AN: Hey and hello everyone. Firstly I'd like to apologize in advance for if this is not the best start to the story, I know first impressions count but I ask to hopefully give me some leeway as while this is not the first story I've written it has been a while. My hope is once I start to get more into the ideas I have it'll take some better shape but at the moment I'll admit to having some difficulties thinking of the best way to start it in an interesting way.
Nevertheless though, hopefully this chapter and story to come will entertain some and I hope none are too offended by what I have to offer. Please, if you have any constructive criticisms feel free to share and I'll be sure to look them over and give them thought, it only serves to better the story as a whole. Thank you all again for giving this the time of day and I wish you all the best.
Funny how things worked sometimes. How it could all start out so simple, and yet, by the end of it you end up questioning everything. All that is, all that has been and likely will be. And in the end it'd all come down to this. This moment, in a place that made no sense yet with what she'd seen and acquired seemed so normal, like all that had come before was the oddity.
So much had happened. It felt like she'd been fighting her whole life, and looking back, she had, but not like tonight. In the end she'd accomplished her goal and then some, but at what cost? How she wanted to collapse here and wail, to let the tears stream and her emotions to spill. To feel like there was still some part of her still left at the end of all this.
But there was still work to be done, and she was tired. Oh so tired…
History was a funny thing really. So many things that were could just up in change in a decade or two and in a few more if it wasn't recorded those old traditions and times could disappear with the last one who had memory of them. At the same time though, even while certain beliefs and ways of old may be recorded, there was no guarantee they'd stand the test of time. The greatest conqueror, the mightiest warrior, the most wonderful hero could be lost to memory sometimes in a day or in a millennia with their exploits and what they might have accomplished fading away, possibly forever.
Indeed, at the same time though, even the most obscure thing could be discovered out of the blue and all at once change everything you have known and come to know. Truly, a funny thing history and time could be. The latter was such the case for Garren Burch. Born in Germany, he hadn't even been a month old when his parents up and moved to England where he spent most of the rest of his life. It seemed he was destined to never stay in one place for too long though for it'd always be just a few years before something would cause him to move.
First was the death of his biological parents at the young age of 8 and spent the next 10 bouncing around foster homes and orphanages with his only companion being a small badge his father had given to him from before he could even walk. Indeed it wasn't till he'd almost turned 19 when his uncle Heins had found him at last after being overseas for 20 years did he at last find a true place to call home for a while. And the funniest thing about it all was not when his uncle had told him of his family's lineage as mages, that he had learned from his parents when he was young before the accident that took them from him. No, it was that he learned he'd even had an uncle in the first place as neither of their parents mentioned him before nor had Garren ever even seen a picture of him.
When he'd told his uncle Heins this the man grew a sad smile and had replied he'd expected as much. From before Garren was born, he explained, Heins had renounced his participation in inheriting the title of being the next family mage, as he was the oldest and thus the heir, and had been disowned entirely. Communication had been cut so entirely when he had moved away that he hadn't even learned about his brother and sister-in-law's passing until just a year previous and that their son was just bouncing about families. It'd taken a long series of discussions and deals with the Mage's Association but in the end they allowed Heins to be Garren's guardian, of course so long as he actually taught him to pass on his lineage and such.
Thus a few years passed with some training in being a mage, though Heins mostly focused primarily on trying to teach Garren morals and give him proper direction on life as well as attempt to give him a passion in the form of martial arts. Along the way the young man even managed to get a degree in teaching as well as amass a fine collection of blades and a certain skill to use them as the art just came naturally to him. His training was never really able to be completed though for only a month and a half after he got said degree his uncle passed away in a brutal car accident, though had left his fortune with Garren in its entirety. And it was not by any means a small one.
It'd taken a while to recover from it all, being in his mid-twenties, a recent college graduate, a barely qualified mage, and now without any family left to his name. When he had though he decided he'd take what he learned and travel the world, knowing there was always more out there to be learned, to be seen, and discovered. Magecraft came as a secondary to him but he made sure to never fall out of tune in his travels, stopping by the Clocktower in London every now and then to brush up on his skills and maybe learn a few things along the way.
Eventually he found a nice place in Japan and decided to put his degree to use, finding a job teaching English and world history starting with the younger grades. Indeed, for all the tragedy and shapelessness in his life with the only constants being his magecraft and the little badge he'd gotten so long ago, after nearly 30 years of being alive, he'd found his place.
