Hey everyone, I just wanted to say I couldn't imagine getting the positive feedback you gave me; it means a lot, and I'll try to keep the same quality of writing if not improve it.
You guys are all fantastic, and it doesn't matter if I have one viewer or a hundred; I'm going to do my best to do justice to such a tremendous character and the people who decided to invest their time with the nonsense I write.
Also, whoever commented as, "Standing here, I realize" you're incredible.
I want to say, my writing does take time, and I'm sorry for that; I am currently writing a thesis, but it's more how nit-picky I am when I tell a story. I erase and rewrite entire sections of this work if I decide it isn't good enough; cringe writing is the last thing I want.
(Seriously, the original story was so bad, you have no idea) I think I spend more time figuring out what to have Raiden say than anything else; it's that weird blend of short but impactful sentences.
One of the reasons I like writing Raiden/Jack is that unless he has a moral reason to, he has no issue being as fucking brutal as possible. I can go full throttle, and it's perfectly in line with his character; you don't have to hold back like you would if you wrote like a Justice League fanfic.
Truthfully, I know far more about Metal Gear than Fate, considering I'm still watching it as I write, and I've played through each MGS title about three times each. But I'll try to stick as close to Fate lore without going overboard; it's not at the top of my list; I want cool fights and philosophical standoffs. My MC is from Metal Gear; of course, I'll disregard some fate lore to make things interesting.
Also, Raiden's stats are extremely op; I'm fully aware of this, but it's Raiden; the guy can literally throw a Metal Gear Ray like it weighs nothing. Won't lie; I am leaning in favor of MGS lore in terms of who is more powerful; it has to be this way.
I actually see decent parallels between Raiden and Artoria, that's neither here nor there, but I want the two to have actual discussions. It would be borderline impossible if she immediately recognized him as Berserker.
...
Now, on to some details:
Raiden's pairing is still a ways off in the lands of Grand Order, I'm very open to suggestions, but I have ideas of my own. My main concern is that Jack is highly opinionated and has an apparent hatred for people who abuse their power (literally alienates half the fucking female cast right off the bat). I have a strong case for my top choice, but I'm willing to hear anyone out if they give a good reason.
(I can't wait to include MGS timeline stuff in Grand Order, anything is possible, Artoria vs. Armstrong? Maybe some Jetstream Sam content? The sky is the limit when I get there.)
Some of you asked me to fix my formatting so it isn't a wall of text; I tried to do that here (I'm a history major, so I like to ramble about details, lol). I'll space things out, limit paragraph size, etc.
However, I will keep my dialogue the same with more information and actions, spacing out what they say; I want my characters to seem active and alive, not robots standing still with super-long statements.
I would reupload chapter 1 to fix that, but I am entirely new to working on this site and would likely mess it up. (Seriously, I spent like 20 minutes trying to upload that chapter at all)
Feel free to play Midge Ure - The Man Who Sold The World- arguably one of my favorite songs present across the series whenever I'm talking. (I own nothing; don't sue me, lol)
Honestly, while technically a boss fight, this chapter is more of a mini-boss; I like Assassin, but they didn't have many exceptional abilities in the show, so it's more of a raw fight, and you know what I've said about those. I also wish to say this was intended to be a short battle in the first chapter, but it already hit 20k words, so here we are. This fight involves more emotion than clashing blades, it'll be brief, but that isn't always bad.
I'll try to spice things up and add some dialogue; I had to make character changes to Assassin for flavor; not sorry. I'll make it bearable until the cool shit later on. (You have no fucking idea how bad I want to do Raiden vs. Rider, my God, emotions will fly in that fucking fight!)
Chapter length really depends on how I feel about a given subject; this one will be on the shorter side of things; a quick read for me is like 10-15k words, but you get my point. I'm not one for filler, so yeah.
I've kept you waiting (Huh) long enough; let's get right into this.
...
"Who am I really?"- Raiden to himself.
"No one quite knows who or what they are." - Solid Snake.
Raiden slowly crossed the city as people and buildings; it all passed in a blur; something was wrong. His head throbbed, vision shifting to and fro as the cyborg tried to find his way home. His synthetic blue eyes widened as his ears began to ring, "why did you spare them?" The ninja spun around, scanning for the source of the voice, seeing no one, just the desolate streets accompanying him. Not a soul in sight as the samurai stumbled down the abandoned sidewalk, holding a hand to his head, trying to orient himself.
The veteran quickened his pace, mind racing, trying to find what had happened to him. It all started after he decided to let Saber go; his thoughts clouded as the cyborg walked further and further in his own direction.
Raiden gulped as his heart rate began to rise, false blue eyes widening in realization before ducking into an alleyway, leaning against an old brick wall as he dropped his belongings to the trash-coated ground; it had been years since his last episode.
The warrior had never fully recovered from his childhood in Liberia, an early life knee-deep in bodies, slaughtering anyone that crossed his path. "That isn't who you are" his eyes shot open, seeing nothing, not even hearing a single sound, completely lost to the world. He slid down the wall, leaning on his knees, rocking back and forth, waiting for his attack to end.
"You're just another killer...why deny it?" The veteran struggled to breathe, chest rising and falling rapidly, "you're not real..." The unknown voice laughed, "All I want is to be remembered. By other people, by history..."
Raiden's mind clicked in realization; that voice, "You're dead...I killed you myself..." The soldier heard a sigh; the voice persisted with no one present, reverberating in his head, forcing him to endure the echoes of his fractured mind.
"Unless you face your past, Jack, you will never escape... You'll stay in the same endless loop...your own double helix." That voice...The man who tormented his entire life, dragging a six-year-old boy on his warpath, murdering his entire village without remorse, Solidus.
The alley gave way, the world turning white, then fading back in; where was he? Jack gazed around, seeing sandbags, ramshackle tents, and trenches surrounded by endless swathes of greenery, jungle-like trees, and flora blocking his view. Liberia, 1989, the hell on earth that he just managed to flee with his life. Raiden tried to turn, to run, but couldn't budge a finger, a forced passenger in his own mind.
Feeling a familiar weight in his hands, the PMC looked down, seeing the gun used to kill his parents, the one forced upon him: his old AK-Rifle, its rusted coating running along with his small, pale hands. His grip tightened, flipping the tool of war in his hands upright, leaning it against his shoulder as it faced the sky.
Raiden never had to play pretend as a child; he was a soldier, abducted from his home, dragged into a war not his own. The Liberian jungle was unforgiving; he never knew a warm bed, a loving home...those dreams burned along with his village.
Jack had only known war and devastation growing up, even having to eat food mixed with gunpowder and toluene to keep him in line. He still smelled burning flesh whenever he thought about the times Solidus dished out punishment on anyone who dared to fail in front of him. The man was the perfect clone, inheriting only the best from his predecessor; he expected nothing less from his soldiers; failure meant death, and a retreat was never an option.
Raiden was one of many; he endured what broke and shattered countless minds during the First Liberian Civil War. A member of The Lost Boys... honed killers, perfect at their craft. His brutality let him stand at the top of the pile. Hundreds of men died, some incapable of killing a child, others outsmarted, outgunned, outmaneuvered by the demon dressed in white.
Hearing a whimper, the boy looked down, the memory flooding back into Raiden's mind; they had ambushed a convoy of UN Peacekeepers that day. Dragged the few survivors off into the brush, hoping to trade them for supplies...they never got a response...Solidus grew tired of waiting.
