FATE/DOWN THE CRIMSON PATH
DISCLAIMER : I DO NOT OWN FATE. FATE BELONGS TO TYPE-MOON AND NASU KINOKO. I OWN ONLY MY OC. ANY RESEMBLENCE TO REAL PERSON OR PEOPLE ARE MERE COINCIDENCE. NO FINANCIAL PROFIT IS MADE FROM THIS. THIS IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY.
A/N Hi guys. Sorry for the long wait, but I've been busy lately, and so is my publisher. Do forgive us for any inconvenience caused. Anyway, I want to tell you all how great you are. I must thank you all for making my target coming true. 44 reviews, and 22 followers, you all made my day. Please continue to fuel my story. Thanks.
Chapter 11
The view from the building was simply breathtaking, to say the least. Though it wasn't the first time she had seen the night scenery of the city, it was still something refreshing for her, other than slipping out from the Fuyuki Hyatt without any notice, again. She sat down on a ventilation pipe and reinforced her eyes to get a better look at the Imperial Suite opposite the building she was currently on now. She could clearly see the Masters, and it seemed that they were having some misunderstanding between them too.
The cloaked Magus smirked at the sight of the Queen talking to a nobleman, the Lord El-Melloi II if what she remembered was right. A simple blob of mercury was well to a side, just like what she had seen yesterday during the clash between the two Factions. She knew it wasn't something to take on lightly, especially with its auto defense system.
A sudden headache hit her, causing her to groan, holding her head and swore. "Fuck, I forgot that I didn't rest... Goddamn it..."
"Master, does something ail you?" Asked the gentle voice of Ruler, who crouched down and laid a hand on her Master's shoulder.
Daphne looked up with tired eyes and smiled. "I'm fine. Just a headache."
"Do refrain from pushing yourself too hard. If you are unwell, it's advisable that you sit out from this. We are more than capable of handling things around here." She said, standing up.
"It's fine, really." She insisted, not wanting to miss the fight. "Parameter inspections?"
Ruler's expression turned serious. "As you had surmised, the enemy is taking refuge within the building. However, with the number of bystanders present, I had Assassin to employ some tactics as to move them out of the way."
She nodded. "What of the bounded fields?"
"No problem, Master. With my rank of Magic Resistance, it would be easy to break through their defense. Saber too shall pose no problem. From inside, we shall destroy the source of the bounded field, and grant entry to the rest of our ranks." She paused. " Berserker and Lancer will join us, and Caster will be providing cover from here. Archer will provide firepower from here as well, and serve as your guard should you wish to stay behind. Assassin, on the other hand, will act upon his own decision, as to maximize his powers. As for Rider, well, he's still sulking."
Once again, she nodded. Ruler was an exceptional Servant, not only her beauty, but her way of strategizing the war, and how her mind worked around things, it was something that human from the modern era can no longer accomplish. Daphne found herself deeply honored with the presence of this Heroic Spirit beside her, even when all this was still a stupidity to her.
"Master, will you let me know what is on your mind? I noticed that you had not been in peak condition ever since we left your chambers." She voiced her worries.
Daphne smiled at the concern. "I'm touched by your concern, but I'm fine." Seeing the look on her face, she quickly added. "I'll tell you after all this is over. How's that?"
Ruler nodded, then turned as smoke emerged from the hotel the enemies were in. Civilians were screaming and rushing out from the building, and one of the floors exploded, and more smoke, joined by chunks of concrete, erupted and rocketed into the sky. The concrete landed on the ground below, and more screams were heard from below. Ruler's face contorted at the sound, but she focused on the task before her.
"Assassin has sent his signal. Caster..." Ruler said in a monotone. She tried to avert attention from the cries and screams from below and trying her best to focus on the task at hand.
The said Servant, Caster had huge, rolling eyes and oily, glistening cheeks. He was tall, muscularly built, but not dressed as a knight due to the class he was summoned in. His garments were quite odd. A luxurious robe of ancient design; sanguineous scarlet patterns adorned the pitch black outfit. He donned an inky black cassock, and an evil aura reeled about it. He was further wrapped with a much-folded robe, decorated with luxurious latches made of precious metals. In one hand he held a book, with the skin made from that of a human, emanating a malevolent aura.
He bowed when Ruler called and smiled in a creepy way. "At your order, my saint." He muttered something while the book in his hands flipped through the pages, and a bounded field fell into place on the upper part of the building in which the enemy was in. Several more fell into place, preventing any sound, light or damage to be inflicted on the surrounding area.
With a brief nod from Ruler to her Master, the Servant leaped off the roof and pushed her feet against the side of the building she was on, rocketing her towards the building at tremendous speed. She crashed through the bounded field with ease and waited for Saber and Lancer to join her. Their enemies were a few floors beneath them anyway, so she could afford to wait. She turned back to the building her allies were on and nodded.
