Fate/Stay Night: Umbra Bello
runelt99- while he remembers who Lancer's Master is, Orso did not remember any of the Servants stats (remember, he got his info from the UBW anime, and has been working on assumptions based on that), and was reminding himself just to be sure. Not sure that that chapter was particularly filled with filler. Hell, it seemed to me like the most action packed one yet. But, that's your opinion.
doomqwer- That will be the last time a pov shift happens like that. If there will be any, it will mostly be through interludes.
Chapter X: In Review
Date: 02/02/2004
Time: 8:19 pm
Location: Emiya Household
…
…
…
This is… awkward…
After everything had calmed down, we all decided to clear everything up.
Right now we were sitting down in the same room they were at this point in the anime… only this time, no Rin.
Given how she was acting earlier though… this might be an improvement.
Thinking my way through this, I thought of what to say next.
Knowing Saber was going to refute most of the claims I had about the true nature of the Grail, I decided to just go with what Rin would have told him anyway, and hopefully work on directing him to where he needs to be from there. I'm not gonna be 100% honest right off the bat. I really have no hard evidence for any of these things. I'll just stick to the things that can be confirmed right now.
How he'll actually figure out his magecraft without a real Mage, or his future self to help him out… well, we'll work out that detail later.
I know the way he's doing it is wrong, but I don't know exactly how to fix it. Just gonna have to hope Rin comes back in time.
And then there's… that. Something isn't right here. No one's acting right. I want to put my finger on what exactly that means, but I gotta focus on this right now.
Anyway, here we are. Shirou's place. Drinking tea.
Now that we're not fighting, I was originally expecting Saber to be rather curious about how, and why she and Okita look alike, but so far she's been stealing occasional uncertain glances at me. I guess I look like a rather suspicious person right now?
My Servant was back in her kimono, having swapped the Haori out at some point. Saber was still wearing her armor.
Fou, in the meantime, was sitting on my shoulder while staring intensely at Saber. I could only guess at what was going through his head.
Me and Shirou were sitting at opposite ends of the table. Each waiting for the other to start.
"... well, if no one else is gonna say anything...Okay... Guess I'll start…" I catch everyone's attention, "What do you know about the Holy Grail War?"
I, of course, already know that he doesn't know crap about it right now. This is all for building my character as a randomly selected Master for the war that took his time to do some research on the conflict.
"The Holy What'sitnow?"... again with that voice… it's on the tip of my tongue…
"Okay… what do you know about magic? You said you were a Mage right?"
"... I said 'I do magic', yes." well, that was a great answer.
"Okay, let me break this down. Those command seals on your hand are a sign that you've been volunteered as a participant in an event called the Holy Grail War. The Holy Grail War is a blood soaked conflict fought five times between competent Mages, and people like us." I frame the conversation like we're on the same side… although technically we are, just not in the game every other Master is playing.
"A bit harsh, but not untrue." Saber remarks.
"Hold on! Why are you people doing this!?" Shirou demanded to know.
"People have many reasons to join the war, but for most, it's usually to get the Holy Grail." I carry on.
"The Holy Grail? Liiike… the Jesus one?" Well, no.
"Not... really no. It's… (I guess the name's more a metaphor than anything else?) No, the Holy Grail in this war is not the one Jesus drank from, or the one King Arthur and his Knights looked for." both me, and Okita noticed a subtle twitch from Saber at the mention of her legend, "This Grail is a magical construct created by Mages in order to achieve the third true magic. They just call it the Holy Grail because "Magical Genie Murder Cup." didn't have the same ring to it."
"..." Shirou stared at me blankly.
"... okay, in layman's terms, supposedly, if you get the Grail, you get to make a wish on it. And since it uses soft magic to do this, you essentially get to wish for anything."
"Anything?" he grew wide-eyed at this.
"Anything." I nod.
"Even… for example… to get superpowers, and save innocent people?" I can only smile. At least this hasn't changed. I can work with 'idiot hero' so long as he doesn't get himself killed.
"That does file under anything, yes." I could see gears turning in his head, "Then you can see how that might be tempting to people?"
"Yeah I'm followin' you so far… but how exactly is 'Saber' involved?" and thus, we get to the interesting part.
"We are heroes from history. Called forth from the Throne of Heroes to fight by the sides of our summoners." Saber answers for me.
"F-For real!? You're heroes!?" Shirou looks at both the women in the room in admiration.
"For real."
"For real."
They respond in unison.
"Oh… does that have anything to do with why you both look alike?" Tha-
Huh. Was wondering that myself actually.
The two Servants stare at each other for a second before both answered.
"No."
"No."
"... Moving on… each Master is supposed to get a Servant of one of the classes. Saber, Archer, Lancer, Rider, Assassin, Caster, and Berserker. With their skills and abilities usually being described by their class. Everyone kills each other until there is one Master-Servant pair left standing, and each of the winners may each get a wish from the Grail." I continue.
"O-oh… I don't suppose there's a way to win… without killing anyone?" well… I suppose UBW Shirou didn't kill anyone that wasn't already dead, so technically yes?
