AN:
This fic is mostly inspired by my love for the original few entries in the Fate franchise. I wanted to make a Grail War inspired by the original FSN and Fate/Zero, as it feels like with every year Nasu moves the franchise further and further from its roots of "Seven Masters... around Seven Servants." I'm going to try for a smaller cast, as Fate/Apocrypha suffered from the pitfall of shoving tons of famous historical figures into the War and neglecting most of the Masters. Yes, I am still salty that Kairi and Mordred got like no screentime.
Anyways, let's get this show on the road!
-xxx-
In the watery abyss, She opened her eyes.
Her home was filthy, but that could be fixed easily. How, she didn't know. Just that She could fix it as easily as flexing a muscle.
Her home sanitized, She began to look inward. Who was She? Why was She here?
Gather mana.
A voice spoke into her mind. She questioned it. Why should She should gather mana for someone she didn't even know? Some dim part of her mind also noted the familiarity with the term "mana," but filed it away as unimportant for the moment.
Gather mana.
The directive was more focused. She felt her spiritual body shudder at its orders. One final time She voiced herself. Begged the voice that commanded her who it was. Who She was.
Gather mana.
She resigned herself to the forceful directive, letting her mind numb. Slowly but surely, the mana gathered.
Time began to pass. Days became years…
-xxx-
1: Prelude to War
Saturday, January 25, 2020
Day 1
Elbrecht Cottage, Laketon, New York
Laketon in the winter was a dreary affair. Ontario's lake-effect insured that grey clouds loomed eternally over the landscape, casting a shadow over snowy countryside. And in that dreary, bleak world two small children laughed as they tossed snowballs at one another.
Safiya von Elbrecht smiled as her two youngest adopted children played in the snow. Watching from her screened porch, she sipped at her mug of coffee, pulling the coat around her tighter. Magus or not, the half-Persian wasn't the young woman she once was. The cold affected her much more than she'd care to admit.
Hearing the door open, Safiya turned her head away just as Ryan managed to score a hit on Julia; the girl pouting in indignation. In the doorway stood Safiya's eldest, Karen, with her usual serious expression. "Mother, Uncle Kyle is here to see you."
Safiya's expression brightened considerably. While not actually her brother, the young man was a favorite student of hers. Something of a protege from her years as a Clocktower professor, Kyle's visits had become much less frequent as of late. Understandable, given his… unfortunate circumstances.
Smiling at Karen, Safiya nodded. "Tell him where I am. I can't wait to catch up with the lad. Haven't seen him in nearly a year now." Safiya's eyes widened a tad. "Has it really been that long, now…?"
Nodding in return, Karen shut the door to the porch. 'God, it really has been a year now hasn't it?' she mused to herself. Kyle had looked positively haggard on their last meeting, still in the grip of despair even two years since his fiance's accident.
Screen door opening, a handsome young man stepped out onto it. Seeing his old teacher, a small smile grew on Kyle's face. Holding out his hand, he spoke; "Professor. Apologies for the long absence." In the background, the tea kettle began to whistle; Karen moving to turn the burner off.
Rolling her eyes, Safiya stood and pulled Kyle into a tight hug. "Oh don't 'professor' me, Kyle. My kids call you 'uncle' for God's sake!"
Surprised by the gesture, Kyle took a moment to return the hug; though his response held much the same affection as his professor's. "Of course, Safi. Again, my apologies."
As she parted from the young man, Safiya waved off his apology and took a seat. Once settled in, the middle-aged woman motioned for Kyle to do the same. After he did so, Safiya continued. "It's good to see you again after so long. Ryan in particular has been asking about you for some time now." Safiya chuckle. "And who can blame the boy, trapped as he is in a household of women." The child in question let out a cry of victory, evidently victorious in whatever game he was playing with Julia.
Kyle fidgeted nervously in his seat, recognizing his former professor's words for what they were: yet another attempt to get him to move in with them. "I'll have to join their game before I leave." he said, glancing out at Safiya's two youngest as they played in the snow. His smile grew at the sight, before dimming. "I'm afraid I'm here on business, Safi."
