AN: Here's Chapter 11 folks, hope you enjoy. And as always, please leave a review :D
Chapter 11:
Truth and Alliances
Stepping out of the room that belonged to her Master, Assassin of Red crossed her arms and smiled as she saw someone standing in front of her.
"Can I help you with something King of Heroes?"
"Hmph, so you already know my identity?" Archer replied as he leaned against the wall. "Perhaps you can answer a question of mine then in exchange."
"If you're going to ask me to lay with you in bed, I will have to decline." She stated in response, causing the former to look at her incredulously with a hint of annoyance. "Oh my? So it's not that after all?"
"Hmph! As if I would lay with a vile woman such as yourself." The Golden King stated in an unamused tone. "Were it not for the fact that I have questions for you woman, I would have taken your life for such a slight. Truly, your presence reminds me of that wench."
Assassin knew whom he was talking about, the way he was referring to her was filled with a tranquil yet venomous rage.
"Ah, it matters not many times it's been done. To be compared to goddess, truly there is no greater compliment for one such as I." She smiled even more so while the red-eyed blonde continued to glare at her. After all, what woman other than Ishtar herself could get such a rise out of the King of Heroes? "Well then God-King of Uruk, pray tell what have you come to me for at this time if not lay with me?"
"Do not try to play games with me, you know exactly what I'm referring to."
"Is that so...?" Assassin muttered in surprise. Not at the fact that she and her Master had been discovered, but more on the fact that judging from the tone the Golden King used, his words implied that only he had known about the fact and that he had yet to inform the others in the Red Faction about it. The question running through her mind at the moment was why?
"Come, we meet in the cellar." The red-eyed blonde stated as he motioned the Assyrian Queen to follow.
"Hmm..."
That night, out in the city of Trifas, Fiore Forvedge Yggdmillennia inspected the area around her. Behind her, holding on to her wheelchair for her, was none other than Archer of Black. Currently, both were in the middle of an empty lot that was filled to the brim with the signs of a battle having recently taken place there.
Earlier that day, the young girl had received a report from one of her familiars of strange occurrences happening within the city. She believed it to have been the result of a Servant's movement. As such, she decided to investigate the situation after asking permission from her grandfather. Though Darnic was skeptical about letting her off by herself and with Archer as her only companion, he relented which currently to led her situation.
'Clearly, something big happened here.' Fiore thought.
She knew for a fact that earlier that day all the Servants of Black had remained within the confines of the castle with the exception of Julian's Assassins. However, the latter were ordered to remain hidden while they observed the surroundings.
There was also the fact that the damage to the surroundings implied someone else entirely. Assassins fought best from the shadows, leaving no trace of their existence as they approach their mark and go in for the kill.
"What do you think Archer? What would you make of all this?"
"From how deep the indentations are and how they are all placed, I believe that the ones responsible for this were spear wielders." Archer suggested, deciding to mimic wielding one of his own in order to better demonstrate it to his Master. "A swords or perhaps an axe could easily leave the same type of marks, but there are differences in their ability to damage solid material such as this."
Fiore nodded in understanding. As expected of one who was regarded as a great teacher of heroes, his words held a modicum of sense to them that she was able to agree with her Servant instantly.
The question now was who was responsible for all this?
Lancer of Black had stationed himself at the castle all day. That only left two, one of which was Lancer of Red. The other would have been the rogue Lancer-Class Servant that her Uncle Gordes had encountered during that one night where he met with Ruler and her Servant. And according to information from her grandfather that was provided by Ruler herself, said Lancer was not alone as there were at least four more Servants like him.
Did that mean that the Red Faction had gotten into a conflict with the rogue Lancer and his associates again? That was the only conclusion that the girl could come to at the moment. And if so, what was the result of said conflict? Did the Red Faction lose on of their own? Or did the former manage to take down one of the rogues themselves? Such questions riddled the brunette's mind.
'If there's one thing I'm sure about this Holy Grail War, is that the existence of these rogues are going to be a problem.' She wondered to herself why her grandfather wouldn't want to deal with the rogues first before dealing with the Red Faction. With their combined might and resources, she was sure that the rogue Servants could have easily been dealt with by now.
Alas, she believed it to have been a futile thing to aspire to. Her grandfather had festered within him a great dislike for the Mage's Association, and working together with its members in defeating the third party must've been something that his pride wouldn't allow him to do. Add to the fact that perhaps he believed that by allowing the existence of the rogues to continue, perhaps their interference would result in withering down the strength of the Red Faction little by little.
There was logic in such a plan, but for Fiore, she believed it to be pointless. There were too many unknowns in regards to the rogue Servants and whoever they were working with. It was better if they tried to find ways in dealing with the current problem now rather than later.
'Perhaps I could speak with Ruler and Lord El-Melloi II about this?' Ruler could use her authority to once more perform another ceasefire, and in that time, Fiore could go to Waver Velvet himself and ask for a temporary alliance. She believed that the former would agree to this thanks to her duties and personal history with the rogues having attempted in taking her life twice already. The latter as well since she knew him to be a reasonable person thanks her time at the Clock Tower before the Yggdmillennia clan had decided to cut its ties with the Association.
The main problem with this was that she believed that her grandfather would not take kindly to her suggestion. She was especially afraid of what would happen should she decide to go behind his back and go through with it and his reaction later. Though she knew that he cared for her the most within the family, he was not above punishing her severely should she ever go step out of line. That much she knew.
"Master!"
"Eh...?"
Before she even realized it, Archer quickly stepped right in front of her as he struck down an incoming projectile aimed and headed straight for Fiore's head, using the sword crafted by Caster in order to perform the act. Looking down at said projectile, Fiore saw that it wasn't she thought it would be. For one, it wasn't a bullet or an arrow or anything of the like.
It was a human finger bone.
Quickly, the green-haired archer scanned the area for the perpetrator behind the attempt on his Master's life. It wasn't too long before he spotted a thuggish looking man standing atop a roof looking rather annoyed. Beside him, stood Saber of Red in her armored regalia.
"Tch, should have known that Archer would have intercepted that."
Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Kairi lowered the sniper rifle he had and raised both his handgun and shotgun instead. The former was a Mauser C96 and the latter was an ordinary looking sawed-off shotgun, both modified to his suit his own purposes, said purposes meant being made to accommodate his unique brand of ammunition. After all, why buy bullets when you could use the remains of others to do the same thing?
"Hmph, I prefer it this way." Mordred stated. "Killing a person up close and personal is far more honorable than just shooting them from afar like a coward."
Earlier that day, she and her Master had gone out on patrol in order to keep an eye out for any movements from the Black Faction. They were both about to head back to the villa when they spotted the girl whom her Master had identified as Fiore Forvedge Yggdmillennia, one of the Masters of Black. As expected, she had her Servant alongside her, and that alone proved to the blonde that the day wasn't going to be spent as one of boredom.