Saber, a handsome young man with quirky long hair combed to the back in a rough fashion. His face had the bold features of a hero, mainly due to the high bridge of his nose and his valiant eyebrow. His hard cut mouth marked him with a stoic air, but his eyes seemed to hide a quiet grief. He has a beauty spot like a grain of tear below his right eye, making his gaze even more brilliant and charming. He wore a dark teal outfit, with Celtic symbols along them. Two swords, one red and the other yellow, were strapped to his back.
However, this Servant chose a different approach. He nodded towards his Master, dematerialized and appeared next to Ruler, who had an annoyed expression.
"What?" The male asked, failing to understand the expression on the woman's face.
Ruler's eyebrow twitched at his question. "Nothing." As if I'm telling me how I wish I could turn into astral form too.
Next to join them was Lancer. The woman, already summoned into this war as Saber of Red, was summoned as a Lancer as well. Their Master had chosen to summon the less famous side of King Arthur, wielder of Rhongomyniad, the Holy Spear. Much taller in than the summoned Saber of Red and different proportion. Dressed in silver armor and blue dress. Though the rest had yet to have any idea how a lady was able to swing that massive thing around as if it was nothing.
With a shout, mana erupted from all around her, and the wind intensified, nearly blowing them off the roof. Lancer launched herself off the roof, plummeting down. But the mana burst pushed her towards the building, and she pushed through the bounded field, crashing into a pillar beside Ruler. She stood up, dusted herself and looked around.
"Where's the enemy?" She asked.
Ruler gestured below. "Down below. Could you open a way for us?"
"With pleasure," Lancer replied, raising her lance, ready to throw it towards the ground.
Before you do that, Saber... Daphne's voice echoed in their heads.
"Master?" All three asked in confusion.
Her voice sounded in their heads again, this time with a little amusement. By my Command Seals, I order you, fight like a Lancer...
Ruler watched on with a neutral look. She already knew something like this would happen. When her Master had summoned all her Servants, she made sure that they would possess dual summoning tribute. Not Saber, Archer and Lancer too had the abilities as a Saber if needed. Hence, counting herself in, they already had four swordsmen on their side. She couldn't but admire her Master for her tactics. Almost all of their Servants had possessed dual summon attribute by now. But when she enhanced their abilities with a Command Seal, they became even more fearsome than they already were. Because she was forcing them to act and fight like what their legends were like.
But that left another unanswered question in the maiden's mind. Why summoning her Servants into weaker classes first, then forcing them to act in a more superior class? What was she truly planning? She had always thought it weird that someone like her Master, who viewed the war as a stupidity would take such measures to make sure she summoned Servants who were powerful in their own way. She might put things in a whole different direction, but Ruler knew she had started taking the war seriously. The prove was that she had planned this scouting mission.
Standing behind Daphne, a man known as the Hound of Chulainn was emitting bloodlust which could even be felt by Ruler and her party. The man was also summoned as Lancer of Red, but her Master preferred a man with an unlimited lust for a fight, hence by adding two more lines into the summoning ritual, she summoned him into the Berserker class. Another side of the formidable legend of the demigod.
Dressed in a dark blue armor revealing his naked chest and stomach, which was adorned with blood red tattoos. A hood was over his head, and his face too was covered in the runes. His armor had spike-like projections all over it, just like dragon claws strapped onto them, fatal on touch. He even had a tail, covered in the same spikes. In one hand was the demigod's signature red demonic spear. But the one in his hand was larger than the one which was wielded by Red Lancer. It too had spikes along its length making people wonder how he held the spear in hand.
With a loud venomous roar, the madman jumped into the night. His demonic red spear, which was more demonic than before, left his hand, soaring like a red missile through the night and into the suite Beowulf and the rest were in. Their eyes widened in shock before the madman emerged from the rubble, his lips curled into a bloodthirsty grin. He leaped forward, grabbing his spear and rocketed towards Beowulf.
Mordred appeared in a shower of red, and Clarent collided with the spear. The force behind the spear pushed her back, her heels grinding into the ground. She pulled Clarent back, dodging a swipe from him. He grinned, swishing his tail, catching the woman hard in an arm. She crashed into the sofa set, holding her injured arm. The spikes had punctured her gauntlets and damaged most of her left arm.
The hell?! Another of this madman?! She had no idea everyone in the room was thinking about the same thing.
She stood up in pain, Clarent in one hand. The man was unlike the man she had seen last night when they had assaulted the Red Faction. Sure, both were the same man, but the monster before her clearly held power on a completely different level. Just brute force alone was hard to counter, not to mention that he had Mad Enhancement, boosting every skill he had a rank higher.
Ruler frowned when she heard the chaos below. Is Berserker on a rampage already? Did Master give the man full rein? Then I suppose we should join him.
