The Seeds of Venom

The girl with the somewhat loose red clothing looked back at Shirou menacingly. "You'd do what!?"

Shirou turned his attention away from the girl to the ever advancing alien that lurked forth to them. "I don't have time to explain!"

It was then the door aside him flung open wide jarring him in the back and onto the floor with a thwack. Like a heavy board against the back, it was an instant sharp painful sensation. Before he knew what he was doing, he was on the floor. He could have contemplated what had just occurred, he was stared down at by a single large eye. It was close now. While the monster was short in size, being on the floor made it seem to tower over him. He could smell the rancid, tainted blood the creature constantly leaked from its legs; like a snail leaving a sickly trail.

Behind him, his master had quickly emerged from the doorway where she had once locked herself up inside. The calls of her master and the explosion of Rin's erratic entrance caused her to seek action despite being queasy mere moments before. Embarrassment and joking could have been exchanged here, but there was no time for that. The girl with the long, black hair shot several spherical bolts from the tips of her finger. She had to clutch tight to her arm so she could keep the shots as accurate as possible and the bolts landed aside the demon causing it to fall back somewhat.

Before Shirou could get up, silence oddly fell. As Shirou looked back from the ground, it was as if the two girls had been locked in time. Rin looked toward Saber. Saber looked not at Shirou, but the creature that approached, with her mouth wide open. Her face was filled with fear.

"Just what the hell is wrong with you!? That thing is tiny... you could easily crush it!" Rin bit back. Despite her harsh attitude deep down she was rather concerned. She knew well that Arthur herself would not embellish such drastic emotions so easily.

"No... I don't want this to happen all over again..."

She remained stood there as the creature approached Shirou. ("Shit... I wonder if she's scared of it because of that time...")

Rin had to take the situation into her own hands. She aimed once again, her arm straight. A single finger on her fist pointed forward, directly at the eyeball. Then she once again shot a burst of magic at it, point-blank, just as it was about to attack him. The monster exploded into a splatter of purple blood, staining the wooden walkway. Shirou gave a disgusted look at the bloody mess that remained of it like a splattered spider, just several hundred times bigger. Rin borrowed her arm to Shirou and allowed him to latch on, helping him up. "God you two are useless," The girl scolded.

As Shirou looked around, he saw the blonde girl once more. Her eyes were still latched onto the dismembered body.

This stirred graphic imagery within her. Blood... her own blood being shed. A man wearing glasses. An eye, a living eye on tendrils much like the one she saw here today. And a frightening creature that resulted... a malevolent pale-violet dragon that shredded the airspace with it's call.

"Hey, are you alright Saber?" Shirou asked.

Suprisingly, the girl responded. However, she still had her eyes locked on the body. "This sickening aura. I keep feeling it again and again. It's because of these demons... they're... they're all the same. Just like the one from last night...,"

"Wait, you encountered something similar last night!? Why didn't you tell me about this?" Shirou asked wildly.

Rin's pupils contracted a little, being surprised at this sudden discussion. "What the hell are you two talking about? Is this related to that thing that followed me here?"

Saber had already took a step back. She seemed hesitant rather than chivalric for a change. Despite this, pressed her left hand against her chest and within moments, her body flashed white. After no more than a moment, Saber was dressed in a strange medieval battle garment, drenched in royal blue and golden linings; fine enough to fit a king. Her corset was guarded by a silver steel chest plate, decorated in foreign blue markings. A long dress of blue touched the ground, reinforced by three metal plates from the hips down on either side to protect the thighs from attack from either side. Her arms, now encased in the protection of steel gauntlets equipped an invisible blade that whirled air rapidly around it.

The Eyerus seemed frightened by her new appearance and it wasn't long before thrust forward the blade, quickly ending the life of the demon. Tainted blood dirtied the walls as it splashed from its body like an endless tap. The body gave off a foul smell, intoxicating, almost crushing. It made the three feel sick to their stomachs.

"Gross..." Rin complained as she retched at the body on the floor, as if it were a large squashed spider. "I hope you plan to clean this up!"

Shirou looked towards the carnage. "It won't be that easy. Like this I can't touch it physically."

"It's body is made of poison? Nasty," Rin replied.

Saber still felt uneasy. While she easily dominated her foe, she had other thoughts cross her mind. For one, the smell. It was disgusting, intolerable. It was that sensation those with motion sickness felt like, times a million more. It was heavy. It was crushing.

