CHAPTER 8:
BONDING EXPERIENCES
Taiga had insisted that, before they head out to look at the latest set of Caster's victims, they have a meal at Shirou's. Arturia had agreed, saying, rather sagely, "Hunger is the enemy," Mordred mockingly echoing her father's words. As they sat around the table eating, they also discussed the day's events, including Rider's appearance.
"Ayako should be fine," Taiga said. "The paramedics told me she was stable, and should make a full recovery."
"Kirei would probably handle things with the police," Rin said. "It's his job to deal with the cover-ups of the Grail War. Still, a Rider Servant, and probably Medusa."
"Yeah, but I thought Medusa was meant to be some snake woman, not some hot BDSM model, given what Harry said," Taiga pointed out. "Or a vampire, for that matter."
"The blood drinking was purely to replenish her mana," Rin said. "Given what Harry overheard her speaking, her Master is incompetent and a coward in Medusa's opinion. That's probably why she was drinking Ayako's blood, as well as the sigils, which we can safely assume to be one of Medusa's Noble Phantasms. As for her appearance…well, remember, myths get distorted. I do recall reading somewhere that, unlike the usual versions of the myth, the Gorgon sisters were originally deities born from humanity's wishes and desires. Medusa was the only one who grew out of her teens in appearance. She was cursed with the petrifying gaze by the earth deity Cybele."
"And the whole thing with Athena?" Harry asked.
"Athena was jealous of the Gorgons' beauty, and cursed Medusa with an ever-increasing bloodlust. So that version of the story goes," Rin said. "Medusa is a fallen deity. Normally, deities can't be summoned by the Grail, but given that she is a fallen one, I suppose she is an exception."
"So how the hell does Medusa qualify for being a Rider?" Mordred asked.
"Actually, I can guess," Taiga mused, placing a finger on her chin. "When Perseus slew Medusa, Pegasus was born from her blood. So maybe she has a means of summoning Pegasus?"
"That's probably right, Miss Fujimura," Rin said, giving her teacher a smile. "Another Noble Phantasm…well, I'd imagine that it's the blindfold covering her eyes rather than the eyes themselves." Her expression became serious once more. "Still…we got lucky in discerning her identity. We managed to remove most of the sigils, but they will come back. Shirou, we need to have Saber and Archer deal with her at once when we confront her."
"We're fortunate in that we know the identities of many of the Servants so early at this stage," Arturia mused. "Lancer is Cú Chulainn, Rider is Medusa, and Berserker is Heracles. Shirou, did Issei mention anything about this woman Mr Kuzuki was with at Ryuudou Temple?"
"Actually, yes. I didn't need to ask to get the ball rolling. He happened to mention her earlier, and I asked for details. Apparently Mr Kuzuki rescued her at the foot of Ryuudou Temple. She had been attacked, and had barely escaped her attacker, who'd been set on her by a man she was working with, who had betrayed her. She calls herself Magissa. Issei doesn't trust her. She's apparently extraordinarily beautiful. I didn't get much more out of him than that. I needed to show I was curious, not nosy."
"…Magissa…that's Greek for witch," Rin mused. "Either we have a Magus possibly of Greek origins…or we have a Caster of possibly Greek origins, assuming it isn't misdirection. And those that are well known scare me. Circe, Medea, Thrace, Agamede…all of them are powerful Casters from the Age of the Gods. And if they've made Ryuudou Temple into their territory…"
"Bad news ahead, in other words," Mordred grumbled. "I guess I should be relieved. I don't wanna be facing that bitch Morgan as a Caster. Issei didn't happen to mention her hair colour?"
"Lavender, actually, with blue eyes," Shirou said.
Arturia shook her head. "While she may have concealed her appearance with magic, my half-sister had blonde hair, albeit much paler than mine, almost white, along with golden eyes. That being said…there was something about Kuzuki that had me on edge. I met him earlier today at class. He moves precisely, with an economy of movement. Like a warrior…or a killer. I could not tell whether he is a Magus, but there is something about him that has my instincts whispering to me."
Mordred frowned. "…Shit, I didn't even realise it. I noticed the same thing, actually, but I just figured he did martial arts or something. The guy acts like a monk, all stoic and shit. Then again…maybe he isn't a Magus. If the woman is Caster and he is her Master without being a Magus…that might explain away some of the reason why she's siphoning mana from all those people."
