Fate/Stay Night: Umbra Bello
Y'know, you'd think with the pandemic going on, and the quarantine, I'd spend a lot more time on this, and get more done. But, apparently no. I'm stuck with the attention span of a horrible genetic experiment involving a goldfish, and a honeybee.
Welp, the people have spoken. Overwhelmingly in fact. It'll be a long way off, and will probably have to undergo a few canon touches, but Chaldea is Orso's fate now.
So, without further ado, let's get there yeah?
Chapter XV- Tension Rising
Date: 02/04/2004
Time: 1:27 am
Location: Emiya Household.
"Well, that was a thing." the resident hero of justice stated the obvious.
Not long after we got back, the alliance assembled around the living room table.
"Kotomine just got back to me. He says he'll sort things out, and call if he finds anything interesting… but God knows what that man finds "interesting"." I started the debrief. "Meantime, let's recap. Starting off, to state the obvious, shit just went down."
"We don't know if Caster is still around or not. The fact that "Kazuki" was missing a hand indicates he was her Master. So it's possible she's working with someone else now." Okita continued.
"That, or she's dead, and someone ran off with the command seals." Saber countered.
"And let's not forget the… the bodies." Emiya grimaced, "Why would anyone do that?"
"I've got at least one theory about that." I mention.
It was something I'd thought about on the way home. I couldn't get my mind off of the scene so… I just looked at it from an analytical angle.
"It's possible the culprit needed Mana. A lot of Mana. One of the main methods of transferring Mana is blood transfusion. That would explain why the bodies were drained of blood, but not what it was used for."
"Perhaps Caster needed Mana quickly?" Saber theorized.
A fair assumption.
"So quickly she had the time to drag all the monks into one room and drink them?" Okita rejected the idea.
"So it probably happened after the battle." Saber thought aloud.
I thought about it myself, and couldn't think of a reason why Caster would do that. Why would she need that much Mana that quickly after the battle? She could just as easily spend time gathering mana from the leylines later.
…
None of this added up.
"(There's a new player in the game…)"
"Master?" Okita heard me.
I hesitate to answer. It's flimsy but…
"... none of the Servants we know that could attack Caster can do it without leaving a trace. Berserker, Lancer, Archer? I'll betcha a command seal those guys are leaving a crater or two every major battle. Rider's dead. And I can't see why Caster would do this to herself. So unless one of us has been very busy while the others weren't looking…"
"You believe someone who wasn't a Master, or a Servant did it?" Saber seemed to be debating the logic with herself.
"Not a Master this morning. Tonight?" I ask rhetorically.
"Who could steal a Servant and get away with it?" Shirou asked.
…
I briefly thought of Kirei. But reject the idea. He's already powering two Servants. Besides, it's too early for him to make a move like that.
Who else has the power, and reason to do this?
…
"-there is no heir to the Makiri. This war is to be our last."
"to be our last."
"to be."
"Master?" Okita sees me thinking.
I hesitate to answer.
"... I think I've got a suspect. No hard proof, just speculation, but I can't think of anyone else who could fit the bill… Zouken Matou."
"The old guy?" Shirou sounded surprised.
"Looking at this critically, Zouken Matou is supposedly an incredibly ancient, and powerful magus. So, he's probably got the skill, and power to pull something like this off. As for why, he said it himself, this war is to be his family's last shot at the Grail, and I doubt he'd just give up after Shinji put on such a shameful display. So he's got a motive. Like I said, there's no hard proof just yet but… this is where the signs point to." it's not that far fetched.
There could be another culprit, one I don't know about. But, in absence of that, Zouken is highly suspect.
Still… that doesn't take Caster into account. I doubt she'd work with anyone besides Kazuki. And with Rule Breaker? Why would she willingly go with Zouken?
We're still missing something.
"Whether it's him or not, we've got a Servant that's MIA, and a new individual, or group of individuals that can tango with a Caster Servant in their own territory. Someone not above complete slaughter. I reckon we can all agree that this just became a priority?" I sum everything said so far up.
"Agreed."
The group announced their decision.
"Tomorrow I'm going back to the temple. See if there's anything we missed." I state where my investigation will lead.
"Wouldn't Kotomine have cleaned the place up by then?" Shirou points out.
I grimace at my mistake. Having already contacted Kotomine when we got back.
It was a very short, businesslike conversation, unlike the usual.
At the very least he takes this part of his job seriously.
"Maybe. Maybe not. It's a big temple, and not that much time. Worst case scenario, I'll just end up asking him some questions. It'll be like pulling teeth, but I think I can persuade him to cooperate if the situation is bad enough." I reason.
"The entire population of Ryuudou Temple is currently painting their floorboards an ugly shade of red. It's bad enough." Shirou affirms.
"Believe me Master when I say it could be much much worse." Saber seems to recall something disturbing.
"How exactly?" Shirou seems to object.
"This Caster has yet to summon Cthulhu."