"It's possible, but insanely difficult for many reasons. Technically speaking, only six Servants are the ones that have to die, and seeing as they are Heroic Spirits, they are already technically dead… technically. But killing a Heroic Spirit isn't exactly a walk in the old murder-park. And since the squishy meatbags that brought them in to this mortal coil are the only things keeping them here, most Masters, and Servants go after the Masters involved. Without a Master to supply Mana, the Servant disappears."
Shirou takes a moment to consider this carefully.
"Okay… but I'm unclear about one thing." really? Thought I summed up this mess pretty well so far.
"And that is?"
"Who are you Exactly!? And -not that I don't appreciate this- why help me?" o-oh.
Kinda forgot to introduce myself here.
Man, I'm fucking up every five seconds at this point...
"Oh! Uh… right. The name is Robert Orso. A lot like you, I got volunteered for this little pow-wow. And as for why… well, there's a couple of reasons. And to be blunt, reason number one is that I'm looking for an ally in all this. There's a lot of tactical, and strategic reasons for wanting to team up with the Master of the Saber Servant." there's also the fact that you're the bone of your sword, but let's not talk about that yet.
"You're being awfully forthcoming with information for the Master of Assassin." Saber noticed.
Well, I'm really not. I'm keeping at least half the story from these two. Although I suppose the parts I am talking about are mostly true, from a certain point of view.
"Like I said, I did not want to get involved in any of this. But, now that I am, I'm basically stuck with the role. If I actually wanted to join the war, I woulda tried for a Caster, or Archer to be honest." not that I particularly liked the Heroes that served those roles in the original war, the class description really fits my style of warfare. Long range tactical comba- why does Okita have a dark cloud over her hea- oh. "Uh- not that I don't like you Assassin, I think this has worked out great so far! Better than expected actually!"
"(So your expectations were low…)" ... wow, I am just terrible tonight...
"H-hey now! Y'know I didn't mean it like that!" I tried consoling her.
"Um… not to interrupt your… thing... but I couldn't help but notice you said you said you were stuck with it?" Shirou called us back.
"Er, yeah? What about it?" I pause from our little skit.
"Well, can't you just… quit?" well… yes, and no.
"Well, there is a man overseeing the war that's supposed to protect Master's that either lose their command seals, or want out of the war… but for complicated reasons specific to me, I can't back out now." well… it's not so much that I can't back out, as much as it is that I shouldn't, "But that's a limited time offer. Ya want out? You better do it now while you still can."
'Course, I was just being up front about this. I didn't exactly expect him to look like he was considering it!
He had a hard look on his face like he was seriously thinking this through… which actually is a big step for him. I'd be happy if it didn't mean his backing out would make my planning fall apart completely.
Alright Orso think… what was it that got him to sign on in the first place…
I feel like I'm forgetting an important detail that would make this personal for h-
"Then why don't we talk with him."
I turned to my Servant in surprise.
"Assassin..?"
"Hear me out," she starts, " this priest guy is supposed to be the overseer of the war, so he'll be able to explain the stakes from a place of authority, and if you still aren't interested, you can end it there, and pretend none of this ever happened." she offered.
"Okita… what're ya doin'?"
"I got an idea, just play along…" I'm not sure about this… but I'll go along with her for now…
"... I'm just not sure about any of this…" if I had to guess, I'd say he was torn between a desire to be a superhero, and the fact that he'd have to kill people to get it… although I could be misunderstanding his character here.
"If it's of any comfort Master, no one would think any less of you for choosing to not fight in a war you don't have any stake in." Saber lets her Master know. "I'm sure the overseer is an honorable man that will see his duty through."
…
…
The silence was very telling.
"... yeah… let's go with that…" I respond awkwardly.
"You hesitated…" Saber asked, out of the loop, "...what?"
Theme Song- Fate/Stay Night - "Brave Shine" (FULL Opening) | ENGLISH ver | AmaLee
Ten minutes later…
Miyama...
"But… Kotomine could be a common name… right?" Saber asked her Master.
"... Orso? Who's Kotomine Kirei?" he asked for her.
Yeah… Saber wasn't too keen on the idea of the man being alive, let alone the overseer, if her look of utter disgust was of any indication when I mentioned the name. I'm guessing keeping a Servant around after the war was far from the most terrible thing he did in the 4th war.
On that note, if she was trying to hide her involvement in any of that a secret, she wasn't being particularly subtle about it.
"Well, besides being the overseer of this war, he was a Master in the last one. Came pretty close to winning too." which should speak volumes about his skill, and abilities...
"So it is him…" Saber spoke with venom.
"Oh so you know 'em? That saves about five minutes of explanation…" as long as she's being direct about it, I'll warn them upfront, "you should know that he means business. I know he'll do his job, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have his own motives."
"Wait, if he's the one that's supposed to be organising this whole thing, shouldn't he be… y'know… neutral?" Shirou asked.
"Yes. Yes he should." I gave a vague answer.
"...oookay..?" Emiya responded with a suspicious inflection.
We traveled in silence for a minute before I spoke to Assassin.
"Sooo..? You said you had an idea here?"
"Yes, and no." that's encouraging, "You said Kirei was the one that convinced him in that version of the war you saw, right?"
"Well… yeah, but there's nothing he said to Emiya that I didn't hear. I don't really see why we would need to go to him. Saber's right. He sucks."
"That may be. But Kirei knows how to do something you just don't have much experience with."
"And that is?"
