Fifth Morning (1)
Waver Velvet, more commonly known as Lord El-Melloi II around the Clocktower, was not in the best of moods. Bad enough that he had been called away from his rare opportunity to actually spend some quality time by himself, he had been summoned by the highest echelons of the Magus Association and that never bode well for the summoned party.
"Brother, you haven't gone and ruined another family of noble lineage, have you? I rather enjoy you being a slave to my whims and desires, your attention being split would be truly distressing."
...The other reason for his less than optimal emotional state was the ever present and ever abrasive form of Reines El-Melloi, tagging along for whatever reason she deemed justifiable and running his nerves ragged with ever increasingly elaborate schemes she had concocted.
He thought he would have gotten used to it by now.
"No, I haven't. And don't you have other matters to attend to?"
"More important than my dear brother potentially inciting yet another social and fiscal crisis?"
"...You need to let that go. I'm making up for it."
"Oh hoh, my dearest apologies for reminding you of the necessity of responsibility, dear brother~!"
Pinching the bridge of his nose and wondering if he could feign illness to get out of this-not likely, he could feign death and they'd still somehow manage to drag his soul before the panel-Waver instead straightened his jacket and stood before a simple, unmarked door in a decently busy section of the Clocktower, completely innocuous aside from artful sculptures carved into the heavy wood.
It was probably one of the few bits of architecture in the entirety of the Mage Association that was understated to the point of absurdity, considering the importance of the individuals that resided behind it.
...He really hoped the reason he was being called in wasn't for the one he feared it would be. Rumors of the Fifth Holy Grail War flying off the rails in a way that made the Fourth seem like a mere slap on the wrist wasn't the kind of thing a survivor of said Fourth found very comforting or reassuring.
Naturally, Reines had her own spin to add to things.
"Now remember, Brother. No smoking, no cursing and laziness-"
"I know how to act."
"I simply find it prudent to remind you of these things at certain times. You're getting older, Brother. Have you considered the fact that your memory is not as good as it used to be?"
"Now listen here you-"
The door creaked open, Waver instantly snapping to attention as a towering, immediately recognizable figure appeared in the entryway with a crooked smile on his wrinkled but masculine features.
"Well don't just stand out in the hallway, boy. Come on inside, everyone's waiting for you."
Waver stiffly nodded, even Reines losing some of her snark and casual maliciousness in the presence of a Wizard Marshall, one Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg.
"I expect to hear more from you later, dear Broth-"
"Oh, my apologies, I didn't see you down there, little princess! You may as well accompany Lord El-Melloi II on in."
Blinking at the sudden address the petite blonde replied, "A flattering offer, Wizard Marshall, but I was not-"
"I'm one of the ones who invited him, I can decide who else to bring in just fine. And don't worry, by the end of the week the entire Moonlit World is going to know what happened."
It was a rare glance of shared worry and apprehension that Waver and Reines partook of before they followed the Wizard Marshall in, the aged Vampire collapsing into a nearby chair that rested alongside seven others, only one other bit of furniture occupied by a Human body...the body of one Barthomeloi Lorelei, currently scanning through a sheaf of papers with stony malice, doing her level best to seemingly ignore the presence of Zelretch.
...Waver began to feel very small.
Matters weren't helped by the room itself being suffocatingly compact, barely eight meters across and deep while lacking any decoration aside from a polished table where the chairs sat, six magic circles etched on the furniture's surface where voices were clearly emanating from.
[-etely unacceptable! Not only are we now indebted to the church we will have to invest countless resources into the coverup! The reality is that this was no backwater town but a functioning and popular city! The East may be pathetic in terms of magecraft but in the mundane sense it is every bit as populous and relevant as other larger lands!]
[And how would you suggest we fund such an operation, then? Out of our personal coffers? Who foots the lion's share of the cost? How do we decide what percentage is paid by who? This debacle shouldn't have occurred in the first place!]
[Agreed! What was the landowner of Fuyuki doing over the course of this disaster?! They should be brought before us and judged properly!]
Waver resisted the urge to sigh as he recognized a few of the voices of prominent Lords in the Clocktower hierarchy, all arguing vehemently without any real chance of coming to a unified decision, Reines slowly edging behind him so that she was largely hidden out of sight.
It would have been endearing, had he not known perfectly well that she was simply using him as Human shield and nothing else.
