Chapter 4: Side Stories (2)
And I'm back with another chapter to give out. Like before, another small group of tales that isn't huge. Enjoy.
"Alright folks," The voice told the Chaldea gang. "Time for a new set of worlds for you to enjoy."
"Is it any kind of specific world?" Merlin asked the voice, curious if they'll see another parallel version of themselves or not.
"Nothing really specific." The voice answered. "You'll see multiple small worlds with different scenes of them. But I'm sure you'll still like them."
"Just as long as it isn't yandere." Mash whispered with a small grumble. Still upset another version of her scared her senpai and made the one here leave her for a bit.
"Or disgracing women." Medea was still upset about the last one a bit.
"Or traumatizing." Ritsuka shivered. So much for getting together with Mash. Man that sucked.
"I make no promises." The voice dismissed their hopes, making some moan.
"I'm cool with this so long as I get inspiration." Hans felt these alternative worlds were simply fascinating. Believing he could get a spark from all of this.
"Agreed." Shakespear was in similar thought as his friend. "We can get many ideas from all these parallel worlds and timelines. Why, my mind is already racing of what I can write."
"Glad someone is enjoying themselves." Mordred sarcastically said while rolling her eyes.
"I suppose we can't exactly argue." EMIYA Archer leans back on the chair while adjusting himself to get comfortable. "After all, not like we can do anything."
"Hm!" Circe smirked. "We'll see about that." She was already analyzing the unique magecraft or whatever this being was using. It was honestly confusing and rather off. But hey, it just made the situation more fun.
"I just want to see what interesting things out there that can entertain me." Was all Cu's master Scathach had to say.
"I can agree with that." Merlin smiled.
"Well good then." The voice says. "Because we'll move on to see the next world. This one." Then like that the screen turned on. Looks like the next screening was starting now.
Summoning Problems
"That can't be good." Billy the Kid believes.
"Do you think it's a Servant summoned with a broken Saint Graph?" Illya looked at Chloe.
"Who knows." She then chewed on some popcorn. "But I guess we'll find out soon enough."
It is cold and snowy, out here in this land. The snow kept falling and it was colder than Antarctica itself. Were it not for the new mystic code Ritsuka wore, he would have died from frostbite. Not that his new clothing could entirely stop the freeze as he still felt cold.
Next to him was Mash, who was honestly more well dressed in this weather than he was. Man, that was unfair.
"She certainly looks more dressed than him." Altria nodded. "Although I wonder why that is so?"
"What do you mean?" Mash then asked.
"Simple." It was Beowulf that answered. "We Servants aren't affected by things like temperature considering we're spirits. While I understand why the Masters need special clothing to deal with such weather, it makes no sense why you need it. While you're no Servant, you're still a Demi-Servant."
"Huh. That makes sense." Guadako nods in understanding. She wondered why that Mash had special clothing. Wouldn't the armor help her out. I mean, Galahad was helping her out after all, right?
In the freezing wind, Ritsuka shivered as a bit of snot leaked from his nose. Upset by this damn situation. Saying, "Dammit, it's friggin' cold here! Let's get summoning already!" He didn't want to stay here a second longer.
" Yes!" While she wasn't as cold as her Master, Mash also felt the same.
"...well I say that, but Mashu, I'm worried about something." Ritsuka then said with a concerned face. Mash taking notice of it.
"What is it…?" Mash asked.
Ritsuka turned to Mash and saying, "...What happens if Kiyohi' or Serenity show up?"
"Eh…?" Mash was a bit confused. "Is there something wrong with that?"
'Oh yeah.' Many in the room went, knowing that those two were one of Ritsuka's three primary stalkers. From following him around to being under his bed.
"Yeah...them…" Ritsuka shivered.
"I know what it's like to be stalked." Cu shivered recalling when he first met Medb. That woman was a real piece of work. Worse that even now she would still follow him sometimes. Luckily, his master helped in getting rid of her or Medb was distracted by his Alter form or his honorary father Fergus.
An image of the two female Servants then came, both with smiles and thumbs up.
"The two of them are highly competent Servants." Mash tried explaining to Ritsuka. "On top of that, their feelings towards senpai are high, doesn't that make it better?"
"Despite their eccentricity, they are pretty good Servants." Guadako says."So I wonder what his problem is?"
"Maybe he's just worried that delusional lizard will attack him in the cold." Tamamo smirked. Giggling at her joke. "An excuse to 'warm him up' to capture his heart."
"You little!" Said 'lizard' then growled at the fox with the two throwing daggers at one another. Nero just focused back on the screen.
"That's the thing though." Ritsuka began his counter argument. His hand on his chin. "...say, Mashu. That white haired youthful face...What do you think?"
"White haired-?" Ritsuka blinked. Who was he talking about?
Mash was confused for a bit when she remembered who they were facing. "...are you talking about Kadoc-san? His face…?"
"Kadoc?" Guadako was unsure after hearing that. "Who's that."
"He's one of the members of Chaldea." Mash then told her, with Da Vinci joining in.
"Indeed." She then decided to explain to the sister brother duo. "They are your 'senpais' of Chaldea before the accident. They were supposed to take your place until the explosion put them on deep freeze. They were the A-Team."
"Woah." Ritsuka sounded impressed. "The way you're saying it, they must be good."
"Very good." Mash herself admitted. "All of them were exceptional in one area of another. If all of them had been with us during the Grand Order, I believe we could have won much quicker and maybe they could have aided you."
"For you to say such praise, they must truly be talented and hard working." Artoria could sense the subtle praise in the two's voices.
"And they're facing this Kadoc guy in battle?" Circe asked.
"Possibly a practice battle." Da Vinci guessed, believing that in this timeline A-Team was okay and they must be helping Fujimaru out.
'If only they knew.' The voice thought knowing what happens in the prime timeline.
"His face...well, how do I put it?" Mash then thought for a bit and then said, "He looked ready for anything, is what I thought…" She then faced Ritsuka. "What about it…?"
