Chapter 10
Jasnah had once defined a fool as a person who ignored information because it disagreed with results.- Brandon Sanderson, Words of Radiance
Once the excitement died down, they elected to go indoors. Rin promised that they would remain civil and not engage in any hostile actions until the situation was fully resolved. Her Caster made the same promise and they proceeded indoors.
"I'm sorry about pulling a gun in your neighborhood," Caster said to Shirou. "I hope the cops won't be a problem."
"I'm sure the landlord will know how to deal with them," Shirou reassured the Servant.
Once they got inside Rin immediately complained about the temperature. "Geez, it's freezing in here. What happened? This window is completely smashed in."
"It's not my fault. I was defending myself against that Lancer guy," Shirou answered.
"Wait, you fought him all on your own until you were able to summon Saber?"
"Hardly," Shirou admitted. "I couldn't even fight back."
Rin tilted her head. "Huh, you're not even trying to brag about it. I see. You are exactly how you look."
"And how do I look?" Shirou asked.
"Like an honest dork who doesn't know any better about getting involved in dangerous crap," Caster said, walking by the pair. "I'll be outside keeping watch," he told Rin.
"Fine," she said and he vanished. Then she held her hand over the shattered glass and spoke briefly. There was a flash of blue light and the shattered glass lifted from the ground and refit itself to the window it came from. Then it solidified back into a solid pane.
"Woah, Tohsaka," Shirou said, his voice breathy with amazement. "You really are a mage, aren't you?"
"Yes," she answered. "And you too, I see."
"Not me. I can't do something big like this."
"What do you mean you can't? You're messing with me now, aren't you? Treating glass is about as basic as you can get."
"Yeah, well I don't know anything about basics or fundamentals."
"Ugh, how was it a guy like this was able to summon both Sabers? Seriously?" After a moment she added: "Well, that's fine. However it happened, we need to rebalance the scales."
Then she and Shirou went into the dining room to talk.
They settled down at opposite sides of the table, Rin on one side, drinking a cup of tea, Shirou on the other, with Saber and Link flanking him. Saber's weapon and armor had dispersed once they had agreed to stop fighting for the moment, leaving her only in her modest blue gown. Link's weapons had vanished, though he kept the chain shirt under his tunic.
"Now then, let's get started," Rin said. "You have absolutely no idea what you're caught up in, do you?"
Shirou nodded in affirmation.
"To be totally blunt: You've been chosen by the Grail to be a Master. Have you noticed a stigmatus somewhere on your body?"
"Stigmata?" Shirou asked.
"She means Command Seals, Shirou," Saber provided.
"Oh, these?" he asked and lifted both of his hands.
"Yes," Rin answered. "Those are proof that you are a Master. They are also spells that let you control your Servants, so as long as you have at least one of those you can keep your Servants under control. One set for each Servant."
"What do you mean, as long as I still have them?"
"Command Seals are unbreakable orders. Spells that can force Servants to obey, even if it means bending them to your will. However, you only get three Command Seals for each Servant for the whole war, so you should really try not to waste them. You'll probably be killed if you use them all too soon, so I suggest you be careful."
"Wait, I'll be killed?"
"That's right. The Holy Grail War is completely based around Masters defeating other Masters. The one that beats the other six wins the Holy Grail, which is an omnipotent, wish-granting cup."
"Hey, wait, hold on a second. Why're you telling me this?"
"Well, because you've gotten dragged into a certain ritual: It's the Holy Grail War. Fought by seven Masters. A battle to the death between mages."
"Do you really expect me to believe that?" Shirou demanded.
"Welcome to the real world, kid!" Caster called down from the roof. "It's a bigger and scarier place than you think!"
"Shut up, Caster!" Rin shouted at the ceiling. "We agreed I would do this!" She turned back to Shirou and continued. "I'm simply laying out the facts as they are. Besides, deep inside you already know all this, don't you? After all, you've already nearly been killed by a Servant not once, but twice. Convinced yet?
"I'm another mage chosen to be a Master. Think of your Servants as familiars granted to you by the Grail to help you survive the Holy Grail war."
Shirou glanced over at Saber, then at Link. "They sure don't look like familiars to me," Shirou responded.
"Well of course they don't. Servants are technically familiars, but they're really superhuman beings. Heroic Spirits from the past."
"A hero from the past?" Shirou asked. "Saber?" Then he glanced at Link and simply raised his eyebrows.
"That's right. Servants are Heroic Spirits from legend, from the past or present that are pulled into our time and given form and substance. At least the primary Servant is. These secondary Servants don't appear to be from our own time or world. Is that correct?"
Link nodded. "That is correct. This world is alien to me."
Rin nodded. "It's the Master's role to summon them, and, once materialized, the Grail helps them keep their physical forms. Servants are basically always with you in spirit form, and should the need arise, you can materialize them and make them fight on your behalf."
"So the guy in black can change between spirit and physical forms at will?" Shirou asked.
"That's Caster, he's keeping watch outside, as you know. Do you understand so far?"
"Yeah, I guess I do, sort of."