…
…
"... so, yeah. See you all tomorrow morning." I leave for bed on that note.
"Yeah, sounds good." Emiya suddenly seemed content in this scenario.
Theme Song- ENGLISH "Brave Shine" Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works (Akane Sasu Sora)
I waited.
"Where were you?"
For so long I waited here.
And eventually, I became... lonely.
Once upon a time, I believed I could never achieve that.
A small part of me seemed to experience a sad joy I could connect with humanity in that way.
"We needed you. Where did you go?"
I opened my eyes. No matter how long I slumbered, I always awoke here.
A gentle gale, a promise of never ending *******
An Eternal Ataraxia
One might think they were dead. This was heaven.
"Where were you when we- … when I needed you the most?"
In a way, both were true.
But what is heaven to a devil?
10:06 am...
"'gasp'!"
"Mast-"
WHACK!
FFFFfffffffuuuuuuuccccckkk!
"owww…." A familiar voice moaned in pain.
"Ah… ugh… sorry uh… Okita?" I groan as I take in the identity of the one who's head mine clashed with.
"I-It's fine!?" she stuttered out, adjusting to the new bump on her head.
The hell?
"What happened? Why were you that close?" I asked, noticing that I must've gotten myself bruised too.
Okita suddenly paused, and looked away.
"It was getting late into the morning so I decided to check in on you." She explained. "You were uh… mumbling in your sleep. It sounded like you were having a nightmare. I tried waking you up, but you wouldn't."
"Okay… but why was your head that close to mine?" Seemed a bit off...
"I was about to get help when your forehead met mine." she continued.
"So we're just... ignoring my question now? Is that what we're doing?" I raise an eyebrow.
"Seriously, are you okay? None of that seemed normal." My Servant worried for me.
"... I'm fine. Just a bad dream." I give a fake smile before getting up. "C'mon. Need to come up with a game plan with Shirou for today."
"Sounds like a good idea… although maybe we should wait until later…" Okita looks off in the direction of Emiya's room.
"I'm compelled to ask "why?"."
"... well…"
"My body... is trying... to die…" Emiya breathed out, looking like hell, on his futon.
"Oh please, it's only 37.6. Sakura's got it worse, and you don't hear her complaining." Taiga told him off after reading the thermometer.
"Get gud scrub." the purple haired creature in question remarked. With her fever having mostly subsided by this morning.
It's all I can do to not sigh in exasperation.
"Why do each of my allies have constitutions of paper-mache?" I ask the roof.
"'ACH'!"
Okita almost collapsed after spontaneously coughing up blood into her sleeve… again.
Of course, this did not go unnoticed by the rest of the group, causing my Servant to retreat behind me bashfully.
"... I'm going to go take a vitamin…" Taiga added, suddenly nervous about her health. Not that I blame her.
"... Make that two." Saber followed her, seeming to now be under the impression that the disease could affect Servants.
That left me, Shirou, Sakura, and Assassin to stand around.
…
…
"So, I'll just…um… talk to you later? … bye." le awkward exit.
I moved back into the living room, Okita close behind, and heard the TV.
"-situation is still developing, however, we have received reports that while the clown will survive, he'll never walk again. Many an eyewitness say he deserved what happened, considering the orientation of the goat. In this reporter's opinion, Chuckles is lucky this wasn't his last laugh." The reporter… reported from a currently burning Dairy Queen with a blood covered antique car jammed into it.
"(what the hell is going on in this city...?)" Even Taiga sounded exasperated.
The scene changed back to the studio.
"Thank you Satō." LK thanked his colleague before turning to the audience. "Breaking News on another developing story this morning, as it appears the entire population of a local Temple has gone missing? With more information we go to a scarry exchange reporter from America, Ollie Williams. Ollie?"
...what?
Scene changed to the building the bodies were in last night.
"THEY GONE!" a large black man shouted.
Studio guy cringed at the volume change before asking-
"Where to Ollie?"
"THEY DEAD!"
"Why do you think that Ollie?"
"LOSSA BLOOD!" he stood aside to show the bloody scene behind him. "I'M SCARED!"
… did Kirei fuck up?
Wasn't he supposed to clean this up?
Granted, there's no bodies lying around, but with the blood that just raises more questions.
"Me too. Get back safe Ollie!"
"... fuck." Was all I think.
"All those people…" Taiga paused at the event.
Thinking about it, she probably knew people there.
...
...
"..." Sakura watched with an unreadable expression.
I clenched my fist.
"I will find them. And I'll make them pay." I swore.
11:47 am...
"At this point Emiya, I don't think you have a choice." I expressed my opinion to the Master currently sprawled out on his futon.
"Cannn sty hre. HERO don gets si… si… sick." he complains.
I sigh. Near as I can tell, he must've caught a one day cold from Sakura, and it's hitting hard. He told me that he never gets sick, so I suppose it makes sense that the one time he does he wouldn't really be prepared for it.
