She was surrounded. The Matsudaira and Imagawa have marched to corner her and her forces. Right now, her and her advisers were hauled up in this castle, prepared for the worst.
At least her advisors were. They were terrified, wanting to give up.
They wanted her to hide, or to surrender. To become a coward in order to save her own skin.
"My Lord," one of them began, Obata. "We implore you to reconsider! You are the heir to the Oda Clan! If you die...the Oda will die with you! Your father's and grandfather's legacies will-"
Her eyes turned to him, making him shake. Obata was weak, she knew that, as were the other two, Kitagawa and Sato. They wanted her to take the easy way out, the route they would.
"Cowards," she muttered.
"Ex...Excuse me, my Lord?" Obata asked, surprised. The four of them were still dressed in their armour, although Nobunaga's was clearly more damaged than theirs. Obata was the eldest of them all, serving under her father before his untimely death. Obata Hagakure was a tall man with graying hair and cold, brown eyes. However, he was also a weary man, one whose years of conflict changed his outlook on combat.
"You would prefer we lose everything we've gained so far? To turn tail and run away," Nobunaga asked.
"My Lord, at this point, yes! There is no possible way we can stand to take on the combined might of both the Matsudaira and Imagawa! We have barely over twenty-five hundred men! They outnumber us ten to one!"
"I suggest we prepare to stand a siege at Kiyosu," said Kitagawa. He sat down, and took a deep breath. "That's all we can do, given how much they outnumber us…"
Nobunaga raised her brow.
Kitagawa Akito was one of her advisers who assisted her during the succession crisis after her father's death. He was getting there in years, however he was still a reliable combatant.
"Only a strong offensive policy could make up for the superior numbers of the enemy", she stated. "Sato, prepare for a counterattack against Yoshimoto. That's final."
Sato looked to his Lord, and sighed. "Very well, my Lord. I just pray this decision of yours will prove fruitful."
"It shall, unless you don't have faith in me, Sato?"
"I do, my Lord."
My eyes slowly fluttered open, and I sighed. The moon was still out. I looked at the clock on the counter. It read 2:45 A.M.
That dream I had...it was definitely Nobu's past. I already knew Masters could see the memories of their Servants through dreams, I just didn't think it'd happen to me, at least not this early.
I sat up in my bed. I couldn't go back to sleep now. I felt the urge to go out, but doing such a thing was obviously dangerous. I had no idea who the other Servants were in this war. I didn't even know if there would be six specifically. Since I was able to summon an Avenger class Servant, how was I supposed to know if the others would be the standard classes? Even then, how was I supposed to know if there would even be Seven Servants?
The thought was terrifying. Nobunaga's a strong Servant, but she wouldn't be a match to others, such as Gilgamesh, Arturia, and several others, let alone Grand candidates.
"You look nervous, Master." Nobunaga said, taking me by surprise. I looked over to where I heard the voice, and she materialized in a puff of blue particles.
"I...I'm just, wondering," I said. "Since I summoned you, an Avenger class Servant, what's to say that-"
"Worrying about that will get you nowhere," she said. "We will find out when we do, preparing for the unknowable is impossible. Say there are fifteen Servants in this war, then what? That's simply one more opponent we must kill. You do not know their true name, and as such cannot plan ahead for them."
"...Yea, you're right. It's just...I haven't gone through anything like this before. I was just thrust into this before fully realizing. I'm in a War, A Holy Grail War. I could die...Kiara and Arabella could die...I might not even win the Grail, and if I don't what will my family do? What will Kaalut do? Kill me? Send me back to my world? I-"
"Master," Nobunaga said, placing a hand on my shoulder. I looked up at her. "Calm. Down. You will only harm yourself and those you care about if you keep on stressing over things you cannot control. I swear on my sword and my name as Demon King that I will get you through this war. After all, it'd be a shame for someone so interesting to die before I could even attain my wish."
I smirked.
"Yea, you're right. What do you even want to do anyway, after your wish?"
"Explore the world, get a feel for how much things have changed. After that, I do not know. Conquer the world? No...that's foolish. But then again I am the Fool of Owari…"
"Yo," I said, interrupting her from her thoughts. She snapped her head to me.
"Ah, a better question would be; what do you plan on doing. Your wish would result in my death. If you indeed plan on that, I will have no ill will toward you. It will be the path you choose."
"...Thanks," I said, surprised. It was...surprising to hear her say that. If it was any other Servant, I was sure I'd be killed as soon as I made the thought to go for that wish. I still don't know if I want to go through with it, but I need to come up with a decision. "I don't know yet, so far. But I'm sure I'll come up with something by the end of the War."