"I knew you would say that." Kairi replied with a shrug as he saw Archer aim his bow at them. He cursed himself for leaving behind the hydra poison he had gotten sometime ago back at the villa. With Archer of Black's identity having been revealed to them by Lancer, he knew that it would have worked easily on the former.
"Well then, do your thing. Win, and I'll buy you a treat when this is over."
"Of course!"
With a wild grin on her face, the Knight of Treachery leaped into the fray.
"He asked you to join him?"
Taking a sip from the coffee that Arthur made, Jeanne stated her question to the girl known as Tohsaka Ayaka who had approached the young saint and pleaded for her to listen to what she had to say. The french maiden decided to do so, and that led to their current situation.
"Yes, about a month ago back in Japan, Kotomine-san approached me asking for my help." Ayaka began. "At the time, I didn't think what he was going to ask me was anything dangerous. But when he said that it had something to do with the Holy Grail War, I got curious and decided to hear him out. After that, he brought me along to Romania and then showed me this."
Going over to a bag that was laid out upon another chair, Ayaka dug into it and then pulled out what appeared to be...
"A card?" Both muttered in bewilderment. It held the imagery of a pentagram on its back. On the other side, it was a complete blank.
"This is what's called a Class-Card. For the most part, it looks like an ordinary card with no special attributes." She began, allowing Jeanne to inspect the card for the moment as she continued speaking. "However, they have one special ability that allows them to be something of great value."
Ayaka then gestured for both to look at Lancer, with said two quickly realized what she meant at that moment.
"You don't mean...?" The white knight began for his Master.
"Yes, these class-cards have the ability to summon a Servant." Ayaka revealed as both Jeanne and Arthur widened their eyes in shock, looking back and forth between the card in the young saint's hands and the blue-haired spearsman who merely continued to watch his show on the television screen.
"But how is that even possible...!?" The young saint demanded. "In the first place, without a connection to the grail, sustaining a Servant is near impossible unless a person was born with the ability to store significant amounts of mana within them! Doing so without one would result in a Master quickly tiring themselves out."
"That's what I thought to, my grandmother told me all about the grail wars when I was little." Arthur perked at the mention of said grandmother. "But Kotomine-san apparently found a way to bypass the need for the a grail."
"And how did he do this?" Jeanne asked.
"From what he told me, he said that he and his group have been gathering grail shards from the fake holy grail wars for the past sixty years. He said that although the shards were nothing but remains from failed attempts of creating a grail, they still held great amounts of power within them thanks to the prana they've gathered over time."
Continuing to listen to the glasses wearing blonde, both Jeanne and Arthur began to quickly realize what she was saying.
"Then that means..." The former began, and Ayaka nodded in response.
"Yes. After some modification so that they can continue to gather mana from their natural surroundings, Kotomine-san's group implemented them within the class-cards. As a result, a single Servant can be sustained for an indefinite amount of time so long as they don't consume too much energy than what the shards and a Master can produce on their own. In addition, they use the cards as pseudo spirit cores for the Servants."
That finally explained to both why the rogue Servants could exist without a connection to the grail in Trifas. Jeanne couldn't really believe it, but here it was. And she was also able to tell that the girl in front of her was telling her the truth. Arthur held the same reaction as his Master did, but did so as a muted case.
"That explains a few things..." Jeanne began, looking at Ayaka directly. "Another question, how many class-cards does this group have? How many Servants have they managed to summon? And who made these cards in the first place?"
"Ah, I'm sorry." Ayaka apologized with a bow. "I wasn't able to learn that part after I refused to join him. The only ones I actually know about at this point would be the ones who attacked me and Lancer today."
"I see..." The young saint sighed in a disappointed tone. Seeing this, Ayaka continued to speak as she sat down back at the table.
"But what I do know is that the a single class-card is fueled by several shards put together, so that could mean that there are only a few of them." She suggested. "Also, the Master of a class-card Servant is granted a set of three Command Spells just like a regular Master would."
A thought quickly came to Ayaka's mind.
"And I don't know if this helps, but apparently some of the Heroic Spirits summoned from the class-cards were all Servants who fought in past fake grail wars."
"Wait, what...?" The young saint once more gave off another surprised look. "What does that mean?"
"I don't know much either, but apparently a Servant can be sealed within the cards in addition to being used as a summoning medium." Ayaka revealed. "And when a Servant summoned using the card dies, they'll turn back into card form and can eventually be re-summoned if the card remains intact. The downside is that they lose their memories everytime that happens apparently."
"Eventually be re-summoned..." Widening her eyes and realizing the implications of such a statement, Jeanne looked to Arthur, who held a similar look on his face. If what Ayaka said was true, then that meant that there was a chance that Robin Hood was still alive. Though unlikely thanks to the barrage Archer of Red brought upon, there was a chance that rogue's archer's card was still intact. If so, that meant they would both eventually run into him again.
Seeing the looks on both of their faces, Ayaka wondered to herself on what they could possibly be thinking about. When she decided to ponder on this, she realized what it was and began scolding herself.
'Ah! Stupid stupid stupid! How could I forget about that...!?'
Though she knew about that trait regarding the cards, thanks to everything that was happening at the time, she completely forgot about checking for the rogue archer's card and taking it if possible. By this time of night, there was a chance that it was that said card was already back in the enemy's hands!
Seeing the distressed look on his Master's face, Lancer walked over to Ayaka and light tapped her head with his fist.
"Geez, would you stop worrying about it?" He spoke in an annoyed tone. "If you're that worried, we could always go back and check to find the card you know?"
"Ah, that's right!" The glasses wearing girl perked up. "If that's the case, then we really should-!"
"I would advise against that." Arthur spoke up as all looked at him. "A good amount of time has already passed since we left that place and came here. If this Shirou Kotomine has any sense at all, he would've already retrieved the card once he has a chance. I believe that to be the case. Thus, trying to go there now will be for nothing."
Finding logic in his words, Ayaka sighed as she slumped down into her spot at the table.
"Haauh... I'm such a screw up...!" At this, Jeanne decided to intervene as she went over and laid a hand on the other blonde's shoulder, giving Ayaka a comforting smile as she looked up at the young saint.
"Don't feel too bad, you've provided myself and Arthur information that will prove vital to our cause in upholding the order of the Holy Grail War. That in itself is something to be proud of." Jeanne stated, causing Ayaka to smile slightly. Seeing that she was now feeling better, the former went back to her seat as she sat down and continued their conversation.
"Ah, before I forget." The glasses-wearing blonde began. "There's another downside. Though a class-card Servant can be re-summoned, unless a Master still has one of the Command Spells they receive from the first summoning, the class-card Servant can no longer be summoned by that person and someone else must do it instead."
