Chapter 10: A Wept in the Rain
BANG
SLICE
Both bullet and blade clashed in mid-air, fragmenting each other in the process and providing coverage for the old priest to close the distance.
Kiritsugu was quick on his feet, and rolled to the ground to avoid a palm strike towards his torso, firing a hail of bullets towards the priest, who kicked the gun in the last possible second and making them miss his frame. With a powerful stump, Risei cracked the floor in which Kiritsugu's head used to occupy.
Kiritsugu took a knife out of his raincoat, and tried to slice open the priest's heel, but the old man surprised him once more by grabbing his mind with surprising grip strength.
"My son may no longer be with me, but that makes me anything but defenseless. Who do you think showed him the ropes?!" the old man screamed, proceeding by delivering a palm strike towards the killer.
While a long, and exhausting fight was developing in the Church, neither men noticed a figure hiding themselves in the shadows. Through the slits of their skull-like mask, they were sharing what they were witnessing with their Contractor, they were his eyes and ears in this hunt of tonight. And so, it is their duty to stay here until the end.
It is the least they could do for the father of their previous Master.
XXX
Lancer was running.
BOOM BOOM BOOM
He was running from a pair of monsters.
"RaaaarrgghHHHH!"
He was running with the life of his Master on the line.
"Brace yourself, My Lady!" the irishman instructed his master, using his larger weapon to swing aside a sword launched at his person, do a twist in mid air to avoid the monstrous strength from Berserker, and use the Mad Warrior himself as a board to jump even higher and avoid a javelin from putting a hole on his head.
The moment his feet touched the ground once more, Lancer sprinted away from his chasers. The Servant put to use his high value of Agility to work for him, that combined with his masterful combat skills being the only thing keeping both his Master and himself alive.
"Run. Run as fast as your legs can carry you, Mongrel. But let it be known that the King himself shall slain you tonight," Archer borely declared from his throne in the skies. There wasn't any real heat on his words, just a mechanical boredom about the whole situation in general. Normally, Archer would have just blasted the Mongrel on the place he stood, but he could recognize and somewhat appreciate the theatrics that the Daemon and his Vixen had put on.
The modern world was rather bland for his tastes, the King would openly admit. Humanity has become complacent, and as a result stagnant on some ambits. They still find amusing excuses to kill themselves, and the creatures of Gaia had kept them from turning into shadows of their former selves, but it was still certainly boring. There are no more epic heroes running around the earth, no more quests waiting to be fulfilled.
There was no more...evil for the humans to confront.
Not evils created from humanity itself, but evils external to them.
Archer is many things, Humanity's Oldest Hero being the prime among them, but this cursed container was only capable of supporting his facet as a King, and so, he must be listened to and entertained. Tokiomi, while rather bland and a coward at heart, was still somewhat acceptable as a retainer.
Kotomine Kirei, the twisted and haunted creature that was wearing the skin of a man, was certainly an interesting project. The creature was at the border of his realization. It was...regrettable that he perished before Archer was capable of witnessing his illumination. But well, at least his death was glorious. He could commend that.
With his retainer being the most boring of men, and his little pet project perishing beforehand, Archer would have considered blasting the whole town apart just to end this farce of a War...but then the most interesting piece was played on the board.
This...Vergil, he wasn't a Daemon as most thought, but a Cambion, the breed between a human and a true Daemon. A true Mongrel amongst the trash that plagued that hunted down one of his treasures. Not only that, his consort, the Vixen, was a Divine, walking among mortals with such an ease even after their Era concluded so long ago.
Yes, those two monsters were certainly worthy foes for the King to prove his crushing might once more to the rabble.
Even if it irked him to be used as a tool for once, he should permit it. After all, they took the trouble to assemble this piece in such a short time. Only a forgiving King such as him would permit it to happen.
"RaaaarrgghHHHH!"
Now, only if the mad dog would keep quiet would this hunt be somewhat enjoyable. Should he end the beast's suffering? Nah, the Cambion still has a bone to pick with the black knight after all. And, the suffering the so-called 'King of Knights' would experience when the monster's identity is revealed should be ecstatic, euphoric even.
So, the end of this pathetic knight's life should suffice for the moment.
XXX
Waver rifled his own hair with his hands, trying to accommodate the huge headache he was suffering from all this stress he has been afflicted with lately. Although the extra presence in his bedroom did little to help with it.
"It is not in me being a bad host, but I am afraid your arrival was too sudden for us, Assassin. Did your new Master send you by any chance?" Rider asked diplomatically to the lone Servant crouched in the window's frame of his room.
