Chapter Thirteen: Temple
Waves lapped gently at the speedboat as it sped through the night on Lake St. Clair. Saki could not believe the talent of her Servant. At first, she had been apprehensive about Rider's assurance he could easily operate a motorized vehicle, let alone a speedboat. Magi were clueless when it came to modern machinery and avoided it whenever possible. At least that is what Saki had observed from watching her mother desperately try to operate a Blu-ray player Saki's father had sent his daughter for her tenth birthday.
"This is amazing, Rider!" exclaimed Saki.
"Milady, I must ask you to keep you voice down." cautioned Rider. "This watercraft emits enough sound to draw the attention of any sentinels in the area. We shouldn't draw any more than we can help."
Saki nodded to signal compliance. The boat they were using was not theirs and she did not want to see it damaged or destroyed by unwanted guests. Rider had found the boat when they were passing through a marina in the middle of a party. Saki was reluctant to steal someone else's property but changed her mind when Rider said he sensed the presence of another Servant approaching the marina. That had been around ten o'clock, roughly an hour ago. The Servant must not have sensed their presence, suggesting that Rider and Saki were not being followed intentionally.
"We are here, Milady." announced Rider suddenly as the brought the speedboat to a stop.
Saki looked around. There was nothing but empty waters all around them. She looked back at Rider quizzically but he merely gestured to a spot about fifty feet ahead of them. Saki looked again. There was something odd about the moonlight in that spot. It was as though something was bending the moonlight around it.
"Some kind of invisibility spell?" suggested Saki.
Her response was a splash from behind. Rider had disembarked from the speedboat and was now waist keep in water, sword and shield at the ready.
"Get out of the boat Milady." instructed Rider. "We are in enemy territory now and from the feel of things, this enemy is an exceptionally vile piece of work."
Saki obeyed her Servant and dropped out of the watercraft. The ice-cold water came up to her chest before she felt solid, albeit exceptionally slimy, ground beneath her feet. She let out a shuddering gasp as her body attempted to adjust to the sudden drop in temperature. Rider pressed onward, leading the way with his shield held high. His Master followed in his footsteps, her arms crossed around her torso in a vain attempt to warm herself.
Rider took a few more steps then stopped. He reached out with his shield and half of it vanished into thin air. The knight withdrew the shield and looked down at his Master.
"Milady, are you ready for this?" asked Rider.
Saki nodded and her Servant pressed forward, passing through the unseen barrier. She followed suit, her body still quivering from the cold. As she passed the barrier she felt a wave of warm air pass over her, instantly drying her clothes. She was standing on a sandy beach looking up at a luxurious Greek-inspired palace. A high wall made of white marble with a single archway inscribed with complex runes and magical algorithms surrounded the building.
"So, it is Caster." said Saki.
Rider did not respond to his Master's observation. His attention was drawn to a beached cargo ship. Partially decayed human bodies lay scattered around it in a disorganized, almost panicked, fashion. Some of the bodied were covered in bite and claw marks, suggesting they had been attacked by a pack of ferocious animals.
"What happened to them?" wondered Saki.
"I would rather not find out." responded Rider.
The duo resumed their trek to the Greek-stylized palace. There were no hints anyone in the luxurious structure was aware of the intruders. When they reached the threshold, Saki felt a chill run up her spine.
"It's just too quiet." she whispered.
"Stay behind me, Milady." instructed her Servant.
He kept his sword and shield at the ready as the duo moved inside. The moment they passed the archway an unearthly chill ran up Saki's spine. Although she could not see it, she was certain they had just passed through something. Whatever it was, it was bound to have alerted Caster to their presence.
"Odd." said Rider suddenly.
Saki suppressed the feeling of unease in her stomach and followed her Servant's gaze. There were a variety of luxurious looking items scattered throughout the courtyard. From cars to speedboats to stone statues, everything appeared to be state of the art.
"Perhaps they belong to Caster's Master?" suggested Saki, examining a nearby sports car.
"Conceivably but judging by the sumptuousness of this compound, I am willing to gamble these belong to Caster." said the knight.
The pair continued deeper into the courtyard. Saki kept looking over her shoulder as though making sure the archway didn't disappear. Every once and a while she thought she could see the shadow of something slip between the luxurious cars, boats, and statues. On more than occasion she spotted a pair of yellow eyes staring at her from a dark corner.
"Rider, I don't like this. Maybe we should go." said Saki.
Rider stopped at a large building covered in strange runes. He looked back at his Master with concern.
"Milady, we have come too far to run away now." said Rider. "Besides, we are being watched and if we try to leave now, we will be attacked."
Saki felt that unnatural chill run up her spine. She wished they were back in their hotel room. Rider gave his Master a reassuring look before pushing the double doors wide open. The moment the doors opened, Saki was greeted by an atrocious smell.
"Ugh! What is that smell?" gasped Saki as she covered her nose.
"The smell of human waste." replied Rider. "What manner of place is this?"
Saki's eyes watered from the stench as they swept over the room. They were on a railed pathway over a series of pits, each glowing a sickly green. When Saki peered into one of the holes she felt bile rise her stomach and she vomited. Inside the pit was a man covered in waste, his whole left side resembling some sort of hybrid between a wolf and a human. A tube had been forced into the man's throat, force feeding him a strange green liquid.