Safiya cocked her head, pausing for a moment as the screen door opened. Karen stepped out onto the deck with two cups of tea, placing one before each of the adults. "Business? Last I checked Laketon is a backwater in the Moonlit World." she asked, genuinely curious as to what Kyle was up to over the past year.
Kyle gave Safiya a look of disbelief. "You really have disconnected from Clock Tower if you haven't heard the rumors. The Smithsonian hasn't exactly been subtle in letting everyone know about their pet project."
Safiya's blood ran cold as her thoughts drifted to her three children. Any "pet project" a Moonlit World organization conducted was bound to be bad news for the unfortunate locals at ground zero. Idly, her thoughts drifted to something that'd been in the news a lot in recent months. "Ontario suddenly clearing up."
Kyle nodded. "The lack of pollution in the great lake was an unintended side effect of their real project." Taking a deep breath, the magus continued. "I don't know how they did it, but the Americans have started a Heaven's Feel ritual."
Silence reigned for several moments as Kyle's words hung in the air; a silence eventually broken by a vengeful cry from Julia in the yard as she achieved her payback. Safiya's face was set in a stony expression. "Are you certain?"
Kyle held up his hand, pulling off the leather glove. Beneath lay-
Big Ben tolled far above the two mages, crowds of young magi rushing by to their next class. Bazett pulled off her glove, revealing her Command Spells to Safiya. "I can do it, Safi. I can give the Child of Light a better ending!"
-three Command Spells, engraved in red on his hand.
"We need to get rid of those. Now." Safiya spoke firmly as she rose to her feet. "My workshop is under the house. I have the tools for it on hand as well."
Kyle remained seated, expression unyielding resolute. "I'm fighting in the Grail War, Safi."
A flash of burgundy hair, hand raised in the air as she bade Safiya farewell.
"Don't worry, Safi! The next time you see me I'll have God's Chalice in hand!"
"I know I can win-"
"And I know you're going to get yourself killed!" Safiya cut in, anger set on her face. "Grail Wars are where magi go to die, Kyle. Better magi than you thought themselves ready and are now rotting in their graves; if they were lucky!" Her jaw clenched, fist doing the same. "I won't lose anybody else to that cursed ritual, Kyle."
Kyle looked away, out at Ryan and Julia. The two children had stopped playing, now staring at the adults with worry and fear in their eyes; frightened by their mother's yelling. From the window, Karen did the same; though she was better at hiding it in the guise of preparing lunch.
Standing, Kyle closed his eyes. "I have to bring her back, Safi. I owe her for-"
"You're a fool if you think this is what she'd want!" Safiya interrupted for a second time. "Hayley would want you to live a long and happy life; far away from that death match."
Kyle shook his head. "I know. But I still have to try regardless." With that said, he turned to leave. "I came to make sure you knew so that you could make your own preparations. I know how you feel about the Heaven's Feel, and I doubt you want the kids getting caught up in it."
Safiya paused at that. In her fit of emotion, she'd overlooked the fact that the Grail War was occuring right in her figurative backyard. "Wait!" Safiya cried out. "I… I have something for you."
Heading to the cellar, kept painstakingly clear of groundwater via magecraft, Safiya placed her hand on the brick wall on the far end. Activating her circuits for the briefest of moments, the bricks slid aside to admit her entry. The locking mechanism was a simple one for magi, keyed to respond only to Safiya and Karen's od.
A rush of mana-rich air hit Safiya's face as the entryway opened, her workshop lying within. Sprinting past preserved beasts and dusty tomes, Safiya made a beeline for the gem-encrusted box on the Victorian-era desk. Far from being simply for show, the box was a Mystic Code unto itself; meant to shield its contents from the passing of ages.
The locking mechanism on the box was far more complex than the entryway to her workshop, but Safiya opened it with practiced precision. Sealing the box and her workshop once more, the aging magus returned to find Kyle waiting patiently in the kitchen.