"So that means there's a limit." Arthur commented.
"I see. Now then, on to our main topic for the evening." Jeanne stated, and Ayaka knew what she was going to ask. "What can you tell me about Shirou Kotomine himself? Do you know what exactly his wish is in trying to win the Holy Grail for himself?"
Sighing to herself as she looked up at the ceiling for a moment before returning her gaze back towards the two.
"Kotomine-san... wants to save humanity."
"What?" Both the other two blondes muttered in surprise.
"When Kotomine-san asked me to join his group, he told me that his wish was to save humanity." Ayaka began, a crooked smile on her face. "At first, I thought he was joking. Saving humanity... it sounds like something only a little kid would want right? But Kotomine-san said he was dead serious."
"Really?" Jeanne asked. She had expected something completely different. For all the scheming and the attempts at her life, she suspected that the wish the man known as Shirou Kotomine had was going to be an evil wish. But it turns out to be something that was benevolent?
"Yes." The glasses-wearing blonde replied. "He said that, he wants to get rid of the evil that fills people's hearts, and to save our race from a great danger in the future that one of his allies had predicted. To do that, he needs the grail in order to fulfill his wish. And they're willing to do whatever it takes to fulfill their goal."
"A great danger?" The young saint was now curious. Just what was this great danger about?
"Rid the evil in people's hearts?" What caught the attention of her companion was the former subject. A frown on Arthur's face as he thought about the topic before he realized something off. "Excuse me, but would you care to elaborate on that?"
"Eh? Ah, you mean that?" Arthur nodded in response as Ayaka continued. "Well, to put it simply, it's what it is. Kotomine-san wants to get rid of everything evil that's in our hearts. At first, I thought it was alright for him to do this. I mean, evil brings about only bad stuff right? But, when I realized the actual meaning of these words..."
"It means that he's willing to brainwash humanity into a life of peace and tranquility using the grail correct?" The young man stated, arms crossed with a frown on his face as he spoke. "Is that what he wishes for?"
"I don't really know for myself. I left before I could understand more about what he's actually trying to do." Ayaka replied.
"What made decide to leave in the first place?" Jeanne asked.
"Because I saw what he was willing to do." Ayaka replied as she held herself. "I found out that I wasn't the only one Kotomine-san brought along as someone to help him and his people, there were others too. But they refused and, well..."
"I see, there's no need to continue if you're feeling uncomfortable." The former replied to which the girl nodded.
"All I know is this. The grail can only grant something within human understanding as it was created by human hands. Wishing for something like wanting to save humanity... It's just something that can't be done."
"Indeed. Such a wish cannot be granted by the grail." Jeanne nodded in agreement. "And in the first place, saving humanity... if what Arthur suggested is true, then perhaps that is the reason why I was summoned."
"Reason?"
"Ruler-Class Servants are only summoned during times where the Holy Grail War has a chance of becoming a great danger to humanity." Jeanne continued. "An example would be what Arthur suggested. If a Master is chosen yet has a wish that can prove to be a rather dangerous one, then the grail would know of this and may even summon a Ruler in order to handle the situation."
"I see." Ayaka nodded in understanding.
"If what Arthur said is true, then perhaps that's the reason why I was summoned. Wishing to rid the evil in men's hearts by forcing them to become good. That would effectively cause humanity to cease in their existence as individuals. I cannot approve of such a thing. Such a wish would go against the gift that God has given to us all, and that is our ability to choose. And as the majority of humanity value that ability, a wish such as ridding the evils in our hearts, despite the well-intention it implies, would be akin to trying to go against it."
The glasses-wearing blonde once more nodded in understanding. Not long afterwards she spoke her own piece regarding the topic.
"My Uncle once taught me that there was this unseen entity known as Alaya or the Counter Force." She began. "He said that it gets rid of anything that threatens our existence as a race, destroying everything associated with the danger without remorse for those caught up in it. Like you said, Kotomine-san's wish can easily be seen as a threat itself since our ability to chose is what defines us the most. If his wish is really going to force others to his will, then Alaya could very well take action in order to prevent that."
As the two continued to discuss with one another, Arthur watched them with a keen eye. He himself had an idea of what the girl was talking about, though his knowledge somewhat differed from hers. He supposed that it was a product of being born in differing time periods.
Averting his gaze, he decided to take a look at the time. He noticed that more than an hour and a half had already passed since their discussion began. The young man was somewhat surprised by this. Had time really gone by that quickly?
"Perhaps we should take a break for now?" He called out with a clap of his hands. "This discussion is turning somewhat grim. I believe you both should refresh yourselves first before continuing any further."
"I have been wanting to take a shower by now..." Ayaka muttered to herself quietly while curling a strand of her hair on her finger.
"Very well, we'll stop here for the moment." Jeanne then looked towards the male blonde. "Arthur, I'd like to have a word with you outside."
"...?" The white knight only nodded in confusion.
"Hmph, what nonsense is this?"
There were no other words that the Golden King could use to describe the incredulous feeling he was having at the moment thanks to what Assassin had just stated in response to his question of what her Master desired from the grail.
"Is there something wrong O great King of Heroes? A gawking mouth suits you not." The raven-haired beauty stated with a smile. Currently, the two Servants of Red sat within the wine cellar where Archer had decided set up his own personal abode. The sat opposite from one another as they held their talks, drinking glasses of wine in the process.
"For all his scheming, he desires something so childish?" The Golden King stated, not being able to believe what he heard. How in the world a person could believe in such a thing was beyond even him.
"Truthfully, I held such a reaction myself when he told me what he desired." The Assyrian Queen replied as the smile on her face grew wide. "Normally, I would have laughed and took control of anyone who would say such a thing to me. However, as I saw in his eyes that he was truly determined to bring about such a wish, I couldn't help but become interested and as such aid him in his endeavor."
"Hmph, your Master's naivety is simply astounding." Archer clicked his tongue in distaste before taking a sip and continuing. "Saving humanity? Who is he to decide what humanity needs saving from? Only I, the King, can do so. Such an affront cannot stand."
"Don't look at me when you ask that, say it to my Master." The raven-haired beauty simply stated. "So then King of Heroes, where do we go from here? Shall we continue finishing our drinks or shall you decide to finally rise up against myself and my master?"
"Normally such utter disrespect from you would result in me taking your head and that of your Master." The Golden King declared. "However, I admit that I am curious to see just what your Master plans for the future. It may prove to be an entertaining spectacle to see the failure of a man who wishes to save the world."
"I take it that means you will not be reporting us?"
"I'll make no such promises. Perhaps I will or perhaps I will not. I may even play the role of an observer for now." Archer stated with a smirk. "However..."
Standing up and leaning over to Assassin, he grabbed the raven-haired beauty by the chin as he continued.
