AN: Here's Chapter 9 folks! More or less no action compared to the last two, but more of a bonding chapter for some the characters to know each other better. Or just plain gag time given some scenes I've written down XD
Please leave a review :D
Chapter 9:
Day of Repose II
"Are you sure that you truly wish to continue on this path?"
One day, without anyone noticing it, a stone anvil suddenly appeared out of nowhere in a field of grass just outside the kingdom of Camelot. Buried deep within it to a certain point was a sword of magnificent design. Many of the kingdom's people were enraptured by its looks, and many tried to take the blade but to no avail as they were stopped by a magus associated with their king.
According to prophecy that the magus had seen in a dream, only the one true king of Britain will be able to pull out the sword in the stone, for they alone are worthy of it as they shall be the one who will guide the kingdom into a glorious future. And until the day comes when the next king is to be chosen, the blade shall rest here within the stone, unsullied and preserved in its magnificence.
A rather preposterous prophecy all things considered, a sentiment shared by many of the land's finest warriors and nobility. However, when Uther Pendragon died without any named heirs, it was declared that the identity of the next king after him was to be decided by pulling out the blade. When first declared, the people merely laughed it off, saying that the sword could be pulled out by anyone.
However, it was not meant to be. For no matter how hard one tried, not one person was able to pull out the sword. One participant even tried having multiple strong men pulling it out at the same time, all to no avail. Thus, when it was clear that the sword wasn't going to budge, it was decided that the next king would be decided by a tournament of jousting. Many agreed to this, saying that it was much more honorable that way.
And so the sword in the stone was left alone, with most having already given up on pulling out the blade.
All except for one that is...
Standing in front of the stone anvil was a young boy, a teenager to be exact. With green eyes full of youth and vigor, blonde hair shining brightly thanks to the sun's rays, the youth stood with a determined look on his face as he stared at the challenge that was placed before him.
Some laughed at him as they saw him walk towards the sword in the stone with the intent of pulling it out, telling him that such a thing would be futile as no boy could ever hope to achieve what men twice his age and build couldn't do themselves. He ignored them of course, believing that there was at least merit in trying.
When the young boy was about to lay his hand on the sword grip, a voice called out to him and he saw a figure seated atop a nearby rock.
Cloaked in white hooded robes, a wooden staff leaning against them, the figure was none other than the boy's mentor.
"Pull that sword out, and I guarantee you that the conclusion of the path you will walk will not be one to your liking. All things within this world of ours eventually come to an end, whether or not a great hero should decide to rise in order to stave off the inevitable."
His mentor spoke. The boy had known as such, but still...
"Even so, I will not turn my eyes away." The young blonde stated. "With the King having passed on, chaos has ruled over the land over the bid to find his successor. No, even before then, the people have been crying out for justice and order. Bandits and foreign invaders having been swarming our borders lately, attacking and pillaging our people as they make their way deeper into our lands, yet the nobility and knights continue to waste their time on pointless festivities... all in a bid to find out who is worthy among them to becoming our next king."
Gazing upon the jousting arena and numerous bazaars being set up, the young boy merely scoffed at this in irritation. He understood that there were times that called for relaxation, for people to rest their weary souls from the chaos, but the boy couldn't help how he was feeling right now since he knew that every moment spent on such things resulted in more and more people suffering from their inaction.
"Well considering what you are about do, do you believe yourself to be worthy enough to become king?" His mentor asked once more. "Do you think you have what it takes rule over the land and its people?"
"Perhaps I am, perhaps I'm not. I'll found out soon won't I?" He replied, smiling. "If I am not, then I will lend my strength to the one who does become king so long as they are someone worth following. If a am however, then I will do everything in my power to aid the land and its people in order to guide it to a more prosperous future. Even if my end is not one that I would seek, I believe that this is the right choice."
"A foolish one you are." The former merely sighed in amusement. "You've always been like that, even as a mere child... But, I suppose that's why I found you interesting to begin with. Ones such as yourself always prove to be an entertaining lot."
"Foolish am I? Well, when compared to someone who nearly slept with a-"
"That has nothing to do with this and we also agreed to never speak about that again." His mentor replied quickly yet calmly.
"Ahaha...!" The boy laughed, and soon the tension was all but gone, the atmosphere between the two now was only filled silent contemplation about the future of the boy's decision to pull out the sword.
"Arthur..." The robed figure began.
"I've made my decision Merlin," The boy, now named Arthur, said. "All I ask of you, is for your support both as my mentor and as my friend."
"I suppose I've got no choice do I? You'd be lost without me." Merlin chuckled as Arthur smiled in response. "I shall expect some recompense alright~?"
"Hehe, but of course."
And so, the young blonde held onto the sword tightly with his hand and pulled, successfully taking the sword known as Caliburn out from the stone anvil much to the amazement of those around him who decided to watch him perform the feat. Soon, word spread about how a young boy was able succeed where others older and stronger failed, about how a young squire was now destined to become king.
This was the beginning of the hero known as King Arthur...
When Jeanne woke up that morning, her first thought for the day was that she really did not expect to see that dream.
Normally as a Servant, she would not be susceptible to such things as a spirit no longer of this world. She concluded that thanks to being the actual Master of one, she was now able to do so through visions of Arthur's past. Such an occurrence was actually quite common with Master-Servant pairs who had a high affinity for one another.
'So what he said about becoming king at fifteen was true after all...'
It wasn't that she doubted his words about the matter. It was just hearing about it and seeing it were two different things altogether. If there was one thing she had to say about what she had witnessed, it was that she found it a little amazing.
As a little girl, she grew up hearing tales of legendary heroes of eras long past, one of those tales being about none other than her Servant. To actually see the moment he pulled out the sword in the stone was awe-inspiring in itself. She couldn't help it, it was the beginning of a man wrapped in myth after all.
