TeotakuFantasia: At times, Pyrrha is worse than Shirou... Shirou throws himself into the worst trouble because he wants to be a hero who saves everyone. It's childish... but it's hard for Artoria to blame her Master, because he's childish, precisely.
But Pyrrha understands very well that she can't face Servants... and she does it anyway. Why? Basically, this is a combination of a sense of responsibility and pride. You're right, poor Arthur. Luckily, Caster is a doctor, he will be able to prescribe anti-depressants to Arthur... the Knight of the Silver Sky will need them before the end of this FanFic.
Guest: Thank you.
NK9: White is the color of mourning in the Orient, and black is the mourning color of the Occident.
Personal note: I had not imagined writing so many chapters and so quickly when starting this story. But sometimes a writer has inexplicable facilities with a story. It seems to be written almost by itself, words come easily, the sequence of chapters comes without difficulty, no anguish of the writer's block, no difficulty in imagining credible twists. This is called inspiration. As an author, there is no greater joy than inspiration.
Homunculi
That the sperm of a man be putrefied by itself in a sealed cucurbit for forty days with the highest degree of putrefaction(1) in a horse's womb, or at least so long that it comes to life and moves itself, and stirs, which is easily observed. After this time, it will look somewhat like a man, but transparent, without a body. If, after this, it be fed wisely with the Arcanum of human blood, and be nourished for up to forty weeks, and be kept in the even heat of the horse's womb, a living human child grows therefrom, with all its members like another child, which is born of a woman, but much smaller.
De natura rerum (1537) Paracelsus
Even on Sunday, the Mount Miyama neighborhood was buzzing with people and conversations. Teenagers enjoying a day of rest, adults came to do the shopping of the week, couples and curious crossed, passing from one shop to another.
Pyrrha Nikos and Arthur Pendragon came out of the fishmonger with their arms full of bags. The races were almost over, besides food, they had bought medicinal herbs from the herbalist shop, flowers from the florist and various objects found at the Singing Birds Retreat antique shop.
[It's not perfect, but you know Projection Magecraft, it seems to me?]
Merlin's mental voice imprinted itself in Pyrrha's brain.
[Yes, but I don't find this faculty very useful. I can only project fragile and hollow objects.]
[Indeed, Pyrrha, the only purpose of this Magecraft is to create single-use objects as for Formalcraft ritual like the one I am preparing.]
The young Amazon nodded her head:
[It would be so much more if we could recreate real weapons. It would be enough for me to memorize Miló and Akoúo and then Project them when before fighting.]
Pyrrha's remark made Merlin sniff with a mocking air:
[The number of problems to solve to make Projection Magecraft effective would be astronomical. To begin with, it would be necessary to memorize the complete structure of a weapon and project it without error so that the copy is of the same level as the original. But the mind of a normal human is unable to memorize billions of information and restore them without error! I am not even talking about the absolutely prohibitive prana's cost or the length of the incantation! The Magus capable of doing this would be a monster, in the sense that it would be absolutely abnormal and in more than one way... to want to conduct such research and especially to succeed, it would have to be his mind and perhapseven his soul be distorted in a particularly strange way. Could it still be called human? I doubt it...]
Archer knocked again at Rin's door to try to convince the Magus, depressed since her return from Mount Miyama, to leave her bedroom. Suddenly, a chill came down his spine.
Where did this sudden impression come from? Like that someone had just dragged him through the mud and made fun of him?
Pyrrha and Arthur had almost finished gathering what they were missing and were going up the main shopping street when the Spartan Girl saw a crowd in front of the only bookshop specializing in manga in Miyama Town.
A dozen little girls and pre-teens between the ages of ten and fourteen, sometimes escorted by a parent, surrounded a store employee apologizing:
"... and that's why the Shoujo department of your store is closed until further notice."
A surprised mother interrupted the employee:
"You mean all the shoujo manga in the store was bought by one person?"
The employee bowed politely:
"Yes, ma'am. Again, I apologize for the inconvenience we hope to be as brief as possible. We have already placed an order with our suppliers."
Oddly, Pyrrha felt that she knew the name of the culprit of this "burglary"...
