The following is a non-profit, fan work based off the work Type-Moon
All character, events, and ideas belong to their original creators
The Bluefire Phoenix Present…
Fate/Crossroads
Chapter 3: Knowledge is…
It had been less than two days since the death of James Hume. It felt as if the whole of North Texas was on fire in the wake. With no suspect identified the search was on.
A pair of officers was combing the nature preserve not far from the scene of the crime. It was about midday under the Texas sun. The only reprieve was the lack of cicadas chirping. They were about to call it quits when one of them spotted a woman in black standing over what appeared to be a man.
Her blond hair was tied in a professional bun. She wore thick glasses. Gloved hands were examining something on the ground.
The officers approached. They could now make out that the man had a massive gash across his jest and his arm was amputated. Decomposition was starting to set in. The woman looked up from her examination.
"Excuse me ma'am but I need you to step away," one of the officers insisted.
The woman did so. She brushed off her hands. "I believe this is the man you're looking for, gentlemen," she said. The officers continued to approach. Her phone sounded an alarm. She turned it off and started walking away. "Sorry for leaving so soon, but I have a funeral to crash."
The officers tried to follow her but it was as if she had vanished. They gave each other a bewildered look.
The funeral of James Hume saw a huge public out pouring. It dominated the local airwaves. It was center of even the most mundane conversation. There wasn't a soul in the Metroplex who hadn't heard the news.
The wake had been huge, even though it was a closed casket affair. Diana Hume spent hours sitting with her mother in the front row of their church, receiving condolences from just about everyone. Little did they know, an invisible being was floating above her. It was her familiar, her Servant, an unseen expression of her blasphemy. He was waiting for anyone who made a move against her. His presence was somewhat unnecessary given the intense level of police presence in the building.
Diana didn't care for the dress she wore. It was long sleeved and black. The only thing that seemed to have worked out was that she could still wear gloves. Still, the mixture of high humidity and the Texas heat made the entire getup extremely unbearable even in the oasis of air conditioning inside the church.
Wave after wave of well-wishers continued to visit the ladies. Each time a young man shook Diana's hand; her mother would make a quick comment about how handsome he was or chide her about how she handled the moment. Diana nodded in agreement to everything she said.
An entry in the opposite category of handsome boys finally made his appearance. James's brother John was approaching. While Diana didn't understand her mother's obsession with all the handsome young men, she did understand why most everyone found John repulsive.
He was a very portly man several years older than Diana's father. Most of the hair on the top of his head had fallen away; leaving a poorly cared for scalp behind. What hair was left was greasy from years of bad dye jobs. His nose was just off center enough to be distracting if looking at him. He looked as if he was about to burst into a puddle of sweat with each belabored step. His suit and tie looked like it had been just pulled out the bottom drawer and hadn't been to the cleaner in years.
After a tearful bout with John came the next in line. Diana straightened up when she recognized who it was. "Ms. Austin, I wasn't expecting to see you again," Helena said. Indeed Austin was standing there in her all-black outfit.
"I was horrified when I heard about the murder of your husband. Rest assured that once this is over, I will do all in my power to make sure that Diana has a place at BUA," Austin said. She shook Helena's hand whilst giving Diana an evil glare. The girl ignored the look as best she could.
She spent the rest of the wake feeling Austin's stare on her face. It was mercifully over by noon and her father's body was being driven to the cemetery for its final resting. The funeral started about a half hour later, after the last of the invited arrived.
There were a few eulogies said. John, Helena, the Pastor, and a couple of James's friends gave their piece before a final prayer was said. The casket was lowered into the grown and buried. Slowly the mourners began to depart. Diana insisted on staying a little longer, saying she'd be home later. Her mother let her be.
Lingering on the edge was Austin, who approached once the last of the mourners had left. Saber materialized as the woman approached. His golden armor gleamed in the afternoon sun.
Diana watched the two. It was like looking at a set of twins. Austin while shorter than Saber by a head still looked eerily similar. Both were blonde, though Saber's was a tad darker. Both had emerald like eyes that were marred by a certain world weariness. That was about the end of the common ground. Austin's face was rounder compared to the clean, sharp face of Saber. The knight's hair was a wavy, free flowing mane while Austin's hair was tightly wound up in a bun with no lock out of place.
"So Ms. Hume, I see you have indeed summoned a Servant. Quite the achievement considering I never showed you how," Austin commented in a rather accusatory tone.
"I'm sorry, it just happened alright. I was scared and bleeding and didn't know what to do. I just called for help," Diana whispered.
Austin turned to Saber. "And you were able to oblige?" she asked the man. Saber nodded.
"How can one resist the call to fight in the Grail War? Unfortunately without the proper ritual, our agreement is tacit and thus incomplete. I can barely able to maintain this form with how weak the mana feed from her is. I need to avoid using any of my other Noble Phantasms and prolonged fights until we can fix it," he said. The woman eyed the girl for a moment.
