I don't own anything.
Tohsaka mansion.
Caren POV
"...So that's the whole plan?" -Saver says in a disappointed voice.
Right now both me and Saver are at my teachers office. The office has two couches standing in the middle of the room, which are facing each other and a small table is separating them. The room also has an office table and a chair near the huge window. Saver is standing at my side while I'm sting on one of the couches. Teacher is sitting behind his table.
Teacher was telling us the plan for the war he was making for three years, and I'm actually kind of disappointed but I keep quiet. While Saver showed his disappointment.
"Is there something that dissatisfied you about the plan Saver?" -Teacher asked Saver in interested tone but both me and Saver can tell that he is just faking his interest.
The plan was really simple. Saver will pretend to assassinate teacher while I will secretly go and take refuge in the church. Saver will then fight Archer. Which will make it seem like I betrayed my own teacher. After that me and Saver will gather information on the opponents and report it.
"Yes, a lot of things actually. But why do me and Caren have to do all the work while you will sit in your study all day and drink wine?!" -Saver says in a annoyed and angry tone.
"Me and Gilgamesh will support you in secret. Since all the other masters will think that you and Caren betrayed me, they will not suspect us to help you if a dire situation arises." -he replies with a calm but shaky voice. So hes scared of Saver after all.
Saver just lets out a sigh. Knowing him, he had other thing he wanted to say, but decided to keep them to himself.
"That guy will most likely nail me to a wall rather than help me." -Saver just rubs his temples.
"Did grandfather inform you of what servants were summoned?" -I really need to change the subject.
"Yes, all the servants with the exception of Assassin were summoned." -teacher replies after taking another sip of his wine. That means that Saver is replacing Assassin for the war. I take a look at Saver who's dissatisfied expression softened a little, but still is present.
"I'd rather replace a Berserker, but no Assassin, means no getting stabbed from the shadows"
"You would rather replace a Berserker than a Saber?" - this time the curiosity in my teachers voice is real.
"You're overestimating the Saber class." -Saver replies in a knowing tone. "Also did you know if replace the 'v' with a 'b' in my class name it will change to Saber. …I think the grail is trying to say something here." -he said that with a tiny smirk.
Then a silence falls over the room. It lasted for a few seconds until teacher spoke up.
"...I see. Do you agree on the plan then, Saver?"
"...Fine." -after saying that with a dissatisfied tone he goes back to his spiritual form.
Without saying anything I stand up and leave the room. I go in to the hallway of the mansion. I started to go to the library to spend some time until it was nighttime after but then my servant spoke up.
'Caren, you should go to the church immediately.' - Saver says using our connection. I stop near the staircase that leads to the first floor.
'Already?It's still to soon to execute the plan.'
'Yes, but I just want to make sure that your safe. If any of the masters are like Emiya Kiritsugu they will not hesitate and will-'
'Kill me.' - I finish his sentence.
'...Yeah. This is a war and mercy will only bring death. And what if the enemy master has a servant with them? You don't stand a chance against something like that.' -he says in a serious tone.
'Then I'll use my command seal to call you to my side.'
'Don't.' -...huh?
'W-why not?'
'…..' -he kept silent for a few seconds. '...I can't use my ultimate Noble Phantasm without them.' -wait does he mean...
"The Universe!?" -I yell in surprise.
Saver materializes and leans back against the wall. His facial expression is a little bit more more serious then usual.
"Yes. I think it's possible to use it with the use of the command seals." -he calmly says while taking off his headphones.
"How, wasn't it banned from the war?"
"It still is, but a small connection remained. Some of my persona speculate that it's possible to fully restore connection with The Universe. We are still unsure on how to do it, but all of us agreed that we will need as much of the command seals available." -while his voice is calm, I can feel that the idea of his true power returning excited him.
I know that The Universe is an EX ranked, Anti-World, Noble Phantasm with infinite amount of range and targets. I don't know anything else about it and he didn't say anything except that if it was available to him the war would be over without even starting.
"So you want me to avoid the use of any command seals?"
"No, if you think that it's necessary to use on of the command seals, do it. While I would like all of my power back, your safety is much more important." -he says in a kind voice and turns his face towards me. He has a smile that is both confident and warm. "And even without it, I'm still a strong servant. And you know what they say 'struggle makes victory much more sweeter'.
I smile back at him. I knew him only for about two weeks, and I have no doubt that if anyone has a chance at victory it's him.
Some hill above Tohsaka mansion.
Minato POV
'I kind of regret for agreeing to this plan' -is all I think to myself while standing alone on a hill. And today is a full moon, so I'm a little on edge. I hate the full moon. Actually I just hate the moon.
'I think it's for the best master. Not only will you and the little girl have much more freedom, but it will also be much easier to back stab mister fancy-pants.' -Tamamo's voice sounded a little bit more devious and darker than usual. I will have to betray Tokiomi sooner or later, my own master has her own wish she wants granted. But for now I'll humor him.
'Speaking of the young miss, you're a real charmer, boss.' -what did Robin just imply?
'Are you implying that I'm a pedophile?!' -I literally think that as loudly as possible.
'Calm down, boss. The girl will be quite the babe when she grows up. Who knows maybe you will get summoned by her for the next war again.' -that doesn't make me feel better.
I wanted to speak up again, but a voice that I'm not yet used to hearing spoke up in my defense.
'I suggest you keep your tongue held Hunter of the Sherwood Forest. I will not allow anyone to throw peaty insult, towards the king I serve, nor will I allow anyone to call my kings master a 'babe'.' -a voice said in a angry but dignified tone.
Turns out, I did forget something important. The voice I heard on the night when Kirei told me about the enemy masters
was actually a new persona. It was Gawain one of the knights of the round table. From what I understand he came to the sea of my soul right after I met Caren, but he decided to see if I was worthy of his 'servitude' and observed me for the whole week I was summoned. And just yesterday he announced his presence and declared that I have the makings of a great king as well as his wish to serve me.