As she started again, the young redhead felt held back. Turning around mechanically, Pyrrha saw nothing abnormal...
"Pyrrha-ane!"
Looking down, Pyrrha discovered an adorable winter fairy with red eyes and snow hair wearing a collared, purple long-sleeved shirt with a light purple scarf to match, a long white skirt, and purple boots.
"Illya!"
The Einzbern Master replied with a small happy laugh and smiled while swirling about herself with a childish joy of life:
"Are you shopping, Pyrrha-ane?"
"Yes, Illya too?"
Illyasviel replied with a new delighted laugh. She held out a hand to two women who waited at a distance... as they were normally dressed, Pyrrha took a moment to recognize the two maids she had met the day before.
A small blonde with short hair raised her hand with a friendly gesture, a wide smile illuminating her face:
"Hallo, ich bin Leysritt".
The homunculus wore a huge bag, rather a tablecloth or a large sheet folded up to form a bag and tied to her neck... it formed a bump almost as big as she, and passers-by glanced at Leysritt probably wondering how a "frail young woman" could carry such heavyweight.
Pyrrha massaged her neck with one hand, shaking her head, and turned to Illyasviel:
"Let me guess... Did you just buy all shoujo mangas of this bookshop?"
The little fairy stopped in her laughing dance, to look at the Invincible Girl with irresistible candid eyes, a finger on her lips:
"How did you guess, Pyrrha-ane? You have some kind of super-intuition?"
The Amazon bites her lips not to laugh:
"Something like this..."
"Guten Morgen!"
Pyrrha turned to the icy voice that had just intervened... Despite her long ponytail hair, the second maid looked a lot like Leysritt. Nevertheless, her expression was less empty and more refined.
Standing between Pyrrha and Illyasviel, the homunculus bowed to her young mistress:
"Now that we have the books you wanted Mistress Illya, we can return to the castle. I see no point in talking to the traitor's daughter!"
But Illya tapped her little foot on the floor and crossed her arms, living image of the "spoiled little girl who makes a tantrum":
"But I want to stay with Pyrrha-ane!"
"Mistress Illya, please conduct yourself with the dignity expected of an Einzbern's maiden! It is not appropriate for a well-behaved young lady to make a scandal in the middle of the street. Neither is sending threatening letters to a manga author because she writes too slowly!"
But Illya disagreed:
"But, Sella, the author is so lazy. I have been waiting a month for the continuation of "Sapphire and the Prince"! I'm sure the mangaka would write faster after I made her swim in a pool full of sharks or after throwing her in an anthill, smeared with jam!"
Pyrrha and Arthur exchanged a stupefied look... yes, Illya was such a lovely little girl... a true angel... There is no doubt about it, Berserker had the Master who suited him best.
As the so-called Sella held out her hand to grab Illya's wrist, the little girl slipped behind Arthur while giggling. Then, sheltered behind the knight's legs, she pulled out her tongue to the long-haired maid:
"You told me I could go into town because I had done well yesterday. Sella, liar!"
Then the little snow-haired fairy glanced at Arthur:
"Sweet Prince Charming, don't let my maid separate me from Pyrrha-ane!"
Through Saber's connection to his Master, they heard Merlin cry from laughing:
[Prince Charming... so this is the best...]
Sella seemed to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown. She finally capitulated when she saw that the argument attracted the attention of the whole street:
"I agree, but let's get out of the way."
Pyrrha felt pity for Sella and came to her aid:
"There is a park nearby. In winter, it is nearly abandoned. No one will come to disturb us."
The young redhead showed the way and she stopped at a food stand called Edomaeya... to buy taiyaki for 80 yen each.
Illya ran in front of the rest of the group. The little girl seemed happy. She often turned around, swirling her skirt as she seemed to dance with joy.
Sella continued to admonish her about the behavior of a young lady belonging to the noble family of Einzbern. However, the little winter fairy just laughed at it.
Finally, they arrived at the small park.
While Pyrrha was sitting on a bench, Illya ran towards a lying tree trunk that was used for balancing games with her arms stretched out in T-pose, she advanced by focusin before jumping to the ground and come back running to throw herself into the arms of her "big sister".
Pyrrha offered her one of the taiyaki she had just bought.
