Chapter Eight: The Magician & the Queen Pt. 1
17 Days after The Breach, Beacon Academy, Vale
"Alright, let's go over the plan one more time."
"Are you sure? We went over it less than twenty minutes ago."
"Of course I'm sure!" A small cough.
"I mean, it wouldn't hurt to review it one more time." A small sigh from the other speaker.
"Very well master." Rin Tohsaka's morning had been like this ever since she had brought up her idea to her young master in the early hours of the morning. The idea was a simple one; observe and study a Grimm specimen up close without revealing her identity to the school.
Or to my master, Rin thought quietly. It seemed both her and Shirou had the same idea when summoned, and was now caught in a bind, for their masters had no idea of their true origins. So when it came to the subject of the Grimm, she thought it best to study them as best as possible, and it just so happened for her that the school had a resident Grimm trapper in the form of a professor Port.
"Alright, you're Luviagelita Edelfelt, an unregistered huntress from Mistral that came here for the tournament. You want to study the local Grimm, but you haven't had any luck capturing a specimen, so you've decided to go visit Professor Port's current stock of Grimm."
"Hm."
"And the reason I came with you is because you found me wandering the halls yesterday."
"Mhm."
"And the reason you're unregistered is-"
"Because I'm really a dead spirit brought back to life to fight for a cup?"
"Yes. Wait, what-" Rin put a hand on Weiss's shoulder, stopping the two in the middle of the hallway. It was mostly deserted, aside from a few students intent on training for the festival. Pulling her over to the side, she kept her gentle grip on the girl.
"Relax, master. It'll be fine," she said, giving a small smile.
"After all, I, the Caster-class Servant of the Grail War, came up with this amazing and most definitely flawless plan!" She added dramatically, her arms raised in the air. Weiss just sighed, hanging her head down.
"Why did I have to be stuck with you?"
"Because you lucked out and got my catalyst," she responded snarkily. They continued on their way, Weiss leading the pair. She pulled out her scroll and opened a page, frowning in displeasure.
"Since we're on the topic of catalysts…Why did I have to buy so many jewels? I practically bankrupted my allowance for the semester."
"I told you, I need it for my work. It's my best weapon, as well as a very useful tool." Rin then pointed a finger at Weiss.
"Besides, you should count yourself lucky to have that much money. I was practically broke for most of my life trying to pay for these things." Weiss just sighed once more, shutting the scroll.
"Father's going to kill me when he sees the bill." They continued walking for a few more minutes until they came upon a door. Stopping at it, Weiss knocked lightly, and it didn't take long for someone to answer it.
"Ah, hello there Ms. Schnee! What brings you and your friend here?" The professor was...different than what she had imagined in her mind. He looked liked he could fit in with the older magus at the Clock Tower, at least when considering only outfits. But the mustache reminded her of the many portraits of older magus that dotted the halls of the Clock Tower as well. But he seemed to have an air of approachability and friendliness that many at the clock tower lacked.
"Hello professor, is it alright if we check on the Grimm you've caught? My friend here would like to look at them," Weiss said, giving him a polite smile. Port cupped his chin in his hand, mulling it over for a few seconds before stepping back and showing them in.
"Very well, as long as you don't harm them. I'm saving them for a class later today, you see, and it'd be very unfortunate if the main entertainment was harmed beforehand."
"Don't worry professor, I shan't be harming them. Not much, at least," Rin replied, holding up a hand to calm him. He merely nodded, showing them over to two cages. They were quite large, each holding a sleeping beowolf, one having more bony plates than the other.
Interesting, she mused silently. The grail had given her enough information to know what Grimm looked like, but seeing them up close was something else. She put a hand on one of the bars of the cage, observing the armor closely. Her musings were interrupted by Port clearing his throat.
"So, what exactly do you wish to do to it, miss…?"
"Edelfelt. Luviagelita Edelfelt, though Luvia will suffice. And I just wish to study the specimens here in detail." A twinge of irritation filled Rin at the mention of her rival's name.
I think I can even hear her damn laugh at the back of my head, she thought sourly. She didn't really know why she chose that name to use, but what's done is done, as they say.
"Hm, that's quite the interesting name. Vacuo?" Port questioned.
"Mistral. I'm an unregistered huntress, but I decided to visit the festival in person this year, though I haven't had the best time in finding live specimens to study." She turned her attention back to the cages.
"Are these two intact? They don't need to be, but it'd make my results more accurate." Port straightened, a glint appearing in his eye.
"Why yes they are. In fact, I have the most interesting story about these two in particular. You see, it all started with a man, a donkey and some cheese-"
"Professor, I don't think miss Edelfelt would enjoy your stories right now," Weiss interjected politely. Port's shoulders sagged slightly, but he remained upbeat. Rin backed away from the cage slightly and made a gun with her finger, not unlike a child would. She felt the mana flow easily through her circuits as the small Gandr shot formed at the tip of her finger.
The other two occupants jumped slightly at the sound of the Gandr shot firing, Rin firing at both of the caged Grimm. It only took a few seconds for the Grimm to react to the shot, their breathing eventually slowing. Rin figured that they'd have to be unconscious at this point.