With a nod from the Frenchwoman, Lancer brought her holy spear above her head and mana concentrated around her and the spear before she roared and drove the thing into the ground beneath her. The spear disappeared from sight. Judging from the sound, it was still moving through the stories. She jumped after her spear and was joined by Saber and Ruler.
The ceiling over the Blue Faction cracked, and a spear landed between a bewildered Mordred and a mad Berserker. A blonde followed, and gripped her spear, swinging it at the younger blonde. Mordred jumped away, shock etched on her features. She looked at her father, but this version of her father was more filled up like she was older than when she had last seen her.
"Father?" She blurted out, the pain in her arm momentarily forgotten.
The elder blonde turned to face her, spear in one hand. "Ah, Mordred. Nice seeing you again." She said before dodging a swing from Vlad, who had emerged along with his mist.
Ruler followed suit, and Saber landed beside her. Instead of his twin swords, he produced his two spears, Gae Dearg and Gae Buidhe. Nothing weird there, he was known as the first spear of Fianna, and he did receive a command from his Master earlier. With a deep frown, he lowered his center and launched forward, the longer spear jabbing at Caster, who had summoned familiars to fend the knight off.
Ruler looked around her, drawing her sword out, waiting for a chance to strike and take down the opponent. Though the act of taking one's life would cause a sour taste to rise in her throat, it was something she had to do no matter what. She answered the Magus' call, hence she should fulfill her end of the pact. She ran her gaze around the room, catching every detail of the Servants in the room, and report back to her Master later. Tonight's assault was just a scout. Her Master needed a proper strategy to end things in one go.
Meanwhile, on the building, Archer had been keeping watch on the enemies. A man in silver armor, just like any other typical knight. Around his shoulder was his cape, emblazoned with the symbol of the Round. His long, red hair moved ever so slightly in the night breeze. His gaze seemed so lonely and sad. A simple sword was strapped to his side, his other hand held his bow, which looked more like a harp in Daphne's opinion.
When Berserker landed in the room, he moved his fingers slightly, and invisible air blades fired from his bow, shattering the glass panels along the building. He would create a diversion for Caster, who would send in his army of those octopus-like things. His fingers continued to move, and more glass shattered in the distance. The octopus-like things too leaped off the building, and made their way towards the building, crowding themselves around the building, blocking any of them from exiting the building from the windows.
If it weren't for the bounded field, the mundane human below would think that the end of the world was here and that it was a sign from God. The debris plummeting downwards was stopped by another bounded field put up by Daphne, and the concrete disintegrated into dust. She watched on with an amused expression, but Archer could not fully comprehend what was on her mind.
"Tristan." She called, snapping the knight back to the real world.
He tore his gaze from the building. "Yes, milady?"
"Target enemy Servants." She ordered in a cold voice.
He was surprised, but said nothing to her. He turned back to the battlefield and trained his eyes on the scene, bow raised, ready to fulfill the orders given.
With another mad howl, the Servant of Insanity swung his barbed spear in a wide arc, and the petite swordswoman barely dodging the thing. She landed a distance from him, but Berserker lunged forward at a ferocious speed, his spear jabbing at her. She kept dodging them, but the protruding spikes were dealing damage to her armor and battle dress. She clucked her tongue, twisting to a side, and crashed an elbow into his face. Berserker roared in pain, bringing his spear back, but Mordred was already on the move, dodging under it, and slashed out with her sword.
Clarent grazed his toned abdomen, and he opened his eyes in rage and brought up a fist. Unable to dodge, she took the full brunt of the blow, denting her armor, breaking ribs. She coughed up blood, shaky on her legs, and he rushed forward again. This time, the two weapons clashed but stopped. Mordred had placed her sword between the spikes, putting them both in a stalemate position. Grabbing on to the sword, she swung her feet up, kicking his side.
Berserker grunted in pain, and his spiked tail lashed forward. An arrow embedded itself in the tail, and he howled in pain. She took the opportunity to pull her sword free and jump away, thanking Atalanta with a nod. The Chaste Huntress was then interrupted when several strands of her hair were cut off, and she glared murderously in the direction of Archer, who was as calm as ever, bow raised, but no arrows. She hissed at the sight, and fired off several arrows of her own, sailing through the air in the form of silver streaks. But he took them out. She saw his fingers moving, but there was no arrow.
"Hold your own fort!" She screamed towards the blonde knight in anger. "That knight is mine!" With that, she jumped out from the shattered window, climbing up the building to the top, still firing her arrows.
Modred narrowed her eyes at the distant bowman and was surprised by who she saw. That red hair, she would recognize it anywhere."Sir Tristan? First father, now you? What the hell are you doing... ARGHH!"