"Just know that this is a wish worth dying for. Killing for. If it is indeed something you'd want, then make sure it is worthy of the sacrifices you took to make it there, A wish that will give you no regrets."
I nodded in response. "Got it."
I got to my feet, and stretched.
"Well, I'm not gonna be asleep anytime soon. Maybe we could take a walk? At least around the block, not too far from the hotel."
"That would be the safest route," she replied. "Very well then, let's go on our way."
The four of us eventually came to the wooded area surrounding the manor. The drive there was somewhat long, but I spent most of the tax drive there worried about if we'd encounter anything today.
As we stepped out of the car, the difference in smell was immediate. Since this was outside the city, the air was more clean than usual. The scenery was also nice. A lot of trees surrounding us, a stone path leading past a gate toward the manor. Inside the gate were some small trees, and other shrubbery. It seemed quaint, and I certainly wouldn't mind living there.
It was unfortunate that Arabella had to brainwash the driver, but it was either that or try to explain why we wanted to go to this secluded area on the outskirts of town that no one ever went to, and also why we might come back bruised and bloody if things went south.
The general plan was to just make contact. To scout out the area and devise a plan in the case we had to infiltrate or attack one day. It was Nobunaga's idea.
"There's definitely a bounded field around this area," Kiara said. "And I can also see some creatures inside the barrier, but it's hard to tell if they're actually animals or familiars," she added, pointing to a black bird that was inside a tree on the inside of the gate, staring at us. Right as it noticed our gazes on it, it flew away.
I took a breath.
"Would knocking help?" I blurted out. Before any of the other women could comment on my stupidity, a voice cut through the brief silence.
"That will not be necessary."
A figure was soon walking down the path toward us, the gates sliding open as they came closer. Their voice had an accent that was foreign to me. The voice itself was feminine, powerful, yet also somewhat apathetic. As the figure came into view, I immediately knew who they were. Dressed in a white dress with brown knee length boots was the Saber Servant Altera. Her eyes were trained on me. Nobunaga was still in spirit form, however I didn't know if Altera could sense her or not.
"Foolish, coming right into the territory of an enemy Master and Servant," she said, standing right behind the opened gate. She looked at me, her eyes narrowed.
"I...I don't want to fight," I said. Arabella and Kiara simply stood behind me. I could tell they were tense.
"And why should I believe that? You may look young but I hardly believe that a Mage and Master would be so foolish as to come here not expecting a fight."
...I was. I was that foolish. Before I could respond, the sounds of swords clashing rang out. Nobu materialized right in front of me, her sword protecting me from Altera's. My eyes widened as the realization of what just happened dawned on me.
I could've died…
"Fast reflexes…" Altera commented. She pushed back against Nobunaga and her dress vanished as she donned her standard attire. She was outside the back inside the bounded field, just behind the gate, and I noticed that a lot of birds were watching us from inside it.
Nobunaga then manifested guns from thin air, arquebuses. They fired into the field, however their power seemed to lessen as they entered.
Nobunaga raised her sword toward Altera.
"Do you intend on waiting for me to enter? It's obvious that you will gain an advantage if I were to enter the bounded field."
"Well then, it seems I will just have to make due with what I have."
She was gone in a flash, and suddenly reappeared with her sword clashing against Nobunaga's. The ground beneath their feet gave way from the strength of the two Heroic Spirits. As the two struggled, Nobunaga opened her mouth, spewing red flames right in Altera's face. This caused her to stumble, and Nobu used this to her advantage, creating an arquebus and quickly shooting her in the chest. The bullet hit, but didn't seem to do much damage. Altera recovered soon enough, and brought her sword down to Nobunaga, who blocked it with another arquebus that appeared in mid air.
I was positive there was nothing I could do. Yea, I could try using magecraft, but that would only bring attention to me and get in Nobu's way.
Alternatively, I could try sneaking on. The thing was, the only way in was the place where the two Servants were fighting in front of. So...that's a no go.
The only thing I could do now was make sure Nobu didn't die, using a Command Spell if necessary.
Altera soon got the upper hand, dodging Nobu's strikes and dealing her own. Nobu was being pushed back, having to use the arquebuses to block Altera's increasing strikes, as well as use them and her sword to attempt to deal damage. Nobu released flames around her, forcing Altera back. The Saber Servant gripped her sword, and rushed forward, an explosion of light coming off her, knocking Nobu back. She recovered, and fired more shots toward Altera. She deflected them with her sword, forcing me to narrowly dodge out of the way as one nearly grazed me. The other bullets flew through the rees behind us. Nobu continued onward, gaining more and more ground in a flurry of attacks and deflections that were too fast for me to see. Right as she got close to Altera, Nobunaga released a point blank shot in her face. Altera stumbled back, and Nobu used this to encase her in flames. I could see her stumble around, and through the flames she unleashed a ray of light from her sword, nearly hitting Nobu. The beam flew past the twins and I, going on to destroy a part of the forest behind us.