"That should keep them under for about an hour, if my shots were powered correctly. Am I allowed to open the cages?"
"Only if you can guarantee they're indeed unresponsive. I'd rather not have to deal with these two before class," Port replied. She tapped one with her foot, and after having no response, Port opened the cages. Rin knelt down to the less armored one first and examined it.
Bone plating covering different parts of the body, black fur, large size. With the basics out of the way, she decided to move on to studying the anatomy of the Grimm. She learned from Weiss that previous attempts at studying the biology of Grimm had been fruitless, primarily due to the bodies disintegrating early on into the dissection.
Fortunately for her, she had magecraft.
While her projection was pitiful compared to Shirou's tracing, she was more than adept at reading the structures of both objects and creatures. She put her hand on the Grimm and began to analyze its body. She heard Weiss let out a small gasp as her magic circuits came to life and appeared on her arms.
"Well, it seems you've made quite the interesting associate Ms. Schnee," Port remarked.
"A side effect of my semblance, it's nothing to worry about," Rin reassured them. She maintained her focus on the Grimm, and continued her examination. The first thing she noticed was that the Grimm was different from other animals, and even different from humans.
A spiritual core? She thought.
That might fit a Servant better, but an animal? Curious. If the Grimm had a spiritual core then it must have something to channel the prana the cores store. She began to search for anything resembling magic circuits or any other way to channel prana, but grunted in frustration as she found none. Changing tactics, she sent out a small burst of prana into the Grimm.
It shifted slightly but otherwise stayed motionless. Rin followed the progress of the prana as instead of following any predetermined path through the Grimm it instead quickly disappeared, as if it was absorbed.
So, no circuits but insteads absorbs any prana it comes into contact with, like a vacuum. Troublesome.
But it wasn't entirely bad news; after all, her Gandr shots worked fine on the Grimm.
Maybe curses aren't affected? I'll have to follow this up later.
She stood up from the Grimm and moved to the other Grimm, analyzing it in the same fashion. As she was doing so, Port decided it was time to begin questioning her and her master.
"So Ms. Edelfelt, you said you were an unregistered huntress, correct?" Rin looked away from the Grimm to Port.
"...Yes," she answered warily. She got the feeling she wouldn't like where this conversation was headed. Port only continued to stroke his chin in thought.
"And like I said, call me Luvia."
"So who taught you your skills, Luvia? It seems like you've been trained by a professional."
"Well, my teacher was far from being a being a huntsman, but I had more than one teacher when it comes to combat." This intrigued Port, who brought his gaze fully onto her and away from the Grimm. Weiss seemed to be interested as well, if her intense gaze was anything to go by.
"Really?" Port said, excitement in his voice. Rin nodded.
"Yep. My first teacher was my father, who taught me how to handle my semblance, but he died when I was young." Weiss's gaze seemed to drop at that, and Port gave her an understanding look.
"I'm sorry to hear that, Luvia. But you mentioned he was your first teacher. How many did you have?"
"Well, my second teacher was a family friend who ran a local church. Though he wasn't much of a priest."
Or a 'friend' for that matter…
"But he taught me how to fight with my hands and feet and gave me more training with my semblance," she finished. Port nodded, enraptured with her story. Weiss was in a similar state to Port.
"And I guess I could count El-Melloi II, but all he did was help refine my technique. My final teacher was an old hermit who kept moving from place to place. He taught me many new ways to use my semblance, and many other tricks with my aura."
"A hermit, you say? Did you happen to learn his semblance by chance?" Port questioned. Rin debated on answering the question truthfully. It would be hard to explain, but on the other hand, what harm could come of it?
"I did. He was able to draw energy and even objects from other worlds, so to speak." Ports eyebrows rose considerably.
"Really?"
"Mhm. It wouldn't be incorrect to imagine him grabbing a sword or other objects from another plane. Though once my training was done I wasn't able to see him as often. I'm usually only able receive the occasional message from time to time." Port's eyebrows drooped, and he seemed to have lost his previous excitement.
"Oh. That's a shame, I would have liked to meet your teacher. From what you've told me he sounds like a magician!" Rin had to put a hand to her mouth to stop herself from laughing.
If only you knew how right you are, she thought. A mischievous grin crossed her face as a new idea came to her.
"I guess you could say I'm a magician as well," she said casually, the grin still on her face.
Somewhere else, Zelretch coughed.
"I believe it would be appropriate, Luvia. Though can you tell me more of- Oh, Barty!" Port went over to the door to talk with the new arrival, a man with spiky green hair. Rin ignored the pair and went back to work on the second Grimm.
This Grimm was different than the other one. Unlike the first one it didn't have any spiritual cores, but instead seemed to have a system of transporting the prana it came into contact with. Rin analyzed the structure again, looking more closely at the faint trails of prana that she sent.
Well that's new, she thought in surprise. The Grimm appeared to have a primitive form of magic circuits running through it, albeit relatively few and degraded circuits. She counted 8 complete circuits inside the Grimm, and if she had to guess it could hold around 6 units of prana, if that.