Walking up to Kyle with a serious expression on her face, Safiya held out her hand. Once Kyle did the same, she placed the contents of the box into his hand. Gazing down at the sliver of gold resting in his palm, he cocked his head.
"A catalyst." Safiya answered. "It's a… very old family heirloom that my mother's family acquired shortly before the turn of the first millenium. My ancestors stole it from some Mesopotamian ruins; or so the family legend goes." Safiya smiled sadly, trying her best to not think about the death sentence she was condemning her former student to. "My mother told me it belonged to humanity's oldest hero, King Gilgamesh."
Kyle stared down at the sliver of gold with an awestruck expression. "Safi… I can't thank you enough for this."
Safiya took a step forward, enveloping Kyle in a tight hug. "You shouldn't thank me, Kyle."
'After all.' Safiya thought to herself. 'I've all but damned you to a terrible fate.'
-xxx-
Friday, January 17, 2020
8 days before the War
London, England
Friday evening in London was, like most evenings in London, a cloudy and dreary affair. However, the Emiya family apartment gave off a sense of home that seemed to counteract the outside world. The faint fragrance of Far-East spices, the new perfume Sakura had been sampling as of late, and, most overpowering at the moment for Rin Tohsaka, the smell of applesauce.
"C'mon Kumiko." Rin complained to her sister's infant child. "Be a good girl and eat the food." Rin waited for a moment. "Please?"
Kumiko continued her wailing unabated even as the next-door neighbor knocked on the wall; a cry for silence. Rin's eyebrow twitched. "Oi, don't make me come over there." she slapped her spoon-holding hand against her face, careful not to spill the applesauce. "God, I hope I never have kids of my own."
The front door jingled as it opened, a woman with long hair of an unnatural shade stepping through with her eyebrow raised. Rin thanked all the angels in Heaven for sending a savior. "Oh thank God, Medusa. Kumi-chan's been crying for the past hour and I don't know how to get her to eat dinner and that God forsaken asshole next door keeps-"
Medusa rolled her eyes, interrupting Rin's tirade as she took Rin's niece into her own arms. Rocking the infant back and forth, the Servant silenced the infant with no shortage of cooing.
As Kumiko began to smile, blowing bubbles of spittle, Rin sensed her chance. Gently lowering the spoon of applesauce to Kumiko's lips, it entered her niece's mouth unhindered.
The young infant let out a cry of pleasure at the applesauce, clearly enjoying the doting of her aunts. Medusa gave Rin a faint smirk. "It seems that I'm the favorite aunt." she teased, voice low to not upset Kumiko once again.
Spooning another round of applesauce into her niece's mouth, Rin suppressed a groan. "Please don't start that nonsense again. It's not my fault I can't be around as much as Auntie Rider. One of us has a job, after all."
The Servant snorted, an action that caused Kumiko to begin to sob once again. After several more rounds of cooing, rocking, and applesauce, Medusa finally responded. "Something I'll never get over, by the way. The great scion of the Tohsaka family forced to use her gemcraft to work as a mundane diamond cutter."
Rin's eye-twitched at the Servant's jibe, earning a round of muffled laughter from Medusa. "Not my fault that fake priest spent my family's fortune on nonsense."
Medusa's giggles continued for several seconds, and towards the end even Rin had a small smile on her face. The two fell silent for several minutes as Rin continued to occasionally spoon applesauce into Kumiko's waiting mouth.
Flicking on the news station, Rin muted it and tapped the subtitles on. The announcer was yammering on about the latest hot topic: the miraculous cleansing of Lake Ontario's pollution. Medusa and Rin cringed as they read the scrawling subtitles, both well aware that America's Smithsonian Institute had made it the site of their Greater Grail.
"I'm glad Shirou found the time to take Sakura out. The two have been preoccupied with their careers as of late." Medusa said as Rin spooned the last of the applesauce into Kumiko's waiting mouth. The Servant patted her niece on the back, and she the expected burp as a reward. "They've finally found the time to be happy."