A man laid on the ground, bound by his hands and knees, begging for his life; they had stripped the men of their plates and equipment, leaving the private in his white shirt and briefs, dirt coating his blonde hair, tears streaming out of his blue eyes "Please...I have a family...please..."
Jack sneered before slamming his barrel between the man's eyes; he could hardly blink before the Ripper pulled the trigger. BANG. Blood pooling out of his skull onto the moist dirt below, the body slumped over with a half-hearted kick, dead.
Raiden internally shuddered at the thought; this was his tenth birthday. The White Devil had a legendary name across the continent; a European dragged into the jungle, coming out a living demon. The sort of person that hunted human beings for sport, hatred incarnate.
Little Jack turned, disappointed with a distinct lack of reciprocation from their newest batch of recruits. He soon spotted one of his underlings, Jacob, something or other; they had burned the boy's village down just last week, adding him to their flock. The boy shook, holding his rifle but unable to pull the trigger, his hands shaking as tears fell down his brown skin.
The Ripper yanked the rifle from Jacob's hands, smashing the kid over the top of his head, chipping the stock, the force knocking him off his feet before turning towards the crowd of men behind him. The POWs gasped in fear as he gripped the trigger, spraying from left to right.
BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG. Bodies dropped as Jack turned without a second glance, dragging the boy up by his shirt before shoving the weapon back in his hands.
A figure clicked his tongue in disappointment behind him; the killer turned...there stood Solidus, the teen had light blonde hair, eternally cut in a military buzz, his soft, hardly grown beard almost invisible in the harsh African sun.
Raiden could scarcely consider him a teenager; the monster was a war criminal before turning seventeen, hellbent on creating perfect soldiers. Even showing them violent movies in what little free time he gave them, making the boys think killing for fun was ordinary.
He wore the same black military fatigues as always, somehow immaculately clean despite living in the wild. His beady blue eyes, hardened from years of warfare, watched his protege in mild dissatisfaction.
The clone approached, boots plodded over blood-soaked soil. "Jack, Jack, Jack... where's the honor in that?" The grime-covered boy looked up in confusion; the killer had done what he asked of him, right? Solidus took a knee, rubbing his adopted son's hair, "there's nothing noble about a gun; anyone can pick up an old rifle and swing it around...but"
The legend stood, withdrawing a large machete from his belt before striding up to the last surviving soldier. The man couldn't speak; his mouth bound and gagged tried to scoot backward, slipping on the loose mud thwarting his failed escape.
The leader grabbed his head, yanking him up by his red hair as he put the edge to the man's pale neck, "A blade..." slicing the soldier's throat clean open, blood splattering across the ground as he choked to death. His eyes faded away as he stared at the crowd of children behind the man, most recoiling in terror as he slumped over.
Solidus stood, wiping the tool on the man's white shirt, staining it with his own blood, "is a tool of pride, something very few can use properly...but" turning towards his apprentice, flipping the machete, the symbol of revolution, grabbing it by its edge, "I think you have what it takes...Captain."
Rather than run for his life like any average child, Jack only smiled in absolute glee, taking the handle of his new tool of war, accepting his promotion; "I'll make you proud, I promise!" The perfect clone only chuckled in response, "Oh, I know you will, my son..."
...
Raiden's eyes snapped open, life returning to his form as the man gasped for air, his hands violently shaking as he squeezed them open and shut, trying to make sure this was real. The Liberian floundered as he tried to right himself, struggling to breathe as he leaned against the dirty wall and stared at the sky, partially blocked off by buildings overhead. How long had he been here? The cyborg glanced at his hud; only a few minutes...Christ...
Jack had forgotten how awful his attacks could be; what felt like days trapped in his mind were mere moments in the real world. These spells had plagued him since the day he made it out of the jungle; therapists did nothing at first but made him realize what he'd done. Those people always had a way of making you feel awful without a solution. His episodes had nearly ruined everything for him; they made his relationship with Rose difficult beyond measure; he'd always love her for sticking by his side.
The veteran knew his moments made him violent, so he always locked himself in his room so that he wouldn't hurt her. The man raised his hand once but stopped himself and never let it happen again; he would NEVER hit Rose; he loved her too much to let that happen, no matter what.
It disgusted him to know he even considered it; the cyborg forced himself to try to be a good husband, a better father than the one he never had, his family deserved the world, and he'd give it to them.
Raiden glanced at his synthetically crafted hands, squeezing them, senses slowly coming back; He wasn't that person anymore; the man found his purpose; he was more than just a killer.
Raiden slammed an elbow back, denting the wall behind him, chunks clattering across the asphalt. Solidus was wrong; the Liberian didn't just face his past; he embraced it; Jack was part of him... Wasn't he?
Solidus was a grey zone in the veteran's mind; the man haunted his memories like no other, willing to do anything to achieve his goals, no matter how many lives he ruined. Yet...he saw through the lies...the deceit, he knew what the Patriots really were, the clone wanted to stop them, keep the world free, and what did he do?
Raiden beat him...and the man flung himself off a roof, unable to accept defeat. Everything he feared would pass in just five years... Jack grimaced, looking across his human facade; he paid dearly for falling into their lies...The Patriots took everything from him, but...his friends...his family...they brought him back from the abyss, he'd never forget that.
Jack slowly and shakily got up, propping himself up along the wall. He took a calming breath, times like this, he missed Rose the most. With the way she held his hand, her soothing words, she knew just what the PMC needed to stay whole. Things were never easy after she passed, but he always had her on his mind; not a day went by when he wasn't thinking about her.
The mercenary slowly gathered his goods, making his way back into the sunlight, marching back towards his temporary headquarters. Even after she passed, he could only smile just thinking about Rose, his family, the people who loved him always brought his heart back where it belonged.
His past didn't define him; he couldn't truly let it go; those stains would forever remain part of him, but Raiden could look towards the future with his loved ones by his side.
"Wake up, Uncle Kariya... it's time to get up..."
"H-uhh?" The weakened magus slowly opened his functional eye, raising his head from his cluttered desk. He rubbed a hand across his face as a purple blob in front of him gradually transformed from a blur into his niece. He smiled, ruffling her hair affectionately, "Thanks, kiddo... how's your morning been so far?"
His niece remained quiet, humming in silent thought as her dull eyes scanned his desk, glancing across the papers strewn about, "... I'm okay; your friend is really nice." he looked down, glancing at the command seal on his good arm still atop her head, "Yeah... he's not what I expected."
Truthfully, he was glad; Raiden was an anomaly, considering he wasn't...Berserk, but honestly? Kariya could relate to the guy far better than he thought; the man remained a mystery; every time he saw his memories, he left more confused than before, having more questions than answers. But, the fact that his Servant had immediately agreed to help when he mentioned Sakura's situation spoke volumes about what kind of person he was.
He whimsically smiled as his niece lightly smacked his hand away, trying to fix her hair, matting it down, looking up at him from across the desk, "...Do you think we'll see him again after?" The Matou sighed, plugging in his laptop as the screen brightened back to life.
It hurt to lie to her; Sakura was practically his daughter, but she seemed to come back to reality whenever Berserker was around. He gave the girl a reassuring smile, "I'm sure we will; he made a promise, didn't he?"
His grape-themed niece gave him a small smile as her dull eyes lit up just a bit, warming his heart, "yeah." These moments meant the world to him; his nieces were practically his own children. Kariya knew more than anyone just how poor of a father Tokiomi truly was; his children treated him more like a teacher.
