Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.
Risen from Ruins
Chapter 16
Three years ago
The wind howled wildly over the snow and ice-capped peaks of the Carpathian Mountains, sending white flakes flying at great speed through the air. It whipped through the evergreens, bending their trunks and branches before its force, and buffeted at the party of five making their way along the mountainside.
Struggling against the wind and the snow, they trudged their way after the one at the lead, every so often wiping their goggles clear of snow and frost. Displaced air cracked as lightning ripped from the leader's hand, almost immediately drowned out by the howling wind, but the lightning blew the snow off a rock formation, a landmark on this peak.
The leader checked the compass at his wrist, wiping the face clear of snow and frost, and cross-referenced the landmark with the map in his head. Turning, he waved at his teammates, and then gesturing ahead of them, turned back and continued to lead the way. The other four members of the team followed in his wake, one tripping on a snow-covered rock just a few steps along.
The magus nearly fell, only to be caught by another member of the team who helped her up on her feet. The magus nodded her thanks, and received a nod back in turn. Turning their attention back to the front, they picked up the pace to catch up, and then slowed to a steady pace as they did.
The wind continued to howl as they fought their way to a large clearing, and again cross-referencing his compass and the map in his head, the leader gestured wildly at the clearing. Immediately, one of the magi present opened up a hole in reality, and reaching in pulled out a number of iron stakes. She handed them out to the rest of the team, every magus pulling a mallet from the heavy packs they carried.
That done, the magus pulled out a mallet of her own from Imaginary Numbers Space, and joined her teammates in drawing a rough circle on the clearing. The sound of rubber-capped wood striking iron was lost to the wind as the stakes were driven through the snow and into the ground, and then the other magi were stepping back, one of their own kneeling with a gloved hand held against one of the stakes.
The aria spoken was lost to the wind, but soon a glowing circle was linking the stakes together, and extended a shimmering, translucent dome overhead. It blocked out the wind and the snow, which hammered angrily at the dome, building up in drifts that quickly grew in depth and thickness.
"Come on, stop gawking and get back to work." The team leader, Caules Forvedge Yggdmillennia yelled as he pulled down the winter mask shrouding his face from the elements. Then putting down his pack, he stowed his mallet before pulling out a shovel. Still taking the lead, he began to clear the snow in the middle of the dome.
Most of the rest of the team did likewise, though Sakura Tohsaka Yggdmillennia hurried over first. "Caules," she said, and as the young man paused and turned to her, she pulled off his goggles. "Glasses?"
"Oh…right…thanks, Sakura." Caules sheepishly said.
Sakura nodded, and walking away a short distance, began to clear the snow with a shovel she'd taken from Imaginary Numbers Space. She was the only one among them not carrying a pack, thanks to her ability to use and access said pocket space.
Stowing his goggles, Caules opened the water and snow-proof case carrying his glasses, and put them on. Then he returned to clearing the snow, along with Sakura and one other Yggdmillennia magus. The other two Yggdmillennia magi were busy assembling the frame of the tent they'd be using.
Work proceeded quickly and steadily, the frame ready once the ground had been cleared, not just of snow but also of rocks and other debris. They'd also made certain there were no unpleasant surprises therein, such as nests or lairs of any kind.
The frame was then brought in, and anchored to the ground with more iron stakes. Then the Yggdmillennia magi were coming inside, all save for Sakura who gestured with a hand. At the gesture, the bounded field violently dispelled outwards, blowing the great drifts built up against it away.
The wind and the snow struck at her with a vengeance, staggering the fifteen-year-old girl a step, but then turning, she crouched down, and crawling through the entrance and into the tent, zipped it closed behind her.
The tent interior was a scene of activity. The ground had been padded with portable flooring, and everywhere the rest of the team was busy setting up their sleeping accommodations. Sleeping bags were being unrolled, and outer clothing shed in the light of portable lamps.
"…still quite cold, even with the tent." Lili Faircloughe Yggdmillennia remarked while stripping off her hooded winter cloak. Beneath, she wore a thick, turtleneck sweater in dark blue, with long sleeves. Folding the cloak, Lili shuddered from the cold and rubbed at her arms with gloved hands.
"This tent's supposed to be insulated, isn't it?" Aldway Yonge Yggdmillennia asked. Like Lili, he'd taken off his cloak, but kept his gloves on.
"It is." Caules confirmed with a nod. "But, we are in winter on the mountainside. The insulation's only going to take us so far. So with that said…Lili, you're a fire affinity, aren't you?"
