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The following is a fan-based
FICTION
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Chapter 27: Madness (2)
~Kiritsugu's POV~
This wasn't something he hadn't expected to deal. At least, not this soon.
Zouken had been inactive for sometime since the end of the Fourth Holy Grail War, perhaps concocting new plans now that his efforts to gain the Grail had failed miserably because of his youngest son.
Kariya Matou had played the part of the fool, but a fool with a dangerous Servant like Berserker.
If the man had been able to sustain just a little more the black knight, the Magus Killer knew that Saber would've had some horrible predicament to face about against that monster.
Yet grumbling over the past was nowhere as productive as genuinely focus on what was currently under his watch and the present circumstances.
The household was no longer safe for them to keep.
There was no need for him to even question that fact, and his first contingency plan had entered in action the very moment his Boundary Fields had collapsed under the swarm of worms and wasps that were part of Zouken's own arsenal of familiars.
The old Matou had always struck a foul chord all the times that Kiritsugu had to linger over the files describing Kariya, but the indirect involvement from the elder had prevented for any 'surprise visit' from the Emiya.
He knew that something horrible was happening there, but up until now the extent of the deplorable deeds had gone unnoticed by the dark-haired man.
That very early morning brought enlightenment over the grotesque nature of the head of the Matou Clan, with the Crest Worms finally revealing in their infamous glory.
Guns had proven to be a good way to exterminate the insects as none had any resilience again the bullets.
The loud noise that exploded at the mere use of his machinegun was meant to alarm the rest of the house's occupants, which worked up mostly well as more activity erupted all over the place.
Waver had been sleeping nearby, the young man having been instructed to assist and guard Aoi Tohsaka in case of emergency, making it less of a priority for Kiritsugu as he started to make his way through the infested halls of the house.
Wandering around, he continued to clear a distinct pact towards the backdoor by the inner courtyard.
The front door wasn't meant to be trusted in this predicament, and thus he rushed for the closest and possibly safer exit.
The courtyard was mostly untouched by the 'invasion', and the Magus Killer had been keen to expect some ambush in that eerily quiet open space.
Zouken manifested in an unceremonious display of worms creeping swiftly by the middle of the courtyard, his corpse-like body building up in its fullest before Kiritsugu's eyes.
He tried to greet him, the response was numerous bullets from his machinegun.
A useless endeavor, he was aware of his as the former mercenary unloaded the rest of the magazine into the bald figure.
It was a distraction, an attempt to dissuade the dangerous threat from gaining full realization of his surrounding.
Time was essential, he just needed to buy more than enough for the rest of the occupants to safely leave the premises of the home, to get on the streets or even further.
His body was still unprepared for a full-fledged fight, especially after what had happened in Germany.
The Curse, some of the wounds still having trouble to heal, the Magus Killer had expected a slow death for himself against the older Magus.
Furious was the worm, the swarm of familiars showing no hesitation in pursuing Kiritsugu around the courtyard.
He pushed his own boundaries by using Triple Accel, and feeling the stress from the very beginning as the spell entered in action.
The duress was enough to keep him well-awake and moving as he continued to dodge the various assaults from the multitude of bugs rushing towards him.
Bullets rained once more on the creatures, but the high number of those prevented a serious depletion of their horde.
A game of Cat and Mouse, where the roles felt different between two simple perspectives.
In the small picture, Zouken was playing around with Kiritsugu.
In the bigger one, Kiritsugu was distracting the bastard for long enough to get everyone else out without any problem.
But while the plan was simple and seemingly working well with the logic imposed by the instance, with the old Matou keeping his watch over only the former mercenary.
There were just a few issues with the overly-limited planning, something that Kiritsugu had well hoped to not materialize in this moment of hardships.
His prayers went unanswered as he noticed the swarm lessening their effort as a new distraction had entered the line of sight of the old man.
Shirou looked confused, yet not terrified by the scene as he seemed to be escorting Illya, Rin, and Caren out of the inner section of the house.
Some worms still persisted in their attack, but the large majority rushed the four children.
His worry was partly soothed by the fact that the redhead had the means to defend himself and those behind him.
In fact, small daggers appeared on both of his hands as he rushed to intercept the first insects head on.