The Matou swore he'd give his niece a good life; he still needed to figure out what exactly to wish for to get there, but he had enough motivation; his family meant everything to him, and his life was secondary when she still had a future ahead of her.
...
Raiden sighed as he crossed the grand halls of the Matou estate, dodging and weaving between household workers as they went about their day. Soon enough, the cyborg had reached the door to the study, their defacto intel center for the duration of this war. He was used to having an entire team on research, development, and general recon, but now? They had Kariya's laptop and a bunch of books... fantastic.
The samurai rubbed between his eyes, holding the handle; he had to keep himself in check; there was so much at stake, he couldn't lose his grip on things now. He took a breath before the entrance clicked open, hearing voices within.
The almost father-daughter duo paused as Jack slowly walked in, heavy heels clicking against the hardwood floor. The cyborg shrugged as he crossed the room, digging through his bag before glancing at his "Master's" niece.
The veteran pulled out his box of treats with a small smile, "Here, kid, mind if I grab your uncle for a bit?" The girl didn't move, just staring at the object, her head slightly tilted as if the concept was foreign to her. Raiden sighed; the poor girl didn't know what a gift was.
Slowly but surely, Sakura reached out, taking the treats before quietly shuffling out of the room. She reminded the ninja of his son, awkward yet for different reasons. John was just introverted like his mom, but her? The poor girl was neglected at best; no child deserved parents like hers...an uncaring mom and a dad he still hadn't even seen, if he was even in her life.
...
"You sure you're a killer?" Jack chuckled at that; at least she had an uncle that cared; family was everything. Blood means nothing; the only thing that really made someone your family was how you felt about them, your friends, loved ones; they all had a place somewhere in that blanket term. He stood, handing the Matou his coffee with a shrug, "Only when they deserve it."
Kariya hummed, swirling his drink around before taking a sip, wincing at the bitter taste; Christ, how much espresso does this guy take? Setting the cup down, the magus scooted his chair in, glancing across his desk as Raiden leaned against the wall, hearing a slight creak as a support beam suddenly had a few tons worth of pressure added to it.
The Master observed his ally as a question came to mind; he really didn't know much of anything about Berserker; wartime memories aside, if they were going to work together, he might as well try to talk to him. "Hey, mind if I ask you something?"
The cyborg shrugged as he tried to fix his tie; the damn knot always found a way loose when he wasn't looking. "Shoot," huffing in annoyance as the fabric slipped from his synthetic grasp.
"What's your real name?" The Liberian paused, "Raiden or Jack, I'll take either." The Matou squinted in confusion, "What about your last name?"
The veteran sighed, "Never had one." He would never consider his adoptive father's name as his own; the man didn't want Sears anywhere near his son. John deserved better than a blood-soaked name like that.
The cyborg lightly smirked as he finally remembered the pattern, wide end shorter; he would never admit to hooking up to the internet to watch a tutorial.
Kariya hummed in thought, half-answers, giving just enough information to get by while revealing as little about himself as possible; okay, he'd play that game.
"Well...what do you do anyway? The samurai squinted as he absent-mindedly dug through a bookshelf, clearly confused, "What?"
"Well, you're from the future, right? What do you do...for work?" Jack flipped through title after title, "I'm not a king, I'll tell you that much..." he sighed, rubbing his chin; explaining this to civilians was never easy.
Half the time, the cyborg got a dirty look; the other times, they had no clue what he was talking about like the concept was too foreign to understand despite its simplicity.
Grabbing a book as he scanned the shelves, Legendary Killers, he turned to face his "Master" before skimming towards the glossary. "I'm a PMC, defense contracts mostly, help small countries build armies, keep their borders safe, that sort of thing."
The Matou tapped a few keys, pulling up a new article as they spoke, "So, you're a mercenary?" Getting a nod in confirmation, the man shrugged, "how's that pay?"
Raiden glanced up from his novel, a finger acting as a bookmark, "You looking to join up?" getting a chuckle from his beleaguered ally, "No, just making conversation."
The ninja flipped through page after page, trying to find the figure he saw last night, a skull mask; that MO was so specific. If they were in this war at all, there had to be something he could find. Jack the Ripper, that sounded interesting...no, the real one, damn.
His processors tore through information, sorting through page after page, sensors set to target specific phrases: skull, assassin, mask. Talking as he worked, "The future isn't sunshine and rainbows; the world hit a recession back in the 2010s..." The Matou glanced up, "bad?"
Jack chuckled as he traced through another section, Locusta of Gaul...no, Assassin might use poison, but the description didn't match. "Global War economy came crashing down, everyone felt it, things still really haven't recovered."
Kariya froze, an inherited memory coming to mind as the links came together, "Outer Haven."
...
The magus spectated as memories not his own materialized into a complete sequence; he opened his eyes as he heard boots clanging along a hard metal floor. Until now, Jack's memories had been flashes of information, nothing more than disparate thoughts coming together, vague snapshots at best.
He heard a grunt, seeing a foreign object between his teeth, a sword? Kariya glanced down to see two jacket sleaves fluttering, no arms within, as his Servant tore through a metal structure.
He saw tunnels expanding for what must have been miles, clearly the inside of a ship, Outer Haven...how he knew the name the man had no idea; it simply appeared as though he had always known.
So, he was right...the more he learned about his ally, the more the Grail let him see.
Raiden strode forward, climbing through doorways as his internals pinged across the supermassive structure, deadset on his path as the Matou heard shouting in the distance. As though someone was yelling through an old recording. "On your feet, Snake!"
The cyborg stormed ahead, reaching a closed bulkhead; he grunted in anger before kicking a metallic leg straight up, grazing the ceiling before slamming down. His talons clenched the latch, the material screeching as he tore the device off entirely, the door clanging to the floor as he lept through.
Raiden grunted, taking off at blindingly fast speeds, his internals mapping out the base as he ran through chamber after chamber; this place was massive, a literal floating city; what could someone use a ship like this for exactly? Kariya watched as barracks, command centers, and storage rooms passed by in a blur.
A leather trench coat fluttered in a nonexistent breeze as Jack ran through the superstructure, his pace refusing to slow as his systems hacked into the local network, unlocking doors in his path as the voices drew near, just ahead.
Raiden took off, electricity blasting behind his form as the entrance slowly slid open, kicking off the doorway into a flip over an aged man alongside a small orange robot. The man wore a slick skintight suit, lying on his back in agony—pale skin, a scarred face, much like the magus's visage.
Armless sleeves flowed and webbed as the ninja spun in the air; he landed crouched, facing off against a horde of enemies Kariya had never seen before as water sprinkled down from above. Women, wearing tactical grey bodysuits, no...power suits. Static crackled around Jack's form as the figures hesitated, unsure of what to do.
The man...Snake...tried to roll over to no avail, his voice aged and herse from an unknown pain, "Raiden..." The warrior stood defiant, his sword crackling in his mouth as he stepped forward; electricity burst off his form as white streaks of light contrasted against the ship's darkened chambers. A voice emanated from his cybernetic body like an old PA system humming to life, "I am lightning; the rain transformed."
Faster than sound, sparks of energy exploded across his body, traveling through the scattered water droplets across the air before striking down in less than a second. In a burst of electric fury, several combatants seized as their systems fried. As lightning tried to find its course out of their bodies, they pulsated in agony, cooked from the inside as waves of energy traveled downwards towards the constructed floor. They dropped with a withered scream, never to breathe again before the battle truly began.