"Should you and your Master step out line, I will take action." He declared. "And the punishment I shall deliver upon you both shall be most severe."
Unfazed by the threat, Assassin continued to smile as she raised the glass of wine in her hand after the Golden King released his hold on her.
"I see. Well then, shall we finish this?"
"Oh? It's you again~!"
Walking about within the castle of Yggdmillennia, the Twelfth Paladin of Charlemagne came across a certain male white-haired homunculus.
"Oh, it's you Rider."
"What's with that reaction? Is that anyway to greet your friends~?" The young paladin stated, complaining about the rather monotone voice the homunculus before had used just now. Said homunculus was one of the first ones had met together with the one he had named Alzir after his summoning over a month ago. Together with her and other homunculi, Astolfo had decided to befriend each and every one of them.
Lately though, he was unable to do much with the one in front of him thanks to Caster using him as one of her workers. Despite his demeanor, the homunculus was something of what one could call an ace in a variety of subjects. Though not perfect, he was able to do quite well in anything he chose to do, and such a person was helpful in Caster's tasks.
And now that he had time to think about it, he had yet to name the homunculus in front of him like he did with Alzir and some of the others. Such a thing could not stand, not while he could help it!
"Say, have you decided on a name yet~?" Astolfo began.
"A name...?"
"You know, something to call you by?"
"I know what a name is. What I was referring to would be why would I need one?"
"You know, for simplicity's sake." The young paladin stated. "You homunculi all kinda look alike to a degree. Giving you names helps to tell you apart from one another."
Taking a closer look at his friend, Astolfo realized that the homunculus actually looked somewhat similar to Saber of Black, only a lot younger, shorter hair, and far less muscular. As such, a thought immediately came to mind thanks to this bit of information. The young paladin now knew for himself what his friend's name should be.
"I know, from here on out, I'll call you Sieg!"
"Sieg?" The homunculus mouthed briefly before smiling slightly. "That seems... somewhat appropriate."
"Ahaha~! I thought so!" The pinkette smiled in delight. It was then that he heard a familiar voice calling out to him.
"Hey Rider...!"
Caules Forvedge came into view with Berserker standing right behind him, a somewhat panicked expression on his face as though he heard of something that he really didn't like hearing about.
"There you are...! I need a favor from you!"
"Hmm?"
"Shit!"
Hiding behind a corner, Kairi narrowly dodged being slammed upon by an incoming truck thrown by his opponent. Who was said person...?
"What's the matter Mister Mercenary? Do you yield?!"
With the aid of her mystic code, the Bronze-Link Manipulator, Fiore Forvedge Yggdmillennia stood her ground no longer bound by her wheel-chair.
"Holy shit kid, you actually made that thing yourself?" He questioned, honestly curious. According to the info El-Melloi had provided him, the young brunette he was facing was a prodigy as a magus. Having created the mystic code herself a few years back as a pre-teen or something. From what he saw, the girl was suspended in air using five giant mechanical looking spider limbs that wouldn't have looked out of place in a science fiction series as an exoskeleton mecha armor.
Using them as pseudo-legs, her speed, attack, and defense had increased dramatically from what he had initially calculated. For every shot he aimed and fired at the girl, her limbs would either block or allow her to dodge them easily. Not to mention the fact that she just used two of them to throw a car a goddamn truck at him!
"And what about it?"
For Fiore, this was the first real combat situation she had ever been in that didn't involve the watchful eye of her grandfather looking after her. As such, it would have been a lie to say that she wasn't nervous. But, she could not afford such an emotion right now. Her main goal was defeating the man before her, and if possible, have a talk with him in order discuss her earlier thoughts with the Red Faction. She tried to do so earlier, but that quickly resulted in her almost getting shot in the head once more. And that lead itself to the activation of her mystic code and the current situation.
The design of said mystic code was also partially influenced from reading some of her little brother's comic books. Nobody actually knew about this fact, and she decided to keep it that way as she found it somewhat embarrassing.
"Nothing, just makes killing you a little harder is all!"
Two shots, each fired from the two weapons in his hand went straight for the girl's head. The mechanical limbs quickly reacted and blocked the incoming attacks. Afterwards, two of her mechanical limbs raised and pointed themselves at the mercenary.
"...!"
No sooner than that, beams of light erupted from them as Kairi dodged the girl's counterattack.
"Damn it, what kind of Archer are you...!?"
"I am a teacher."
Skillfully parrying the red knight's blows with his own sword, Mordred and Chiron found themselves in a deadlock as they fought across the rooftops of the city, sparks flying from their respective blades.
"Bastard! Are you looking down on me?! Fight me seriously!" Mordred demanded. As the class titles would imply, Archer was a hero of the bow. For him to be using a sword against her instead of his own specialization, it meant to her that he was confident enough in his swordplay to best her, Saber of Red, in a contest of swordsmanship. Such an act was insulting to say the least about it. She would not allow the offense to stand, not in a battle like this!
"Not at all, I just merely wish to test your skills as closely as possible." Chiron replied. The blonde was a strong fighter indeed. Though her skills needed some work, he believed that had she lived to a longer age and thus experienced more battles, then perhaps she would have been a far better opponent than the one he was currently facing.
Trading blows with her was enough for him to confirm that she did indeed die young. Some of his apprentices had died young as well. Perhaps that was the fate of all Heroic Spirits? Such a thought only caused Chiron to sigh internally.
"Then I'll make you regret that desire...!"
With a sudden burst, the Knight of Treachery pushed her foe back a great distance. Seeing an opportunity, she quickly gathered mana within her feet and quickly closed the gap between them with the use of short burst of movement. Pouring more power into her blade, she then swung hard.
"Hah!"
Within a single strike, the sword that the green-haired Archer had been using was finally broken.
"...!"
Disarmed, Archer of Black quickly moved to further the distance between himself and his foe once more. Deciding not to take any chances with her opponent, Mordred moved to attack as he did so.
"Your head is mine!"
With one final cry, she swung her sword hard.
"...!?"
Mordred quickly widened her eyes in shock when she that Clarent had been stopped mid-swing, the blade being caught between the hands of the green-haired archer who was smirking at her after seeing the look on her face.
Before she could react, Mordred felt a heavy blow being landed upon her gut as she gasped in pain. It was followed up with two more strikes, both aimed at her chest and face. Afterwards, Archer quickly grabbed her by tossing her to the ground...
...And then followed that up by breaking her arm in half.
"Argh!" She cried out in pain, glaring at her opponent as she swung her sword at him before he could do any more damage.
Standing up, the Knight of Treachery growled out in anger at her opponent, clutching her broken arm in the process.
"Bastard! I'll make you pay for that!"