Ever still though it seemed the world had many more secrets it saw fit to bestow upon him for during a trip to the Clocktower to again brush up on his knowledge, when in the library he'd stumbled across some books laying out and around that caught his eye. The books talked of a certain Holy Grail War that took place every 60 years in Fuyuki City between three powerful families of magi and those whom also were chosen by the Holy Grail itself to participate in the war. Garren had learned that seven powerful Servants in the shape of heroes of old were summoned by each participant and the Master of the last Servant standing would be granted an omnipotent wish from the Grail itself.
The discovery was a truly curious and amazing one to him. To think the very city he happened to teach in was also the place of a battleground of powerful magi and ancient heroes? And he was only just now learning of it? He could hardly find words to describe how he felt! He did more researching on the subject in the library but he didn't need to look far, seemed someone had been most curious about the subject recently as well. He found incantations and the methods of going about the ritual to summon a Servant and found he'd need a catalyst of some sort if he wanted to summon a specific hero from time.
That part he wasn't sure on. After all he didn't even know where he was even going to begin to look, let alone so close to when the war was to take place but he supposed for the moment he'd collect what he had and head home quickly for there was much to be done.
And that was how he got here, all his life adding up to this moment as he sat on a plane heading back to his home in Fuyuki. It all felt like destiny to him: to have been born into a family of magus, 3rd generation or no, to have never been able to stay in one place to long to get him traveling, to find a place in Japan that just so happened to be the place of a Holy war took place every 60 years and be on the cusp of the most recent cycle. Indeed and the night before he'd been contemplating it all when he looked at his badge as it had sat on his desk beside him and wondered…
The thing was truly ancient, a circular badge in the shape of a crow that had been passed on through his family long before his great-grandfather even thought to dabble in the realm of magics. He had wondered who it could have belonged to initially and if it was so important to have been passed down possibly a hundred times over. It was that thought he'd taken to sleep with him, thinking he'd use it as his catalyst on a whim and woken up with a deep red brand on his hand not too unlike the shape of the badge itself.
It was that thought he had now as he toyed with the ancient metal thing in his hands, turning it this way and that with thoughts a-jumble as the possibilities bounced around in his head. Even more thoughts clouded his head as he glanced to his gloved left hand, thinking about the brand he'd awoken with. Command Seals, two in the shape of large wings curling up on either side of a smaller body between them. He'd been chosen by the Grail to participate in the War. He knew what this had meant and had decided to conceal the markings for his own safety. Partially to hide his identity as being a chosen master, and partially because he still didn't even know where to begin with it all.
Tucking the badge back around his neck via the black string attached to it, Garren took a deep breath and decided to use his skills as a teacher to try to get past how overwhelming this all was and took out a journal to try to put a plan together for when he landed. First thing first, he'd head straight home, thinking it probably best to put up a Bounding Field around his home for his own protection and to hide what he was doing to some degree. Next was the tricky part, should he focus on identifying as many of the other participants as he should, or get to casting his Servant right away.
Truthfully the wisest course of action would likely be to summon his Servant after he'd secured his home, but he couldn't help but be nervous on the matter. He was only a third generation mage with hardly a clue what he was doing and didn't even know the extent of his capabilities but he couldn't help but imagine they weren't too great. And who would he summon even if he could? Sure there was the badge but he had no idea if it'd even work let alone who would come if it did or if they'd be powerful. Who was even left to summon at this point too? So many unknowns it made his head spin.
Garren sighed and sat back a little in his seat, turning his head a bit to look out the window and see the landscape going by beneath him. In its own way it was still a bit foreboding. For every mile he crossed he was getting that much closer to home, to getting into this war. However it still had the serenity of being what it was, a marvelous sight, an example of the beauty of nature and ingenuity of humanity to be able to see it like this. Just watching the sun get chased on the horizon and the beauty it left on the sky helped him eventually find the clarity he needed.
He'd try the summoning. Even if he did not succeed then he would have to accept his fate. The Grail might have chose him but perhaps it was but a fluke. If it wasn't though, and he did manage to summon a heroic spirit, he'd stick with them till the end for even if he was in this for pure curiosity and still did not know his ultimate goal, his ultimate wish...Well, he couldn't say it hadn't been an interesting run.
With a deep breath Garren got to writing: writing the incantation so he wouldn't forget it, writing his plans for what he'd do after he'd summoned his Servant, writing to be as prepared as he could while trying not to let his shaking hand mess with his handwriting too much. He had just snapped his journal closed as his flight touched down and when it eventually was his turn to stand and make his way off, Garren walked with a confident stride. He was as prepared as he was going to get and hopefully that would be enough.
He'd been fairly lucky to have touched down as the sun was sinking below the horizon as it gave him the cover of night to do everything he needed at the very least. Well, at least hopefully it'd be a bit of a blessing but hopefully there wouldn't be any looking eyes if things got a bit flashy.