"…That's scarily plausible," Rin said. "Your instincts aside, I would have thought I would have noticed that Mr Kuzuki is a Magus. The fact is, though, we don't know for sure whether he is a Magus, a Master, or indeed whether that woman is a Magus or a Servant, Caster or not. That being said, once we're done investigating the latest gas leak, we'll concentrate on Rider and whatever she's putting up over the school. Rider's the most immediate threat. Berserker and her own Master are threats too, true, but it may be that they wait until later before making a fresh assault."
"Why's that?" Taiga asked.
"Heracles must have a Noble Phantasm relating to staying alive," Rin said, pointing into the air like a teacher making points. "I'm speculating here, but I'm guessing he has twelve lives, corresponding to the Twelve Labours Heracles performed in life. And given how many Noble Phantasms work, this stock of lives may regenerate over time. So Illyasviel is probably laying low in her home base to allow that to happen, and unfortunately, assaulting that place would be difficult. The von Einzberns are sure to have Bounded Fields all over it, so bearding her in her den is not likely to work. However, it's possible, though unlikely, that she doesn't know who Saber is, and she certainly wouldn't know who Archer is."
"I'm not sure whether my former Master or Irisviel divulged my identity to Illyasviel," Arturia said. "But as a number of members of the von Einzbern household were aware of my identity, including the head of the family, Jubstacheit, it's more than likely that she knows my identity, though I doubt they were expecting me to be summoned again. However, Heracles was indeed a difficult opponent. As with the Berserker of the previous Grail War, he moves with unexpected skill and alacrity for a beast subsumed by madness. I would need to find a way to use Excalibur at full power to weaken him if not kill him. If Mordred can use Clarent at as high a power as she dares, then we do that too. We may also need to have Archer use another one of those Noble Phantasm arrows."
"Cutting off Illyasviel's Command Seals won't work, as she claimed to have them throughout her body," Harry pointed out. "I'd prefer not to kill her, as I get the feeling that the von Einzberns may have manipulated her into having this hatred for Shirou, but unless we can find something capable of severing her link with Berserker, we need to keep that option open if she tries to kill us again…"
They were soon in an office block that had been cordoned off, Taiga having gone home. The groups of Servants, mages…and Mordred all entered gingerly, only to soon encounter a number of strange creatures made of skeletons. Between them, the Magi, Arturia and Mordred made quick work of them, but they soon came to an office, filled with purple miasma…or incense.
Archer grimaced as he Deastralized. "A witch's potion, I'd wager. I guess we were right, this is Caster's handiwork."
Mordred scowled as she sniffed the cloying, sickeningly sweet bouquet, glaring at the slumped bodies of office workers in their cubicles. "Definitely not Morgan's handiwork," she growled. "I'd be able to tell otherwise."
"Unless Morgan has seen fit to misdirect us," Arturia said quietly, "but I agree. The likelihood is minimal."
"It smells like a potion that destroys love than instils it," Archer commented. "A female Caster…which ties in with that mysterious woman at Ryuudou. Still…the resentment here was enough to turn her into a Heroic Spirit…but of the darker kind, an anti-hero."
Harry waved a hand, opening a window with a spell, while Rin and Shirou did the same manually. Rin grimaced as she peered at the slumped employees. "Shirou, Harry, I'm going to analyse the mana flow, figure out where it's going. If it's Ryuudou Temple, then Caster will be there."
"If it is her, then we messed up," Archer said, crossing his arms. "Caster may have been surveying the area and witnessed the battle we had with Berserker. If she's already well-established, then she's probably got surveillance on key points of the city."
"Do you think she's watching now?" Harry asked.
"Maybe."
Mordred nodded, before she looked to the ceiling. "Oi, you! Don't involve innocents in this, bitch!" she snapped. "Otherwise, I'm gonna feed you your own entrails!"
"…I should've known," Archer groaned, facepalming.
Arturia shot her fellow Servant a look. "I agree with her sentiments, Archer, if not her words. We may have had our disputes, but we do not like to see innocents get caught up in a conflict they have no investment in, especially due to cold calculations."
"I agree, Saber, but if Caster is monitoring this area, then we just had unnecessary provocation of a Servant gathering vast reserves of power, and who has a very good base of operations."
Rin finished whatever she was doing, and nodded grimly. "As we thought, the siphoned lifeforce is heading for Ryuudou Temple. Let's call it in to the emergency services and to Kirei, and get out of here…"
Soon afterwards, Harry, Mordred, Shirou and Arturia parted ways with Rin. Arturia had wanted to see the park where her final battle in the previous Grail War took place…though at the time, it was a civic centre, with Arturia fighting in a theatre. Now, all that was left was a dismal park.