"So you're still willing to continue with such an injury?" Archer asked, chuckling slightly as he smiled at her. "Such rough child you are. You remind of one of my students."
"Save it! And don't you dare call me a child!"
And so the battle between the two resumed.
Stopping at a secluded spot a short distance away from the hotel, Jeanne turned around and faced her partner.
"Well, what do you think? Do you believe everything that that girl has told us?"
"Who knows?" Arthur replied. He knew all too well from personal experience that trusting anyone at face-value may prove to be a person's downfall. However, he had believed that the girl known as Ayaka Tohsaka was indeed telling the truth. A gut feeling of his was what made him think so, and said feeling had most of time was something to be relied upon.
"If you want my personal opinion, then I believe trusting that girl is a step in the right direction."
"I see, so you believe that too." Jeanne smiled, satisfied that he held the same views as she did.
"That wasn't all what you wanted talk about isn't it?" He asked. Had his Master only wanted to ask what his opinion of the girl was, then should have easily done so back at the hotel. "Well then, here we are. What's on your mind?"
"It's about something that's been bothering me since earlier today." The young saint began. "I forgot to ask you about this earlier thanks to meeting that girl, but now I remembered it."
Looking him directly in the eye, Jeanne continued.
"Arthur, just how exactly did you find that girl in the first place?" She asked, causing the white knight to freeze up slightly. "And there's one other thing. I couldn't sense your presence at all after you disappeared on me. I could still feel your existence, yet it felt so far away. Did something happen to you?"
"That's..." Arthur began. How would he explain it? That someone whom appeared to be his former Master appeared right before him and urged him to follow her? The moment she mentioned that his presence felt distant, his suspicions of Manaka being alive grew stronger though he was still unconvinced.
He snapped out of his thoughts when suddenly the young saint leaned forward with both hands on her hips. Arthur stepped back slightly as he saw a scolding look on her face and raised then pointed a finger at him.
"You're not hiding anything from me are you? If you are, I'll get mad."
"No, no, it's not so much as hiding so much as you haven't asked me regarding-" He began before realizing his mistake.
"Ah! So you really are hiding something?!" Jeanne demanded, her finger now touching him upon the nose as he looked at her, surprised at the action. "Arthur, as your Master, I order you to reveal what you know. I won't allow you to keep any secrets from me!"
After a few moments of deliberation within his mind, the white knight sighed and raised both hands in defeat. Trying to talk his way out of this one would prove to be futile.
"Well, I suppose there's no real harm in telling you about it." He stated before smiling. "Be prepared though, because you may find what I'm about to tell you to be a shock."
Jeanne looked at her partner slightly confused but nonetheless decided to listen to what Arthur had to say.
"Ah...!"
Before she even knew it, Fiore found herself on the ground grasping her right arm in pain.
Though she had the upper hand for the majority of their battle, the mercenary had managed to bypass her defenses and shoot a hole through her shoulder. Not long after that, he fired off two more shots that were powerful enough that it caused two of the legs that supported her to collapse.
'I need to call Archer here now...!' She thought, her wound causing her mind to be filled with pain as she worked to heal it with her magecraft. At the same time, she began to telepathically contact her Servant.
Fiore quickly snapped out of it however when another bullet bounced off the pavement near her, causing the brunette to quickly hide behind some cover.
"Sorry about this kid, nothing personal." Kairi called out as he himself hid behind some cover, making sure to not take any chances. The giant-ass spider limbs were both expected and unexpected. Who knew what else the girl had in store for him.
"Please wait a moment!" Fiore cried out. "If you just listen to what I have to say, then you would-"
"Like I already said, I ain't hearing it." The necromancer replied. "You know how it works with magi kid. Never trust anyone."
Even if he was working with the Red Faction for now, Kairi knew that he would have to face off against the other in the near future once the Masters of Black and their Servants were dealt with. Although he disliked the idea of killing people he called comrades for the sake of his own wish, it was a price he was willing to pay. Still though, he slightly hoped that it wouldn't have to come down to that.
Waver Velvet was someone he had worked with in the past, enough to consider the man as a casual acquaintance. And he was adverse to the thought of killing what he considered to be children, though his current actions at the moment would soon lead to the death of one.
"Heh, I'm starting to go soft." He chuckled to himself. He would need to work that out later. Right now, he had a fight that he needed to win.
Standing up, Kairi ran over to the prone Fiore, stopping to aim his handgun at her head as the young brunette began to glare at him as he came into her field of vision.
No more words were spoken when the necromancer fired what he considered to be his final shot of the day. Even with the use of a Command Spell, Archer of Black wouldn't be able to make it back in time to aid his Master. His victory was already assured...
...is what Kairi thought. However, before he even realized it, he had let his guard down. And that alone was enough...
"GET AWAY FROM MY SISTER YOU GORILLA-FACED BASTARD!"
...for Caules Forvedge to act.
"What the hell?!"
The necromancer cried out in pain as his hand was struck with a stone thrown by Caules who appeared at a corner. The stone was thrown so hard, that it was able to deflect his aim elsewhere, causing the would be fatal shot to miss its target.
"Caules!"
"Son of a bitch!"
Kairi cried out aimed his shotgun at Caules and fired as the young man hid behind said corner.
"Hey! Leave our mother out of this you terminator wannabe!" The latter reprimanded as he decided to take a peek before quickly going back as he narrowly avoided being shot in the face. "And watch were you're shooting! Have some consideration for the people who live in this city dammit!"
Once he discovered that Fiore went into the city by herself, Caules had immediately became worried about his older sister. Despite knowing that she could take care of herself, his sister was a soft person at heart. As such, he couldn't help but track her down in order to keep an eye on her. He couldn't have been more right once he saw her current condition.
"Come and make me you little punk!" The necromancer yelled in response. He hadn't expected the younger brother to appear, rescuing his older sister no less. From what intel he had been able to gather about the two, Caules Forvedge had been treated as second-rate and poor-man's substitute to his much more talented older sister. He had seen similar cases in the past, and most of said cases usually involved a sibling rivalry.
However, that didn't appear to be the case with two before him. What the young man had yelled just now confirmed it for the mercenary. Caules loved his sister enough to not give a damn about about their positions in life. As such, he couldn't help but respect the kid a little once he confirmed this in his thoughts.
"Hey kid! Why don't we make a deal!?" Kairi called out. "I let your sister go, you and I take each other on man to man. Winner gets to leave with their lives intact."
"Screw you! I ain't here for a contest of measuring dicks you idiot, I'm here to get my sister!" Such a statement nearly caused Kairi to falter, particularly at the former's description for his deal. "Rider! Berserker! What are you two waiting for?!"
"Wha-!? Ah, shit!"
The necromancer quickly ducked out of the way as he saw Berserker of Black materialize right before him and narrowly avoided being stabbed by her spear. Not long after her appearance, Rider of Black landed right beside the Servant of Madness with a grin on his face.