...
The magus grabbed his head as the world came back to him; not even a moment had passed. Outer Haven...a nation of soldiers, peace would only be a dream. "You saved the world..." a statement, not an opinion.
Jack raised a hand, shaking his head in refusal, his blonde hair lightly swaying, "No, that title belongs to one person only, and he's a better man than I'll ever be."
"Snake..." the cyborg could only nod; names in their line of work meant far more than anyone could comprehend; they went by titles, but him? Raiden and Jack were two halves of the same person; he blurred that line.
Only a select few knew Snake's real name; it was a sign of trust, of kinship; Kariya wasn't a bad man; the warrior had an innate ability to judge someone by just a few words, but he'd leave that honor as it was. David didn't want to be remembered in history, he wanted the world to move on as he stepped into the shadows, and he'd respect that wish.
"The world balances on a knife's edge a lot more than you'd think; that never changes, just who's trying to grab the handle."
Kariya grimaced; the future seemed bleak, yet, his ally still seemed so determined; how? Every Servant had a reason to answer the call; regardless of whether or not they realized it, he wanted to know more.
"Then...can I ask, what's your wish Jack, to end all war?" The ninja sighed almost in disappointment as he contemplated what to say.
His blue eyes remained firm, entirely off his book as he spoke, "No, you can't dictate something like peace; it has to come naturally. Otherwise, there's just no point." He paused, taking a short breath.
"No one has the right to control anyone else." His hand grazed Murasama's case, feeling his blade hum beneath. "What I want... my wish is to ensure no one abuses that kind of power."
Kariya paused; the man had spent his entire life underneath his father's heel, managing to escape, only to crawl right back if it meant protecting his family. The Grail consumed their minds, turning them to depravity and neglect towards their own children.
If Raiden wanted to keep their kind far away from that level of authority, the ability to reshape the world itself as you see fit, he could only approve.
He leaned back, cracking the exhaustion from his back along the edge of his wooden chair; "Then I guess we have a lot of work ahead of us?" the Servant nodded in agreement, "I guess we do."
...
Hours later
Kariya typed away as fast as a single-arm would let him, compiling his notes before a notification shoved its way on screen. He hummed, scanning the document over before looking at his single ally for the war, "Hey."
The cyborg glanced over, comfortably seated on a leather chair as he tweaked his wrist using a screwdriver, sparks flicking across his undamaged suit as he worked; servos never seemed to cooperate with him.
The man leaned forward in his seat, "the referees sent out a notice earlier that they had some big announcement; guess it's time." Jack sighed, closing a panel before twisting his hand a bit; having even a few seconds delay became a massive pain in a fight; better to be at his best.
The veteran stood, hidden parts rotating as he walked behind the desk, arms crossed as he leaned against the wall, waiting for the video feed to start.
Hiding beneath one of the pews strewn about a church, the only safe haven for the duration of the Grail War, Kariya's mouse familiar watched as a robbed man took a stand at the center of the altar at the head of the room.
The priest stood tall despite his aged features; grey hair slicked back with an abundance of product. The religious figure wore the usual black button-down shirt, adorned with a blue sash atop his uniform, a wooden cross hanging from his neck in pride. His deeply calm yet cautious voice echoed across the open halls, "The Grail War is in grave peril..."
The Father passed a statue of the Virgin Mary; her figure etched from pure white marble. Closing his eyes in thought, the man bowed his head in reverence towards the Holy Mother as he continued, "We have identified Caster's Master...as the person behind the recent kidnappings in Fuyuki."
Raiden glanced at Kariya as the man hastily typed in a local news site, dozens of missing person reports filed in days...all children. Jack's fists tightened; what was this sick fuck doing to them? God, First Solidus, then Armstrong...when did it end?
'Shhh, don't disrupt the students while class is in session.' Raidenshook, Sundowner...World Marshal, what they did to those kids, taking everything from them. It made him sick. 'I believe you're familiar with the lesson plan.'
Jack grit his teeth; what he endured in Liberia, forcing children to go through that hell in VR, he wouldn't forgive them; the cyborg slaughtered them like animals for what they did.
Raiden stared blankly as the priest continued his talk, lost in his thoughts. There was always a reason behind it, a disgusting but logical rationale. They needed soldiers, trained killers, mass murderers to do their dirty work, obedient slaves, and nothing more.
This? Killing children...these people would suffer. He swore Caster would die, his Master too; they'd know agony when Jack was done with them.
Sunlight dimmed as it entered the blue, stained glass windows, reflecting the Stations of the Cross, Christ's journey and suffering for the redemption of all mankind. The light skimmed across the priest's form, almost lost within the shadows.
"Thus, in accordance with my emergency powers as overseer, I am temporarily altering the rules of the Grail War...All Masters are to cease any ongoing combat and immediately eliminate Caster."
The Father pulled back his sleeve, exposing various command seals, their red bands dancing across his pale wrist and forearm. "And the one who defeats Caster and his Master will receive an additional seal as their reward..."
Raiden shook in anger, his fists balled, metal nearly warping from the pressure, "They're trying to fucking bribe us..." children were dying, and these people would only help if they got something out of it. The thought disgusted him; all this talk about honor and when the people need their help? Silence...
Jack took a breath, his eyes returning to a serene blue; getting worked up wouldn't do them any good; he was far too old to lose his grip. He needed to think; being cooped up in the same house as Zouken left a bad taste in his mouth.
Kariya watched as his Servant stormed out; he sighed; what if that happened to his nieces...God forbid that happens. The Matou glanced down at his command seals; they'd put an end to this themselves if they had to.
Slowly the magus stood, grabbing his chalk as he began etching a spell along an empty portion of the wall; he had to make sure she was okay.
...
Turning out of the house and onto the expansive yard, Raiden huffed in frustration, staring across the artisanal design coating the unused space as orange lights illuminated his form. He could never understand men like Zouken, anyone who held themselves above others, why they needed things they didn't even use.
The wealthy, the powerful, people who stood at the top always had to justify it to themselves somehow. 'No, I'm not rich because I threw everyone else under the bus; I'm just a hard worker.' He scoffed at his own hypothetical as if they ever worked a day in their lives. At a certain point, you can only go up by stepping on top of others.
Raiden did laps around the property, his evening patrol, both a means of security and to be alone with his thoughts. The man wasn't one for talking if he didn't need to, but he needed to get away; the way the other Servants acted disgusted him; he'd seen their type so much in recent years; it was getting to him.
People always look for someone to save them but look at those below them with contempt when they do the same; that attitude got men like Armstrong elected, leave your problems to someone else...Let the strong dictate the weak...
His brow furrowed, eyes narrowing, that madman brought out the worst in him; no matter the time, past, present, future, if you let the powerful control the world...who will stop them when they go too far?
'The weak will be purged, and the strongest will thrive - free to live as they see fit; they'll make America great again!' Jack sneered, kicking a patch of dirt as the mound exploded, scattering mud across the yard, "great for fucking who?"
All that talk about the strong getting to decide...you forget you need the weak as well; No man could build a society alone; what about the workers, men, women, old, young?... Everyone had a purpose, a reason to live...no one gets to deny them that.
