In The Core of the Jewel
Chapter 36: Defining Moments
Author's Note: Based on the Unlimited Blade Works Route
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Original Game: Fate/Stay Night
Original Concept: Type-moon
Written by: wrathie
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To see Lancer pop up like that just as she thought of him was embarrassing, but the priority right now was to get out of here. From his hurried explanation of what had happened as well as Archer's short comment, it was obvious that Caster has gotten the better of Lancer and Saber.
Whatever happened was linked to why Shirou and Saber's contract was nullified, that by itself put Shirou in lots of risks as he now has no one to protect him.
Due to many factors, he was highly sought after by the other Masters and Rin just accepted Lancer's proposal to use her house as a base for now.
'Alright, I accept, Let's head over there now. Lancer, you can help Shirou there too, right?'
Raising an eyebrow at him, Lancer sighed before nodding his head before de-materializing his spear and offering that free hand to Shirou.
'Hang on kid, we're in a bit of rush, kinda like in rush hour.'
Bending his knees, he sprang forward and headed for Rin's abode, the only safe haven that they can afford to go now.
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It was as Lancer had predicted, Caster had lost most, if not all of skeleton soldiers in that skirmish and she gritted her teeth in frustration.
Having suffered severe injuries just from tricking Saber to take that blow from her cursed dagger, the injuries and humiliation was amplified when they had slipped under her nose yet again.
She should have known better, Lancer was a talented survivor and there were many instances where he had pulled off the impossible by utilizing 'dirty' survival tricks.
Those survival tricks had enabled him to escape again, this time with Saber in tow as well.
But that was not the full extent of the damage that had been inflicted on her.
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His Noble Phantasm was devastating as well, tearing apart 5 of her defensive shields and she had only narrowly survived by ordering all the remaining skeleton warriors to form a shield between her and her Master.
Without that additional 'skeleton'shield to break through, the spear would have found it's mark.
As it is, the resulting crater and scorched circle in Shirou's backyard was testament to how much damage the spear could do to her if she was not careful.
'... Master... I'm sorry...'
Nursing his wounds which he had suffered at the hands of Lancer, Caster looked up lovingly at Souchirou, who simply nodded to acknowledge her.
He was never one for speaking and right now, he was probably nursing a grudge against the blue-clothed, arrogant and cocky Irish spear-man that he was in no mood to speak.
'... I'll make sure they die a horrible death for humiliating me like this.'
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It brought back memories about Jason's betrayal, those memories she would rather not remember at all if she can help it.
'Are you... alright?'
He asked her suddenly and Caster blinked in confusion before hurriedly nodding her head. Her master was showing concern for her and it was foolish of her to show weakness in front of him.
'Yes, I am alright, Master... Do not worry about it. Our plans have not been thwarted at all... I assure you, we will get the Holy Grail soon.'
It was her only duty, to get the holy grail and then to rule the world...
With that, she can be with him forever and that thought itself was tempting enough for her to throw everything she had on her on the line.
Her dignity, her pride and her ownself was nothing if she can get hold of the relic that was the Holy Grail.
'We will get it... so, please bear with it just a while longer...'
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Her mana reserves are still aplenty... there is nothing that can stop them now, especially with Saber as her new servant.
'Now then... who shall I have you kill first, Saber?'
She smiled wickedly as she caressed the command seal that was now affixed on her right hand as she licked her lips at the thought of all of them dying horribly under the hands of that pure maiden.
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Wordlessly Archer slipped into the now ruined mansion that was once the home of a certain girl, Matou Sakura. The devastation was indescribable as the entire mansion was literally lifted from it's foundations from the explosion that he had seen earlier.
It was even more shocking considering that this encounter has taken place in broad day light. Sure, it was close to evening but still... whoever had taken the liberty to destroy this mansion had no finesse whatsoever.
There would undoubtedly be normal bystanders, people who will be dragged into this affair if he did not intervene.
That was one of his jobs after all, as a counter-guardian he has the responsibility to maintain the 'order' of this world.
'... Such misfortune.'
He grumbled but he took heart that due to his efforts, he might not need to kill any more innocent people and with that, the tiring tasks on clearing the debris, restoring it to it's original state began.
He was not a particular good magus in restoring magic, but he has his talents in strengthening and reinforcing... thus it was simple for him to strengthen the beams of the mansion, ensuring it's stability before crudely returning the whole mansion to it's former self.
Sort of, anyway...
'... Is it a bit... slanted?'