Me and my, EX ranked Charisma.
'Well maybe you should take your sword and shove it up your-'
'Quiet.' -a commanding voice said. I'm surprised that he actually said something after so long.
'...Haven't heard anything from him for some time.' -Robin said.
'If I may inquire who was the one who just spoke?' -oh yeah, this is actually the first time Gawain heard him talk.
'That was Siegfried he was with me since I was alive, and he mutated like Chulainn.'
'But unlike me, he barely says anything. Sometimes it still feels that he can't talk at all.' -the lancer said in a bitter tone.
'Maybe he doesn't like senseless chatter.' -Gawain could have a point.
'Speaking of chatter, Minato, you've been standing here for an hour and talking to yourself, and you seem nervous. Something wrong?' -EMIYA already knows the answer.
'Oh you know, the full moon.' -I respond nonchalantly.
'Worried about tonight shadow?' -EMIYA said jokingly. 'You faced the avatar of death when you were alive so there is no need to worry about Gilgamesh.'
'He's right master, tonight is just a show for the audience. If it would be a real fight, the 'snake' wouldn't stand a chance against all of us.' -Tamamo said in a cheerful tone.
'Heh, I guess your right.' -there is no need for me to worry, if I'll ever be in trouble, I can always count on them.
I jump off the cliff. With a grunt, I hit the ground. A little bit of dust raises after my landing. Even a servant with a low ranked Endurance can handle this so I barely felt anything.
After walking for a half-minute I'm already standing in front of the mansion. Tokiomi asked me to destroy the jewels that keep the bounded field around the house. Probably to make it more believable that I really came to assassinate him.
'I'll borrow your bow, Robin'
'Sure thing, boss.' -after he said that, the Yew Bow materializes beneath my school uniform. It feels like it's a part of my body, no wonder Robin prefers to use this bow as his weapon.
Taking a quick look around, I spotted the jewels. I started to shoot them one by one. It was a boring procedure, but what could I do.
After I destroyed every jewel in sight, I stopped using Robin's bow. I continued to walk, until another bounded field blocked my path. Instead of many different jewels, there was one. It was attached to some pedestal. While a limber servant could probably find a way around the field, that doesn't apply to me.
So, what do I do?
…...you know what. Fuck subtlety.
'EMIYA you're up!' -I put the Evoker to my head and pull the trigger.
EMIYA appeared, as usual his signature overcoat is still on him. But instead of aiming one of his swords at the pedestal, he turns to me with his arms crossed.
"...Minato, are you serious?" -he says those words with a deadpan tone.
"Yes, I'm serious. Now, blow it up." -I say while pointing at the pedestal.
"...Why?" -he raises one of his white eyebrows.
"Two reasons. I want to attract the attention of the other master. And the second one being I just want to blow up some of Tokiomi's property." -I answer in the most serious of tones.
EMIYA just continuous to stare at me with his arms crossed. Then he sighs, materializing a bow in his hands and a sword in another. He takes aim at the pedestal, and let's go of his bow string. And after the sword makes contact, it makes a small explosion. After doing that, I dismiss him
So, for some reason his swords explode. Maybe he has some kind of thing for explosions?
The problem is that the damage was smaller then I would like it to be. Oh well, at least all of the pretty flowers in the mansion are burned.
"Hoh, so you're not alone, mongrel" -I know that voice.
Lifting my head I can see this full moons shadow 'Archer' standing on the top of the mansions roof. As usual he has his golden armor. He has an amused look on his face. He probably saw my little exchange with EMIYA.
And there are some uninvited guests. Probably familiars.
"You know why I'm here, don't you Archer?" -I pull out my left hand from my pocket while I reply.
"Of course, since the first time I laid my eyes on you, I could tell that you were nothing but filth."
'Ok, does he seriously consider me filth?'
'Yes, in his eyes all of us are lower beings.' -EMIYA sounds like he knows Archer very well.
'How could some one like him even be considered to be a king?' -Gawain said in a questioning and disappointed tone.
'Some times I wonder about that too.'
"And you dare to look upon me and covers with me as well?!" -he sounds mad. Golden portals open up behind him. Are those swords? "You deserve nothing but death!" -uh oh.
-Sakukaja-
I feel my blood flowing faster, my heart beating faster, every process in my body increases in speed. I quickly jump to the side and hear the ground shake.
Turning my head to the spot where I was standing, I see a small crater with sword and other weapons like axes and spears buried inside. Could his Noble Phantasm be similar to my armory?
"Sorry, but since my little assassination attempt failed, I will have to make my escape." -I put the Evoker to my head. I don't even care if the other masters are watching, this will mess with their heads.
"Don't you dare to leave without my permission, mongrel!" -he sends another rain of swords at me.
'Let's leave.' -a thousand voices ring through my head.
'Let's.' -I answered and pulled the trigger.
Waver's hideout
Waver POV
"What!" -I scream as loudly as I can.
I was using my rat familiar to watch the battle between Archer and the servant I can only assume being a Caster due to his low physical and high mana parameters. But when Caster(?) dogged the rain of swords at a speed that does not belong to a servant with a D ranked Agility, I was surprised.
And then he did something unbelievable. Before Archer sent another rain of swords Caster(?) had put some kind of strange gun to his head and summoned a phantasmal beast. It looked like a giant fly with a skull scepter. When the swords almost hit their mark, the giant fly swung it's scepter downwards. All of the swords were blown away by the flies brute strength. Then a huge cloud of dust rises.
"While I would like to fight you, Archer, now is not the time for that. When the time is right we will face each other in mortal combat." -Caster(?) says while hiding in the dust. Soon his presence completely disappears. And did he just make a reference?
And then I can feel my forehead being flicked. And it hurts!
"Owww!" -opening my eyes I see Rider with his finger extended. "Why the hell did you do that Rider?!"
