Fourth Night (3)

Saber did her best to bite back on the instinctive wince that threatened to break her usual calm and composure as two uncomfortably recent nightmares bore down on her.

"ARRTHHHUUUURRRRR!"

"Rejoice, my holy maiden! Your desecration will draw forth the eyes of God and show unto him the truth of the tragedy his absence has wrought! Rejoice, AND LET YOUR VIRGIN SELF BE FILLED!"

Countless tentacled nightmares that brought to a mind a madman's interpretation of a starfish bore down on the King of Knights, a sweep of Excalibur and burst of Invisible Air tearing them to shreds.

...Of all the various things she did not miss about the Fourth War, being covered in foul smelling Demonic guts was certainly high on the list of superficial irritations.

Not that she had much time to reflect on said irritant, a crimson lined ball of metal attached to a metal chain streaking towards her at speeds that were certainly lethal, the thrice damned thing almost as big as her.

A swift leap back got her out the arc of the weapon and not a moment too soon as it impacted an abandoned vehicle, turning the solid construct of metal, plastics and other composites into something resembled a crumpled ball of paper.

"Go, oh noble and corrupted knight! Bring low my dear Jeanne and display before me her unsullied form!"

"GGRRRAAAHHHH!"

Another wave of monsters and renewed assault by the repurposed bit of construction equipment and Arturia had precious little opportunity to think or plan.

Gilles de Rais and Lancelot, both infected by the mud spewing forth from the rip in reality and driving them to...well neither had been particularly sane beforehand but this was an extra helping of mindless cruelty.

She had long since been separated from her Master and the others, the horrific and sudden massacre of the citizens in the city dividing them as they tried to contain the violence, meeting with debatable levels of success.

Really, the only way this could be worse was if-

-a flash of red and gold filled Saber's peripherals, only a desperate contortion of her waist that was more than a little painful slipping her away from the ambush as yet another individual from the Fourth war joined the battle.

"Saber, how good to see you again! Out of curiosity, do you remember how you spat upon my honor and I died cursing you?"

Saber clenched her jaw upon seeing Diarmuid Ua Duibhne appear before her, probably the one Servant she had felt a real sense of respect for.

"...Yes, I do."

"Oh, splendid!"

The crazed knight dropped into a feral crouch, spears at the ready as his eyes glowed with an unnatural madness, mouth twisted in an insane smile.

"Then you'll have no complaints when I trample everything you hold dear, will you?"

"How marvelous, yet another believer that wishes to save my dear Jeanne! Friend, would you object to leaving her alive once you have had your fill of battle?"

"Depends, what do you plan to do?"

The shadows seemed to twist and writhe from every conceivable direction, cutting off any means of escape as Caster grinned the smile of the demented.

"Oh I'm sure I can think of something~!"

"Then by all means, shatter her ego all you want, Caster..."

"GRRRRHHHHH..."

The three Servants gathered in front of her, Lancelot spinning the ball and chain overhead at speeds high enough that a cyclone of dust and debris began to form, Diarmuid readying to charge while Giles imperiously gestured for his summoned creatures to assemble.

Saber released a titanic sigh at the image.

She had thought the Battle of Camlann to be the single most traumatic and horrific moment of her life...the Fourth War and all of its fallout was quickly catching up to it.

Screeches of unnatural eagerness emanated from the fanged maws of the monsters as they rushed forward in a tidal wave of rotted flesh, Berserker and Lancer moving in tandem...and Arturia hesitated, unsure of what course of action to take.

Attempt to eliminate the creatures first so that she may engage Diarmuid and Lancelot? Dangerous, since Lancelot had range and Diarmuid had his spears that could both bypass her armor and permanently cripple her should they strike true...and the demonic entities were deceptively powerful, if enough of them got their appendages around her limbs they could restrain her long enough for the other two Servants to attack.

...A choice between two very unpleasant evils.

Which is why she released a small breath of relief as mist fell upon the battlefield while a wave of fire incinerated the shrieking creatures, a hard and unwinnable choice no longer having to be made.

"Gotta say, Saber, you seem to have a lot of issues when it comes to selecting positive male company."

"Yeah, what Spearguy said! Those things are gross. And Mommy told us to keep you safe, so let's slice them up nice and quick, okay?"

A small smile graced the blonde woman's features at the odd pair of comrades she seemed to have found, Lancer strolling forward with flames licking the edge of his hand where he had used some manner of rune magic, Assassin leaping down next to her with sharp eyes staring at the halted charge of the corrupted Servants.

"I see. Thank you, Assassin."

Verdant eyes were suddenly boring into Saber's, Arturia wondering if it was something she said-

-and the radiant smile that appeared on the small girl's face caught her off guard.

"You're really polite, Swordlady! We like you! Don't worry, we'll watch your back!"

And with that the slip of a Servant jumped back into the mist, leaving both Arturia and Cú Chulainn to face down the trio of maddened spirits, Caster visibly trembling with rage.