Lili nodded, quickly picking up on Caules' line of thought. "I'll set up a bounded field to help keep us warm tonight." She said, before giving a small smile. "After we get something to eat, though."
Caules laughed. "Fair enough," he said. "Taking a walk in cold weather takes a lot out of you."
"Especially in a winter storm." Sakura chimed in, and causing laughter to gently go up.
Edda Ainsley Yggdmillennia was already pulling out a ration pack. "Well," she said. "Let's not waste any time. We can even talk over the plan for the next few days while we're eating."
A chorus of assent went up at that, and the team of Yggdmillennia magi out on a winter outdoor survival exercise were breaking out their rations. It was quite frugal as far as aristocrats went, just black bread along with dried fruit and cured meat, with honey cake for dessert, all washed down with clean water.
And as they munched away on their supper, Caules had broken out a map from his pack, along with a compass and a grease pencil. Studying the map for a minutes, Caules marked their position on the map, then the first of two objectives they had to reach within the next two weeks, and drew a line between them.
"Right," he said with a nod. "We should be around here, but we need to make sure. Hopefully, this storm will have passed by tomorrow morning, so we can get more concrete bearings."
"Then we're setting out?" Aldway asked.
"…we could," Caules said slowly. "But I'm thinking we spend tomorrow hunting. There should be deer around here, and we can stock up on meat for the next two weeks."
"…sounds good." Aldway agreed.
"We'll have to ration the bread, though." Edda glumly said.
"Sadly true," Caules said with a sigh. "But, it's better than no bread at all."
"I say we should hold back on the sweet stuff, too." Sakura chimed in. "Keep it in reserve, for when we need a quick boost in energy."
"…that makes sense." Lili said, and Aldway nodded in agreement. Edda made a face, but as Caules nodded his own agreement, sighed and gave way.
"So we'll keep the honey cakes and dried fruit in reserve, and ration the bread." Caules said, making notes in a pocket notepad. "As for the cured meat…well, depending on the success of our hunt tomorrow, we might not have to ration that."
"If we're lucky," Sakura said. "We can keep it in reserve and just subsist on venison for our protein needs for the next two weeks."
Thoughtful agreement went up at that, and then Edda was chiming in. "We should keep an eye out for edible roots." She said. "If there are, we might not have hold back as much on the bread."
"There's an idea." Aldway agreed.
"Yes…there's an idea, alright." Caules said, making another note. "Speaking of keeping an eye out, we should do the same for any wild berries that might be growing out there."
"…I've got a poison kit ready just in case." Sakura remarked in a sing-song voice, and earning her a shove to the head from her fellow magi.
"Not funny, Sakura." Lili snapped.
"What?" Sakura defensively asked. "It's a valid concern. Some edible berries look just like the poisonous ones."
"…it's not something to make jokes about regardless!"
"Fine, fine…"
Caules coughed. "Anyway…" he said. "So for now let's finish our meal. Afterwards, Lili will set up a bounded field to help keep us warm at night. Sakura, you should set up protective bounded fields around the clearing as well, the rest of us standing watch while you do. Also, send out some spirits on patrol as well."
"Okay." Sakura said with a nod.
"About that," Edda said with a raised hand. "I can take care of the patrols. This way, Sakura can conserve her prana for just in case it's really needed."
"…if you're sure you can handle it…" Caules cautiously said, and trailed off at a scoff from Edda.
"Of course I can."
"Alright then…" Caules said with a nod. "Once the fields are up, we'll dig pits for a fire and our refuse. Aldway and me will go gather some firewood. Tomorrow, we'll go hunting, while the rest of you melt snow and boil water for drinking."
"Got it!" the rest of the team chorused.
Caules nodded, and making a final note, put the last of his bread ration for this evening into his mouth.
The present day
"…it basically sounds like you just went camping." Aoi remarked.
"That's because that's what we basically did." Sakura said with a nod. Dinner was done, and now the three of them were having coffee and ice cream for dessert.
"With some hunting on the side." Caules said with a shrug. "Both literal, and figurative."
"…I'm not sure I completely approve of the former." Aoi uncomfortably said. "Didn't you say earlier that your rations could last the whole of two weeks with careful planning?"
"Yes." Caules and Sakura chorused.
"Then, was it really necessary to go and hunt wild animals for food?"