"Well clearly they do. If whatever this is has you delirius to the point where you can't form coherent words, you should quarantine yourself until it passes. Steel constitution or not. If it weren't for the fact that I'm trying to stop a murderer, I'd stick myself in my room until I was sure I wasn't one myself."
"hou mat?" he mumbled out.
"Infectious disease kills more than 17 million people a year Shirou. What kind of idiot would it make me if I ran around knowing I could be exposing countless vulnerable people to a clearly debilitating illness?"
"'ACH'!"
"S-Souji?! Are you dying!?" Taiga panics.
"c-constantly… I'll be fine… a little tuberculosis never killed any- 'BLEH'!"
thud
"... so if she dies, one could say she's not going to eat that, right?" Saber asked carefully.
"... she just coughed up blood, and you want to eat her food?" Sakura sounded somewhat disgusted.
"Back home we called it an iron supplement." she must be referring back to Medieval times when they did not understand how disease works.
"... sure, go right ahead." the violet haired girl seemed to stop caring.
...
"... Yeah… look, I'll be back in an hour or two, try not to die. If you need anything, let Sakura know." I leave the room.
I suppose it wouldn't really matter in the end. I can't imagine Shirou having the detective skills to be of much use tracking down the killer anyway. If anything he'd be at school during the day, pretending all was normal.
Thankfully, that's what I've got a police girl for. That is, if the Shinsengumi weren't just over glorified thugs.
"You Monster there, please stop! How fast do you think you can walk?" A certain special police officer ordered a girl clinging on to a monster for dear life.
I raised an eyebrow at my Servant's choice in show at the moment.
"(Gintama..?)" I mutter.
"Is that what this is?" my Servant asked, cleaning the blood from her mouth with a handkerchief, "I was just surfing during a commercial when I found myself oddly transfixed here."
"Does it look like I'm going for a walk stupid!? You're an idiot! A big idiot!" the girl yelled back.
"In that case I shall arrest you on charges of disturbing the peace. You have hurt the police officers heart." He responded calmly.
"... Okay, well… be ready to move. We're Oscar Mike in ten." I switch to serious mode, but end up interrupted by someone I hadn't noticed was there.
"So, is there like… a reason why you occasionally talk like you're a part of Seal Team Six, or…" Sakura pops up from the kitchen.
I freeze in surprise, then try to think of a clever response quickly.
"Well… um… If I told you, I'd have to kill you?" not untrue…
"Bold of you to assume I want to live." She responded.
"... Fair enough?" I hate that that's a mood I can identify with sometimes… "'sigh', look, I'll be out for a bit on… let's call it "business". Watch over Shirou, don't let him do anything…"
"Shirou?" she provided the adjective.
"Yeah, that."
"He's not… that bad." Saber tried defending him.
The look of 'you sure about that?' Sakura, and I shared at Sabers expense silenced her.
"And get well yourself..." I say before I get ready to leave.
POV shift- Third Person...
Emiya Residence…
"Well… if nothing else, we're on a similar wavelength?" the Matou girl tried looking for a silver lining here.
To be honest, when this group of foreigners showed up in Shirou's house, she didn't really have anything positive to say.
Because it was obvious what they were here for.
To say the Grail War was responsible for most of the problems in her life would be the understatement of the millennium. So she was not expecting much good to come from someone that came here specifically to fight, and kill for a damn cup.
For at least a day, she hated that Mage, Orso, because as far as she could tell, he'd roped Shirou into the Grail War. The very last thing she'd want him involved in.
Granted, she'd met him a day ago, and has only just now spoken to her, but so far he hasn't gone out of his way to treat her like garbage, so that automatically makes him one of the best people she's ever met that uses magecraft.
Statistically, that probably says more about her than him.
But despite willing herself into at least trying to believe he had good intentions, she quietly found herself hoping he'd just leave and take the war with him.
However, she realized there was one thing she took guilty pleasure of, partly thanks to the war.
She moved into the room Shirou was laying in with a thermometer and a fresh towel, and grew the smallest of smiles. Right now, if only for a moment, she could take care of him. Like those days barely a year ago.
Back then, when, without realizing it, he'd extended a lifeline to her. Though she didn't really deserve it.
She knew that these days would be coming to an end soon. But… for a while, it felt good to pretend… to believe she could find some measurement of happiness in the world.
Then again, she imagined her Senpai's position. The parts of him she admired are exactly the kind of traits that would get him into trouble like this no matter who was involved. The way he just… accepts people. How he just won't give up, especially if others need him. His naive, stupid, stubborn... beautiful idea of becoming a hero… he couldn't possibly ignore something like the Grail War.
It frustrated her to no end but…
The more she thought about it, she found herself blaming the foreign Mage less and less.
… although, if he got Shirou killed, she'd settle on hating him too.
12:24 am...
Ryuudou Temple…
The weather had cleaned up since last night. The cloudy gray sky being occasionally broken up by rays of sun poking through, shining down on the forsaken temple grounds.