"You Master must be something else, Saber. Any ordinary mage could easily have died from such a risky move."
"The capabilities of my Master are perhaps impressive, but not important at the moment."
Austin stepped forward and coldly analyzed the knight. "Maybe to you, though I suppose it's because you are grateful that the Assassin Class was already claimed. Personally, I don't think white suits you," she purred.
Saber clenched his fist. "This is not about me, Overseer. This is about aiding my Master."
Diana noticed something off in the way the knight spoke that she found whilst he was speaking with someone else. His English was off in a way. Not in the "ye olden English" sense. It sounded more like a blend of British and American fighting for dominance.
"Yes, yes. You're right," Austin asked. She took off a silver key pendant that was hidden by her shirt. Diana could feel a powerful energy roll off of the simple key. "Shall we begin?
The girl defiantly shook her head. "Not here. I won't have my father's grave defiled by magic," Diana said. She kept her voice calm.
"As you wish," Austin complied. The trio went deeper into a small unused patch of ground. Austin held out the key as if she were opening a door. She turned it to the left and a crack in reality emerged! It grew wider and wider, creating an archway into what could only be described as another dimension.
Austin stepped aside to let the shocked Diana and the almost apathetic Saber through. They stepped into a stone corridor that went on for several meters and was lined with bizarre to downright otherworldly antiques. The woman followed them in, allowing the archway to close behind them. It left only a stone wall, with a metal plate indented with a hand placed near the center of it.
The Master and Servant followed Austin down the hall, lit by torches that sparked to life as they approached.
They finally reached a set of massive wooden doors. Austin parted them, unveiling an impossibly large domed chamber. It was filled with spiraling book shelves that reached up to the point no one could see their tops.
"This is the Library Aeternum. It's the repository of everything my mistress and I have collected. Any question of the arcane that you have, likely has an answer here," Austin explained. The group descended deeper into the library. "This is about as far as I can help you, I'm afraid. The only other thing I'm permitted to do is assist in summoning. Since that's taken care of, I'll give you the most important rule: your Command Seals can compel your Servant to do whatever you say. You can do this three times. After that, your pact with the Servant is over as well as your status as a Master."
"That's good to know," Diana sniped.
Austin narrowed her eyes. "One more thing Ms. Hume: don't fight in the public eye. It will make everything so much easier for all of us. Trust me."
"I wouldn't dream of it," Diana spat.
"Be careful though. This place is far larger than it seems. But it is still as much a battlefield as any other. When you are ready to leave, give me a call."
Diana nodded. "I understand."
Austin smirked before taking her leave and disappeared around a corner.
"What's the plan then, Master?" Saber asked. Diana gave her Servant her full attention.
"I want to go back to the whole not being able to fight thing," The girl demanded.
Saber's face feigned offense. "You were burdened with your injury and the death of your father. I didn't want you to worry about your safety as well. But you were never in danger, Master. I promise you," he said.
Diana crossed her arms. "I still would've liked to know. We're partners and need to communicate," she said.
"Yes, master."
The two started wandering the halls until they came across a small alcove that was filled with papers and books. Diana started to look through them as Saber stood watch. It looked more like an abandoned campsite than anything else.
Candy wrappers were strewn around the alcove's small desk. Crumpled papers were scattered everywhere. Diana picked up one of the wrappers. It was dated almost three weeks ago. It took the girl a minute to realize that it wasn't dated in the American fashion. Examination of the notes showed that whoever set up this little study camp was someone who could write in German. All the notes were in German actually. There were the occasional pictures too. Usually circles with elaborate interiors. The only other thing drawn was what appeared to be some sort of stylized sword with a jagged L attached the ends of the crossguard.
What made Diana's heart pound was a stash of cloths, food, and water that had been stashed away and was still untouched. There were several slash marks all over the place. She grabbed a couple of the tomes and rushed back to Saber.
"Let's go, please," she begged. Saber cocked an eyebrow.
"Did you get everything you need?" he asked.
"I don't know but I don't like it here so let's please just go," Diana continued to persist.
The two continued to travel through the quiet city like walkways of the Library Aeternum. They settled in an open area filled with tables, illuminated by glowing balls of light. Diana began reading. Unfortunately when she opened the book she realized she couldn't read it. It was written in Latin or something similar.
Saber patted her shoulder and pointed to a display of glasses at the other end. "I don't need glasses," Diana said.
"Just try them, see if they have some kind of translation spell on them," Saber said.
"Oh right…magic," Diana grumbled. She grabbed a pair of glasses and returned to her book. Sure enough she could read! The girl got cracking, unintentionally letting time slip by. Saber was off scouting for resources and threats.