"I could ask you the same thing, boy. After you screamed, I tried to get your attention but it was to no avail. You were just staring into empty space."
"I was using my familiar to spy on the other masters, idiot!"
"Ah, gathering information on our future foes. Very well, you may report." -he says that with a huge grin on his face.
Why, oh why did I have to get him as my servant. At least I should tell him what I saw.
"I was using one of my rat familiars to search the city, when the ground shook, so I sent my familiar to see who caused the ground to shake." -I start answering in an annoyed tone.
"And what servant was the cause?" -Rider crossed his arms and his facial expression become more serious. So he already guessed that it was a servant.
"Well, when my familiar arrived at the place where the shaking originated from there were two servants there. One was definitely an Archer, while the other was a Caster. At least I think he was." after I finished my sentence Rider raised an eyebrow.
"Start from telling what events transpired first. Their classes are of little importance to me."
"Their classes don't matter to you? How are we going to come up with a strategy if we don't know what their classes are?!"
"There is no reason for us to know the classes of our adversary's. We will face all of them in direct combat when the time is right." -he said those words with confidence. Does he really think that he stands a chance against a Saber or a Berserker?
I sigh.
"...Fine, I don't care anymore." -arguing with him is useless. "The two servants were talking to each other. From their conversation I understood one of them was an Archer, and that their masters were allied."
"And what makes you think that?" -Rider raised an eyebrow.
"Well for starters, Caster and Archer seemed to know each other, Caster also said something about 'his little assassination attempt failing.' But that wasn't what really surprised me." -Rider didn't interrupt me and just continued to silently listen. "The way they both fought was unbelievable. Archer was using everything from swords to lances as projectiles and the speed at which he was sending the weapons was inhuman."
"Did the other servant survive?" -he asked in a serious tone.
"...Yeah." -I answer quietly.
"By what means." -he looks like a kid who's trying to hide his excitement.
"..." -I keep silent and think on how to answer. "...He summoned a phantasmal beast..." -thats the only explanation I got.
Then a silence. Rider just stared at me for a few seconds. And then his lips curved upwards, until...
"...hahaha." -a quiet chuckle. "Hahaha." -it got louder. "Ghahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!" -the loudest laughter I ever heard. I need to shut him up! "Hahahaha-" I threw a pillow at his face. It was super effective.
"Don't laugh so loudly, idiot! You're going to wake up everyone in the whole neighborhood." -I shout at him. He just takes the pillow and pulls it of revealing a large grin plastered all over his face.
"Sorry, sorry, I could not contain my excitement. Those two will be powerful foes indeed. I can't wait to face the both of them!" -he exclaimed happily. And is he implying what I think he is?
"Don't tell me that you want to fight them directly?" -I said in a winy voice.
"Of course. I was summoned by you to fight, and I will. And seeing what the other servants are capable of, excited me as well!" -...you have got to be kidding me.
"Do you seriously think you can win that easily?" -why am I even asking these useless questions.
"Boy, who do you think your talking to? When our first battle is over, not only will all of your doubt be gone, you will also understand why I am called the 'King of Conquest'." -he says with a voice that is filled with confidence.
I really hope that his right.
Tohsaka mansion
Tokiomi POV
When the dust cleared, Saver was already gone. Since they saw what they needed all of the familiars start to leave the battle ground.
Strange, not all of the masters were watching. There were four familiars out of five. And Risei informed me that all of the servants were summoned.
I take another sip of the wine, stood up from my seat and bowed. Soon a golden light starts to form a figure. And then Gilgamesh appeared. Knowing him he's not even looking in my direction.
"Tokiomi, was this play really necessary?" -Gilgamesh says in his usual haughty voice.,
"This is only for assuring you're victory, and to show the prowess as the king of heroes." -answer him while giving a light bow.
"This play does nothing but squander my time."
"This is only to find the pray for the hunt of the king. Which is why I ask you to stay your hand for a little bit longer." -while I don't doubt Archers power, this war has too much riding on it for me to lose.
"Hmm. Very well, I will entertain myself for a little longer. But before I take my leave tell me everything you know about Saver." -he says in a commanding voice, which means it is not a request but an order. And did he just call Caren's servant by his class, could Saver had impressed him in some way?
"Sadly I do not know much about him myself. He does not seem to enjoy conversing with anyone, besides his own master and Kirei."
"I see." -he said in a voice that showed a little disappointment. Soon clanging can be heard, those sounds can only come from Archer's golden armor.
But before he can leave, I ask him a question.
"If I may ask, why does my apprentice's servant interests you?"
"Any filth from the gutter would have been impaled by my treasures, while he had managed to avoid that fate. Any servant who is able to avoid even one of my halfhearted attacks, is worth of some praise." -soon Archer started to disintegrate in to golden sparks. "But he's still nothing more but filth, although interesting filth." -he gives a menacing chuckle and then his presence disappears.
I sighed and sat back down on my chair. Dealing with Gilgamesh is hard, but his power makes up for that. I wonder how Caren deals with Saver. From what I just saw, he summoned a being that could be considered a phantasmal beast, which means the Saver class is similar to Caster in some way. But how did he managed to avoid Gilgamesh's first attack. The speed at which Saver moved is not possible for a servant with a D ranked Agility. Could it be that hes hiding his true parameters. Now that I think about it how did he escape so quickly.
I will have to ask Risei to observe Saver.
Looking outside I see that the garden is unrecognizable. All of the ground is riddled with holes and small craters, the grass and the flowers are completely burned away. Both of the servants seem to have a taste for destruction.
…...How am I going to explain this to Aoi and Rin?
?
Caren POV
I see a dream.
A dream where the sky and moon are sickly green.
A dream where water is crimson like blood.
A dream where no people exist, only coffins stand as trying to seem alive, but instead they represent dread and death.
I remember Saver bringing me to the church and talking to father about something. I remember grandfather showing me the room in which I'll be staying. And then I remember falling asleep.