His own frame was warped in a long hood, although his purple hair and skull-like mask were a great giveaway towards this Servan't identity. It did help that Vergil himself admitted that his Assassin was the Hassan of Hundred Personas, in life having over a hundred personalities that were given a physical body of their own as a Servant. A rather problematic opponent to kill, that is certain.
"And just as dangerous," Waver lightly thought, attentive to the conversation.
"This one is here to be the voice of the Contractor, as well as his eyes and ears," the Servant revealed without a wisp of emotion on his voice, his stance relaxed. "He wishes to have a small talk with Waver Velvet, as well as you King of Conquerors. Nothing more, nothing less."
He then proceeded to keep quiet, awaiting for a decision to be made.
The Master and Servant tooked their time to exchange a thoughtful look between themselves. Their mental link being used this time around.
"What should we do?" Waver asked Iskandar though their minds. "Should we reject the offer?"
"The fellow has expressed he is only here to talk," Iskandar shaked his head slightly. "If he were sent here to kill us, he wouldn't have presented himself to us like that. Vergil himself hasn't expressed any kind of hostility towards our camp either, so I don't see why this would be any different," he exposed his points carefully, before a serious expression crossed his face. "Also, this may be the last time we will talk civilly with Vergil and his camp. We must make this count."
Waver chewed his lower lip at that, admitting in his mind that his Servant's words were true. Their interactions with the Vergil Camp were one of the few breathers that they have had in this War. It is always going from a place to another for them, and although no major conflict has escalated at the moment, Waver has a gut feeling that things will radically change soon enough.
"It would be good to enjoy these final moments of peace while we still can," Waver said aloud, before looking straight to Assassin's mask, as if looking at someone else altogether. "What do you want to talk about, mister Vergil?" he asked, going straight to the point.
"Just curious about your situation, Waver Velvet," Assassin spoke with his own voice, but the feeling it carried behind them was of someone else. Of Vergil. "Have you considered my proposition?" he asked, eying slightly his suitcase, where something important for Waver's survival rested.
"While I appreciate the gift, I simply cannot accept what you are proposing," Waver denied strongly.
"Don't you desire to live another day? I am offering you an easy way out, while Rider can still fight in this War and try to accomplish his wish," Vergil responded with a deadly calm on his tone of voice. "You could simply go back to the Clock Tower, present my gift to the El-Melloi family, and they will probably forgive your transgressions against them."
Waver tightened his fist, making up his resolve on this matter. "It would not be the same," Waver said with conviction. "The me from before would have jumped at the opportunity mister Vergil, but not the me that has interacted with Rider, the rest of this competition, and you. I must be by Rider's side when we take the Grail off your temple."
Waver couldn't see it, but Iskandar's face was one of pride, pure pride for the boy. The brat he met upon being summoned would have soiled his pants long time ago, but the young man he stood side-by-side...he felt proud of calling him a subject of his. A camarade, a friend.
"Then so be it," said their guest, quite amused himself. "Let it be said that I have extended the olive branch towards you both, Waver Velvet and Iskandar. As soon as the sun rises, we shall be enemies in this bloody conflict. I have spoken."
"Hahahaha! We welcome the challenge!" Iskandar exclaimed with a thunderous laugh, his face setted on a blood-thristy grin. "May the best warrior stand over the corpse of the competition, Vergil the Cambion!"
"After this, I shall claim the moniker of King Slayer, Iskandar of Macedonia," Vergil answered in challenge, his blood pumping at the prospect.
WIth a final nod, both camps finished their truce once and for all. The next time they saw each other, it wouldn't be as acquaintances friends, but as enemies hell-bent on annihilating each other. Such is the way that war unites people, such is the cruelty of the very concept itself.
XXX
The church was a disaster.
The House of God looked like a wrecking ball just passed right through. The benches were all wracked, the beautiful windows were shattered to the last glass. Bullet holes decorated the walls, there were even burn marks here and there, and a huge gap in the middle of the floor.
Yet, there was still a fight happening inside.
Emiya Kiritsugu was breathing heavily, one of his temples was bleeding and slightly blinding his left eye, his bones felt cracked in some places and one of his fingers was bent wrong. Still, his gun was aimed true towards his opponent. He also had a scowl on his face.
"Why won't you die?!" while somewhat out of character for him, Kiritsugu couldn't help but scream towards the old priest. He was supremely frustrated and tired of the situation in general.