What was most noteworthy to her would have been the robed figure that Arthur was with during that time, the one who whom he called Merlin.
Though she couldn't see the face of the legendary magus, something that she was a bit disappointed at thank to her own curiosity, there was something about Merlin that felt oddly familiar to her. But she couldn't tell why that was...
'There was something about him that felt strange... What was it?'
"Jeanne?"
"Eh?"
Remembering her current situation, her mind snapped out from her thoughts and went back to reality. The reality of which was that she had been staring blankly at the food in front of her for a good few moments now.
Having arrived during the early hours of the day, Jeanne fell asleep for a few hours and awoke during the late morning. Currently, it was only Arthur and herself that sat at the dining table as everyone else at the church had already finished up their meals and began doing their daily chores.
"Is there something wrong with the food? I thought I made sure to make it according to your tastes."
"Ah, no there isn't. I was just thinking about something that's all." Jeanne replied as she took a bite. Even now she was still taken aback by Arthur's skill in cooking. It was better than whatever she could have come up with anyway, something that depressed the young saint a little.
"Plans for our next move?"
"No, not really." She began. "It's only been a short while since the battle ended. I believe they'll try to consolidate their strength before attacking once more."
"I have to admit, I expected Berserker to last longer than he did. I suppose that only shows that Lancer is quite the formidable opponent." Arthur commented. Jeanne had told him about the Servant of Red's identity during their observation of the fight.
Lu Bu, known as the Flying General, a warrior whose name was synonymous with betrayal. For all the apparent dishonor he collected in life, the Chinese general was an exceptional warrior. Even as a Berserker, he had retained his skills as part of his base fighting instinct.
For someone like Lancer to have won over him, someone whose name could be more associated with his sovereignty rather than fighting skills, it spoke a great deal about the latter's abilities.
"Perhaps being summoned in his home territory was the likely reason for it." Jeanne mused. "It's one of the reasons why I believe the grail instructed me to summon you in Britain. There's always a chance that a Servant summoned in their homeland would gain an increase in their abilities. And if the fighting had taken place there, perhaps you'd be one of the strongest Servants around."
"You place me on a pedestal too high." Arthur doubted with a smile. With Heroic Spirits such as Achilles, Karna, Siegfried, and the legendary King of Heroes Gilgamesh himself running about, he doubted that he'd be that strong in comparison.
At least, depending on the situation of course. One of the many things he learned in life was that, aside from a select few, nothing was really set in stone. A weaker force could easily overcome a stronger force given the right circumstances.
His thoughts then shifted to the rogue faction that was hiding out somewhere within the city or near it. His Master decided that they should wait it out for now since she finished her talk with the King of Heroes. Despite the way he held himself and viewed others, she felt that he was trustworthy enough to see through with her request of keeping an eye on the man known as Shirou Kotomine.
For some reason, whenever he heard the name, Arthur couldn't help but feel a shiver run down his spine. It wasn't fear that he felt, but something else. He was curious to see what kind of person was behind everything strange that was occurring in the Holy Grail War.
All thoughts about that subject quickly vanished when the young man gazed upon his Master's plate. Seeing that it was empty, he smiled and spoke.
"I presume you'll be taking thirds then?"
"Yes please!"
Filling her plate with food and giving it back to her. The young saint smiled as she began eating her third meal. As a farmer's daughter, she had an appetite that could rival five grown men put together. Eating three meals in one sitting proved to be of no consequence to someone like her. Not to mention that she found modern food to be rather delicious as well.
Arthur on the other hand found this trait to be rather amusing in itself as a smile grew on his face.
"Still, you're quite a glutton Master." He suddenly stated. "I feel quite sorry for Laeticia. She's gaining weight and it's not even her fault."
"...!" The young saint froze briefly as an embarrassed look appeared on her face. "I-It's not like that! Laeticia gains the appropriate diet through any meals I eat. Any extra nutrition I take however goes directly to my own reserves of mana."
"Ah, how convenient. I'm sure that she's feeling quite relieved about that fact herself."
Arthur replied with a chuckle as he saw Jeanne pouting at him in annoyance.
"Dummy."
"Ahaha, my apologies."
"Oh man am I bored!"
In a far off location from the city of Trifas, a young man with bright orange hair spoke aloud.
His identity was Robin Hood, the very same Servant who attacked Ruler back in Glastonbury. Currently, the young rogue was walking through the hallways of a large castle by himself, have nothing else to do as his Master had ordered him to do nothing for the time being on account of their leader's orders.
"Just how big is this place...? The Lady Queen's really something to pull all of this off."
"Why is it that you feel the incessant need to talk so loudly?"
Hearing a familiar voice behind him, with green-blonde tresses of hair approaching him with an unamused expression on her face. Her identity was Atalanta, one of the two Servants who fought against Ruler and her Servant after their arrival in Trifas.
"What? It's my way of reliving myself of boredom." Robin replied. "Don't tell me you're not bored with all just waiting around in this damn place."
"I don't particularly care if talking to yourself is your way of avoiding boredom, just do not let it be a bother to others." The Chaste Huntress replied. She wondered to herself why there were two Archer-Class Servants on their team. Clearly, the man before her was someone who would have actually been more suited for the Assassin-Class. Though both of them were long-range fighters, the one known as Robin Hood was more willingly to use cheap tricks in order to win.
"Whether I want to be noisy or not, that's up to me princess." The young rogue responded with an annoyed look as he began to walk past her. He was stopped when the latter suddenly grabbed him by the shoulder.
"What are you implying...?" Atalanta's eyes narrowed the moment he called her princess, a title which she did not take kindly to coming from someone like the male Servant before her. On the other hand...
"What? What's with that look?" The red-head asked confused, clearly not expecting the action from his comrade. "You mad at me or something?"
"That's enough of that, if the two of you start a fight, I've been tasked to intervene on my Master's behalf."