Her sentence was left unfinished because Berserker swung his spear at her the spikes driving deep into her body. Holding in the pain, she held her sword in one hand and used the other to try and free herself from the spear. The pain was excruciating, but she had to hold on for now. She wrapped a hand around the area along the spear which had no spikes and tried to push herself off. Unfortunately, the Servant had something else on his mind.
With a triumphant roar, he raised his spear high above his head and smashed it down into the floor with monstrous strength. She cried out in pain as the spike drove deeper into her. Blood spewed from her mouth and wounds, and her hold on Clarent was loosened, the sword falling to the ground with a metallic clatter. With both hands gripping onto the spear, she stared at the man who was looking right back at her with crimson eyes.
He again raised his spear, and she could feel the pain as the spikes begin to slide out from her body but plunged right back in when he smashed her into the ground. He continued the process a few times before twirling his spear around in circles, and Mordred took the chance to let go, crashing and rolling on the ground, grabbing onto Clarent as she went.
She got onto shaky knees and cursed at her wounds. Sparing a quick glance, she found that the Masters had all fled, including those two from the other suite. Time to go all out, since they're not here... She grinned to herself, ignoring the pain, and took her stance.
Berserker took that as a challenge and lunged forward with another bloodthirsty howl, and she let herself smile at the sight of the insane warrior.
Daphne continued to watch the fight with a bored expression. Beside her, Archer was trading blows with the enemy Archer, and neither of them had the upper hand. Despite Archer's arrows were invisible air blades, the woman was able to counter them perfectly. Though something like that usually piques her interest, she wasn't in the mood for such things now. She was tired, but there was something else on her mind.
Her mind was still on the letter. The thought that she still had a sister out there was comforting and fearful at the same time. Comforting because she knew that her blood family was still out there, still looking for her, which meant that she might have a chance to have a happy reunion at the end of everything. On the other hand, her sister, her blood sister was in the war as well. She had tried to kill her own sister in cold blood, and there was no guarantee that she would not be hurt in the war. At least not by her hands.
"Something on your mind?" Archer asked, his eyes still on the enemy. More arrows shattered, and he narrowed his eyes at the enemy. "If you do, then I advise you to put them aside. This is not the time and place for petty thoughts."
She snorted at his remark. She knew he wasn't being insulting, but hearing this from a man who was supposed to act as a puppet was still annoying. She brushed his words aside and joined Caster, who had his big rolling eyes focused on an observation orb.
"Oh, my saint, my holy virgin..." The man murmured, tears trickling down his oily cheeks.
Daphne looked on with a disgusted expression. Now she knew why Ruler was so against it when she had wanted to summon Gilles-de-Rais. It was pure agony to anyone who was looking at him now. He was crying at the sight of Ruler. Who would know how distorted his mind truly was? She was already creeped out by him, and he had yet to show his true colors. She shook her head, trying to get the image of his crying face out from her mind. She had enough things on her mind, and she didn't need him to make her headache even worse.
"Milady," Archer called once more. She turned to him, but he wasn't looking at her at all. His action was starting to piss her off, but she chose to let things slip for now. She could reprimand him all she wanted after tonight's ruckus.
"What?" She asked bluntly.
"If you will, milady..." He said, turning to meet her gaze. "...please leave this place at once. It's dangerous for you to remain here."
Daphne snorted at his words. She crossed her arms over her chest and eyed him crossly. Archer was still staring at her, and Caster's familiars were throwing themselves into the way of the projectiles. Her lips twitched ever so slightly, as Diamond Prism began to glow.
"Do not underestimate a Magus, Sir Tristan." She said, a little mockery in her voice, enjoying the expression he put on when she called him by his True Name. "We can do more than casting petty little spells, and fighting from the sidelines."
As if heeding its master's call, Diamond Prism glowed once more before the gems detached, hovering in front of her in a hexagon form. Mana began to gather in the magic circle in front of the construct, and faint bluish white light illuminated them. The light orb decreased in size before expanding, blasting its way through the building, and took off the top half of the building, concrete and furniture falling to the ground below.
Terrified screams were heard from below, but she paid no heed to them as another blast tore its way into the building once more, missing the battleground, though all of them could feel the heat from the blast. Atalanta by then had leaped off onto another building, avoiding the deadly beams.
Archer and Caster watched the Magus' cold expression as the gems moved to form two constructs, and one blasted beams in Atalanta's direction, earning angry yells from the huntress before she took off into the night, putting as much distance as she could from the dangerous woman. Archer blinked in surprise at her Master's behavior but remained silent as to not further anger her. Caster, on the other hand, turned back to the orb, his tears trickling down his cheeks again.
Reinforcing her sight, she saw the Masters retreating down the elevator, and aimed a beam at them. Her eyes narrowed when she noticed that there was only four of them, but fired nonetheless. The beam never reached them, though.