This is where I found myself once again, wondering just where to start.
Having used a spell that concealed my presence to the local police investigating the area, I step through the (still damaged) entrance, and look around. Tracks, and all evidence we were here before had been covered by snow. Immediately dampening hopes of finding new clues.
"Alrighty gang, let's split up and search for clues!" I remark.
"Pfft, sure thing Velma." Okita says before wandering off.
"Fou…" Squirrel creature #1 adds before climbing up on my shoulder.
I think for a moment before deciding to start where we left off.
Kazuki's gone. Likely having been hauled off by Kotomine by the time MILF showed up.
The place was lousy with various crime scene investigators. Ones I really felt sorry for. Given the probable culprit, these guys were probably better off back at the station.
"-don't think so.." an older woman theorizes.
"You got something Tanaka?" a younger individual, likely a protege, picks up on her tone.
"The way the blood was smeared. The victims were dragged into the building, but never out." she analyzes.
"And we've searched this place inside and out since we got here…" the younger investigator adds. "... maybe the perp bagged 'em up or something? Carried them out without a trail?"
"One individual killing, and dragging around that many people in one night?" another, shorter male added, and calculates, "They'd still be here about noon tomorrow."
"So, you think there's more than one?" the younger one carries on.
"Gotta be. Dogs woulda found something by now if they were tossed, or buried nearby." the short guy refers to the nearby K-9 unit.
"And since most of the people here were martial artists of some ability, we can assume the perps were armed."
"And if we ask the gate, heavily so." the younger man adds.
"Oh yeah, and there's that elephant in the room. It looks like a goddamned warzone out there! Who the hell's got that kinda firepower out here anyway?" short man adds
"Dunno. Sure as hell wasn't legal, whatever it was. And knowing him, Ragia wouldn't sell anything like it either. Especially if he knew it was going to someone that would do something like this. Him and Ryuudou were friends, if I'm not mistaken. So it probably came from out of the city…which raises a whole other set of questions."
I chose to stop listening at this point, and focus on something else.
Short guy's got a point. There's a massive elephant in the room. Kirei was supposed to clean this place up last night. He should be here right now, come to think of it. What was going on?
"That sounds out of your jurisdiction."
Ah… speak of the devil.
The fake priest steps into the room, seemingly unnoticed by the investigators.
"...man, we're really out of our depth here…" the young man drones.
"Do you really want to go looking for such a heavily armed person?"
"... I guess it's not like we've got any leads here…"
Hypnosis. Gotta be.
"You want to bury this. Pretend it never happened."
"You guys thinking what I'm thinking?" short guy asks.
"... yeah. We ain't paid enough for this shit." The woman adds.
It was at this point when Kirei noticed my presence, and gestured for me to follow him.
"Found Kirei. Rally on me."
"Roger." My Servant replies.
"Find anything interesting?" I ask.
"Well…"
Okita looked around the room. Taking note of it's… oddities.
In particular, the various... 'merchandise'.
"... I'm beginning to think Shirou might've had some… competition?" the assassin informs her Master, taking an incomplete figurine in her hand. One that, while incomplete, was still recognizable, with a vaguely familiar form.
"... competition?"
Being less careful than she probably should have, the figurine's ahoge snaps off.
The tiny piece falls, and lands at the feet of a figurine wearing a frilly dress. However… this one… while similar, was not of the Saber Servant.
"... starting to get creeped out here…."
"... leave it be for now and watch my back please." not feeling particularly interested in what stands out to a manslayer as being 'creepy'.
In about thirty seconds, me and Kirei were isolated in a side room of the temple.
"So… Kirei? You consider this, "sorted out."?" I start.
"It's a matter of perspective really." Kirei answers. "Do they think something happened? Yes. Is magic something that will come up in their investigation?"
"The entire population of Ryuudou just "vanished", leaving behind a kiddy pool's worth of blood. People are going to start asking questions. And when they don't get answers-"
"Um... Rob? Maybe it's time I explained something..." Kirei seemed to be trying to contain an outburst. "All I'm required to do is conceal proof of magic from the general public. If people want to draw conclusions from a puddle of blood, if there is no Mana in it, It's not my job to deal with it. The massacre at Ryuudou is, and shall remain, just another mysterious tragedy ordinary people will never know the truth about."
That's…
"And regardless, the local law enforcement had already reported back by the time I'd gotten here-"
… what?
"- and it's not like I could cover up an entire temple going missing witho-"
"Wait- go back! You said the cops got here before you did?"
"Correct."
"... how exactly? How would they know something happened before anyone could have called them in?"
If one of the monks somehow managed to as everything happened, the cops would have been there before I arrived, so who would have called them?
"Someone trying to keep me very busy." Kirei arrived at an answer quickly. "My duties as overseer take time. And the more time I spend babysitting, the less I'll spend watching the war for anyone breaking the rules."
I look at a gathering of investigators outside, and realize it myself.