Arturia immediately seemed to be on edge as they walked through the park. At one point, she knelt down, and took from the ground a clod of soil, letting it run through her fingers. "…This is wrong," she murmured. "This cannot merely be from an outburst of stored mana…there is something…malevolent here, I know it."
"You sure about that?" Mordred asked. "I mean, it gives me the creeps, and not just because, well, it's a pretty dismal park."
"I may be different to the norm of a Heroic Spirit, but I share their spiritual sensitivity," Arturia said softly. "In a perverse way, this almost feels like a Reality Marble."
"What's a Reality Marble?" Shirou asked.
"It's pretty rare," Harry said. "Just having one or even researching one's an automatic Sealing Designation from Clock Tower. Basically, it's a mental world that temporarily overrides reality, though it requires a shitload of mana to fuel, because Gaia is trying to erase it."
Arturia nodded. "Iskandar, the Rider of the previous Grail War, had one, with a desert landscape containing his army from life: the Ionian Hetairoi. It was his most potent Noble Phantasm, one I witnessed firsthand. But this isn't quite like that. It's like the very air and earth is permeated by curses and grudges of the long dead. Perhaps Kiritsugu found something out about the Grail after all, as much as it galls me to admit that. Damnation!" With that, she slammed her fist into a nearby tree, putting a sizeable dent into it.
"…Father…" Mordred said, coming over to Arturia, only to be waved away by the Once and Future King.
"Forgive that lapse. I just…every time my goal is in front of me, it's moved out of my reach again." She took a steadying breath.
"…Saber," Harry said, coming over and putting his hand on her shoulder. "Even if the Grail turns out to be a monkey's paw…you're still a knight, aren't you? I don't subscribe to chivalry…but one thing I can get behind is protecting the innocent. At least three of those involved here don't care about harming the innocent. The Masters of Lancer and Rider, and there's Caster too. Shirou's dream is to be a Hero of Justice. Frankly, the way he wants to do it…it's a silly dream…but still, I want to help him become a hero. A better hero than his father. And despite your trying to divest yourself of humanity to be a perfect king…you're a great hero. Because your child looks up to you still, despite everything that happened. Be an example to Shirou. Show the world that knights protecting the innocent still have a place in it. And don't be afraid to be human again."
Arturia looked at him, and then at Mordred, before nodding in acknowledgement. "…I will escort Shirou back home. Take care…"
"I don't think I've ever seen Father quite that shaken before," Mordred commented, her hands behind her head as they approached their home. "Then again, maybe the thought of the Grail being a cursed crock shook her. If there really is something wrong with the Grail, do you reckon we can do something about it?"
"Notifying Clock Tower's out. Even with Zelretch's support, a lot of Magi will get stroppy, especially the von Einzberns," Harry said. "They've apparently wanted their grubby little mitts on reclaiming Heaven's Feel for ages. Besides, we only know something's wrong with the Grail. For all we know, Kiritsugu Emiya just snapped under pressure. He was apparently the paranoid type. Then again…we just don't know."
They reached the front door then, and Taiga greeted them with a smile and a hug. "So, how did it go?"
"Caster's almost certainly at Ryuudou Temple," Harry said. "I'd put money on it."
Taiga sighed. "Okay, inside, and then, details…"
After explaining to Taiga, they soon prepared to go to bed. However, as they did so, they remembered the box Arc had given to them. "Oh, right," Mordred said, opening the box up. "Zelretch sent us rings." She whistled at the blue and gold rings thus revealed. "They look pretty snazzy too. Almost looks like they were made from Avalon. Are these Fae artifacts too?"
"Should we really put them on, though?" Harry asked. "I mean, I have no doubt that they'll do exactly what Arc said they'd do, help boost your abilities so that you're closer to Heroic Spirit levels, but this is Zelretch we're talking about. I mean, it's pretty much a law amongst Magi and wizards to say 'beware of Zelretch bearing gifts'."
"Oh, please, what's the worst that can happen?" Mordred asked, before her eyes widened, and she slapped her forehead. "…Fuck."
"Yes. Mordred, I thought we already had lessons on daring the universe."
Mordred scowled, before she looked at the rings, and then shrugged. "What's that stupid word they use nowadays? YOLO?" She plucked a ring out and slotted it onto her finger. "…Well, it's not burning me, so I guess that's a good sign?"
Harry, a little reluctantly, did the same, only to feel a sudden pull on his magical energy. The rings began to glow, and then, so too did the box. Even as the glow from the rings faded, the glow from the box didn't, eventually showing the transparent image of a powerfully-built old man with a beard and red eyes…and a smirk. Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg, the Wizard Marshall of Clock Tower, the Wielder of the Second True Magic Kaleidoscope, the Fourth Dead Apostle Ancestor, and the most infamous troll in the world. And he was smirking.