A flying chariot pulled by two Divine Bulls emerged, taking the hit. The beast let out a howl, and circled the building, picking up Waver and Lorelei, who jumped beside Iskandar. She cursed in German and moved the two constructs to fire at them. On terms of Magic Resistance, the giant was no match for her, but his Noble Phantasm, that was a completely different story.
"ARCHER!" She yelled, pointing at the chariot. "Take that down!"
Archer nodded, and pulled the string on his bow, aiming for the chariot. The charioteer grinned, and whipped his bulls, lightning crackling all over them, and accelerated. The knight lets go of his finger, and air blades rocketed forward, invisible to the naked eye. He watched the enemy, as he felt his projectiles getting closer and closer.
Then it happened. Waver emptied a metal canister, and the contents grew to become a mercury blob, which again changed shape, forming a shield in front of the chariot. Archer pursed his lips firing more of his arrows, but none hit them. Caster had also stepped forward, his demon-like creatures wrapping themselves around the bulls.
Iskandar raised his sword and slashed at the tentacles. The more he cut down, the faster they regenerated, and it was really starting to get on his nerves. His Master, Waver was directing Volumen Hydragyrum to counter the attack as well, but the creatures stuck onto the chariot like glue, and the bulls were stomping their hoofs in mid-air, lighting crackling, and frying some of them.
"Oh, my holy virgin, my Jeanne." He wailed into the night, clutching his spell book and pulling his hair. "Do you see this? Do you see this? I, Gilles-de-Rais dedicate this performance to you, to you!"
Archer and Daphne looked on with a horrified look. The man's obsession with Ruler was certainly beyond imagination. The only consolation for them was that as long as Ruler was still around, then he would serve them, fight alongside them without a single question.
"Take them out, Archer." She ordered. "This may be a scouting mission, but it'd be better if I can wipe a few out tonight."
The knight nodded, and focused on his enemy. "As you wish, milady."
Back inside, Ruler and Saber were pushing Vlad and Shakespeare off. A mist had developed around them, giving an advantage to Vlad. Saber chose to deal with Vlad, while Ruler pressed forward, facing Shakespeare, who was saying things from his play which made no sense to the Frenchwoman trying to cut him in half, actually, she was just trying to immobilize him. It was enough for the poor lady to listen to Caster's rumbling, now another psycho seemed to make his way into her life, which totally ruined what she had in mind.
"Oh, my good lady..." He was saying as he dodged another slash from the flushed woman. "...do you know of the tragic love story between Romeo and Juliet? Oh, the poor couple, how God had treated them..."
She gritted her teeth, her sword slicing through his garment, tearing a sleeve down. He stared at the piece of cloth and sighed, shaking his head like a sad man. "Dear me, what a waste. A lady like you shouldn't be wielding such a dangerous weapon."
"The Lord sends his order, and I answered his call!" Ruler shot back, rocketing towards him, and the playwright flipped through his book, bringing out more characters to block his path.
"Say, my good lady. Please enjoy my show..." He said with a smile, standing like a perfect gentleman at the other side of the room, not paying heed to the commotion happening all around him.
Ruler swung her sword in a wide arc, cutting three of them down, then stabbed it to her back, and a scream howled in her ears. She momentarily retorted but quickly forced herself to think of them as wraiths, something she should eliminate, and not pity. However, the knowledge that she had just taken several lives left a sour taste in her throat. She pushed the emotions down and turned to her enemies.
Another swing and more fell down with inhuman screams. Shakespeare was watching with a sad expression on his face, and he was shaking his head at the sight, clearly displeased with what she was doing to his magnificent work. He opened his eyes, sadness clear in his eyes, as he opened his book and wagged his finger at the Frenchwoman.
"Dear me, young lady. Please do refrain from destroying my art. Even if you can't find it in you to love them, do not hurt them..."
"Fight me like the man you are, Caster!" She yelled at him.
He shook his head again. "It seems that you have yet to understand, that a playwright will only watch how his play will proceed, but he will never participate in them."
"You..." With anger boiling in her, she launched forward once more. It may be true that I dislike taking the lives of others, but I will not stand people who refuse to face their fate! And someone like him, a lunatic, deserves to be put down.
Saber, known in life as Diarmuid Ua Duibne, the first spear of Fianna, traded his two swords for the spears. Even if he was summoned as a Saber, he still preferred his lances, as they were what made him famous enough to ascend the throne in the first place. Besides, even his Master had wanted him to fight as a Lancer. To the man, he felt that his Master had known his true strength from the very beginning, before summoning him.
"You fight like a spearman. Are you not a Saber?" Vlad asked coldly, swirling his own lance.
He smiled at the question. "As a knight, I should tell you my name. However, the rules of this contest forbid us from doing such things. Hence, allow me to apologize for my poor manners. Even so, I can tell you, my true class. I was summoned as a Saber, but I'm more proficient with spears."