On the TV was a reporter live at one of the great lake's beaches, ranting and raving about what a godsend this was for the wildlife. Rin suppressed a second cringe, her eyes traveling down to the familiar hoops of her Command Seals. They'd appeared a few days prior, much to the dismay of Shirou and Sakura. "I know what you're trying to do, Medusa. You won't be able to stop me. My sister and Shirou have already tried and failed."
In the corner of the room lay two falchions, one pristine white and the other a checkered black, slowly and steadily vanishing into their base prana. Likely a product of Shirou's early Projection training, but for Rin the twin swords brought her back to a night long past.
The forest was a disaster area, trees charred and upended while the creek's blackened water had been blown away by the blast. Barely conscious, Rin felt a hand touch her head, brushing a lock of hair away.
"Take care, Tohsaka."
The way ahead would be long and arduous, but everything was in a way. Grail Wars, Rin thought to herself, were gruelling and bloody affairs. But knowing now from Shirou the identity of the man that fought beside her and saved her life; knowing everything that he suffered through as a Counter Guardian...
"It's about time somebody saved you, Archer."
-xxx-
Saturday, January 25, 2020
Day 1
Laketon's Main Street
The Fifty-Stars cafe was a rather popular hangout spot for the residents of Laketon, and its current state reflected that. With the dinner rush in full swing, waiters sped to and fro as they took the orders of increasingly impatient customers. A particularly irate woman was the most notable; currently dressing down the waiter unfortunate enough to work her table.
All these factors combined made it the prime location for denizens of the Moonlit world to meet; as the anonymity the boisterous, crowded cafe shielded them from prying ears.
A young man clad in a navy blue suit leveled a glare on the back of the woman's head, clicking his tongue. "I see decorum is yet another thing that's failed to survive the ages." he remarked with a huff, taking another sip of black tea.
The man across from him, a middle-aged gentleman with graying black hair to match his dark suit, chuckled nervously. "I assure you, Ruler, that this is but a small microcosm of modern American culture." The man paused a moment to take a sip from his mug of coffee. "Plenty of decorum still exists in our nation."
The unfortunate waiter finally broke away from the irate woman, making his way back to a group of coworkers with understanding, if a tad smug, grins. A particularly plump man, likely the supervisor, gave the waiter a pat on the back and an apologetic smile.
Ruler nodded in approval. "At least camaraderie still exists. I was beginning to worry the modern era was naught but selfish, depraved individuals." His earlier frown became more subdued as he took another sip. "Speaking of selfish, depraved individuals, what is it you wished to discuss, Yates?"
The man across from Ruler, Gregory Yates, narrowed his eyes. "I assure you, Ruler, that the Smithsonian is far from selfish. The moonlit world is a terrible, dangerous place. The Federal Institute of Thaumaturgical Studies was founded to give America a chance against the established powers."
The door to the cafe opened a second later, a group of teenagers strolling in and taking seats. Talking jubilantly amongst themselves, a small smile graced Ruler's features. "Tell me then, Yates, what are the names of those children?"
Gregory cocked his head. "Why would I know their names?"
As one of the young lads gave his girlfriend a peck on the cheek, Ruler turned back to Gregory. "Aye, that would be the answer I would give. The answer any respectable person would give." Ruler reached into his suitcase, pulling out a thick manilla folder and tossing it onto the table. "Yet when you give the same answer, tis a lie. Tell me, Gregory Yates, why do you have such thorough records on my citizens. My innocent, uninvolved citizens."
For Gregory alone, the temperature of the room seemed to drop ten degrees. "Where did you find such a record, Ruler? I assure you that the Smithsonian-"
The cold metal of a firearm barrel pressed against Gregory's leg. "I fancy myself a gentleman, Yates, but you're making it rather hard for me to keep up the dedication. I recovered this from your little saferoom in the courthouse. I have not been twiddling my thumbs for the past week, Yates."