"Are you alright Saber?" Shirou took concern at her pale face.

Saber slunk her sword down a little, before reinforcing it in the ground to maintain her stability. "I'm fine. We should turn our concern to why Rin has decided to trespass on my masters grounds," She took a gentle step back before reverting her attire from the battle gown to her casual clothing once again.

Rin stuttered in surprise, her tsun-tsun attitude kicked in and she snapped back "Well it's not like I had a choice! That thing wouldn't stop following me, and my normal magic wouldn't kill it."

"Of course not. It is an unliving being from the netherworld. It is an undead." Saber.

"T-that thing is an undead!?"

The living room was rather noisy. Mainly because a certain girl with raven black hair had decided to reside there even without Shirou's permission. Shirou and Saber sat across ways from Rin, while the girl in black hair found herself comfortable in a lonely armchair directly across the table from them.

"It didn't even look like any creature from this world, or from anything I've studied in Magecraft," Rin complained. "It's not like you've seen this thing before so how would you..."

"Stop being so naïve, Rin," Saber began to get a little ticked off at her attitude, leaning forward, her eyes leering.

"We've seen those creatures before." Shirou added "All I know is that they were pulled from a different world. They seem small and harmless, but they seem to run on instinct and instinct alone. And if they manage to acquire a body, they can use it to cause even more destruction,"

"So like a catalyst?" Rin's eyes focused.

The blonde girl wavered a little "I would not know for sure. Shirou is more familiar on that subject. I am unable to recall much of that event... and I do not want to be reminded." She shrugged the vile chill off of her shoulders.

"I'll save you the interrogation for now, but it seems to explain why you seemed to fear that creatures blood. It's so unlike you Saber. To fear something... that is not only smaller than you, but also completely destroys my image of you being an unbreakable knight. You really are just a cowardice woman behind that sword,"

Saber stood up suddenly to combat Rin's words. "You dare say such a thing!"

However, the raven haired woman did not back down. She place both hands on the table and leaned inwards. "Well you can't exactly deny it." With that she stood as well, to mirror Saber, before turning away. "Well I guess it was pointless coming here after all. You can forget about me paying the repairs for your doorway. She made no delay in her leave, within seconds she had left the room. Saber still stood there, angered by the other woman's defiance.

"Rin had a point," Shirou finally spoke out. "We didn't even get a chance to hear her side of the story either."

"Why are you siding with her?"

Shirou groaned."You're misunderstanding Saber. She could have seen something that could have been crucial towards what's been happening lately. If this event and what happened before are linked, then there could be a lot of lives at stake. Saber... you haven't been the same since that day you know?" Shirou spoke calmly back, with some regret in his tone.

Saber fell into silence. "I do not even know what you are talking about,"

The halls of the Emiya estate were silent that night. The day had passed and Shirou and Saber had not spoken since then. Sakura had stopped off during the day and left without speaking and the moon had now begun to settle low in in winter night. Servant Saber stood atop the roof of the Emiya estate looking on towards the gibbous luna. It was a rather odd sight, to be perched upon a high ledge in nothing more than casual drabs. Her face had the look of someone wishing to leap; her eyes silently communicated with the sky, embracing the overlooking view.

Despite the argument during the daytime, that was not her wish. She enjoyed Shirou's company in honesty, but even she felt somewhat in conflict with her own attitude towards both him, Rin and her lack of chivalry. It was an uncanny, natural thing, however a cold rush sundered her spine as she pictured the eye being in her mind leap from the wooden floor and rush atop her. It's sickly tenticles burned her clothing and skin like acid and she could feel the pain rush through her mind. "Is this... fear?" She questioned the moon with her words, but of course, it did not answer. It was then a sense of the mind she felt the warmth and mana of someone else in the area with her. It was then a voice spoke out with a rather uncouth remark.

"I can smell it all over you, are you disguised or something?" An odd female voice from behind her spoke out.

Saber turned to greet with this person, but saw nobody. The voice called out once again. "Ah, so you're not a statue,"

"Who are you?" Saber swept back her hand. Her expression readied at the possibility of armed confrontation.

"My name is Zephyr. I am one that conjures the wind."

It was not until Saber turned forth to the moon again did she see a purple cat look back on her. It's small wings fluttered in the sky, and it's small body kept at Saber's eye level. "What type of demon are you?"