He nodded, and said nothing after that, lunging forward and jabbing his lance at his face. The knight jumped away, nimbly dodging the blows as he too raised his lances in a counter attack, grazing the enemy's cheek. Vlad pressed a thumb to his injury but said nothing. He merely stood there, watching and studying the man standing before him with curiosity. Saber fidgeted slightly, not enjoying the expression the man was putting on.
"What are you looking at?" Asked the knight, a little annoyed at being stared down.
"Nothing of your concern." He answered shortly.
Saber took that as a challenge, and swung his spears around him, stepping and pushing himself off the ground. Gae Buidhe emanated an aura, and Vlad's eyes widened in shock before stepping aside, but the Servant had already taken off his left arm, a little below the elbow. The severed appendage fell with a sickening thud to the ground, and blood fountained from his wound.
The vampire glared at the back of the man who injured him, his crimson eyes glowing malevolently. He hissed in pain, grabbing his stump and bared his canines. Saber stood up to his full height and turned to face the undead and his piercing gaze.
"You dare to spill the blood of the first Undead?!" He hissed in a low voice.
Saber shrugged his comment off as if it was nothing. "As a knight, I cannot allow an existence like you. However, there is another reason why I have to defeat you. As a knight, I swear on my oath to serve my Master until the very end."
Vlad hissed in anger, and the mist thickened, hiding his form. Blinded from his enemy's sight, he allowed himself to shapeshift into a man better known to the world. One that was shaped after his own legend, but surpassed him in every aspect. The vampire that was better known in the modern world as the King of Vampires. His own legend paled in comparison to the man. Vlad had to acknowledge the man's powers, however, reluctant he was.
The vampire called Dracula.
"They say I'm an overpowered Lancer..." His voice echoed around the knight. "Let's see how true that claim is, shall we, knight?"
Saber smirked in response, not intimidated by the enemy Lancer. "En Garde."
Caster was pulling his hair in rage, seething at the sight unfolding before his huge rolling eyes. Gilles-de-Rais was not someone to be defeated easily, not with a spellbook that was able to replenish its own mana reserves. But right now, his demons were being run through like some bush by the divine chariot. Those which survived the massacre were cut down by the lord's mercury, the rest by the Servant's nameless sword, even more, was cut down by the woman.
"How could this happen?!" The warlock howled in rage, pulling off strands of hair, his sharp fingernails pointing at the flying chariot. "You, someone with such low Magic Resistance, and two...human! How could you depreciate my art like that?!"
With another angry cry from the Servant of the Spell, he launched more of his "pets" into the night, only to get cut down by the enemy forces. He continued to howl in a childish manner, and even Daphne was too sick at the sight to actually say anything to the man.
Archer narrowed his eyes in frustration at the chariot in front of him but said nothing to his ally's outburst. It was almost impossible to hit them with his invisible wind blades now since the brown-haired woman was able to sense his attacks somehow. He had yet to display his full powers, but just like what his Master had told them before they came out, tonight's mission was to scout the enemy faction. It would be foolish to let the enemies know about their strength before the time was right. He strung his bow and took a step backward.
Sparing a glance at his Master, he saw that her lips were pressed into a thin line and that her face was paling, and her Mystic Code wasn't working in peak condition. She kept missing her targets, and on top of things, her gaze seemed unfocused, as if she wasn't there in person with them, that her mind had wandered off somewhere.
Iskandar's chariot continued to press forward, and the brown haired woman leaped off the chariot, landing gracefully on the rooftop, while her allies sped into the night once more. With one swift movement, before any of the Servants could do anything, Lorelei smashed her gauntlet into Daphne's torso, who fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes, her Mystic Code returning to their default condition.
She wheezed, and clutched her swollen chest. The hit probably fractured a few ribs, but it was nothing to her, at least on other days. Tonight, however, her mind was occupied with other things, and she had not even had a wink before she threw herself into the mission tonight. Rising with some difficulty, she stood up and faced the woman, who had drawn out her sword.
"Fighting an unarmed lady?" She asked mockingly.
Lorelei didn't seem to care as she propelled forward, with the wind element boosting her speed. Before she could reach Daphne, she abruptly twisted in mid-air, barely avoiding the wind blades Archer fired at her. Her eyes narrowed slightly at the interference, but said nothing more. She focused on the woman before her. As long she took off her arm with the Command Seals, then it wouldn't be a problem to her. The only problem was, she didn't seem to see any sort of Command Seals on her exposed limbs.
Daphne reinforced her body, opting to use instincts to dodge whatever the Queen had in store for her. Diamond Prism was useless against them, as Waver would sure to interfere with his own Mystic Code. She decided to leave the lord to her two puppets, as they were more than enough to stall time for her to get away from Lorelei, and not get herself killed in the process of doing so.