Tilting his head to the sides as he studied his work, Archer sighed as he realized he had made one side of the house taller than the other. It was barely noticeably, but it would be, once things started to slide from one end to the other.
'... with any luck it'll be blown up again later...'
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He sighed before continuing his investigation, sneaking into the mansion to look for any clues as to what had happened here.
He was sure that all the inhabitants of the house was dead or close to from the extent of the devastation. The spiral of red and black energy could only be caused by a single person.
A person that he was destined to meet no matter what world he materialize in. He was unsure how many times he had been reborn in this exact same timeline, but he was aware that this was the first time he was able to recall what happened in the past as well as what could happen in this timeline.
It was hard to explain, but basically he was aware of what would happen if he would to aid Emiya Shirou, fight against him or to save Sakura in this grail war.
It was inconclusive, but he gets brief glimpses of the 'future' of this world. Even if it is the 'past' to the 'him' right now.
But he was a counter-guardian, time and it's timelines does not really apply to him...
Perhaps this miracle is due to him having his contract severed from Rin at the start? The sudden development has surprised him as he does not have any 'collective memory' of what would happen if this happened.
Whatever happened next, was not within his 'knowledge' of this current Grail War. In short, a new path has been unlocked just by having Lancer having a contract with Rin.
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Besides that, another Counter-guardian has emerged as well, Arcuied Brunestud, one of the most powerful guardians of Gaia was here in this town.
This was unprecedented in this Holy Grail War... it made him even want to trust in the infinite possibilities the world has in store.
'Gilgamesh...'
He was the only one who could unleash that kind of energy in this world. His sword, that demonic spiral thing, Ea is one of the only things that cannot be created with his ability.
As such, the energy given off by that demonic beast was easily recognized by someone who had been on the receiving end of such an attack once before.
He was the one who had assaulted this mansion and as a result, had probably attacked with the intent of exterminating the Matou family ...
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His current master was Kotomine, he normally allows him to act independently but in this case, he was able to act freely due to his counter-guardian responsibilities, overriding the command he has given for him to ignore this assault on the family.
It made no sense, Matou Shinji was the current Master of Gilgamesh, no matter how many times he met that scumbag, Archer could not accept him. Which was probably a good thing too.
'Did he order it?'
It was extremely unlikely, Shinji is a coward and there was no reason for him to kill his family, the family that had allowed him to abuse Sakura like that for so long. He was treated like a prince although he does not even have the potential to be a magus in the first place.
'... Kotomine?'
Did Kotomine order the attack? Archer knew the original plan was to have Ilya be the core of the Holy Grail, but if the plan failed, Shinji would be next in line...
'... it's either him or Rin...'
But there was another factor, and that factor was Sakura herself. Due to the manipulations of Matou Zouken, that twisted old bastard, there was a very distinct, if low possibility that Sakura herself would be the antagonist...
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What happened was unclear to him, but the nagging feeling of the planet to exterminate Matou Sakura at once is not looking favourable for Sakura.
If he could, he would save Sakura from the darkness of her life... something was consuming her from the insides, an indescribable darkness that he wish he can rescue her from.
But unfortunately, he does not have the ability nor the right to do that, the one who has both of them is the boy that he had left with Rin earlier.
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In short, he can't save Sakura and neither can the boy.
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Once, the boy asked the world:
Why can't he save both of the girls?
The world answered:
There is only one hero for each heroine.
Just like he has given up his role of a hero to save the masses instead of an individual, he was sure that the boy has chosen her heroine to save.
So who will save this girl who needed his help right now?
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As if in answer to his prayers, two unfamiliar voices were heard from the inner depths of the Matou Mansion, from where the nightmares began for Sakura.
'But... you went overboard then!'
'I was mad! He insulted me!'
'His weapon, that sword... it is not made of this earth... I cannot see the 'dot'.'
'... So it's not from this world? That explains why he was able to hurt me... but he got away...'
'Be careful...'
'Aww~ are you worried about me?'
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An impossible duo that happened to be here, who was responsible in offering perhaps the thinnest of hope to the Counter-guardian that stood there, stunned at their arrival.
'Ah! Mr. Counter-Guardian! You finally showed up?'
'...?'
A satisfied smile on the woman and a sceptical from the boy, Archer took a deep breath and bowed to them.
'Welcome to Fuyuki City, True Ancestor... I do hope, your stay here was enjoyable up till now.'
