Fate Grand Apocrypha - Standard Bearers
Chapter 04 : Confrontation
Author's Note : Kind of late to address this now, but this story takes place after Summer 3/Servafes and Epic of Remnant of FGO, but before the Fate Apocrypha collab event, meaning no Sieg on Chaldea yet. The Lostbelt incident also hasn't occurred yet. Does that make sense? I hope it does, FGO event's timeline is kinda wacky.
Disclaimer : I don't own Fate, Type-Moon does.
The bold statement shocked everyone, the white haired girl once again addressed the titles of everyone present, no, perhaps calling it titles would be inaccurate, it actually more closely resembles nicknames that she has assigned to each of them, as if, she has personally met them at one point of her life, which in this case, is not that far from the truth.
Before anything else could be said, sharp metal stakes suddenly protruded from the ground, clearly aimed at the girl. Whether by instinct or her own anticipation of such an extreme reaction, she jumped back a few meters from her previous position, narrowly escaping her death.
"Whoa! Almost made a shish kebab out of me there! 'Shoot first and ask question later' kind of guy huh?"
"You! Girl! Who are you?! How did you obtain information regarding our Faction?" shouted a bearded man with long hair.
"...Would you believe me if i said that was just a lucky guess?"
A girl in a wedding dress gritted her teeth, she tightened her grip on her mace-like weapon and rushed forward in attempt to strike the white haired girl, an attack which was easily dodged by the white haired girl simply by sidestepping a few times, not letting the girl catch her breath, several arrows were fired from various direction at her, she grabbed her sword from her hip and parried the relentless assault.
"Avenger!"
"Future-me!"
"Sheesh! tough crowd! If that's your overreaction then remind me to never greet any of you whenever we meet, i really don't need this extra exercise."
A masked man snapped his finger, calling forth severals Golems shaped in his distinct style, to aid his comrade. But before that could happen a voiced boomed through the forest.
"That is enough! I, as the Ruler class Servant overseeing this Holy Grail War, shall not tolerate any more attempt to endanger her! She is my companion, and you will treat her with the respect that she deserves!" Jeanne spoke with clear conviction.
Everyone froze, not expecting Ruler to lend her aid to the unknown Servant, the girl in wedding dress begrudgingly returned to her Master's side, while the Archer lowered his bow in compliance, the Golems however, secured a perimeter to ensure that no one can make an escape attempt.
"Fine, just answer our question, who are these two Servants? And what happened to you, Saber?" The bearded man inquired, pointing out Saber's bloody form.
"These two are here to assist me in my endeavor as the overseer, offering their protection. Perhaps you've heard of the attempt made by Lancer of Red to take my life?"
"Yeah, as you can see, this Saint here is not that great in combat, so that's were we came in. Call us her bodyguards, or just call us her attack dogs, whichever you prefers."
"Future-me! Don't give them any weird ideas!"
"Shush, brat. The adults are talking."
"This little girl is a Servant?" A glasses wearing boy asked, possibly the wedding dress girl's Master.
"Why, yes i am! As you can see from this spear, my class is Lancer!" Lily stated as she twirled her spear around.
"The weapon you have doesn't really prove anything regarding your class, brat. By that logic i'm a Lancer as well for swinging this thing around." Alter said, referring to her flag.
The little girl showed an irritated scowl at her future-self.
"Just so you know, four-eyes, as ridiculous as she looks, the brat is still a Servant, meaning at the very least, she's ten times stronger than you. Hell, i bet she could give that Servant of yours a run for her money."
"...F-Four-eyes?" The boy yelped, not expecting the girl to call him that. Meanwhile, his Servant can only growl in response.
Everyone then stared at the black-clad Servant, expecting her to introduce herself.
Alter then pointed at herself. "Ah, me? Nothing special about me, just an average Avenger class Servant."
"Avenger? What kind of class is that? Is that even real?" The glasses wearing boy asked with a shocked expression.