That must have not been the right answer, as Ritsuka just looked upset a bit. " "what"? You see, Mashu...This guy ain't no ordinary Master…"
'Let's see what my other self thinks of him.' Ritsuka was interested.
It was then in an instant with literal tears in his eyes crying Ritsuka shouted in utter rage and sorrow, "HE'S FRIGGIN' HANDSOME!"
As if to mock him, the very face of Kadoc came showing that white hair and a face that some would say is handsome. Little stars surrounind him. This is what Ritsuka was crying over.
"Phahahaha!" Guadako laughed at her other brothers face while her actual brother was turning red.
"Awkward." Cu just said.
"Definitely." EMIYA Archer was in agreement there.
"Oh my." Circe looked at Ritsuka with mischief in her eyes. "Someone is feeling insecure."
"Uh!" Ritsuka went as he covered his own face. He'd never say it but he was sometimes insecure that he was too ordinary compared to other guys and even his own more social sister. Man, this was mortifying.
"...I think you're handsome." Was all Mash whispered, too shy to say it out loud.
Mash on her side was now just questioning her senpai. "Huh?" It was then she said the thing he didn't want to hear. "...yes, and!?"
"Then it's obvious, innit!" He yelled at her. His hands in the air while still crying. "If it's Kiyohime and there's two Masters? Of course "Anchin" will be the handsome one! And if it's Serenity? Who cares if the poison works on him, he looks good so it's okay! HE'S HANDSOME AFTER ALL!"
Ritsuka now wished he could just die.
Mash just wished she could be brave enough to say he was more handsome than Kadoc.
Guadako was just laughing.
"Senpai, they're Heroic Spirits…" Mash sweat dropped in the cold, feeling very awkward. "That kind of thought is…You're crying…?"
Ritsuka was indeed still crying, near despair. "They're girls before they're Heroic Spirits! Of course that's how it would go!" Ritsuka then fell to his knees at the summoning circle as it glew brightly. Yelling out either a prayer or request at the top of his lungs.
"I'm countin' on ya, Throne! Give us a man who can stick it to that handsome fuck!"
It was there a being who was in the process of being summoned could only think of one thing as he saw this...pitiful man. 'It's hard to come out after that…'
'Oh yeah.' Many in the room thought.
As for the Servant Avicebron...He made a Gundam-type golem and they instantly became best friends.
"Welp," Ritsuka finally looked up. "That was humiliating." He was glad it was at last over.
"I have to admit, that was fun." Guadako giggled at her brother, finding it amusing. "Oh don't worry, I think you're handsome." She got a groan.
"So we see him again." Chiron mumbles as he recognizes that Servant.
"Hopefully nothing bad happens to the Master with that man." Sieg also knew him, having little trust considering what that man did. Hearing it from the other apocrypha Servants.
"Who knows, maybe he's changed." Achilles knew many bad Servants instantly turned good-or goodish-whenever they were summoned here. So it was probably alright. Hopefully.
"Well, I hope you liked that one. Because we're moving onto the next." Then like that, the voice started the next scene.
A Beautiful...Princess?
"Oh my. Who ever could that be?" Tamamo just smugly said with a talisman covering her hidden smile.
Kiyohime also smiled. "I'm certain it's someone we all know and well." She then gave a stare at Ritsuka. "Right Master?"
"Uh...Right." Best to answer her, or get owned later on.
"Please puppy. Look at me when you say that." Elizabeth titled her fingers while giving a smug grin.
Needless to say, many 'princesses' were interested in this one. Or at least, the more self-centered ones.
'What's up with the question mark?' Cu thought before shrugging. Thinking it was nothing important.
It was here in Chaldea, it showed Bedivere and Mordred walking down the halls. The two were doing nothing at the moment, something which of course made Mordred somewhat annoyed. The girl moaning at the dullness of the situation.
"Aaaah!" She moaned. "So boring! Bedivere! Let's do something fun!"
Her fellow Round Table wasn't of the same thought. "Sir Mordred, I think it's best to refrain from reckless behavior."
"Of course he would." Mordred clicked her tongue.
"Of course he would." Altria gave a rare smile.
"What a nice man." Mash just said.
"A little dull if you ask me." Euryale rolled her eyes. She wondered if all they'll see is boring talks. Something exciting better happen, and soon. Otherwise, she'll 'play' with Medusa.
Medusa shivered.
"Also you should wear clothes that are more fitting for a knight." Bedivere added, finding Mordred's clothes to be a bit revealing.
Altria agreed.
"You're really very naggy aren't ya." Mordred commented. The two kept walking and because of their little discussion, neither noticed a small Servant walking toward them.
"Kya! It was Abigail Williams. The latest Servant summoned by Chaldea, having accidentally bumped into them and now on the ground. Bedivere noticed her as he felt her hit him.
"Oh, isn't it the new-..."
Before he could answer, Abigail was quick to apologize. "I-...I'm sorry."
"So cute!" Medea squealed, already seeing a new vic-er-volunteer for her dress up games.
Altria vowed to put a stop to that.
Despite her apology, Mordred wasn't having any of it. Instead choosing to glare down at her saying, "Hey noob! Just where are you looking while walking, huh?!"
"Eek!" Abigail squealed, frightened.
"Sir Mordred!" Bedivere was a bit shocked.
Mordred blushed a bit as her fellow Round Knights in the theatre gave her slight glares. Okay, maybe she could let up with her own expressions when bumping into kids.
Deciding to help out, Bedivere kneeled to calm the girl down. To show her that she shouldn't be frightened. "I apologize for the rudeness. Are you hurt anywhere, little lady?" His smile attracted the young girl, as she felt at ease.
"Wah!" She then smiled. "You're a really beautiful person! You look just like a princess!"
In that one instant Bedivere felt like he got struck down by one of Triston's arrows with a critical strike while Mordred instantly did a spit take with amusement in her tone.
"Oh Bedivere." Altria shook her head, feeling bad for her knight. Knowing of his insecurity of his looks and his rather feminime appearance.