Relenting, Gregory did his best to not panic in the face of the Servant. "We simply thought it would be prudent to investigate for potential Masters or political dissidents. We wouldn't want any… unneeded disruptions in the Heaven's Feel Ritual."
"That is my job, Yates, not yours. See that your magi do not let it happen again." The cool metal's touch vanished into a cloud of prana. "Now that I've made myself clear, let us return to the topic at hand. What is it you wished to discuss, Yates?"
The nonchalant manner in which Ruler returned to his tea was surprising to Gregory, but in retrospect, he thought to himself, it should not have. Not given who he was dealing with. "The Smithsonian wishes to extend an offer to you, Ruler. As the government itself… failed to acquire a Master for the Ritual we need a Servant in order to use the Lesser Grail once its absorbed the souls of the seven heroes."
Gregory took his glasses off for a moment as he wiped the droplets of nervous sweat stuck to them on his shirt. "To put the bottom line up front, so to speak, we need you to help us use the Grail as a mana reservoir. With that sort of power, America's dominance in the world would be assured."
Ruler's teacup clinked as it was gently placed back on the saucer, the Servant's expression blank. "Foolish."
Gregory blinked. "Come again?" he asked, honest confusion in his voice.
Ruler's eyes blazed with anger as his temper flared. "I called you foolish, Yates. Not only do you imbeciles seek to undermine the rules you set by attempting to collude with the impartial referee, you wish to use the false Chalice of God in order to oppress my people? That, Yates, is what I find foolish. Perhaps 'moronic' would work just as well. That modern word seems to fit you quite well."
"We never said we would oppress American citi-"
All heads in the cafe turned to their table as Ruler stood, the assembled patrons falling silent. "Forgive me for not believing you after I found your little dossier, Yates. This meeting is over."
The curious eyes of the cafe's patrons watched the Servant go, though once he was gone they swiftly lost interest, returning to their own conversations. Leaning back in his chair, Gregory sighed.
"My boss is gonna kill me."
-xxx-
Saturday, January 25, 2020
Night 1
Elbrecht Cottage, Laketon
Despite the dreary weather outdoors, the Elbrecht cottage was filled to the brim with life. The two youngest children, Ryan and Julia, chased one another through the various rooms with their toy swords in hand. In the kitchen, Safiya worked her way through El Melloi II's latest treatise on magus education while Karen washed the dishes.
Noticing the cover of the book, Karen cleared her throat. "No." Safiya's reply was instantaneous.
The fourteen year old's expression grew strained. "But Mother, I know for a fact I could get tutelage at the Clock Tower. With the Elbrecht name I could even get El-Melloi II to take me as a student!"
Safiya sighed as she closed the treatise, though not before she insured her page was marked. "Clock Tower isn't like normal college, Karen. Impressing people is important, but if a magus finds you too impressive you may not wake up one morning." As Karen started to voice a complaint, Safiya interrupted. "And that's if they have the common decency to not dissect you while you still draw breath."
Karen's expression grew strained, her pale skin drawn into a tight frown. "I know my origin is unique, Mother, but-"
"Karen, I can name ten magi off the top of my head that would dissect you the instant they knew you existed. No means no, and that's final."
A whistle of air cut through the room, causing Safiya to look up. Karen had swung a glass towards the wall with the intent of breaking it, only to stop at the last second. Thought she didn't want to undermine her argument by voicing praise at the moment, Safiya felt a small swell of pride that her daughter was mature enough to not follow through with a temper tantrum.
"Mother, I…" Karen froze, and a half-second later Safiya as well.
Around the Elbrecht's estate was a three-layered Bounded Field. The first was a simple alarm, meant to alert the two Elbrecht magi of an unauthorized intruder. The second was a more advanced version of the alarm, meant to only trigger if a being with elevated prana levels, usually a magus, passed through. The third activated in response to the first, paralyzing the magus in place long enough for Safiya to investigate the disturbance.