At the far end of the pathway were three tables bearing tools and equipment Saki had only read about in her mother's books. Centered in the middle table was a silver chalice which over-flowed with the green concoction. The liquid dripped into a large funnel which split into tubes that snaked their way into each pit.
"I think it is a workshop." burped Saki, fighting to keep down what remained of her dinner.
Rider sheathed his sword and proceeded to walk along the pathway with his Master in tow. They considered each of the pits, confirming there were people in them.
"These are the people who went missing." observed Saki. "But how did they end up here?"
Saki bumped into Rider, her head colliding painfully with his armor. Rubbing her forehead, she stepped back from her Servant and looked up at him. His gaze was fixed on the chalice. That's when Saki noticed something was truly wrong.
"Rider?" she called cautiously.
Rider did not respond. His eyes were shifting in and out of focus, as though he was fighting to stay awake. Whenever they were in focus, they were locked on the chalice opposite him. After a minute of this odd behavior, Rider's eyes became permanently blank. His head dipped and his shoulders dropped as though he was fast asleep.
"Rider? What's wrong with you?" Saki repeated, this time in a louder voice.
Once again Rider did not respond. He shuffled over to the nearest pit and leapt into it without a second thought. As soon as he landed he sat on the ground and pressed his back against the pit wall. The chalice glowed as another tube magically appeared beneath the funnel and snaked its way toward Rider. The knight opened his mouth and the tube slid down his throat. A few seconds later the acidic green liquid started pouring into the Servant's mouth.
"Rider!" yelled Saki, both confused and sickened by what she was seeing. "Wake up!"
She had no idea what she was supposed to do. The chalice had somehow enchanted Rider, a knight with powerful magic resistance. Never, in all the books she had read and lessons her mother had taught her, had Saki heard or seen such magic. It was as though the magic itself was designed to target men.
Saki took a step toward the chalice and was thrown back. Her heart was now in her throat in both fear and shock.
"A barrier!?" exclaimed the Tohsaka heiress.
A soft growl behind Saki caused her to nearly jump out of her skin. She turned to face the sound. She was being stared down by a massive bear on its haunches. Although Saki was face-to-face with a wild animal should could not help but glance into the pit nearest the bear. The man who had been in there was gone.
"Did that man become the bear?" she wondered aloud.
The bear let forth a ferocious roar and Saki took a reflexive step back. She tripped over her own feet and collapsed to the ground. The bear dropped to all fours and moved toward her, its hot breath visible in the frigid night air.
"Rider!" yelled Saki, crawling back until she could feel the invisible barrier against her shoulder-blades. "Rider, help me!"
Rider did not respond. He was still trapped in whatever spell held him in place. The bear was now a mere foot from one of Saki's exposed legs. Saki held her hand up to protect her face when the Command Spells caught her eye. She had completely forgotten about her Command Spells! She could use one to take control of Rider again, though she did not know how effective it would be.
"By the power of my Command Spell, I command you, Rider, to break free from your current state of mind and rush to my aid." chanted Saki as she held her command seals to the air.
The outer crescent moon stigmata on her hand glowed bright red for an instant before vanishing in a brilliant flash of light. Then there was silence. Nothing had happened. The bear roared at Saki once more and she became even more frightened. The bear lashed out at Saki, shredding both stocking and flesh. The aspiring magus cried out in fear and anguish. The beast drew its claw back for another strike.
But the blow never came. With a flash of steel and spray of blood, the bear's arm flew off its body and into a nearby pit. Rider landed between the beast and his Master, his bloodied sword glinting in the dim light. The knight drove his blade into the massive bear's heart and it fell to the ground. Almost instantly, the bear transformed into a lifeless human male. Rider kicked at the corpse in disgust.
"Master, I apologize for whatever just happened." said Rider. "I know not what came over me."
"It was that chalice back there. Don't look at it!" ordered Master.
"Agreed." said Rider as he scooped up his Master in his strong arms. "We need to leave this place."
He summoned forth his mount and leapt atop it. The horse burst forth from the workshop and sped for the arched entrance to the compound. Saki could hear the howl of wolves and snarls of big cats behind them. A lion leapt at them from behind a sports car but Rider countered the beast by relieving it of its head. Saki shut her eyes so she would not see the gore but she could not avoid the feeling of warm blood splashing against her face.
They were now on the beach and riding for the point where they left their boat. With Saki in his arms, Rider leapt from his horse and into the cold water. The horse vanished into thin air just as a pack of wolves tried sinking their teeth into it. Rider waded through the water until he reached the boat and dumped his Master into it unceremoniously. The wolves were now in the water in hot pursuit.
Rider started the engine on the first try and spun the watercraft a hundred and eighty degrees. The knight hit the accelerator and the boat shot off into the darkness. Within minutes all Saki could hear was the lapping of waves against the hull of the boat.
"Master, we should not return to the harbor. I am sensing an exceptionally strong source of mana there." warned Rider as stoically as he could, though Saki could sense the weariness in his voice. "We could disembark a short distance from it and make out way through the alleyways until we make it to safety."
"That's fine Rider." Saki said hoarsely. "Whatever you think is best."
The Tohsaka heiress' entire body was trembling. For the first time since the Holy Grail War had begun, she truly felt out of her league. All she wanted to do was go back to Japan and cry in her mother's arms.