Does that mean that this is a nightmare? If it is, I hope it ends soon. I don't want to stay here any longer.
I can't feel my body nor can I move and look around. The sky is green, the water is blood red, instead of people there are coffins.
There are a lot of cars. None of them move, the streetlight don't illuminate the darkness, the moon does instead creating a unpleasant green afterglow. There is no silence but sounds of metal being ripped and guns firing.
But among this nightmare there is a familiar looking boy. The boy isn't scared nor is he panicking he just keeps staring wide eyed at something in front of him. He is only focused on whats in front of him, not paying attention to anything else.
The sounds are getting closer but the boy doesn't move. And then silence. All of the sound stop. The boy doesn't move, continuing staring at the ground without blinking.
The silence is broken again but instead of gunfire, footsteps. They grow louder and louder and finally the boy reacts and lifts his head.
Ah, I see, so these are Savers memories. Both look so much alike, only they're eyes differentiate. Savers eyes always seem to lack something, but the boy has nothing, his eyes are completely empty.
The footsteps are almost here, and the boys dull eyes just stare at the source of the noise. He stands up-
Eh, is that... blood?
Kotomine church
Minato POV
~I WILL!
Burn my dread!
Burn my dread!
Burn my dread!
Burn my dread!
My headphones play the music at full volume. I'm reading the newspaper I bought yesterday, before returning to the church after my 'fight' with Gilgamesh. Seeing both Kirei's and, Risei's facial expressions when they saw Beelzebub land, with me on his back carrying two shopping bags, was priceless.
~ There's no man's land
No man ever survived
Invisible hands are
Behind you just now
If you ever win that
Race against rage then
You'll be king 'cuz
It's no man's land
For real ~
I bought a lot of food, so EMIYA volunteered to cook a feast. His been coking since last night.
Glancing up from the newspaper I see that he is no longer wearing his overcoat and armor, just a black shirt with long sleeves, black pants, and those weird steel boots of his.
The kitchen isn't big like in the mansion, there is just a table for four people standing in the middle of the and a really old stove. Not that EMIYA minded.
~ The mask is in heavy rain
Ultimately slain
Make shadows slave
What we've done is in vain
Carrying AK-47, 24/7
But you've gotta live it persecuted by heaven
I look down at the table where a ton of food is laid out. Everything from salads, meat dishes, deserts and so on are standing on the table. While I don't feel hunger as a servant, it still is nice to finally eat something after staying in The Great Seal for god knows how long. Caren should be happy with such breakfast as well. But there is one little problem...
~ Comes from the direction
No indication
You've got to
To let it move first
Let it out, let it down
Let it inside, let loose
Letting letting damn depressed
Let's get it up ~
...EMIYA made way too damn much. Apparently he REALLY likes cooking and since there is no kitchen, grocery shops or cooking utensils at our place of living, he kinda needs to scratch that itch. But man, he is really going overboard with this.
~ Then what'cha gotta do is
Drop the hammer down
Drop rhyme drop hammer
Digging like a labor
You've got blood all over
Ash all over, spit it out
Son game's over ~
~ Burn my dread! ~
Returning my focus to the newspaper, I found an article which would catch anyone's attention.
It was written 'A family murdered by the unknown serial killer in Fuyuki city.' I frown, turning the music of, I start focusing on the article. During these three month, families were killed in brutal ways. And these murders have been going on for a year. Most of the of ther victims were children. All of them were tortured not killed. Broken bones, decapitated while kept alive, and much worse. At the end, they become nothing more than piles of blood and flesh. They can't be even be considered human anymore, just objects.
'This is despicable, who could have done this?' -Gawain said in a sad tone.
'A fucking monster, that's who.' -Chulainn replies a voice both calm and furious.
They have no suspect, and the crime scenes have no evidence left, so the police hit a dead end. But the worst part is...
'Children are disappearing all over the city.' -Siegfried said in his usually calm tone.
Yeah. The next article says that kids have started to disappear, and adding that with the timing of the murders it can't be just a coincidence. At least I think so.
'All of this is related, isn't it?' -I ask them just to be sure.
'It would make the most sense if it is.' -Siegfried shortly replied.
'But why go from straight up murder to kidnapping? It's a strange transition.' -and as I thought that a hand took the newspaper away from me. EMIYA geld the paper in his left hand and a knife in the other. His eyes run from left to right and narrowed.
"Murders and kidnappings huh, this is a troublesome time you were summoned." -he said and looked at me.
"Stuff like this happens everywhere no mater the time or place we just don't see it." -I said and looked at the new dish that he placed on the table. An apple pie, it looks good.
"At least it's good to know that you acknowledge that." -while speaking he threw the paper in the garbage bin. Meh, I was done readying it anyway. "So what are you going to do about this, play detective?" -he started to cut the pie.
"If I will, then does that mean that you're going to be my side-kick?" -he glanced at me and smirked.
"No thanks, I rather just keep being you're babysitter. If I won't keep an eye on you, who else will stop you from doing something stupid." -...well his mostly right. EMIYA is the only voice of reason I have. Most of the other persona are demons, angels and other ridicules things. Only a few of them can actually give any semblance of decent advice. And with the power I have, keeping myself from using it, is harder than it sounds. Especially considering that this war is supposed to be a secret. "Getting back on topic, what are you planing on doing."
"Caren's safety comes first but ignoring something like this is impossible." -he gives me a satisfied nod..
"Good to hear." -a familiar voice said. Looking behind me, I see Robin standing in the door way with Kirei who gives both me and EMIYA a questioning look. I left him on guard duty on the roof of the church if his back then something happened.
'Master do you think it's wise to show both the old man and his son what you are truly capable of?' -Tamamo asked.
'No, but since I'll have to work with both of them, showing what I'm capable of is inevitable.'
'I understand, but please refrain from reviling too much.' -she said in a cautious voice.