Garren sighed and stood, examining his work of the summoning circle painted in a circle of blood he'd managed to procure from the Clocktower before his departure (as that was what was called for it seemed) and hoped it would be enough. He'd muttered all the incantation whilst he had done so and had, as it described, destroyed the vessels so hopefully it'd work as it said. The teacher walked over to where he'd set up an end table on the other side of the circle and took his badge off, inspecting it one last time in his hand, thinking of how funny time and history could be, before setting it down gently on the end table.
With that he walked back to the opposite side of the summoning circle and took a deep breath with closed eyes before opening them again and raising his left hand. Here goes nothing. "Heed my words. My will creates your body and your sword creates my destiny. If you heed the Grail's call and obey my will and reason, then answer me." He tried to keep the shakiness out of his voice and managed, he felt a bit childish perhaps for being so nervous but he couldn't help the overbearing feeling that he was still a bit out of his league with this all. Still though, the circle glowed as did the seals on his hand and he ignored the burning sensation on his hand as he continued.
"I hereby swear I will be all the good in the world. That I shall defeat all the evil in the world. You seven heavens, clad in the three great words of power, come forth from the circle of binding." He swallowed and released a breath to clear the weight of anticipation off his shoulders as he prepared the final words that would seal his fate.
"Guardian of scales!"
The circle grew brighter as did the light and burning sensation on his hand and he held back the need to wince. Electricity crackled around the circle and the power radiating off of it grew until at last it reached its peak and glowed so bright Garren had to close an eye and turn away some. Finally it subsided all at once and when it had he had to blink in dumbfound surprise, not only that he had been successful as a figure stood before him, but also at the figure themselves.
It was a woman, standing about 165 centimeters her upper half was dressed in what appeared to be that part of a black robe which also had a black scarf around her neck, though two white pieces of cloth draped down her back along with a separate one tied around her waist. Her sleeves were long and the ends were quite baggy and led to wide-cuffed leather gloves which seemed charred, the right having chain wrapped around the palm while the other was much more intricate with a metal guard and claws which were connected by chains as well.
Below the belt she wore long, black leather boots that went all the way up to her lower thigh along with dark grey pants and a large black leather holster on her right leg which seemed to have a large 17th or 18th century flintlock that was almost as large as her forearm. Perched atop a head of silver hair drawn into a ponytail was an old-looking, ashen grey trifold hat which on its ends lead up to white tips that looked almost feathered.
Her face though was what mostly caught his attention. She had what most might say was an average face, though it wasn't attractive in its own way, she had lips set to a straight thin line while her gunmetal blue eyes seemed cold, distant, and most of all, tired. She appeared to take a deep breath before she turned to Garren and looked him up and down, studying him. Though he'd say sizing up would be the proper term.
Finally she spoke, "You…" her voice was quiet, soft, but just like her eyes it seemed tired. "Are you my Master?"
Garren stood a bit straighter and for the first time since he really got into this whole business he gave a small smile and glanced around, "Well there's no one else here so I'd hope so." His eyes fell upon her again but her expression hadn't changed, she merely looked to his left hand and saw the Command Seals before giving an acknowledging tip of her head. A silence reigned for a second or two before Garren cleared his throat and spoke, adjusting his glasses some, "My name is Garren Burch. As I am now a Master in this Holy Grail War, might I request the name and class of my servant?"
The woman stood there for several seconds, firstly watching him but it did not take long before she furrowed her brow some and glanced to the side, looking at nothing in particular. Finally her gaze returned to him and she pressed a closed hand into her other, pressed it to her body at the waist, and gave a small bow, "I'm...my name is Reyven Tentune, and I am a Hunter."
There was so much to take in, but the Grail had made it all so understandable, so clear. Like she'd known everything it'd imparted on her all her life. She supposed it did not feel quite as unnatural as the insight she once had so long ago but these mingling understandings of the world and cosmos was still a strain on her mind to keep balanced and under control even if she did not show it. After all, this was all too familiar an inner struggle anyway, one she was perhaps more accustomed to than any one person had any fair right to be. Thus was her existence though, both before and after her time it seemed.
Her Master was a curious man, his appearance showed one perhaps of possible knowledgeable pursuit, with wide square glasses, a soul patch, dark brown hair somewhat messy but in a controlled fashion. His attire a green sweatshirt and formal pants, casual business as one might expect of a teacher as he claimed to be. Though his surrounding spoke as much, with a large wooden desk behind where he stood and bookcases on either side of them and trinkets of various sorts where her vision could see them.
