Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.
Aozaki and Tohsaka – The Serpent's Feathers
Chapter 3
"Hey, where'd master go?"
Sakura returned from the suite's small kitchen, bringing a tea set with her on a silver tray. Benedek glanced her way as the younger magus approached and placed the tea set on the coffee table. "Want a cup?" she asked.
"…yes…just tea will do." Benedek said after a moment.
Sakura poured the man a cup of tea, and placing it on a saucer placed it closer to him. "…Touko went to get a magnifying glass." Benedek said while picking up the teacup and taking a sip. "Normally, I'm sure she'd have you get it, but seeing as you were busy with making tea, she went to get it herself."
Benedek paused to take another drink of his tea, and then acknowledged Sakura with a nod and a smile. "This tea is very good." He said.
Sakura smiled slightly and gave a low scoff. "More like the hotel's got good tea." She said. "I just used what they stocked the suite with."
"I see…but even with something good to start with, if you don't know how to do it right, the end result won't come out as well as it should."
"Well, what can I say?" Sakura asked with a shrug. "Master likes her tea, and as her apprentice, it's kind of expected I make her life easier – among other things – in return for her making me all I can be. Or something like that…"
Sakura trailed off, and then shrugged again after another moment. "…she did have to teach me how to make tea right…or at least the way she likes it…" she said, even as Touko walked back in, carrying a magnifying glass with her.
"It's the former." She said firmly. "Though it's nothing personal, considering your background. Sakura, you know how I like my tea."
"On it, master."
Benedek raised an eyebrow, but neither Touko nor Sakura elaborated further. Touko sat back down again, and picking up the medallion, studied it intently through a magnifying glass (and no doubt, her eyes were reinforced too). As for Sakura, she poured her master a cup of tea, stirring in milk and honey before placing it on a saucer nearby.
Touko gave no indication of noticing, but Sakura didn't seem to mind. Instead, she poured herself a cup of tea, and then added milk before sitting down herself and taking a drink, not even bothering to place it on a saucer beforehand. Or for that matter, even putting up a front of proper modesty, instead slouching languidly in her seat while holding her teacup with a hand.
The minutes ticked by, Sakura and Benedek enjoying their tea as Touko studied the medallion. Finally, after several minutes of close study, Touko nodded in satisfaction before placing the medallion and magnifying glass on a table.
"As I thought," she said, while picking up her teacup and taking a drink. "It's a map."
"A map to where?" Benedek asked.
"A treasure map?" Sakura chimed in curiously.
"No idea…" Touko answered before taking another drink. "…and maybe…"
Pausing, Touko replaced her teacup on its saucer, and then held out a hand expectantly towards Benedek. The man stared blankly at her. "What?" he asked.
"I need your Azoth Dagger." Touko said, hand still outstretched.
"No." Benedek flat out refused. "Get your own, or find another knife or dagger. Seriously, Touko? You don't just ask another magus to lend you their Azoth Dagger or its equivalent."
Touko rolled her eyes with an exasperated shake of her head, and lowered her hand. "Sakura," she said. "You have a Swiss Army Knife, right? Let me borrow it."
"Okay."
The apprentice reached into Imaginary Numbers Space again, and pulling out a folded Swiss Army Knife, handed it to her master. Touko took it, and briefly examining it, unfolded the knife. And then picking up the medallion, began firmly if carefully prying at the ruby set into the gold. That caused both Benedek and Sakura to stir in alarm.
"H-h-hey, master…" the latter said.
"Touko, what…?" the former asked at the same time.
"The medallion's made in two pieces." Touko answered, still prying away at the medallion. "Two pieces that make up one map, and possibly a description of what the destination is. Except it needs to be put together in the right way to make sense, and – I suspect – needs to be seen in a certain way too."
Sakura hummed and nodded in understanding, while Benedek looked conflicted. "…I suppose you're the expert here," he said uncertainly. "But…"
The man broke off as the ruby popped off, Touko catching it with a hand and placing it on the table. Folding and handing the Swiss Army Knife back to its owner (who promptly returned it to Imaginary Numbers Space), Touko picked up the medallion and jewel one by one, and examined them again for a few minutes. Then she nodded in satisfaction before turning to her apprentice.