The immense ruby eyes of Illyasviel reflected her surprise:
"Is that for me?"
"Of course!"
With a happy pussy face, the Einzbern's Master sat down next to Pyrrha, swinging her little feet:
"What is it? What is it?"
"It's a taiyaki! Taiyaki are Japanese fish-shaped cake filled with red bean paste that is made from sweetened azuki beans."
Illya crunched the head of the cake and had a smile of delight:
"It's good."
"I'm glad you like it. Stay here, I'll distribute the others."
Smiling, the Invincible Girl took the paper bag and headed for Leysritt and Sella who were waiting at one end of the kindergarten... while Arthur was gauging them on the other side.
Without worrying about the tangible hostility, Pyrrha gave a first taiyaki to Leysritt. Leysritt smiled with a delighted air:
"Danke, Fraulein Emiya."
She devoured the cake in three bites and licked her fingers.
As Pyrrha gave the second cake to Sella, she glared at her:
"What insolence, Miss Emiya, to give this plebeian food to Mistress Illya!"
The Spartan Girl winced... let's say that was Sella's way of saying thank you...
Crossing the small park, she gave the penultimate taiyaki to Saber who thanked with a simple nod of the head. Arthur hadn't spoken once since they met Illya. Despite the adorable appearance of the young Master, for him, it was a dangerous situation... They were, after all, with a Master from a rival faction and this encounter could escalate into a fight at any moment.
Pyrrha had just sat down at then the Einzbern Master jumped off the bench. Suddenly her face was no more childish. She seemed to be listening to an inaudible voice.
"What's going on?" asked the Spartan Girl.
"Berserker just woke up. I have to go back to the castle!"
"To the castle?"
Illya took Pyrrha by the hand to force her to bend over and then laid her forehead against Pyrrha's one:
"Close your eyes and don't resist!"
The Invincible Girl obeyed and suddenly she saw a street south of the city draw under her closed eyelids. The vision was crystal clear. The next moment, the image leaps towards the hills... as after a cinematographic zoom... and she found herself the next moment as if propelled into a forest. Illya's mental voice resounds:
[This is the forest that surrounds Einzbern Castle. These trees are part of my Bounded Field. I see everything that passes nearby. The road goes deep into the forest... ]
The vision changed once again with the feeling of being in an elevator that went down too fast. Pyrrha saw a castle in the French Renaissance style. The soft brown stone facade was pierced by numerous windows embedded in white rock-carved moldings. The roofs were covered with dark blue slate, from which numerous chimneys sprang. There were two large round towers with peper-roofs and corbels that looked like stone lacework.
It looked like a sadder and colder version of the Sleeping Beauty castle.
Illya turned away from Pyrrha, who opened her eyes. The little girl laughed:
"That's where I live."
Then she hid her mouth with one hand, laughing even louder:
"You have absolutely no mental defense, Pyrrha-ane, that's so cute. If I wanted to, I could have hypnotized you and convinced you that you were a dog. You'd be barking by now."
Arthur forestalled Pyrrha's reply:
"And you wouldn't have lived to brag about it, Berserker's Master."
Saber's voice was icy and as sharp as his invisible sword, but Illya didn't care. Swirling about, she ran to Leysritt and Sella, waving her hand:
"See you soon, Pyrrha-ane!"
Once this adorable little hurricane had left the park, Pyrrha felt... alone. An only and lonely child, she had always wanted to have a little sister. Her wish had just been granted... Well, the little sister in question was as adorable as she was cruel and violent...
Merlin's mental voice echoed in her head:
[Well, it's time to go home. You'll have to repair your armor and create a new shield.]
[And how are you going to do that?]
[Oh, it's simple, you're going to invoke the demon Vapula.]
[What?]
Merlin laughed at Pyrrha's amazement:
[You don't think I can teach you my knowledge in one afternoon? We'll cheat. Vapula gives mortals knowledge in the arts of forging and Magecraft.]
[But it's not dangerous?]
[Dealing with demons is part of the daily life of the Magi. Besides, it would be even more dangerous for you to fight without armor...] replied Merlin.
Pyrrha will sigh:
[Unfortunately, you are right.]
