakura were asked about their potential interest in fighting and or ability to do so. Sakura would have to think about it, but perhaps in letting Yume go first she might hear something worth commenting on. Yume thought about how to best phrase her own abilities given what she'd heard from these people about the knights of this other place. "Well, I am wearing an old fire god, so I am pretty sure I count as a magical fire person. Well, it could be anything but fire is an easier starting point. I can also force people to experience their own Karma and I am pretty sure I'm a Demon Demigod so... I am probably partially immune to Holy things while being fairly good at harming them if standard RPG mechanics work the way I assume they do..." Yume mentioned. "I also don't mind fighting, though I will admit to building full mage so I didn't spec for any physical combat," she admitted fully. "Box it." Anais found herself murmuring. "Oh? You're still doing that? Is there a mystery you're working up to?" asked Yume who seemed to understand that strange habit of her friend.Why did Yume count as a Demon Demigod? And why could she use other elements and fire... and apply Karma, it was a lot. Admittedly the girl was the almost perfect 'Black Mage' to Anais's 'White Mage'.

Sakura was still giving it some thought and looked at Yume. "You could definitely harm something purely holy, so long as you overpower it. I don't really know how my skills translate to combat yet. They've been upgraded a bit since the last time I played with them. Though their base function hasn't really changed so I know I can absorb mana based things and it won't have an effect on me. I can also appraise it, I also can't be poisoned, intoxicated or mentally taken over... I can also bind things," she said seeming to not understand what just happened. Anais would soon be rubbing her head so would Martha as she looked down at the group. She wasn't ready for all she was hearing today.

[Bloodedge]

Perhaps one of the most important things they could all know now, was the combat abilities of Yume and Sakura... assuming one or both of them intended to join the coming expedition. Each one had an obvious power, and even greater potential from what Charlemagne could now tell. However, it was only Yume who seemed relatively certain of her own applicable uses. Apparently, that ancient god she was somehow wearing was one of fire. As a 'Demon Demigod' as she called herself, Yume also believed she would be very effective against the Holy attributes of Templars. "That sort of thing normally varies a bit, depending on the person and their specialization. Being immune to Holy powers would be helpful, but if you have to fight someone who specializes the way I do, your demonic powers won't work either. That's still a trait worth having; just a warning that something of that sort could happen," he advised. "Controlling karma, though... that's very useful, considering what these people have done. . ."

As for Sakura, it seemed she hadn't recently tested her abilities. Charlemagne couldn't blame her for that, considering the girl's true age and... propensity for study. Ah, but her abilities themselves were potentially very useful. After a long silence, her elf father spoke for the sake of adding to the discussion. "And the potential to alter reality. I'm not sure if you forgot that, or haven't realized yet. Sorry if it's the latter," Ailen said, even knowing exactly where she gained such an ability due to a certain someone... well, never shutting up about it. "... Right. So Astolfo is replaced as our strongest control option?" Charlemagne replied, much to the pink-haired male's dismay. "Waah! No fair! We're definitely doing a beach episode if I'm gonna be chopped liver like that!"

Thrice, Astolfo brought that up. Charlemagne was beginning to wonder what actually happened during Astolfo's alleged trip to the moon. Alas, he would never truly question it for fear of the disturbing truth. Right this moment, for some strange reason, he felt even asking about the moon at all was a terrible idea. Oh well. "So anyway, we have five. Who are the others going to be? We could use someone with damage-dealing ability, and maybe a hard defense for any unexpected mishaps or secret weapons."