"He knows how to manipulate." not sure how I feel about that.
I mean… I want to say I know what I'm doing here… but I almost got Emiya to quit the war by accident after I forgot to give my name. Maybe I should leave this to a professional bullshitter…
Still, she has a point. We might have just ended up walking to the church anyway if I couldn't convince Shirou. If he didn't want to be involved… I'd think of another way around the bad guys. I was never gonna force, or lie him into fighting a war he wanted nothing to do with.
It's weird actually… I assumed he would have jumped right in when he learned people were in dan- oh. That's probably the detail I forgot… I thought I was implying it when I said this war got bloody… yeah, might be best to leave this to Kirei...
Yeah, when Shirou learns innocent people are in danger, he'll sign right up. Though Rin might've been acting weird earlier, and Shirou seems to be sounding… off, I can still count on what I remember so far.
Oh yeah… and then there's… that. Something was really wrong with Tohsaka back there that couldn't be my doing. Rin just doesn't act like that. I mean… 100% no chill? No-name hack? Satan!? I don't know what she's on… but I kinda want some of it. Is that weird?
And then there was Shirou's voice… it was on the tip of my damn tongue for a second…
Something's wrong here. I mean- worse than usual for the Holy Grail War... and apparently that's saying something.
Well… maybe it's just a quirk of the multiverse. Just a slightly alternate timeline where people just don't act, or sound the same.
I don't know… I have a baaad feeling about this...
"... I don't like this… the less we interact with Kirei the better, and then there's… and then there's… something?" I think I just had a stroke.
"Something? Isn't that specific." she responded sarcastically.
"No… there was something… something there afte- oh. Crapbaskets." And it's all coming together now…
"Crapbaskets?" Okita tested the word.
"Uh… would now be a bad time to mention that Berzerker is supposed to show up if we go there?" better late than never…
"Oh… so you're saying I just walked us into-" she slowly realizes.
"Into a trap, yes." this shit is going so wrong so fast…
"Ah… crapbaskets indeed." knowing who Berzerker was, even Okita hesitated for a moment.
Before we continue, I'd like to take a moment to remind everybody that I didn't plan tonight out. I think I grew complacent waiting about three weeks and just got blindsided by all this.
All in all, this night is probably #1 in my top ten list of big brain moments.
That doesn't explain how I forgot to tell Okita about Berzerker though… yeah I think I'm gonna start writing this shit down now...
"What? The 'genius swordsman' Okita Souji is actually scared of something?" I joke to relieve the tension a bit.
"Pfft, scared? Nah~. Wondering how she's going to take down the first person that comes to mind when people think of mythological heroes? Maybe."
I smirk for a brief moment before turning serious once more.
"I don't think there's an easy way to back out of this now… not unless I can think of something really quickly…" I grimace trying to think of a way to back out of this without drawing suspicion.
We came to a stop in front of the bridge connecting Miyama to Shinto.
"While Shirou is doing his thing I guess I'll have to just think of ways to deal with Berzerker… I don't think we'll be able to talk our way out of this one…" this wasn't going to be like with Lancer. Illya intends to do some damage.
"We were going to have to fight someone seriously eventually." My Servant reminded me. "Actually, on that note, are you holding up okay?"
Right… if you'll recall my first fight for my life… it didn't exactly end well. Apart from a near death experience, I completely lost it. I panicked. This time…
There was fear in the Lancer fight, but it wasn't like before. It was like it was put in the back burner in my mind. I was able to think my way through it.
"It was better than the first time." I answer simply.
She nods in understanding.
"So uh…?"
We both turn to Emiya.
"You guys have been standing staring at each other for at least... two minutes without saying anything… is there a problem, ooor-?"
"Don't worry about it."
"Don't worry about it."
We both answer at once before moving on.
"... oookay then?" Emiya blinks in confusion before whispering to Saber, "(I can't tell if these guys are intense, or crazy.)"
My eyebrow twitched at this.
"(Master, if there's one thing I learned about Mages in my life, it's that they're all a little coo-coo for cocoa puffs.)" Saber tells him before asking herself, "(Wer- Were those even words?")
Ah. Still doing that modern slang thing.
"For the record, it's probably intensely crazy." Okita jokes, surprising him.
"Also, I prefer Cheerios." I smirk at this.
We kept bantering with each other along the way to the church…
Five minutes later…
Outside Kotomine Church...
"Alright… this is it. If you're sure. Really, really, positively, kill-Your-PLANETCALLY sure, you want to talk to him," I make a half assed attempt to get him to back out.
"Well, the entire reason we're here is because I'm not sure. So yeah c'mon Sa- Saber?" Emiya noticed Saber was waiting outside the gates.
"Any meeting between an Emiya, and a Kotomine sounds like not-my-business." she wasn't touching this with a thirty foot stick.
Guessing there was some beef between Kiritsugu and Kirei?
Really regretting not getting to watch Zero… it probably coulda' helped more than any other series...
That reminds me. Probably gonna have to ask Saber about that later so long as she's talking.
Okita was staying outside as well to keep watch.
"Wait… what do you mean? I've never met this guy before." Shirou stops to ask. To which I provide a vague answer.
"Let's just say you're more involved in this than I let on." I open the doors without elaborating.