"Well…if we were to spend two weeks in relative comfort, then yes." Sakura said. "And we'd have been reprimanded if we didn't. Not much, but there'd be…chiding…"
"…while it's not against the rules of the exercise," Caules explained. "It's considered underperforming and even lazy to not make the best of our training and circumstances. Rationing starting supplies is a good start applying what we were taught to do in preparation, but that's just it: it's a start. If that had been our first or even our second winter survival exercise, then our superiors would probably have let it slide, but that was our third, and we were expected to do much better."
"And it's not like we were chasing down and hurting and then killing animals just for fun." Sakura added. "Nor did we hunt more than we needed. We just…did what we had to do."
"Well, if you put it that way…" Aoi uncomfortably conceded before trailing off. The silence persisted and then began to grow heavy, before the older woman sighed and spoke up again. "Relative comfort…?"
"We couldn't exactly bathe outdoors in winter." Sakura pointed out. "And while we had ample clothes to change into, washing dirty clothes outdoors in winter isn't really a good idea."
Caules coughed. "There are spells to clean clothes without getting them wet or using soap," he said. "But…"
Sakura nodded in agreement. "Nothing beats a proper wash, drying, and then pressing." She said. "And like I said: no baths. The closest we could get were hot towels boiled over a fire to wipe ourselves down with. Thank God none of us had our periods during the trip, that would have been really…uncomfortable."
"And awkward." Caules joked, only to get an elbow for his trouble. Despite herself, Aoi found herself holding back a giggle at the sight.
Perhaps they really are a good match for each other…
…better than me and Tokiomi ever were…
…maybe…
…just maybe…
…they…
Three years ago
"Steady as it goes, Aldway." Caules whispered.
"Don't worry, Caules." Aldway breathed. "I've done this countless times before. Just leave it to me."
The two young men were lying prone on the ground, hidden behind a snow-covered chunk of dead wood, both their eyes on a stag with a majestic set of horns sprouting from its head. The stag calmly stood in the middle of the clearing, moving its head back and forth as though trying to put its figurative finger on the sense of wrongness and danger it was feeling, even as Aldway was zeroing in with his crossbow's sights.
Then Aldway pulled the trigger, a muffled crack echoing through the clearing as the crossbow sent a steel bolt flying through the air. It buried itself in the stag's neck, sending the animal flying sideways to fall, twitching in pain against the ground.
"Got it!" Aldway cheered as he got up from the ground, brandishing his crossbow as he did so. Caules was also up on his feet, and rushing over to their quarry, knelt down before laying his hands gently on the dying animal's flank.
Murmuring softly to himself, Caules gently stilled the erratic bioelectric rhythms of the animal's nervous system, essentially putting it to sleep. "…this should keep us well supplied with meat for the rest of the week." He finally said.
"That it should." Aldway agreed, walking up next to Caules, his crossbow already reloaded and held over a shoulder.
"Right…hey, give me a hand over here."
"Huh…oh right, yes, of course."
Replacing his crossbow in its holster, Aldway also knelt down, and helped Caules tie their quarry's feet together. Then sliding a wooden pole between its legs, they lifted the dead stag into the air, supporting the pole on their shoulders before heading back.
"Which way, Caules?" Aldway asked.
"…back the way we came, of course." Caules replied after a moment, spent checking his compass and landmarks. "Come on, we still have to dress and cut up the stag once we get there. You…planning to keep the horns?"
"Of course I am." Aldway cheerfully said. "Though, if you want, you can have this one. I've got plenty back home."
"No thanks, I'm not really interested." Caules said. "Besides, it might freak Fiore out. Thanks for the offer though."
"No problem."
The trip back to camp was largely done in silence, apart from the sound of snow crunching beneath their boots, and at times, Aldway's whistling. Finally, they returned back to camp, where a fire was burning merrily in a pit a few feet away from the tent. The three females in their team were clustered around it, keeping warm while nibbling on some wild berries they'd apparently found in the woods.
"That's a big stag." Lili remarked. "Good work, guys. Now…dress and clean it, over there."
"Hey, how come we can't do it near the fire?" Aldway protested. "I think we deserve some warmth after all the trouble we went through just to find and bring this stag back."
"…you seriously want to dress and clean your kill here, where we eat our meals?" Sakura asked.
"…point."
The three women made shooing gestures, and Caules only laughed as he and a softly-grumbling Aldway put some distance between them and the fire. Then putting their kill on the ground, they pulled out their hunting knives, and sinking to their knees, got to work.
The present day
"…well, they did have a point there." Aoi pointed out.
"Yeah, I know." Caules said with a sigh. "Which is why I didn't even try arguing, like Aldway did."