"Sakura," she said while handing her the medallion. "Get some charcoal and paper, and start sketching the pattern on this side of the medallion. It needs to be as big as that wall over there, so make sure to properly scale it up. Afterwards, set up the projector, and such that the beam goes through this jewel."
At that, Touko picked up the ruby, and waved it in the air a couple of times before setting it back down. "Huh…" Benedek said. "So that's what you meant by putting them together and then seeing them in the right way."
"Pretty much." Touko said with a nod.
"And what will you be doing in the meantime, master?" Sakura asked as she finished her tea.
"Someone needs to prepare something to hold the jewel in place and in the right way." Touko said with a shrug. "You making that sketch and setting up the projector should give me ample time to do that."
"Oh I see…well then…"
Touko nodded as Sakura set down her empty teacup, and taking the medallion, made to leave. "Oh, and be careful when you're taking out the projector." Touko warned. "It's that time of the month, and Urashima's getting all touchy, as usual."
"Got it, master."
"Urashima?" Benedek asked curiously.
"None of your concern." Touko said before also finishing her tea. Then picking up the jewel, got up to leave.
"So…what am I supposed to do while you two are busy?" Benedek asked, following Touko with his eyes as she walked off.
Touko paused and glanced at him. "I don't know." She said with a shrug. "Watch TV? The hotel has satellite with over two hundred channels, if I remember right."
Touko shrugged again, and then walked off. Staring after her for a few moments, Benedek sighed before taking the remote from under the coffee table and turning on the television.
Typical Touko…
In a darkened room inside a villa in the Guatemalan countryside, Lord Carter and Lady Iceheart stood opposite from each other. Between them, hanging in the air was a glowing red hologram of the impression of the medallion that Lady Iceheart's familiar had taken. Lord Carter pulled thoughtfully at his moustache while taking it in, and nodding, gestured with a hand.
"Separate the patterns of the ruby and the medallion into two holograms." He said.
Lady Iceheart obliged, and Lord Carter nodded again. "Now," he said. "Superimpose the patterns of the ruby, as though it were being projected by the Sun through said jewel."
His command was obeyed, and Lord Carter smiled in satisfaction. "Ah…" he said, while clapping his hands together. "Yes…very well done, Isabelle. Even if you failed to acquire the medallion itself, you managed to get what we need to find the Armory regardless."
Lady Iceheart bowed as Lord Carter stepped around the hologram, again pulling thoughtfully at his moustache. "Pull up a separate hologram," he said. "This one of the region's map."
A moment later, and another hologram was projected next to the previous one. "That is the Yucatan, I believe." Lady Iceheart said.
"So it would seem." Lord Carter agreed. "I am unsurprised, however, as the Yucatan was the heart of the Classical Maya civilization. Hmm…I wonder…"
"My lord…?"
"Archaeologists both mundane and otherwise have never been able to understand just how the Classical Maya fell." Lord Carter said. "Of course plenty of theories have been put out, but none of them are…satisfactory."
"You believe the Feathered Serpent's defeat and exile were the cause of the Classical Maya's fall?"
"…I have no proof beyond the circumstantial," Lord Carter admitted after a moment. "But I do think it is a serious possibility. The Feathered Serpent after all, was the god of wisdom and knowledge, essentially the 'father' of civilization itself, at least in the Americas. But note how despite still being worshiped as a god, all the post-Classic Mayan civilization also regarded the Feathered Serpent as a prophesied savior to come or return. In contrast, the Classical Maya regarded him as a god that was, alongside the Flayed Lord and the One that Lies on the Land."
Lord Carter paused, and then turning away from the holograms, faced Lady Iceheart. "And more to the point," he continued. "All the Mesoamerican civilizations that followed the Classical Maya were, for all their great works of architecture and empire building, far more brutal, bloodier, and indeed, arguably less civilized than their predecessors."
"…certainly," Lady Iceheart conceded after a moment. "It can circumstantially be seen as a consequence of the Feathered Serpent's defeat and exile by the Smoking Mirror."
"A god of war, second only to the Left-Handed Hummingbird." Lord Carter said with a nod, before turning back to the holograms. "And war was quite common in the centuries that followed the fall of the Classical Maya, leading to the rise and fall of countless empires."
"As you say, my lord."