Creeeeek
The wooden doors announced our presence to the priest, who turned up from the bible he was reading from.
"Y'know, when I said I was obligated to help Masters in the war, I should have said that I'd like to be contacted beforehand so I wouldn't be interrupted in the middle of the night." he says as he turns to us, and notices Emiya.
"I wasn't aware war had to set up appointments Kotomine." I sass.
"It's more a courtesy than a requirement… er… Ersa, was it?"
...
"You already forgot my name." I deadpan.
"To be honest, I'm surprised you even made it to the first night of the war." meh, fair.
"Uh… excuse me?" Shirou interrupted, "New Master? Worried about dying?'
Kirei pauses for a moment, then looks at me with hope in his eyes
"... 'sigh', no, I did not bring you a serial killer." I say, exasperated.
"You're just a cornucopia of disappointment, aren't you?" the fake priest sighs before addressing Emiya, "So, how can I help you young man?"
"Yeah… so my night so far has been these tattoo things showing up on my hand, then a guy in blue spandex tried to murder me, then a blonde girl started beating people up, and calling me Master, this guy is telling me I'm fighting for the Holy Grail that isn't actually the Holy Grail. And now 6 super-people are out to murder me. So… what's up with that?" well said.
"So, I'm starting from the beginning then?" Kirei asked rhetorically, "In any case, as Overseer, it is my duty to provide new Masters with information regarding the war, ensure the integrity of the ritual, and provide shelter to failed Masters."
"Yeah… see, I'm not all that into killing people… or being killed. So can I just… resign or something?" Emiya looked for a way out.
"I am capable of transferring your Servant to another Master." Kirei informed him.
Y'know… if he does end up quitting… I'd be more than willing to accept Saber…
I mean… just so the priest doesn't get her.
"May I have your name for the official record so I can put you down as- "the Master who quit before a single Servant died."?" oooh… playing to a person's pride?
"Not loving your tone right now… but … Shirou, Shirou Emiya."
…
…
"... no way…" Kotomine grows a genuine smile.
Hook, line, sinker.
"Huh?" Shirou notices his sudden tone shift.
"Emiya?" Kirei wanted to confirm.
"...Yyyes?" the redhead suddenly felt uncomfortable.
"Can you spell that?" Oh you know what this is bub.
"Uh… E-M-I-Y-A?"
"Say it again for me."
"... Emiya?"
"...(Oh-Lord-above-I-have-seen-your-wisdom-and-my-faith-is-renewed.)..." the priest above gives thanks to the Lord. "So about your wish Shirou Emiya,"
"Right. This guy told me that Masters get a wish if they win." Oh good, he was paying attention, "But just to be sure… do I have to kill the other Masters?"
"No. Only six Servants must die." the priest assures him.
"It doesn't always work out like that though…" I speak up. "In fact, it almost never does. Most of the people that signed up for this are more than ready to take the expedient, lethal option. Mages aren't exactly known for being particularly moral people. Case in point, the son of a bitch that ordered his Servant to murder witnesses when they can just as easily be neuralized."
Shirou considers all this for a moment.
"This… this feels like what I've been waiting for my entire life… but I would be stepping over everything I belie-" he pauses before looking at-
Step-Step-Step
Oh… he's doing it again.
Step-Step-Step
"... what are you doing?" the redhead asks the priest.
"Oh don't mind me. I'm just predating." he answers while doing… that.
Step-Step-Step
"He… he predates… apparently." I can't help but sigh at this.
"To be honest, I have to wonder why your father never told you about his time in the Grail War." Kirei drops that particular bomb.
"M-My dad?!" Emiya blurts out.
"Yes… Kiritsugu Emiya. I can't help but find it odd that he'd teach you magecraft, yet never mentioned anything abou- oh… I see…" the gears turn as he thought aloud, "Of course… he wouldn't tell you about that."
What is he-
Oh… yeah… that.
The tragedy at the end of the last Grail War. The one in which Shirou lost everything.
I can imagine explaining the circumstances of that event to a child might be a bit… difficult.
"What are you on about!? What does my Dad have to do with this!?" Emiya demanded to know.
"Emiya. The last Grail War took place ten years ago." I try to explain carefully.
"Ten years a- o… oh." he grows pale thinking back to those events. "You mean-!"
"Yes. The disaster ten years ago. That was a result of the end of- Emiya?" I was about to carry on the exposition when I noticed Emiya was zoned out. In fact he seemed to be trembling, and reaching a point of hyperventilation-
O-oh.
… what exactly are you supposed to do when someone's having a panic attack!?
"Emiya?" I tried getting his attention, but he waved me off before stepping away for a few seconds.
I stood waiting awkwardly while he fought the urge to hurl.
"I take it back Erso. Your visit has certainly made my night." the priest let me know, to which I could only groan in exasperation for what seems like the twelfth time tonight.
Meanwhile…
Outside the Church…
The night was utterly silent. There weren't even any insects making a sound.
…
…
…
"... So…?" Okita perked up when Saber awkwardly spoke up, "your Master wouldn't happen to be British… would he?"
"No." Assassin answered simply.
"...hm." Saber refocused her attention on the environment.
Inside the Church...
"...Ya good man?" I asked the redhead as he started pulling himself together.
"Y-Yeah just… give me a second…" he took a breath before refocusing. "right... so… that… that hell. That was because of… all this?!"