Meanwhile, her 'son' Mordred instantly covered her own mouth but was already giggling a storm.
Circe now knew how to get under this man's skin.
"Poor dude." Guadako chuckled. "Honestly, he kinna does look like a girl. But after what I saw, he's definitely a man."
"What do you mean by that?" Mash innocently asked, making Guadako freeze up.
"Yes Guadako," Da Vinci then gave a teasing look at her. "What makes you say that?"
Ritsuka then recalled getting out of the baths with Bedivere and saw his sister running out the door. He wondered if that's what she meant? 'He did have a six-pack.'
Back in the hallways, Ritsuka was yelling out to find Abigail. "Hey, Abigail!"
Suddenly Abigail rushed at Ritsuka with tears in her eyes shouting while flustered, "Master, what should I do?!"
"Abigail! Where did you go?!"
"I've been a very bad child!" Was what the child Servant said.
"What happened?!" Ristuka asked worryingly.
"I think I said a very rude thing to that person over there…" Ritsuka then turned and gasped.
There nearby Ristuka and Abigail were two Servants. Bedivere and Mordred. The latter on the ground giggling while the former was turning to gold dust and said one thing. "A princess…"
"Bedivere?!" Ritsuka was shocked. "Why are you returning to the Throne of Heroes?!"
If only he knew.
"Words can be a cruel thing." EMIYA shakes his head.
"I think that's pathetic." Cu gave his answer.
"A princess huh." Medea grinned as she thought of Bedivere and his femine looks. Then the many dresses she had in stock. "Yes. That can work." Suddenly a sword was at her throat.
"No it won't." Altria threatened her.
"I don't suppose there's more things we can see, no?" Billy the Kid asked, wanting to see what else was there to see.
"Obviously." The voice answered back. "Just watch this one now."
The screen then changed and once more a new little scene was in view.
Daddy Issues
'Mordred.' Was what everyone then thought while the girl herself felt annoyed for some reason.
The hallway was being occupied by Mordred, who was in a bad mood. Walking in a manner that could be described as delinquent like. Where she was thinking of what was making her angry.
"Ah... somehow I'm really angry." She knew why though. 'And it's most likely because of that guy...Maybe I should change my room further away from his.'
"What do you think has Mordred upset about this time?" Because Lancelot could think of a lot of things. Altria being mad at her, annoyed by Gawain, or anything else for the matter.
"What do you think Saber?" EMIYA Archer asked his old flame.
"More than likely whoever she's roommates with, is bugging her. I just wonder who?"
"Mordred!" A voice then yelled out to her, making her flinch.
"Geh!" She then turned and saw the person responsible for her troubles.
The King of Knights. The ruler of Camelot. The wielder of Excalibur. Saber.
King….Arthur Pentagon.
Male version.
"...Oh...That's new." Lancelot said with wide eyes.
"M-m-m-male...father…!" Mordred said with red cheeks.
"Hey...He looks like Saber when I turned her into a man." Merlin giggled while Altria blushed as he was right.
"My, he's handsome." Nero oohed. While nowhere near the Praetor handsomeness or beauty, this Saber was good looking.
"L-l-love...Sigurd!" Brynhild muttered, feeling this version was familiar to her own husband.
"Not bad." Guadako agreed.
"I see you're still wearing clothes like that." He showed up.
The man that was her father and not her father at the same time. Uh! It made her so upset in ways she wasn't comfortable saying it.
"Remember that you're a girl, you should dress more modestly!" Arthur told his 'son'.
"Huh!" Mordred snarled. "This doesn't concern you, leave me alone!" She then told him. 'My real father is 100x cuter than you. Wait, huh? This guy...Why is he so damn handsome.'
The females could agree to that, much to the men's irritation.
Mordred just turned red.
Mordred then began recalling him back when he came. 'Well I was shocked when I first saw him, was it because of that charisma thing? I guess this guy is father now somehow. Because of that me eyes keep trailing towards him.' Mordred began blushing just a bit. 'But...How do I say it? This feeling is different than those towards father...I feel somehow empty, and lonely.'
"Uhh!" Fran then patted Mordred on the back as if to comfort her.
"H-hey! It's not me feeling bad! It's her!" She then pointed out to Fran.
"But would you not feel such confliction if he were to show up oh loud maiden?" Shakespear told her with a smile.
"I'll wipe that smirk off your face!"
"Mordred." Arthur then snapped her out of her thoughts.
"What?"
In Saber's hands, was a coat. He then brought it closer to her. "Here, it's not much but it's better than-"
The second his fingers touched her bare shoulder Mordred then yelled out, "Ahh!" Only in a rather arousing way.
This caused her 'father' and every Servant nearby to look at the now red Mordred as she realized what she just yelled out. "W-wait…!" She tried to explain herself. "That wasn't…"
Then from nowhere Altria, her father, came out and instantly punched her in the face. All while she herself looked red and shouted, "Don't moan like a girl in heat!"
Fran patted Mordred on the back more while the knight didn't bother pushing her away, too embarrassed by what she saw.
"Okay," Beowulf chuckled. "That was kinda funny."
"But way too short!" Chloe gave her two cents. "Come on! Give us something good and long!"
"People are so hard to please these days." The voice commented with non-existent eyes rolling over.
"Well, what you showed us was short!" Guadako shouted. "Even if it was kinda hilarious, people want more than just this."
"Says the person who along with her brother are the only humans here." The voice jabbed as everyone else wasn't even a person technically speaking. "But fine. I suppose I can show something else. Tell you what, I'll show another world that's close to your own, but has a different Master instead of you two."
"Eh!" Mash's face lit up. "Another senpai!?"
"Sure. You can call it that." The voice shrugged.
"Now that sounds like fun." Fergus grinned. "Will it be female?"
"No. A dude." The voice told him getting a moan.
"I'm sure this guy will be awesome." Astolfo declared.
"Not really." The voice then stopped him from declaring anything further. "However, compared to your Masters, he has even more determination."