"Archer? Do you know anything about it?" A girl in a wheelchair asked Archer of Black, who stood behind her.
"Yes, Master. Avenger, alongside Ruler, is one of the extra classes. Classes that can only be summoned under very special circumstances. As the name implies, seeking vengeance is their defining trait, they were born from strong resentment toward someone or something, hatred so strong that it manifested as a Servant class. I did not expect to see one during this Holy Grail War." Archer explained.
"Indeed, i heard that the Einzberns wanted to summon one during the previous Grail War. but i never encountered it, perhaps they've changed their mind." Darnic added.
'Really? This one doesn't look very resentful though.' The glasses wearing boy thought.
"I see, to ensure Ruler's safety the Grail have decided to summon two more Servants to aid her." The bearded man hummed, he then directed his gaze at Siegfried. "And Saber? What is your side of the story?"
"This wounds are caused by my own hands, i wanted to help that boy, by giving him my heart, but Ruler and her companion stopped me..." Siegfried replied.
The bearded man glared menacingly at Saber's answer.
"I can't believe we almost lost our Saber for such a frivolous reason." Darnic exclaimed, aghast that they almost lost one of their key player.
"That was close..." The glasses wearing boy remarked.
"Darnic, this Homunculus... There's something different about him. Perhaps we could use him for the core." The masked man, who has been keenly observing Sieg the whole time stated to the blue haired man.
Darnic looked like he was contemplating something. "I see, Rider, you're the closest to him, hand him over."
"I refuse." Astolfo vehemently denied.
"Do not make us waste a Command Spell on this!" Darnic threatened as a glasses-wearing woman, presumably Astolfo's Master, raised her hand to show her Command Spell, ready to use it on Darnic's command.
A black sword suddenly were swung near the woman's hand, almost lopping it off. The woman retracted her hand and clutched it fearfully. "Whoa there lady, let's not lose our hand over this, shall we? The brat over there and i spent some effort to make sure the kid lives, i'd hate to see it gone down the drain."
The Black Faction's Servant once again prepared themselves to clash with the Black-clad Servant. At least until Jeanne intervened. "Enough, you may not drag him into this Grail War." She declared.
"...What?" The masked man asked, confused by Ruler's sudden decision.
"Even the Grail War has rules, this boy did not willingly join the fray."
"But he isn't unrelated either, he almost caused Saber's death, and he is the property of our Faction." The masked man replied.
"That is why we have intervened to save Saber's life. Besides, is there any particular reason that caused you to want him back?"
"The boy is a suitable core, and that is what matters to me."
"Core? for one of your project? What kind of Golem is it this time? Don't tell me you were talking about that copy of our dear old ancestor?" Alter inquired.
"...It was supposed to be my Masterpiece, my lifework, i dedicated my entire life in its creation, yet i still failed. My only desire is to create it, i couldn't care less about the Grail."
"Boring, utterly boring. Why would you want to make a copy of him anyway? He's just a regular ol' human. If you wanna make something that you'd be proud to call your magnum opus, how about something that would inspire fear and awe. Like, say... a Dragon." Alter 'suggested'.
Lily narrowed her eyes 'She's up to something...'
"I wouldn't let the opinion of some random Servant to sway me from my goals."
"I see, my bad, i thought the so called Greatest Golem User could do it. But i guess it would be too hard for you. Dragons are a Phantasmal Beasts after all, the difficulty would be too much, even for you. Can't be helped."
"Roche..."
"Yes, Sensei?" A brown haired boy answered, presumably Caster's Master.
"Prepare the necessary materials, we're starting another project alongside the old one. I want it in my workshop by tomorrow."
"R-Right! I'll prepare it as soon as we head back." Roche said with a salute, he didn't expect the person he admires could be convinced so easily, but he doesn't really care, making Golem is his passion, and helping his Sensei to create another legendary Golem would be a great honor to him.