At his question it had taken her a moment to gather together all that was and is into something that made sense again and finally she found the information she required. Reyven gave him a formal bow as she had been taught to give her superiors upon introduction before answering his question. When she straightened again she could see the confusion and contemplation on his face. She could not blame him, she understood his reason even before he voiced it.
"A Hunter? So...does that mean you're an Archer?"
"No," she answered simply and softly, "I am what I say I am. A Hunter." He raised his hand to his chin in clear thought and even as he opened his mouth she raised a hand. "I understand, there are only meant to be seven classes, my Master, the Grail has said as such, but it seems my presence is once more needed and thus I was beckoned. I have my duty and I must uphold it." Though it is true the Grail had imparted so much upon her, of this time and all the knowledge required to sustain herself in it, she still had the arcane and...great knowledge and understanding she had accumulated in her past incarnation. This was no fluke, she had reason and purpose for being here, but it might take time to sift through all her knowledge to make it clearer to her.
"To seek the Grail for me and my wish?" her Master asked, "Because, to be perfectly honest, I'm...well I'm a tad new to this all. Aimless I'd even say," he stated with a sheepish smile and rubbed the back of his neck while Reyven remained silent; it was clear he had much to say. "I kinda stumbled across this whole thing and, well, I thought I'd give it a shot. Don't really have an end goal but, ya know, I guess it'd be nice to say I gave it a shot and if we do win well all the better."
The Hunter spent a second to take it all in, curious herself of where this may lead, even if she already had a direction she wished to point their efforts. "Are you saying you do not know what your wish would be?" she questioned, wondering what knowledge she'd gain of her new Master's intentions.
Garren chuckled, "Yeah...I guess so. I mean, I got an idea of course, but I figured it's something to maybe learn along the way."
Reyven stared at the man in silence, her already thin lips tipping into an ever slight frown, "You understand what is at stake do you not? This is a war between very powerful individuals and it is very likely you may yet lose your life. Yet, you are willing to throw it all away, for what...curiosity?" The words were not meant to scold perhaps, but she indeed was having troubles knowing if he understood the extent of what he was getting himself into. It wasn't child's play and if she was to live to see her duty to the end she had to ensure he understood exactly what could happen.
The man's smile faltered and he frowned some, "Look I know how it sounds, I do, but I know this is dangerous. I know there is a very real possibility I could die but this life of mine hasn't been extravagant, but it's been fulfilling. What I've lived I don't regret and if getting into this means I could die, and I do, then at least I can say I went out with a bang." A smirk crossed his features, "After all, 7 in over 7 billion chances, well, 8 I guess in our case, I could be chosen to participate in something as important as this? Well..it's something."
She said nothing. Sure it sounded noble, but remained blissfully ignorant of what could happen. Perhaps if simply just took experience to truly know and for that she could not blame him, but that did not mean she could not ignore the facts herself. For now she would let him hold onto his ideal, she would Hunt for him, but she still had intentions of her own. He had not been wrong when he asked if she sought the Grail. But she did not seek it just for him, unless she could one day soon make him understand. After all, she had a duty to uphold, even now.
Convinced he might yet be impressionable to her overall goal, she gave a simple bow of her head, "I apologize, Master, I just wish to know you understand what could happen."
He raised a dismissive hand, "No, you're fine Reyven, I understand. And please, don't call me Master. You can refer to me as Garren."
Head still bowed she retorted him, "No, Master, I will refer to you as such and it is wise you call me by my class, Hunter. Names hold great power in the War, it can reveal the Master's loved ones and place of residence or operation and it can reveal a Servant's identity. Meaning their noble phantasms and their weaknesses."
Garren's face heated a bit in embarrassment and he rubbed the back of his neck, "Right. Pardon, forgot about that too. I'll be sure to remember that but while I can call you Hunter it'll be a tad strange to others who might see us in public for you to call me master. When we aren't in combat could you do me that favor if you see it fit?"
Reyven straightened at last and gave an acknowledging tip of her head. He gave a breath of relief at that, no need to get odd stares about that in a public place but with that out of the way he still had a question of his own. "Alright, well, on the topic of names...I know you've already told me yours but...who are you? I've never heard of your name before and being a Hunter, a class that has never been seen before, I think it's a good idea for me to know what you're capable of."
When several seconds had passed and she had not responded, he could not help but frown some. Sure it was possible that people who had committed terrible acts still in the end had benefitted their people or humanity or achieved such great accomplishments to have been recognized by the Throne of Heroes to be able to be summoned, but surely she was at least a capable individual.