The warrior shoved the thoughts from his mind; getting stuck in his memories wouldn't do him or the victims any good. He needed to think, to plan; before that video, he and Kariya had a breakthrough in their research on Assassin.
The mysterious class poised the most significant threat so far, an enigma that took an interest in him for an unknown reason. The masked figure knew far more about him than any of the other Servants; he'd have to hunt him down and end things.
Jack was never one to leave loose ends; if he left Assassin to his own devices, who's to say he or those clones wouldn't stab him or Kairya in the back?
Assassin, or should he say, "The Old Man of the Mountain," an Ancient Persian legend Kariya had dug up from the internet. A title belonging to many killers across the region, each belonging to some Order of Assassins. Raiden hummed as he walked along the property line, checking for compromised positions.
The veteran had seen the tactic before, men wearing similar outfits, a symbolic act, making it seem as though one person could do the work of fifty. It made your enemy paranoid like you could be anywhere at any time; even finding their true identity became impossible, more would rise as others fell.
Motion detectors lined the property, perfectly synchronized to his defensive network; Jack knew how to build these and take them apart. The first thing the enemy would target is their eyes; auto-turrets couldn't work without an array of sensors to target from; He had to stay vigilant.
The ninja had severe doubts that any of the other Servants could hack into their network; half of them probably couldn't even use a computer. He knew next to nothing about their Masters, though; that was a problem.
The cyborg couldn't risk anything, so he copied his own defense network as a ramshackle firewall; if Desperado couldn't brainjack him, these people weren't a threat.
"Raiden!" A voice broke his thoughts. Was that Kariya? The cyborg glanced towards the estate, seeing the man panting at the front door. The veteran slowly walked over; his "Master" sprinted, meeting him halfway, huffing from exhaustion.
The Matou gripped his knees and gasped for air as if he'd just run a marathon."My niece...you have to...have to help." Synthetic blue eyes widened, "Sakura?" The magus shook his head.
"No..." he paused, slowly taking a few deep breaths before standing upright, sweat beading off his form, "My other niece, Rin, she's missing, I think...I think she went after some of her missing classmates."
Jack sighed; he needed more to go off from; he couldn't just run around the city completely blind. The Liberian cleared his throat, "Fuck, okay, where did you last see her?" The Matou shook his head, "She's downtown; I keep a tracking spell on her."
Seeing his Servant give him a funny look, the white-haired man raised a hand, "...Her dad forgets to pick her up from school sometimes, so it's my way of making sure Rin gets home safe." Raiden clicked his tongue in annoyance; this entire family is fucked, isn't it? He'd have some choice words if he ever met either of those shithead parents.
The cyborg couldn't fathom it, a family that acts like this...but power always corrupts; were all the prominent mage clans like this? The man had grown up in hell; he knew what it was like not to have parents; the lonely nights, the hunger, the beatings. These people had everything, and they still wanted more, even if their kids had to suffer.
Raiden always made sure his family got a good life, even if it meant working for months on end overseas to make ends meet. Seeing his son's face whenever he walked through the front door on his birthday always warmed his heart.
He glanced at Kariya, seeing what their style of parenting did to the man...No, words wouldn't do; he'd beat some sense into their dad if he had to; a grown man treating his children like this? Fucking pathetic.
The ninja tapped across his hud, mapping a path to the commercial district downtown, "Alright, I need a description. Does she look like her sister?" The magus shook his head, bleached hair swaying behind his hood, "No, just look for the girl with black hair in pigtails; she'll be the loudest one in the room, trust me."
Not wasting a second, the Servant took off down the road, heading for the gate as the Matou followed, "And Raiden," as the soldier pushed the gate open.
The Matou took a breath before staring in determination, "If you find Caster or his Master...kill them both; the world doesn't need monsters like them." The pair stood on the sidewalk, facing the shining city ahead.
Jack's systems hummed to life as prana coursed through his circuits, his eyes flashing a bright blue hue as electricity crackled around his legs, "I was planning on it." The cyborg exploded into the night, leaving a streak of light in his wake as he burned across the roads.
...
Rin huffed in relief as she ducked into an alleyway; she had just managed to save her classmates from that freak with orange hair.
She lightly smiled, clutching her magical compass still worn across her uniform; she couldn't let the police bring her home, or her parents would never forgive her.
The junior Tohsaka knew just how big a risk she took trying to save her friends, but she couldn't sit still and let it happen. Her father always reminded her to work hard; that applied to everything, being brave included!
She gently smiled as the last of her friends were crowded into police cars, soon to be on their way home, away from that scary place. The man somehow controlled them with a magical bracelet, keeping them docile like they were asleep; the girl couldn't help but shiver at what he wanted with them. She looked into the city ahead, "Guess I should head home too..."
She held her gift across her palmed hands, the red dot facing north. Her dad mentioned it wouldn't move unless a prana source were nearby. She was smart for her age, so she could remember a lot more than her classmates; she was a Tohsaka!
The wind began to blow, scattering trash across the dimly lit alleyway as her compass spun rapidly. The girl winced in fear; she didn't need to look at the tool; she could feel the energy radiating ahead. Magical sparks burst off the device as its needle slammed still; she instinctively jumped back as something dove off a nearby roof, splattering on the ground.
A writhing mound of blackened tendrils, with green suckers much like a cephalopod, spasmed across the grime-coated ground, blasts of purple blood shooting off as it crawled. The pigtailed magus shook as she tried to back away in fear as a swarm of locusts blasted her from behind, the pressure knocking her to the ground as the entity crawled its way towards her.
She couldn't move, couldn't scream as if fear had paralyzed her very existence as the bugs latched onto the dying entity before it lunged straight at her, tendrils extended as its beak aimed for a killing blow on her neck. Time seemed to slow as she saw a streak of blue light.
...
Asphalt burned as a cyborg out of time raced across the Fuyuki, his metallic limbs latching onto the ground at an intersection, tearing through paved roadways as momentum dragged him to a stop as electricity exploded off his unseen form, taking off once again. The world blurred into nothingness as Jack dove between cars, his luminous form barreling through the metropolis as his hair swung wildly in the breeze.
He dove through alleyways, dodging through crowds of people as they only saw a literal arc of lightning dodge and weave, completely avoiding them as it pushed on.
His internals pinged his objective as Kariya sent another update; the man could only pray he made it in time. If Caster were there...he'd settle things then and there, but her life took precedence. Jack swore he'd never let children suffer what he endured so long as the man lived; he planned to keep that promise.
He rounded a corner as Murasama flung out of its sheathe, catching the tool of war as he moved ahead, the blade dragging along the concrete as the samurai ran, tearing through solid rock, red sparks flying in the air as he spotted Kariya's other niece. Black hair pulled into pigtails, an unknown entity lunging at her...Raiden sped up, blue light blasting as he literally jumped over the street itself, sailing into the night sky.
As the cyborg flew over the girl, he twisted his metallic form midair, raising his left thigh up, aiming his talons down as his right leg acted as a support. Electricity exploded off his enhanced body as he slammed down, his prosthetics becoming a blade of pure energy. Patriot steel met flesh before the monstrous abomination tore apart, its body frying alive alongside the swarm of locusts coating its form. The insects turned to ash as they buzzed in agony.
Raiden studied the creatures as they dissolved into oblivion, black smoke steaming off their bodies as their prana evaporated. His scanners pinged for blocks, getting nothing. They must have fled before he even got there; he sighed in annoyance; Jack would have his fun with them soon enough.