"They didn't kill the monks just for Mana, they were killed as a distraction…" What's the phrase? 'while the cat's away, the mice will play'? The overseer can either watch the investigation, or watch the war… "And I'm guessing they wouldn't do this if they didn't plan on breaking the rules?"
"Someone's getting one hell of a Grail War citation for this…" Kirei seemed annoyed at the attempt.
… opportunity, I hear you calling.
"And I think we know who exactly to write up…"
"Oh, do you now?"
"Matou Zouken. He's the culprit for this." I sound sure of it.
Kirei grows a frown. Upset by the accusation
"I take it you're not a big fan of his?" I observe.
Kotomine actually hesitates, frustrated at something before continuing.
"Do you have any proof of his involvement?"
"I've got something better than proof! Pure suspicion based on circumstantial evidence, and a poor choice of words on his part!"
I explain our theory about the walking morgue.
"Well, that'll do." The priest sounded satisfied.
"... really?" Wow, that worked?
"The Church has burned for less." he shrugs. "If you're wrong, I'm certain few in the Clocktower would miss him, or notice his absence."
Huh. Sounds more like he's looking for an excuse more deeply than I am.
This has gotta be personal…
"So, what'll you do about this interference?" I ask.
"For the moment, nothing. If Matou Zouken has truly stolen a Servant, he is awarded the same protections as any other Master. Technically, the deaths of a few Monks by themselves are not cause for concern among Magi, or the Church. However, his attempt to cause a distraction here indicates he will attempt something against the rules in the future. Don't get me wrong, even as a priest, I have little love for that man, but as overseer there are certain procedures that must be followed, without exception."
"So, in short, until he does something, you're standing aside?" I grow frustrated.
"Essentially. Bare in mind however, he's on notice. Though the moonlit world is cruel, and punishing, there are rules we all must abide to remain a part of it. Rejoice, for his time is nigh, and when he is judged, he will be found wanting." he condemns the old man.
"You sound all but certain of that Kotomine. In fact, you almost sound spiteful. Rather out of character for a priest, no?"
"To be honest, I think we're both aware by now I'm far from the Lord's most Saintly creations. However… Matou Zouken's existence makes me physically ill."
"Yeah, I could smell what you mean…" 1/10, would not recommend standing downwind of him.
"Oh, it is much more than his odor that revolts me… but that's not what's important here." he tries to bring us back on topic, "What is important is that you be ready."
"Ready for what exactly?"
Kotomine seemed annoyed I didn't catch his meaning right away.
"Let's just say that I, as overseer, am in a unique position in that I get to reward Masters for compliance. When the time comes, position yourself so it is you that receives this boon, and I may feel encouraged to… compensate you further for your supplying me with an opportunity to remove a particularly troublesome thorn from my side." he conspires with me.
'Find Zouken red handed, kill him, get two command seals' is what I'm hearing?
The bag of worms must've really pissed this guy off…
It almost makes me hesitate before I remember my own words last night-
'The enemy of our enemy is not necessarily our friend'
They might be enemies, but that does not make Zouken a good guy.
Besides, having not spent one command seal yet puts me in a powerful position to begin with. If I gained two more..? Assuming I don't lose any in the process that is...
After all, if Caster didn't clearly win in her own territory, it can't be that simple.
Actually, that begs another question-
"Fair enough. But, to be clear, there is one thing I want to know."
"I will answer what I can."
"How would Zouken pull this off in the first place? If he did take Caster, I don't want to walk into the same issue." it's a legitimate concern.
Caster would not join Zouken. Not willingly. Not after Kazuki was killed. And beyond that, assuming Zouken pulled an Uno Reverse Card and stole Caster, she should (in theory) have just the tool she needed to set herself free.
She couldn't be convinced, she couldn't be forced, she probably couldn't even be beaten outright.
And yet, she's not standing here right now.
So, how did he do it?
Or, to be more accurate-
What did he do?
I don't want to lose Okita.
She's a pillar of positivity holding up my already fragile sanity in this literal parody of a world.
"I'm afraid your guess is as good as mine. As the head of the Matou bloodline however, one could assume Zouken has hidden a few secrets about Servants, and the Grail War under his skin for some time, it's possible he found a weakness only a founder of the ritual could know about or exploit." Kirei theorizes.
Damn… this guy is sounding more dangerous by the minute.
Though it's good to confirm he was a founder of the Grail War, it's definitely bad for my health if he truly is my enemy.
If he helped build the thing, he'd know the Grail War ritual inside, and out.
Secrets and cheats, once lost to time, being used to hack the war? There's no telling what he could do! Extra command seals, Servant power boosting, and a better understanding of how Servants even work to begin with, just to name a few ways they could game the system… and I'll bet good money he's the type that wouldn't care if he were aware of the Grail's corruption.
-come to think of it, he's probably well aware of that already.
"(Great… gotta beat a dev at his own game…)"
"Master?" Okita overheard.