The speed was curious considering his age, yet the magecraft that conceptualized the swords was the true element that had previously caught his interest.
The refined products were working perfectly while also resisting the constant degradation effects caused by Gaia's influence.
The surprise waned the more the gritty reality of the predicament resumed its grip over his mind.
Shirou's ability helped in repelling the bugs, but it wasn't working against Zouken's own body.
Sharp cuts tore through the elderly figure more than once, yet none seemed to genuinely destroy the corpse-like being.
The attempt from the younger Emiya failed, horribly so as the boy was soon overwhelmed by the worms and rushed away by the swarm.
Kiritsugu finally disengaged from his own concerns the very moment he saw the scene unfolding, his machinegun trying to cut over the highest bits of that disgusting cocoon, yet the distance preventing him from scoring significant hits on the retreating living coffin.
The situation had gone well south from his already-unfair predictions, but the lack of most of the familiars opened a new plan for the Emiya to try out.
Zouken was grinning as he slowly approached the trio of girls looking in shock at the monstrous figure, yet the man's happiness vanished the very moment a bright light exploded between him and the girls.
Kiritsugu pushed his legs to run even harder at the opportunity created by the flashbang, scooping the girls in his arms as he rushed around the house and towards the main entrance.
The gate were busted, just as he had expected, but the presence of bugs was minimal and easily avoidable as he ventured through the entrance and into the streets.
The very moment he stepped outside the household, his eyes were granted with good news as Waver, Gray and an unharmed Aoi were waiting there by the empty streets.
"Emiya-san-"
"Keep moving." The abrupt interruption surprised both the English-born teens, but both seemed to comply quickly enough as the Magus Killer moved towards the only place that Zouken couldn't actually strike just yet.
The house looked simple, and no light was on considering the late hour, but the man didn't hesitate in ringing the doorbell twice.
There was silence at first, but footsteps approached in a rush, the door opening to reveal a tired-looking Zachary Ainsworth.
The Magus' confused look swiftly melted in shock as he noticed the large group of people waiting outside.
His attention fixed on the main figure, showing some surprise at the sight. "Emiya-"
Kiritsugu gritted his teeth at the unpleasant circumstance, yet he pronounced the words he had for so long promised himself to never use while talking to a Magus.
And the irony was that the very promise was born from the example in front of him.
"I need your help, Ainsworth-san."
From there the dreadful problem lessened to a state of uneasy developments as Kiritsugu was allowed entrance suddenly by the man, the rest of the group following shortly after.
Hours passed, explanations were given, and stronger Boundary Fields were erected around the household owned by the Magus Clan from London.
Zachary was disturbed by the discovery that the Matou Clan had fallen so lowly.
His disgust over the revelation that the 'revered' Zouken Matou had devolved its existence to his Crest Worms was enough to warrant further sympathy from the man as the rest of the people were quickly ushered in the living room of the house.
The girls, albeit shocked, terrified and outright worried about further attacks, managed to find enough strength to rest by the long couch while Waver and Gray kept watch over the unnerved Aoi.
The woman had been affected by the attack, yet not in the way he had expected.
Nervousness, panic, she was fidgeting constantly at any small sound.
No verbal response, only humming and.. that worried the Emiya as it was for the best of his interests if the woman actually recovered from her mental decline, not the opposite.
Zachary had then retreated upstairs to check on his children, confirming that both were safe and soundly asleep much to his instant relief.
Once he had gone through to have everyone settled down, he proceeded to retreat back to his study, muttering something about checking on some of his contacts.
One of the first things that the Magus Killer also saw as a priority was to contact Raiga Fujimura.
The boss was barely awake when his call had been answered, yet the old man was quick to understand that there was a particular situation that called for some drastic measures.
Taiga was to remain at home for the reminder of the day, at least upon further notice.
Raiga was surprised by these words, but considering the strong emotion behind those, he didn't hesitate to believe that there was actually a reason to be worried about.
While the old worm had attacked the household to try and capture Illya and Rin, there was no reason to doubt that another reason to attack was also to get the former mercenary to be destroyed.
Aiming for the brunette would open up a dreadful situation that would actually force the man to make some unpleasant choices.
