Illya watched as mother and son dueled in the batting cages.
Baseballs shook the fence behind mom every time she missed her swing. She wielded her bat like a sword, but without understanding how to best swing a bat and lacking a physical boost from magical energy, she couldn't hit a single ball.
Mordred was killing it. He was more fit than mom when magical energy wasn't a factor. He was also more flexible mentally. He never stuck to strict swordsmanship forms, so he was more able to adapt to newer weapons and tools, such as a baseball bat.
They were both burning with the fires of competition. They were definitely parent and child.
Illya and her family had arrived in Fuyuki and were currently living in an abandoned warehouse. It was discreet, if lacking comfort. It lacked so much comfort that Mordred complained a bunch. Like a real lot. Like so much it was really annoying and God she could whine with the best of them. The point is that Mordred was really bored. He kept talking about wanting to go somewhere interesting. Mom eventually relented and, despite wanting to be as careful and under the radar as possible, decided that having a family outing in Fuyuki would be okay.
Now Illya, Gray, and mama were watching mom and Mordred go nuts as they tried to see who could hit more baseballs. Suffice to say, Mordred was winning.
Mom was wearing a suit like always while Mordred was wearing a tube top and shorts. He was a transman, but he clearly didn't feel any dysphoria severe enough that it prevented him from showing off his body. His outfit was especially attention grabbing since it was winter in Fuyuki and he was barely covered at all. Servants really didn't care about the cold.
"What's wrong mommy?" Mordred said with a mocking tone imitating that of a surprised child. "I've hit every ball, but you look like you couldn't hit the ground under your feet." He began snickering.
Mom's swings were getting less precise. Her shoulders twitched.
"Oh, mommy! You're not using proper sword form! Why? You always lecture me about needing to use proper technique. Hold on a minute. I'm doing way better than you. Maybe not fighting like you've got a stick up your ass is a good thing!"
"Don't swear." Mom muttered as she missed another ball.
Mordred hit another home run. "Huh, what was that? I didn't hear you. Every time I hit the ball it makes a loud sound and everything and it drowns you out."
Mom missed yet another ball.
"Mom, your eyes are open right?"
Another miss.
"I can give you some pointers if you'd like."
Another miss.
"No wonder Excalibur makes a huge laser, it's the only way you could hit anything."
Mom's patience died. It was murder. Mordred killed it by stabbing it in the face seventy times with a rusty knife. Magical energy surged. Mom's body was infused with so much power that she had a visible aura around her. She swung the bat and hit the newest ball coming her way. The baseball wasn't sent flying nor did it turn to dust. It was gone. Not even leptons, quarks, or boson's remained. The land shook and caused everyone to bounce off the ground before falling back down. Anything that wasn't nailed down jumped before hitting the deck. It was like an earthquake. No, mom actually caused an earthquake. With the effect it caused, it would be rated magnitude ten.
Everyone was quiet as the land and air calmed while mom stood in place with the cold wrath of a judgemental god. As the fury born from her competitive soul subsided, mom realized how overboard she just went. She looked at Mordred who was dumbfounded by the reaction he got out of his mother. After that she noticed the cracks and deformations in the handle of her bat from her gripping it so hard. A blush painted across mom's face.
Without a word, mom quietly and with mincing steps, left the batting area and sat next to mama on a bench. Mom slowly leaned into mama's side and felt her wife's arm wrap around her. She buried her face into mama's shoulder.
"It's okay. Baseball's hard." Mama kissed the top of mom's head.
"Ihihihihihihihihihihihihihihi!" Add laughed at mom until Gray removed him from her purse and elbow dropped him into the ground. "When did you learn wrestling moves?" Add cried before the silence returned.
Mordred walked up to mom. He was rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry. I shouldn't have made fun of you like that."
"It's okay. Just don't do it again." mom said without the slightest authoritativeness in her voice.
"We may have drawn attention from enemy Masters with that quake so we should probably go." Illya said.
"Should we talk to the overseer now?" Gray said.