Alter subtly smirked. 'Heh, suckers! Who knew he were so prideful that a little goading was all it took? That new Noble Phantasm will be mine! Then Master will see how useful i am compared to that dumb King.'
Everyone stared at the exchange, some with mouth agape, some with amused expression.
'What just happened?' The glasses wearing boy thought in confusion.
"...Be that as it may, that Homunculus is a resource that we have prepared for this war." Darnic stated, picking up the conversation where it was left before. "No personality, past, nor family, made simply to fight."
"That might be the case, however, he acted to preserve his own life. And he wasn't the only who did." At that statement Alter and Lily stood beside Jeanne. Lily readies her spear, and Alter pointed her blade at the Black Faction with a smirk, she then planted her flag on the ground and made a 'come at me' gesture with her other hand, challenging any who dare.
Siegfried moved between them, facing the bearded man directly, defiance on his eyes.
Astolfo put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Don't worry, i'll make sure you get out of this alive." He reassured.
"Siegfried, you wish to save the Homunculus?"
"Yes, it was supposed to be my last wish, but it seems fate has others plan in store for me."
"This boy is under our protection, and i will not stand by and let you take him!" Jeanne said as she twirled her flag around and pointed the sharp end at the bearded man. "I swore upon this flag!"
"Heh, look at you, finally taking charge like that." Alter chuckled. 'At least this one finally does, the one at home does that way too much, it's borderline annoying.'
The bearded man eyes widened a little, realizing the identity of the girl who stood in front of him. "The Maid of Orleans!"
"By my true name, i will not hand him over!"
"Archer, do we have a chance if all our Servants attack them at once?" The glasses-wearing boy asked Archer of Black.
"No, we know nothing about their Noble Phantasm. Rulers always have powerful skill, an absolute power over us Servants. The very same Command Spell that you Masters wield. Not to mention, her two companions, their combat capabilities are unknown, especially the Black-clad one, her unusual class leaves us with no solid information on her fighting style." Archer explained.
"Rider, Saber, do you consider what you did a despicable act of treason?"
"Of course not! I believe that i did the right thing!" Astolfo declared.
At that response Astolfo's Master gasped, cold sweat trailed her cheeks, worried that her Servant's disobedience would also cause her to receive punishment.
"I believe i did the right thing as well. Helping others have always been a part of me and my legends, this time is not that much different, the only difference is that i tried to help him by my own will, without anyone asking me to do it." Siegfried stated.
A small, amused smile formed on the bearded man's lips. "Yet, you may not go unpunished." The smile disappearing into a serious expression. "Caster!" He commanded.
The masked man walked in front of the two rebellious Black Faction Servant, he raised his right hand at Astolfo and Siegfried, causing a purple glow to appear on their hand, before encasing it in a sphere made of rock and dirt, trapping their arm inside.
Astolfo sighed. "Oh well, can't be helped. Let's just go." He said as he walked towards the other Black Faction members. Siegfried wordlessly complied as well.
"Wait, we're not done talking here. We still have to retrieve the Homunculus!" Darnic tried to stop them.
"Oh? Didn't Ruler said that we're not handing him over? Or do you want to take him by force? Feel free to try." Alter once again challenged.
The bearded man glared, sizing up Ruler and her companions. The other Black Servants tensed up, ready to attack on command.
"Think about it, pal, is he really worth it? If you think losing one or two Servants over some dumb Homunculus is an acceptable loss, then go on ahead. Let me give you a little piece of advice, Lancer of Red is not someone you can defeat by playing around, losing Servants on a petty squabbles like this won't win you the war."
"You think we are afraid of you? Some no name Servants couldn't possibly stand up to ours!" Darnic shouted in outrage.
"Care to put that theory to test? Unlike this Saint, i won't hesitate to kill women and children, maybe i'll kill all of you Masters before your Servant could do anything about it, or maybe i'll somehow manage to defeat your Servants. Who knows?"