Aoi nodded. "Hmm…while I still don't completely approve of hunting," she said. "I have to admit, it is rather impressive that you can dress and clean an animal."
"Thank you, ma'am." Caules said with a nod, before shooting Sakura a small smile. "Though, Sakura here also knows how to."
"Hmm…I'm not surprised," Aoi said with a small smile of her own. "I take it then you both know how to cook while camping?"
"Yes." Sakura said with a nod, Caules nodding next to her. "It's nothing special though, not really something you can put forward in a cooking competition, much less in a proper restaurant. I would say it's good enough for a meal at home though, if it comes to that."
"What can you cook with venison anyway, Sakura?" Aoi asked in genuine curiosity.
Sakura hummed for a few moments. "…well, there's always the ever simple and time-tested roast on a fire." She said with a smile and a 'what can you do' gesture. That got a laugh from both her mother and fiancé. "Soup as well, and stews, though vegetables are hard if not impossible to come by outdoors, and while there are wild herbs that you can sometimes find while foraging, they're neither easy nor common to find."
Aoi nodded in understanding. "In any case," Sakura said with a shrug. "The most basic seasoning is just salt, and we always have plenty of those."
"Oh?"
"…kind of…"
"Salt pills, as a daily supplement." Caules explained. "Most people think that when exerting yourself outdoors, the most important thing you have to replenish for the body is water. In a way, they're right, but salt is equally important. Especially when you sweat a lot: lose too much salt, and it's just as bad as getting dehydrated."
"One salt pill is usually good for a pot of soup." Sakura cheerfully said. "Two, if it's too bland."
Aoi nodded in understanding. "So I see." She said, before taking a drink of her coffee. Her mug emptied, she allowed a maid to refill it for her, with Caules and Sakura having theirs refilled as well a moment later. "And? Earlier, you mentioned you had objectives to reach. What were those?"
"Oh that…well, the first winter exercise is the only one which is completely like a camping trip." Caules said. "The ones going forward involve…well, I guess you could call it a treasure hunt. We're given clues to find where it is, and while they're usually straightforward and easy to figure out for anyone with some background in geography, actually getting there and getting what you're supposed to get is a bit more challenging."
"Oh?" Aoi asked, tilting her head in curiosity. "In what way?"
"Well," Caules said while adjusting his glasses. "Back then, it was…"
Three years ago
The party of five magi dove for cover as steel bolts rained down and punched deep into the ground they'd been standing on just moments ago. Snow and dirt erupted in plumes, while in the distance, bronze automatons with glowing red eyes spun their tracks as they spread out, weapon-limbs terminating in repeating crossbows traced the movements of the magi. Machinery whined, and with fast-paced cracks, loosed bolt after bolt in a deadly second volley.
"They're trying to flank us!" Sakura said, drawing her saber before reinforcing her body and leaping forward. Zigzagging to avoid bolts loosed her way, she swung once, rhenium alloy carving through bronze and steel and shearing an arm off the automaton.
Then the uneven ground threw her off-balance, causing Sakura to trip and roll across the ground. She spat out snow as she came to a halt, and then rolling on instinct, narrowly avoided getting shot to death.
Fixated as it was on Sakura, the automaton was left open for Edda to literally smash it to pieces with a horizontal swing from her war hammer. Nearby, Alsway drew enemy fire his way by taking potshots with his own crossbow, allowing Lili to complete a five-count aria and unleash a flame spell that reduced a third of the automatons to molten slag.
It complete wore her out though, leaving her gasping behind cover with Aldway taking potshots next to her. Then the ground heaved and broke, Edda using her earth elemental magecraft to open up the ground and causing the automatons to fall inside, entombed them within.
"And that's that." She said with a grin.
"Don't get overconfident." Caules said, crouched behind a tree and working on a glowing mandala. "The objective is trapped, and we still have to get it. Sakura…you're the fastest here with us. I can open up the field and delay the trap's trigger for a few seconds, in that time, grab it before getting out."
"Got it." Sakura said, sheathing her sword and stamping down on the ground to get a feel for it.
"On three…one…two…three!"
Sakura dashed forward, snow erupting with every footstep as she thundered through an archway in a low stone wall along the mountainside, and into a shrine-like structure set into the cliff. She grabbed the statuette on a plinth inside, and then swept back out.
The air shifted as she went, growing heavy and stinking with ozone. Static built up, causing her hairs to rise on end, and just as she passed through the archway, reached critical. All the static inside the objective lashed out, forming a bolt of lightning that struck the ground in the middle of the archway, which Sakura had been standing on just a moment ago.