The first two alarms had triggered, as did the third… for a mere second before it vanished.
That should have been an impossible feat for even a journeyman magi. Safiya's earlier conversation with Kyle slipped to the forefront of her mind. "Karen, get your siblings into the workshop and stay there. I'll come get you when it's safe."
Karen looked as though she wished to object, but said nothing as she saw the look in her mother's eyes. Karen's own expression hardened as she nodded. "Be safe, Mother."
With a quick squeeze of her mother's hand, Karen sprinted off to get Ryan and Julia. Safiya, now standing, grabbed her cane and screwed off the jeweled top, revealing the tip of her Mystic Code beneath. It was a simple Mystic Code, barely qualifying as it was naught but a mundane contraption enhanced with Reinforcement, but it got the job done.
Safiya heard the door to the basement close, and an instant later the lights in the cottage went out. "Cutting the power lines? What a rude guest." she murmured to herself.
"How humorous." a silken voice echoed behind Safiya. "My sister used to say the same thing."
Safiya ducked on instinct, barely dodging the surge of black magic as it pulsed through the area she once occupied and vaporized a fair portion of the kitchen.
The visage of a woman floated a foot off the ground, skin pale and face veiled in the same cloth as her black outfit. "The guest portion, I mean. We didn't have power lines back then, of course."
Safiya aimed her cane at the woman, a mist of water sprayed out as if launched from a spray bottle. Her magic crest activated, and the water converged on the same point.
The unknown woman giggled. "Proficient in jester magecraft, are we?" she asked.
Her only reply was an explosion of heat and pressure from where the water had converged. The woman was thrown against the wall by the blast, grunting as her back impacted the bricks. Safiya smirked. "Implosion magecraft, actually." As she fired another volley, Safiya spoke again. "Judging by the enormous amounts of prana flowing through you and that frankly ridiculous outfit, I'd hazard a guess that you're a Servant?"
With a flutter of the woman's cape, a sigil of black magecraft shielded her from the second blast. Internally, Safiya relished at the annoyed expression on the Servant's face. 'Looks like I've still got it in me!'
A sinister smirk spread on the Servant's face as she stood up, a quick hop placing her floating in the air once again. "How astute of you, hedgemage. What gave it away? The intense amount of prana or the expert handling of power you can only dream of?"
Suppressing the urge of cough as the Servant's takeoff kicked up a cloud of vaporized drywall, Safiya dove to the left as a blast of magic shot through the place she'd just been crouching in. "I believe I already said it was your silly outfit, Caster." Rolling to absorb the impact, Safiya's circuits burned as she channeled prana into the Nordic runes on her suit. Body now reinforced with strengthening runes, Safiya leapt across the kitchen as another blast of magecraft shot past, demolishing the family room. Midair, she held out her cane. "Scatter!"
The mist shot from her cane, the quick aria activating one of the many spells stored in her family crest. As the mist surrounded Caster, the molecules condensed into six smaller implosions rather than one large one. Caster's gold eyes widened behind her veil, and moved to cast another shield-
Six concussive explosions of heat and pressure erupted around Caster, driving her to her knees as blood leaked from her ears and skin bruised. Eyes wide with surprise and panic, she took flight in the opposite direction. A wide grin spread on Safiya's face as she kicked off the ground into a sprint. "Lesson one of the modern world, young lady: never underestimate an Enforcer."
Caster's look of panic melted away into a smug grin of victory, and all of Safiya's senses screamed to move. Flipping her foot to skid to a stop, Safiya mentally cursed at herself as a black sigil crackling with power appeared beneath her feet. 'Fuck! I was overconfident.'
The smell of ozone and smoke filled her nose as the sigil erupted beneath her, Safiya's body unceremoniously tossed backwards and straight through the drywall, blood flowing freely from the lacerations along her entire body. Body engulfed in pain, Safiya found herself in the foyer. Trying to stand, her legs screamed in protest, muscles torn and rune-laden clothing torn to shreds. 'If it wasn't for my suit, I likely would have died.' Safiya thought to herself, the sobering thought helping her to think through the pain as the adrenaline did its work.