"Yes." Mom's composure returned as the topic returned to the war. "Illya, you, your mother, and Mordred will go to the church to tell the overseer about the Grail's corruption. Remember, as far as anyone is concerned, Illya is the Master. There could be returning Masters from the last war like Iri and they'd recognize Gray as me. That could cause problems since I'm an above average Servant. They'd target Gray to take her out. We also want to keep both Gray and I as hidden trump cards since we're both extra Servant level fighters in this war. We can get the drop on our enemies with the power of three Servants if we fight smart. Normally I wouldn't want to fight so dishonorably, but we don't have the luxury of honor when it's the fate of our family and all of humanity on the line."
"You and I are going to head back to the warehouse, right?" Gray stood up.
"Correct. We need to stay hidden so the other Masters don't learn about us until it's time to ambush them. I allowed this little family outing, but we need to be more discreet from now on." Mom wrapped her arm around mama. "Be careful."
"I will." Mama smiled.
"Mordred, stay in Spirit Form."
"But, I hate not being physical. It makes me anxious."
"Mordred, we need to be discreet."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Whatever, I'll do it."
The Pendragon family left the batting cages and split up. Gray, Add, and mom headed back to the warehouse. They took a snaking path that went through labyrinthine alleys and even through some abandoned buildings. They had to obscure the way to their base of operations as much as possible.
Illya went with her mama and a miffed Mordred to the Fuyuki church. The early morning walk was peaceful.
"Do you think the overseer will be surprised to see us?" Illya said.
"Why would he?" Mordred wouldn't know why.
"We're clearly Einzbern homunculi and the Einzbern family will send in their own homunculus as their Master this time since Kiritsugu failed to get the Grail for them last war. They took a risk on hiring an outsider and in their minds it was a huge mistake."
"Makes sense."
"The Einzberns can also cheat and summon their Servant way earlier than everyone else. They've definitely met up with the overseer already. Thus, the overseer won't be expecting to see two more homunculi on their doorstep.
"Do you think the overseer will snitch on us to the Einzberns?"
"Not if they plan to be impartial like they're supposed to. But, there's always the chance that they're in the pocket of the Einzberns."
"It's a risk, but one we have to take if we're going to tell the overseer about the Grail's corruption." Mama said.
"Will they even believe us?"
"Probably not, but it's important to try."
"Man this is all such a pain in the ass. All this subterfuge and planning and shit. Why do Holy Grail Wars have to be so complicated? It'd be so much simpler if we could just have a big battle royale for the Grail."
"That was what the Fuyuki Holy Grail War originally was." Mama spoke like a teacher. "But, it ended up as a chaotic bloodbath with no winner. The Second War added some rules to try and reign things in, but they weren't enough and it got crazy again. It was only by the Third War that the Grail War we know now came to be."
"And yet nobody's won yet anyway." Mordred had a point.
"All the better if the Grail's corrupted."
"I guess so. This whole war is still really dumb."
"Trust me when I say I wholeheartedly agree." Mama was weary of everything related to the Holy Grail.
Illya and co ended up at the church. It wasn't an extravagant building, yet it stood out. Illya and her mama entered the church grounds. The doors to the building were heavy, slowly creaking open. Inside was a priest kneeling at one of the pews. He finished his silent prayer and stood up. Mama's body jerked suddenly upon seeing the priest's face.
"Kirei Kotomine." Mama said with a distrusting and rancorous glare. Illya had heard her mama mention Kirei Kotomine before. He was a participant of the last war. She negotiated to have him leave the country. Apparently, she saw him as a threat to Illya's daddy.
"You are the homunculus from the last war. Irisviel, yes?" The priest seemed vaguely bemused.
"I am Irisviel von Einzbern, and this is my daughter, Illyasviel von Einzbern. I am not a Master in this war, but she is." Mama avoided stating the class of their Servant. She didn't want to give out any more information than what was absolutely necessary.
"This must be fate, meeting again after ten years. I figured you died in the last war. That's good to hear. I guess the Einzberns will live on to some extent. My apologies for trying to kill you by the way." The Einzberns would live on? What did the overseer mean? Wasn't it obvious they were still around? Unless something happened to them. Was there no official Einzbern representative in this war?
"How are you the overseer?" mama asked.
"Just because I was a participant in the last war doesn't mean I can't act as an impartial mediator of this one."
