Fate Stay Night Umbra Bello
Bit of a shorter one that didn't really fit into the next full chapter anywhere, so I figured I might as well make it its own mini-chapter. It ain't much, but I hope you enjoy!
And, given the confusion last chapter prompted, I'll say now that this chapter will probably raise more questions as it answers, and is meant to do so.
thewookie1- "Brad Pitt" was a reference to the last episode of Yugioh the Abridged Series by Little Kuriboh. One could say he's the father of abridging so you ought to check it out.
Ozilla- that comment was more in regards to a Fate/Extra fanfic question someone had, not Grand Order. No, for Grand Order I have someone… different in mind for a partner. But still, that's a ways off.
Max305- not everything is meant to be understood right away. And yeah, LK is great with the villains he voices, but I think the role of Zouken would best be played by someone with a gruffer voice, particularly in mind is GeneralIvan. You'd be familiar with him through his role as Cooler in DBZA.
VolcanicFlare- Like explained in the chapter, he really has been holding back all this time for the reasons given. You gotta consider, that in the fights he's been in, his best option was to stand back and support Assassin. Spending the excessive power needed to fight the Mages he's up against, and taking risks by fighting Servants face to face are both bad ideas that could very easily backfire when he can't rely on that power for more than two minutes, and has only been doing magic for about a month.
runelt- that has not been established yet.
Lord Alania- That is the general structure of the story here, although I will say that that chapter was meant to be mysterious, and introductory to multiple plot points.
Guest- My familiarity with Tsukihime and Kara no Kyoukai are… tenuous at best. And I'd rather focus my time on the story that already takes about a month to get a chapter out. Sorry.
Chapter XXII: Cabal
Date: 02/06/2004
Time: 11:47 pm
Location: Mount Enzou Cavern
ThemeSong- ENGLISH "Brave Shine" Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works (Akane Sasu Sora)
"All things considered, I think that went well."
"By what measurement would you consider that a success Caster!?" the ancient magus berated his Servant as he was breaking in his new body. The last vessel for his crest worms having been damaged beyond repair, he had to find and kill an unfortunate young woman for a replacement.
"A strategic one, to be sure." Caster assured him as she emerged from spirit form to explain herself, "While we spent a great deal of capital on the venture, we have gained much more than your enemies realize, and lost only what could be recovered easily enough."
"They are not the only ones not recognizing any gains from this." Zouken's voice slowly stopped cracking as he bent the vocal cords of his host to his liking, and continued to make his displeasure known, "From where I'm standing, we just lost half of my most powerful familiars on an ineffectual kamikaze attack against two Servants. Not to mention the losses your own forces have suffered. We've lost our power, and momentum for nothing."
The old worm was furious with her. It didn't take a genius to notice that.
"A rather grim outlook…" Caster frowned in disapproval at this view, "Then again, I suppose that's to be expected from a parasite living in the shadow of a good man."
"Don't test me Caster!" her Master warned, very close to snapping, "You're already on thin ice after the disrespect you showed your Master earlier."
Caster bowed in acquiescence.
"Of course, my apologies. I merely wished to convey that there are factors at play that one would not consider if they merely looked at war from a cold, statistical stance." she suggested as she handed him his cane.
"Such as?" he grumbled, accepting the help.
Caster resisted the urge to smirk in amusement. Despite his clearly advanced age, her Master could still seem to pout like a child.
"Perhaps an unfortunate symptom of senility?" She wondered, as her hands worked her magecraft.
"The intelligence front for one." she informed as she cast some spell on the ground beneath them.
Before the both of them, a miniature version of the recent battlefield took form out of an illusionary smoke. The Servants taking the forms of chest pieces that looked like their class cards, and the Masters taking the appearances of Kings. As well as vine covered pawns likely taking the place of the Knightshades.
"The pressure we applied to our foes revealed, not only the identity of the Saber Servant,"
The Saber miniature's features morphed to resemble those of Artoria Pendragon.
"-but many of the abilities and tactics of Archer, and did so without revealing any of our greater plans or capabilities."
The Archer piece became animated, and repeated many of the movements that the genuine article performed in the battle, with Noble Phantasms forming in its hands. All the while, the Caster piece moved with subtlety, hiding its manipulations in the shadows of the battlefield.
"They still don't know how the Knightshades are created, or how many we truly have, and likely assume that they are our trump card. They have no idea about the failsafes, or even what my Noble Phantasms truly are."
Another miniature formed in the smoke surrounding the battlefield. But, it was obscured from sight.
"We are also now aware of… him."
One of the Kings formed a face.
The emphasis placed upon the Master was not lost on Zouken.
"This… boy. You know him Caster?" he surmised.
"In a… manner of speaking." she thought of the situation- " … no, not this one."
She took a moment to think this one through.