"For a more detailed explanation, you should talk to the man overseeing the Grail war. Now there's something important you should keep in mind. You have no choice but to fight once you've been chosen and the Servants are powerful familiars. So make sure you use yours well." Rin took a long drink from her tea and turned to look at Saber. "Now for you.
"From what I understand based on what Emiya has said I gather that you're in an incomplete state, Saber?" Rin tried to pour herself more tea, but the kettle before her was empty.
"You are?" Link asked, giving Saber a surprised look. "How can that be?"
"Yes, as you've accurately stated I am not at full fighting strength," Saber said as Rin rose to her feet. "The fact is that Shirou is not a trained Master. So even replenishing mana will be difficult."
Rin walked over to the portable heater and stove and picked up the kettle that was there. She turned her head and said, "That's pretty shocking."
Link opened his mouth, then closed it and looked at his left hand suspiciously.
"Hey," Shirou said as Rin picked up the kettle. "I'm confused, what're you talking about?"
"A Servant maintains its physical existence in this world by being supplied with mana by its Master. But she can't get an adequate supply of mana from you because you're a novice and you don't know how to focus. It'll be a problem before too long." Rin poured herself more tea. "Oh, would you like a cup of tea?"
"I'm good," Shirou said.
"I have to say, I didn't expect you to be so open with me about all this."
"There was no point in lying," Saber answered. "You'd already realized that something was indeed wrong. Therefore, I decided to let you know the truth about my condition, so that Shirou could get a clear view of his current circumstances."
"But why am I not affected?" Link asked. Rin and Saber both gave him a look. "I don't feel any different from normal," he said. He glanced at his left hand again. "Unless it's somehow compensating?" he asked, more to himself than to Rin or Saber. Then he shook his head. "I don't have any idea about this sort of thing. We can talk about this later. Saber's condition and Shirou's understanding should be our priority."
Rin slammed her hands, and cup, onto the table. "Damnit! What a stupid waste! If I was Saber's Master I'd win this war easily! Why'd did they both have to go to a newbie like him?!" Rin had risen in frustration and thrown herself to the ground as she complained.
"Nice to be appreciated! Love you too, Rin!" Caster called from the roof.
"Shut up, Harry!" Rin shouted back.
"Oh, so you do remember my name! I guess that means you do care!"
Rin flopped back onto the floor in aggravation.
"Hey," Shirou said. "Are you trying to say I'm not worthy of them?"
"Of course I am, you hack!" Rin declared. Then she rose to her feet. "Okay, come on. Shall we go?"
"What? Where are we going?"
"To see the man who knows everything there is to know about the Grail War. I mean, you do want to know the reason behind it, don't you?"
"Yeah, of course I do," Shirou answered and glanced at the clock. "But it's getting really late." Truth to tell, he was exhausted. Dying was apparently wearying, and there wasn't an exercise regime created that matched the exhaustion of actual combat.
"It's what? You won't go?" Rin asked. "Oh well, whatever. That's your call to make." She leaned over and asked, "What about you, Saber? Other Saber?"
"Hey!" Shirou exclaimed. "Leave them out of this! Don't try to strong-arm them."
"Ooh!" Rin exclaimed with false surprise, her hand to her mouth. "I guess you do think like a Master." Then her expression and voice gained a near leer-like quality. "You don't want me talking to your Servants, do you?"
"I can still hear you!" Caster shouted. Irritation flashed across Rin's face and Shirou began to suspect that there was something wrong the girl in front of him.
"Anyway, Saber's supposed to be a hero from the past, right?" Shirou asked. "And Link's from another world? They're just going to be confused. They won't know how to make sense of the modern world."
Rin let out an exasperated sigh. "For future reference, Mr. Novice, don't go shouting out your Servants names. You'll reveal far too much."
Link let out a laugh. "I'd love to see you try and figure out anything about me based on my name," he said. "You won't have any clue of what I'm capable of. I guarantee it."
Rin's eyes narrowed at the challenge as Saber spoke up.
"Shirou," she said. "That is not true. Servants adapt to whatever time period they find themselves in. As such, I am quite familiar with this era. As is, I believe, Link."
"You're familiar with it? How can that be?"
"Of course, this is not the first time I have been summoned to this time in history," Saber said, more like an afterthought than something she wanted to admit.
"What?" Rin exclaimed. "No way, what are the odds of that?"
Saber rose to her feet. "So then, where is it we are going?"
"The church, in New City," Rin answered.
Rin's Caster materialized in the room with them at that moment. "The area's still clear," he reported to Rin. "No cops, either, which means Shirou was right about the landlord having plans in place." He glanced around at the other occupants. "You all might want to change into something a little more street worthy. Even at this time of night, there are always people around in a city this big. Blood stained clothes and suits of armor are bound to draw attention to us. You might've found our scuffle bracing, Saber, but I tend to try and avoid fights unless I can really help it. There are other Masters around and we don't know who or where they are yet."
"I'm good," Link said and disappeared. "Unlike Saber, I can dematerialize when needed." Rin's eyes narrowed in thought, but she kept them to herself.
Shirou left to go change out of his blood stained and torn school uniform and into jeans, a t-shirt, and jacket heavy enough for the cold. As he changed, he found the heart-shaped pendant he'd found when he'd awoken back in the school.