She clucked her tongue in frustration. Running away from her wouldn't be easy. Shit, why did I even agree to summon a Servant of my own in the first place? Just because some stupid mark appeared on my hand doesn't make me one of you people...
She jumped as far away as she could on the first chance, pulling distance between them and chanted a spell, a bolt of fire erupting from her hands, taking the shapes of swallows, and charged towards the elder woman. With a slash from her sword, wind blades formed and cut through the swallows, missing Daphne's head by mere inches. She smiled and moved her fingers, and the flames reunited, smashing against her gauntlet.
The force pushed Lorelei back, but her wind magic enabled her to quickly closing the distance. Daphne smiled again, channeling mana through her own crest, one that she had developed over the years, reached into their mysteries and pulled one out. A pillar of stone and concrete rose from the roof, blocking her way before pillars of fire shot up from where she was standing. Lorelei jumped to a side, eyebrow raised at the sight, before more walls were raised around her. She leaped onto one of the pillars and lunged forward, sword raised for her head.
Daphne inwardly cursed at the sight. She might be using the simplest among the wind spells, but in terms of experience, she had more of them when compared to me. Shit, I need to bail out from her. She chanted another spell, and gathered the water particles in the air, forming a ball of water, compressing them, and threw the thing at Lorelei. Before it hit her, Daphne had sent a fire based spell after her attack, and the heat vaporized the water upon impact, where steam covered their sight. Lorelei raised her sword in a defensive stance, ready for the attack.
But the younger girl had something else on her mind. Instead of charging right in and take the slim chance of defeating Lorelei, she quickly dodged to a side and jumped off the building. Feeling the wind buffeting her body, she summoned the said element to help her in her landing and dashed into a dark alley before finally coming to a full stop.
Damn, I completely forgot I still have an ace on my gloves and boots... Shit, I need some rest and lay low for a couple of days before trying anything stupid like this.
She supported herself against the wall, panting heavily. Blood dripped from her mouth, and she could feel the fractured ends of her ribs driving into her lungs, and blood accumulating in them, suffocating her. Raising a shaking hand, she closed her eyes, and one of her Command Seals flared before her Servant Assassin appeared beside her.
The man, covered in a red hood and silver armour, with various types of weapons strapped to his belt, ranging from guns to knives, and even grenades. He held her steady before the space around them twisted, teleporting them back to her rooms, as commanded. Then, she gladly welcomed the darkness once more.
Back on the roof, Lorelei sheathed her sword and jumped back onto the chariot once it was close enough. Lord El-Melloi raised an eyebrow at her but kept his question to himself. The chariot made a sharp turn, nearly throwing them both off the thing. Waver glared at the giant, who grinned at him before thundering away from the building.
The enemy arrows had ceased by now, but they could still see the knight holding his bow, his eyes never leaving them. A little distance behind him was Caster, who was still pulling at his own hair and shouting curses at them. Rider smiled, and pat his Master on the back so hard he almost hit the wind out of him.
"Had any fun?" He asked in his usual jovial tone. "After all, I did buy time for those rascals to scamper off, just like what you told me to."
Waver snorted as Volumen Hydragyrum returned to its cylindrical canister. "Worst night ever. To think we just attacked the Red last night, now the Ruler Faction are seeking us out too..."
"Do you think they might be allied?" Rider asked once more, his eyes fixed on the horizon.
Before Waver could answer, surprisingly Lorelei decided to speak up. As usual, her voice was a monotone. "I don't think so. The Oriental, despite strong, was not fighting me with her full strength. I have the reason to believe that it was a scouting mission."
"Then, shouldn't she be pulling her forces out by now?" Waver asked, pointing to the hotel they had stayed in, where large chunks of debris were still falling out. He narrowed his eyes and saw Atalanta jumping back into the building through a broken window. "Should we help them?"
Lorelei remained passive. "If this really was a scouting mission, I would advise against that. Nothing good comes out from showing both the enemy now, and our current allies our true power."
"I gotta agree with the lass here, boy..." He said with a smirk.
Waver flushed at being called a boy and refused to say anything to the giant on their way to their second base to group up with the rest of the faction. Lorelei, as usual, remained silent the whole way back, not saying anything even when Rider attempted to have a conversation with her.
This is going to be a long night...
Ruler was the first to notice that her Master had left the battlefield with the help of Assassin, and both Archer and Caster had joined them after making sure their Master had safely left the battlefield. With his demonic apparitions, Caster brought the two of them forward, and Archer fired arrows at the enemy Archer, the huntress hissing in anger at kept being interrupted.
Caster mumbled a word under his breath, and more of the monsters emerged from the bloody mist covering the room and threw themselves onto the enemies. They wrapped their long, sticky tentacles around the Heroic Spirits, and their gruesome mouth trying to devour them. Vlad raised his spear and cut through them, quickly dematerializing before any of them could catch him once more. He glanced back once at the "Saber" he had fought and grinned.