The cyborg spun his red blade as his hand wrists rotated back into position before sliding his inherited weapon back within its sheathe. He turned, seeing the tiny magus already on her feet staring at him, eyes wide as dinner plates. "You good kid?"
"Of course I'm fine; I'm a Tohsaka after all!" He squinted, was that supposed to mean something to him? Kids always have this way of saying something without making any sense. Jack rubbed his head, "Whatever you say...You're Rin, right?"
The girl nodded, studying his form as sparks crackled around his synthetic visage, "Good, your uncle was worried; he asked me to come find you."
The girl seemed scared; whether it was him or what she endured, he couldn't tell. Jack sighed, taking a knee, "I need you to be brave, okay?" the ninja internally winced; he hated the idea of making the girl relive her trauma, but he needed to know what he was getting into with Caster.
"I need to know what happened before I got here; you think you can do that for me?"
...
The Matou had gotten there within twenty minutes, relieving Raiden of the verbal storm that was Rin; okay, he was good with kids when they were quiet, but the warrior did not like to talk...that girl talked...a lot.
Despite experiencing what would traumatize any average child, she seemed completely fine telling him about stopping a kidnapping. Christ...what kind of shit did her family expose her to if she thought this was okay? Yeah...he was definitely going to beat the ever-living shit out of her dad if, no, when they met.
Rin gave the ninja a few critical pieces of information to work from; she stopped a boy with orange hair and described him as a deviant; he had no idea how a child knew the word deviant or why they would use it in a sentence.
He used some kind of magic bracelet to put the kids into a trance, dragging them all into some local bar; Rin had forced magic into it until it broke; Raiden noted that for later use. Cops had stormed the place; probably bugged it, too; going there was a no-go for now.
Raiden sighed; why gather so many children in one place? A ritual, like in his old horror flics? He knew so little, but...he did know what the Master looked like, and he'd tear him limb from fucking limb when Jack got his hands on him.
The veteran stood off to the side as Kariya gave his niece a lecture she'd never forget. She did a brave thing, but diving into a situation like that could've gotten her killed. That's the ugly part about parenthood; sometimes, you have to lay down the law, even if it hurts.
Ding
His eyes flashed open; his radar caught someone standing down the road, unmoving. The samurai stomped into the street, his "Master" glancing in confusion before looking down the road. His functional eye widened as he pushed Rin behind him, "Assassin..."
Adorned in a black cloak with equally midnight-colored skin, the Servant watched them, unmoving from his position beneath a street light; this was the one Raiden had seen the night before, sitting on that pole. This one seemed different from the rest.
The Matou picked up his niece without question, the girl protesting before getting hushed, "Raiden..." The mercenary grimaced, his hands firmly gripping his sword, ready to strike at a moment's notice, "I'll handle it; get her out of here."
The cyborg stood guard as Kariya took off down the road, carrying his niece to safety. Raiden's blue eyes glowed in prana-fueled excitement. The police had long since left; the streets were empty, with no witnesses. Good, he could use some stress relief.
His synthetic eyes studied the Servant ahead, taking in every detail of the mysterious killer.
The man stood tall, his form almost entirely concealed by a darkened cloak, the loose cloth flowing in the cool breeze, showing virtually no skin, unlike the others. His gaze was firm despite seeing nothing more than black holes beneath a skull-shaped mask; the veteran could sense utter calm behind it. Things clicked within the cyborg's enhanced mind; this one is the original; this is Assassin.
Raiden's brow furrowed as he stomped forward, concrete splintering on impact, "This ends here."
Silence reigned as Assassin slowly raised a hand, waving behind himself; the message was clear; not here. Raiden had seen this behavior before; Assassin wanted to fight him, no tricks, no espionage, no backstabbing.
Men of his standing never revealed themselves unless they wanted you to know they were there; Assassin had a purpose coming to him; he couldn't tell what.
The cloaked figure slowly turned, meandering into the darkened side streets without a word; Jack understood what Assassin wanted from him all too well; he grinned in anticipation, taking off down the road after the Servant.
Metallic heels clicked along old cobblestone roads as the futuristic soldier followed his nemesis, watching the man's cloak flutter in the wind as the sun had already set, the sky now a blackened abyss. The pair turned corner after corner, finally entering a depopulated section of the neighborhood still under construction. The skeletal structures of buildings lined the streets, some concrete cubes, others just red metal beams without a finishing.
Raiden's sensors roared to life as dozens of figures lept, landing across the rooftops, standing atop equipment, buildings, even a nearby crane. So, he brought his entire army? His grin grew manacing, good.
Assassin turned, his cloak flowing and ebbing around his form, disguising the arsenal of weapons hidden beneath. The man's voice was deep, the sort of tone only a honed killer could achieve; no emotion, just utter calm, like a stagnant puddle, unmoving as life continued around it.
"My name is lost to time...our mind splintered beyond repair..."
The figure swayed a hand across the air, his fingertips gesturing toward clones scattered across the rooftops, "Each body, an echo, a fragment of what once was."
Assassin clenched his fist, staring at the appendage as his blackened leather gloves tightened, "I am here of my own volition; my-our Master has rendered us pawns in his game... no more."
The figure lowered his gaze, settling on the samurai ahead, studying his form, "When our...my blades clashed with yours...we knew you were the same, yet...
His head lowered, the veteran seeing the hollow white irises beneath the blackened abyss, "You...have healed...your fractured mind whole once more..."
His tie swayed in the breeze as Raiden's gaze narrowed, "I embrace the man...and the monster, we're both one, and the same" his grip tightened, feeling his blade humming for action beneath its sheathe.
Assassin reached within his cloak, pulling out a pair of ornately carved, blackened knives, the handles made from human bone, aligned with intricate magical runes cascading across its form. These blades have taken countless lives, used in innumerable hands across his homeland; although he couldn't remember, he simply knew it as fact; he was but one of many. He twirled his tools as he strode forward, "Then show me, show us how your voices sing in unison."
Dozens of clones lept from the rooftops, landing around the cyborg in all directions. He saw men, women, short, tall, just like before, similar yet unique all their own, fragments of the same mind brought to life. Each brandishing different weapons of war, Jack chuckled at the sight. Warfare perpetually moved forward; time waited for no man; he'd show them just how war has changed.
Jack maliciously grinned as his visor slowly closed around his eyes, a red glint flashing within just before the sensors clamped shut. His hand squeezed the trigger, energy coursing through his blade as it hummed to life, emanating a deep glow as it charged up; "Okay...let's dance!"
...
Assassin Boss Theme: Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance OST - I'm My Own Master Now Extended
With a click, Murasama shot out of its sheathe like a rocket as Raiden vanished from sight, leaving little more than a crater torn into the earth itself, sprinting across the battlescape at untold speeds. The blade soared past an Assassin, this one unarmed, shirtless, his eyes barely able to follow the weapon as the cyborg rematerialized behind him.
Raiden gripped his tool of war with both hands as it crackled in red electric fury; he raised the elongated blade over his left shoulder before he swung, his instrument of war sliced through bone and flesh as if it were nothing. Cleaving a red line as the clone's head sailed into the night sky, unseen slashes ripped the body into little more than raining chunks of flesh as more lines blurred around its form, slumping to the ground.
Without giving the veteran a moment of respite, a group of clones dispersed and rematerialized above him in a cloud of black smoke, intent on skewering the Berserker alive as they readied their knives. Kunai rained from across the site in all directions as more made their way toward him.