"I could ask you the same. You're drenched with Hex taint." Zephyr replied back. "I guess you don't understand my linguistics though, Hex is has been completely unbeknownst to this world until now. But then again I don't exactly bring malice with me, so you can tone down the aggressive gesture,"

"So you're from that world!" Saber was engulfed in vivid flashbacks. The same world as those vile creatures. Within moments, her expression reverted to one of hate and her clothing flashed a brilliant white. What was once her casual, innocent attire was now transformed into her blue knightly battle garbs and she struck forth with an invisible blade, seemingly conjured from the heavens. The cat dodged back carefully assessing the length of the so-called invisible blade.

"There's really no need to be so violent. Especially when there's lots of nasty monsters around that you couldn't possibly handle on your own in that state. Even one little splatter of blood on you and..." Zephyr was stopped as her feline eyes focused. She cupped her hands and formed a purple aura within her paws before firing it towards Saber. The knight dodged quickly, before the bolt struck something, causing it to shriek with a bloody cry. As she turned to see, she saw the corpse of a quadrupedal animal, it was like a dog, but completely stripped of fur. Only stagnant flesh and faint remains of it's head remained. Saber turned her head in amazement. She hadn't picked up the presence of the foul creature approaching at all.

"Someone thought it was a good idea to pull one monster from this world to here, and in doing so, it began to tear on the boundary wall. We're used to dealing with these monsters on our side, but it will be utter devastation to this town since you guys seem totally incapable of handling them. So now I have to find some way to stop the Hex spreading here too." Zephyr groaned and slanted an eye towards the knight "And of course, you have no idea what Hex is. Just think of it as a non-physical substance that corrupts substances. That's about the simplest way I can put it."

"I still don't know if I can trust you." Saber seemed adamant with her postion and concerned.

"If you don't trust me, you and everything precious to you will suffer a fate worse than death. If those things even bite you, you'll become just like them," Zephyr warned. "She's got an aura just like him,"

It was then the knight in armour realised placing a plated hand on her chin in thought. "Then Shirou could be in trouble,"

"If it's the guy sleeping in this building. He's fine," Zephyr replied. "Though I'm unsure why that is. Usually anyone attacked by them would most definitely be a zombie. Do you perhaps know if he's had any sort of enchantments or wardings placed on him?"

"Even if I did know these things, why would I tell you, hmm?" Saber replied angrily.

"I don't know, maybe because you love him or something?"

Saber blushed before shaking it off. Zephyr grinned "So it IS true." The cat's ears suddenly rotated backwards and she fell into concentration. Saber didn't understand her actions "What are you doing, cat?"

"Don't call me cat," Zephyr's voice was now in whisper as she tried to focus. "I'm a Hex Conjeror,"

I call upon the brimstone of under,

I call upon the wish of night,

Summon the gate o'er purgatory,

Lend me your might!

Saber stood and watched as the small creature pulled out a paw and swept it forward, causing it to shine a bright purple. Now with arm directly in front of her the light expanded into a massive circular glyph that surpassed the length of her body.

"Whatever you do, do not touch this gate," Zephyr finally managed to word after the incantation. Her ears began to prick. The gate vanished within her paws as if she had been told the ending to a story. "There is still one more demon around here. They're advancing faster than I expected,"

"How are are you able to detect them so easily!?" Saber was envied over the small animals potent ability over her own. "I couldn't sense them at all,"

"It takes some practise. I just happened to learn very quickly because it's something I do, hunting these beasts," With that, the small cat took flight, downwards into the streets in front of the house. As she darted a corner, she found her way into an alleyway. Saber leapt off of the rooftop of the Emiya estate and landed solidly on the ground, the metal of her armour clanged as it greeted concrete. Despite this, she was unscathed and continued her pursuit.

With darts of corners, Zephyr was eventually caught up to by the knight. But at this point, the cat had ceased and stared directly at a shambling monstrocity ahead of the way in an enclosed park. Some kind of once humanoid being with severely warped flesh; some of it dripping on the ground. Notably, upon it's head sat an Eyerus; it's tendrils had dug deep into the body controlling it like a sovereign. Unfathomable noises of flesh and poison mixing made the scene like a scene of a fallout. The basketball frame ahead was bent and twisted, wrapped in twiggy tendrils reaching from the grounds.

"Someone was victim of a seed," Zephyr clasped her paws at the advancing abomination.

"A seed!?" Saber shouted as the monstrosity drew closer, forcing her to step back in fear.