"First rule of a Grail War, hedgemage." Caster's voice echoes from the kitchen. "Never try to beat a Caster at her own game." A distant "clack" told Safiya that the Servant had landed, the distant footsteps slowly growing closer.
'She's underestimating me. Good, that gives me time to prepare something. But what?What can I possibly do to stop a Servant-' Safiya would have smacked herself in the face had it already not been in unimaginable pain.
Right hand moving to her chest, she grunted in pain as her arm protested the action and her chest wound grew aggravated. Quickly soaking her hand in her own blood, she let her hand fall to the floor, hissing as the chest wound was exposed to air once more.
As quickly as she could manage, Safiya began to draw a simple ritual circle on the floor, blood-laden finger screaming in protest as it cut itself on debris.
-xxx-
Healing her ears with a spell, Caster continued her advance on the hedgemage-sized hole in the wall, deliberately slow as she mended some of her more serious wounds. Much as she hated to admit it, Caster had underestimated the magus and paid the price for it.
Some Servants may have protested a detestable action such as killing the competition before they could even become competition, but Caster was not one of those Servants. Despite her Master's own misgivings about this strategy, Caster and her Master's father had convinced her of this tactic.
Eliminate the powerful magi before they can summon powerful Servants, and you're left with subpar Masters summoning subpar Servants. The logic was sound, and though technically against the rules of the Heaven's Feel Ritual, Caster was confident she could take Ruler in a fight given it took place in her lair.
A flash of mana erupted on Caster's senses as a faint light emanated from the hole in the wall. She squinted her eyes. 'What on Earth is that hedgemage doing now?"
"...you, seven heavens clad in three words of power..."
Caster's eyes widened, swearing aloud as she prepared an anti-personnel spell as quickly as she could, launching it into the growing radiance of the summoning circle; now clearly visible from the darkness of the foyer.
"I beseech thee to protect my family. My children. Come forth guardian of the scales!"
Blinding light burst from the foyer, illuminating the cottage like an earthly star. Time seemed to slow to crawl as Caster's spell creeped forward, a gash in the blinding light. Just another second was all it would take. The magus would die and the summoning spell misfire.
But Caster was a second too late.
An arrow knifed through the hole in the wall, embedding itself in Caster's shoulder with a fleshy smack. Caster cried out in pain, hand moving unconsciously to the wound. Leaping into the air, she moved for cover away from the hole in the wall. Yanking the arrow from her arm, Caster bit back a scream at the excruciating pain, spell already mending the wound.
A flash of green caught her eye as the newly-summoned Servant emerged from the foyer. A young woman in a sea-green and teal battledress, a black bow, and most notably-
Caster hissed as she blew a hole through the roof, soaring upwards to dodge the hail of arrows. Cold wind battering her face as she dematerialized into her spirit form, Caster questioned what sort of Archer-class Servant would have cat ears and a tail.
-xxx-
Safiya gritted her teeth in pain as her newly summoned Servant helped her sit in one of the few chairs not ruined in Caster's attack. Eyes flitting to the now-exposed door to the basement, she sighed in relief to see it was still intact. "Archer, is it?" she asked, hazarding a guess at her… Servant's class. As her Servant nodded in affirmation, Safiya's eyes flickered over to the floorboards near the ruins of the dining room table. "I have some ointment under there. Could you…?"
Stoney expression ever-present on the beautiful Archer's face, she swiftly moved to the floorboards, using the famed strength of a Heroic Spirit to break one away from the rest. Safiya winced at the casual property damage, before realizing how stupid she was being given the circumstances. 'I think the cottage has bigger problems than a broken floorboard right now.' she thought, gazing out at the forest through the new, gaping hole in the side of the cottage.