Mama wanted to retort, but Illya figured she was unable to actually come up with anything while she was so on guard. Illya noticed her mama was hiding her Command Spells. She didn't trust Kirei with the knowledge that she had a Servant of her own. She would have hid them if the overseer wasn't Kirei, but she was being especially careful.
"I don't mean to open old wounds, but I heard Kiritsugu Emiya lost his life in the last war."
"That is correct."
"My condolences. Have you been doing well since then?"
"I've managed to move on and I have a new family now. We're happy." Mama spoke with a defiant tone.
"I'm glad to hear that. Also, it is nice to meet you, Illyasviel von Einzbern. I failed to formally address you until now due to my shock at seeing your mother again. I apologize."
"It's fine." Illya didn't necessarily think her mama was wrong for distrusting the priest, but he honestly seemed completely amicable. "Father Kotomine, we have something we have to tell you about the Grail."
The priest's head tilted. "Something about the Grail?"
"Yes." mama said. "The Grail is poisoned essentially. There's an evil existence inside the Grail, painting it with its hatred. It exists to destroy, and not only that, but it desires to be incarnated into the world." That actually broke the overseer's stagnant countenance. He went wide eyed before becoming contemplative. He was thinking about how plausible mama's statement was.
"That is a dire claim, but one that certainly requires evidence of some degree to justify taking great action."
"When I was connected to the Greater Grail and about to turn into its vessel, I saw what was inside it, and it was full of mud. Coagulated curses. I managed to break my connection to the Greater Grail which is why I'm here now and no victor emerged out of the last war. Any wish made on a device such as the Fuyuki Grail will be interpreted in a way that causes destruction. We need to dismantle it. The problem is that we don't know the physical location of the Grail. As overseer, you should know where it's hidden. Please, let's destroy it before it kills us all."
"You don't know the Grail's location? Were you not in contact with the rest of the Einzbern family? 'Did they not tell you?"
"I was never told and they won't now. We were excommunicated from the family." Mama didn't like thinking about the way she was thrown away by the Einzberns. "They considered me a failure for not completing the Heaven's Feel. We've had no contact with them since."
"My condolences again. You have clearly suffered much due to the Holy Grail War. You don't appear aware of the fate of the Einzberns, so I feel I should mention they are all but gone."
"Gone?"
"The Einzberns have been killed. They're all dead. Unfortunately, I am incapable of telling you who the assailant was."
The Einzbern family that was, in many ways, the core of the Holy Grail War was gone. The family that created Illya and her mama. The family that used Illya and her mama as tools to be discarded when they failed to meet impossible expectations. Illya didn't feel bad that the Einzberns were all dead. They had it coming. She was concerned about who killed them. Kirei's phrasing implied it to be an individual. Could a single person take out such a powerful family of magi? Only a Servant or Magician could. Actually, a Servant could be the culprit. The priest said he couldn't admit who the culprit was. He can't reveal the identities of all the Masters and Servants due to being the overseer. The culprit might be one of the Servants either on the order of their Master or because they rebelled. They also had to have been a high tier Servant with the power to overwhelm the Einzberns' forces or an Assassin that could stealthily eliminate all the members of the family. Either way, they were a dire threat, especially if their bone to pick with the Einzberns extended to Illya and her mother.
"Does that mean that the Einzberns couldn't provide a vessel for the Grail?" Mama seemed less affected by the news of her family's death than Illya. She also asked a good question. If so, that implied that the only Lesser Grails would be Illya and her mama which meant they could make sure the Greater Grail never gets invoked.
"I am not at liberty to say, but that probably tells you all you need to know."
He was right. The fact Kirei couldn't answer implied that there was a vessel, and they were one of the Masters. Assumedly it was an Einzbern who was still alive in the same vein as Illya and her mama. It could also be that one of the other Masters had great knowledge of the Grail, one such as a member of one of the other Founding Families, fabricated their own vessel. Either way, at least three Lesser Grails were at play in this war.
"Thank you for being so forthcoming." Illya said.
"You're welcome. Let us return to the matter of the Grail's supposed corruption. If you're being honest, then I'd be happy to comply, but do you have any evidence that is more tangible other than your word? This could easily be a ploy to learn where the Grail is so you could take it for yourselves."