He blinked as she spoke at last, "You wouldn't know of my tale, no one does in this age, but that is for the better. If you do not know of me though, then how did you summon me? This circumstance could not have been mere chance I sense." That was a concerning thought. She thinks her exploits better off forgotten? To be modest is one thing, but to claim it better that they aren't known to begin with means it's something she regrets then, surely? Nevertheless he walked around the circle and she watched him, turning to see him continue to the end table previously behind her where he scooped up a small pendant.
He held it up for her to see by its string and she blinked...several times to confirm if what she was seeing was what she thought it was. A hand reached out and paused in midair, hesitating before continuing forth to take the badge gently in her hand. Garren was surprised by what he saw on the woman's face. Where before she showed no emotion on her face, no expressions, she now had a look of recognition, one which turned to pain and sadness. To think he hadn't thought it possible for those poor eyes to look any more tired.
"This is mine," she stated and tied it around her belt using the string already attached to it.
That took a moment to process, "You mean, that old thing was yours?"
"Just as it was once it belong to the person who gave it to me, yes."
So many revelations this night, he wondered just how far down the rabbit hole they'd be by the end of this. "So you know what it is then? It's not just a family heirloom right?"
Reyven shook her head, "No, this badge, just as many others, told which workshop we Hunters came from. This one in particular was a bit...different though."
"How so?"
She fell silent again as she looked down at the badge at her hip, studying it while Garren stood with anticipation. "Perhaps another time," she replied softly at last before looking up to him. "There will be time for idle talk later, for now we must get into more important matters. We must plan and prepare. You say you are new to this war, you must at least know the identities and locations of the others, yes?"
Garren looked aside and ran his hand through his hair, "Not quite. I know of the main families taking place in all this and where their residence is but I don't know much else. Heck, I don't even know if the other Servants have been summoned yet."
"Oh they have," she said in what he could only describe as a foreboding tone, "That much you can be certain. You are the odd one out in this war, not only because of me but for your lateness. If the others do not know of your presence yet then they surely will soon. It is best to take advantage of this time to learn what you can and improve your defenses."
Garren gave a nod of understanding and took a deep breath, "Good idea. Suppose it's good at least one of us has a few ideas as to what to do. I already erected a Bounding Field but after I rest some I'll be able to put a bit more strength into it, no first class magus myself after all." He offered a chuckle but cleared his throat at her ever-straight face, "I'll send familiars out tonight though and try to see what I can find."
The Hunter gave a nod, "Alright, I shall check the perimeter and ensure all is safe. Rest when you can, we have a long Hunt ahead of us and you will need all the strength you can muster."
With that the Servant walked past him, fading into a trail of purple dust as she exited her physical form. Garren nodded as he saw her off, continuing to do so to himself thoughtfully after she had gone. He walked over to his desk and sat down slowly into his chair where he leaned back and gazed up at the ceiling with the light of the moon being the only source of illumination as he turned off his lamp. The weight of everything was finally setting in and crush of anxiety filled his chest as overwhelming thoughts clouded his mind. So much to take in, so much to do, to keep in mind. The very real possibility he could die was obviously still an overbearing presence as many times as he told himself he'd come to terms with it, but he just had to have faith both in himself and Reyven and he was sure the thought would clear in no time.
Nevertheless though, despite it all he couldn't help but smile. He'd done it, he'd summoned a spirit from a time long ago and just as much as there was a chance he could end up dead, there was also a very real one he could have his greatest wish granted as well. To think of the possibilities...He sighed and cleared his head, all of that was thoughts for another time. For now he had to focus on gathering as much information as he could and he took the time to send out familiars to scout around, doing a bit of research himself into the families he'd be up against.
It didn't take long before his eyes grew heavy and his focus started to wane and he knew it'd be impossible to concentrate without some sleep, especially with how much mana he'd expended tonight. He stood and made his way to his bed, thinking to himself as he laid down that he'd have to ask Reyven again about her abilities as the topic had been sidetracked. His eyes closed thinking of all the possibilities.
The first sunrise of his involvement with the Holy Grail War proved an eventful one. Not only had one of his passing familiars found the Tohsaka manor but in the process had also bore witness to one Servant being destroyed by another in a brilliant gold light. He had called conference with Hunter and together they discussed.
"What exactly did you see?" Reyven asked as she stood with arms crossed in the middle of the office, a large rug now covering the summoning circle directly under where she stood while he sat at his desk.
"It happened quickly and the familiar only caught it as it happened due to the brightness of it, but it appeared to be Assassin being struck down by another, golden Servant whom I can only imagine was Tohsaka's."
Reyven took a moment to process the information herself, it wasn't much all things considered but it was something more than they started with. "It is presumed Assassin is dead then? How exactly was it struck down by this other Servant, you keep saying gold, bright, and brilliant but in what manner was Assassin destroyed?"