"I suppose It'd be more accurate to say I knew his… father?" that didn't seem right to her, "… let's just say familial ties tend to become hard to categorize where this group is concerned… and this timeline isn't exactly making things any easier." Something about that sentence, as well as the… state Saber was in seemed to have her miffed.
"Is he a reason to be concerned?"
"Hm… Not yet. He'd need years… months at very least to begin unlocking his true potential. If things go to plan... he doesn't have two weeks."
"What we saw just then… that wasn't his limit?" her Master grimaced at the thought.
"That was… a mistake." She altered the figurine to resemble a diagram of his magical system.
Zouken didn't take long to notice something was up.
Most Magi had some form of Magic Circuit to control the mana within their bodies. It was a concept so basic to magecraft that one could take that fact, and put it in the 'no shit Sherlock' chapter in any tome on the subject of magic. Even Matou Zouken's own Crest Worms, a form of familiar his expertise developed over centuries, were extensions of this basic fact.
This…? Zouken couldn't make heads or tails of what he was seeing.
Whereas Magic Circuits typically take on the appearance of the human nervous system, this system… perhaps the closest analogy he could make would be the human cardiovascular system in how its organic design seemed to encourage ease of flow, and ensure it reached every area of the body, but that was just the start of the divergence.
With the sole exception of his own brand of magecraft, most magic circuits did not play host to other organisms, organs, or anything of the sort. They were simply an expression of the mage's soul on the human body.
This… boy. His… system, was not so simple.
His 'Circuits' themselves, an otherworldly ultraviolet, formed the basis for what seemed to be an entire ecosystem. Formed by animated sources of brilliant light that emitted a myriad of colors. At this level of magnification, Zouken could make out dozens of unique forms among those lights. Each making its way through the body at its own pace, to perform functions unknown.
"I believe it to have been an unexpected consequence of his world's magic system interacting with the summoning ritual." Caster's explanation unfocused him from his study, and magnified the figurine at the cellular level, "Supporting the formation of a spirit origin core inflamed some of his more… sensitive subsystems, resulting in the personality shift you prompted within him."
Caster highlighted some of the more animated organelles in his magic system. Specifically, a group of amorphous entities which emitted a baleful red light at random intervals.
"What… is that?" he sought to inform himself out of genuine curiosity. This form of magecraft seemed different, and yet held some resemblance to his own.
"In simple terms? A microscopic daemon symbiote. If I were to make an analogy… whereas the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, this is the powerhouse of his magic."
Zouken momentarily forgot about the war, his instincts of a magus taking over at the thought of the opportunity to study something so unique… his mind awash with thoughts of the applications of such a structure.
"Fascinating... this subsystem alone would pass for the cumulative research of a magus family for hundreds of years." with the resemblance it bore to his own crest worms, he'd know.
Caster sighed at his words.
"And, once again, you remind me how backwards your world is. Most mages back home have some equivalent to this, though not all would go for such a naturally... volatile variant." once again, his pseudo-father could be to blame.
"Hm… if this war wasn't my last run, I'd see to having him captured. The opportunity… even if I just sold his corpse to the Clocktower…" it'd certainly go a long way to regaining the power the Matou had lost upon coming to Nippon.
At minimum, it'd grant him the resources to extend his life another 60 years.
"But that's a moot point. Because this is your last chance. And I need him alive." she cast out the illusion, emphasising the tone that made her last statement known as a threat.
"Need?" fascinating as he was, he doubted the boy was of any use in his plans.
"Consider it… a contingency plan. More a… plan C if you will." A lie, of course. She'd almost rejected his plan entirely at this point, and was working around him to see her plot implemented.
"C? What the hell is plan B, let alone C?!" At this point, Zouken had begun to feel threatened.
If his Servant had begun her own plans without informing him...
"I'm glad you asked Master. It's a work in progress, but I think, given the circumstances, you may want to reconsider your options." she worked her magic on the smoke once more. Forming a representation of the city of Fuyuki. One which played the backdrop to her plans.
"What… is this Caster?" Zouken, being experienced in the Grail War, saw fit to at least hear his Servant out.
That, and he found what she portrayed before him intriguing.
"You said this war was to be your last Master. That this is your last chance to be free of your pain. So… does this place hold any more usefulness to you after the fact?" the scene changed, and the Master came to understand the scope of his Servant's own plan.
"... the Association… when they get involved..." it would be inevitable. They couldn't ignore… this.
"Oh, I have a contingency for that as well." another miniature formed in the fog. One which made Zoukens eyes widen in surprise.
At this… he thought his Servant mad… or perhaps brilliant?
With the corruption of the Grail... yes… yes that could work!
"The Association, The Church, the other Masters… by the time they gather the power to deal with it…" the miniature grew to loom over the city.
"It will be far too late."
ENGLISH "This Illusion" Fate/Stay Night (Akane Sasu Sora)