Raiden clicked his tongue in annoyance before throwing his sword into the air and dropping down, catching himself on his hands as the rotors in his wrists spun to life. The latches along his boot gripped his blade as he began to spin in circles, creating an electric tornado of death as he crashed through men, knives, and anything that dared get within reach.
Murasama spun in rapid rotation as electricity blew off like a roaring wind, skewering and tearing the men and women apart like a hot knife through butter again and again as the man ripped through them like a machine. Their bodies fell as perfectly sliced piles of flesh before dissipating into blackened smoke.
Sparks flew as he lunged off the ground, his handstand turning into a spinning flip as he caught his sword from above before landing upright. The cyborg sighed in elation as he popped his neck; Assassin was up to something; the cyborg couldn't tell what, but cloak and dagger seemed to be the only thing the Servant had; why throw your men away like this?
He unshackled Murasama's sheathe from his hip with a vicious smile, magnetic locks releasing with an audible click; if they wanted to die, then he'd happily deliver. He raised the mechanism overhead as one hand held its grip in anticipation, the other deadlocked on its trigger. The weapon exploded into a burning red aura surrounding his form as its systems overcharged before its form illuminated in a blinding white light.
Sam's sword roared to life as Jack let go, swinging Murasama long before his enemies had gotten close. As the high-frequency blade superheated the air it cleaved through, it made red hot wind blades. The artificial storm tore through the night, illuminating the darkened street before reaching its targets.
The blast ripped through their ranks as clones flew into the night sky, getting shredded apart limb from limb from a sword still meters away, their bodies falling as little more than splatters of darkened blood and ash.
He took off, crashing through hordes as they fruitlessly threw themselves at him repeatedly, bodies dropping left and right as static crackled off his form. Raiden launched into the air, flipping over and over as Murasama blurred into a red wheel of death.
He smiled as bloodlust flowed through him, slicing men apart as he arched over their forms before landing in a blast of dust. One tried to sweep his legs, only to have their own bones crack on impact with solid steel. He paid it no mind, only slamming a boot down on their head as they fell, gore splattering across his suit.
The killer couldn't get enough of moments like this, animals to the slaughter. Jack had to hold back his anger throughout his life, but now?
A clone with a purple military buzz slashed from his left; he sidestepped the strike without even looking, impaling his sword through the Assassin's stomach from behind, tearing it straight up. Murasama came out of his skull as brain matter flooded out along with his still steaming insides. He could finally let loose.
Raiden and Jack shared a mind, sharing power in a way only they could comprehend. They were different yet the same; Raiden could handle the day-to-day affairs, something his counterpart struggled to do. But Jack loved the fight and got to let her rip whenever someone had the balls to cross him.
Assassins dispersed and rematerialized out of existence, trying to confuse him as they dotted the landscape alongside their dead. It was pointless; his systems could pick up anything, any vibration; they couldn't sneak upon him.
Electricity flared as Raiden spun on his heel, his left leg soaring through the air as he cleared a 180 with the skill of a dancer, his metallic heel slamming into an Assassin's side as they emerged behind him.
Bone shattered as internal organs ruptured. The clone's ribcage dented inwards as his momentum refused to stop as he spun. The body flew off, crashing against a concrete support pole, her head splattering as the body twitched before going limp, blood leaking out of where her skull once was across the hardened earth; the only sign of her head was a splatter of black ooze and purple hair along the beam.
Sighing in raw excitement as gore dripped from his visage, Jack chuckled at the destruction he'd wrought. The remaining clones dropped ahead of him, about to go for an all-or-nothing charge. He grinned in ecstasy, his visor glowing red, and there was so much to go around.
"Enough..."
Raiden glanced up, spotting the true Assassin atop a half-constructed building, metal beams keeping the skeletal structure upright. His grin grew, finally.
Cybernetics flared as he launched into the night sky, landing with a thud atop the metal girders above, landing across Assassin as his magnetic locks stuck to the surface.
A cold winter breeze howled in the night as a full moon shone overhead, illuminating their forms as they stood off. Assassin spun his blades in anticipation as more of his duplicates landed around them, weapons loosely hanging at their sides, dozens of them on each level of the structure.
The Liberian watched as he held his sword defensively, "Why are you really here? Why throw yourself into a meatgrinder you know you can't win?"
Assassin remained unmoving; he loosely held his blades as he looked down at the ground far below in contemplation before reaching up, gently removing his mask.
Darkened skin overlayed a withered old visage; Assassin had a look across his face that Raiden had only seen on old veterans towards the end, beyond battle-hardened...something else.
The man was tired; Jack could tell just peering into his hollow white irises, exhausted from years of having a shattered mind. The cyborg knew just how hellish a divided soul was. Thoughts, not your own; beliefs and ideas, shoved in as if they'd always been there, but you knew they weren't.
Assassin's patchy white hair flowed in the breeze as he looked at Berserker. He seemed almost desperate as he spoke, his voice no longer cold but strained.
"You know why...the voices...they never stop..."
The PMC nodded in agreement, staring back at his foe, "and they never will..."
The shrouded figure took a silent breath, "My wish...our dream is to be whole once more..."
"Then you're doing it the wrong way."
Raiden lowered Murasama, the blade lightly burning the girder he stood atop of, digging into the steel plate as gravity dragged the tool downward, "You just want to stand above the rest, barking orders...that's not harmony...if you live like that" His blonde hair swayed in the breeze as his blade tore into steel, "You'll never be free."
Assassin's cloak billowed as he grit his teeth in frustration; the man was shaking as he raised his knives in defiance, "Then tell me...how...how do I right myself, how do I stop this madness?"
Jack unclasped his visor, his blue eyes shining beneath the moonlight; he exhaled a cloud of air into the cold winter night, "You're here because you want to be here; that's step one...step two...you'll need to find that on the battlefield, find who you really are, and embrace it!"
The shrouded Servant watched on as his duplicates leaped across the construction site, dotting the metal structure they stood off on, examining each one slowly. They faced their overlord, awaiting orders. Was this the way? Could he find peace?
His soft gaze studied the soldier in front of him, his mind divided in two yet acting like one, as though they finally came to terms. How could he find such rest? Each fragment wished to dominate, to control...Assassin gripped his fists, knuckles turning white as he held his tools of war; he had to try to fight for his sanity.
The Old Man of the Mountain wasn't a slave for his Master to abuse and throw away like trash. He broke his chains, refusing to die to test the other Servants; no, the man ahead had the answers he desired.
The Servant never feared death, but now? His wish...his goal was ahead, within reach. He took a calming breath, gazing out across the world, starlight illuminating a modern city. The man didn't know if his true self would enjoy the sight or something else, but he'd soon find out.
Assassin's gaze grew firm, his eyes hardening into cold steel; he lowered his form, left arm raised, right arm lowered. The runes along his blades began to hum an ethereal purple glow. "Then come, show me who you truly are, Berserker..."
Jack stood in silence as the masked man went on before breaking out into a dark chuckle. Several Assassins materialized in shadows surrounding his form, blades aimed across his body, an inescapable death chamber.
"You know, for all that talk..." Their knives were mere inches from his skin as he spoke without fear; his eyes flashed a bright red, a predator about to strike. He raised his free hand as sparks of electricity crackled between his fingertips. He glanced below at the metal, highly conductive structure beneath his feet; "You're out of your league."