Lord Carter hummed while studying the holograms for the next several minutes. "Isabelle," he said. "Bring up our Mayan translator. These pictograms here…are they a guide, a warning, or something else? We need to know, if we are to plot our future course of action properly."
"Yes, my lord."
"That's the Yucatan." Benedek observed.
"Yes," Touko agreed. "No surprise there, that region was the center of the Classical Maya civilization. The time setting would be just about right too, based on what you've told me about what the map leads to."
"…oh?" Benedek remarked with dawning comprehension. "You're thinking Quetzalcoatl's defeat and exile were the cause of the Classical Maya's fall, aren't you?"
Touko smiled and held up a finger. "Hold that thought," she said. "It's only a hypothesis now, as I have no proof beyond the circumstantial. Specifically, that a medallion points to Quetzalcoatl's last stop before his exile being in the capital region of the Classical Maya."
"Which," Benedek said with a series of nods. "Could indicate that the region was neither as desolate or deserted as it is now or during the Maya collapse."
"That…and Teotihuacan – where the medallion was found – predates even the Classical Maya." Touko said with a shrug. "I'll have to study the hypothesis further in depth and at length become coming to any conclusions."
"Fair enough…" Benedek conceded. "…so…off to Mexico, then?"
"I am aware." Touko said with a sigh. "Looks like we'll be staying in Guatemala shorter than I thought."
"Should I start packing?" Sakura asked.
"No," Touko said with a shake of her head. "We need to plan things out carefully, especially since it seems as though other magi are after the same thing we are."
"…sounds like the usual, master." Sakura pointed out after a moment.
There was a moment of profound silence, and then Touko burst out laughing. "True," she admitted with a shrug. "But even so, let's not get careless."
"Yes, master."
"So what do we do now?" Benedek asked.
"Any bright ideas, Benedek?" Touko challenged.
The Hungarian magus smiled with amusement. "I asked you first." He said, and Touko laughed again.
"Alright," she said, before pointing at the projection. "See those pictograms? We'll need to find a way to decipher them. They could be a warning, instructions and guidelines, maybe even something purely-academic like prayers or benedictions…but just in case there's something important about them, we need to know."
Touko paused and shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest as she did so. "You never know what might be lying in wait in places we're heading to." She said grimly. "Plenty of stories – and hard fact – about foolhardy archaeologists and treasure hunters both magi and otherwise, who got a sticky end because they just blindly walked into the traps and whatnot lying in wait for them. And I don't intend for any of us to go down the same way."
"True…"
Touko smiled. "Your turn," she said. "Any bright ideas?"
"This map is old." Benedek said at once. "Now, I know enough about the Mayans that they weren't nearly as primitive as the Spaniards thought they were centuries ago, or for that matter, how those silly old men in the Clock Tower and castles and villas of Europe and other places still do…"
"What's your point, Benedek?" Touko interrupted.
"The map is relatively-accurate," he said. "But not for us. We need to find a way to…translate it, to a modern format, something we can easily use. I'm not saying we should ignore it once we have the translations, both a modern version of the map and what those pictograms mean, but…it would be prudent to have a…second opinion of sorts."
"Hmm…" Touko hummed before nodding in agreement. "…good point…"
Benedek grinned, but Touko just gave him a chiding look. "Now then," she said. "The question becomes how we get what we need to move on to the next leg of our journey."
Silence fell over the three magi, which lasted for several minutes as they all thought on how and where they could get what they need. "I've got an idea." Sakura said.
"Oh?" Touko remarked. "Let's hear it then."
"From what I know," Sakura said. "Mayan culture, while heavily-changed over the centuries, survived the Spanish conquest up to a point. In the countryside at least, while Human sacrifices are no longer made, animal sacrifices and offerings of fruit, corn, and other products of their harvests are still made by the modern Maya."
"And?" Touko prompted.
"Maybe they can help us here?" Sakura asked. "I mean…the modern Maya live on both sides of the figurative line. They could read those pictograms for us, and maybe show us a way to see the map in a modern way too."
Touko nodded her head in approval, and gave her apprentice mild applause. "Not bad," she said. "But it won't work. Good try, though."
"Master?"