"Oh." Tamamo waved her fan near her face. "More determination than them?"
"Now this I have to see." Altera just mutters with other Servants now agreeing to seeing someone more determined than their Masters. They have fought tooth and nail in every Singularity. Faced impossible odds, got shot at, and many enemy Servants trying to kill them. Yet this voice says this Master has more determination than them? Hearing is one thing, but seeing is another matter.
There was just one problem.
"I'm gonna be showing you someone else actually." The voice then pulled out the screen. "This scene will only focus on the Servants. But hey, It'll be a bit longer and you'll see that this similar situation is a lot different than what happened to you guys."
Although, he seriously hoped the Creator of this world didn't get upset by him by showing this since he had no permission.
Save scumming? It's on my character sheet by Xorn: Chapter 17 & 21
It's easy to lose track of time in Hell.
I knew that already, of course. I can't count the time I spent as one of Alaya's Dogs; I just know it was long enough that everything else is a distant blur. Every memory, every bond, has been lost to me. There are bits and pieces still, of course. The most important parts are still intact.
But like the smelting of ore, all the unnecessary sediment has been purified. Everything that wasn't absolutely core to the sword named "EMIYA" has been burned away. If the Fuyuki fire was the forge that birthed "Emiya Shirou", then the time I spent as a Counter Guardian was the reforging of said sword.
EMIYA's eyes narrowed and became a bit duller, Altria not even attempting to ask him if he was alright. Knowing what the answer was.
The Fujimaru twins flinched as they saw what EMIYA said on the screen, and realized again that he had a tough life. This was just a sad reminder of what he had been through.
"Hey,' Guadako then looked toward her brother. "The way he's dressed, isn't that…"
"Oh yeah." The black mud on him, the way he was dressed. Singularity F.
But, let's return to the matter at hand. Losing track of time is normal in Hell. It was true during the Fuyuki Fire. It was true during my time as a Counter Guardian. And it's true now, in this Flame Contaminated City.
As a result, I'm not sure how long it's been since I last saw Caster and Assassin - but they've both changed in that time. Assassin has lost his arm, and somehow slipped out of the grail's control. And Caster, while someone else would miss it, I can see the new runes he's engraved on his body thanks to my Clairvoyance. It's only a peek here and there, made visible by his shirt shifting as he walks, so I can't make out what the runes are meant to do, but they're certainly there.
What's more, they appear to have made friends. Mordred and Galahad - though the latter is a Demi-Servant. Even someone like me can see new things every now and then, I suppose.
The last of their new friends is a real oddity, though. An ordinary human. Well, perhaps ordinary is going a step too far - he's certainly a Master, the command spells on his hand make that much clear. And, furthermore, there's something… off, about him. I can sense it from here, a sort of pungent miasma following him around.
It reminds me of ████████. Not the same, but similar enough that I should kill him to be sure.
"So that's the new Master." Da Vinci observed. A guy with scary eyes and a black, white and orange tracksuit. "He doesn't seem like much to be honest."
"True enough." Atalanta looked over this boy. "Unlike the Masters he seems even more ordinary than them."
"I-I'm sure this new senpai has some good points about him." Mash defended the boy.
"Besides," Ritsuka began. "We were normal and look at us now."
"Totally awesome." Guadako grinned.
"Plus," The voice chimed in. "This guy is more than what appearances say. I mean, thanks to him there's a reason Mordred and Assassin are with him."
"How did he do that?" Cu definitely didn't recall this when his Caster self explained this to him of his adventure in the Singularity.
"Different Master, different results." And the power to go back in time. Natsuki Subaru was something else.
"...I've never met that person, you know." I mutter to the voice in my head. "You keep mentioning her, but that's your history, not mine."
"..." EMIYA wondered, who is he talking to?
As usual, he doesn't respond to me calling him out. He's not something convenient enough that I can hold a conversation with him. The only times I can even be sure it's him are when he clearly references something I don't know about. Otherwise, his thoughts blend in with my own.
He's me, after all. The me that I'll become after the Hell of the Black Grail finishes reforging me.
...In any case, they've come close enough now. I've got my doubts about whether I'll actually be able to do anything - [Lord Camelot] is one hell of a shield.
But still, I need to put up some token resistance.
"Trace, on." My bow begins to take shape - but then, I freeze.
That sheath. It can't possibly be for Clarent. Clarent was a display sword, one that never had a scabbard to begin with! Quickly, I begin my Structural Analysis.
...It's unimportant. A completely unremarkable sheath.
"That...doesn't sound right?" Cu had to ponder why that bastard EMIYA didn't see a point in that sheath.
"Perhaps the mud is messing with his senses." Anderson theorized.
"Doubtful." Illya herself spoke. "I've seen what that dark icky stuff does. And while it messes with Servants…"
"Those like Oni...EMIYA should still have their intelligence and wisdom as they aren't fully corrupt." Miyu finished for her friend.
"So then what is messing with him?" Because in Billy's eyes, for EMIYA to ignore that sheath means something was up.
"...I guess there's no point worrying about it. Trace, on."
In the end, they manage to make it up to the Temple anyway. As I thought, Lord Camelot is one hell of a shield. Shame about the cost to project the thing; I probably won't be able to use it outside of my Reality Marble.
Clarent, on the other hand, seems like the type of blade I'll be able to get some mileage out of. If I'd had that on hand, I might have stood a chance against Saber when everything went to hell.
...Well, there's no point in crying over spilled milk. Let's get this farce over with.
"Couldn't handle me on your own, so you decided to get help, huh?" I call out to Caster. "Only natural for dogs to hunt in packs, I suppose."
He snarls a bit in response. Hook.
"No, they're just here to make sure you don't go whining to Saber when I kick your ass!" He replies. Line and sinker.
We begin circling each other, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Or at least, that's what it would look like to the uninitiated. Caster is setting up his Ath nGabla, to keep me from interfering with the others fighting Saber.