Despite these major setbacks, the real issue lingered fresh in his mind while he quietly oversaw for any possible counterattack.
Shirou had been kidnapped by Zouken, and Kiritsugu had no mean to recover his son from the clutches of the devious head of the Matou Clan.
The absurdity of the circumstances was absurd, and yet the Magus Killer had no plans to actually make any wrong steps now that everything had stabilized.
Going alone would warrant very little chances of success, and he was wary from requesting the help of both Waver and Gray.
Both were perfect for simple assignments, but none of the two was prepared to deal with a heated situation.
The former Master of Rider might have grown a backbone, but he still had no real arsenal to make use of against a dangerous opponent as Zouken.
In fact, the direct guarding of the widowed Tohsaka had been left to Gray's own initiative.
The girl was clumsy, but her fighting capacity was growing by the day and her scythe had indeed started to become faster the more she trained with it.
Yet she wasn't mentally prepared to invade the nest of the horrible monsters, her worries still denying her the chance of finding rest even now.
Four hours passed by smoothly and uneventfully, but sleep eluded Kiritsugu as he continued to ponder over the situation, his eyes staring at the ceiling as he grimaced at the lack of cigarettes he could use.
The stress was starting to dent at his patience, and his perception of things had warped just momentarily as he had noticed quite the confusing sight.
Aoi was no longer sitting by her wheelchair.
The woman had 'moved' and settled by the couch, right by where the protective pile formed by the young girls was and… her hands were patting her daughter's head, then Illya's and Caren's.
It was periodical, careful and somewhat nostalgic.
Kiritsugu stared at the scene in his sight, mesmerized by the motherly behavior from the Tohsaka woman.
Yet what truly got him to utter silence was the humming coming from Aoi, the sound resembling so much like a simple lullaby a mother offer to her own children.
It was confusing, it was distracting… but he finally got a moment away from contemplating over the situations that led to this very moment.
He was tired, his body was groaning and in need of rest… he closed his eyes shortly after as he tried to get some sleep after the ordeal he had to go through.
The curse continued to burn, but his mind wasn't just allowing him to keep awake with how tired it was.
A dreamless rest greeted him ceremoniously as he felt wondering of what could've been.
Of the chances lost, of the apologies denied… and the hopes of a bright future that's no longer there for him to acquire.
~Shirou's POV~
Humming was the noise that greeted him as he slowly woke up from the forced state of sleep he had been forced to endure.
Shirou was keen to keep the appearance that he was still resting despite the fact he was starting to wake up.
It was instinct that dictated this attitude as his last memories before blacking out was connected to the fact he had been kidnapped by Zouken Matou.
There were none of the worms that had overwhelm him some time earlier, and he was in a state of curious warmth as he continued to lie there in a state of silence and apparent sleep.
Yet his act didn't seem to work well for him as he felt footsteps approaching and the humming intensifying the more the figure approached.
The voice wasn't Zouken's, no- it was more feminine.
More subdued, more easygoing… more problematic.
A mirthful sound, then he felt warm breath over his face as the individual that was within him in that room examined him thoroughly.
"Mhh, I think you shouldn't be lying," The young woman muttered with a hint of sadness. "I mean, I did accept getting you out of this troublesome situation despite the fact I hate the big worm but… yeah, open your eyes please~?"
Shirou stirred nervously at the flippant tone, his amber eyes slowly opening and finding quite the closeup of an odd face.
She was pretty, there was no denying about it, yet her beauty was one that closely resembled the one of a morbid death that was soon to happen the very moment he messed up.
Dark eyes stared down into his own, some white circles within the irises making the orbs absurdly endearing.
Her lips twitched a petite smile, which oddly presented an unpleasant note to someone looking.
Her long white hair was combed with a long black ribbon by the top of her head.
The young woman was wearing a vertically striped top with a short skirt, a visible garterbelt that connected down to stockings which had bone patterns on them.
She was also wearing boots with eye and teeth like designs adorning them. Finally, she was donning a pair of fingerless gloves that go up to just below her shoulders.
A giggle left her lips. "Are you done staring, little Mystery? Or perhaps you wish to press for more?"