"Good evening~" The latter stated.
"Wow! Were you born with that face? I feel so sorry for you~" Elizabeth smirked.
"Oi!"
"Now that's a bit too much isn't it Berserker?" The young paladin chuckled as he went over to Fiore and carried her in his arms. Quickly, he leaped over to where Caules was and not long afterwards did Archer of Black appear right beside them.
"Oh~! Archer!"
"Good evening my friend." He greeted before facing Fiore with a shameful look on his face. "My apologies Master. I wasn't able to arrive on time."
Continuing while facing Caules, Chiron spoke. "Master Caules, I must apologize to you as well. Had you not arrived when you did-"
"Enough about that. Right now focus on the guy who tried to kill my sister." Caules replied, noticing the rather severe gash on Archer's left arm. He then glared at the mercenary while also relishing the panicked look on his face as he realized that he was severely outnumbered right now with the presence of three Servants against him.
"YOU BASTARD!"
A voice called out in the form of Mordred landing right beside her Master with an even angrier look on her face than usual. When Kairi looked more closely, he quickly understood why. At the moment, her left arm was flailing about slightly, indicating that it was broken. Caules noted that she must've been the one responsible for Archer's injury given that her blade was dripping with blood.
"Don't you dare run away from me!" She demanded. Through sheer effort and determination, she was able to get even with Archer for breaking her arm earlier by taking the use of his own. Served him right!
"That's enough, we can't win this one." The mercenary quickly stated as he laid a hand on his Servant's shoulder. "We gotta move now!"
"But that's...!" The Knight of Treachery wanted to voice her thoughts on the matter, but even she was able to note that they were outnumbered right now. As much as she disliked it, retreat was the best course of action for the time being, especially with her broken arm.
"Damn it, I'll be back to settle the score!" Mordred stated as she hefted her Master onto her shoulder, the man cried out that his current position was undignified.
"You're not getting away...!" Elizabeth moved to follow, but all were quickly stopped when Fiore called out to everyone.
"W-Wait a moment! Please, everyone just calm down!"
Such an action was enough to get their attention. Why wouldn't it? After all, from the young brunette's appearance alone, one would think that she was a delicate thing. Which was especially so with her disabled legs. However, the act of raising her voice proved otherwise.
Seeing that all eyes were on her, Fiore continued to speak.
"Mister Shishigou was it? That is your name right?" She said as she motioned for Archer to get her wheelchair for her.
"Yeah. What about it?" Kairi questioned, Mordred having chosen to settle him down again. Easily outnumbered, he supposed that listening to the young brunette was the best course he could take for now without retreating to a safer location.
"Please, I ask that you relay a message to Lord El-Melloi when you see him." Fiore replied. "It concerns the existence the of the rogue servants that have attempted to take Ruler's life in the past."
"Yeah... what about them?"
"So long as they exist, I believe that this Holy Grail War that we have been chosen to participate in will never be concluded normally." She stated. "As such, I believe that it would be necessary to deal with them first before we turn our Servants against each other as per the custom of the war."
"Wait, you're not asking for-"
"That is indeed what I'm aiming for. I wish to hold a temporary alliance."
"Wait, you mean to tell me that you participated in another Holy Grail War before?"
Unable to believe what she just heard, Jeanne looked at Arthur with a very surprised look on her face.
"Are you surprised at the fact that I fought in one before or the fact that I remember it?" Arthur asked, smiling slightly.
"Both." She stated in response. "Arthur, just how is it possible? The Holy Grail War may summon Heroic Spirits as Servants, but by nature, we are nothing more than copies of the originals that exist outside of the plane of time within the Throne of Heroes."
"There are always exceptions to the rule." Arthur replied. "I just happen to be one of those exceptions. Remember the title of the book about me that belongs to Laeticia? The one that I was reading about the morning after we arrived in the city?"
"The Once and Future King? Oh..."
Realizing what such a title would imply, Jeanne could only react in such a way.
"In some versions of the story, King Arthur never died. He merely fell into a deep sleep." The white knight began. "Though he was mortally wounded by his rival Mordred, he was taken to the sacred land of Avalon in order to heal his wounds, with the people waiting for the day he would awaken once more and rise to take back his place as the one true king of the land."
"Then is it true? That you're still alive?" The young saint asked. "But, if that's truly the case, then how is it that you can be here? Since you're still alive, you cannot be summoned as Servant, much less be called a Heroic Spirit yet."
"Well, the answer to that is both yes and no." Arthur replied. "It's true that since I am still alive I cannot be called a proper Heroic Spirit yet. I won't bother you with all the details. Just know that the form you see me in right now is me as I was on my deathbed. And that is the reason why I cannot go into spirit form and why I can remember events from a past summoning unlike other Servants. Until I obtain the Holy Grail for myself, I am what one could call an incomplete Heroic Spirit."
Jeanne blinked in surprise at this. She had believed that it was because of a fault in the summoning process that caused Arthur's inability to turn into spirit form. But now it turns out that it was due to something else entirely.
She was also curious to learn more about the young man's special circumstances. Still though, it wasn't the time. Perhaps she could ask more about it later. Right now, there was still the matter they were discussing earlier.
"So then, what happened earlier?"
"I encountered someone I used to know." Arthur stated, causing the young saint to look at him once more in surprise. "My former Master, a girl who went by the name Manaka Sajyou. Over sixty years ago, she and I fought in the Holy Grail War in the land known as Japan."
"Sixty years ago... wait, you fought in that war?"
According to the information from the grail, the war that took place sixty years ago was the same one that served as a precursor towards the ones that soon began all over the world. And right now, she had someone with her who participated in that fight.
"Yes. During that time, only myself and the other six Servant classes were summoned." The white knight replied. "Though thanks to circumstance, there was also a Ruler-Class Servant at the time."
"A Ruler-Class Servant was summoned back then?" Jeanne quickly asked in bewilderment.
"Yes there was." Arthur revealed. "Back then, the world was caught in the middle of the event known as World War II. I suppose the Grail felt that with all the commotion it needed to summon one in order to preserve some semblance of order."
The young saint nodded at this. With what knowledge Laeticia had regarding World War II, Jeanne was able to understand enough regarding the topic.
"Wait, would that mean you met Lancer of Black's Master before? The man known as Darnic?" Arthur nodded in response. "Now I see. I suppose that would explain those strange looks he was giving you back then."
Getting back on topic, Jeanne poised the question to the male blonde.
"Anyway, you were saying something about your former Master?"
"Indeed. I saw whom I believed to be my former Master." Arthur began, the expression on his face turning somewhat grim. "The blonde hair, blue dress and eyes, she looked exactly like her. Because of that, I suppose I couldn't help but ignore everything for just so I could confirm that it was her. But in the end, it resulted in me losing track of her and coming across Ayaka and Lancer."