Kotomine Risei, despite his old age and not being classified as a fighter, was still proving to be a rather. His clothes were rather damaged for all the explosive the Magus Killer carried, there were some slashes here and there from his knives also. But, other than that, he was actually in a better condition than Kiritsugu.
But that didn't mean that he was winning.
Both men were on their last leg, and both knew it. That didn't mean that they have played all their cards though.
Taking his dress shirt from the neck, Risei started to rip-it off his body slowly.
THUD
There was a hollow sound in the silence of the church, with Kiritsugu widening his eyes in complete surprise at what he saw underneath.
Kitomine Risei had a massive frame, all muscle, from his vast years of service and commitment to the church, but he usually hit it under the heavy clothes standard for priests, but now Kitisugu was starting to figure out it was all a fluke.
Starting from his left pectoral, Kotomine's chest and abdomen was saturated in scar tissue. Now, one may think it was just an old wound the old priest received some time ago, but if that were the case, the skin tone would be pretty even. It wasn't the case.
The old priest's skin had at least three different tones on it, and the scars between each of them were ink black.
"Magical Crests, son," Risei said in a calm and collected tone of voice, the balck of the 'scars' starting to expand and covering him. "They harden in response to physical trauma," he examined his left arm carefully, now fully covered by that blackness. "You cannot hurt me, Emiya!" he exclaimed, before punching the ground at his feet with all his strength.
CRASH
The damage done was greater than at the beginning of their fight. Risei managed to punch a hole through the floor and into the basement.
Kiritsugu had a bewildered expression on his face at this point, he simply couldn't wrap his head around the situation at hand. He deeply studied the Kotomine family beforehand, but none of his documents contained this tidbit of information.
"For your expression, I would guess that you are quite surprised by this development," Risei spoke evenly, eyeing the man before him carefully. "After the disaster that was the Third War, the Church had to take the reins of the situation here at Fuyuki, the position of the Overseer was born at root of this. We were given Command Seals, remnants of the last War, a fact that was public to all the involved parties, what wasn't revealed was that, before returning or disposing of the previous competitors corpses, their Magical Crests were either fully extracted, or simply a minuscule part was taken. Then, they were implanted all in a single person, capable of handling such amounts of Od coming from different sources without too much repercussion. It wasn't simply luck that I was assigned as the Overseer of the Fourth Holy Grail War, out of a thousand candidates I was the only one compatible with seven different sets of Magical Crests!"
The church's old skeleton of wood settled from its rattling vibrations. The air went still and the notion of retreat went null.
In many ways, this was their meeting and their departure. Should another succession of impacts follow, the church bells would've been certain to signal as such for the entire bleak city to know.
"...Should I ask for a last confession? Or to welcome home once more a lost son?" Risei's words came through his taut jaw. The single nuance of emotion that colored them could have been identified as a heart wrenching nostalgia. The reasons for its existence had not gone beyond Kiritsugu's observation.
"If old age seemed to spare your body, it certainly hasn't looked over your mind, Risei", this was it. A point of weakness that physical violence alone couldn't buy. No, this had to be carefully spurned with a specific perspective to derail the priest's attention. "But that I can look over. Something so inconsequential as being senile has little weight in a deranged and insane family."
Risei's brow scrunched. And the corners of his nose lightly pushed upwards as his mouth twitched. "Exactly why I welcome you, my son… You think I didn't know?" his voice, almost quivered, transmitted obvious anger.
"Hoh! So senile AND deranged! …Allow me to retract my previous statement" Emiya's hand unnoticeably contracted. "Has it eaten at you already? Was that TOO much pain to bear for a devout man of God to continue on the path made clear to him through faith?" The derisive tone which colored his delivered words felt like a heavy smog that clung to the priest's demonized thoughts, tearing at him to further leave him bare and powerless. "Has your Almighty abandoned you? Or no, don't tell me: He never even existed in the first place for a psychopath like you and your dead son?"
"Oh but He EXISTS, Emiya Kiritsugu! So much so that He had deemed it for me to at long last confront a son of mine! One that lived no different than the one you now mock!" Risei's voice at last ruptured with a pathos never heard before! The floor felt liquid, the walls echoed his pain and the stained glass windows trembled in anticipation!
"You think I didn't know? Of what slowly consumed my son? Of what abyss begat his salvation? Oh… believe me I knew. Such is a father's duty. …Something I can't imagine you to understand most of all…" a slithering end of whistled sounds signaled his breathless admission.
The last words stabbed at Emiya deep.
Had the priest known?
Were his deeds known?