[As always. Don't worry, everything will be fine, I'm a half-incubus, I know demons well... it's me who will pass the pact, not you. The demons are traders. Certainly, they are quick to take advantage of some loopholes in the invocation ritual to devour mortal souls. However, when they are properly invoked, they respect their contracts to the letter. After all, no merchant sells anything without positive publicity. ]
Dog-tired, Pyrrha knelt on a cushion in front of the light wooden table in the center of the Dining Room. Saber was already behind the small counter that separates the Dining Room itself from the kitchen. He was busy preparing the food he took from the stoves.
"I am exhausted" murmured the Invincible Girl.
Through the shoji opened on the courtyard, she looked at the garden. Pyrrha had a hard time believing that she had just conducted a Formalcraft operation as complicated and high-level as the summoning of a Duke of Hell as the head of 36 demon legions. Vapula had materialized in the form of a winged lion able to speak. His presence was terrifying... but the presence of Saber... in armor and leaning on Excalibur was also formidable and had "facilitated" the negotiation with the Duke of Hades.
None of this would have been possible without Merlin. The magician had literally guided the hands of the Spartan Girl to trace the circle of invocation, just as she had made Pyrrha learn the litanies of invocation necessary for the whole process.
The formulas are drawn from the "Book of Solomon (2)" were almost three thousand years old, but still effective.
Through her, Merlin had negotiated knowledge against knowledge. Pyrrha had understood nothing of the esoteric knowledge offered by the magician. On the other hand...
It was unbelievable...
In just a few minutes, she had acquired the knowledge of several years of research on Formal Wears and their creative methods.
With this new knowledge, Pyrrha had been able to modify her armor, Miló, and an imperfect copy of Akoúo. The result was astounding... far removed from her previous achievements. One could not compare the knowledge acquired from Valupa and... the fragmentary knowledge that Pyrrha had begged to Kiritsugu.
As her gaze turned outward again, the Huntress sighed. Night had fallen. Another hour or two and the day truce would end. The Servants would spread out in the streets to fight.
She yawned, struggling to keep her eyes open.
The last two days had been strenuous...
"Saber?"
Without turning away from the stove, Arthur replied:
"Yes, Pyrrha."
"I'm afraid I can't go out tonight. I didn't recover from what happened last night."
He nodded:
"I understand. Fatigue is an enemy that can only be overcome by rest. We will stay home tonight."
Pyrrha remained for a moment without knowing what to answer. She had expected to have to argue before convincing Arthur to let her rest... not an immediate acquiescence.
Arthur had only stopped cooking for a brief moment. He spoke again, seeming to guess her thoughts:
"Yes, I would have preferred to fight tonight. But it would be too dangerous to leave you alone here... and even more dangerous to take you with me if you're not in a position to do so. Fatigue can cause fatal mistakes."
Pyrrha could not help but smile... before sighing:
"Since we are talking about the organization of the next few days, there are two things that we really need to talk about."
Arthur turned around, leaving the stove's surveillance for a moment. His face was serious:
"I'm listening, Master!"
"Tomorrow I have school."
"And you want to go to class? Of course, the Servants cannot attack the Masters in public places... but if you find yourself isolated, you could be in danger, Pyrrha. I remind you that Rin Tohsaka is schooled in your school and she is a Master. It would be safer to stay here pretending illness, for example."
As Arthur began to spin the contents of a pan from which a mouth-watering smell began to rise, Pyrrha sighed again:
"The problem is, I can't... That's the second thing I wanted to talk to you about, Saber. Sakura warned me she wouldn't be here today because of a family obligation... and since Taiga doesn't like to eat ready meals... she was also absent."
"Who are these people?"
"My family. Sakura comes every morning and every night to cook. She's like my little sister. As for Taiga Fujimura, she is the adult who has been watching over me since Kiritsugu's death. But she is also my principal teacher at school... impossible to pretending sickness!"
"I see."
"Come to think of it, you'll meet them tomorrow."
"I can hide in your room..."
"Sakura also does housework." After a short break, Pyrrha added "As she is also lovely, I think she is the perfect woman. Whoever marries her will be lucky."