'Don't worry, I know.' -Risei is a friend of Tokiomi's so he will report everything about my powers, but from what I saw, he definitely won't endanger Caren. So yeah he is a pretty nice guy but can't be trusted. As for Kirei something just doesn't 'click'. I'm not sure what exactly, but unlike Risei I'm confident that he won't betray me without a reason.
"Good morning Kirei. I see you already met Robin." -I greet him casually.
"It was nigh impossible to miss him. He was siting on the churches roof while shooting a bird out of the sky, and then proceeding to start a conversation with me." -he says and turns his gaze towards the other persona. EMIYA just ignores his look and speaks up.
"So you started shooting birds? I hope your did that with a purpose in mind, not just to satisfy your ego as a hunter." -he said in a sarcastic tone.
"Ego? Hah, you have much more of it then even I do, with your cooking and swordsmanship. Hell, why do you even use swords? Archery definitely suits you better, and you still keep running in combat like a jackass. Do you have a death-wish or something." -Robin replies.
"Maybe I just have a backbone unlike you." -here they go again.
'Kid, while it would be entertaining to watch both of them trying to kill each other, you should stop them before this escalates.' -Chulainn says.
"So what were you saying about the bird." -Robin was ready to respond to EMIYA's taunts but he closed his mouth after I spoke.
"Just look." -he said and lifted a bird with an arrow sticking out from it. There's a camera attached to the dead birds leg.
"A camera? Are you sure that this is not just some bird that some weirdo attached a camera to."
"A bird that kept it's distance from the church, but didn't fly away ether for hours? Yeah, not likely." -Robin said and ripped of the camera form the birds leg and tossed it to me. I catch it and take a closer look. The camera is tiny, it easily fits in to the palm of my hand. It's color is black, and the flashing red dot shows that it's still recording. I crush it in my palm and unsummon Robin.
"It would be safe to assume that the bird was a familiar, but why was there a camera attached to it? Don't magus dislike modern technology." -EMIYA said and started to make sounds as if his packing something.
"They have too much pride in their craft too even consider using a camera, unless it's someone who sees magecraft only as a means to an end." -Kirei said in his usually calm tone and sat down in to a chair next to me. Only one person comes to mind with when I hear the words 'a means to an end'.
"So the magus killer suspects that a master is hiding away in the church. I wonder how will he feel after he realizes that his familiar won't come back." -I say and open my palm. The camera is nothing more than dust now, and unless it had a direct feed, no one will see what was recorded.
'I assume he would feel dejection, knowing that his efforts have gone to waist.' -Gawain said. And I hope he does.
"Saver, you were talking on the topic of the crimes that have been causing a stir around the city, weren't you." -Kirei calmly said.
"Yes, if your bringing up that topic again, that means you know something."
"...We believe that the culprit is the master of Caster." -...well this is convenient. EMIYA stops making the packing sounds for a moment and then continued.
"Why doesn't the church or the magic association do anything?" -I ask in a serious tone.
"In their minds as long as both master and the servant are discreet, they can be left to do whatever they wish." -Kirei replied.
'Are they out of they're minds, will they just turn a blind eye to this letting more innocents to be slaughtered!' -Gawain finally lost his cool. I inhale deeply to not to do the same thing.
'As long as it doesn't cause them problems, the rich will always ignore the poor. It looks like that still didn't change.' -Robin said in a really disappointed tone. But that only gives me more reason to find the psychopaths.
"Where are they?"
"We don't know, Casters master didn't even register for the war, making tracking both of them down, impossible." -didn't register?
"It's required for all the masters to contact the overseer of the war one way or another. So why didn't they contact Risei?" -I ask Kirei, but EMIYA was the one who answered.
"It's not necessary for the master to be a magus, so the grail could have chosen a person without any knowledge about the Holy Grail War. Or maybe Casters master just didn't want to show himself." -turning my head towards him, I notice that the number of dishes on the table decreased significantly. EMIYA is holding a basked in his hand. "We should head out." -he gives me the basket. I take it in my left hand, and notice that it's heavier than expected. Just how much food did he put there. Looking in the basked as I dismiss the persona, I see that it's full with food that's neatly packed in plastic wraps.
"Going on a hunt for the other masters?" -Kirei was asking not because of curiosity, instead he just wanted confirmation.
"And you know that because?"
"Caren is currently waiting for you in the nave of the church, I just inquired about your plans for the day."
"...I see..." -...so she is already awake, and it seems that Kirei and Caren talk to each other after all. It's surprising considering that Kirei left her with his late wife's relatives. But I wonder how Caren feels about this. "What's Risei doing right now?"
"He is in his study discussing something with Tokiomi. Considering that you that arrived to the church on that beast, I would guess that their topic is you." -hmm, looks like his shock from last night disappeared completely, that's a little disappointing.
'It seems that both Tohsaka and the old man are plotting something behind your back master. But so are we behind.' -Tamamo says in that dark voice of hers.
"Can I count on you to investigate both Caster ,and their master?" -I ask and stand up from my chair.
"There is no point for me to stay in the church for long, so I will accept." -then he smirked. "You want me to keep quiet about our meetings, don't you."
"I would appreciate if you did." -my lips curl up a little but barely. "Especially from Risei."
"Hmph, it's hard to believe that a servant who was summoned by my daughter is asking me about not informing my own father that he plans to betray his close friend." -Kirei's voice finally starts to show excitement, that's rare.
"Tokiomi has a similar thing planed for us. While, I'm confident that Risei won't hurt Caren, Tokiomi is a master and who knows how far he will go for his wish." -I chuckle. "And he's terrible at hiding his intentions for me and my master. But he doesn't understand that someone can betray him too."
'The only way he could actually be more obvious about is plans is by waving a flag with 'I'm going to betray you' written on it.' -EMIYA said in a deadpan tone.
"Are you planing to kill him?" -Kirei says in curios tone.