All these years, after all this time? Could they have somehow tracked him all the way back then? Back in that night on a burning island…?
"-" Yet before he could speak, the priest already stole the moment.
"And only so… could I now know, the monster that stands before me!" A vindictive glare trapped the freelancer like the vice clasp of hands over a hurt butterfly. "Just look at you. All of those gimmicks and tricks. All of those tactics and plans. All for what? I see only a psychopath with no clear goal in mind, but just desperate of a miracle to answer his deepest question; NOT desire!"
"How much you know, 'father'. Though I ask, if you knew so much as a fraction of what you claim, where is all that care you carried for Kirei now? Where were you when Kirei went into the war? Oh yes, I know: right here. You were sitting nice and cozy while giggling and talking with a Tohsaka like schoolgirls, as your son took a jog down death lane. How paternal of you…" but with just as more sting had Emiya's words hit at the old priest. Something merciless and brutal, that certainly wounded the executioner on a level not reached by lead and trauma.
"You accuse me of carelessness and indifference, killer for higher, but in the least I had enough heart to let him choose his life himself! I don't make choices FOR others while putting bullets in a family and call it honorable work! I guide! I nourish! While YOU take all the power from a person's hands and kick them down hell just because you are incapable of finding any better solution! …The easy way out is a pathway to hell, Emiya" The priest took heavy breaths as if he had run a marathon, but his eyes glimmered with an intensity unaltered since their eyes made contact. "…And I knew since the beginning of it. I saw it once I learned of you. The timing, the actions, the ironic contrast even! …I knew I recognized you in a manner too familiar. But once my eyes laid on Kirei's obsession, everything became clear."
"For a man you've known through written documents and little face to face time, as myself know you; there is an awful lot of investment old man. Could've almost fooled me, if you tried a little harder with the heartfelt act. Might've even had me spare you out of sympathy for a grieving elder" Spoke with detached attitude the Magus Killer, further trying to deliver the proverbial bullet in the target's heart. "But looking for traces of ghosts in others won't bring back the dead. Much less, looking for familiarity in strangers and opposites. But there's no point I guess in trying to teach anything to a rabid dog as old as you. Not since you were the 'paragon' to guide what you called a son."
Straight, efficient and calculated. Kiritsugu made certain to mentally destabilize the executioner through all elements that could be a source of doubt within his mind. Age, losses, family, mistakes he could be making even now without realizing. Through context they were delivered.
Risei's heart clenched and his face contorted into a near mad abstract of strained muscle. "Don't be so 'modest'! I know how you work…"
The Magus Killer shifted his weight on the left leg entirely, yet still unnoticed.
"The way you act. The way you feel and how your face becomes an empty shell. Even now, hah! And who could you fool with eyes as dead as those? …Not me!" A beginning of a smile quirked the priest's mouth as he took notice of the freelancer's silence and taut expression. "You kill like a machine. Strike where it hurts. Topple the hurdles through deliberate interventions, with stone cold indifference! Now, from where had I learned so, hmm? Who could forget the simplicity you've made of those you've killed? Just like Kirei would've. Shoot your mouth as much as you like to shoot those guns you use, Emiya Kiritsugu, but how dare you still criticize the man you've fared so much, when he was no different than you?! Call him however a heretic like you can think of, but there is one unavoidable reality at the day's end: Unlike you, he had the decency to admit to being the monster he felt himself as; and live his life in dedication to avoid becoming what YOU are!"
The silence left after his words became alarming! The lack of a background noise infuriating, and their state of simple standoff felt like an escalating disaster! White noise could be felt bubbling within their ears, a pressure felt like killing the both of them with every second they took to simply say nothing.
And at long last, the flash of light that came from outside as an ominous illumination over the two desperate men felt like nature's incentive to break the situation in an irreversible catastrophe.
"So, what are we waiting for then, Emiya Kiritsugu? You've already killed your father" Risei dared to take a step forward, almost crawling instead of walking.
"What's more to take the life of another one now?"
A screeching flash of heat and white noise frothed within the Magus Killer's head like the turbulent and volatile sea.
The sound of a gunshot and the slump of a body; the confines of a wooden cabin and the smell of withering plants; the warm temperature by the sea… and the sight of fire.
"…"
Norikata's hurt, confused and betrayed look reflected from Risei's squinted eyes as he recklessly leapt towards him.
CRACK
CRACK
CRACK
With each step that the old priest took, the ground was shattered in thousand pieces, while the lone mercenary took a deep breath and felt his Circuits warm up slightly.