Appearing from a corner, an unusual looking male with white-hair walked up to the two with a cold look in blue eyes. It wasn't that he was angry or anything similar to the sort, it was just the default way his eyes looked. On the contrary, he was in a good mood that morning. Although his two allies had know way of knowing that tidbit for themselves, which was especially true for the male Servant of the Bow.
His identity was Karna, a Lancer-Class Servant and Atalanta's ally during her fight against Ruler and the King of Knights.
"Damn, I didn't sense you there big guy. You need something from either of us?" Robin said, somewhat nervous. He knew that Lancer was by no means a bad person, but just being near him gave the red-head shivers. It was most likely a sign of how dangerous a person the man before him was.
"No, I was just passing through when I heard the two of you talking." Karna replied, gazing at the golden-haired huntress. "Archer, try to calm yourself when around your allies. Arguing with Archer does not benefit us nor our Masters at all."
Sighing as she knew that Lancer had a point, Atalanta spoke. "You're right. That was unworthy of me I suppose."
"Speaking of which, you think you can just call me by name or something when the two of us are both around?" The young rogue added. "I mean, it's kinda confusing when you think about it when you call two people by the same title."
"If that's what you wish, then what you would you suggest I call you by?"
"So you're okay with it? Let's see here..." Robin began. "What would be a cool name...?"
"Shall we go with idiot then...?" A faint smirk could be seen on the Chaste Huntress' face.
"Haha, very funny." The young rogue sarcastically replied.
When Gray entered her Teacher's room, she expected that it would be a complete mess once she entered it. Ever since she began studying under Waver as his apprentice, the latter having also preferred being addressed by his title as Lord El-Melloi II, she quickly discovered that despite the way he presented himself in public, her teacher was for the lack of better terms, a deadbeat when it came to his home life.
Empty cans of beer and wine bottles, documents and clothing scattered about the room...
And now two grown men passed out on the floor, which were Rider of Red and Kairi Shishigou respectively, could be added to the list. Her teacher's videogames, along with very important association documents, were about the only things in the room that were organized. Sighing, she walked over to the bed and pulled the sheets where Waver was sprawled out beneath.
"It's now morning Master." She began. "It would be best that you wake up now less you sleep in more than you already have."
"Gray...?" The long-haired man yawned as he rubbed his eyes. "What in the bloody hell happened last night?"
"Ahaha...! How pathetic, it seems our illustrious leader has even lost his memory to a simple drink."
Speaking of which, Archer sat upon one of the sofas in the room while casually drinking a cup of wine for himself. And now that she noticed him as well, she just realized that Lancer was also asleep on the floor with the smell of alcohol coming from him. She wondered where had he gone off so suddenly last night. Now her question had just been answered.
"Archer...? Just what happened here?" Gray began.
"I believe you can already guess that for yourself girl." Archer began, gesturing to the unique container within the room, which about as big as a barrel. From the design alone, Gray was able to guess that said container came from Archer himself via his treasury. Her master told her the identity of the Servant of the Bow, so she wasn't surprised by his abilities all that much aside from the fact that he had more than just weapons within his storage that he could use.
"Rider had insisted upon seeing who among the five of us could out drink the other in a contest. Obviously, I called him a fool for this as the drinks he served were rather subpar." The blonde gestured to the beer cans lying about. "As such, I remedied the situation with one of my many treasure suitable for such a thing. Apparently none of them were able to handle it. A weak-willed fools the lot of them are, falling prey to something that's nothing more than a simple drink."
"Hahaha~!" Suddenly, Lancer sat up with a rather strange look on his face. "Y-You're the weak one here goldie~! After all, you got us like this because you can't even beat us normally can you~? I knew it~"
Gray only sighed as she realized that somehow Lancer was drunk. She thought to herself that Servants would have been above such things, but apparently they were not given the tipsy look her Servant had. And instead of being angry as usual at Lancer for his insult, Archer instead only gave him an amused look before smirking as he finished the glass in his hands. The young girl found it to be rather strange, which only lasted a few seconds as the blonde suddenly spoke out.
"No, you're the weak one Lancer." He declared. "If you seek to prove to me otherwise, then I dare you as the King to finish that container in one sitting. Do so and I will acknowledge and respect you as an equal."
"You're on!" Soon enough, the green-haired spearsman took the container in hand and began spilling the contents into his mouth and onto the floor beneath, Archer laughing ever so slightly to himself as he watched the scene and encouraging the Servant of the Lance to keep on going. Gray had no words that could help her describe the rather surrealistic scene before her. Though she did have one thought going through her mind.
Just what on earth did they drink...?
"..."
Hearing footsteps at the doorway, Gray saw both Reines and Mordred leaning on opposite ends of the door frame with blank looks on their faces and their arms crossed.
"Men." The latter stated as she shook her head slightly after seeing Waver's current appearance. She too had gotten used to his rather messy lifestyle as an adult, but seeing it always had her speechless everytime she gazed upon his personal quarters. She was both amused and embarrassed, though currently it was just the latter.
"I suppose some things don't ever change even as centuries pass." The older blonde did the same as reminisced her days as a Knight. Though she hated the Round Table and its members with a burning passion, she couldn't help but be reminded of them once she saw this.
A loud crashing sound echoed throughout the room as all looked to see Lancer suddenly pass out from his drinking. Archer merely smirked as continued to drink from the cup in his hands.
"It seems as though we're not equals then." He said, chuckling slightly.
"So then Saber, your identity is Siegfried eh?"
Seated at the edge of the castle wall that overlooked the city were Astolfo and Elizabeth, accompanying them was none other than Saber of Black, the latter of which chose to simply stand near the two as they spoke with one another.
"No wonder I always got this jittery feeling whenever I'm around you..." The female pinkette said as she held herself and gazed at her ally's sword. "You be sure that you don't hit me with that thing by accident you hear me? I'll get really mad at you if you do."