"Kill him, no but killing his dreams at getting the grail, yes." -while I have a strong dislike for Tokiomi, killing him is out of the question. He has both wife and a daughter, from what I've seen he cares for them deeply. And killing someone who is at least a decent human being, would leave a sour taste in my mouth.
"So you will avoid killing masters during the war?"
"Unless their dangerous or have similar motives to the master of Caster, then I'll let them go." -if my friends would hear what I just said, they would be shocked. But I believe that such a way of thinking is necessary. If, I would just follow my instinct and killed a few certain individuals when I was alive, avoiding the Fall and even my death would be possible. Maybe, I could even save both Shinjiro and Mitsuru's father. There is no way I'm plan to let someone hurt Caren or a repeat of my life happen, morality be damned. "I'm counting on you, and have a nice breakfast." -Kirei looks confused for a second and turns around to the table, probably realizing that the food is left for both him and Risei.
I turn around and make my way out of the kitchen. Closing the door behind me, I start to move through the corridor. I put my hand in the basket and pull the first thing I touched. It was a beef sandwich, after using my teeth to remove the wrap I take a bite.
The taste was for the lack for a better word 'heavenly'. The ingredients are laid out in such a way that their taste is amplified, the bread is soft and thin which only ads to the flavor, also I taste a sauce which reminds me of mayonnaise and mustard. How did EMIYA make a simple sandwich taste this good?
'Minato you were planing on searching for the other servants and masters today, but do you actually have any ideas on where to look?' -EMIYA said while I continue to chew the sandwich and walk thought the corridor.
'No, this will be the first time walking freely around the city, so naturally taking a look around is more important.' -my unfamiliarity with the city is something I need to change fast. If not, finding other servants and more importantly Caster won't be simple.
'That means we're scouting today.' -Robin said in a indifferent voice.
'Not much else we can do. Maybe we'll get lucky and bump in to a servant and a master.'
'Jeez we had to wait for weeks for the other servant summonings, and now we need to find them. This war has a pretty damn slow start.' -Chulainn said in a annoyed voice.
'I guess all wars are like this.' -I finish eating my sandwich and step out on the to the crossing of the church.
And as Kirei said, Caren is waiting on one of the benches that's really close to the altar. She has her eyes closed, probably preying to god. From what I know Kirei isn't religious even though his a member of the church, so I guess she takes after Risei in regards of religious beliefs. I walk up closer to her and she opens her eyes and turns to me while wearing a neutral expression on her face. But is it just me or is she a little different today, I'm getting that kind of feeling from her.
"Good morning Caren, did you sleep well?"
"...Yes. Good morning to you too, Saver." -she said in a strangely uncomfortable tone. And looked at the basket in my left hand. "What's that."
"Would you believe me if I told you that one of my persona made food for us?" -Caren looks a little surprised.
"They can cook?" -I give her a nod and grab something from the basket. This time I pull out a onigiri and give it to Caren. She takes a short look at and takes it from my hand-
…Wait bandages? As I watch Caren taking the onigiri from my hand and taking her first bite, I notice that her hands are covered in bandages. Did something happen yesterday while I was away? I'm pretty sure that Caren had no bandages when we stayed at Tohsaka mansion. Usually I would ask what happened, but something tells me that I won't get a straight answer from her. I'll ignore it, for now.
My master finished her quick snack. Her face looks a little bit more cheerful, good.
"How was it?" -I ask.
"Well to be honest, I could never imagine that something that simple could taste that good." -hmm?
"There some rice stuck to your face." -Caren just looks at me for a second, and then pulls out a red cloth that looks awfully like EMIYA's overcoat and uses it as a napkin.
'...Why is she using a Holy Shroud as a napkin?' -the persona said in a surprised tone.
'What's a Holy Shroud?' -I questioned him.
'It's considered that some cloth have special effects since they were worn by saint. For example the shroud I wear protects me against the environment.' -EMIYA still has that surprised tone.
'So that thing you wear is really a Holy Shroud. Where did you even get it?'
'A strange woman gave it to me for a job I did once.' -...that was brief.
"Caren where did you get that?" -I ask her with the newly obtained information. My master who just finished using the shroud as a napkin looked back at me.
"Grandfather gave it to me, he said that it can forcefully bind men."
"And why is this holy item being used as a napkin?"
"I don't really see a problem. If the church could have keep it in a good state for a long time, why can't I use it however I want?" -she answered as if nothing is wrong with it.
"...You have a point. So ready to go, we have a lot of ground to cover for today."
'Don't agree with her.' -EMIYA deadpanned.
Caren stands up to her feat and starts cleaning of the shroud. Then she wraps it around he neck like a scarf. Surprisingly it looks natural on her. "Do you have somewhere you want to go."-I ask her.
"No, this will actually be my first time walking around the city aimlessly. How about you?"
"I was stuck in the mansion for weeks so I'm the same. Oh well, were just taking a look around and hoping that an enemy pops up. Let's go." -Caren doesn't move and looks as of she wants to say something. "What's wrong?"
"Minato can I ask you something?" -she says in a serious tone. And if it's the first time she called me by my name it has to be something serious.
"Go ahead."
"How did your parents... die?" -... how?
"How did you know?" -my voice sounds surprised. I wanted to sound unmoved by the question but looks like there are some things that I can't control.
"Yeasterday, I had a dream and..." -she doesn't finish, and goes silent she just keeps staring right in to me eyes or to be more accurate an eye.
'Could it have been a dream cycle?' -Gawain says in a quiet voice. It's would make sense if she actually saw my past through a dream cycle. As far as I know a 'dream cycle' shows the most prominent parts of a servants life, and if the servant dreams such a thing he or she will see their master memories. Of course since I don't need to sleep, I haven't seen any of Carens memories. But the only problem is neither the master or the servant know what will show up in the dream.
"What did you see?" -I compose myself a little and ask.