The book was rather bland. More like a textbook than anything else. But it contained some of what the girl needed. The gloomy nature of the place started to seep in the longer she stayed there. Silence dominated the place to the point Diana had to continuously whisper things to herself to keep from being suffocated by it. She swore that thousands of tiny eyes were watching her.
The paranoia and sense of defenselessness finally forced her to stop studying the circle and look for some kind of magical solution. She found a tome marked with a flame insignia not far from what had become their base for the moment. In it she was able to find a fire ball spell. She read the description and mimicked the hand gesture, curl in her pinky and ring fingers on her right hand while keeping her other two fingers and thumb up.
She lifted the gesture up and flung it forward. Nothing happened. Diana bit her lips. She started focusing on the gesture. A strange tingling sensation claimed her hand.
The girl flung her hand forward. A small spark leapt from her hand into the air. It was unimpressive to look at but it was a start. She practiced it a couple of more times before stopping. She felt dizzy, like she had been running around for a bit then stopped.
Diana eventually stumbled back to base and got back to her original research, feeling a bit better in the absence of her Servant. Once he returned she started to create a circle using blood collected from an alchemy set Saber found about a quarter of a mile away. Diana found the whole act profane and repulsive, but she recited what she remembered from Job. She would endure the sins and blasphemy, knowing that in the end she would be forgiven once more.
The spell was nearly complete. The Command Seals on her hand started to glow from underneath her glove. Diana removed it before continuing. Saber took his place at the center of the circle. All that was left was the words, the words of a magical pact that would officiate what had started on the fateful night of her Father's murder.
"Heed my words," Diana started. "My will creates your body."
A whitish-blue glow started coming from the circle.
"Your sword creates my destiny."
"If you heed the Grail's call and obey my will and reason the answer my summoning!"
"I accept your contract," the knight in gold answered. The glow that surrounded him turned into a column that matched the bookshelves for height.
Saber felt his Master's power in that moment. The whole room felt it, shaking a bit. He felt the tiny bond that thus far tether him rip open into a torrent of energy. His existence felt revitalized.
Diana collapsed to her knees. Saber rushed to her side once everything was complete. The girl was spent. He found a nice secluded spot for her to rest while he stood watch.
However he heard something not far away. He looked at his Master and chewed his lip. She was safe enough here and he would be right back.
Saber set off to where he heard the sound. He was reward with the sight of a woman. She had dark skin and curly black hair that was tied in a low ponytail. The woman was also a Master given the winged red crest on her hand. She was on her hands and knees trying to put back some books that had fallen off the shelf.
The Servant could feel the presence of his own kind nearby. But this was a golden opportunity. Saber swiftly approached and drew his blade, putting it right on the woman's neck. "I apologize, madam," he said as he was about to cut.
He felt another blade slide near his own neck. Saber resisted the urge to swear and turned to face what must have been the master's Servant.
It turned out to be a rather buxom woman with long black hair and fair skin, dressed in a low cut red and blue leotard was wielding the weapon that threatened his life. She also wore a golden tiara and protected her arms with shiny silver bracers. The woman was also nearly as tall as Saber. The weapon she wielded was a silver spear. "What's the matter? Weren't expecting woman who fights back?" the new Servant asked.
"I wasn't expecting said woman to be dressed so…how to put it? Unarmored?" Saber mused. He kept his face from producing any kind of movement. The tip of the spear moved closer to his jugular.
"You don't need armor if your opponent can't hit you," the woman insisted.
"I suppose not...Lancer, I presume?" Saber asked.
"Saber!" Diana called out. She was moving rather slow, but she had her hand held out like she was displaying some kind of martial art. Even from over fifteen yards away, Saber could hear her struggle for death.
The distraction was enough to allow Saber to slip out from under the spear woman and get between her and his Master. "You shouldn't be here Master," Saber warned.
"You shouldn't have left me. We're a team remember," she said.
Saber was about to respond but Lancer charged him before he could. He locked his sword against the spear. Their eyes met for a moment. They broke off, taking position near their respective Masters; waiting for their order.
The knight couldn't help but feel excited. This was to be his first fight, his first victory in his quest. His foe wasn't going to be easy. This woman was no slouch. Her posture was excellent. Even the grip on her spear looked like she had been born with it in hand.
Lancer finally made the first move, charging forward. Saber braced for the assault, formulating his countermoves. Their battle cries momentarily broke the perpetual silence of the Library Aeternum.
To be Continued...
A/N: So as I said, this will close out the start of Diana's story. We'll be moving on to another Master next time. Three guesses as to who.
I've been rather pleased with the way Diana's coming so far. I've been trying to avoid indulging in total angst with her. Emotional turmoil is no doubt important to her character, but to always dwell on that would be annoying.
I'd like to hear some feedback before I get cracking on the next chapter. Thank you.