"Fear not, for my blade is only a threat to my enemies." Siegfried replied warmly, causing Elizabeth to grin in satisfaction.
"Hearing you speak after all this time is somewhat strange..." Astolfo commented with a curious look. "Are you sure your Master won't get mad at you for breaking your oath of silence?"
"I do not believe so. Master Gordes has stated that since I already called out the name of my Noble Phantasm, the Red Faction would most likely know who I am at this point in time. Thus, there is no longer a need for me to remain silent."
"Well that's neat~! Now we can actually hold proper conversations~!" The young paladin stated, causing the taller male to smile in response at his cheerful energy. He felt that no boredom would occur during the peaceful moments of the war so long as Rider was around.
"I've been meaning to ask you all what your wishes would be for the grail." Astolfo began. "With Saber now free to speak his mind, I think now would be a perfect time to hold this conversation among ourselves."
"If that's the case, then what about Lancer, Archer, Caster, and Assassin?" The Servant of the Sword asked.
"Lancer scares me, so I won't bother asking him to come here." Elizabeth giggled at her friend's statement. "Archer and Caster are both busy with their duties for the day, so I don't want to bother them. And Assassin's right here isn't he?"
As if on cue, a male Assassin appeared before the group much to Elizabeth's surprise as she nearly fell off the castle wall.
"You called?" He spoke.
"Hey! Don't appear so suddenly like that when you're so close to me!" Even now she still found Assassin and his personas to be rather creepy. And their habit of appearing out of nowhere only unnerved her even more since unlike other Servants whom she could still sense while they were in their spirit form much like the others, the Assassins had the Presence Concealment skill that prevented them from being detected.
"My apologies milady Berserker, I did not mean to offend." Assassin replied in a well-mannered tone that caught the pinkette off guard as she did not expect it. She also found his referral of her to be rather strange since "Milady Berserker" wasn't exactly a term one would often hear spoken by others due to the words that formed said term.
"Heh~" Astolfo began checking every inch of Assassin very closely. "Say Assassin, I have to ask. Do each of you have names? Because it's probably going to be confusing telling which one of you is who and who isn't."
"Ah, that is a simple matter." Assassin replied. "To answer your question, we do have names, but not all of us. Since we consider each of ourselves to be one person, names never truly mattered to any of us since we can tell who is who and what their role is as one of our personas."
"Well that's interesting." Astolfo commented. "What's your name? You said that at least some of you have one right?"
"My name is Zayd, it's a pleasure to meet you Rider." Assassin extended his hand.
"Pleased to meet you too~" The young paladin replied with a grin as he and the skull-masked Servant shook hands. "So then, what do you wish for Assassin? I mean, there isn't really any harm for any of us to learn what we all wish for right?"
"I suppose so." Zayd shrugged, as did the others who were present. Though he was merely assigned as an observer of the Servants gathered before him together with several others, thus not require to interact with them much, he suddenly felt the desire to mingle with his fellow Servants and his counterparts had no problem with such an action. Perhaps it was merely due to boredom, who could say?
"Well, my wish would be that myself and my brethren would be reunited once more."
"What? Do you wish for another life or something?"
"No, that's not it." Zayd replied. "Originally, myself and my counterparts were one person alone. But due to our unique ability, once we became a Heroic Spirit and summoned as a Servant, we manifest as multiple individuals. What we desire is simply to unite ourselves once more. Though our abilities are useful in this form, it is somewhat troubling at the same time."
"So in other words, you guys just want to get back together into a single person again?" Elizabeth said, causing Zayd to nod. "That sounds kinda weird if you ask me~"
"Hey now, there's no need to be rude." The young paladin chided the pinkette, who merely pretended to be innocent. Seeing that he was no longer needed, Zayd bade them farewell and faded back into spirit form. Seeing this, Astolfo turned his attention back to his friend.
"So what about you Berserker? What's your wish?"
"To be an idol!" The pinkette quickly replied, causing the other two to pause momentarily at a loss from Elizabeth's answer.
Both men had a single question running through their minds. Just what in the world was an idol...? The first thing that came to mind was the objects of worship that religions or cults would sometimes use. Did that mean that Berserker wanted to become someone that was worshiped then?
"Don't be surprised, that's the same reaction I had when she told me."
All looked to see Caules and Fiore Forvedge appear before them, the former giving a look towards his Servant as he spoke.
"If you want to know what an idol is, then feast your eyes on this."
Pulling out a parchment from his jacket, Caules unfolded it and revealed it to be a poster that depicted multiple teenage girls with varying hair colors wearing school uniforms. In their respective dominant hand were microphones. Colorful imagery dominated the poster, with the title Love Live being printed upon it. Both Saber and Rider had identical looks of surprise on their faces. One glance and they were able to tell what it was about given the imagery. That's what Berserker wanted to be?
"And you happened to have that with you because...?" Fiore began with a teasing smile.
"I-It doesn't matter! I'm just giving an example is all!" Caules quickly panicked as he folded the poster back into his jacket.
The female brunette only giggled at this. As his elder sister, she knew of her younger brother's interests in life were aside from the ones he had as a magus. She didn't know much about the topic of anime, manga, or cartoons, but she knew enough about said topics to know that Caules had a real interest in such things and that he would sometimes draw his own illustrations in regards to said interests.
"Ahahaha! As if 2D girls could compete with the real thing!" Elizabeth laughed haughtily. "With my beauty and singing talent, everyone is going to adore me once I take the stage after the Holy Grail War. I'll be the only thing they'll pay attention to from now on!"
'Well you definitely have what it takes, problems is that you suck at taking critique...' Caules deadpanned in his mind, not wanting Berserker to hear his thoughts less she get angry with him and decide to smack him as a result. For a Servant, she really was a free-spirited sort.