"You're correct in that Mayan culture survived the Spanish conquest…but like you said, it's only up to a point." Touko explained. "The modern Maya no longer possess the ability to read the pictograms of their ancestors, and indeed, much of what they know of the legends, myths, and beliefs of their ancestors are passed down through oral tradition."
"Oh…I see what you mean."
Touko smiled reassuringly. "Don't let it get to you." She said. "Like I said, it was a good try. You just didn't have the whole picture, that's all."
Sakura gave a curt nod of acknowledgement. "It's not all bad, though." Touko mused after a moment. "The modern Maya might be a bust when it comes to the pictograms, but they just might be able to help us read this map easier…"
"…no, I don't think that idea's going to work…" Benedek murmured.
"…and why not?" Touko asked.
"…well, it's less that it might not work," Benedek hurriedly explained. "As much as they might not cooperate with us. Remember that the modern Maya venerate their ancestors, and still worship their old gods up to a point."
"And?"
"Would they cooperate with us to…desecrate – from their point of view – their ancestors' legacy and trespass on one of the gods' holy place? And not just any god, but their savior deity?"
"They could be made to cooperate." Touko harshly said.
"They can…but unless you're planning to completely rewrite their minds, we might end up having to keep them under mental interference the whole time." Benedek said. "You and I both know that's only going to end with us either leaving a trail of corpses behind us, or a bunch of drooling, brainless idiots."
Touko raised an eyebrow, arms crossed over her chest again as she leaned closer to her colleague. "And that matters why, again?" she challenged.
"It'll attract too much attention, one way or another." Benedek responded.
Touko frowned, keeping her eyes on Benedek, who met her gaze evenly. But after several long moments, Touko sighed, and gave way. "Fair enough…" she conceded.
"…knowing you," Benedek said in a conciliatory tone after a moment. "You've probably thought up another plan already."
"…I have." Touko admitted. "It's a simple plan, so it has less chances of going wrong at any point."
"But…?" Benedek prompted.
"…it might have…drawbacks to it…" Touko reluctantly admitted.
"…what do you have in mind, Touko?" Benedek said with a sigh.
Touko shrugged. "The Guatemalan antiquities office should have what we need." She said. "Whether it's translating those pictograms, and converting the map to a modern format."
"They should." Benedek agreed.
"But you can see the potential drawbacks, yes?" Touko asked.
"I do." Benedek admitted.
"What drawbacks?" Sakura asked.
"Involving the government means getting tangled up inside the bureaucracy." Touko explained. "And while there are…ways, to cut through the red tape, whether by bribery or magic or other means, using those tends to leave breadcrumbs behind, which will be noticed by someone sooner or later. It's likely too they'll follow the breadcrumbs, and potentially cause trouble for us further down the line. And trouble no matter what isn't really something anyone likes to deal with."
Sakura blinked. "But," she said. "Didn't we already get involved with the government? Kind of, I mean…the police and the incident in the square earlier…oh…"
Touko nodded and smiled with approval. "Very good," she said. "You get the difference, don't you?"
"Yeah, I do." Sakura said. "Since we became anonymous witnesses, we managed to get out before getting too tangled up, but in a way that keeps us from getting drawn back in later."
"Yup," Touko agreed with another nod. "But this situation is different, as we can't really be anonymous if we're going to be getting the government's help, no matter how small or discreet, on getting what we're after."
"Not to mention," Benedek chimed in. "We might be drawing the attention of other magi this way. I wouldn't be surprised if there are magi in a number of places in the government, whether as a way to keep an eye out for anything that could risk the Masquerade…"
"…or in the case of the antiquities office," Sakura concluded with a nod of her own. "Also trying to unlock the secrets the Mayans and others left behind. Yeah, I get what you mean."
"We're already facing at least one other magus also after the same thing we are." Touko said. "I'd really rather not make their numbers multiply. It'd be very troublesome if they did."
"Hmm…" Benedek hummed before giving a smile. "Then I guess it's a good thing I've got an alternative, don't I?"
Eyes turned to the man, and then Touko raised an eyebrow before giving a cautious smile. "That depends," she said. "On how good your alternative is."
"I know an information broker in Mexico City…"
"Do you have any idea how expensive an information broker is?" Touko interrupted. "Also, what's stopping him – or her – from selling the information that we visited and made use of their services? Or for that matter, what we used their services for?"