[Enough. Our guest has arrived.]
The rest quieted immediately, the voice that had spoken flattened to genderless neutrality yet somehow conveying perfect authority.
Waver didn't need to guess who the owner of that specific tone was...only the Director could have so effortlessly quelled so many powerful figures.
Reines casually slipped a bit more directly behind him.
"If you're going to come into a meeting you weren't supposed to at least have the decency to be brave about it!"
Hiding his aggrieved shout Waver bowed his head, neutrally stating, "I've come as instructed. You have need of me?"
[We do. You have been closely following the events of the Fifth Grail War and are a survivor of the Fourth. As of last night the Fifth concluded and in its wake lies the ruins of a vast swathe of Fuyuki itself.]
Waver felt a cold chill creep down his spine, eyes widening a fraction at the entirely unexpected and entirely undesirable news. The city...was destroyed?
He felt a surge of morbid relief that Glen and Mackenzie had passed away not more than a year ago...he wouldn't have wanted them to see the city go through yet another disaster they had no concept or understanding of.
"I understand that an Apostle Ancestor appeared but was under the impression the church had moved to neutralize the threat...what happened?"
[That is why we have called you here today. You and your sponsor will depart for Fuyuki immediately in the company of the Kaleidoscope and ascertain what, precisely, occurred. Our communication and cooperation with the church has been spotty, what few Enforcers were dispatched being too busy with damage control to provide an in-depth report. All we know is that the Burial Agency was dispatched, the Sixth Sacrament was deployed...and a new 26th Ancestor alongside a Magician have sprung from the ashes.]
Waver didn't manage to hide his sudden cough of surprise, caught in the middle of breathing while even Reines made a brief hum of shock.
[I see you properly understand the import of this matter. You and Princess El-Melloi are to ascertain the loyalties, abilities and identities of these individuals and attempt to-if at all possible-entice them to ally with the Mage Association.]
Waver hesitated, forcing himself to ask, "Understood, but why me? I am a mere lecturer-"
[A lecturer with experience in matters pertaining to the Grail Wars and a track record for guiding unusual individuals to greatness, 'Master V'.]
The man's eyebrow twitched at one of his more idiotic titles, Reines quietly snickering behind him.
[Your qualifications are a perfect fit for this assignment. Any further questions will be answered at a later date, time is-]
"Director, if I may?"
Barthomeloi suddenly interrupted with a stern tone, the rest of the room falling dead silent as the Director replied, [What do you wish to say, Queen of the Clocktower?]
"Send me instead of the Kaleidoscope. If this Apostle turns out to be hostile in any manner whatsoever then I shall be the best individual to-"
[You will remain on standby at the Clocktower, Barthomeloi. You will use the slightest justification to hunt this mystery Ancestor down before you will do anything that would ultimately benefit this institution.]
"I don't-"
[Lorelei? That was an order.]
A chilly silence descended upon the room, broken only by the Queen of the Clocktower smoothly rising from her chair and proudly storming from the room, closing it behind her with a quiet click that sounded like a snap of Zeus' fingers.
...This time Waver didn't blame Reines one bit for taking cover behind his back, warily peeking around his side.
[You are all dismissed, get to work.]
The magic circles denoting other Lords swiftly faded into nothingness, Zelretch turning to the Magus pair before stating, "I'll be out in a moment, brace yourselves for a quick journey to Japan."
Not wanting to stick around in what was quickly turning out to be a dangerous situation the El-Melloi pair did as the Apostle suggested, leaving only Zelretch and the Director present.
[I miss the days when a destroyed settlement was only noticed by the ones that traded with it, rather than the entire globe.]
"Consequences of getting old. On the plus side modern tech means I can upload my pranks to the world and bring joy to countless people in the form of amusing home videos."
A dismissive snort came from the Director
[Were I of lesser character I would be endlessly stating 'I told you so'. Centuries ago I warned you the Grail system was a terrible idea and now look at what has occurred. Two wars in a row that have come dangerously close to exposing the Moonlit World.]
"But here we are, with a new Magician born. Besides, if you had really held such reservations you could have put an end to the ritual at any time you wanted."
[I stayed my hand because you spoke highly of Nagato Tohsaka's character. And in focusing on the positive you seem to have forgotten that Magi with limited lifespans tend to make decisions ones such as ourselves would charitably describe as idiotic and irresponsible.]