I clenched my fist, my eyes wandering to the spider-like Command Spells on my hand.
Maybe I could...no, I wouldn't have to command her to do it.
'Avenger,' I began, using our psychic link to communicate with her. 'Use your Noble Phantasm against her! It's the only way to win!'
Nobunaga managed to get enough space, and she was surrounded in a dark red aura. However right as she was about to begin chanting, Altera stabbed her sword into the ground.
"My Master has decided that this battle is over," she said. I heard clapping in the distance, and my eyes shifted to the gate. From the inside of the field, a woman walked toward us. She was blonde, around Kiara's and Arabella's height, and looked to be in her early twenties. She was wearing a red top with a black coat and black skirt and leggings with brown heels. As she got closer, I saw that her eyes were green, and she had a smile on her face.
"Excellent. Truly excellent. Now, I was perfectly content with having Saber kill you all, but now I see you four would be valuable allies."
"Who are you," Arabella demanded, her eyes narrowed. The woman chuckled.
"You don't know who I am? How sheltered must you be? I am Alice Faust, the heiress to the eight hundred year old lineage."
I had never heard of someone named that at all.
I shook my head, and her eyes narrowed.
"Oh? And what would a child and his babysitters know? Who are you even anyway? That woman over there seemed to know about Bounded Fields, so I at least know you to be Mages."
My eyes wandered to her hands, which were covered by black leather gloves. I looked back at her.
"Clay. Clay Myrn."
Her eyes widened at that, that smug smile remaining on her face,
"Oh? The secret child of the Myrn bloodline? You know, your existence was rumored around the Clocktower. I knew your mother, although I can't say we were close."
I don't remember my mom...I don't remember Vivian saying anything about her life at the Clocktower. She was really secretive about that aspect of her life. She hardly ever talked about life outside the Myrn estate, and the only thing she told me about was the one time she visited the Wandering Sea. Maybe she hated that part of her life? I wouldn't doubt it.
"She never mentioned you," I said. This seemed to make her annoyed. She rolled her eyes.
"Ignoring all that, since you are of the Myrn bloodline, I hope you're a decent combatant. If that is the case, then I have a proposition for you. Ally with me in the defeat of the Lancer Servant, and I won't kill the four of you where you stand."
The twins immediately went to cover me, and Nobu took a step forward, which prompted Altera to do the same.
"I am more than capable of my ability to take you on here and now, however I cannot say the same for Lancer and her master."
"Who are they," I asked, raising my eyebrow.
"The Einzben heiress, Ingrid," she answered. "Her Servant is incredibly powerful. She rides a horse and wields a lance cloaked in light. It was dark, so I couldn't make out much else," she said. My mind immediately came to Lancer Arturia as she said that. It would fit, and I couldn't think of any other lance wielding Servants using horses. Or for that matter horse riding Servants in general. Off the top of my head I could only think of Iskandar.
I nodded in recognition.
"And how are we supposed to trust you," demanded Kiara. "How do we know that you won't go back on your word?"
"I have a...colleague, who specializes in Curses. If you so desire, he can devise a Geis." she answered. She snapped her fingers, and out of the corner of my eye I saw someone peek out from one of the trees inside the field. He had dark skin, olive eyes, and black messy hair. He looked to be young, around my age...well this body's age. He reluctantly hurried over to us, his face clearly nervous. As he came closer I could see he was wearing a black jacket and blue jeans. He waved meekly.
"...Hi," he said. Alice pulled him closer.
"This is Edric Gosb, youngest child of the Gosb bloodline," she introduced. I had never heard of him before at all. Probably some other random Mage family that existed.
"If..If you want to, I can make a scroll for the two of you," he said. Kiara nodded.
"Good. I want to make sure the phrasing won't allow for any loopholes," she said. Edric nodded, and Alice turned around. With a snap of her fingers all the animals watching us flew away.
"Very good, now follow me."
Arabella glared at Altera, and the two escorted me inside, with Nobunaga keeping a close eye on Altera.
"If anything happens, target the Master first," I said.
"Understood," she replied.
We eventually came to the base of the manor, and Altera opened the door for us all. The inside of the manor reminded me of the Myrn estate. It was overly expensive. Paintings adorned the walls, chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and the floor was covered with carpet. There were no people inside, however there were familiars roaming around. Sweeping, cleaning, and doing other tasks. Most of them were small golems, looking unfit for combat.