"Hm…" Garren had to take a moment to think over exactly what it was he'd seen, "I'm not really certain to be perfectly honest. The best I can think of to describe it was multiple weapons were thrown at him while he was held in place by a spear. I can't describe exactly what sort of weapon was being projected but each seemed different. A spear held Assassin in place but best I can detail is other blades were thrown at him as well. What do you make of that?"
The Hunter's lips tightened, "If they were thrown or fired then it's possible it's Archer but the possibility remains of Caster or Lancer as well. A Noble Phantasm doesn't have to be a singular weapon after all so it is possible duplication is its ability or a certain spell by a Caster. Until other Servants are revealed we may yet remain in the dark on the matter."
"I see…" Garren tumbled the words over in his head. What she was saying was making sense certainly of that he could be sure, but something just...didn't feel right. "At least Assassin is out of it already but it just...I don't know…"
"Feels too bold? Too soon?"
"Yeah, I suppose so. It seems like a stupid decision to send a Servant in, Assassin or no, all on their own directly into an enemy fortification."
"I am not so concerned with that than I am how quickly he was dealt with." Garren blinked and looked up to her with wide-eyes, "Think about it. Assassin has superb stealth capabilities. It would make sense for a Master to be confident enough to give them an infiltration mission so early on especially if they received word the other Servant may be away. Just as you did not think it wise, another may not expect it. Within their own fortifications no less. Indeed, I am more concerned with how quickly he was seemingly intercepted and dealt with, almost planned…"
Garren digested that as well, "I wouldn't put it past other Masters to work together, but Assasin was definitely dead by the end of it so it still does not make any sense…"
"We can agree something is not right though," to that her Master nodded, "then we will keep an ear to the ground and pay even closer attention. Indeed, what may seem like something worth celebrating feels much the opposite in this case."
"Yeah...though I hear Assassin's Master has taken refuge within the church and that is a neutral zone, surely he can't do much there?" Reyven seemed unconvinced by his words though and he resigned himself to still listen to her, however better it is he may go about things. "With all that aside though, how went your search?"
"It yielded exactly what I expected, nothing, and that is preferable," that at least was a bit of a relief. "Though it did give me time to do a bit of research of my own."
"So that's why you were going through my books earlier when I woke up huh?" Garren asked with a small smile, "I thought the Grail imparted everything you needed to know upon you?"
Her face remained unchanged as ever, "It imparts only the essentials, it does not mean there isn't anything more to be gained."
Curiosity rose within him again and he raised a brow, "Oh? Have you learned anything you could use?"
As per usual even by now, silence reigned a moment, "A few things. Some which confirmed my previous beliefs and others which gave me new insight into the workings of this age and the like." She paused and Garren could see a distant look in her eyes as she stared off at nothing in particular, "It certainly has been a long time, but better the secrets of my time be lost than running rampant."
He had to mull over the words some, between what she'd said last night and her hesitation to discuss her past, it made him wonder what in her time had happened and was so bad she saw it best for it to be forgotten. He doubted he'd earned enough standing with her just yet to earn an explanation so instead figured he'd move on to the next topic glossed over the night before.
"I see...well, if you have any questions regarding certain things in particular I'll certainly do my best to answer them. In the meantime though, last night we never really covered what you were capable of: what are your weapons, your abilities, and can you handle yourself in a fight?"
She wasn't offended by the questions, after all she recalled now she never really answered them last night and it gave him reason to possibly doubt her. So in response she merely nodded and withdrew her sidearm from the holster on her thigh and the silver blade slipped into a sheath hidden behind it. He seemed a bit surprised she'd had a second weapon, to have a blade and a gun made her seem like she'd belong as either Archer or possibly Assassin with the shortness of her blade.
"As a Hunter I used...use a wide variety of tools at my disposal with great skill and precision. Should it come down to it, I am prepared for a wide variety of situations, combat or otherwise, and I can assure you that you need not worry about my combat prowess. I have seen and fought things the likes of which no one in this time has ever, and hopefully never will, see." Her eyes were locked with his and he could see the dark look she had in her eyes as she held his gaze, "Have faith in me, my Master, for I have been summoned for a reason and while there may be those more powerful than I in this war, I will be able to handle myself just fine."
Garren continued to look into her eyes as she stared at him with dark conviction before at last he gave a slow nod. "Alright, I understand," he gave a small reassuring smile, "With this sort of thing it's hard to just be able to simply 'have faith' without much other prior knowledge, but nevertheless I shall. Besides, it's...quite clear you've seen your fair share of combat no doubt."