The cat threw forth a charged orb of light causing it to explode on the body of the shambled demon creating a cloud of smoke. "Seeds are just that, seeds. They are dispersed and grow into branched tree structures creating a suitable breeding ground for these Eyerus,"

The monster emerged through the smoke as if unscathed. The eye atop it's head stared dauntingly at those in front of it. "You have a sword don't you? Fight back!"

Saber hesitated. All of this was happening again. "I need to concentrate," Her sword still refused to budge, still lowered like a hound. Zephyr continued to fire barrages of controlled spells from her paws, causing more explosions. Despite losing and entire left arm this time; the cadaver still moved. It's strings were still pulled by its riding master.

"I just need to focus. If I pretend it's not there, I can make it," It was then Saber closed her eyes and rose her sword. Removing her sense of sight allowed her to hone in on the sounds of movement and the sickening stench of poison that bellowed her way. Still with eyes completely shut, she placed a step forward. It was then; as if her mind had opened. Suddenly, the black darkness was occupied by a moving purple shape in the center. It was indistinct, but it was there. She continued to move forward, eyes shut, but began to move faster and faster. She was running blind.

Zephyr was surprised, if not shocked at this. "Why are you..." Zephyr decided to stop charging her onslaught of magic in favour of allowing Saber to blindly charge at it. The monster screamed and began failing it's only arm, bloated by the venom of the poison that had inflicted it. Within moments, the body collapsed and fell in two halves as Saber swept her air-like sword outwards. The body slumped and fell into a messy heap, splattering tainted blood all over the concrete and Saber's own armour. The eye on the tendrils ejected from its now lifeless host body and scuttled. Zephyr aimed for it with a charged blast of purple energy generated in her paws, but by the time it landed with a bang; the Eyerus had darted into the shrubbery adjacent.

The cat looked back at the female knight, who still stood there motionless. Her sword was now retracted and she was standing still, breathing heavy. "Why are you just standing there!?"

Saber remained despite the cats angry words. It was then the feline perked up her ears again to the sound of heavy breathing. It was then finally broke free. "This sensation. I'm supposed to be one of those. Just being around them makes me feel like I'm about to turn!"

The cat fluttered closer to the knight. "Open your eyes, soldier," The cat worded.

For once, the knight did so and her emerald eyes met with the lavender eyes of the Hex Conjurer. She placed a paw on the girls forehead. "So it's true. You were one of them once,"

The cat flew backwards to give the girl some personal space. "But once an Eyerus or the Hex has claimed a victim, there is no going back. Unless by some chance some godly divine was performed... but even then, there would still be side effects like this. You're a lucky person, Saber,"

Zephyr pointed towards the venomous plant that twisted around the basketball pole. "You see anyone and anything, including plants and Terra, once touched by a seed cannot return to their old form. Essentially they're zombies, corpses, cadavers, say what you will. The being you just cut with your blade was once human, but his body was overtaken by that Eyerus,"

"So this sensation I'm feeling is...?" Saber placed her gauntlet on her chest and she continued to endure the heavy feeling that pushed her down.

"Normally, humans wouldn't just rush in and fight these things in the first place without special preparation. The air and blood alone can have dire consequences on your health both physically and mentally. Now when that pain subsides, we should probably return to your boyfriend,"

"That monster is still loose!" Saber realised pulling her hand from her chest, shaking off the remaining sensations that rattled both her brain and body.

After some pacing, Saber and Zephyr slammed through the closed door of Shirou's room. Shirou awoke abruptly to confront the noise, only to scream in terror at Saber's raised blade "WHAT THE HELL SABER?". He held out his hand, his eyes pale from shock.

"Wait," Zephyr spoke out softly.

Saber suddenly stopped and looked down on the orange haired boy giving mercy. She lowered her sword from the attacking position and apologised. "I am sorry Master!"

"I-it's fine! N-no need to apologise!" Shirou was still rattled from being awakened so suddenly in the darkness of night. "But what's with all this commotion..."

Before Shirou could finish, he let out a cowardly scream again and pointed at Zephyr. "Saber there's a monster b-behind you!"

Saber turned at his immediate order, only to realise it was the cat that had been accompaning her all this time. Blushing by the confusion, she confessed "She is of no threat Shirou, her name is Zephyr,"

The cat brushed off the idiocy "I'm a Hex Conjurer. I'll leave the explanations of my species for a later time. But right now, we have a problem on our hands. Fortunately, you haven't been made a victim yet,"