A blush spread at the teasing, more giggles echoing in that dim-lit room as the pretty lady concluded with a sigh her melodious intervention.
"Sorry, but also not," The curious individual continued. "You see, while I would enjoy appearing a little serious right now, I think I've plenty of reasons to be giddy as I'm right now."
She twirled, her arms lifting up in a spread manner. "I mean, why shouldn't I be happy to have a true Mystery that will never be answered within someone that has something in common with Arty herself?"
…What?
"Look at this," She muttered eagerly as she stared right at the box correlated to his current recovery thanks to the rest. "Something that announces a full revitalization because of a full sleep? How interesting, how amusing."
Panic rushed to Shirou's face as he was alarmed by her unexpected vision of the Game's notices.
He suddenly inquired for an Observe… and the woman noticed that too.
"Oh? What is this now?"
Name: Francesca Prelati
Title: Infernal Priestess
Age: ?
Level: ?
HP : 10600/10600
MP : ?
"An information box about my being?" Francesca inquired with some true fascination. "I think I should be flattered. I feel flattered."
She giggled and turned back to Shirou. "A pretty Mystery, one that is as tricky and deceitful as few I'm aware about."
"A-A Mystery?"
"The world of Magic is born from Mysteries, little boy," The young woman explained. "And until there are secrets so powerful as yours, the world of pretty tricks will still exist."
"What- what are you-"
"Francesca Prelati, professional witch," She replied with a bubbly tone, yet she sported an unsure look. "Or is it best to call myself as Francois Prelati, necromancer priest?"
"Uh..." The boy tried to make sense of this one-sided conversation, but he soon found out that any input from him was being ignored.
"Or even Francesco Prelati! I'm Italian, I should be addressed properly for once by history books!"
Her outburst lessened as realization appeared on her face.
"Oh right, I shouldn't be screeching so suddenly, or at least so loudly with my excitement," Francesca chided herself, staring at another side of the room where… two children were currently resting by the couch.
A young boy and a girl, both seemed to be related by appearance.
"You see… Shirou?"
Before he had the chance of nod at that sudden query, she huffed.
"Why Shirou? It doesn't fit well with you," The woman commented with a pout. "Like, it would work better if you were called 'Ken'. Imagine it: Ken-Ken, Kenny, Ken-chan! There is just so much opportunity with 'Ken', especially since you are a bright sword."
"Why- Why are you behaving like this?" The redhead finally asked, his mind boiling in shock at how much derailed this discussion was turning into.
It was worse than anything he had to go through, and yet what truly made him the most nervous about was the unknown stats from the young-looking lady.
"Because it's fun? No, I think it was something along the line that I just grown bored and did the first stupid and senseless thing I could pull in my first years as a… wizard? I think I was a pretty boy back then, yes," She started to explain with a maddening tone. "Then one thing, became two, then stealing forbidden tomes turned into killing people. You know, it's amusing how easily someone can become a killer from merely stealing."
He slowly frowned. "W-What?"
"Silly Kenny, I mean- you know what happens when you get in an awkward situation because someone caught you being naughty, right?" She inquired swiftly, not even waiting for confirmation before continuing. "It's just absurd how one moment you're pleading for mercy, then the knife you had been using to cut some butter suddenly ends up in someone's neck."
He blinked, starting to get detached from the one-sided discussion.
"F-Francesca?"
She paused, her eyes widening while a grin appeared on her face at his voice.
"Yes, Ken-Ken?"
"Why… Why am I here? Why are they here?" Shirou aimed at the two other children currently unconscious.
"Oh? You think that they've been kidnapped? That perhaps I kidnapped you?" She interrogated back, causing the Gamer to appear a little nervous at the pressure. "I didn't, I can assure you of that."
The boy felt relieve washing over his face. "T-That's good to kno-"
"I mean, if I had known about you before the golden guy had sought me out, I would've captured you just for the sake of having you as my companion," Francesca continued, subsequently looking as if pondering over the topic. "Or maybe as a lover. I do reckon that my heart is fluttering more than when I first saw Arty, maybe twice as strong- is this what Gilles meant with love? I don't feel the need of corrupting you so-"
"I-I'm just a child," He replied nervously, hoping that the excuse would've pushed back the current degree of madness he was subjected with.