"It's fine. He messes with the best, he'll fall like the rest." I say, confidently.
"Right!" my Servant cheered.
"So, you plan to take on the head of the Matou family?" Kirei questioned.
"If we have to, yeah. I'd prefer to have some actual evidence before I make an enemy like that… which is kinda why I came here to begin with… speaking of evidence, where'd you put the bodies?" I doubt I'll find anything he didn't, bu-
"What bodies?"
"... the monk bodies?" no reaction, "The ones that were in that room last night?" again, no sign of recall, "...the ones you hid because… magic?"
"When would I have the time to do that?" he questions.
…
"... so, you're saying you didn't move the bodies?"
"Why in god's name would I? They already knew about the incident," he gestures to the investigators, "What would hiding the bodies accomplish besides raising more questions?"
I feel as though the gravity just doubled…
"We… we may have more than one issue here..."
2:14 pm...
Orso's Miyama Warehouse Base...
Pew!
A thick sheet of metal singed as a new, two inch wide, hole was burnt through it.
Not quite good enough…
I take a breath, and fire again-
pew
I almost growled as this one kinda stuttered out at the end.
No matter what I do, my Gandr seems to be rather inconsistent in its ompf. It won't be much help to me if I run into any serious issues.
Then again, to be fair, Rin (my benchmark for good Gandr) has had her entire life to get gud at this. I've had about a month. I guess I should be happy I've gotten this far…
Point is, it's becoming more, and more clear I'll never make up that gap in time, so I need something else.
After leaving Kirei to deal with the Temple situation, I ended up feeling a bit… lost.
I didn't have any leads on Zouken. With Shirou sick, and Saber watching over him, I didn't have the brawn to barge down the Matou households front door looking for answers.
Low on options, I decided to make a little detour, and found myself back at home base. Trying to think of new ones.
But, I was stuck. With roadblock after roadblock, it continued to become painfully obvious that my half-assed crash-course in magecraft could only carry me so far in this little time.
Though I could probably purchase the materials I needed to further my education, and help me figure out where I'd best apply my focus, there was the issue that I didn't know where to do so, or what I would need exactly.
And even if I knew those things, I'm still in the middle of the Grail War, so getting them would have to wait anyhow.
Shirou barely knows as much as I do, so even if he wasn't experiencing a plague coma at the moment, he'd be of little help.
Point is- I'm in a bit of a fucked position magecraft wise.
So, what's a prospective magic user to do?
…
"...maybe…" maybe I've been using the wrong example.
Rin Tohsaka has been training to excel in her magecraft for years. Along with having a powerful family bloodline, and magic crest. Even assuming I'm naturally predisposed to using magecraft that's similar to hers, whatever half assed curse I could come up with just isn't capable of surpassing the original it was based on.
So, why even try?
An idea is formed.
Using another baseline, we look to Emiya Shirou. His Magnum Opus to magecraft is a statement in direct contradiction to the aforementioned belief. His world of endless blades flips the idea on its head.
A fake doesn't need to surpass the original... if it does the same job as well as it needs to.
I can't project legendary blades. My only attempt at the craft in the past did not hold up to pressure.
Imagine making a knife that butter could cut…
But… that's just it isn't it?
What's the old phrase? 'Speak softly, carry a big stick'?
In that regard, as long as they see you having a big stick, does it matter if it would snap upon contact?
I grow a small grin.
I wouldn't go so far as to call it a genius idea, but it's a start…
4:23 pm...
Miyama Park...
"That went… surprisingly well." I realize, despite the several hour long affair.
'Surprisingly well' for you is only slightly burning something.
Okay, by that standard, it went Spankasstastically super-dee-duper great!
Speaking of, given your predisposition to accidentally setting fire to anything you try doing for the first time, I think we can safely establish your element as either 'fire', or 'disaster'.
… I'm not that bad.
Anyway, we were on our way back to Emiya's after a long day of experimenting with another school of magecraft when-
"Master."
I nearly trip as my Servant calls out to me, and find my balance as Fou seems to appear out of nowhere on a nearby bench.
"What's up?" she's been largely quiet since the Kirei affair.
"I've been thinking about our situation, and I think I have an idea that could be helpful in tracking down Zouken, and Caster." Assassin comes up with something.
"Well, shoot."
"At least a few times now, I've revealed my coat, and no one seems to have figured out my identity. Or, at least, no one seems to care. So, I think it might be time to call on the Shinsengumi." she suggests.
I pause to give it some thought.
As a police organisation, tracking down killers is basically their job description. They could serve as eyes, and ears throughout the city, and extra hands when the need arises. And, as Okita said, if anyone would have gleaned her identity by now they would have done so upon seeing her coat. One of the benefits of obscurity.
My only concern is mana usage. Her Sword skill took energy I only barely had (In hindsight, maybe I shouldn't have been so stingy with command seals, even if it seemed a bit early on to use one…), I wouldn't be so confident about prolonged usage of the Flag of Sincerity.