"Indeed." Kirei carried on, "At the end of the last Grail War the winner, for whatever reason, used the Grail to cause the destruction on that night."
"But… but that's insane!" Shirou was trying to process that someone would use the Grail for such a purpose.
"Your friend was correct in saying that Mages aren't the most moral people. To be a Mage is to walk with death after all." the priest continued.
"But… all those people…"
"If you are opposed to the idea of such an event happening again, your only real choice is to win the Grail yourself." or, you know… not let it be used at all.
"A-Again!?" Shirou was shocked to hear that there were no precautions taken to stop that.
"Yeah, there's not much anyone can do if anyone with similar intentions wins the Grail." I carry this on. "It's an all powerful wish granter after all."
It took Emiya a few moments to think this through before coming to a decision.
"There's no choice then… I'm going to fight!" he declared with certainty.
Oh good. At least I'm not going to be fighting alone then.
"I couldn't be happier to hear that Shirou… Emiya…" Kirei continued to savor the name like it was Hamburg Steak. "And for what it's worth… I'm sure your father would approve of your choice."
Outside of the Church...
"It was a pleasure meeting you Shirou Emiya. I'm sure we'll get along famously in the future." pfft-yeah. Fat chance bub.
And just like that the priest sent us off, leaving Shirou with a lot to think about.
"Look, I'm... sorry about bringing up what happened like that." I should have expected it really. But still, I suppose this was just a band-aid that had to be ripped off. Didn't mean I felt any less of a dick.
"It's fine. I just… wasn't expecting that…" Emiya slightly shudders at the memory.
It was then that Saber, and Assassin took notice that we were done in there.
"Have you reached a conclusion?" Saber asked cautiously.
"I can't let the events ten years ago happen again." her Master clenched his fists in certainty. "I'll fight!"
"Very good Master. Let us join together and defeat the other Masters. Without the use of guns, or high explosives." Saber said, likely in reference to her previous Master.
"Was it really that bad? You make it sound like Kiritsugu was John Wick on a rampage." I was actually kinda curious what exactly happened in the last war. Again, wish I coulda' seen Zero.
"I do not know who John Wick is… but I think that the best way to describe the man would be, "The ends will always justify the means."." She describes the late Emiya.
I take that to mean he was a cold blooded son of a bitch that meant well. One could probably guess that that set of morals would clash with those of a Knight.
"W-Wait, you knew my dad?" the young Emiya rhetorically asked his Servant.
I'd give him a pass on missing this one. He's probably got his mind on the war itself rather than his Servant having mentioned that there was some animosity 'between a Kotomine, and an Emiya.'.
"Unfortunately…" Saber looks back on those events without much fondness.
"He was her Master in the last Grail War. Apparently they didn't get along." I elaborate.
"How-"
"I did my homework." I give a vague answer to Sabers' question before she finishes it. "When I made the choice to fight this war, I made sure to learn all I could about it. In fact, I'd bet the only person that knows more about the participants of this war is the Overseer himself."
Shirou nodded sagely at this. "I guess that explains how you knew I'd be a Master before I did."
Ah… here's a glimpse of the smart cookie to come.
"Right. When I looked into the war, I also looked for the descendents of previous participants, and made a calculated guess that you'd be participating in the war based on your Fathers past as a Master." I bullshit an explanation for a lot of what went down tonight.
"..." Shirou zoned out for a moment, "(... I'm teaming up with Mage Batman…)"
…
...
"Wait- what was that?" I just felt something click there.
"Oh… uh… nothin!" He almost seemed to shrink up at whatever it is he said.
"..." I give him a dead stare as I think for a moment, "Do me a favor. Say, "Mithril Pebble of Pig Smiting!" All excited."
Emiya seemed a bit off put by the odd request before replying- "uh… oookay… 'ahem', "Mithril Pebble of Pig Smiting!"."
"-and you're not Batman are you~? You will never be Batman!"
"N-No. What could p-possibly be wrong in this scenario..?"
"I WANT THAT!"
"The Mithril Pebble of Pig Smiting!"
"100% MAXIMUM NO CHILL!"
…
…
…
FUUUUUU-
BZZZT-BZZZT-BZZZT-BZZZT-BZZZT-BZZZT
-why do I suddenly hear boss music?
Both me, and the Servants turn to the sudden burst of magical energy-
…
…
Fuck my life…
"A Servant! Prepare yourselves!" Saber declared as both Servants went into their respective battle stances.
"I hope you have that battle plan ready Master." Okita once more began to grow a deeper tone of voice at the prospect of battle.
"Oh? You finally noticed me?"
Huh? Deja Vu?
Almost appearing out of thin air, we now all see the albino loli, and her not so little friend.
Creeee-CLANG!
The Gates to the Church close behind us… and I can only assume it's because Illya is related to Walter C. Dornez based on the thin wires attached to it.
"... They sent a child to die…" Okita whispered, aghast.
"Don't let her appearance fool you. She's actually older than me. Homunculi are weird like that." I let her know, hopefully reassuring her.
"I'm disappointed, Shirou." the girl let her 'Onee-chan' know with an eerie smile, "I was looking forward to crushing you alongside someone a little more… mage-like. But he's all you could get?"