"You...you...YOU INTERLOPER OF A HEATHEN! HOW DARE YOU INTERRUPT THIS MOST HOLY COURTSHIP OF MY DEAR JEANNE?!"

Lancer gave Saber a confused look, asking, "Jeanne? The French chick? Do I want to know?"

"No. Caster took leave of his senses long before that mud had any part to play."

"If you say so. Although..."

The playful tone caused Saber's eye to twitch.

"Lancer...don't say it."

"You do look kinda-"

"If you imply that I appear in any way shape or form French...then I most certainly will let you battle the three of them alone and cheer for their victory."

Snickering to himself Cú Chulainn cheekily added, "Yeah, you're right. Besides, I hear that Jeanne chick was stacked. You're a little more on the petite side, Arturia. Dunno how he got the two of you mixed up, quite honestly."

Ok, NOW Saber was mad, Invisible Air dispelled and revealing Excalibur's glowing blade as her eye twitched spastically.

"Pray that you die in the upcoming battle, Lancer...because I have a choice few words and actions intended for you once this battle is over."

"Ha! Now that's the spirit, blondie! Let's show these wannabe heroes what for, eh?!"

Lancelot had apparently had enough of their byplay as with a frenzied howl the ball and chain impacted right where they had stood a split-second ago, punching through the road and rupturing some manner of gas line, if the flames that spewed out of the ground were any indication.

Saber could only shake her head, well aware of why Lancer was being so abrasive. Part of it was his personality, certainly...but another purpose was to distract her, to take her mind off of the turmoil he no doubt thought she was undergoing in fighting against Servants from the Fourth War again.

It was a touching enough gesture that, if they survived this, she would maybe forgive him for implying that she was French.

...Maybe.

Lancelot howled, Cú Chulainn laughed hysterically, Diarmuid growled with barely contained rage and Caster's monsters died by the dozen to Assassin's swift blows.


Caren fought down a wince as yet another clutch of the Lord's wayward lambs went down beneath a writhing horde of the accursed beings from the tear in reality, screaming horribly all the while.

...This was precisely what she and Sakura had come to Fuyuki to hopefully prevent, and now the absolute worst case scenario had come to pass.

They, put bluntly, had failed.

"What, in the name of the Root, did we miss?!"

The frustrated cry from the Edelfelt Magus coincided with her firing off a barrage of jewel magecraft, erasing a trio of the flaming, corruption covered bodies from existence before they could fall upon a crying child, the Enforcer darting forward and destroying another clutch of the things with a powerful sweep of her leg, grabbing the bewildered youth and retreating to the temporary shelter the Magi had created with their abilities, a few other wounded and terrified mundane taking cover in the remains of a market.

Caren was just grateful that these Magi had not strode so far from the Lord's light that they would abandon the unfortunate souls to their fate, instead fighting to protect as many as possible.

"Caren-sama, are you alright?"

"Yes, Sakura-chan...as alright as I can be."

Which was to say she was in an extraordinary amount of pain. Granted, pain wasn't anything particularly new to her-even Shirou had once commented that she had an unusually high tolerance-but the sheer varietywas enough to cut into her concentration and ability to think clearly.

While no visible wounds had begun to mar her body the taint from the Grail carried with it such a demonic and conceptual tinge that her MPAD was acting up regardless, phantom aches assailing her with innumerable varieties of torture.

Stab wounds, lacerations, burns, broken bones, bruised flesh...things she was quite familiar with.

"Good. Because I may need to intervene in the battle quite soon...we have unwanted guests approaching."

"That is hardly an inspiring sentence, Sakura-chan."

"True, but it is the reality of our circumstances."

As if from prophecy the purple-haired girl's shadows sprang up around their mundane charges as they screamed in fright...and swallowed a hail of ebony dirks that had manifested from seemingly nowhere.

"The Assassin from the previous war, it seems."

"Quite so, Caren-sama. If you will excuse me..."

"May the Lord guide your steps, Sakura-chan."

Leaping atop the shakily supported roof the ex-Matou found herself locked in a pitched defense of the innocent souls below, skull-faced masks dancing around the reach of her shadows with cackles and taunts, knives flashing at impossible arcs and angles.

Caren knew full well where her strengths laid. She had never been intended to battle on the front line, only being taught the basic self-defense skills in order to ensure that she wasn't killed by some clueless and random Human in the course of her real work, locating and tracking down the Daemon.

And this was perhaps the first time she fully lamented her condition, despite it being an incredibly unique and rare gift from the Lord. Only able to sit and wait in some debris-riddled corner and listen to her allies and friends fight, many of the aforementioned friends beyond her sight and in unsure circumstances-

THUMP.

Yellow eyes flew open, Caren's neck shifting as she stared out towards the center of Fuyuki where the disaster had originated from, a wince appearing in her fair features at the sight that greeted her.