That suits me just fine, of course. The normal Artoria asde, there's no way her altered self could lose to that bunch, not when she's got the grail backing her up. Assassin might as well not exist without his arm or that shadow to lend him some stopping power. Lord Camelot is a purely defensive Noble Phantasm, so while the Shielder can keep her master safe, that won't be any use when it comes to putting Saber down for good.
Really, their only chance is…
"Hmph. Mordred to fight off Arthur, huh?" I say.
"Makes sense." Merlin mused. "While it's unlikely she could win by herself, she could beat Altria with her own unique fighting along with the others."
"Now that's a fight I wouldn't mind seeing." Cu chuckled. "Makes me wish I could be there. Wait, then again I kinda was? Uh. Stupid alternative selves."
"You're telling me." Altria muttered knowing that Chaldea had loads of different versions of herself. It was kinda annoying.
Some pointed words should do the trick. Mordred fights on pure instinct, so giving her something to distract her from that 'flow' state ought to sabotage her enough that Saber can clean up. "Well, frankly I'd advise you to turn back. You won't find anything other than misery if you face her as weak as you are now."
"Hah! If you think some fake Arthur can handle me, you're sorely mistaken! I'm the rightful heir of the real deal, so there's nothing that fraud can do to me!" She says with a laugh.
"I wasn't talking about your physical capacity." I reply, and note a slight tightening of her posture as I do so. "Besides, 'fake Arthur'? Do you really think it's something that simple?"
"Are you joking? I already heard this fake's going around yelling 'Excalibur Morgan'. There's no way Father would fall to that level, so-!" Mordred says with a shrug.
This person..! "'There's no way Saber would fall into despair and take a darker path' - says the person who killed her knights and toppled her kingdom! You twisted-!"
My words are cut off as I'm forced to narrowly dodge the blazing tip of Caster's sharpened staff. "Hey, Archer, keep glaring at her like that and I'm gonna get jealous, you know!"
Ath nGabla flares to life as I jump back, tracing Kanshou and Bakuya. "Tch. So you finished setting up the runes while I wasn't paying attention, huh?"
"Sure did!" He says with a grin, assuming his usual spear pose - no, not quite. He's favoring his left arm. An injury? "So, same as always, then?"
"Same as always." I reply with a wry grin. If he's not going to lean on his strengths as a Caster, that's no skin off my back.
His staff clashes with my blades a few times, and I'm forced to trace a new pair almost immediately. Did he put exorcism runes on his staff? Honestly, the nerve of this guy…
"Caster! Don't die! We're probably gonna need your help to deal with the Demon!" Calls out the master.
To think he'd already picked up on that…
...Picked up on what, exactly?
"Something is indeed wrong with him." Gawain commented. "I've heard of Archer and his uncanny ability of seeing even the slightest of details, yet this one seems...off."
"We sure it isn't the mud?" Guadako pointed out. "I mean, it can mess up a person. Turning them into an Alter and junk."
"Yeah. Could be related to it." Ritsuka adds as many knew the black mud of the grail usually caused trouble for Servants and messed with their mind.
"I can see it happening." EMIYA admits to it. "Honestly, my memories of the Singularity, while intact, are blurry in some parts." Not to mention he joined Saber in killing all those people. He wasn't proud of that.
"In that case, I suppose my student will take you down." Scathach replied calmly, not trying to antagonize EMIYA. Simply stating that this version of him had to be stopped no matter what.
"Yeah, yeah! Just get going already!" Cu Chulainn calls out as he unleashes a spray of fire at me.
It's pretty simple to dodge, but it provides enough time for his companions to get away.
Well, that just means I can fight without watching my back so closely.
I leap backwards, and trace a new pair of married blades, hurling them at his neck.
Spirit and technique, flawless and firm…
The first two blades are deflected, sent spinning away, but I've already closed into melee with the next pair.
Our strength rips the mountains…
The Kanshou in my hand is swung at his neck, its thrown partner returning to strike at the same time - but my strike is deflected by the tip of his staff, and Bakuya flies wide as a result. I let go of the sword as he hits it, sending it sailing into the air as well.
Our swords split the water…
The second copy of Bakuya swipes at his gut, with the first Kanshou spinning in to strike from behind. He jumps, clearing both blades in an acrobatic feat that would make any circus's Ringleader hire him on the spot - and I let go of the blade.
Our names reach the imperial villa…
I reach backwards, a third pair of blades appearing in my hands - stretching to greater lengths and sprouting feather-like growths of metal as I reinforce them, drawing in all four flying blades for a final strike.
The two of us cannot hold the heavens together.
Six blades crash down upon Caster simultaneously.
[Triple-Linked Crane Wings]
"And Oni-chan shows his skill once more!" Chloe gives a big grin at seeing her brother in actions. Sure technically he's the bad guy and needs to be taken out, but look at that skill! It was amazing!
"He's so cool." Illya whispered with Miyu giving her own acknowledgement of her alternative brother.
"He's alright I guess." While she said it in a dull tone, Ishtar had a small smile on her face.
"From what I heard, it's this power that defeated Gilgamesh." Medea recalled Altria once stating this. And she could see it. That Unlimited Blade Works was rather quite incredible.
"Not to mention his numerous skills he gained from years in battle." Atalanta also saw the vast potential EMIYA has. Versatility and adaptability which he demonstrates through his clever tactics and vast combat experience. He's adept in both close and ranged combat, and has no care for 'honor' and uses every trick in the book. He was indeed strong.
"All these copied Noble Phantasms, his battle experience to face superior foes, and even beating Gilgamesh…" Guadako then snapped her fingers. "Wouldn't that make him the strongest Servant of all time?"
"Nope." Her brother reminded her. "While he's cool and awesome with his abilities, last I checked his stats are bad and he technically loses to other foes like Cu Caster if I recall, despite the fact he won against Gilgamesh."
"Correct." EMIYA Archer closed his eyes. "I may have beaten Gilgamesh once, but only because he didn't take me seriously. While I won't say I'm a weakling, I'm not the strongest either." Still, he definitely liked how he could beat that dog in this world. It was always fun messing with him.