"...You as a child, you were on a bridge and..." -...crap, of all my memories she had too see that one.
"Do you really want to know?"
"...Yes. But if it's you don't want to tell me, I'll understand." -she still doesn't brake eye contact. She looks uncertain, as if she's breaking in someones personal space.
"No, I don't see a reason why you shouldn't know, but I will warn you, what I'm about to tell you... is probably the worst and most painful thing that happened in my life." -I answer in the most serious voice I can. "Will you listen?"
Caren continues to look in my eyes and after a moment of silence she nods.
"I don't remember what happen exactly so the story will lack details, but that's for the better." -and I don't want to remember it in the first place, but it's stuck in my head even after I died. "I was seven, me and my parents were driving back home, from where I don't remember. It was late, the time was almost midnight, the only thing I remember is driving back. Were me and my parents talking, or we driving back in silence, I don't know but that doesn't matter at all." -I stop this is where the events are kind of a blur. Caren silently looks at me. "...Soon I felt an impact and got knocked out, I probably hit my head. And when I regained my conscious the world around me changed." -Caren looks down at her feet as if she's getting scolded by someone.
"The green sky..." -she quietly muttered.
"Yes, when I woke up, I saw a murky green sky, blood-red water and coffins." -ugh what next... "...I took a look around and saw that every car, and truck just stood unmoving. Some of them were crushed in to each other while the others just stood in silence. It was dead silent, until I heard a noise." -I don't remember what the noise was though, but considering that Aigis was there it could have been gunfire. "I wanted to see what caused the noise but... then I...got out from the car." -I close my eyes and remember...
'…...Master...' -I hear a soft whisper and get out from my trance. Opening my eyes I see that Caren lowered her head so low that her eyes aren't visible anymore. After more silence I come up to her and put my right hand on her head.
She raises her head and looks back in to me eyes. She has a look of guilty in her eyes.
"You didn't see them? -I ask her, and after a moment she shakes her head. Looks like she saw something. "Good, it's not something that anyone should see."
"...What happened after that." -Caren asks while still having a look of guilty.
"I don't know. But when I awoke, it turned out that I was abandoned by the only relative I had left. While I don't remember many things about my relatives or even parents I know that my father was a orphan and the only relative my mother had was her own father. My 'grandpa' had put me in an orphanage while my sister was adopted, why such different treatments, I don't know." -I can't even remember what my sister name is... "In the end I kept my fathers last name 'Arisato', but other than my family name there is nothing connecting me to anyone." -if I try to remember to remember how their faces looked like, all I get are those...'things'. "Sorry I said that telling what happened won't be a problem, but looks like I was wrong."
"I understand how you fell, Minato. So you don't need to say anything else." -she doesn't say that to make me feel better, but because she truly understands me.
"I see." -I take my hand of her head. "You'll understand what happened on the bridge soon Caren. But for now, it's better if you don't think about it." -my usual voice comes back to me and Caren gives me a sad smiles. Both of us are similar in some aspects and sometimes I feel like I'm staring back at myself in the past.
She lost her mother and was abandoned by her father. But she still goes on. Whatever her wish is I will fight for it no matter what.
Somewhere in Fuyuki
Kiritsugu POV
I light the cigaret and put it in my mouth, after inhaling some smoke I breath it out and put the cigaret between my fingers.
It's an early morning, people flood the streets. Most of them are ether going to work or school No one is aware of the danger that could befall anyone who lives in this city. And it should stay this way. No one irrelevant should know about the war.
A few hours ago I meet with Maiya about the incident that happened near the Tohsaka estate. A familiar managed to record the battle between the two servants, which should have been a good news.
But what I saw only made uncertain about the event that transpired.
The thing that struck me was one of the servants. He looked like a boy who was in his late teens. He had dark blue hair and a light build. Because of the build he looked rather weak physically. The blue-hared servant wore something similar to a high-school uniform. He did not seem to be dangerous in the least.
But judging a servant by his looks is suicide, and Saber is proof of that. Honestly its hard to believe that a such small woman was king Arthur, and she's is the strongest servant of all. But even if she is strong, me and her are completely incompatible.
I really should have summoned a servant without using a catalyst. That would have made this war much easier.
The blue-hared servant was more agile than he seemed. He managed to dodge a huge wave of weapons, that the golden servant had sent at him. Not only that, he also summoned a phantasmal beast, that had an appearance of a giant a giant fly. The beasts strength was so enormous that it managed deflected the second wave of weapons and, created a smoke screen. The blue servant used the smoke screen for cover and the beast for transportation. From the video it seemed that both of the servants knew each other, meaning that Tohsaka was allied with the blue servants master.
The whole event is confusing. Not only one of the servants managed to summon a phantasmal beast he also used it to escape combat. Then if he can summon monsters that would mean that he's a Caster, but if he can ride it that would make him a Rider. The familiar was ordered to follow him, but was unable to do so. The monster he summoned was probably much more mobile that anticipated.
Which one of the classes does he belong to? The blue servants master could only be Caren Hortensia. She's probably hiding in the church. Which would prove my theory that, both her family and the church, are supporting her. So much for neutrality.
I continue to smoke, until the cigaret is completely burned. After tossing it aside, I start to walk in the direction of the hotel. Iri and Saber arrived in to the city this morning, and knowing my wife's personality both of them are probably wandering around the city without any destination. I hope that trouble doesn't find them. Me, and Maiya will need to locate them and watch them from a distance.
And if a servant does find them, I hope Saber manages to avoid reviling her true name due to her self-righteousness, pride, and that stupid code of chivelry. If not, my opinion of her will drop even further.
I wonder if the familiar Maiya sent, managed to record anything worthwhile.
Riverbank
Saber/AltriaPOV
'A hostile servant..." -Irisviel speaks in a serious tone.