"But how would that be even possible? It's been sixty years since then." Jeanne stated before realizing something. There was actually a possibility of that happening, one of the methods to which was something that she was about to ask the young man.
"Arthur, did you and her-?"
"No, I did not win the Holy Grail War back then." The white knight quickly stated in response. "Due to circumstance, she and I both died along the way."
"I see..." She should've expected that considering his earlier words. At this, the young saint couldn't help but feel sorry for her partner. He had his chance at the Holy Grail only to be killed at one point. Now he had been summoned once again, only this time he was unable to participate in the fight for the Holy Grail due to her. She couldn't help but feel somewhat guilty.
Seeing the look on her face, Arthur sighed as he realized what she was probably thinking and laid a hand on his Master's head. This caused the young saint to look up at him with a surprised expression.
"Don't feel bad. After all, I was the one who chose to cast aside my wish in order to aid you in the first place."
"But still..."
"You're a kindhearted person Jeanne, it's something I like about you." The young man smiled at her. "But I have already sworn an oath to stand by your side as both your Servant and as your friend. As such, no matter what comes nor my own personal desires, you may always count on me to lend you a helping hand should you ever need it."
Such a statement together with the smile Arthur gave off only resulted in the young saint blushing slightly in response. Really now, did he really have to make it sound like that? Because of it, she couldn't help but react the way she did.
"You must've been quite the charmer weren't you?" She muttered quietly, though loud enough to be heard.
"Hmm?" The young man looked at his Master clueless to what she was referring to.
"No, it's nothing." She shook her head in response, her blush fading. Now was not the time for such talk. "Is there anything else you need to tell me? About your former Master that is?"
"Manaka was..." He began, a frown forming on his face once more. "A special child to say the least. If what I encountered really was her... no, I don't want to think about it."
Noticing his tone of voice and expression, Jeanne wondered to herself what kind of relationship her friend had with his former Master. His reaction just now... perhaps it was guilt due to his inability to protect her in the past? From what she knew of Arthur, she thought that this was the most likely case.
"It may be that someone knew about my relation to her and used it to play a trick on me?" Arthur suggested.
"Could it have been Darnic? He was one of the enemy Masters you fought in the past correct?" The young saint pointed out.
"Perhaps. He's the only person I could think of right now." Arthur replied. "However, it doesn't make any sense. Why bother with such trickery? Was it so that I would discover what was happening regards to Ayaka and Lancer? He wouldn't even need to do such a thing, and even then, I doubt he already knows about the two of them. If so, he either would try to recruit them to his cause or silence them himself since they are outsiders. Such was the man that Manaka and I fought long ago."
There was also the fact that Arthur's presence earlier felt rather distant. Was it magecraft that caused such an effect? The young saint couldn't help but wonder this. Such a complicated matter had been presented before her. She thought she had enough to deal with, but now this?
'My Lord, please give me strength.' Jeanne silently prayed to herself.
"So Ayaka, what you think about those two?"
Having finished taking a shower and refreshing herself, Ayaka entered her bedroom wearing a set of cat pajamas while still drying her hair. Lancer appeared at the door while poising his question to her.
"What I think?" Ayaka began as she was immersed in her personal thoughts. "Well, I really feel like they're both trustworthy people. Ruler-san and Saber-san... both of them must've great people back in their lifetimes. I can feel it."
"So you really think we should work together with them? Fine by me." Lancer stated with a shrug. "After all, you lead and I follow. That's how this gig works."
"Are you saying we shouldn't trust them?"
"What? No." The blue-haired spearsman replied. "Saber helped save your life. That makes him good enough in my book. And if a guy like that serves someone like Ruler, then I suppose trusting both of them is a no brainer."
Lancer could tell that Saber was someone of high moral conduct, one glance at him was able to prove it. He also had an idea of what the latter's identity was thanks to Ruler calling him "Arthur". There was only one hero that came to mind when he heard that name, and if he was right, then he supposed that Saber's mannerism and how he held himself earlier wouldn't have been that much a surprise. Knight Kings tended to be like that he supposed.
Noticing his Master had suddenly gone quiet, Lancer looked at Ayaka and saw that she was staring off into space with her face slightly red for some reason.
"What's wrong missy? You caught a fever or something? Your face is turning red."
"E-Eh!?" She squeaked briefly. "A-Ah, it's nothing! Nothing at all!"
"Hmm?"
Ayaka sighed in relief when she saw the clueless look on Lancer's face. Just now, her thoughts had been centered around Saber, specifically him smiling at her earlier while holding her protectively. It was like she was a princess being rescued by a knight. She was glad that she hadn't said anything during her brief daze. Otherwise, her Servant would probably make fun of her relentlessly for what she was thinking.
'Saber-san... he's a lot like the prince that grandma would always tell me about during her stories.' The blonde thought. It was something that's been instilled into her memory since she was a child. Blonde hair, green eyes, white armor, the personality of a gentlemen, they all matched. And because of said stories, Ayaka had a weakness for men who were the arch-typical knight in shining armor. It was something that she was quite embarrassed about, and Rin would often make fun of her because of this trait.
'Not that she's any different considering that boy she has a crush on. What was his name again...?'
Ayaka didn't really know much about said person since she began living in Tokyo with her grandmother around a year ago. The only times she saw him where whenever she had enough free time to spend a few days within Fuyuki together with her relatives. That said, he was a nice enough young man from what she knew of him. He was kinda like a modern day knight, though he tended to be somewhat oblivious. Rin and Sakura had met and befriended him around the same time she moved to the capital.
'I think his name was Emiya Shirou...?'
She found it slightly humorous that the boy that Rin, and Sakura when she thought about it, liked had shared the same first name with Kotomine Shirou. Said person was someone that Rin couldn't get along with since she always had a bad feeling about him whenever he was around.
'In hindsight, I suppose Rin was right about this one.'
The girl began wondering how Rin would react to the current situation that she was in. The glasses wearing blonde believed that she would probably try to take the fight directly to their enemies with Sakura trying to hold her sister back from trying to do anything stupid. Said thought brought a smile to Ayaka's face.
While having said thoughts, Ayaka went over and picked up the cellphone that laid on a desk. Unlike her relatives, most especially Rin, she was modernized. She couldn't really understand why most magi wouldn't approve of modern day technology. She supposed that it was due to pride in their magecraft that caused such a thing.
'Maybe I should call home?'
Playing with the phone in her hand for a good moment or so, she sighed before setting it back down onto the desk.
'No, if I do, I may want to just up and leave.' She thought to herself. 'Right now, I can't allow anything to distract me. Kotomine-san must be stopped.'