He held it up in the light for a moment and tried to see if there was any sign of the silver light he'd seen before as well. When no revelation hit him, he placed it into one of the drawers in his desk and finished changing.
As he stepped outside of his room, he found Saber standing there, in her gown and armor, a yellow raincoat covering her armored form.
"Uh," Shirou said. "I don't think that's what Caster meant when he said street worthy."
"This coat covers my armor," Saber replied evenly. "And Caster and Rin both wear long coats as well."
"But, that's a bit, um." Shirou realized that Saber probably wasn't going to listen to him and decided to let it drop. But it still bothered him as they made their way through the city's rather empty streets.
The clink of her armor as they walked and sheer outrageousness of her outfit seemed to scream for attention as they moved through the city.
But, despite Caster's warning about potential witnesses, the streets were, in fact, deserted.
"It can't be helped," Rin told Shirou as they walked. She'd obviously noticed his discomfort about Saber's choice of attire. "She can't dematerialize. And Caster's right. She can't be seen walking around in full armor."
A few moments later Shirou spoke up again. "Hey, are you planning on walking the whole way to the next city?"
"Yes, I am," Rin replied.
"You know it's been dangerous out lately, right? I can't protect you two if something happens. I can't."
"Oh please, relax! You might be forgetting, but Saber there is a ridiculously strong and powerful Servant. Plus you've got another Saber in your back pocket and I still have Caster if things get really dicey."
They continued walking.
"Master of Archer and Caster," Saber asked after a moment.
"Rin will be fine," the girl answered.
"And please stop calling me Caster," her Servant said, materializing beside Rin as he spoke. "Just call me Harry. No one will recognize me from that alone."
"Very well. Rin, what was Shirou trying to say earlier? I could not comprehend what was spoken."
"You could call it a major misunderstanding," Rin answered. "Or super-foolishness. What he was saying was that if we were attacked along the way, he'll step in and save us like a hero." The sarcasm was hard to miss as Rin finished her statement.
"That's wrong, because Shirou is my Master. I should be the one protecting him," Saber said.
Rin turned and said, "He's probably not thinking that way at all. As far as Masters and Servants are involved, Shirou really doesn't get it." The mage wandered over to the railing by the river and rested her hands there.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Shirou asked.
Rin giggled and lowered herself, her arms now resting on the railing as well. The wind picked up and carried her hair behind her, her jacket rippling like the water of the river beyond them. She rose upright again and simply smiled without answering.
Shirou caught sight of her Caster, Harry, standing to one side. He held a staff of oak in one hand and was looking at Shirou with a smile of his own. The man's smile was more… nostalgic than Rin's. Shirou got the impression that the man was seeing something that no one else was.
As they reached the church, Saber told Shirou that she would stand watch outside.
"You have Link with you," she said, "and I don't want to step inside."
Likewise, Harry dematerialized, though he promised to be close by. "There's something… off," he explained and then refused to elaborate.
The two Masters walked past the gate and paused before entering the church itself.
"Why do you suppose Saber isn't coming in with us?" Shirou asked Rin.
"She said earlier that she'd been summoned to this era before," Rin answered. "So maybe something happened between her and the fake priest were supposed to see."
They turned to examine the church itself. It was a modest structure, all things considered, set at the end of a wide stone path edged with knee-high hedges. The church stood before a large patch of forest and was out of the way of any busy streets or parts of the city.
All-in-all, it was a quiet sort of place, edged with something that put Shirou just slightly on guard. Maybe it was because it was too quiet, or too isolated from others. The novice mage wasn't sure.
"Tohsaka, what kind of person is this priest?" Shirou asked.
"At one time he was my father's pupil. After Father died he became my guardian. I suppose that makes him both my senior disciple and my second mentor."
"Wait a minute, so the priest is also a mage? Isn't that… contradictory?" Shirou asked.
"Welcome to Catholicism, kid," came Harry's disembodied voice. "I don't take much stock in religion as a whole."
"Yeah, like I said, a genuine fake priest," Rin said and then opened the door to the church.
Author's note: Another part of day three down. Quiet chapter today because day three exposition bomb. You should note, however, that there is a certain inconsistency with a pair of Sabers here. More on that later in the story. :)
I have to confess, I expected more people to complain about Link being able to talk. Like, to the point where I had a whole thing written out ready to defend and justify it preemptively. I was, for some reason, expecting people to demand I stay true to the silent treatment the games give or something like that. Thank you, Warden Myst, for advising me to remove that from the previous author's note.
Reishin Amara and Guest: I'm so happy that you're excited about my secondary Saber. I hope you like what I have planned for our Hylian swordsman. He's in for quite the experience, I assure you.
Whelp, I think that covers the highlights for this chapter. To tease you just a bit: we have a new guest for what comes up next chapter. ;)
Don't forget to Favorite, Follow, and leave a review! Seriously, I'd love to hear from you guys and it always makes me so happy when I get the alerts. Plus, if you have a question or comment that I can respond to, I'll do so in my author's notes at the end of my chapters.