"Yes. Making its presence known from the shadows, one hundred meters ahead." -the servant made himself known only a second ago. And there can't be any mistake that.. "It appears to be inviting us to go see it."
"How thoughtful. It wishes to determent the battlefield. Shall we take up its invitation?"
"...No, no you won't, Einzbern." -a new voice said from the direction we came from. Turning around, I can hear Irisvile gasp. 30 meters from us stands a young man with blue hair and eyes, wearing a costume that looks similar to mine. He stand in a relaxed pose both of his hands holding nothing. Nor does he seems ready for combat. "You won't leave this place unless my master decides otherwise." -the same voice said.
There can not be any mistake, the youth is a servant. The power he is seeping appears weak, it's most likely that he is hiding it to not alarm any other master.
To his right stands a small girl and some distance away from her stands a...basket? She is wearing something akin to a nun uniform with a small hat on her head. She has a red cloth tied around her neck like a scarf. Her hair is similar to Irisvile's, but it's more wavy and the color is light grey instead of silver. Her gold eyes are looking to my right where my 'master' is standing.
"Caren Hortensia." -Irisvile whispered in a shaken tone.
I look at the enemy master. Unlike, Irisvile she shows no worry or nervousness. She just stands near her servants side completely believing that he will protect her. It makes me feel a little unsettled, but at the same time envious. This girl stands by her servants side, while my master is hiding in the shadows, waiting for his opponents to be at their most weakest and strike.
I erase such thoughts from my mind. There is an enemy in front of me, and I have a duty of protecting my masters wife. I must focus.
I narrow my eyes and tense up.
"How long have you been following us?"
"Since Fuyuki Bridge. You didn't do a good job at hiding yourself, and your masters unusual appearance didn't help matters ether." -the servant replies in a relaxed tone. If what he said is true that means...
"If you did indeed followed us for that long without alerting me to your presence it must mean that your Assassin" -to this his lips formed a small and barely noticeable smirk.
"Incorrect a true Assassin would have completely erased his presence, compared to that I'm nothing more than an amateur who can just partially hide himself." -he replies in the same tone, that still shows no worry or hostility. In the instant when he finished speaking, I could fell more raw power and prana leaving his body. Now his presence is much more noticeable but it still feels rather weak.
He stood up his full height and sharpens focuses his gaze solely on me. Now he is looking at me like an enemy not a person.
"I see your done talking."
"While I would like to talk longer, were still enemies." -the servant just shrugged. "And fighting the strongest servant interests me a little." -so he and his master are aware of my class.
"Is that the reason why you decided to make yourself know? To fight me."
"Pretty much, I waited for weeks so that the war could finally start, and I'm not letting anyone but me to be your first fight. I want to fully rid my masters of any uncertainty by showing what I'm capable of. Do you understand how I feel, Saber?" -the servant said. He looks like a warrior who was restrained in chains for a eternity, and since he is finally set free he wants to fight a strong opponent to the death.
"I do. Can I consider that this will be a duel, that does not concerning our masters?" -I said in the most serious tone I could.
The unknown servant keeps quiet for a moment.
"...Usually I would say no, but today will be an exception. This will stay only between you and me." -he says with smile.
"Good answer." -I smile back at him.
Both of us take a few steps towards each other while both Irisvile and the girl take a few steps back. The distance between us is 10 meters. We could instantly close the distance between us if necessary. For for a moment we just look at each other. The blue-haired servant is taller than both me, and Irisvile, his build is slim which could mean a two things. He either prefers speed over strength or his direct combat isn't his specialty, but if that's is so, why did he choose to fight me directly.
"Saver." -the girl spoke up for the first time. The servant glances towards her. What did she mean when she said 'Saver'. Is that the servants class? "Can you really win against a Saber in direct combat?" -the servant, 'Saver' just smiled back.
"I already told you Caren, focus on supplying me with prana. And just enjoy the show." -Saver said in a calm voice. He then turns his face back towards me. There is no panic only focus and excitement. The girls nods and fully focuses her attention on her servant.
"Saber... Be careful. I can support you with healing magic. But more than that..." -Irisvile said in a concerned voice.
"Leave Saver to me. But it worries me that a servant with a unknown class is my opponent. I don't know what to expect. Please watch yourself." -I say in a calm voice. Even if he is a servant with a unusual class, unless he has the necessary skill, he won't live through this encounter. The wind envelopes me as if preparing me for combat. After it disperses I'm fully clothed in my armor. I tightly hold the handle of Excalibur lowering it to my position.
"I'll be careful, Saber. Grant me victory." -Irisvile didn't ask but ordered. I tighten my grip around my sword.
"Yes, certain victory."
Saver stood weaponless just looking at my sword. Since its concealed by the wind, he can't see through it. But then why do I feel like he staring right at it's tip?
"Draw your weapon Saver. I refuse to fight an unarmed oponent." -I raise my sword in one hand and point it directly at him. His eyes follow it still focused staring at the tip of the sword. Which could only mean that Invisible Air is not enough to hide Excalibur against his eyes. Are his senses that strongly developed?
"..." -he pulled his eyes from the sword, and looks in to mine. And after a short silence he spoke up. "...I see, no wonder that the both of them have a such high opinion of you." -what?
Before I get to ask the meaning behind his words, he extends both of his arms in front of himself and opens his palms.
"Now, how do you think this will end? Will your sword cut me down..." -a light forms in his palms. He grasps the light and in his hands, a pair of short sword appear. In his right hand a white sword, and a black sword in his left. The swords are identical in shape, as if they're bound to each other making a impression that they can not be separated. Saver raises them above his head and swings them down to his sides. Creating a sound of the wind being cut. "...or will you fall under the weight of 'our' power."
School started this month, which slowed down my progress on both Fate Zero, and New Fate.
Chapter 3 probably has much more grammatical errors than any other, since I was doing the spell check late at night. I'll probably edit this chapter later.
If any of you have suggestions on how I should improve myself let me know.