Alice led us to a secluded room, and Edric began to work on the scroll. Soon enough, he finished, and handed it to Kiara, who began to read over it.
"I, Alice Electra Faust hereby promise to not bring harm to Clay Myrn, nor his Servants through any means, whether it be by my own hand or another's working under my orders. I promise this so long as the Master does the same. This shall be voided upon the confirmed death of Ingrid von Einzbern and her servant Lancer."
Kiara finished.
"Do you accept," Alice asked. I nodded.
"I do."
The Geis took effect, and now this alliance was cemented.
There was no mistaking it, the boy was definitely the reason he was summoned into this time. At first, he wondered why God had him send his one ring into the future, but now he knew.
His master was a madwoman, a Dead Apostle hellbent on awakening an ancient Evil, and this boy, who went by Clay Myrn was not of this world, but another. His arrival, alongside God's order to send this ring into the future and the presence of an Apocalyptic threat was surely no coincidence.
As he looked over him now, conversing with the Master of Saber, he was unsure about his fate. They boy had properties no normal mage could have...something even far more odd than what a normal Homunculus could have. A type of essence to him far different from normal Humans of this age, an essence he hadn't seen before, yet one reminding him of the Age of Gods.
Whatever the case may be, he needed to make sure the boy survived until the end of the War. Then, he could truly give him the thing necessary to aid him in this conflict, to defeat the slumbering terror once and for all. After that, he knew not what would happen. He didn't even know how it was possible for him to be summoned. He shouldn't even be on the Throne, and yet he is.
Solomon rose from his throne, looking across the vast emptiness of his Temple of Time. In another world, he fought and died here against Goetia, and yet in this world those events never happened. Goetia's wishes failed. His ambition ruined. The lives that would be ruined in his time ultimately saved. Olga Marie Animusphere still lived. Those who would be eventually known as the Crypters still lived. This world was filled with powerful Magi, and he only hoped that Proper Human History would prevail once more. If it wouldn't...then this world would either be destroyed or worse, turned into a Lostbelt. Perhaps that was another reason he was here, as a candidate for Grand Caster. It was the reason why he was present in the alternate timeline, in order to defeat Goetia.
He looked to the ten rings on his fingers, and then to the void.
"Dear Lord...give me wisdom once more."
"The bands of light have been present for the past few weeks now," Alice told me after I asked her. I nodded in recognition. So, then that must mean either Solomon had been here since then. If that was the case, then he would be probably the first Servant registered for the War. His Clairvoyance skill would allow him knowledge of everything to happen in the past and the future.
Assuming, of course, that this was indeed Solomon, and not Goetia. If it was Goetia, then they might not even be a Servant at all, but the walking corpse of King Solomon. If they could use Ars Almadel Salomonis, then that would be singlehandedly the most dangerous Noble Phantasm in the War bar none, even stronger than Teardrop Photon Ray and Rhongomyniad. He was able to win the Grail War in the Grand Order timeline, and the same could be true for this one. Heck, Goetia could even have access to Nega Summon, making the powers of the Servants useless against him.
But the question is, if this is indeed Solomon, why was he in particular summoned? If his ring was sent to the future, then why? Why him of all Grand Servant candidates? Why not Orion, Merlin, King Hassan, or the others?
And there were also the other Masters and Servants to take into account. Saber was Altera, Lancer is assumedly Arturia Pendragon, and I have no idea who Archer would be. It could be possible that Nobunaga took their spot, since I'm sure that there were only Seven Servants in the Third Grail Wars, even though a Ruler and Avenger Class Servant appeared in their respective timelines. Caster could possibly be Solomon, and if that was the case it would leave Assassin, Rider, and Berserker.
I had no idea, and could only wait until this War carried on.
"Do you know where Ingrid's base of operations would be," Kiara asked Alice. THe woman shook her head.
"Not for certain. I have narrowed down a few distinct places, but I am not certain."
She pulled out a map of the city...which was typical for a Mage to use those and not a phone in the year 2020.
She pointed to three select locations. An abandoned mansion that belonged to an extinct Mage family, a hotel that was across the town from the one we were staying at, in which a person reserved an entire floor, and a house which was covered with bounded fields.
"I believe that Ingrid in particular would reside in the mansion," she said. "The Einzberns are many things, and vain is one of them. They would want nothing but the best for themselves. Ingrid herself seemed apathetic during our earlier confrontation. She had no compassion for life at all during our confrontation."
Edric looked to the side as she said that, his face taking an emotion I couldn't make much of.
"And how strong is she?"
"She was capable of facing both me and Edric with little to no difficulty whatsoever. Combined with that Servant of hers...she might be capable of winning this war single handedly."