ZZZZZZZZ BOOM
Years of training had prepared Assassin for the unexpected twists of combat; the Servant knew to trust instinct. As the hairs at the back of his neck began to rise, the man dove off the building the very moment he saw sparks flicking around Berserker's form.
The masked Servant crashed into the ground below in a roll, looking up to see metal warping, beginning to melt as untold levels of voltage swam through, looking to ground its charge. The entire structure lit up like a Christmas tree, a beacon of roaring energy in the darkness of night. The support beams crackled in blue waves as dozens of his fragments were cooked alive.
Lightning danced across his clones' charred bodies as they swayed, some dying where they stood, others surviving just long enough to lose balance, their nerves too destroyed to send any signals whatsoever. They crashed to the ground like the fall leaves, bones crunching as they landed at odd angles before going limp.
Raiden stood above, observing his work impassively as Assassin got back to his feet; the cyborg lept off the melting platform, his hair flying upwards in an updraft as he slammed into the ground, making an impact crater as dust blew around him.
Both men stood off, one a divided mind wanting to become what once was; the other reconstituted, whole yet different, changed. Silence reigned as neither moved, observing their target; a girder fell from above, slamming into a generator as the device exploded in a ball of fire. Go
Jack burst across the battlefield as little more than a lightning bolt, crashing toward Assassin as both men charged. His weapon flowed through solid rock as if it were water. Cybernetics flared as the veteran swung up with everything he had, the force cleaving the wind into a red mist as it superheated from the pressure; Assassin leaned to the side as Murasama's red edge missed his torso by centimeters.
The dark Servant swung downwards, intent on carving into Berserker's back as he passed by. The cyborg grit his teeth as he used raw might to twist his body, angling into a spin, dragging his sword along with his momentum.
He swung hard to the right, rotating on his metallic heels as HF steel clashed with true magic, his sword meeting Assassin's daggers.
Sparks flew as the shadowy Servant's weapons held firm; his body couldn't say the same. The impact was far too much, as though he were hit by a truck; Assassin flew, crashing back-first through construction equipment, disappearing into a cloud of black smoke on impact.
Raiden paused, sensors pinging across the landscape; his eyes flashed fifty degrees to the right. He slashed into the empty air, meeting Assassin's blades as he phased into existence. The Old Man growled in anger as he dematerialized and rematerialized, only to be met blow for blow, unable to land a single hit again and again.
The Persian killer lept back, narrowly avoiding a sweeping kick from Berserker. The man panted in exhaustion, bump-bump, he paused, this feeling... He charged head-on, planting his feet harder than before, his blades clanging against his foe's red phantasm, each swing greater than his last. Their forms blurred as they breached the silent night as they went blow for blow.
His heart continued to beat more and more as a vicious smile grew across his face, even as a slice grazed his chest, blood flying into the air as he lept back. The Assassin sailed through the air, throwing a hail of throwing knives at his attacker.
He wanted to fight Berserker; it didn't matter if he lost anymore; his mind grew clearer, the voices growing distant. His opponent deflected each projectile like nothing as they clashed once more; he disappeared into a cloud of smoke as he narrowly avoided getting impaled.
Raiden took a calming breath as Assassin emerged from his shadows at the end of the road ahead, the withered man standing firm despite losing his exhaled, his gaze firm; this was getting tiresome; Assassin dodged every killing blow he threw at him, just poofing out of existence. Raiden got his first taste of magic, and it already pissed him off. An idea came to mind; his grimace turned into a grin; the cyborg had just the toolto put the Old Man down once and for all.
Jack's left hand glowed a vibrant yellow as a small sais materialized; he spun the device as the three-pronged kunai radiated a deep blue hue. One of his many harvested weapons, taken from Monsoon's corpse, what was left of him anyways, his Dystopia brought to life.
Like his own ideological beliefs, the cyborg took bits and pieces from his fallen enemies, each encounter making him that much stronger. Raiden had no concept of honor, no definitive fighting style; he adapted and changed as all humans should, refusing to get bogged down by pretenses and nonsense like the powerful always did.
Holding Murasama in a feint, Raiden took off, his weapon flowing with the wind behind him as static crackled off his form; asphalt splintered and broke as he tore down the street as Assassin met his charge.
The Old Man ran with everything he had, shadows leaving afterimages of his form; this was it...this was what he always wanted. Silence, only him and the man ahead remained.
Time slowed as Raiden raised Dystopia across his chest before his augmentations burned, throwing the sais with maximum force; the weapon blurred before slamming straight into Assassin's stomach. The Old Man hacked up blood as the tool dug into his intestines as Berserker crashed towards him, electricity following his every step.
Unknown energy coursed from the knife lodged in his torso; magnetic power locked him in place every time he tried to disperse his form, holding his body together.
Jack pushed off the ground as Lorentz Force carried him towards his nemesis in a magenta ray. The warrior spun in explosive energy, steadying his aim as both hands latched on before slamming Murasama straight into Assassin's heart, digging through flesh and bone as it ruptured out of his back.
The man shook, eyes wide as he wavered before hacking up a stream of blood, the liquid trailing down his chin to the ground below. His arms uselessly hung at his sides as he tried to force them to move, only for his knives to clatter onto the asphalt as his body began to give out.
Jack placed a hand on his shoulder, pausing a brief moment before pushing back, ripping his sword out; blackened ooze trickled out of the man's chest, a hole going all the way through. He fell without a sound, back first onto the hard ground below.
Assassin watched the stars above, knowing fully well that these were his final moments. He never stood a chance; the Old Man had learned that after their first encounter, but this was something he had to do. He needed to see for himself...what unity truly was. The Persian legend felt...nothing, peace in silence, at last.
His breathing slowed; he was okay with this end...a death of his own choice. His vision grew cloudy, the night sky hazing into a deep fog; he felt...free.
As gentle purple flames began to burn around his form, something clicked within his mind. The world shifted, Assassin was no longer in the urban landscape of Fuyuki, but...an old market...it seemed so familiar. Merchants with wares from far-off lands, people were meandering around wearing a distinctive clothing style he somehow recognized but couldn't place.
A hand he hadn't noticed let go of his; he gazed up to see the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, a gentle smile on her tanned face as she turned to see him. How did he know her? Just seeing her brought such...joy. She gently clasped his hand in hers as her honey-colored eyes looked him over, "Did you get lost in your head again?" She giggled, her voice melodic to his withered soul.
"Don't forget my father's coming for dinner tonight; you remember what happened last time we forgot? Hm? Khosrow."
The flames soon overtook the body; Jack watched as Assassin began to disappear into nothing, a gentle smile on his weary face before vanishing before the cyborg's very eyes.
He sighed as he was left alone in the half-built neighborhood, purple whisks rising around him; the samurai gazed up to the moon above, "With so many voices, how can you tell who's really in charge?"
...
And that's the first kill of the series so far! I know we didn't get a lot of incredible magic, but don't worry, it will come.
I hope my Assassin rewrite was acceptable, I know it's not fate lore at all, but I wanted more than Raiden killing hordes of enemies.
I wanted to thank you guys for sticking with me, I know I'm not the best, but I'll try to do what I can to make this project enjoyable.
I have a draft due for my thesis within the next few weeks, so I may not be able to update until that's in, but I'll work on the next chapter in my limited free time.
With that out of the way, take it easy, and I'll see you in the next one!