"Algiz!" roars Caster - and all six swords have their momentum abruptly arrested by a gleaming blue magic circle that Caster is standing in the center of - one of twelve, each projected from a different glowing rune that caster had left behind him as I forced him back with my swords.
"Tch. This isn't 'same as always' at all." I complain while contemplating my way out.
"Well, you had me on the ropes, after all. Can't afford to lose if the fate of the world is at stake, y'know?" He replies with a shit-eating grin. "Ehwaz."
As an additional circle is added, I project my go-to solution for magical traps. "[Rule Breaker]."
The dagger of Medea of Colchis, capable of nullifying any and all magecraft… does nothing. Unfortunately, the thing is incapable of destroying Noble Phantasms, so it can't stop Caster's. Well, I wasn't sure that this particular trap was one, so it was worth checking, I suppose. And it seems I don't have much time.
"I am the bone of my sword." I mutter. "Steel is my body, and fire is my blood."
"Sowilo, mannaz, fehu." The hound mutters as he adds additional runes to the ground. "Ah, damn, I'm gonna need to move the first few. Thing's gotta be a perfect circle, or old one-eye won't take the offering. Gimme a sec."
"I have created over a thousand blades." I continue, rapidly chanting. "Unknown to death, nor known to life."
"...That should be good enough! Ansuz!"
"Have withstood pain to create many weapons." I say, even as the magic circles surrounding me merge into one crimson circle inscribed with Cu Chulainn's preferred fire rune. "Yet, those hands will never hold anything!"
"An offering to the great god of wisdom-!"
"So, as I pray - [Unlimited Blade Works]!"
"[Ochd Deug Odin]!"
And the world is swallowed by flames.
"What the hell…" EMIYA slightly looked taken aback as he saw his Unlimited Blade Works...and it's new look.
My world has deteriorated since I last stood in it. The titanic gears which used to turn eternally in the sky are jammed, bound in place by massive chains. The orange light of sunset is gone, leaving behind a starless night sky.
The only light comes from the cracks in my sky, through which molten gold is pouring down onto my desert of swords, faintly illuminating the terrain.
"I wonder, is this your doing..?" I mumble to my Alter.
"Hah! So this is your true Noble Phantasm, huh? You've been holding out on me, Archer!" Calls out Cu Chulainn. He's about a kilometer downhill of me, standing amidst a cluster of nameless spears. I must have subconsciously dropped him there. "So, are you actually just some famous blacksmith?"
I chuckle wryly. "Famous? No. I'm just a nameless Counter Guardian, with no particular story to tell."
"Shame. I feel like any story that brings you into contact with all of these would have to be an exciting legend." Caster replies.
"Exciting?" I scoff. "No, it's just a dime-a-dozen farce about a fool who thought he could be a superhero."
"Sure looks to me like you became one, in the end!" He says, advancing up the hill of swords towards me.
"Think what you want. - but this is as far as you go." I mutter. Swords begin to unsheath themselves from the dust, pointing at him. "Caster, Cu Chulainn. I'll see you next time - but this time, it's my win."
An endless storm of blades rains down upon him.
"Looks like this is over." Tesla felt bad for the Lancer now turned Caster. "And he was so close."
"B-but, he can't lose." Mash said in disbelief. I mean, if Cu Caster failed, then her other worldly senpai would possibly die. Because Archer would just chase after them.
"Sorry Mash, but no way Cu can survive this." Nitocris says, believing this was the end of Cu Caster. "Guy put up a fight, but Archer was just better than him."
"Hah!" Fergus then kneeled back, a smile on his face. "Oh please. That idiot foster son of mine might be kinda dumb, but if there's one thing I know, he ain't going down by some guys pathetic false blades."
"If he does, then I'll kill Sétanta myself." Scathach says without remorse. "however...I doubt that'll even happen." She shows her own faith in her student. Watching alongside Fergus that Cu Caster would do what the others believed he couldn't.
Cu Chulainn stretches out his left arm, and runes engraved in the flesh of his palm glow bright yellow.
"Come!"
From a little-used, dusty corner of my Reality Marble... a familiar red spear leaps to his hands.
'Archer's dead.' Fergus and Scathach-without any ill intent-thought with feelings of pride for Cu Caster.
"I won!" Cu himself cheered without any shame.
"Yeah!" The Master twins cheered. Ritsuka then suddenly paused as he just remembered EMIYA Archer was right near him.
Awkward.
Lancer's Perspective
Gae Bolg is returned to my grasp. I had added runes to return stolen property to my hand on the second damn day of this mess of a war, after Archer pulled out Fergus's sword for the first time.
"Kind of a long shot, but the potential payoff is definitely worth it." - that's what I figured at the time.
And, well, I was right! Even if I end up dying like a chump, the look of shock on the bastard's face as I snatch one of his own weapons from his Reality Marble is absolutely priceless.
"It is." Cu grinned as he then snapped a picture of the bastard's face.
"..."EMIYA Archer was going to snipe that phone later.
Of course, there's still every other weapon in this place to contend with.
What faint light is present in this dark, rusted world is obscured as an uncountable number of blades rain down on me. And so, with my staff in my right hand, and my spear in my left, I charge. After all, facing down an army's worth of swords, with nothing but my wits and my spear..!
"Something like this, is just business as usual!"
Archer's world of infinite swords may look impressive, but it's really no big deal as far as someone like me is concerned. The vast majority - something like seventy percent - of the assorted weapons raining down on me are just nameless, everyday swords. They aren't even worth a second thought; my [Protection From Arrows] will allow me to dodge or deflect them without even noticing.
No, the real problem here is that other thirty percent - the Noble Phantasms. The exceptional weapons that may have the ability to bypass my Protection. And so, even as I run towards Archer, my eyes and ears are straining themselves to their limits to pick out the proverbial needles in the haystack, the weapons that are an actual threat.
Caladbolg. Durandal. Hrunting. Each one is singled out, and each one is blown out of the air by a well-placed bolt of flame.