… Well that's rude.
"('hmph', I chose to take being"un" mage-like as a compliment.)" considering some of the bullshit they usually do… I'm good with the moniker. "Stand back Emiya. She's more dangerous than she looks."
"Oh? So my reputation precedes me?" she was pleasantly surprised to hear, "Regardless, I'll still introduce myself. My name's Illyasviel von Einzbern. Though my family refers to me as "Tiny Murder Machine."."
"Einzbern…" Shirou repeats the name with vague familiarity, "I think… I think Sakura's grandfather said something about me knowing people with that name…"
Eh? Grandfather..?
Oh riiight… I think I remember Shinji mentioning him in that scene when he was with Gilgamesh… and all those weird bug things...
… wait… Shirou never mentioned anything about that in the show… I don't think we saw it either… could it be a Visual Novel exclusive thing and just got cut out-?
"And this is my Servant Burr-zerr-car." she gestured to the massive demi-god standing next to her, "Watch out, he might drive you insane."
… I feel like this is Karma for my bad puns earlier.
"The Einzberns are one of the three families that started this war. They're all a bunch of test-tube, designer baby, killing machines purpose-built to make people like us look like children playing a game when it comes to magecraft." I described the family.
"I'd say that's about right." the girl concedes, "But still, if magic is but a game-."
"▂▃▄▅▅▅▆▆▇▇████!" her monster of a Servant let his rage loose as we all braced ourselves.
"Let's play." She ordered darkly just before-
Thrrrooooom!
Her Berzerker leapt thirty feet into the air, and was coming into us fast.
"Master leave this to me!" Saber told her Master to stay back before rushing to meet our foe.
CLAAAAAANG!
Their clash resounded through the night.
The speed, and power of the strike released a shockwave, nearly blowing us mere humans off our feet, and forming a crater beneath them.
Saber was knocked back at least twenty feet. Kicking up dirt, and debris along the way.
"Master, orders?" my own Servant asked of me. Any hesitation gone.
"Support Saber. Let her take the brunt of the fighting, and strike at any vulnerabilities." Like the Raptors, and the T-Rex teaming up against the Indominus Rex.
We don't have to beat her. Hell, we don't want to either. We just have to get her to get bored, and fuck off.
"Hai!" beginning to think I really fucked up this translator rune… well, least it didn't blow up.
…
…
The fact that that is my bare minimum degree of success is disappointing.
Meanwhile, Saber was on the defensive. The massive Servants ferocious assault keeping her on the backfoot.
But it wasn't like the fight with Lancer. I could at least vaguely make out what was happening.
The swings if his club were wild, almost predictable. In fact, Saber seemed to be able to avoid most of them. Only clashing with the magical olive-wood when she tried to get a strike in.
Crash! Booom!
The ground began taking damage with their fight. Each swing scaring the earth.
Herakles narrowly avoided an excala-air whack to the face, and was about to counter when Okita joined the fray, her katana slicing at his exposed backside.
"!" It didn't seem to do any damage though. Probably just pissing him off.
"What the hell's going on!?" were... you not paying attention dude?
"Uh… the Servants are fighting? Where have you been?" I turned to the apparently slow Emiya.
"No, I see that! I mean… how? Why!? Whaaa!?" Okay, now he's having a stroke. Apparently that's contagious here too.
"Okay… I think you're trying to ask me how they're performing feats that appear to be beyond human?"
"That one, yes." he nodded.
"Well for one thing… they're not. Human, that is. Well, not completely. This is what it means to be legends. To be counted among heroes, after all, one has to be something beyond special, something almost beyond human. Servants are heroes distilled. Un-living weapons of mass destruction."
Clang-BOOOM!
"... I want thaaat…" so… is that his catchphrase or something?
Back to the fight- our Servants didn't seem to be making much progress.
Only Saber had the raw power to do any real damage.
Even if Assassin re-equipped her coat, I'm not sure if she'd make a scratch. Her strength would match Sabers, but wouldn't amount to anything. Without a Noble Phantasm like Excalibur, or an extra power boosting skill like mana burst, we wouldn't make it past the threshold needed to counter God-Hand.
Maybe… just maybe the Lightless Three-Stage-Thrust would do it… but that's at best only one life taken. And would probably drain the last of the mana I'm supplying.
Our only other option would be attacking the Master, but that's also out of the question.
I'm unsure how many lives a full Excalibur beam attack would take… maybe enough to get Illya to think twice?
Then again… she only backed off last time because she was like a cat playing with its foo-
"!"
Wham!
"OhmyBuddha-!"
Slam!
Crash!
One of Berserker's swings knocked Okita through several trees.
This gave him the chance to focus entirely on Saber for a few moments. Launching a series of wild strikes that thankfully never found their mark.
Clang!
Saber blocked the massive club with her blade. The force nearly knocked her off her feet. But she recovered quickly, and launched a counter attack.
"Now before you turn out to be someone I like, die!" She ordered the Servant with a swing of her invisible sword, however, the hulking behemoth was able to properly judge the length of her blade, and narrowly dodged it. "What!? How are you a Berserker!?"
Herc was to counter her attack with an uppercut swing when-
"I'm back!"
"▅▅▅▆▆▇▇████!" The giant bellowed in rage at the surprise attack on his back.