"... if we don't have Shirou tonight, we'll give it a shot. Having a small army as backup is a card I'd rather keep close to my chest. Still, I guess it's about time we stress tested this thing, yeah?"
I could feel her smile through the connection.
"Great! It'll be fun seeing the old gang again! … although maaaaaayybe I should leave Hijikata out of this… your combined sourpuss levels might just collapse Fuyuki into a black hole from which no fun can escape… nah~! It'll be great!"
"Sounds like you were good friends." I note.
"What can I say? That kind of work, in those times… we were like a family. Besides, would they be part of my Noble Phantasm if we weren't?"
"Touche."
Still, this is quite troublesome. Besides all the previously mentioned issues, I have to bare in mind that we're talking about basically summoning a small Servant army. I suppose I got lucky with Okita, she follows my command without question, and is generally fine with going along with things as they are, knowing she won't be getting a real wish out of it.
Would the rest of the Shinsengumi truly follow suit?
… no, this is a ridiculous line of thinking. It's like she said. If they wouldn't follow her commands at the least, they wouldn't be her Noble Phantasm.
I suppose I'm just doubting my own ability at this point. Nothing newsworthy.
No. I can't afford to think like that anymore. We're just starting this war. The cloud hanging over me that is self-doubt can only bring ruin.
So, for now I'll keep the battle going the only way I know how- Keeping calm, soldiering on.
It was with this mindset in… mind, that we came across a familiar scene.
We heard it first. Police, and Ambulance sirens declaring an emergency in our way back.
Given what's going on in this city right now, I immediately feared the worst.
Those fears were confirmed as we approached the event, and observed with the gathered crowd, held back by a police barricade, as paramedics were putting two people into body bags.
Two people with bite marks on their necks. Just like the monks.
I didn't need to stand watching for long to know what happened here.
"Master…"
"I know."
What's most concerning, is that this must've happened recently. I.E, in the middle of the day. Confirming the blood sucker in question didn't give a damn about the Grail Wars rules.
This… 'person' had to be found. Before anyone else got hurt.
4:24 pm
Emiya Residence…
Creee…
The front door announced our return.
"I'm ba-"
THUD
"'Gaha!'' I nearly stumble as something tackles me.
"SHIR- o-oh, it's you…"
"YOUR LA- oh, it's you…"
Hm? Disappointment in stereo?
"Wha-? What are you two doing!?" My Servant demanded on my behalf.
It was then that it registered what was happening.
Saber had tried to trap me in a kabedon at the door, with Sakura in tow.
Both were looking rather upset at something, although Saber, realizing who she had trapped, seemed to be having the worst of it.
"M-my apologies…" Saber briefly blushed out of embarrassment as she backed off. "I… we thought you were Shirou…"
"That… doesn't explain the welcoming committee Sab-" I stop, "He's gone, isn't he?"
"..." the Servant's silence is very telling.
"... any idea where he might have gone?" I ready myself for the fetch quest.
"He left a note saying he was food shopping but…" Saber did not sound convinced.
I nod. It sounded suspicious to leave a note when you could just say something. This meant he was trying not to draw attention to himself. Meaning he was up to something he probably shouldn't be…
I take note of the fact that it's getting dark out soon. He really should know better than to go out on his own like this…
"I'll go check on him…" I resign myself. "If we're lucky, he hasn't managed to get himself into trouble yet."
"Since when were any of us lucky?" Sakura raises an excellent point.
"Do stats count?"
"Saber."
"Oh, right! I mean… statistically speaking, my streak's been off the hizzy." she corrects her slip of the tongue.
"..." Sakura seemed to be debating with herself whether to say something, apparently noticing something was up with Saber's airtight explanation, but settled with sighing, and moving on. "... must be great…"
"Indeed it is." Saber, not reading the room, proudly claims.
I noticed the Matou girl deflate at this, and despite it probably not being my business, I ask-
"... you doing okay Sakura?"
She blinked in surprise.
"Ah… yes, I'm fine. What could be wrong?" she stumbled an answer out.
Oooooh, that's not good.
Yeah? No shit?
It's not necessarily what she said, and more how she said it.
She's more collected than last time I heard her like this, but the undertone is still clearly there.
Something was clearly wrong.
Question is, what?
Her mood was shifted by mentioning luck, so maybe she's just having a bad day?
Then again, she did look like she was coming down with a case of nurgle's rot yesterday, so that could probably be keeping her down...
"N-No. What could p-possibly be wrong in this scenario..?"
Still, my mind goes back to those words.
Spoken long before she came down the plague, it would seem her mood is a trend rather than an anomaly.
And so, I come to the conclusion she's experiencing some kind of depression.
Which raises the question as to what brought it on.
I then remember the reason why she's even here, and it becomes clearer.
"... things are going to get better soon. I promise." and without explaining what exactly I meant, I left the house.
I turned before I could gauge her reaction. If there even was one.
