Chapter One: The Fugitives
Rain poured down on the German town of Lutzerath. The rain, on top of the unrelenting fog, reduced visibility to zero. Marcus Beckham looked out his hotel window for signs of movement, though he knew it was futile. He couldn't let his guard down, however. Not when he'd worked so hard to keep himself and his fiancé safe from their pursuers.
Six years ago his fiancé, Kári Yggdmillenia, had been an ambitious magus with a talent for fire magecraft. Her skills had been so exceptional she'd even received an invitation to study at the Clock Tower. She'd received accolades and praise from all her instructors, Marcus included. When she finished her training at the Mage's Association, she chose to return to her home in northern Europe to continue mastering her innate skills.
The two stayed in touch over the next two years and eventually agreed to meet. Marcus, who was pursuing further study in runes, was eager to compare notes with his former pupil. Within three months of their partnership, the two had fallen in love and decided to marry. That was when their world fell apart.
Kári's ambitions were as great as the day Marcus had first met her. She had been practicing a new spell she'd been studying. The spell went awry. Terribly awry. All Marcus recalled of that night was his fiancé warning him to run and an incredible amount of heat. When he regained consciousness the next day, the village they'd been living in had been burned to the ground. Apart from the scorched earth, there was nothing that suggested humans once lived there.
Word of the incident reached the Clock Tower and the Church. Both organizations sent men to bring Kári to justice. Marcus took his fiancé and they fled for Egypt. There they were cornered by freelancers, who struck swiftly and without mercy. The two fought back with all their might and managed to escape, but at great cost.
One of the freelancers used a spell Marcus had never seen before. A spell that attacked Kári's magic circuits, disconnecting her from them. From that moment on, Kári could not use magic. The blow had been devastating to Kári and she became withdrawn. She barely ate and any sleep she managed to get was short-lived at best.
It took another year and a half for Kári to open up to her future husband. They agreed to keep moving from place to place, all the while finding a way to restore Kári's magic circuits. Their journey put them in confrontation with the Clock Tower, Atlas, and the Church. Within the last six months alone, Marcus had been on the verge of death nine times.
The pair finally found refuge in Lutzerath, renting a room at the Maas Hotel and Restaurant. Marcus found work in a kebab shop, making just enough to pay their rent and eat. The two never went out to enjoy themselves. It was too risky, even with the barrier Marcus had placed over the town.
A flash of lightning and the boom of thunder caused Marcus to jump. He wrapped the blanket tighter around him and looked over his shoulder. Kári was fast asleep, her waist-length blond hair curtaining her naked figure in all the right places. Tonight had been the first time in months Kári had been able to sleep more than an hour. Marcus was not about to wake her.
He heard a creaking floorboard in the hallway but chose to ignore it. No one had crossed the barrier he'd placed upon the town when they first arrived. No one could enter Lutzerath without his knowing about it. On top of that, he'd placed runes around the doors and windows as an extra precaution.
The floorboard creaked once more, this time with more emphasis. Someone was definitely just outside his door. He heard a gentle pop as one of his runes was disarmed. The hair stood on the back of Marcus' neck. Somehow someone had slipped past his barrier and was dismantling his runes.
"Kári." hissed Marcus, slipping to his fiancé's side and gently shaking her awake. "Kári, wake up. They've found us."
Kári opened her eyes and sat bolt upright. Despite being fast asleep a second ago, she was fully alert, as though she'd been expecting her fiancé to wake her. She slid off the bed to the side opposite the door, pulling a bathrobe around her.
Marcus saw the lock on the door turn and knew his defenses had failed them. He wrote a rune in the air, ready to hold off their pursuers long enough for Kári to escape. The door flew open and a single cloaked figure stepped inside. His hands were up to show he was unarmed.
"Marcus Beckham, stay your attack. I am not here to fight you." said the cloaked figure, keeping his hands raised.
"Then why did you slip past my barrier, override my runes, and pick the lock?" demanded the magus, refusing to lower his guard.
The cloaked figure removed his hood, revealing a heavily scarred face. Though it was not the scars that stood out to Marcus. It was the eye patch bearing a scarlet cross. Marcus knew this man, though the reason he was in Lutzerath was an enigma to the magus.
"Executor Vinicio Donati, the top vampire slayer in the Church." said Marcus. "Did the church run out of magus hunters to send after us?"
"Far from it Mr. Beckham." said Vinicio, his voice deep and gravely. "In fact, it was at my insistence that they chose to leave you be when they learned you were here."
Marcus released the hold on the spell he was prepared to cast. If the Church had known they were here and chose to do nothing, then they had fail-safes in place to keep Marcus and Kári from escaping.
"Why?" asked Kári, closing her robe tighter around her body.
"Because the Church needs your help." said Vinicio.
Marcus laughed.