The silence was palpable, no one dared to make any sudden movement. Darnic gritted his teeth. He was about to issue the order to attack, before the bearded man interrupted him.
"We're done here." He said. Darnic raised an eyebrow at this, wondering what his Servant meant by that.
"Ruler, as my sisters before God, will you join forces with us?" the bearded man offered.
"That's gotta be the flimsiest attempt to convince someone to join their cause, i don't think that even this Holy Woman would fall for that." Alter whispered to Lily.
Lily nodded. "Logimically, Original-me would refuse, because she is someone who respect rules, including this Holy Grail War's."
Alter narrowed her eyes, remembering something.
"Alter! Want to have lunch with onee-chan?"
"You learned how to read and write? You're such a hard worker Alter!"
"What kind of doujin would you be making Alter?"
"I heard you gave Master a chocolate last Valentine, did you make it yourself?"
"Want to team up for next year's Nerofest? Let's show them how we Jeannes do things!"
"It's my birthday today, but that also means its your birthday as well. Let's celebrate it together! Eh? Your birthday is not today but at the same day as Master's?"
"You and Lily are both my adorable little sisters!"
Alter shuddered at the thought. "...Yeah, too bad there's no rule that can keep her from being too clingy."
"As long as you fight for the Grail in an honorable fashion, i will not interfere whatever may happen." Jeanne glanced at her alternate selves for a moment. 'At least, for now...' She thought.
"Hmph." The bearded man hummed. He wordlessly turned back towards his allies, who one by one started to leave the area. Caster ordered a Golem to carry the unconscious Gordes.
Astolfo turned back to look at the boy for a moment."Well then, this is the extent to which i'll help you." He said while winking twice, indicating their earlier promise to help free the boy's brethren.
'Oh wow, i'm surprised no one noticed that.' Alter thought.
"Don't worry, you'll be fine! You can live on now. Go to town, see new faces, learn to love and hate people." Astolfo said with a smile.
'That sounds familiar, the brat and i, we started from nothing, with no memories we could truly call our own. But now...'
"Oh, that's wonderful! I could teach him anything he didn't understand, i always wanted to try being a teacher at least once." Lily exclaimed excitedly.
"Live a happy life, got it?" Astolfo raised his sealed arms, waving it at the boy. "Then he and i won't have fought in vain!" Astolfo glanced at Siegfried, who stood not far from Astolfo. He also have a few words he would like to impart to the boy.
The boy looked uncertain. "I..." He muttered.
"Live! you're allowed to now! Astolfo shouted, stunning the boy.
Siegfried nodded at the word. "Live long, and one day you will encounter your siblings again." He turned his back away from the boy. 'I will personally be there to ensure it.' He thought as he walked away. Astolfo followed not too far behind with a small smile, satisfied with the encouragement that they gave to the boy. Both did not notice that Astolfo's Master also stopped walking and saw the whole thing, she glared at them with anger in her eyes but said nothing. She soon walked back to join her allies.
"Astolfo-san and Siegfried-san, they really are true heroes!" Lily exclaimed with sparkles in her eyes.
"Heh, i guess that bumbling Paladin could also act heroic once in a blue moon" Alter remarked with an amused smirk. "Those two are in for a rough time, their Masters will chew them alive." She whispered to Lily.
Lily shuddered at the thought, Reindeer-san rarely gets mad, but when he does, even Alter knew to shut her mouth.
"I'm happy to know, that even in the middle of a Grail War, there are still Heroic Spirits that would take their time to save innocent lives." Jeanne said with a warm smile, she then turned to look at the boy. "Now then, shall we go?"
"Go where?"
"To a place where you can be free."
'Hopefully, not with us. We don't need another brat to babysit.'
Yeah, i know, most of this chapter is just the same scene from Apocrypha. Sorry for that. But oh well, i gotta build my foundation from something.
I'll see you next time.