Kiritsugu closed his eyes for a mere moment, before facing the priest with grim determination. "[Time Alter - Square Accel]!"
The moment the priest released a potent, boner-breaking, strike towards Kiritsugu's skull, the Magus Killer bended slightly backwards, with his Thomspon aiming true forwards. The old priest's facial expression changed towards one of panic, and tried to backtrack on his steps, but it was too late.
BANG
SPLAT
Eyes widened in both realization and pain looked towards the smoking gun barrel, a thousand thoughts running through the priest's head at the moment, before fading away towards resignation. His shoulders slumped, and he felt on his knees in newfound weakness.
Cue: Naruto Soundtrack- Sadness and Sorrow (FULL VERSION)
A slight rain started to pour in, the damage done to the structure permitting a couple of drops to enter freely and splash into the floor.
Kiritsugu fell into his back, his body aching from everywhere, but his resolve still standing and strong. He just looked forward, crossing his sight with Risei's once more, and for a final time.
The priest's body was smoking slightly, yet he still held his gaze. "Fight," he simply told the Magus Killer, before the right half of his body was consumed in blue flames until there was nothing more.
Observing the corpse for a moment, Kiritsugu finally let himself rest for the moment. There was still much to do. He still has too much to do.
XXX
"RaaaarrgghHHHH!"
The rain was soaking her clothes, her heart went highwire, and her throat was being crushed this instante, yet her eyes drifted towards her knight.
"My...Lady…" Lancer managed to gasp the words between his own blood, a trident running through him from side to side. The Knight raised his hand one last time in hopes of reaching her, before it went limp.
CRACK
Shortly afterwards, the woman's body went limp too.
"That is enough."
Two pairs of red went towards the speaker, laying sight over one of the many avatars that Assassin had at their disposal.
"So, what is the determinant factor of this competition, Mongrel?" Archer asked in a bored tone. He wasn't all that bothered about the rain, just slightly annoyed at Tokiomi's ramblings in their mental link.
"While you, King of Heroes, gave death towards Lancer, it is the Knight of the Lake who accomplished the exact task," Assassin answered with just a slight pause of deliberation. "But do not fret, your Master still has a chance of claiming his heir back if you manage to slay Saber on your lonesome. However, my Master has determined that for tonight, all further acts of aggression must be ceased until tomorrow evening at our temple. There, you will find Saber," Assassin then shifted their attention towards Berserker, who despite having just killed the woman, was carrying her corpse with such a carefulness not expected of his class. "Knight of the Lake, you and your Master must come tomorrow at the evening to claim back the child. Make sure to bring the woman as proof of your feat of tonight."
With their business concluded, Assassin banished once more, but both knew that they were being watched still.
Clicking his tongue, Archer looked with boredom at Berserker. "Rejoice, Mongrel. You managed to accomplish the most glorious feat of your life tonight, being able to surpass me in this competition. Make sure to remember it, because it will not happen again."
Like that, the King of Heroes banished too, leaving the fallen knight on his lonesome, the rain hitting hard against his armor, but he didn't feel a thing.
The mad Servant looked towards the place in which Lancer felt, and only saw a hole on the ground as the only proof of his fellow's existence. He then posed his sight over the woman in his arms, and shaked in righteous rage at the injustice he just commited.
Looking towards the sky, Lancelot let loose a furious howl originating from the deepest part of his very soul.
"AAAARRGGHHHH!"
The Knight of the Lake unleashed his suppressed rage, doubts, and fury towards the clouds of rain in the sky. He unleashed the most animalistic part of his rage and madness in his howl, as if cursing the very world for being involved in this tragedy. He didn't suppress anything, not again.
Above all, he unleashed his pure hate towards the man responsible for this situation. He shall satiate his rage with the blood that Daemon, that is a vow he swore with the more rational part of his mind.
And when the monster is finally vanquished, he can finally be judged by his King. To look for a path towards redemption, to finally pay for his transgressions against his sworn brothers and his ledge. To be free of that weight that consumed his soul while still living. He shall finally attain his wish.
XxXxX
And cut.
Well, we have some deaths in this chapter. The first Servant has fallen, alongside his Master.
Risei...man, what can I say about Risei. I always found weird that the Church didn't made any more arrangements about the security of their Overseer, specially with Magi involved, so I give him an upgrade.
Big thanks towards Caldera Valhallis, who helped me write the Risei and Kiritsugu segment. Thanks pal, I owe you one.
Well, see you soon guys and gals. Please, leave your questions in the comments and I will try to get to you as fast as I can.
See ya!