"The Church wants our help?" exclaimed Marcus. "What do they want us to do? Kill ourselves for them?"
"I'm sure the other executors would love for you to do that." said the vampire slayer. "But I convinced them you had a more useful purpose. Both of you are resourceful, powerful, and, most importantly, a threat to the Clock Tower."
Marcus felt his blood run cold. If the Church was willing to seek help from enemies of the Clock Tower, then something big was in the works.
"Why not hire freelancers?" said Marcus.
"Because we need someone who understands highly ranked people in the Clock Tower." explained Vinicio. "Someone who is familiar with their strengths and weaknesses."
"What is the Church planning?" said Kári, her voice full of suspicion. "Do they intend to take the Clock Tower on?"
"No, no. Nothing like that." said Vinicio, taking a seat in an empty armchair. "In fact, the Church is simply trying to prevent the end of the world."
Marcus sat on the edge of the bed, refusing to break eye contact with the executor. Kári joined him, intertwining her fingers with his.
"And how do we fit into that?" asked Marcus.
The executor reached into a sleeve and produced a scroll. He tossed it to Marcus, who caught it one handed and opened it. He poured over the contents. By the time he finished reading, his eyes were wide with shock.
"But…but these readings can't be right." stammered Marcus. "It was destroyed almost two decades ago. Both the Church and the Clock Tower confirmed it."
"I know." said Vinicio. "I was the one who conducted the investigation on our part."
"But if this is true, then this surge of mana is…" began Kári.
"Yes, it would appear the Holy Grail has made itself known to the world once more." finished the vampire slayer. "We don't know how and the Church isn't really interested in that. What we are concerned about is if someone with ill intentions were to seize it."
"Wasn't it a priest who nearly caused the destruction of Fuyuki twice in the last two Holy Grail Wars?" asked Marcus. "And wasn't it thanks to two magi named Rin Tohsaka and Shirou Emiya that the world was saved?"
"Unfortunately, you are right." said Vinicio. "That is why the Clock Tower is determined to keep our involvement in this war to a minimum. I have been selected to serve as the supervisor of this war but I will be sharing that responsibility with a member of the Clock Tower. If I put one toe out of line, I will be killed on the spot."
"So the Clock Tower's goal is to prevent the end of the world?" said Marcus in confusion.
"Yes, but they are so focused on keeping our involvement to a minimum they aren't paying attention to the real threat." continued the scarred man.
"Which is?" said Kári.
"The Holy Grail." said Vinicio, crossing his arms and looking the fugitives in the eye. "There is no doubt that if a Servant with an evil heart touches it, the Grail will once more be tainted and attempt to destroy the world. The Church cannot ignore such a threat."
"What do you want us to do about it?" asked Marcus, suddenly suspicious.
"I'll get to the point then." said Vinicio. "The Church has offered the two of you a pardon and their protection in exchange for fighting in this Holy Grail War on our behalf."
"You're kidding me!" exclaimed Marcus, leaping to his feet. "Why would we agree to serve the Church after everything you've put us through?"
"Because we can give you a new life." said Vinicio. "You will win the Holy Grail for us, or at least keep any undesirables from attaining it, and in exchange we will give you a clean slate."
"Do you think we are stupid enough to believe the Church will keep their word?" said Kári sharply.
"No I do not." admitted the vampire slayer, producing a second scroll and handing it to Marcus. "That is why we came up with this as a token of our sincerity."
Marcus opened the scroll and bit his tongue in shock. Kári looked over his shoulder and her eyes narrowed.
"Binding Magecraft: Target—The Church." Kári read aloud. "The Crests of the Angar family hereby command: Provided that the following conditions are met, this oath shall become a commandment and bind the target without exception. Oath: To the Church, regarding both Marcus Beckham and Kári Yggdmillenia, all intentions and actions to kill and harm shall be forbidden for all eternity. Conditions: Marcus Beckham is to enter and compete in the Sixth Holy Grail War, to the end of securing the Holy Grail or preventing undesirable persons from obtaining it."
"A geis written by the Agnar family." said Marcus. "I wasn't aware they were in league with the Church. Why not have them compete for you?"
"Because the Clock Tower knows about our relationship." explained Vinicio. "Going to an outside source, such as you, is something they will not be expecting."
Marcus fell silent as he poured over the geis once more. It was well written and very specific. It didn't demand he win it outright. He was only required to put an effort into winning. If he did that, then he and Kári would have a clean slate. They could start a new life together. One where they weren't looking over their shoulders every minute of their lives.
"How long do we have to decide?" asked Marcus.
"The Church will give you one week to decide." said Vinicio, standing up and heading for the door. "Meet me at Saint Peter's Basilica at the first stroke of midnight a week from now."
Before Marcus could respond, the executor left the hotel room; leaving Marcus and Kári to their own musings.