Reyven gave a small bow of thanks before straightening and returning her eyes to him, "And what of you, Master? What are your abilities and can you handle yourself should it be necessary for you to do so?"
"Well, no promises I'll be able to handle myself in combat with a Servant, but these swords aren't just for show." Garren raised a hand to gesture to the sword racks and cases between a few of the bookshelves, Reyven glanced to them but had already inspected them before in her free time. "I've taken martial art training with them and know my way around a sword even if my offensive magic isn't too great, but I know a thing or two about astral magic and alchemy."
Reyven gave a slow nod, it wasn't perfect but if she did her job correctly it would not be something to worry about. He continued, "Though I'll admit I haven't delved too deep into healing magic either I might still be of some use in that department."
She waved the statement off, "Do not worry about that, I have means of my own to help myself should the situation become dire." The worry was still clear on her master's face, "Have a little faith Master, I have many tricks up my sleeves none will expect I'm sure."
It seemed enough to reassure him as he simply sighed and watched her for a moment before nodding, a small smile crossing his face again, "Well, they are rather large sleeves." She gave no response and her expression did not change, "But I trust you, suppose I'll have to whether I like it or not eh?" When she gave nothing but a simple nod, not even the slightest change of expression, Garren couldn't help but think there was something he should do to help her, well, lighten up some.
A moment passed and he clicked his tongue before sitting forward a bit and crossing his fingers, "Tell you what, what you have on now isn't too bad for fitting in around town but why don't we head out and get you some more suiting clothes for being out in public and maybe along the way just show you around some. Won't hurt to get some fresh air and get to know the city you're gonna be staying and fighting in after all."
Reyven paused at the suggestion but gave a small bow of her head, "If that is what you think is best, Master."
"It is, besides…" he stood and walked over to her, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder which she glanced at before turning back to him to see him smiling, "you seem like you could use some time to relax a little." She blinked at the suggestion but after a second or two simply nodded, "Alright, then I'll grab a few things real quick and we'll be off. Savvy?"
Tokiomi Tohsaka paced around his workshop, never straying too far from his phonograph device as he waited a tad impatiently for Kirei to call, knowing he'd get the news he had but minutes prior if he hadn't gotten it already. The message he had gotten was...unsettling to say the least and being as the two of them and the overseer were the only ones who knew the truth as to what was going on it made things all the more...complicated. Not to mention he'd have thought such things wouldn't even be possible to begin with should Assassin have been truly eliminated.
"Master Tokiomi, are you there?" the deep flat voice of Kirei spoke suddenly through the large horn, snapping the mage out of his trance.
"Yes Kirei, I take it you received the same news that I have?" Tokiomi asked, taking a seat beside the magical device with a hand curled thoughtfully to his chin.
"I have, the Grail has chosen another Servant and Master. The news is…"
"Concerning…"
"...That is one word."
Even now it felt difficult to process exactly what this could mean, "It would make sense perhaps for someone to have gotten news of Assassin's supposed death and attempt to summon another, but I have never heard of such a thing working in the past let alone given the truth you and I know..."
"Indeed, and it does not help it appears the Church cannot identify their class. At this point anything seems possible."
"What do you make of it?" Tokiomi stood and walked back over to the script he'd received, picking it up and scanning its contents once more as he awaited his response.
"I do not know. At the moment everything about this factor is a complete unknown but it is safe to assume to try and treat it as simply another individual competing for the Grail. We may yet find the truth behind the matter in the process."
Tokiomi sighed and sat back down, the parchment still in his hand as he continued to eye it, deep in thought. "Yes, I suppose so. It seems your Assassins will have their work cut out for them indeed but we still have Gilgamesh on our side. We won't underestimate them just like the others but at the moment we still have him as our trump card. Let us hope something is revealed to us soon, the more we learn the better."
"Agreed, master Tokiomi. I will have Assassin continue to search for any signs of the other Masters and inform you if something of importance is revealed."
"Thank you, Kirei. Best of luck."
"To you as well."
Tokiomi sat back with a deep breath, continuing to think the whole ordeal over. Anything was possible, whether it be a duplicate of another class of servant, or perhaps another entirely and it was impossible to know just exactly was to happen, but only time would tell. It had a funny way of working like that.
Garren sat at a table in a book store writing down a few notes in his journal about possible plans and things his familiars were picking up around and about. They'd been out for a while and had visited a few stores around town, Reyven having picked out more fitting modern attire in the form of a black hoodie and grey cargo pants. At least she didn't stand out as much as before but she seemed insistent to keep the hat of hers on.