Arthur once again stopped cooking. His face showed a slight hesitation:
"There is something I too must tell you. You now know who I am and you know my legend... and one of the most important points of my legend is that I am not dead. I'm not alive either... but eternally in between."
As Pyrrha frowned, without understanding, it was Saber's turn to sigh:
"You don't understand what I want to explain? Servants can astralize because they are Heroic Spirits. To put it simply, they are ghosts... not me. Although I have a body made of prana and not matter, I cannot turn myself into spiritual form."
"Oh..." Pyrrha sat for a moment thinking about all the implications. "So you can't hide or follow me quietly... least at all at school."
"Exactly. Tactically, this is a major disadvantage compared to other Servants and one more reason to keep you safe."
Pyrrha rejected the exasperation she felt about the need of the Knight of the Silver Sky to confuse her (belittle her!) with "a damsel in distress" of chivalric romance. She was a Huntress!
"So I'm going to have to introduce you to Taiga and Sakura."
Returning to the furnace, Saber answered without turning his head:
"I fear so, indeed."
"Impossible to tell the truth and I believe that knights cannot lie."
"Not exactly," replied Arthur. "A knight swears to respect the chivalrous' ideal which includes not lying. But the Knight's Ten Commandments make up a list and sometimes they conflict. Therefore, the commandments at the top of the list, like the fidelity to the Church, take precedence over those who come below. Now "Thou shalt fulfill thy feudal duties" is at the seventh place, and "Thou shalt never lie and thou shalt be faithful to thy word." is in eighth place. That is, to protect you, Master, I could bring myself to lie. Moreover, "You will respect all the weak and defend them." is the third commandment. If telling the truth endangers your family, and it does, then I have no choice but to lie."
Pyrrha nodded:
"But that would be a stain on your honor?"
Arthur seemed plunged into dark thoughts:
"This is what you are going to say: I am an old working relationship of Kiritsugu and a friend of his wife. I came back to Fuyuki to complete a task I was forced to abandon ten years ago. I was surprised to find out that Kiritsugu was dead, but you wanted to help me and offered me to stay at your home during my stay in Japan."
Pyrrha nodded without a word and Arthur returned to the evening meal preparation. His honor as a knight would not be tarnished by this "lie"... after all, everything was correct, which was a good thing because it saved him from having to confess at Kotomine Church. Arthur repelled a movement of anger. He had trouble imagining what "father" Kotomine could have imposed on him as penance...
Above all, it was not necessary for Pyrrha to know that he had been invoked by Kiritsugu during the Fourth Grail War.
"There's one more thing to settle."
"Ah?" asked Pyrrha, busy peeling a tangerine.
"As a knight, my duty is to protect my overlord in her sleep."
Pyrrha seemed to instantly turn into a statue of ice... before blushing violently while waving a hand in a negative way:
"There's no way you're sleeping in my room!"
"Once again, you're being stubborn. Assassin could slip by and threaten you and..."
"No, no, no, and no!"
"Master!"
"I'm a girl and you're a boy!"
Arthur replied in an offended tone:
"I am your Servant and a knight, I do not threaten your honor!"
"But you threaten my modesty... or the little that remains after what happened yesterday!"
They heard Merlin burst out laughing... the arguments of these two were a real show that made her happy.
Caster was a tall and thin man with long grayish-blue hair that he lets fall loosely over his right shoulder. He was so handsome he would have been mistaken for a woman. His outfit resembles that of a traditional white tailed lab coat with unique modifications. The coat possesses a raised collar that descends down the coat as large v-cut and black epaulets on its shoulders.
For shoes, Caster wears knee-high metal boots reminiscent of those found on the armors of knights.
The man waited, perfectly hiding his irritation to be in the middle of the evil laboratory of his Master... but also with secret exultation.
A deaf shock and a thunder-like scream resounded.
The Bounded Field surrounding the building allowed Caster to follow the ups and downs of the fight between his Master's servants and a pair of intruders.
With another exciting roar of laughter from his little Master, Berserker smashed a magical barrier protecting the corridor and then swept a squad of golem-guardians (3) with a few strokes of his stone sword.
Caster smiled, Berserker... or rather the Servant Heracles, as his familiars had taught him... he clearly deserved his formidable reputation.