"Master?" my Servant proded.
"U-Oh! I uh… it's nothing, I just… fell? On some stairs?"
"Sakura Matou is not our enemy. I'm certain of that now. Magus or not, she's just another victim." I affirm.
With a family like hers, I can't imagine not having issues.
Magi aren't exactly beholden to the police, or social services, so people like Shinji, and Zouken are very much allowed to do whatever the fuck they want to people. Even their own family. In this instance, just straight up abuse.
As a result, in a situation like this, the only way to stop them from abusing that power is either convincing them it's against their self interest, or ending it forcibly.
And considering Shinji wouldn't even be in this war in the first place if he didn't have the common sense of a lemming, well…
"When we're done bringing Shirou back, we'll have to make room on our schedule to pay Shinji a beating. Sound good?"
"Do you want him dead, or alive?" Okita sounded on board with it.
"Either, or." whichever works.
"Dead it is."
5:22 pm...
Miyama Park…
"-but Sella thought "body shots" meant something else entirely, so 'hehe' she knocked the guys lights out!" Illya laughed at the story, "And when he fell over, he spilled Liz's drink all over somebody! And you wouldn't think it at first, but she's a quick thinker when she wants to be, so she blamed it on the guy hitting on her. Things went by quickly after that, but all I know is that they're, ironically, blacklisting albino's from Octoberfest in Potsdam."
Shirou couldn't imagine those maids starting a drunken brawl like that. Their charge seemed to give off a refined atmosphere… at least when she wasn't trying to kill you, it seemed unlikely.
Still, he smiled, and laughed along.
He was reluctant at first. But… just hanging out with his sister, forgetting the war for a little while… this was fun.
It didn't feel right not telling Saber, or Orso about this. But he knew they would both reject it. And he felt like he owed it to Illya to at least come see her.
After she showed him the way to her castle deep into the woods, he felt as though he'd been granted an entrance into being a part of her life. Something he believed Kiritsugu would have wanted.
And so, though he didn't entirely think of the how's, or the why's, he ended up asking-
"Hey… uh… Illya? It's getting pretty late so do you want to pick this back up at my house tomorrow? It's no castle, but it only seems fair right?"
The girl was surprised at his offer. But took note of how it was getting dark fairly quickly, and decided-
"Yeah, I suppose I can wait to kill you some other time. See you soon brothe-" she paused, and looked out into the park.
"Illya?" Shirou looked in the same direction, but didn't see anything.
"..." the albino loli stared out into the shadows, not saying a word.
Shirou felt the tone shift.
An age old instinct originating from humanities early evolution.
The feeling of being watched by a predator.
Now, a small, 12 year old looking girl being watched from the shadows was concerning under normal circumstances.
These were not normal circumstances.
Emiya looked for something he could use like one of his pipes.
While searching, he realized that both he, and Illya were completely alone in the park. There wasn't a human in sight.
"Shirou, perhaps it's time we parted ways?" something sounding completely insane escaped his sister.
"Uh, no it is not!?" Emiya, low on options, picked up a particularly large stick.
"Trace-On!"
Thankfully, the object chose to co-operate in this instance.
"Uh, yes it is!" Tiny Murder Machine wasn't interested in his heroics at the moment.
Not having any idea what was coming, she doubted he'd make for a decent meatshield anyway if it turned out to be anything dangerous enough to be of concern to her.
Plus, if it was something like a hostile Servant, she'd have to summon Berserker, and he wouldn't make any distinction between Shirou, and the enemy in question as he flattened the park.
"No, it's not!"
"Uh, yes it is-!"
'fffff' 'fffwosh'!
The sound was close. But impossible to identify in direction.
Something was slithering out there.
And as Emiya raised his stick to defend his sister-
The park became a battlefield
Elsewhere in Miyama…
My search had been fruitless thus far.
The elusive redhead wasn't on the way home, at the market, or at the closest shop that sold Dango, so he clearly wasn't being truthful.
My current local, a parking lot close to a recently closed department store, was also empty.
I was considering heading back, thinking we may have simply just missed him, when suddenly-
"Master, act normal, get ready." Okita warned me of something, sensing something I didn't.
I tensed, and readied to bolt.
Between the cloud cover, and the winter month, one couldn't be blamed for believing it was already 'night', so a Servant attack wasn't entirely unlikely.
Plus, she could be sensing the new player…
"TAKE COVER!"
slam!
CRRRRAAAAAACK!
I'm pushed behind a vehicle before something breaks the asphalt beneath mee.
clang!
Clang!
Metal stuck metal as the debris from the initial impact settled, and I could register what had struck us.
A sword was currently dissolving into thin air where I once stood.
I understood what was happening immediately.
As disadvantageous as it was-
Clang!
"Master! Orders!?" Okita requested.
Another battle had begun.
ENGLISH "This Illusion" Fate/Stay Night (Akane Sasu Sora)
See you guys next time!
Stay safe out there!