Rolling his eyes the Wizard Marshall grumbled, "You just cannot let this go, can you?"
[You don't make mistakes very often, Kischur. It's only prudent that I remind you of the ones you do make, if only to remind you of your 'Humanity'.]
The ancient man gazed into his reflection, displayed on the surface of the heavily polished table as crimson eyes stood out strongly among the more muted colors.
"I'm well aware of the fault of hubris, Director."
[The Evil God that resided within an artifact that could reach the Root and wished naught but for Humanity's death and suffering suggests otherwise.]
Throwing his hands up in defeat the Apostle retorted, "Geez, I get it! Who pissed in your cereal this morning?"
[A gargantuan and unmitigated fuckup enabled by one of my oldest friends, that's who.]
"Touchy, aren't we? Whatever, that's why you sent along Waver and Reines, right?"
[Quite. Those fools no doubt believe our explanation, instead of the simple fact that he's both humble and aware of his limits, making him an ideal negotiator. Meanwhile his sponsor will be looking for weaknesses or advantages to wring out of the situation, they'll make an excellent pair of representatives.]
"Hmm..."
The Director sighed, neutral voice inquiring, [You sound doubtful.]
"Not doubtful, just contemplative. This isn't a reality I've seen in the Kaleidoscope before, it's uncharted territory."
Sarcasm was conveyed perfectly despite the Director's modulated voice.
[Lovely.]
"You don't look all that impressive right now, dear Brother. Like a blind or nearsighted old man who never grew up."
Eye twitching at Reines' amused comment Waver did his best to ignore her as she idly strolled alongside him, focusing on the trail of transferred mana despite the growing ache in his back and eyes from focusing so hard for such a long walk.
The Wizard Marshall had dropped them off in front of the site where the Greater Grail had resided, quickly ambling off to take care of his own business and leaving them to conduct the investigation on their own, pausing only long enough to hand them a pair of sack lunches with drinks.
…
Not that the gesture wasn't appreciated-it wasn't like there were any intact restaurants nearby to grab a bite to eat and they hadn't brought their own food-but it was a surreal experience to be treated like a schoolchild leaving on a field trip from one of the oldest living members of the Association.
"Hmm...what was the city like before it burnt to the ground, Brother?"
Straightening his back with an audible crack and allowing his eyes to rest Waver replied, "What brought on that bit of curiosity?"
"You're always so obsessed with the Grail War and events that occur around it, I find myself wondering about the land it took place in."
Taking a moment to give Reines' inquiry decent thought Waver glanced around the city and found himself frowning the more he considered it.
"There's little to tell, it was a fairly average city of modern make and construction...it was the events that took place within said city that I remember, not the landmarks."
He felt his lip curl the more he took in the view of Fuyuki.
The heart of the city was essentially gone. Only a twisted and burnt out skeleton remained, square kilometer after square kilometer of once bustling cityscape reduced to ash and cinders, emergency crews and potential looters not even making it this far in so soon after the disaster occurred. It was just him and Reines, wandering among ghosts and phantoms while the vestiges of corrupted evil suffused the very ground they walked upon.
He'd tolerated his sponsor's incessant comments because he knew they were her way of coping with the vestiges of the corruption's malice...he was only handling it because he'd gotten a taste of it at the climax of the Fourth War.
"And to be entirely honest most of those landmarks are now destroyed."
"That's such a boring answer, Brother."
"Then stop asking questions!"
Grumbling to himself in irritation Waver once more donned his glasses, following the trail one slow search at a time.
He was never-and likely never would be-a particularly powerful or talented Magus...his strengths lied in his ingenuity and ability to think of both practical and simple solutions to problems.
Such as the current one.
After a thorough investigation it had been revealed that mana was still being siphoned from the leylines of Fuyuki to an unknown location, prompting the pair to figure out where it was leading. While not a surefire lead to any potential Ancestor or Magician it seemed a safe enough bet, since the Grail had been tied strongly to the Third Magic.
After that Waver had worked his mundane magic, taking inspiration from a pair of 3d glasses Flat had taken to wearing around one day. Sampling the type of mana emanated from the leylines in soil samples, putting it in a chemistry solution that gave it a unique 'color' and then dropping said solution onto pieces of specially made glass allowed him to 'see' where the flows of mana were going.