Lancer's scythe can be safely ignored. It doesn't have any annoying explosive or target-seeking properties, so I can just dodge it.
A spear of light that gives off the same feeling as my Gae Bolg - that can't be the real Gungnir, right? I throw my spear, which smashes through it with ease. Definitely a fake, then.
"Woah." Illya shivered. "I know this might be bad to say, but how is this guy even doing so well against infinite swords."
"Because there sadly fakes." Hans told them as he wrote down possible ideas while seeing this fight. "While this guy might have loads of 'infinite' weapons, against a person who stuck in one path, it's useless."
"I believe the saying is, fear the man with one perfect technique than the man with a thousand." The wise king Beuwolf added his own thoughts. "I'm not saying Archer is weak, but he's more of a jack-of-all-trades than Cu Caster here who has perfected his own path."
"No denying that. EMIYA Archer said cooly. While he had numerous skills and hidden tricks, against a powerful Servant like Cu-even his Caster form-his Unlimited Blade Works wasn't as good at dealing with them.
Gae Bolg smashes a Holy Sword, and a near identical looking Demonic Sword, out of the air on its way back to my hand.
A sound of crashing metal as something carves through the storm of swords, knocking all in its way aside - a mountain-sized sword, hewn of rock, fit only to be wielded by a giant or a god.
"[Wicker Man]!" - My Noble Phantasm snatches the colossal sword out of the air, crudely grasping it and swinging to bat hundreds, thousands of weapons out of the sky.
A similarly massive sword-like weapon - multiple blades of flame mounted along the spine of some ancient creature - arcs through the air, flooding Archer's world with light as a wall of fire erupts from its jagged blades. The fire cleaves through Archer's weapons, through my Wicker Man, through the ground and the sky themselves.
It leaves a gorge of glass in the sands of the Reality Marble, and a cleft in the black sky through which a waterfall of molten gold pours.
Of course, my Wicker Man rapidly reconstructs itself. It was a being of fire to begin with - something like this won't slow it down for long. But more and more Noble Phantasms crash into the giant, and eventually, the Wicker Man is driven to its knees.
But that's fine. Any Noble Phantasms targeted at it are weapons I don't have to deal with. Empowering my agility with runes, I rocket forwards to Archer's location.
He starts running at some point - giving up on standing at the top of his hill like a tool, he flees across the graveyard of swords, taking potshots at me with that bow of his all the while. I'll catch him eventually, of course - the runes enhancing my speed make me about a rank higher than him in agility.
Of course, I'd have no difficulty catching him if I had been summoned as a Lancer, but by this point I've complained enough about my class for one war.
Still, this chase is starting to get annoying.
"Bastard! Get back here and fight me!" I yell, deflecting yet another copy of Hrunting. I think there are six or seven orbiting around me at various distances right now, which is beginning to get a bit dangerous.
"Get rid of that spear, and I'll think about it!" He yells back, hurling a pair of his shortswords at me.
"Not a chance in hell! Do you know how long I've been hoping you'd be stupid enough to pull out my own spear against me!?" I shout back as I bat the swords out of my way with my staff.
He sighs. "Since the night I first used Caladbolg?"
"Since the night you first used Caladbolg!"
"You two have bad compatibility." Guadako chuckles as she kinda enjoys their banter.
"You can say that again." Both Cu and EMIYA mutter while throwing a glare at each other.
"I figured…" he mutters, launching another Hrunting. The other seven copies are coming back around, too, so now seems like a decent time to reset the count. Adding a rune to my cloak, I bid a fond farewell and toss the garment into the air, where it's pincushioned by copies of Beowulf's blade.
His eyes widen as he notices my right arm - no sense in hiding the ball anymore, then. I was trying to hang onto them in case I needed to bail out the guys fighting Saber, but-!
"Command spells!?" Archer yells in shock.
"Wait, what!" Ritsuka is baffled along with his sister. Mash gasped with even Da Vinci surprised.
"How did he even do that!?" Such a thing was near impossible. Though the geniuses mind raced and then got an idea how he did so. It wasn't a pretty idea though.
That's right. Command Spells, which I looted from the corpse of my former master. The right arm of Kotomine Kirei, former overseer of the Holy Grail War, has been grafted onto my body in place of my own arm. And, since that cheating hack of a Master had ten Command Spells inherited from prior wars…
"Here goes nothing!" I yell as four of them flare to life, boosting my Agility to a truly absurd degree.
The efficiency is, of course, horrendous. Command Spells have an intended use case, and a Servant replacing their own arm with their master's using a combination of runecraft and crude spiritual surgery was not what the Founding Familes intended.
"You can say that again." Ishtar then looked at Cu. "You do realize such a thing would probably damage your Spiritual Core?"
"If it helps me win, then no matter." Cu shrugged. "Though imagine if someone got a Heroic Spirits arm as the other way around instead. Hehe."
"That's impossible." Da Vinci waved her hand. "It's one thing for a Servant to put a human arm on them, but it's another for a human to get a Servant's limb. You'd have to be a perfect match somehow. And even if it somehow became possible, the person would face numerous deadly side effects."
EMIYA Archer then recalled a certain timeline. In a certain fifth Holy Grail War.
While technically he did succeed in doing so...Da Vinci wasn't lying about the side effects. Glad he didn't suffer through them.
That being said, four Command Spells are still four Command Spells, and it's enough that I'm able to close the gap between myself and Archer almost instantly.
Of course, the sheer pressure of moving at such speed obliterates every bone in Kotomine's arm, forcing me to astralize my staff - but I won't need it anymore.
"Your heart is mine! [Gae…!" I growl, spear surging with crimson light.
A familiar shield shoots to Archer's hands. "[Lord…!"
"...Bolg]!"
"Camelo-ghk!"
There's no clash of Noble Phantasms. No unstoppable force versus immovable object. No final flashy explosion where sword beams intertwine and tear the world around us apart.
Archer's heart was pierced before my spear was even thrust.