Okita slid under Herakles retaliatory swing, and rejoined the fray.
"Oh. My. God dude! This is awesome!" Shirou fanboyed over what he was watching.
"No. Not awesome." I responded, and gestured to the Berzerker, "Look at that monster. He isn't taking any damage. If the battle goes on like this he'll get in a lucky hit eventually. And comparing the Einzberns Mana reserves to yours or mine, we can't hope to play for a war of attrition. Our big hope may be Saber's Noble Phantasm."
"Noble Phantasm?" I guess I'm just the exposition guy now?
"A Noble Phantasm is the crystallization of a Servant's legend, their ultimate ability. Most Saber Servants have some kind of OP beam weapon. Hers should do the trick. Either that or..." there is her mana burst attack… I think we need to hold Berzerker down to do that to its maximum effect.
"Ooor…?" Hold on I'm thinking!
"Or we find a way to disrupt his senses long enough for us to bail out and come at this from a position of strength later." We don't have to win every battle head on. Illya is not necessarily a threat that has to be taken down anyway.
And besides. We don't have enough weapons to overcome God-Hand twelve times. We get like- two max from Saber (not sure if Excalibur will only take one life, or take many at once. So I count it as only one.). Maybe one from Assassin with her special sword skill.
"You mean you want to run away!?" Shirou accused harshly.
"Not really... "Run Away". That implies giving up. And we're not giving up. We'd be regrouping, reorganizing, and preparing a proper plan of attack." He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.
"That's right!" Illya decided to add her two cents, "Run Shirou! Run as far as you want! But know no matter the distance, no matter the plan, Berserker will still obliterate you." she then turned and… decided now was a good time to go for a walk? Then fucked off into the woods.
Emiya heard this, and seemed to choose to stubbornly stay put.
"Well, repositioning is out…" moot point anyway. I doubt Saber would go along with it. Damned warriors pride and all.
The state of the battle seemed largely unchanged. Okita would strike at exposed areas while the monster had no choice but to attack Artoria because she might actually do some damage-
No, wait, that's it!
"Okita! Switch it up! Saber is the only one that can do any damage, so if you switch to your Haori to hold him off, we'll be able to make some progress."
It was risky… pitting Assassin against Berserker. I won't be able to power her Noble Phantasm for long, but we weren't getting anywhere like this.
Okita listened, and disengaged for a moment to switch into her uniform, then moved to block a cleaving motion headed for Saber.
BZZZT-PAIN-BZZZT-PAIN-BZZZT-BZZZT
"D-damnit!" My circuits still aren't used to being used like this… I'll only be able to supply Assassin with mana for two… three minutes at the most.
Okita's strength level was a B in this state, matching Sabers. But it didn't hold up to Heracles's unrestricted A+ strength for very long, so she was forced to give ground.
Thankfully, Saber caught on quickly enough, moving to attack. Her sword nearly slicing Berserker's head off had he not dodged at the last moment.
Or… I guess it wouldn't… because… God-Hand…
… please nerf.
The giant seemed slow to adapt to this change in tactics. Still trying to focus down Saber (who was trying to fall back, and await the opportune moment), while Assassin became much stronger, and aggressive.
His instincts had been a great asset to him so far. However instinct unguided by intelligence can only get one so far.
Which is why leaving your Berzerker unattended was a bad idea Illya.
This instinct led Berzerker into over-extending himself while trying to swat Assassin. He realized it, but was too late. Giving Saber the opportunity to-
"Ex-cala-" reveal her golden… golden… her…
BZZZT-BZZZT-BZZZT-BZZZT
"**'s **r**** ******."
"** *d**l **a** *** ** *d**l k***."
"-POK-Gah'!"
…
…
…
Time… almost seems to slow down.
Blood.
So much blood...
Fwoosh~!
CRASH!
The Knight tumbled uncontrollably before coming to a stop ten meters in front of us.
There was no sign of life for a few moments. I couldn't see if she was breathing with that armor. My heart stopped. And how couldn't it? No one should survive that. No one.
Power equivalent to getting hit by a speeding Tank should be an immediate bad end.
And yet, what happened next, served as another reminder that we were beyond the looking glass now.
She moved.
It was a subtle twitch at first. Then her fingers tried to clench.
She wasn't just alive. She was still conscious, I realized, as she tried to push herself off the ground. Still losing blood.
"Saber!" Emiya called to her in alarm. About to rush to her when I grabbed him by the shoulder.
"Stay back! All you'll do is get in the way!" I tried to hold him back, but he brushed me off and ran to his Servant.
"Damn fool!" I should have been expecting this! Rushing headfirst into a minefield to save someone without thinking is pretty much his MO.
"W-What are you doing!?" Saber demanded to know as Emiya both bravely, and foolishly, tried to help her up.
"Saving you!" he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "C'mon! Get up!"
For him, maybe it was. To just about everyone else here, it looked like he was making a death wish.
"Oh, how brave!"
I turned to see Illya watching us not too far behind her Servant. Amused at her brother's display.
"With that attitude the girls at school must be all over you!" well… she's not incorrect, "It'll be a shame that when Berserker's done, they'll have to look all over to find you. A little bit of you on the street, a little of you in the forests, and some of you staining the church's walls."