Cold plastic was pressed into Safiya's hand, bringing her back to the present. And in turn, the pain of her wounds. "The ointment, Master." Archer said as her cat ears twitched. 'Yeah, that's going to take some getting used to.'
Unscrewing the cap, a foul odor reached Safiya's nose as her eyes watered. The stench was horrid, but the ointment was custom-made to heal superficial wounds in a matter of hours. It was also expensive. Very, very expensive. Something Safiya was well aware of as she carefully metered her use of the ointment in the hopes of saving some for later.
As she cleaned her wounds, hissing in pain at the stinging of the concoction, Archer cleared her throat. "Master." Safiya nodded to her Servant, gesturing to go on. "I don't want to bother you while you're in pain, but due to the… unique circumstances of my summoning, I want to know why Caster was attacking you."
"That's a strange way to ask 'Why has everything gone to Hell?'" Safiya attempted a snort of laughter, only to descend into a coughing fit. Archer, concerned look on her face, placed a hand on her Master's shoulder. Coming down from her coughing fit, Safiya attempted a weak grin. "Thanks. Sorry about the coughing. And the house. I'm usually more receptive to guests." She leaned back into the chair, screwing the cap back on the ointment bottle. "I couldn't tell you why I was attacked. No offense, Archer, but I didn't even want to participate in this War. Caster forced my hand when she attacked me."
Snow began to fall through the hole in the roof, wayward flakes beginning to gather in a rough circle on the floor. Safiya cocked her head towards the basement door, neck pain thankfully being dulled by the ointment. "My children are down in the workshop. I couldn't give a damn what happens to me, but if nobody was there to take care of them…" She left the words unsaid. "I don't even have a wish. I just want this War to be over as soon as possible so the kids don't get caught up in it."
Glancing back to look at the cat-eared Servant, Safiya was surprised to see Archer's eyes wide. "Archer? Is everything alright?"
Crouching low to the ground, almost as if she were bowing to a king, Archer lowered her head. "Master, I swear this to you now. My bow is your bow. My eyes your eyes. I don't care if you have no wish for the Grail, as your devotion has swayed me." The Servant raised her head, and Safiya found herself captivated by the pure determination in her teal eyes. "I, Atalanta, pledge my allegiance to your children, Master. For their sake I will aid you."
A gust of chilled wind blew through the ruins of the Elbrecht cottage, gently brushing Archer's battledress and the ruins of Safiya's suit. A bark of laughter broke the tranquility of the moment as Safiya broke down in a fit of laughter despite the pain involved. "S-sorry, Archer. It's just that I never thought I'd get such an unusual Servant." Archer remained silent at her Master's words, but her eyes twinkled with curiosity at her Master's laughter.
Ignoring the moans of protest from her aching, hastily bandaged limbs, Safiya stood, brushing the drywall off her pants. "Well then, Archer. We have a lot of planning to do if we want to win this War." She flashed the cat-eared Servant a grin.
To Safiya's surprise, Archer returned with a small smile of her own. "Of course, Master. Might I ask your name?"
Safiya scratched the back of her head apologetically. "Ah, sorry. Caught up in the moment." As she held out a hand, Safiya nodded. "Safiya von Elbrecht. A pleasure to be working with you, Atalanta."
"And you as well, Master Safiya. Now…" a look of longing came over Archer's face. "Can I… meet your children?"
Safiya chuckled, leading the way as she gushed about her kids in the way only a mother can. "Oh you'll absolutely love them. Ryan and Julia are little bundles of joy, and Karen is my greatest pride! Why, just the other day…"
-xxx-
With the drawing of the seventh, only one remained to be seen. One vessel yet to be filled.
From the abyss, She sobbed as the pain became too much. Filling each vessel was a horrid, excruciating process. To perform the task once was asking too much. To perform it eight times was absolute torture.
But a single light remained visible to her. A pinprick in the darkness of the abyss. Reaching out with a formless hand, She begged for help. Begged for a hero to save her from the pain.
With a voiceless cry, she called out for her Ruler.