In fact, the angry half-god was heading straight, systematically through the best-defended zone... the route that led to this room. Just like Caster planned.
The metal door tore off its hinges at the first blow, crossing the room... Caster took a quick sidestep to dodge the improvised projectile.
Then he bowed to his two guests in an ironic reverence:
"Welcome to the modest laboratory of my Master Atrum Galliasta, I, the Servant Caster, have prepared the best reception for you. Don't be afraid to show your enthusiasm, I've been waiting for you for a long time!"
And then, say Caster to anyone but himself, if you could destroy this Devil's laboratory you would do me a great service.
He looked at the enemy Servant and hardly held back a thrill. This is the kind of monster that one never thought to classify other than as serving Berserker-class. Heracles was a colossal, grey-black giant with rough stone-like skin. He gives off the impression of a statue animated by the rage of a god thirsting for vengeance.
In his left hand, he held a strange weapon, a sort of club of stone cut in the rough resemblance of a sword.
And on his right shoulder, a little girl chuckled, delighted at the display of power offered by her Servant. There was an extraordinary contrast between the barely mastered violence with which Berserker wielded his weapon and the sweetness with which he held and protected his adorable Master.
Illya always laughed:
"Aren't you afraid of my Berserker?"
"Not really" smiles Caster.
"He's gonna rip your head off."
"He'll try, little lady."
"You think you can beat him?" Illasviel marveled.
"I am certainly not stronger than he, but here you are at the center of my Territory... and as I told you. I have prepared a warmly welcome to you."
Illya makes a cute pout that once again made Caster smile. Then she pointed to him with an imperious finger:
"He bores me and he's arrogant. Berserker! Kill him!"
Caster winced... It was almost refreshing to hear a little girl summarize in one sentence all of Caster's life. Only, it had taken more than twenty years for the Clocktower to go from annoyance to assassination...
The colossal monster leaped forward with a breaking stone's scream. The next moment, Illya fell quite violently on the buttocks. As she straightened up, rubbing her sore hindquarters, she saw...
Berserker struggled violently as his head and torso were trapped by water. He gave blows in all directions but his gestures were idle... his axe-sword passed through the liquid mass without succeeding in hurting in any way the watery creature that attacked him.
Illya eyes widened:
"An Undine!"
"Exactly!" replied Caster. "A spirit of water, a mass made from concentrated water which can manipulate all the force of a tidal wave in a relatively small frame. What is the most destructive elemental? Some think it is the Salamander, the spirit of fire. But that's not true, the most powerful fire does not compare to the wrath of the ocean. Nor does the fire have the patience of the water that erodes the most formidable fortress, leaving only a little bit of sand! The Undine was also one of the most resistant of the elemental when opposed to physical violence. Don't the French say: "Donner un coup d'épée dans l'eau (4)" to speak of a vain action?"
Despite her little girl appearance, Illya was smart. The Undine was the absolute worst possible match for her Berserker!
Straightening herself with a leap, she passed both hands in her hair, and held out before them the snow-colored threads which she now had between her fingers:
"Engel Rid: Angel's Poem!"
The Magecraft inherited from her mother transformed the hair into familiars: two magnificent birds made of silver threads and moonbeams called Storch Ritter: Knight of Stork. They were in their Zähre form. On a simple mental order of Illya, they opened their beak to throw a rain of "magical bullets" that shredded the Undine, making it explode into a multitude of puddles, liberating Berserker.
But as she turned to designate Caster to her familiars, the Servant threw a green gem on the ground:
"Schutzschild"
The gem metamorphosed into a monumental emerald turning before the outstretched hand of Caster. The strange shield intercepted all the shots. The blue-haired doctor raised an eyebrow:
"Impressive, but it takes more than that to destroy an Undine."
Before its creator, the water elemental was in the process of reforming, almost ready to attack.
Once again passing hands in hair, Illya created two new Storch Ritter. The barrage of magic projectiles was divided between the Undine and the emerald shield protecting Caster. The results were mixed... the Undine disintegrated again, but the shots aimed at Caster bounced on the emerald shield.
The Servant smiled as he saw the cascade of sparks coming from the smoking computers, the broken giant test tubes... Its primary purpose, the destruction of the laboratory, was assured!