But something seemed off with the circuits, like they were imperfect or damaged. She also counted 5 incomplete circuits, circuits that just cut off at one point, not leaving behind a trail. To add to it, a field of prana surrounded it, being drawn to the incomplete circuits inside the Grimm. What prana was inside the Grimm seemed to gravitate towards its organs and muscles, seemingly acting like a permanently active strengthening spell.
Modified circuits aren't unheard of, but in an animal? Something's really off here.
"Weiss, do you mind giving me your hand for a moment?"
"Sure," Weiss responded. Rin took her hand with her free one and sent a some prana through it. Weiss yelped at the shock, and Rin gave her an apologetic smile but went back to following the prana.
Practically identical in structure, though Weiss's circuits are more numerous and much more developed.
And it was easily apparent to any magus worth their salt. Weiss had 22 complete magic circuits, 9 incomplete circuits and all of them could hold around 25 units of prana. A similar 'aura' of prana also surrounded her, but instead of going inward it remained outside her body, acting like a full body shield.
But Weiss's capabilities were inconsequential in the large scheme of things; what really mattered was that the structures between her and the Grimm's circuits were practically the same.
It would be highly unlikely that an animal commonly found in the wild that was hostile to humans would also have the same magic structure as well. And they are far too common to be some type of new familiar. Maybe they were a product of Gaia to deal with humanity? But humanity seemed to be close to the brink, so why keep threat when it can be recalled for another time?
Shirou, can you hear me?
A moment of silence passed as she waited for Shirou to respond. They'd set up shortly after their reunion in the forest as a ways to covertly communicate between them.
I hear you, he replied.
I made an interesting find just now.
Oh?
It seems these Grimm creatures and the humans here share the same circuit structure for magecraft. It looks like a mixture between our magic circuits and some kind of magic field that sucks in surrounding prana.
'Sucks in prana'? Like Caster from our war?
Sort of. She didn't have magic circuits and could draw mana from the surroundings at will. This is similar, but is an unconscious action. For the Grimm it looks like it acts as an always-on reinforcement spell, but I bet the aura the people here have is the prana in the air turned into a protective forcefield of sorts.
It would explain why my sword bounced off of Lancer when I was summoned…
Rin nodded in agreement, though Shirou couldn't see her.
I checked Weiss and she has the same structure as the Grimm, though much more developed. Did you detect anything from your master?
I can't say for sure, I was preoccupied with healing him at the time. Though I do remember a trace of some magic circuits. It's probably something you have to look for in these humans.
And I bet the magic circuits are to explain for their 'semblances'. It's just their origin and elemental affinities interacting with one another, although it seems the Schnee's are the only ones with anything close to resembling a magic crest, given their family reputation, Rin replied.
But it's odd that they'd have both magic circuits and a way to channel surrounding prana. Why do they have both? he questioned.
I have a theory on that. Possibly at some point humanity was in a similar state as our world, and the Gaia here made a counter response, the Grimm. Based on the local legends and their reputation, they sound like a similar creation as Primate Murder.
But humanity here looks to be near extinction, he countered.
Well then maybe something happened. Maybe they broke free from Gaia's control, or they overwent their parameters and Gaia couldn't stop them. If the Grimm were wantonly killing the remaining humans...
...Then Gaia would have had to step in to save what's left of humanity, Shirou finished. Rin hummed in agreement.
And having a forcefield to protect oneself from harm and having unique semblances sounds like a good way to keep people alive. I believe that Gaia had some hand in forcibly changing the humans here, but I have to admit, having the backing of Gaia isn't so bad.
I know what you mean, it seems like my projections can last for weeks, Shirou replied. Rin's attention was brought to Weiss as the girl coughed lightly.
"Can you let go of my hand please?" She asked quietly. Port and the other man were still at the door talking and otherwise being oblivious to the pair in the room. Rin let go of her master's hand and apologized. To Weiss, she must have been holding her hand in vice grip for nearly half a minute at that rate.
Shirou, we should talk later, perhaps at breakfast in the cafeteria. Can you get your master there?
Of course, it's not like they eat out. I'll talk to you later.
At that the line was cut, silence filling the mental link. Rin looked back at Weiss and stood up from her crouched position.
"We should probably get going Weiss. Your team is bound to wake up soon," she said. She motioned for Weiss to follow her, who did so without vocalizing any complaint. Rin politely nudged her way through the two men at the door, giving a quick farewell to Port, and the master and servant pair walked through the school halls.
The silence didn't last long however, with Rin deciding to break the silence.
"Say master, you don't have any plans this morning, right?"
"Not really, why?" Weiss's gaze turned curious as she stared at her servant from the corner of her eye.
"I'd suggest meeting up with your partners in crime and discuss what our little alliance is going to do in this war."
"Sounds like a plan," she agreed.
Hey there, I'm not dead! Yay! I've been busy with work for the past two months and a small amount of writers block, so I decided to just split this into two parts to make it slightly more manageable and to make it easier to focus on the writing of the chapter. Hopefully the next part will be up soon.
-Collaredblock4
Words: 3,190
Pages: 8