"Well that's an interesting wish." Astolfo commented as he gazed at Saber. "Then what about you my friend? Is there anything you wish to share or do you feel that you do not wish to partake? I'm not trying to force the issue after all, I'm just curious."
"Well, so long as it's nothing like Berserker's wish, I don't think we'll judge you for it." Caules commented.
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean!?" His Servant cried out in annoyance as she held him a headlock as the young man struggled to break free. Fiore giggled at this, while Rider motioned for his friend to continue.
"My wish is rather simple." Saber began. "But I'll save it for another time. Right now, I'm afraid my Master is calling for me."
With that, the dragon-slayer went into spirit form, leaving the group behind as Astolfo sighed in disappointment.
"Well that's too bad. Here I was hoping that we could talk more for today..."
"Say Rider, what's your wish?" Caules suddenly asked. He was curious what someone like the feminine male would want from something like the grail.
"Who me? Let's see~" Crossing both arms, the young paladin sat still as his mind was deep in thought. It was over rather quickly though as the young man smiled and laid a hand behind his head as he spoke.
"Nothing~! I guess I'm completely content with my life~!"
Such an answer caused both Caules and Elizabeth to face fault to the ground, with Fiore on the other hand only looking somewhat surprised. They supposed that they should have expected it considering the type of person Rider was after all.
"Ah, Lord Darnic."
Greeting the head of the Yggdmillennia clan, Caster bowed her head in the presence of the blue-haired , the Servant of Magic was re-purposing the golems used in the last battle in order better fight against their enemies. Knowing now how strong they were, adjustments had to be made in order to prepare themselves for the next battle less they were routed so easily again.
"Caster, how goes your work?"
"It's all going accordingly. Together with my young Master, he and the homunculi have all been very helpful." She replied, glancing at the young ginger-haired boy. She found the smile on his face as he worked on the golems to be a rather heartwarming thing to see.
"I see." Darnic nodded, satisfied. "Then what about your familiars? Have they picked up anything out of the ordinary?"
"Not yet." Caster shook her head. "I had one of them trail the Red Faction members back to their base of operations, but on the way it was spotted and destroyed. As a result, finding out where they is taking longer than I would like."
"Then I'll have the Assassins help you in this endeavor. Their numbers and skills should be of use with your search. And with the death of one of their own, the Red Faction will have believed that they've taken out one of our Servants in this war. In doing so, they'll be letting their guard down."
"Very well then, I was about to suggest the same thing myself actually." Caster nodded.
"Ah...!"
Hearing the sound of glass shattering, both looked to see a case of vials having been knocked over to the floor, the contents of which scattered about and broken thanks to the fall. The culprit behind said event was none other than one of the homunculi that was helping out with Caster's duties.
"Now look at what you've done! This is why I don't like working with people or homunculi..." Roche reprimanded with an annoyed pout as the homunculus in question began cleaning up his mess.
"There's no need for that." Caster sighed as with a flick of her wrist, the mess cleaned itself up with the vials being repaired back into pristine condition.
"My apologies..." The homunculus said, an ashamed tone in his voice. Though one couldn't really tell in regards to that thanks to the blank expression he had, an expression that he also shared with most of his brethren.
The Servant of Magic merely shook her head and motioned for the homunculus to continue on with his work. Seeing this, Darnic spoke.
"You're quite forgiving aren't you?"
"Well it was just an accident after all." Caster replied. "And I suppose I find being angry over a single mistake to be a rather tiresome thing to do, especially since the one responsible is no more than a child one takes into consideration the length of their lifespan."
Glancing at said homunculus briefly, she turned her gaze back to the blue-haired man and continued.
"Speaking of which, are you sure you wish for me to use him like this?" She asked. "I believed that he was one of the homunculi created by Saber's Master in order to supply us Servants of Black with mana so that you and the other Masters are able to perform to the best of your abilities, did you not?"
"Indeed, but I feel there's nothing wrong in allowing these creatures to roam about in the castle and help out with our duties. The more they learn, the more they will be useful as they say." Darnic replied as a smile grew on his face. "Besides, you remember what you said about having yet found a way to control the dragon did you not? I believe I may have found us a way."
"Wait, you're not suggesting...?" She said, having noticed that he was gazing at the homunculus in question.
"Oh, but I am Princess of Colchis. I am." Darnic's smile grew wider.
"It now occurs to me that I actually don't know you all that well Master."
A little while after their morning meal, Jeanne and Arthur decided to head out to the forest. The reason for doing so was rather simple. The former admitted that she wasn't as much of an experience warrior compared to other Servants in the Holy Grail War due to having been a standard-bearer in life, and knew that in a prolonged fight, she would lose against those of greater skill than her. The Black Knight that attacked her quickly being the first to come to mind.
So, in order to remedy this, she felt that taking a few lessons from Arthur would do her some good in the future. The white knight understood this reasoning well enough, and so the two headed off and found a secluded spot where they could train. Once they began, Arthur was surprised by how quickly she was able to learn from their spar as only a few hours had passed since they began. He wondered to himself how skilled she would have been had she been more of a front-line fighter and lived to an older age.
Parrying an incoming blow, the young saint replied to her Servant's sudden statement.
"Does that bother you...?" She said. The female blonde hadn't expected her partner to say such a thing out of the blue.
"Somewhat." Arthur said as he dodged his Master's counterattack. "Because now that I think about it, you've acted as a comforting friend to me ever since that night with Mordred. I feel rather guilty at having taken advantage of your kindness."
"Don't be. That's what friends do for each other, do they not?" The young saint said as she twirled around struck the knight from behind. Smiling at this, he quickly counterattacked with a blow that pushed her back a great deal across the ground.
"I suppose so." Arthur replied as he planted Excalibur into the ground with both hands on its grip. "However, I still do feel rather bad about not knowing much about you in spite your kindness to me. I feel like I've been selfish."