Illyasviel badly interpreted his amused reaction. She transformed two of her familiars into the Degen form. Becoming immense swords still woven of moonbeams and silver threads, they rushed to the emerald shield... and bounced back!
"I have no doubt that a shield erected by an ordinary Magus would not have resisted such an attack... unfortunately, I am a Servant. My Magecraft far surpasses that of mere mortals."
He reached out, apologizing with a smile...
"Now, I fear, I must fight back!"
The wind surrounded his hand blowing furiously. Illya understood... Caster had not only summoned an Undine in preparation for this fight! He also controlled a Sylph! This air elementary was also perfectly invincible to physical violence. Try to hurt air with swords!
As the two elemental elements joined forces, ice stalactites formed, carved in water by the coldest polar wind. Propelled by the hurricane they hit the broad back of Berserker who had turned around and surrounded his Master with his arms, protecting her from the attack.
Heracles was not wounded by the violent bombardment and this annoyed Caster:
"Let's end this absurd fight!"
With a gesture, he made appear a short sword whose pommel was a gleaming red crystal that radiated some sort of inner force.
"Let me show you... my light."
Bright particles of all the colors of the rainbow appeared around the Servant and headed towards the point of the Noble Phantasm.
"The True Ether guides me... my obsessions, the form of my thoughts."
The elemental light began spinning to form a multicolored circle around the tip.
"Azoth!"
A wave of True Ether formed at the end of the sword of Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim... also known as Herr Docktor Paracelsus. This powerful tidal wave crossed the room, disintegrating all things in its path, forming a tunnel vibrating of all the colors of the rainbow that hit Berserker's back.
(1) Alchemists don't really use vocabulary in the same as we do. "Putrefaction" it's an alchemist's synonym for "Fermentation". It refers not only to the action of decay but to all forms of chemical/ biological transformation. Thus the leaven that makes the dough rise is also "Putrefaction" for an alchemist. Here, of course, Paracelsus describes by this name the natural maturation of the living, the passage from the original blastula to the fetus.
(2) The "Book of Solomon" should not be confused with the "Keys of Solomon". The second of these books is a coarse fake written after the sixteenth century. The much older "Book of Solomon" already existed in 1350, when his destruction by fire was ordered by Pope Clemens sextus. A century earlier, the "Book of Solomon" is mentioned by the monk Roger Bacon. This book is written in Hebrew and non-encrypted and contains invocations of demons! It is about the "Book of Solomon" that the famous monk philosopher says this sentence often quoted: "He, who writes about secrets in a way that is not hidden from the common, is a dangerous madman."
(3) As legend said, Paracelsus also studied with the Jewish kabbalist Paul Ricci while he was the host of Abbot Trithemus at the Benedictine monastery of Würzburg. (Note: Anyone checking this info will immediately notice that Trithemus died when Paracelsus was... twelve years old! Historically, it is certain that these two Magi never met and that at most, Paracelsus knew Trithemus books. Nevertheless, a Servant is not the incarnation of the real and historical character... but an incarnation of his legend. The legend of Paracelsus often gives him the best role, making him meet the brightest minds of his time... but not all Servants inherit such a pleasant legend... as Vlad Dracul can testify!)
(4) Literally: "to strike a sword in the water". Equivalent English saying: "A stab in the dark".
Author's note: Some F/GO players may have noticed that I slightly modified Paracelsus' Noble Phantasm, renaming it "Azoth" rather than "The Sword of Paracelsus". Since I started taking an interest in the Fate saga, I've always read and heard that the true power of a Noble Phantasm can only be unleashed by calling it by its real name. Now the sword of Paracelsus is historically known as "Azoth". Azoth is one of the names that the alchemists give to the Philosopher's Stone... Moreover, the "ruby" which forms the pommel of the sword of Paracelsus is a Philosopher's Stone (in Fate, not historically). It is not simply a weapon. Azoth can analyze any phenomenon at the quantum level and also allows Paracelsus to practice any invocation instantly!
And there are readers who believe that Paracelsus is a lousy little lab boy just capable of concocting a few potions... he's one of the few historical Servants who can compete toe to toe with Age of Gods Servants (like Heracles).