Smirking, he crossed his arms and highlighted the destroyed living room before adding in his trademark touch of sarcasm.
'If the accommodations are inadequate, please do not hesitate to do your own modelling, if you have not already done so...'
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Calmly sipping tea by herself as she sat by her favourite seat by the table, Tohsaka Rin turned back irritably to see Shirou pacing all around her bed.
Her bed, mind you, it was hers and although she did admire and like Saber, it was annoying to see someone she was concerned about be so concerned about another person.
... She did NOT have that thought just now!
Slamming her face into her book in frustration, she was rewarded with Shirou calling out her name and asking if she was alright.
'I'm fine, Shirou... stop pacing before you wear a circle in my carpet.'
She wished she can say that the situation was under control, that she knew exactly what to do if something happened.
But it was a blur to her, the ensuing events were so unpredictable it was too difficult to take in all at once.
From what she understood of the situation, Saber was now Caster's servant and their base was infiltrated to.
Sakura's house was just blown up and Archer had just advised her on what to do?
It was enough to make anyone scratch his head in confusion as to what their next step would be.
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Fortunately for her, she knew that Saber was a threat, she was now Caster's servant. With Caster's expertise and unlimited mana supply, she was dangerous... Lancer would not stand a chance against her at all.
Judging from her first skirmish with Lancer, one knows that if Saber went all out, Lancer would be overwhelmed, especially if Saber can use her Noble Phantasm.
Basically, the situation was dire... and yet the boy was still worried for their one enemy and their former ally.
She could understand his sentiment, up till now she was still his friend, his protector and his knight. Even she could not help herself but be a little heartened on how Lancer had described Saber resisting Caster's command.
But at the same time, it had brought about something that she rather not think about now.
Archer... would he, or did he resist Kotomine's control till he could no longer stand it? Did he fought long and hard and had felt betrayed when she had showed up with Lancer instead?
She could now understand his feelings if the above assumed scenario was true.
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If, it was true...
'Ojou-chan, the tea is getting cold. And you look silly holding that cup in that position for so long.'
In response, the cup of tea was immediately splashed on the servant's face, causing him to give a quick splutter of confusion before shaking his head and adding.
'Ah, that's more like you, Ojou-'
The word was left unsaid as Rin send a death glare that simply wilted the humour involved.
'Sorry...'
He bowed his head in apology as Rin tapped the her fingers on the table and invited him to sit down.
'My apologizes. It's not the time for jokes right now, Lancer. Caster may attack any time...'
'Not till nightfall... I used a Noble Phantasm on her, but I'm sure she survived. Cockroaches does have that characteristic.'
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Rolling his eyes, Lancer turned to look at Shirou and Saber and after a while, Rin did the same and she sighed.
'... I could restrain Saber with some of my spells... but if Caster overides Saber's will and magical resistance, it would be just wasting my effort.'
'... basically all we can do is to defeat Cater before she gets to control Saber perfectly? Great, a challenge to die for!'
Enduring a slap to his shoulder from Rin, Lancer rubbed his shoulder and said the one thing Rin and Shirou did not want to do.
'Or we can just kill her now.'
'... or not.'
He added almost as quickly and sighed, reaching for his spear and twirling it around with his fingers skillfully.
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'Honestly, why must we Lancer class servants always be down on my luck... first having Kotomine... and now having to defend another Servant who can kill me any time that she wishes...'
Watching him groan, Rin lowered her head and turned away from Shirou, who was now listening to the conversation.
It was true that she was asking too much from him and she felt bad about that.
'I... I understand the difficulty, Lancer... although I am your Master, I do feel that you have a right to your own opinion... If you do not wish to guard Saber and Shirou, I will respect your wishes and...'
'Hey, hey! I never said I didn't want to!'
Surprising both her and Shirou, Lancer stood up and grinned at the two magus who were gaping at him.
'The tougher the challenge, the better the reward? Sides, I owe Saber for covering my back then.'
Squatting down, Lancer placed his spear down as he grinned deviously at the two of them.
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'Besides, I have just the plan to get her back... It comes with risks, but hey, all battles are unpredictable.'
Without even thinking, Emiya Shirou was beside him immediately.
'If it will help Saber, I'll do whatever it takes.'
Those words hurt Tohsaka Rin, but nevertheless she just sighed a long suffering sigh and nodded to Lancer, signalling that she was willing to at least listen.
'Kid... you can create swords right? Everything about them?'
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Author's Notes: I think, Fatal/Fake.. was a good game...