A gargantuan, towering beast comprised of writhing flesh and flailing tentacles, reaching outwards like the corrupted roots of a tree as it began to constrict and choke the city.

...She had heard of the disaster during the last war, where Caster summoned a creature nearly identical to the one before her eyes. And here they were, repeating the same mistakes yet again.

"I must say, Miss Hortensia, that this may very well be the first black mark you have ever had on your record. Normally you are quite the loyal and successful individual, according to hearsay."

The young woman's head snapped back to meet the gaze of a distinguished old man in priestly robes, kind smile on his features as he stared at her without judgement, Caren relaxing slightly.

"I didn't know our backup consisted of the Burial Agency, King of Rats."

"Well we meant to arrive sooner, but the constantly escalating nature of this Grail War in such a short time frame meant orders were changed roughly every twenty minutes and resources reallocated in a similar time frame. My Master himself only just arrived on the outskirts of the city mere minutes ago along with our traveling companion."

"Traveling companion?"

No sooner had the question left Caren's lips that a horrendously loud BANG assailed her ears, the civilians clamping their hands over their heads as one of the Assassin Servants collapsed down into the room, gaping hole in its chest before it dissipated into indistinct shadow, another two tumbling in similar fashions, albeit a clutch of Black Keys perforating their forms rather than large exit wounds.

"The after mission report for this one sounds like it'll be real interesting, Hortensia. I see Matou ditched the Shroud of Martin, wasn't expecting that."

Caren blinked at the sight of the woman jumping down from the ceiling above, clad in Exorcist garb and wielding a weapon that looked like a madman's interpretation of battering ram and artillery gun mixed into a single piece of equipment.

"Two members of the Burial Agency? I did not anticipate we would gain the aid of both the twentieth Dead Apostle Ancestor and the wielder of the Seventh Sacrament."

Approaching her with a grim expression Ciel explained, "Better believe it, sister. Orders are clear, we're to delay and destroy the Supernatural elements within this city and close the portal while a separate group prepares the Sixth Sacrament for deployment."

Caren's eyes widened, asking, "The Sixth? The situation has become that bad, then?"

"It has. We were lucky and managed to get a media blackout going ahead of time but there's NO way we can keep this quiet, when so many have witnessed clear evidence of the Moonlit world. Memories of the past twenty-four hours will be erased without exception for all who still remain within the confines of Fuyuki. That includes us if we decide to stick around after four hours have passed, which seems likely since we're going to be running damage and crowd control. And I honestly have no idea how to close that damn thing, there's nothing in my...memories that suggest available options."

Ciel's professional tone gave Caren pause before she regretfully nodded.

It was by no means the best solution...but it was what they had to work with. And even employing the Mage Association's preferred method of mass extermination wouldn't work, since erasing an entire city off the map would lead to such a nightmare of potential investigations from the mundane world that, by comparison, explaining mass memory loss would be far simpler. A few unknown or esoteric gasses placed beneath the city, with the fragments of ruptured gas lines or explosive devices and the story would write itself. Many would suspect magic, naturally, but there would be many more than created differing narratives that made just as much 'sense'.

"Oh, it seems my Master is about to enter the field."

Following the Rat King's gaze Caren blankly stared at the sight before her, of a winged creature of astonishing beauty and size lazily floating above the grotesque monster...and dropping a far more jagged and quadrupedal beast from its grasp onto the one below, idly flying away at a sedate pace.

Merem Solomon had unleashed the King of Earth.

With an impact that caused the ground beneath them to crack and shudder Caster's monster was turned into a multi-colored splatter, the Deamonic Beast unleashing a titanic roar that deafened all present...at least until it was silenced with a lupine yelp, the creature's tentacles grasping into the small patches of skin not covered in craggy and armored skin, peeling flesh from muscle with powerful feelers and suckers as it slowly regenerated.

The King of Earth took exception to that, tearing a chunk the size of a small cruise ship out of the unnatural creature and swallowing it with great gusto...right before it's three tails began to furiously wag-creating a small tornado in the process-before greedily continuing to gorge on the regenerating monster, ignoring the injuries continuously inflicted upon it.

Of course. The Daemonic Beast had a taste for Daemonic flesh.

"Oh dear, it's a good thing the Sixth Sacrament will engage soon, else the Right Leg would constantly pester the Master for further treats of such ugly variety. It can be quite the sulky creature, you understand."

The King of Rats idle commentary seemed to snap the young women out of their staring, Ciel lifting the Seventh Sacrament to a ready position as she advised, "Stay put, Hortensia. Me and the Vampire have a city to clean up."


Fuyuki's about to get the King of the Monsters treatment.

And, sure...we all assume Lancelot would be at his most deadliest after raiding a National Guard armory. But have we ever considered what he could do after raiding a Home Depot? Chainsaw in one hand and leafblower in the other?

The Gate of Babylon wishes it contained treasures half as deadly.