Her resolve strengthened once more, the blonde decided to finish up with her current task of drying her hair.
Later that night...
"What? Are you serious?"
"Yep, that kid Fiore wants both of our forces to team up for now."
Seated within Waver's office were both the long-haired man himself, Rider of Red, and Kairi, the latter of which having just explained everything that happened to him and Saber that night. They arrived at the villa shortly after their talk with Fiore.
"So, what are we going to do about it?" The latter asked.
"She does have a point. Right now, there are at least five rogue Servants running about. I doubt the Holy Grail War can ever be conducted properly with their existence." Waver replied. He personally knew Fiore Forvedge. Not well, but enough to know that she was a reliable and trustworthy person for a magus.
"So we're going to take what she said seriously?" The mercenary asked once more. Personally, he didn't like the idea as he did not trust the members of Yggdmillennia. They were after all their opponents in the Holy Grail War.
"I say why not?" Rider stated with a grin on his face. "Working together sounds like a good idea and a fun endeavor to me. And allying with them may also prove to be a fortunate boon for us. The more we know about their Servants, the more we'll be able to make effective countermeasures don't you agree?"
"Well we already know the identities of Saber, Lancer, Archer, and Rider." Waver replied. "But I suppose it doesn't hurt to learn more about them. A temporary alliance it may be, but it should still provide us with something in the long run."
Soon afterwards, the long-haired man sent out a familiar carrying his reply towards the Masters of Black. He thought for a moment that perhaps it was going to be a trap. As such, he decided to request Fiore to bring that person along if they wanted to have a meeting. After all, she was serving as a mediator for the Holy Grail War.
"I don't like this." Kairi muttered before a knock on the door interrupted him and their discussion.
"Brother." A voice called out from the other side.
"Reines? Come in." Waver replied as the young blonde entered the room together with Gray. "What is it? Did something happen?"
"I thought that you would like to know that priest known as Kotomine has left the premises. Gray noticed something off when she passed by his room earlier. After she decided to enter it, she found that it was empty of all valuables and possessions." She revealed as much to others shock and surprise.
"He left us without warning...?" Waver asked with a frown on his face. "For him to disappear on us now of all times."
"Hmph, so that man has already decided to make his move?"
Quickly turning their gazes at the source of the voice, everyone looked to see Archer of Red leaning against the wall with both arms crossed and a smirk on his face.
"Do you know something Archer?" Reines inquired.
"Perhaps I do, what of it?" He asked, a mocking grin on his face as he looked at his young master.
"Then I ask that you tell us about it." The blonde-haired girl stated, irritated by the look on her Servant's face.
"Very well then, I shall tell you what I know." The Golden King replied. "However, I expect proper recompense for what I am about to tell you."
After their meeting and subsequent agreement to work with one another, Jeanne decided that staying together with Ayaka and Lancer would be the best course of action for now. As such, the two blonde heroes made their way towards the church in order to pick up Laeticia's belongings. Though Arthur stated that he could do it by himself, Jeanne wanted to come along in order to personally say goodbye and thank Sister Petresia and the others for allowing the two to stay at the church.
The young saint was slightly saddened by their parting. Though she knew that her time in the realm of the living was limited due to being a Servant, she couldn't help but bond with those at the church, most especially Sister Petresia whom she got along with best.
Soon after achieving what they came to do, the two immediately headed back towards the hotel. When Sister Petresia discovered this, and taking into account how late at night it already was when they arrived, a smile erupted onto her face as an embarrassed Jeanne quickly stated that it wasn't anything she was thinking of. The elderly nun only continued to smile as she waved the two off as they left the church.
Really now, for a sister, she enjoyed teasing people didn't she? Or perhaps it was only her?
'Now then... with all the information that Miss Ayaka has brought forth, what should we do now?' Jeanne thought. Though much had been made clear thanks to Ayaka, there was still the matter that with the numbers that Shirou Kotomine had, they would need to assemble an equivalent force. The first thing she had in mind was to go to either Faction for aid. But she didn't know which one to choose...
Lancer of Black and his Master had a sinister aura to their presence, but even then she felt that neither of the two could be considered a true enemy. However, because of said attributes, she felt she wouldn't be able to work well with both.
Then there was the man known as Waver Velvet on the other hand had a more reasonable air to him despite Jeanne having only met him once, and that was during the first night. Having agreed to her call for a temporary ceasefire before, she felt that she could go to him. Though there was a chance he was in collusion with Shirou Kotomine since they were both in the Red Faction.
'What to do...' She thought, her mind debating on what course of action would be best. The young saint felt like she was going in circles, repeating the same question to herself over and over again.
"Wait, is that a bird...?"
Snapping out of her thoughts, Jeanne heard Arthur speak and looked to see what he was referring to.
What she saw was a small bird flying towards them. Seeing this, the young saint stretched out one of her hands as the small creature landed right on top of it. Attached to its leg was a piece of paper. She was quickly able to identify it as a familiar. But who did it belong to was the question.
Taking the piece of paper off the bird's leg, the small creature flew off as the young saint rolled it open. Jeanne saw that it was a message from one of the Masters of Black.
"What does it say?" Arthur asked.
"It says that the Black Faction requires my presence. And the reason to why that is..." The young saint's expression turned into one of surprise and shock. "They want me to mediate a meeting between them as they form an alliance!?"
"Wait, an alliance?"
"Yes. It seems like the one known as Fiore Forvedge recognizes the threat the rogue Servants pose to the Holy Grail War and its participants. She wants both factions to work together for the time being in order to eliminate them. She even says that leader of the Red Faction, Rider's Master, has agreed to it as well. The meeting is to take place a day from now." Jeanne replied with a smile on her face.
This could prove to be just what they needed! With everything that's been happening, she was wondering to herself who could be trusted and who could not. If what was stated here was genuine, then perhaps she finally found a solution to one of their problems. Jeanne prayed that this would be the case.
Arthur himself only had one thing to say regarding this new piece of information.
"Well now, I suppose things have taken a rather interesting turn."
END
Author's Note:
And so ends Chapter 11, hope you guys liked it.
The thing with Sieg's name. Yeah, I decided to stick with his original name from the novel's instead of making up a new one by providing the reason that since the former looks a little like Siegfried, Astolfo thinks it would be an appropriate name for him. That said, they don't actually look all that alike, even after the former gets the latter's heart and his body changes accordingly in the original novels. So just roll with it XP.
The fight scene with Kairi, Mordred, Fiore, and Chiron was more or less taken from the original novels. Caules interference was there too, though this time he was joined by Astolfo and Elizabeth in rescuing Fiore. As you all have read, the Class-Cards are being used here. Though when compared to Prisma-Illya, I've modified their use compared to that verse.
Anyway, that's it for now. Please leave a review :D