Mama sighed. "My word is all I have." There was also mom's word, but that would have added only the slightest increase in credibility. It would also expose that there was an extra Servant in play.
"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you the Greater Grail's location based on mere claims alone. That said, it isn't impossible that you are being honest, and in that case it would be foolish to be unprepared. I shall inform all the other Masters of what you have told me and will begin investigating on my own to see if I can find any evidence to bolster your words. I can't travel to the Grail's location myself to check its status since I could be followed. That would give away the Greater Grail's location to those who'd be included to pilfer it. This is all I can do."
"Thank you, that's more than we were even expecting." Illya was glad Kirei was being reasonable.
"It is merely my duty as overseer. Is that all you have to inform me about?"
"Yes. Thank you for listening to us."
"Do you have anything else to tell me? Any questions?"
"I don't"
"Neither do I." mama said. "We'll be going."
"I wish you luck." Kirei said as Illya and her mama left the church.
Mama rubbed her face as they exited through the church gate. "As if this couldn't be more complicated. Kirei Kotomine is here and a Servant so strong they slaughtered the Einzberns is around."
"Don't worry. With the power boost I've got, any Servant's as good as dead." Mordred's braggadociousness did little to ease mama's tension.
"Maybe we can trust Kirei." Illya said. "He did agree to your demands last war and he seems to be taking his job seriously."
"We still have no guarantees. He might not tell any of the Masters about the corruption or he might secretly be a Master in the war or any number of other things."
"Mama, we can't keep thinking about what-ifs or we'll be stuck in our heads forever. We can only act cautiously with the information we have."
"I know you're right but that doesn't make it easier. Let's head to the warehouse. I need to talk to your mom." Mama needed to vent.
"I'll call mom and let her know what happened. You just relax for now. Talk to Mordred about what secrets he knows about mom." Illya said.
Mordred clicked her tongue a few times as she thought. "Did I talk about when mom took care of a baby lion? I wasn't alive when it happened, but Kay told me about it."
"She did what?" Mama immediately forgot what she was just thinking about. She always felt better when it came to gossiping about mom's past. "She did something that adorable and never told me!"
"She used to cuddle with it apparently so Kay started calling her the king of cuddles and the Lion King. I hated Kay but me and him used to make fun of mom all the time when he told me. She'd get all blushy and shit."
"Oh. My. God. I am going to tease her about it as soon as we get back." Mama bounced up and down on the balls of her feet.
"Get this. She even secretly requested a tailor to make a lion doll to snuggle with, but then Guinevere found it in their room and told Lancelot and he couldn't keep a secret for shit and so everyone found out."
"She actually has a stuffed lion plushie now. I knew she liked lions but this is the most adorable thing ever. What did she do when everyone found out?"
"Mom panicked and tried to convince everyone it was for Ywain cause he has this whole thing with lions but the doll was made of of a fabric she knew he was allergic to and everyone knew she knew he was allergic and she ended up yelling when she couldn't think of another excuse and everyone laughed and it was a fucking riot."
"When we get back we should casually call her the king of cuddles."
"She'll get this dumb expression on her face I bet."
"Oh, I should get the camera first so I can take a picture of her reaction!"
"You better let me in on the action. I always love teasing mom."
"You like teasing everyone."
"You say that like it's a bad thing." Illya plucked a hair from her head and poured magical energy into it. It floated out of her hand and shaped into a wireframe simulacrum of a bird. The instant homunculus connected to one she made ahead of time that was back at the warehouse, allowing Illya to call the base using the familiars like phones. The bird perched on Illya's shoulder and turned invisible so the group could head back to base and talk without attracting attention.
"Hello?" Gray answered the call.
"It's Illya. Is mom there?"
"No, she's patrolling the area. She's anxious about you guys since you're alone and all that. You know how she gets."
"I swear she'd put trackers in our heads if she could. Anyway, I'll let you know what happened. Get a notepad because it's a lot."
Using another complex and discreet route to head home, Illya got Gray up to speed on the situation whilst mama and Mordred gossiped and prepared to turn mom into an embarrassed mess.