...It wasn't perfect, the range allowed before the mana trail tapered off was no more than a few dozen meters and considering how deep underground the Greater Grail was he'd had to walk hunched over like an idiot, multi-colored spectacles precariously balanced on his nose.
But the search was finally bearing fruit, the trail beginning to slope upwards towards a hopefully final endpoint that would give them a reason to conclude their search.
And sure enough there it was, off in the distance a pair of figures were moving through a destroyed and burnt out home, too far away for any real detail to be discerned.
"Alright, let's wait here for the Wizard Marshall."
"Haah? Why are we waiting for the old Vampire when our persons of interest are right in front of us? We're not here to fight them."
Waver resisted the urge to smack a palm over his face at Reines' comment. For all of her intelligence, maturity and cool-headed dealings with opportunistic Magi...she was still naive about some key concepts.
Such as the fact that a Magician might not automatically be interested in what they have to offer just because they were Magi. He still had nightmares of Caster from the Fourth War, an insane and cruel individual who had seemingly little interest in the war compared to perpetrating the Hell he and Rider had discovered in the sewers of the city.
With that in mind he laid a firm hand on Reines' thin shoulder, pulling her behind a crumbling wall as he retrieved one of the gems the Wizard Marshall had left them to use in an emergency that would bring him to their side at the drop of a hat.
"Perhaps, perhaps not. Either way I'm not risking your safety on a maybe, Reines. We wait for the Kaleidoscope."
He instantly regretted his words as the young woman gained a sultry smile that would have sent an Incubus running for the hills, the younger Magus gathering his arm in her grasp before stating, "Oh hoh~? That's such a sweet thing for you to say, dear Brother...is this the prelude to where you ask me to bed?"
"No. And stop with the jokes, this is-"
"Not the time or place to let one's guard down, wouldn't you say?"
Both Magi froze as a blade suddenly set itself alongside Waver's neck, not close enough to cut but plenty near to threaten.
"See? I told you there were some badguys sneaking around, Swordlady~!"
"Indeed you did, good work, Jack."
"Heh heh~!"
Waver blinked as his eyes alighted upon a very inappropriately dressed girl roughly Reines' age crouching atop a nearby bit of ruins, emerald eyes gazing at them with predatory intent.
How had she so cleanly snuck up on them, never mind the person wielding the sword resting upon his person?
Attempting to defuse the situation Waver quickly stated, "We're not here for a fight, just reconnaissance."
"Nice try, Badguy, but we saw you sneaking around and doing bad things!"
Trying hard not to wince at the sudden accusation Waver glanced in Reines' direction, the younger Magus giving him a small nod.
She would follow his lead.
"May I turn around and see the other individual with whom I'm speaking?"
"You may."
Keeping his movements slow and limbs in plain sight the young man slowly rotated his body-
-and felt his jaw drop, eyes widen and right arm snap upwards to point at the familiar face that he never would have thought he would see again.
"K-K-King Arthur?!"
The Saber Servant who's true identity was that of the King of Knights seemed momentarily thrown off kilter by his sputtered words, eyes narrowing at his actions...and then blinking rapidly in open bemusement.
"Are you...Waver Velvet? The Master of Iskandar in the last Grail War?"
The Once and Future King gave him a searching look, wry expression dominating her features.
"You certainly grew taller, you were but a scrawny boy back then."
"That I was..."
"..."
"...Oh fuck."
Waver's palm met his face, several facts rapidly correlating in his brain and none of them particularly reassuring.
The war had ended and the Greater Grail had disappeared. But there was still mana being shuffled around. There were still Servants. And, most of all...there was a Magician who had appeared at the climax of the war at the same time the Grail had gone missing, with aforementioned Servants apparently in cahoots with them.
…
"This...just became a great deal more complicated."
Dangnamit, I was doing so well when it came to editing and uploading this story! One chap every two days and then my seasonal allergies hit with all the subtlety of a strung out crack addict with a barbed wire baseball bat doused in jet fuel.
Shitting pure liquid from my nostrils leaves little room left to think and even less room for things like sleep...
But we're back in the swing of things now and Waver (with Reines tagging along) have entered the roster! Gotta give some love and shameless favoritism to that particular duo, El-Melloi case files was a surprising and enjoyable little jaunt of a show.