"Well, if you want, you could always ask me about my life." She suggested before crooked smile formed on her face. "Though I believe mine isn't as extravagant as the one that King Arthur has lead."
"Nonsense." Arthur replied as he sat down on a log together with the young saint. "So then, what sort of place did you grow up in?"
"I was born to a family of farmers in a small village." Jeanne began as another smile grew on her face. "It was a quiet place, the people who lived there were good people who looked out for their own. There were grass fields as far as the eye could see. It was beautiful in my eyes."
"That sounds somewhat familiar." The knight commented, remembering his own youth. The way his Master described her village was almost exactly like the one he grew up in together with his brother Kay before becoming King. "What kind of people were your parents?"
"Ah, mother was always kind to me, she taught me a lot of things as I grew older." She said, her smile growing wider. "Father on the other hand was strict person. Although that was because he was always rather protective of me."
"Well I don't blame him for that." Arthur said, suddenly grinning. "With your looks, you must've attracted quite a number of suitors."
"Wait, what does that have to do with-" She paused. Realizing what the knight had just said, she blushed but maintained her cool. "I-It wasn't like that. True, there were those that tried to court me and father often drove them off... Wait, why am I even talking about this!?"
Said topic was something that she found somewhat embarrassing to begin with. Seeing the look on Arthur's face, Jeanne pouted and held her sheath with both hands before bopping her Servant on the head with it in a light fashion, who in response merely chuckled slightly at the action.
"Dummy, and you're the one asking me to tell you about myself too."
"Hehe, my apologies. I had believed I was merely speaking the truth." Arthur replied. Jeanne gazed at her partner from the corner of her eyes, an annoyed look on her face that eventually went away and was replaced with a smile of her own as she felt humbled by his words as it meant that he was complimenting her more than just teasing.
"I have to admit Arthur, when I first met you, I didn't expect you to be something of a lighthearted jester given your... well, your past." She commented, changing the subject and making sure to not touch upon the latter topic rather lightly considering how everything ended up during the last few years of the young man's life.
"Well, I always believed that facing life with a smile on your face is better than facing it with a frown." He replied with a shrug before a smile grew on his face. "That, and I suppose a good friend of mine rubbed off on me more than I would like. Though a trickster, that person's heart was always in the right place."
Jeanne had an idea about who said friend was, her mind going back to the dream she had. With this at the forefront of her thoughts, she spoke.
"That good friend is Merlin, isn't it?"
"That's right." Arthur replied, giving his Master a knowing look. "You've been receiving visions of my past haven't you?"
"Only one, and it was about the time you drew the sword in the stone." The young saint replied, a curious look in her eyes as she continued. "How did you know?"
"Because I received a vision of your past the other night actually. I believed it was only a matter of time before you received one about myself." The young man revealed as Jeanne blinked in surprise. "And before you say anything, it was just some memories of your childhood. There was nothing I saw that you would find to be embarrassing. I have to say though, you take after your mother greatly. I would have mistook her for you had it not been for the fact that she had shorter hair compared to your own."
Jeanne sighed in relief at this, while at the same time smiling as she found Arthur's comparison of her to her mother to her liking. She always admired her mother, and thought of her to be a rather beautiful person. Hearing that she resembled her closely was quite a complement to the young saint.
"Speaking of which, what was it like? When you first decided to partake in the war that made you a hero?" Arthur asked.
Sighing to herself, Jeanne looked up at the sky. Memories of the Hundred Years War coming back to her as she remembered her beginnings as someone who fought and memories of those she fought alongside with during those events. Though she knew that at leas six centuries had passed since then, for a Heroic Spirit like her, those turbulent times still felt like they all took place only a short while ago.
"Admittedly, I found it to be quite troubling." She began. "I never picked up a sword in my life nor did I ever learn how to read. As someone who wanted to do her part for her country, it was hard for me to suddenly adapt."
"You say that, but it seems you're a quick learner given how much your sword skills have improved within a short span of time." Her companion commented as she looked at him in response.
"That's probably because I'm a Servant right now. I doubt that I would be able to learn as quick if I were still human." The young saint humbly replied. "Still, I never allowed my illiteracy nor my lack of training as a warrior to deter me from my goals. So long as my heart and my faith were both steadfast, I believed that I would be able to pull through any challenge set forth by both the Lord and the world."
"You truly believe in your God that much?" It wasn't so much of a question that Arthur was saying so much as it was just him reconfirming the fact as he saw for himself how often his Master would pray during times that allowed it. The words she had spoken to Lancer of Black coming to mind as well.
"I suppose I can understand your skepticism. Truthfully, the belief in a singular deity who surpasses all and created all is something that I would probably have trouble believing in at first had I been raised differently." She said, suddenly smiling. "But, I believe with all my heart that he truly does exist. Even if the Lord chooses not to reveal himself to his followers, so long as his love is there, why would one ask for more?"
Looking up at the sky once more, she continued.
"Whenever I look at the sky, the land, the sea, or the people, I can feel the love the Lord has for all his creations." Her face then took on a saddened expression. "And there's also the sorrow. The sorrow that he feels for us as we struggle with ourselves and others. It was because I could hear his lamenting that I chose to take up the sword, so that I might find a way soothe the Lord's pain."
Arthur remained in silence as Jeanne spoke. He had a feeling he somehow knew what she was talking about given his personal experience... but decided to not say anything as believed that doing so would have been insulting his Master's beliefs, which he found to be rather endearing trait of hers in their own way.
"I know that there's a bit of hypocrisy in fighting to stop the fighting, but I believe-" The female blonde continued, but was cut off by Arthur raising a hand.
"You needn't say more." He began with a smile. "Your faith in your beliefs is most certainly an admirable trait to have Master. That, and the way you present yourself to others speaks for itself. I believe you are someone who is truly deserving of being called a Saint."
"Hehe, thank you Arthur."