"Alright!"
"Nice work, Sakura!"
"Well done!"
"Sorry, Sakura!" Caules apologized in contrast to the cheers of their teammates. "I held it off as long as I could."
"It's fine, Caules." Sakura said, only ever so winded while hefting the statuette in her hand. "You did your best."
Caules nodded and adjusted his glasses.
The present day
"Tell her about the ogre."
"…ogre?"
"…I was just about to."
Three years ago
Aldway could only make inarticulate sounds of awe and shock as the ground shook beneath their feet, as the dog-headed alchemical spawn lumbered out of the cave next to their second objective. "It's an ogre!" Caules yelled in disbelief.
"…why an ogre?" Sakura incredulously shouted.
"They must really want to test us, why else?" Caules shouted back.
"…even so, this is going too far!" Sakura shouted while drawing her saber.
Meanwhile, the ogre lifted the gigantic glaive it was armed with, and then swung down in a two-handed, overhead sweep. The blow struck the ground with enough force to crater it several feet deep and across, and violently displacing the surrounding air.
The magi fell back and away, scattering to surround the alchemical spawn with weapons and mystic codes drawn. "Shit," Sakura swore. "This is no joke, succeed or die, is it?"
Lili began chanting an aria, a mandala glowing beneath her as she waved her baton-like mystic code as though conducting a musical score. Edda charged in with a loud shout, war hammer raised to strike. Sniffing in disdain, the ogre casually backhanded her away, sending the young woman flying with a cry.
Speeding after her, Sakura caught Edda, though inertia still sent them flying through a tree which then fell on top of them. Meanwhile, Aldway was opening fire with his crossbow, but even with reinforcement speeding up his rate of fire and increasing his bolts' penetration, he was only really annoying the ogre, it's thick skin softer yet comparable in protection to steel plate.
"Damn it, what's it going to take?" he shouted, as Caules' attempt to bring the ogre down failed and indeed, left the other magus vulnerable to a riposte. Caules narrowly escaped, but was again sent flying as the ogre's glaive smashed the ground and split the surrounding air.
As though in response, a ball of fire – no, not fire, plasma – seared through the air, melting snow and turning it into steam, and struck the ogre's glaive as it was swung to block. Sparks and gobs of molten metal exploded all around, and forcing the magi to dive for cover.
The ogre though, was disarmed, and fell to its knees with much of its torso a burned ruin. "F-finish it off!" Lili gasped as she struggled to stay conscious while on all fours.
Sakura was the first to respond, dashing in and stabbing her saber through the ogre's chest. Ichor hissed as rhenium alloy cut through flesh and carved into the monster's heart, and then Sakura was gasping in shock and horror as the wounded monster raised a fist to strike down at her.
And then thunder boomed, as Caules fired off a lightning bolt that crippled the ogre's elbow, and shocking it into paralysis long enough for Edda to deliver the killing blow. The magus' war hammer caved in the back of the ogre's skull, splattering her with blood and gore, but after a moment the ogre's eyes went dark and it crumpled to lie still, dead on the ground.
The present day
"…that…that really happened…?" Aoi stammered out in disbelief.
"Yes." Sakura and Caules chorused.
Aoi took several drinks of her coffee to regain her composure. "And that is…standard, training…a standard training exercise in your family?" she asked.
"Once you're old enough, and you don't have anything important to do in winter, yes." Sakura said.
"At least until you're an adult, and even then you can still be invited to join in a training exercise." Caules cheerfully added.
"…I…I see…I don't mean to judge but…doesn't this all seem very…I don't know how to say it…"
Sakura shrugged with a sad smile on her face. "We're magi." She said, and left it at that, as though something so short could be an answer. And in a way, it was.
"I…I see…"
Sakura's smile turned even sadder, but with of iron resolve beneath. "Caules," she said. "Tell her about the pup…"
Caules' hand immediately covered Sakura's mouth, but it was too late, as an expression of mixed apprehension, concern, and suspicion appeared on Aoi's face. "What about the puppy?" she asked, and Caules gave a groan.
"Well, you see…"
A/N
Just a breather chapter, to show how Aoi and Sakura can get along so long as Tokiomi isn't brought up. Though, Aoi still really isn't happy with Yggdmillennia training methods, which are far more brutal than Tohsaka's (though still kinder and far more humane than Matou's so-called training). Especially the puppy: unlike the King's Men, which have as their final test shooting a blank, Yggdmillennia really do kill the puppy to drive home the 'magi walk with death' lesson.