"Ahh, Harry! And Mordred! If you're seeing this recording, it means that you've finally put on the rings. Congratulations on your nuptials!"
"…WHAT?!" Harry and Mordred yelped together.
"Now, now, I'm sure you two are surprised and even annoyed, but, well, Arc doubtlessly told you the truth about these rings…just not the whole truth. In fact, you wouldn't be seeing this recording right now unless true love existed between you. Now isn't that nice? Anyway, they allow you to share a common pool of mana, as well as act as an amplifier. It means that both your powers and abilities can be amplified to near-Heroic Spirit levels. Indeed, Mordred would be only a few ranks below the parameters she would have been had she been, say, a Saber Servant, and Harry could even class as a lower-level Caster. Of course, that doesn't mean you two should be reckless."
"…Gonna gut you," Mordred snarled quietly at the message of the vampire.
"Been there, done that, bought the T-Shirt," Zelretch said. "With a logo on it saying, 'I got disembowelled by an ornery tomboy'. Yes, Mordred, you ARE that predictable. That, and Kaleidoscope is handy to guesstimate possible responses. Anyway, the rings are actually the Potter family wedding rings, albeit modified by me. They now possess similar properties to Avalon, though not quite as quick with the healing. And you are bound together in magical matrimony. Once the Holy Grail War is over and done with, maybe you can have a honeymoon. I hear Alimango Island is nice this time of year, especially now that they've gotten rid of Noritaka Emiya's experiments into Dead Apostles. I'll send tickets in the mail. Oh, and I look forward to seeing you, Mordred, in a beautiful wedding gown! I'm going to make sure there is one ready for you, very frilly and feminine. Toodles!"
As the recording faded away, Harry looked at Mordred, who was trembling with rage. Suddenly, she opened her mouth, and…
In the church, Kirei Kotomine and Gilgamesh were sharing a bottle of wine when they heard a scream of pure fury and rage. "Such rage…" Gilgamesh remarked.
"Such pain…" Kirei said with a creepy smile on his face.
The co-conspirators in genocide looked at each other, and then clinked their glasses together. Even if they weren't the authors of such fury, they could certainly appreciate it like the connoisseurs they were…
Illya sat bolt upright in bed, looking around, startled as she heard the roar of fury. At first, she thought it was Berserker, but he was merely standing sentinel over her as always. Though she could tell by her link with him that Heracles didn't appreciate someone roaring louder than he did…
In Clock Tower, Waver Velvet, aka Lord El-Melloi II, was discussing something with Zelretch, trying to ignore the snarling ghost trap right out of Ghostbusters, when suddenly, a roar of rage reached them, a familiar one to the dark-haired Magus. "…Wizard Marshall…what did you do to anger Mordred Pendragon?" Waver asked tentatively, glad that the roar had startled the ghost trap into silence.
"I did her a favour," Zelretch said with an unrepentant grin.
"A favour. That caused us to hear her, somehow, screaming in Fuyuki in anger."
"Yes."
After a moment, Waver left the office without another word, hoping to put some distance between himself and the Wizard Marshall before the inevitable retaliation could begin…
In a possible future, standing on a scaffold, about to play a rather terminal game of dope-on-a-rope, Shirou Emiya was asked by his would-be executioners whether he had any last words. Now, he could have raged at them for being so stupid to believe he wasn't helping people, that their belief that he was the villain behind this was moronic. Or he could have made some speech about his manifesto as a Hero of Justice. Of course, he also knew this was probably going to be his last step into becoming a Counter Guardian.
It became a moot point, though, when a wail of sheer rage and fury echoed through the execution grounds. Shirou thought it was Rin at first…but the voice was nothing like her when the Tsundere Missile went off…
And in the past of another timeline, showing that rage can channel the Second True Magic…
"…But it's BORING to go out alone!" complained Mordred, aka the Saber of Red, to her Master, Kairi Sisigou, rolling about on the floor of the mausoleum.