"Funny thing actually. I think Kirei might appreciate that as a sign that there's a serial killer in the war." I say… not really sure why I did actually.
"Oh, him." the little girl spat with more vitriol than before. "I suppose once this… well I was gonna say battle but… I want to say spat but…"
"Slaughter?" I offer weakly. Too which she snaps her fingers.
"Yeah! That sounds right! I suppose once this "slaughter" is done, I'll have to pay him a visit. Berzerker?"
Her pet giant turns to attention, ignoring Okita's earnest attempt to do something. Anything.
"Let's put our toys away." and with that euphemism, he turned to the helpless two before me.
"Son of a bitch!" Shirou tried with all his might to pull his Servant to her knees, but found no such luck. "C'mon!"
"M-Master, run…" Saber… he doesn't work like that.
Okay what do I do!?
Shirou's useless!
Saber's out!
Okita's got nothin' that can scratch him!
I… I don't… I don't know what to-
Just focus on what I need to do.
…
We need to run. Now.
Our obstacle? Berzerker.
What's left that beats Berzerker?
…
"Assassin! Use your Sword skill!" It was our last chance. A 50/50 shot.
Her skill was A ranked. It shoul- no, it will get past God-Hand. It had to.
The problem was… I was at my limit. Using it now… my circuits will riot. I'll likely survive that, but I won't be walking out of here.
…. Damnit. Just gotta embrace the suck...
"▅▆▆▇▇█!" The Monster bellowed as it made its move. Deafening my Servants response.
One Silent Step
Nausea.
Nausea, and a numb pain crept in from the edge of my senses.
But they were overshadowed by something.
Two Steps Infinite
Something that just shouldn't have been. Something impossible.
Three Steps, A Sword Absolute
Nostalgia.
I felt Nostalgic.
Three strikes.
Three strikes, and time itself was defied once more.
The Monster let out no sign of acknowledgement. It remained where it stood. Having ceased moving mid-swing of its mighty weapon, hovering in front of… just Shirou?
Saber stared shocked at the development from the ground she had been pushed to. Her Master having been ready to sacrifice himself to save her was strange enough… but… why had the giant stopped?
Almost in answer, Assassin declared the name of her famous technique.
"Mumyou SANDAN-ZUKI!"
Three marks appeared on the Monster. At precisely the same moment.
Three marks, and the light in its eyes died. Blood spilling from its back, and neck. Its head barely held on by a scrap of flesh, and skin.
All was still. None had expected the Assassin Servant to deliver such a blow to the mighty Berzerker.
Illya stared on in curiosity. Unconcerned at the loss of one of her Servants lives… just surprised he lost one of them in the first place.
pain
A painful shot of static seemed to burst through my arm. Reminding to keep going.
pain pain
"Emiya! Saber! Time to leave!" I declared as the shocks seemed to start going off at random.
"Why? Your wicked cool Servant just killed it dead!" Shirou didn't seem to understand.
pain pain pain
"No! We just unlocked his second health bar!" The laymans terms seemed to get through to him, as he moved over to help his Servant back up.
pain pain pain pain pain Pain
"Master, why did you… why on earth would you do that!?" Saber questioned her Master.
pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain Pain Pain
My muscles began to seize up.
"Because… you were in danger?" spoken like a real hero there.
I tried to make my way over to them, but-
pain pain pain pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain
My body protested. My circuits declaring their distaste for my overworking them. Shutting down any and all attempts to get orders through the nervous system chain of command.
"G-Guys, we need to go! Now!" We don't have much time.
This seems to at least get through to Saber, as she decides to put off scolding her Master until they're in a less dangerous area, and manages to stand once more with Emiya's help.
"C'mon… C'mon… one foot in front of the other…" I give my body a tutorial on walking, while trying my best to ignore the growing pain.
I make a few steps forward, before my right arm spasms.
Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain
"G-Gah!" I lurch forward, losing control for but a second, but it was noticeable.
"...Bats? What's wrong?" The fuck is with this 'Bats' thing Emiya?
"I-It's alright. I just… I just need to-"
Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN
"Rrrrraaaaaaaarrrgghhhh!" I almost collapse in front of him.
"MASTER!?" Okita rushed over, catching me.
PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN
Black spots began to fill my vision… was I passing out? Y-Yeah… that seemed right.
"I-I.. we need to… need to…." AIN PAIN PAIN
It's… it's getting hard to think…
PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN
I think Saber was saying something?
We were moving. We weren't where we were before.
Did I pass out?
Everything's blurry…
…
…
wait. I see somethi-
There's a light.
It's warm. The light I mean.
…. Am I dying?
… it's odd. The light… it… it's radiating such… such peace.
It feels like... something out of a dream.
But… why do I feel… afraid?
Not of death. Of that light.
It shouldn't be here.
But before I could question it-
Everything Went Black.
End Theme- This Illusion (LiSA)
AAAAND that's a wrap!
I'd like to thank you all for your time, and hope you're all doing your part to flatten the curve in this global crisis… good lord 2020 is turning into a fustercluck.
Just remember, even if you don't feel personally threatened by this virus, think about the people in your life that are. Think of friends, family, and co-workers. Hell, think of total strangers. Listen to officials in your area about this matter, and save lives.
Stay safe, stay healthy everyone. And I'll see you all next time.