Benedek made a tutting sound, a finger waving in the air chidingly. "Now, now," he said. "You know me better than that, Touko. Yes, those are valid points, but nothing we can't resolve cleanly."
"Oh really?" Touko skeptically asked.
Benedek nodded. "Yes," he said. "In reverse order, I've been dealing with this information broker for a long time now. I wouldn't say we're friends, but I wouldn't say we're just acquaintance either."
"Then what are you?" Sakura cheekily asked.
"Respected business associates," Benedek primly said. "And who owe favors to each other. Considering our potential prize…I think I can afford to burn a few or more owed favors in exchange for keeping this…business of ours, assuming we get involved with him, secret for a while. Long enough to get the job done, one way or another, at any rate."
"Humph…" Touko snorted. "And the cost? Can you make that go away too?"
"Now that's asking a bit much, don't you think Touko?" Benedek asked, holding his hands together. "People have to eat too, after all. So…what say you we split the cost fifty-fifty, hmm?"
"Seventy-thirty…my way."
Benedek frowned. "Sixty-forty," he said. "And you pay the sixty per cent. Don't forget, I'm burning favors and obligations owed to keep this secret."
"Assuming we go with your plan." Touko shot back.
"Yes," Benedek said with a nod. "But it'd be less troublesome than getting involved with the government could potentially be. After all, even if my associate advertises information on your activities, given the nature of things, it'll only really cause ripples in the Moonlit World."
"So he's a magus too?" Touko asked sharply.
"No."
"Spell-caster, then?"
"I don't think so."
"And yet he knows about the Moonlit World?" Touko snapped. "Can you even hear what you're saying?"
"It wouldn't be the first time some select ordinary Humans would know about our and our world's existence." Benedek retorted. "And you know as well as I do that the circles people like him belong in are a grey zone when it comes to the Masquerade."
"A grey zone that could easily be turned to ash if it becomes too…inconvenient, to keep looking away from for the powers of our world." Touko warned.
Benedek shrugged. "True," he said. "But that is his problem, not mine. We might respect each other, but he's not the only – nor the most important – information broker I've had dealings with."
Touko narrowed her eyes, and then snorted after a few moments. "And?" she asked. "Apart from your associate knowing better than to leak information about us and our business here and now outside of the Moonlit World and the grey areas at its edges, what else can you say for him?"
Benedek shrugged. "You're a high value figure." He said. "And I'm a long-time associate. Information on us won't come cheap."
"Assuming they don't just force it out of him."
"Assuming he's defenseless in the first place."
Touko's lip thinned, but she said nothing for several long moments. And then…
"Sakura, more tea."
Sakura got to her feet. "Right away, master." She said, taking the tea set and walking away to get a fresh one.
Benedek waited until the apprentice was out of earshot, and then he sat back in his seat. "So," he said. "What's the decision, Touko?"
"…I'll think about it." Touko said after a moment.
"Well, don't take too long, otherwise that other magus we encountered today might beat us to our prize." Benedek said. "No point coming this far, and planning so much, only to lose it all in the end because we couldn't agree on what to do next."
Touko was silent, and stayed silent even as Sakura returned several minutes later and poured tea for everybody. Picking up her teacup, the Grand Magus let the fumes of the hot drink calm her down, and she took a deep drink to further soothe her nerves.
"Benedek…" she said. "…get in touch with your broker. See if he can help us here."
Benedek grinned, only for Touko to cut off his witty remark with a sharp glare before he could even begin to say it. "I'm taking quite the risk here, Benedek." She warned. "Just make sure to remember: if this all blows up in our faces because we got involved with your friend, there's no place in the world you can hide in that I can't drag you out of."
Benedek met Touko's eyes, only to flinch away the inhuman menace in them. "Understood, Touko." He said.
"Good…very good…just so long as you understand."
A/N
The names Lord Carter mentions are the literal English translations of the names of the Mesoamerican gods. The Feathered Serpent is Quetzalcoatl, though I'm sure you don't really need me to tell you that. The Flayed Lord is Xipe Totec. The One that Lies on the Land is Tlaloc. The Smoking Mirror is Tezcatlipoca, and the Left-Handed Hummingbird is Huitzilopochtli.