Not that he minded really, the silver hair would be stand-out enough on its own anyway but nevertheless it wasn't as though the hat itself was blowing any cover yet. After he finished writing a thought down the teacher sat back and scanned the shelves to see if he could spot his Servant and caught sight of her on the second floor trailing a finger across the rows. He still didn't know what she was searching for but he figured he'd let her do her thing, no point in not at the moment all things considered.
Besides, in its own way they were building up their relationship, understanding one another and he didn't want to restrict her both to get her trust and because she seemed to be the type to not only know what she was doing but not let things get in her way. One could also learn a lot about a person based on the type of genre they were interested in. Of course she had insisted this was mostly for research purposes and had thus stuck mostly to nonfiction and mythology, he nevertheless gave her permission and encouraged her to look for any recreational books that struck her fancy.
A bit lost in thinking, he blinked and returned his gaze to her to see her pause in front of an aisle and glance down to him before looking down the aisle again and turning into it. Raising a curious brow Garren leaned around a bit in his seat to see the section she'd gone down and saw it looked something like astrology. That was a bit of an interesting surprise to him but he made sure to note that in his journal and perhaps keep it in mind for the future.
A few minutes later Reyven came back down to where he was sitting with a sizeable stack of books in her arms. He'd expected her to get a few certainly but there must have been at least eight to ten books in her arms that were all fairly thick. Well, he supposed it wasn't as though he didn't have the money for it but if she thought she could get some use outta it all he wouldn't mind.
"Find everything you need?" Garren asked as he stood and pocketed his pen, ready to walk her to the checkout.
She gave a nod, "Yes...though I will admit most of these are...mine, there might still be something of use to us." He raised a brow and leaned a tad to see the titles of some of her books, most of them being about stars and the cosmos.
"Shouldn't be a problem. It'll give you something to do with our in-between time I'm sure."
She bowed her head in thanks, "Thank you, Ma-...Garren. We may yet need to return should we learn the identities of other heroes but hopefully these will suit us well in the meantime." Garren gave a nod of his own and helped her to the checkout, letting the woman behind the counter scan all the books and when she asked if that was all he was about to take out his wallet when Reyven exclaimed and reached into her pocket. She set an item on the counter and he had to eye it a moment before he realized the little square object was an mp3.
He smirked and glanced to her and for the first time her blank facade was broken with what he could describe as a slight fluster, "I've heard a few songs and am curious what else there is…" she muttered and looked away. Garren simply kept smiling and took out his wallet, letting the cashier know they were done before finishing everything and heading out once more with two heavy bags.
As they were walking out Garren took a deep breath of fresh air and looked around, hearing Reyven step up beside him. "How about we go grab some lunch for a bit then head home? Treat's on me."
"Whatever you wish," was her simple response and he just sighed before nodding for her to follow and they made their way down the sidewalk.
The day had proven to be a… intriguing one to Reyven, even if she did not express it handily. She also hadn't said it directly, but she was truly appreciative that Garren had insisted on taking her out to look around as well as let her indulge in getting a few books about the cosmos. She wanted to try and understand or at the very least learn, but even though she'd already cleared two of the large volumes since their return to Garren's home she still could not find the answers she desired. Not even any of the few history books she scanned in the bookstore contained anything about Yharnam either, as though it had never existed. It was for the better, but she hoped it was by her doing she was able to put an end to the Hunts so many years ago.
Such were the thoughts that troubled her as she sat on the roof, legs curled up with her arms wrapped around them and her chin hidden behind her knees as she looked out over the city, music playing softly in her ears via the headphones connected to her mp3. Sitting up here though, seeing a city so bright, so alive with a normal moon and night sky up above while she listened to uplifting music...it almost made her forget the woes of her past life and this one. Never before had she indulged in the more pleasant parts of life like this.
It almost felt uncomfortable, to be able to enjoy herself for once in her cruel existence, but she wanted to savor every moment she could and it was all the more reason to. A cool breeze blew over her and she took in a deep breath of the fresh air, closing her eyes and leaning her head back. When she opened them she looked at the moon above, how it shone so bright tonight with stars twinkling here and there around it. Tonight the sight did not feel her with dread or disdain for it. No, tonight it looked...beautiful and her mind's eye flashed images of an awe-inducing field of white flowers with the largest tree she'd ever seen standing at the edge of it all. Her features fell as sadness and pain once more welled in her chest, wondering if in this incarnation she could still dream or if it had ended all those years ago with the Hunts.
Sadly, it was not a thought she could dwell on for long for out of the blue a call assailed her sense and she snapped her head up to look in the direction it had come from, staring off for but an instant before she swiftly stood and swung her way back inside. "Master, a Servant beckons and it is of little doubt others heard it as well."