"Till next time, Saber."
Shakespeare was letting out a sound between a squeak and sob, as more of his characters came to live, holding them off while he made a hasty retreat. However, before he could get away fast enough, Ruler had lunged forward, her sword slashing his back. The playwright fell face first, and got up, looking at the woman who raised her sword high, ready to take out his life. He watched the sword as it descended, and murmured things about how he regretted not being able to write another play for the world.
But, a silver streak sailed over the room, and a shaft embedded itself through the woman's shoulder. Ruler let out a grunt, but the momentary pause in her movement bought time for the man to disappear into astral form and disappear. She watched the man disappearing and turned to Atalanta, who had returned to trading arrows with Archer.
Berserker had done damage to the enemy Saber, as proven by her limp arm hanging on one side of her body. Mordred's armor was dented and scratched, while Berserker remained unharmed. The madman furiously pushed Mordred back, the petite blond staggering backward unsteadily. Berserker swung his demonic spear, and cut through her armor, sending her stumbling backward, and falling out from the window.
The said swordsman plummeted downwards. For a moment her mind was a complete blank, but as soon her mind cleared, she quickly stabbed her sword into the building. Her descending speed was too great. Even with the legendary sword serving as a brake, she continued to fall for a distance before finally coming to a halt. Planting two feet against the ground, she pushed herself outwards in a wide arc, then swung back in, the force shattering the windows, and she landed in the room, pulling her sword out as she went.
She picked herself up and put the sword back into its scabbard. That proved to be a mistake as several seconds later, Lancer broke through the ceiling, the holy spear pointed at her. She was bored, as she didn't find anyone worthy to fight her, and her wayward son was taken by the demigod. Now, she saw her chance and quickly jumped in. Mordred quickly jumped aside, avoiding the blow. With a smile, Lancer let her spear plunged into the floor, and gripped the hilt with both her hands, kicking her leg out, hitting her son square in the chin.
Mordred pulled out her sword and slashed at her father, who easily ducked under her arm, elbowing her hard in the chest, denting her armor even further. Another kick to the ribs sent the knight crashing into a cupboard, and pieces of china falling down and shattered. She coughed out a little blood and watched as Lancer pulled out her spear, ready to deliver the final blow.
Is this, is this how everything who end? How ironic, that no matter which version of her that stands before me, the only objective was to kill me...
Ruler jumped down from the hole in the ceiling, and her sword raised to stop the spear. The two weapons clashed, metal sparks flew off the surfaces. Lancer looked as surprised as Saber was, and her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"Are you betraying Master?" Lancer asked, putting more force onto her spear.
Ruler shook her head. "No. My allegiance lies with milady. I will not betray her."
"Then why?"
"Because this is just a scouting mission. I refuse to let you take away her life." She said, her voice flat. "More ever, she's your son."
Lancer's eyes widened in anger. "Are you insane?! She's an enemy we have to defeat, even if she is my son, I have to kill her. Even if tonight was meant to be a scouting mission, why not weaken the enemy forces when we have the chance?"
"I will not allow this to happen." Ruler said, her voice not leaving any choice for negotiation. Amethyst eyes met a pair of emerald ones, and the two refused to bow to the other. Finally, Lancer tore away her gaze.
Lancer grunted, and kicked her ally, her spear raised.
"By the power of the Holy Grail, by the rights bestowed upon the Servant Ruler, I command Arthuria Pendragon of the Lancer class to halt and listen to my orders. Don't attack Blue Saber."
A ripple of energy swept across the room, and Ruler could feel one of the Command Seals hidden by her armor flashing and disappearing. Lancer's face contorted in rage at the use of a Command Seal. She tried to defy the power of the Seal, while Ruler turned to Modred, and nodded at her. The knight returned the gesture before disappearing into a shower of red.
Lancer glared at Ruler, who didn't even look her way once. "Let's return. Milady's waiting."
"I'll see how you answer to her later." She said with some distaste in her voice.
A/N
More rambling from me before I pull the curtains down for this year. I regret to say this, but this will be the final chapter that I will be posting for this year. Even next year, I think updates will be slow, as my publisher and I will be working our ass off to get a good result in our finals, securing a place in a university. I'm sorry guys, for those who love and are following this story, but reality calls, and we have to answer to them as well.
To everyone and anyone who is reading this, I thank you all for taking time off to read this little story of mine, favorited, followed and reviewed the story. You all have shown me a great year, and I can't thank you all more for all that you've given to me.
Anyways, do leave me reviews, suggestion, and whatever you think of the story to help me improve this story. I appreciate every single word I receive, and gladly answer every single one of you. Do fuel my story, as you all are the ones who are making this moving beside me and my publisher.
Last but not least, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I'll see you all again next year. Till next time, Tohsaka Rin, peacing out.