Jeanne smiled in response, feeling humbled by her partner's words. Soon the two continued on with their sparring session.
"Tell me Master, do you have family?"
Looking up from the book he was reading, Shirou saw Assassin drinking a glass of wine. Currently, both were seated within the library of that was located inside the villa. As per his word, he decided to allow himself and his Servants some time to relax before moving on with the next phase of the plan.
"Isn't it a bit early for such a thing?" He asked as the raven-haired beauty's fingers played around with the glass somewhat as she replied to him.
"In your time perhaps. But for those of my era, we were poised to drink whenever we want." She said, glancing at him as she continued while smiling. "And you didn't answer my question. Is it a topic you do not wish to speak about?"
"What brought this on?" Shirou sighed, closing the book in his hands.
"Nothing. Merely curiosity is what drives me today."
Pausing for a moment to wonder whether or not he should answer his Servant, the young priest relented and began speaking about his familial relations.
"Well I do have a foster-brother if that's what you're asking." Shirou stated. "Considering my background, I don't exactly have one that I'm related to by blood. Anyway, he's a strange sort, so I'm not that close to him all that much. Is my answer satisfactory?"
"Somewhat. Why is it that you aren't close to him?" Her question only caused the young man to grimace, frowning slightly at the thought of his brother.
"For one, as much as I would like to, I cannot approve of him." Shirou began. "My brother is something of a genius. Whatever path he chose to follow, he is able to walk it without facing too much hardship. Whatever a person could think of doing for a living, he could do it to the utmost efficiency. And a few years ago, he even became joined the Executors of the Church."
"I don't see where this is going..."
"I was getting there." He replied. "My brother was able to accomplish a great many things at a young age. Although I'm not related to him by blood, I would be lying to myself if I said that I wasn't proud of him. Those around him, including myself, showered him with praise. Yet..."
His frown grew as his eyes narrowed.
"Yet in spite of all that, he was never happy." Shirou slowly began. "There was an empty void within him. Whatever he did, everything he did, never gained any form of satisfaction or happiness with himself. He even had a wife and daughter last I heard, but apparently he's still unable to find happiness last I saw him."
"Really now...?" A man unable to find any sort of happiness despite living a life like that? Assassin was now curious to hear more.
"There's actually only thing he could do to achieve any semblance of joy... But because he found it to be quite reprehensible, he devoted his life to finding new ways to enjoy life, which is why he devoted himself greatly to every path he had walked, and is currently trying to do even now."
"Pray tell, what did your brother find so reprehensible about himself that he wanted to change it...?" Assassin asked.
"It was the fact that the only time he found happiness in life was whenever he saw the suffering of the people before him." Shirou replied, causing his Servant to briefly widen her eyes. "I've tried helping him with his problem, but so far no success. My wish for the grail is partly for his sake as well. So that he may find salvation in life."
"My, my, such an interesting person your brother is Master." The Queen of Assyria smiled. "I believe I would have found it to be a rather entertaining prospect to meet a man like him."
"Indeed it is!"
Arriving from out of nowhere, Caster stood before the duo with a large grin on his face. The young priest already had an idea of what he was about to say.
"Oh Master!" He began, both posing and speaking dramatically. "Might I ask that you tell more about your brother? He sounds to be a rather excellent candidate to base one of my characters on for a story that I've been planning on writing for some time now. A man tortured by his sense of morality and his personal happiness, trying to find different ways to settle both... It would make for an entertaining psychological tale no?"
"I thought you would say that, and my answer to you would be no." The young man deadpanned. "We have more important things to be discussing about rather than the life story of my brother. And talking about him troubles me more than I would like, so I'm dropping the conversation now."
"Ah, tis a shame then." Caster sighed.
"You're truly obsessed with your stories aren't you?" Assassin muttered with a disapproving look on her face. Really now, who in the world thought it would be a good idea to summon someone like him as a Servant?
It was at that point that a dove flew in through an open window, landing upon the outstretched hand of Assassin who sensed it coming and gently stroked it. Said dove was one of her familiars that she used for surveillance. And given that it had returned without its fellows, it apparently meant that there was news.
"Well now... isn't that interesting?" The Servant of Stealth began with a smile on her face. And upon seeing her Master gaze upon her in curiosity, she continued.
"It seems as though that girl and her dog are here in this city. Looks as though she decided to participate after all."
"Really now...?" This quickly caught Shirou's attention as his eyes narrowed and a smile grew on his face. "Well then, now that they've appeared once more, perhaps we should send them a greeting as a form of proper etiquette?"
'Ugh... for a small city, this place sure is big.'
Groaning to herself, Ayaka walked through the streets of Trifas by herself. Currently, the young teen was wearing a disguise which consisted of a beret, a scarf, a pair of sunglasses, and a simple jacket over a simple civilian clothes. Lancer was following her from a distance in spirit form, making sure not to stick to closely to her less that someone who knew of the Holy Grail War spotted them together and drew their own conclusions.
"You sure you know what you're doing? You've been walking around in circles all day." Lancer stated through their telepathic link with one another.
"If you have a better solution then I would be happy to hear it." She snapped back.
"Whoa, touchy. No need to be angry now." The blue-haired spearsman replied coolly, mildly amused by his Master's reaction. The young blonde merely sighed at this. She didn't mean to get burst out like that, it just came out.
Walking through the streets in hopes of finding Ruler was the best thing she could do at the moment. She didn't have any familiars she could use to help her out nor did she know how to create one for herself. Unlike the rest of her family, Ayaka's talent as a mage was mediocre at best much like her grandmother before her. Because of this, her skills were rather sub-par compared to the rest of her family because the family head decided to focus on teaching her two cousins.
It made sense to her why that was. The current family head was their father and her uncle, and Ayaka herself wasn't as talented as they were when it came to magecraft.