Making good time, the group returned to the warehouse. It was spacious and without many rooms beyond the main storage area where who knows what was once kept. It was dirty and full of broken pieces of crates, pallates, and the like, even after being cleaned. It lacked comfort, but it was an effective hiding place far from the main city.
Apparently, it was mom's idea to hide in a warehouse. She was inspired by where the Master of Lancer stayed last war. Mom didn't talk much about the previous Holy Grail War, but she especially avoided talking about Lancer and his Master. She had an especially bad experience with them.
Knowing that the Holy Grail War could be so traumatizing to someone as long lived and strong willed as mom was not a comforting thought. More so than herself or her parents or Mordred, Illya worried for Gray. She may have gotten more than she bargained for when she insisted on getting involved in this war. Add was with her and he could be a calming influence for Gray when necessary despite his rudeness most of the time, but he could only do so much. Gray was strong of body but not of will. She really was just a fifteen year old. She wasn't wise beyond her years or anything like that. She acted her age, as abnormal as that is in mage families. She even acted younger than her age sometimes. This was in part due to mom and mama coddling her. Due to Gray's identity issues, mom and mama did all they could to make Gray's life easier. Illya couldn't really talk since she coddled Gray too.
At the folding table and makeshift cooking area that served as the family's dining room and kitchen for the moment, Gray and mom were preparing lunch. That was dishonest actually. Gray was preparing lunch. Mom was sitting at the table since she couldn't cook anything more complicated than toast and even then she usually burnt it black. Mom calls the toaster 'vexing in its mechanics' as an explanation.
Mom stood up. "Did you encounter any trouble?"
"Nope." Mama said as she skipped up to and kissed mom. This was a distraction. Illya snuck over to where they kept the camera.
Mordred materialized with his arms behind his head. "Finally! I hate being all ghosty. I don't see the need since it's not like I'm that much easier to sense when physical."
"We need to take all possible precautions." Mom said.
"Can't you lighten up? I get this is serious shit, but you gotta get loose and have some fun."
"We can't when we're in a war zone."
Mama stepped behind mom and put her hands on her wife's shoulders. "I think you can take some risks if they make you happy. You can't just be anxious all day."
"I'm sorry Iri but that's foolish. You can't take any danger lightly."
Mama smiled like a cat. "Even if it were a baby animal?"
"If it were a predator, yes."
"Even a lion cub, king of cuddles?" mama whispered into mom's ear.
Mom's jaw dropped and eyes were wide. Illya snapped a picture to capture the moment forever. Mom's limbs were all straight as can be. She was as stiff as a steel pole and her face was so red she looked like was going to melt.
"Do you want me to get your lion plushie?"
The ground shook when mom stomped her foot. "Mordred!"
"You can't prove anything!"
"Why'd you tell them?"
"I'm not Mordred, I'm a ghost." Mordred turned to Spirit Form and ran away.
"I can still sense you, Mordred! Get back here! Don't make me get out Excalibur! You know I'll actually do it!"
Mama hugged mom tight. "There's no reason to be embarrassed. You should embrace your cute side. I'm here whenever you wanna snuggle, my king of cuddles."
"Iri!" mom whined like a little girl.
Illya walked up to her mom with her arms behind her back. "Sorry mom. That was mean. Here, this will make you feel better." Illya revealed mom's stuffed lion. Everyone began laughing. Even Gray was trying to suppress her rising guffaws.
Realizing the futility in her efforts to keep face, mom just stood still like a statue and basked in the embarrassment.
"I'm sorry Artoria." Mama put her hands on mom's face and mushed her cheeks around. "I was a little down so we decided to have some fun."
The anger mom was trying to restrain blinked out of her mind. "Do you need to vent?"
"A little. Not as much now, but I've still got the bad thoughts."
Taking mama's hands in her own, mom was no longer bothered by the previous mockery. "Let's go somewhere private so you can let your feelings out. We can also go over everything that's happened again. Get everything straight."
"Alright. You kids behave." Mama and mom went into another room and left their children by themselves.
"We're unsupervised. Let's do crimes." Mordred plopped into a chair.
"We can't break the law." Illya said. "What we can do is play soccer with Add."
"Why am I the punching bag in this family?"
"Because you're constantly being a shit." Illya was blunt.
"Plus, Kay was a dick back in the day and now I can get payback."