"What are you? A kid?" growled the leonine bounty hunter, only to blink when he heard a noise. A keening roar of rage and fury…that sounded like his own Servant, in the depth of a rage. Kairi's eyes met those of his bemused Servant, and he decided that, whoever that actually was, he pitied whoever was on the receiving end of that…
CHAPTER 8 ANNOTATIONS:
So, we've had a few bonding experiences. And yes, the joke about Mordred's scream of rage comes from Dragonball Z Abridged, namely Episode 18: It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Saiyan. Then again, she probably wouldn't have managed a scream that travelled through time and space and across realities without the rings. Sadly, I hadn't thought about Zelretch's jibe about seeing Mordred in a wedding dress: Arawn D Draven suggested that line when I discussed the ending of this chapter with them. Anyway, Mordred would go in a tux…as would Harry.
Anyway, I've made Archer a little more antagonistic in this, at least towards Harry and Mordred. Offscreen, while he's not actually suggesting Rin kill them like he does with Shirou, he does try to poison Rin's mind against them. In truth, I think Archer still has a bit of a thing for Arturia, and the fact that Mordred killed Arturia in life? Yeah. Still, he's considering Harry a possible back-up for his plan to give Arturia a new Master, so that if Rin bites the dust, Harry can take on Arturia as his Servant. After he ices Shirou of course. But, as in canon UBW, the best laid plans oft cock up…
Before I go, I'd like to make a couple of announcements. Firstly, in one of my other Potterverse/Fate/Stay Night crossovers, I got a very disturbing review. Not because the reviewer, Forest1395101, flamed me or anything, but rather, because they delivered a disturbing piece of information. Up until now, my fanfics, particularly those relating to Fate/Zero, have been written with the notion in mind that Tokiomi Tohsaka was ignorant of the Crest Worms. However, apparently a recent interview with Kinoku Nasu has put the lie to this: Tokiomi knew about the Crest Worms before he adopted out Sakura. What little respect I had for him is now dead.
The upshot is, I've posted a new challenge in the usual forums, one that should, if anyone takes it up, bring to the forefront a character who really should have been explored more…and should have more of a spine: Aoi Tohsaka. I'd love to see if any of you can do anything with it.
Secondly, I've decided to delay posting the next few chapters again, to give this fic a bit of time to simmer. Rest assured, Chapters 9-11 are complete, and Chapter 12 is being written.
Review-answering time! Temporal Knight: Keep in mind, Archer is Shirou, particularly one from the Fate route, though most people say that the version who became EMIYA never fell in love with Arturia. I disagree, but add the caveat that he never realised he was in love with her until it was too late. So naturally, he's not really fond of the girl who rebelled and killed his waifu in the first place. Also, Mordred is perceptive enough to tell that Archer doesn't really like Shirou, though her guess about Archer wanting him dead was exactly that, a guess, based on circumstance. What his motivations are, she doesn't know, and when she and Harry learn what his true identity is…well, minds will be blown…and while Mordred doesn't think highly of Shirou's dream, she still counts him as a friend.
Now, Rider didn't have enough time to react, as Archer came on the scene, and Shinji recalled her. I do mention she was taken aback. As for Taiga letting Harry and Mordred sleep together…well, this is one of the few fights Taiga could not win, even with loud lamenting about how her adoptive children were becoming debauched and depraved. She's actually fine with them sleeping together in the most literal sense, and by this point, her only real proviso, should they get more intimate than they already are (they're at about second base), that they use protection, which Harry and Mordred are perfectly fine with. They're not ready to have kids by any means, and they know it.
As for using 'anyway'…I can't help it. I have to try and mix up these adverbs that I do overuse, but, well, it happens. Still, there were only two 'anyways' in this very long chapter, and not as many in the chapters ahead, long before your review was posted, so you can rest easy knowing that your abounding anyway allergy (alliteration FTW!) won't be playing up anytime soon.
Guest: Yeah, I looked it up and found the allusion to the tantric ritual in the last chapter of Golden Queen before you posted your review. And yes, I wanted Arturia and Moedred to still have disagreements, but at the same time, be on the road to reconciliation without, well, like every other Fate story has them doing, having them fight it out. This is partly because writing character interaction is my strength as opposed to action scenes (and lemons), and partly because, well, I want to see Moedred and Arturia try to talk it out. Both have been through life-changing experiences since they last met, so they're able to at least talk, and as I've pointed out before, while Moedred is not a true subscriber to chivalry, she still holds to many of its tenets, like protecting civilians.
lord Martiya: I have to confess to having only a very broad knowledge of the Arthurian Mythos and the Matter of Britain, so I'll have to take your word for it. Nice point about Romanized citizens being hostile to the idea of a king, considering what the Romans did to their last king…though to tell the truth, the emperors were really just kings under a euphemism. Which, on a sillier and tangential note, made you wonder whether they were onto something when they made Nero a Saberface…
No numbered annotations this time.