Such is the nature of Gae Bolg's thrust, which rewrites causality itself to ensure the death of its target. Furthermore, even setting aside his obliterated heart, the curse upon the spear will prevent healing and inflict massive damage to the rest of his body.
"I taught you well." Scathach then gave her student a look with a rare smile. "Good job."
"hehe...Thanks." Cu gave his own smile. Then was pulled over by his foster father who congratulated him.
While that happened though, Mash appeared confused. "Um, Da Vinci," She then asked. "How come Cu Caster was able to use that Noble Phantasm? Isn't he a Caster?"
Before Da Vinci could reply, it was the voice that answered instead. "It makes sense, doesn't it." It said to them. "Despite being a Caster, he's still no different from his Lancer self other than a change in Class. In all honesty, it actually confuses me about something." It then faced Medea (Lily). "Hey, you. You're the version that can only use healing for some reason with barely any offense."
"Yes. Such is my situation." Medea (Lily) nods.
"But you have all your older self's knowledge. Which includes the future magic she uses." The voice points out. "So why can't you use that power since you have all that knowledge?"
"Because it's….it's…" Medea (Lily) then tilted her head. "...Huh? Why haven't I?"
"Heck, in fact," The voice then faced those who had alternative selves or were swimsuit candidates. "While I get those such as Altria can't just use certain Noble Phantasms like that cool lance, why don't you guys don't use your other skills that you had in life? I mean, do Servant Containers really limit you that much from using the hard-earned power and skills you had in life?"
Heck, it was sad that Cu Lancer couldn't use magic despite the damn fact in life when he was alive he could use both spear and magic.
Or how Saber Lancelot couldn't use his Berserkers skill to take control of other weapons at all.
It made the voice question if despite the fact that Servants had so much power, that in reality, it also limited them from using certain abilities they had when alive.
"This is certainly worth looking into." Holmes says with Moriaty agreeing. A new mystery to solve. But for now, onto the scene before them. Mainly, Cu Caster's win.
Archer coughs up a mixture of blood and molten metal as he collapses to his knees. "Gah… dammit. I got careless, huh? Or rather… honestly, what the hell were you doing, hanging on to a trump card like that for this long?"
I shrug. "To be honest, I wasn't entirely sure that I wasn't just gonna blow my own arm off trying that. I only actually went through with attaching this thing last night, after all. All that aside, you look like hell. Hurry up and disappear already, it hurts to look at you.
I'm not joking. At some point in our fight, his skin started splitting open, and his eyes turned yellow. By this point, he's bleeding metal everywhere. "The hell's with you bleeding gold, anyway?"
"There's- ghk- an old Japanese art form. Kintsugi. Where broken pottery is repaired using gold." He mutters through coughs. "Well… this metal… is pyrite, though."
"Fool's gold, huh?" I mutter, as the sky fills with even more cracks and cascading metal.
"...Scary." Miyu wondered just what was wrong with her alternative brother.
"Yeah...he certainly looks unwell." Illya somberly said.
There's a sudden spike of bloodlust as I exit Archer's [Unlimited Blade Works]. I immediately whirl around towards the spot he should be standing - but that's not right! The attack is actually coming from-!
Clang!
Assassin, appearing seemingly from nowhere, barely deflects the scythe thrust at my exposed back. Lancer jumps back, getting some distance between us and herself.
"Oh, her." Stheno then giggled. "My, what an unruly girl."
"Indeed." Euryale nodded. "If she ever gets summoned, we should punish her."
"With Medusa doing the job." Stheno then put Medusa on the job who sighed.
I let out a low whistle. "Nice timing, Assassin. This mean you guys cleaned up Saber already?"
"No. Mordred was completely defeated, so Lord Magus sent me to help you finish off Archer so you could come help." He says. "Considering how desperate the situation there was... I will suffice hold off Lancer."
"...Well, I can't say I'm a fan of having my fights interrupted, but that wasn't what wound up happening, so I can't complain too much." I say with a sigh. "I'll leave it to you, then. Your magic resistance runes still working?"
"Yes. It should be a fairly even fight."
"Then I'll leave it to you. Try not to die, Assassin." I conclude. "I'll come back and bail you out when Saber's dead."
"Understood." He says, and he darts into action.
And so, I head to the cave of the Greater Grail.
"What a good fight." Guadako cheers. "A shame we didn't get to see our fellow Master, but a cool battle."
"While you were on the side of wrong, you did well EMIYA." Altria told her fellow ally who gave a smirk.
"I suppose I did do well." He then turned to Cu Lancer. "Oy. Dog. Let's spar later. Now that I've seen your tricks, I'm sure I can send you packing."
"Ha! Sure!' Cu Lancer grinned at the thought of kicking the bastards ass. "I'll show you!"
"As interesting as that'll be, I think I'd rather not watch." Da Vinci takes a sip from some tea. "Though I have to admit, it's a shame we didn't see this Master at all. I wanted to see how he compares to the twins here."
"I just wished to see if he's like us or a proper magus." Ritsuka scratched his chin.
"Not really." The voice tells them. "Natsuki Subaru has more knowledge than both you twins combined...but he's considerably normal with only his unique powers helping him out."
"You make it sound as if he's superior yet inferior to the twins." Nero pointed out the way the voice spoke of this other Master.
"He kinda is." The voice admits. "And trust me, he's failed more times than Guadako and Ritsuka, yet always succeeds"' That confuses the two Masters as they didn't understand what the voice was trying to say. Not that it mattered, as the screen then lit up again. "But enough about that. Because at the moment, let's continue this party!"
And the next world was then seen.
Yep, more little stories with a fanfiction of Save scumming? It's on my character sheet by Xorn is also added. To Xorn, I hope you don't feel offended. I like your work, and just wanted to show it.
Moving on, I'm also going to have Chaldea see more than just themselves, but other worlds. As in other worlds with other characters, not just them replacing the characters. They may as well see how awesome other people of the multiverse are. Until Next Time.