"Oh silly Ken-chan, age is just a number," The woman stated happily. "Or at least that is what I always think as an excuse when I remember how old I am. Technically, I shouldn't be bothered by it, yet I feel it would be legitimate for me to be annoyed if someone started to count right now."
"Francesca," Shirou called again, once more gaining her interest. "Why am I here?"
She huffed. "Well, you were attacked by Zouken. That silly decrepit fool tried to hurt you, a precious secret, and just as I'm around to see it happen," The girl explained. "But it was the golden guy that actually saved you, then he left his tiny henchmen to bring you here in my… humble temporary base."
"You want to… kill Zouken?"
"Of course!" The exclamation from the woman forced her to flinch at her own tone. "Who wouldn't? He has been messing with my plans for ages now. Ever since I've come here in Japan to try and get some understanding and fun with the Holy Grail War."
Her hands reached for his shoulders, her eyes widening in a moment of irritation.
"Last war one of my descendants summoned Gilles. Gilles! Can you imagine the fun we would ended up having if I had been able to go there and be with them?" She sighed dreamily at the unknown circumstance brought up. "There would've been so much fun and- Oh, and I can only imagine the long face Arty would've shown if I had been there."
She giggled. "Really a pity.
Her voice turned bitter. "I will kill that bald worm, burn his soul, make an balloon with his wrinkly skin and then make everything explode when I got to milk all the fun from that sight."
"That's quite… graphic," The boy mused quietly, frowning at the horrible scene materializing in his mind.
"You see, Ken-Ken, you need to be direct with some people or they might not understand your feelings," Francesca replied with a solemn nod. "There are some that just can't seem to get some concept straight up with simple words. It's appalling, it's annoying."
"You're brutally honest about your feelings."
"Well, it's the only way to make people understand," She nodded happily. "But still, I think we spent a little too much time being good friends and doing nothing truly productive. That's bad for both of us."
Some relief finally entered his mind at the idea that he was finally through with that insane conversation, and maybe he could finally plan an attack on the Matou's home to-
W-Wait, what happened to the girls?
He tensed up in a moment of true worry, panic surging at the possibility that he had failed so immensely in his efforts to protect them from the monstrous figure.
But while he was delving in that possibility, his attention was yanked back to reality as he saw an open palm waving right in front of him.
"By the way, did you know that I have… cool umbrella?"
Francesca revealed a parasol, smiling happily and giddily at the situation despite her own interest in starting to focus on the real issue at hand, the woman then moved the topic elsewhere.
"Also, I have a big airship that is also cool!"
This was going to be a long morning alright…
AN
Yes, I've made the insanity come true. Lads and Gentleladies, Francesca Prelati joins the Brawl!
Had to ponder a little about how I was supposed to present her as, knowing that she was quite tight with most of her personality in Fate/Strange Fake.
But yes, she was here when the HGWs were happening in Fuyuki, but for some reason Zouken weirded her out of the opportunity of joining in and meme it.
She isn't the usual Magus as (other than dabbling in necromancy, demon-summoning and 'cool quality time' with Gilles) she does have a degree of fascination for science. Hence why her workshop is a modern US-built Airship with some Sci-Fi armament in it.
And she also knows Artoria, but about that I'm not sure how.
And no, she will not be in the harem- but expect her to be a recurring fun character that will aim to bring the 'Abridged Alucard experience'.
P.S. Check out 'Rush for Greatness', a story that has a certain SI trying his best to attain enough power to improve the future in the world of Dragon Ball (Yes, I did this; no, this isn't a crack-fic)!
P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin
k o-fi . com (slash) justbukharin
REVIEW Q&A!
Wolf Ronnin: I can't actually offer much about that very segment (I don't know if I will actually put it or make something 'different but similar), but I'm still contemplating about it.
Surya: Restrained Excalibur get bodied by Ea. But Several Seals Unlocked Excalibur can actually beat Ea because of its true nature.
Demzerff1: Shirou have a different power development that will stray away from UBW… but not fully. Some elements will persist, while others will be 'refined'.