'Rin and Sakura... I wonder how they're both doing now?' She thought, smiling at the thought of her two cousins. She knew that the former was able to take care of herself, and that she was a protective older sister to the latter, whom herself generally got along better with Ayaka than her sister did. Either way, the blonde teen cared greatly for both of them.
Because of current circumstances, Ayaka hadn't been able to contact her family for at least a month now. She was sure that her grandmother was worried for her. Ayaka got along with her the best together with Sakura.
She wanted to inform them of what was happening, but she didn't want to be a bother and the fact that involving them would perhaps put them in danger was something that was constantly on her mind the moment she thought about the idea. That, and her grandmother would most likely faint at the idea of her having decided to participate in the Holy Grail War, and the last thing she wanted was to put her elderly relative through any stress.
"Hey Master..."
Stopping in her tracks, she paused to listen to what Lancer had to say to her. The tone of his voice told her that it was serious.
"What is it?"
"Better get a move on quick if you know what I mean." He began. "Looks like someone spotted us, and I feel them closing in too."
"Damn it...!"
Quickly using her wits, the young blonde reinforced her legs and sped down the streets of Trifas. Though it was an advanced technique of Reinforcement, Ayaka learned how to apply the spell to herself through lessons with Rin. It was one of the few that she was good at using as a mage.
She needed to find a way to lose her pursuers. If she couldn't do that, she should at least find a secluded spot so Lancer could do his thing for her more easily. With the amount of people in the city this time of day, that was going to be a hard.
'There has to be somewhere we can fight properly in the worse case scenario...'
Continuing to run for good minute through the streets, she turned a corner and eventually came upon an alley that led into an empty lot. Seeing a chance, Lancer decided to materialize beside her. At the same time, two figures landed right in front of the duo, causing the blonde girl to narrow her eyes and glare as she recognized both.
"It's good to see you again, Tohsaka Ayaka." One of them spoke, wearing black clothing and a red cape. His companion on the other hand, who was a white-haired male that wore strange armor with a flaming cape, she immediately recognized as his Servant.
"I'm afraid I can't say the same, Kotomine-san." Ayaka replied cautiously. "I'm surprised that you came out all this way on your own, considering your position after all."
"I'll admit, even I'm having doubts about my decision to come here." Shirou stated with a smile. "But considering our relationship with each other, I suppose I just wanted to see you again."
"Don't say it like that, it's weird...!" The blonde spoke unamused as the young priest smile grew even wider.
"My apologies then." He said as he gestured to his surroundings. "And have no fear, I've already erected a boundary field throughout this area so that you and I may have our meeting uninterrupted. We can now speak as long as we want."
"Is there anything we have to talk about? Because I doubt it."
"How cruel, and I'm here on my best behavior too." The young priest quipped, which only served to cause Ayaka to glare at him more.
"I will you ask you this only once. Will you not join me in my quest?" Shirou asked, a sad smile on his face. "As I consider you to be a good person, I am unwilling to cause harm to you if I can help it. But, should you stand in my way, I will take the appropriate actions."
"You should already know my answer!" Ayaka cried out. "Your intentions for the grail will only bring about danger to humanity, and you know it!"
"Yes, the risk is there." He replied, unfazed. "But if the result is going to benefit humanity in the long run, then why not take it? Humanity has taken on numerous risks in the past, and this is no different from the rest when you think about it."
"That doesn't justify what you're trying to do. If you fail, then the consequences will be severe. And the rest of us may have to pay for that mistake!" Ayaka argued.
A good moment of silence passed between the two pairs of Master and Servant. It was broken when Shirou sighed and shook his head in disappointment at the young woman's decision to stand against him.
"I see that you still believe that... and just when I thought that you and I could truly be on the same side." The young priest stated with a sad smile, causing Ayaka to frown as spoke this. "Perhaps another time then, once I win the grail war that is."
And knowing to himself what Ayaka's Lancer would say to him, he didn't bother trying to convert the blue-haired spearsman to his cause. Turning his back on the two, Shirou spoke two simple words as he walked past Servant.
"Kill them."
Nodding at this, Karna took on a battle stance as he summoned his spear. Seeing this, Lancer took on a stance of his own as he began grinning wildly. At that point, the white-haired priest vanished from Ayaka's vision. This left just her and Lancer against the Servant that stood before them.
"My apologies for what I am about to do." The demigod began.
"Heh! So you're that type of guy huh?" Lancer chuckled as he glanced at his Master. "Hey Ayaka! Mind if I have some fun?"
"Go all out if you have to! We can't afford to lose here!" She replied as she began distancing herself from the fight that was about to begin.
"Alright then! Let's dance pretty boy!"
With a twirl of his spear and a loud cry of excitement, Lancer charged his foe head-on.
Author's Note:
And so ends Chapter 9 folks, hoped you all enjoyed it :)
So yeah, decided to make the blonde Ayaka from Fate/Strange Fake part of the Tohsaka family, along with a certain someone and his family being mentioned. Also a certain homunculus finally appears as well. I thought to myself I wouldn't use him, but decided to anyway. Just know this, he will not be gaining the abilities he did in the original novel for the sole reason that doing that would require me to have Siegfried perform heart surgery in a way that's basically him ripping out his own heart, shoving it down some guy's throat, and the guy miraculously revives as a result.
That never made any sense to me at all. Transplanting a Heroic Spirit's organ/body part onto someone else is something I can understand through information provided by side material and the original source itself, but the way it was performed seemed like it was pulled out of someone's ass. Granted, Gilgamesh himself did the same with Shinji using Ilya's heart, but how does shoving a heart down someone's throat equate to healing? At least EMIYA's arm had to be surgically transplanted onto Shirou by Kirei. Now, if it was done in a manner like that, then I'd probably have less problems with it.
Lastly, I know that Love Live didn't exist in 2004 but I couldn't think of anything else as a substitute for the joke XP
Anyway, that's it for now. Please leave a review :D