"I'm not actually Kay!"
"You're close enough."
"This is bullying. I'm a victim of bullying right now."
"Don't worry Add, I'll protect you." Gray caressed Add.
"At least someone's nice to me. Relatively nice. You elbow dropped me earlier."
"You were being mean to mom."
"Everyone was being mean to Artoria just now!"
"Yeah, but they can defend themselves."
"This is abuse."
"You don't even feel pain. You're a cube."
"Yeah, but it still hurts my heart."
Gray petted Add. She actually felt bad. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't treat you differently than Illya or Mordred." Gray was so sweet. But, that sweetness was part of why Illya worried for her. Would Gray be able to kill someone if she had to? Gray wasn't ready for a Grail War. Illya wasn't even sure she herself was ready. Hopefully Mordred would be enough to handle the fighting…and the killing.
Whatever. There was no use getting hung up on their deficiencies. Illya decided to relieve stress, but in a different way from her mama. Said way involved going into another room with her maid fetish magazines and enjoying them to the fullest.
The first night of the Holy Grail War had come. It was time to fight.
The Pendragon family thought it best to scout out the city the first night using familiars. Instead of jumping right into the fray, they would try to locate some enemy Servants and track them. They could find their bases or they might see Servants fighting and learn their abilities. It was best to be cautious and play the long game.
As Illya sat in a chair and saw what her familiars saw, felt what they felt, a massive signal hit her. She sensed a mass of magical energy that was Servant class. This Servant wasn't suppressing their power, they were actively radiating it outward as a beacon. They were calling all challengers. This was reckless of them. They could end up swarmed by all the other Servants. They must have been confident.
Illya's familiar followed the signal to its source. Standing in the middle of Fuyuki Bridge was a Servant and presumably their Master.
The Servant held two crimson spears and wore a purple bodysuit that was skin tight. She was beautiful to be sure, but also terrifying. One look was all that was needed to know the Servant was a master of combat. Experience was the word that defined this Servant's existence. She had more experience than most Heroic Spirits. The confidence of the Servant was feeling more and more justified. The fact she had two spears meant she was probably a Lancer. Mordred and mom would have a class advantage in that case. Her parameters were unimpressive. Her strength was C, her endurance was C, her agility was B+, her mana was D, her luck was E, and her NP was C++.
The likely Master was a red haired woman in a pantsuit. Slung over her shoulder was a cylindrical case of some kind. Just the way she stood showed she was ready to fight at a moment's notice. She wasn't anxious as far as Illya could tell. She was a professional. It was unclear how much power she had, but she was definitely more knowledgeable about how to fight than Illya, Gray, or mama.
This was a dangerous pair. Not the type to be trifled with. But, their overconfidence could be their undoing. It was doubtless that almost every Master had familiars watching them. The only question was if anyone would actually take them up on their offer to fight. Any who did would also be under the eyes of the familiars. They'd be analyzed for every strength and weakness and could be tracked back to their base. Trying to fight wasn't worth the risk. Observation was the way to go.
Illya told her family about what she was watching and her thoughts on what they should do.
"You're correct. We can't try to fight them. There's little to gain from doing so. Lancer tried this very same thing last war and it turned into chaos." mom said before she continued snacking on sandwiches.
"The craziest part is we actually took Lancer up on his offer." Mama wrapped herself around her wife.
"I was more prideful then. The events of the Fourth War humbled me."
"So we're really not gonna fight?" Mordred said. "I'm bored and this Lancer seems like they'd be fun to fight, even if their parameters are shitty."
"This isn't a game. Plus, if this Lancer is as experienced as Illya's intuition is telling her she is, then she may be out of your league."
"Okay, first, why should we trust Illya's intuition. She's never even been in a real fight before."
"Well fuck you, too."
"Second, I'm plenty experienced. I don't see how this Servant could be so much more skilled or whatever that she'd actually be dangerous. My Mana Bursts are so strong they're Noble Phantasm tier! This Servant doesn't even have a single A rank parameter! I've got this shit in the bag!"
"Your arrogance is blinding you and your immaturity hampers your ability to make use of the experience you've accumulated."
"Christ, you still only know how to whinge."
"Mordred, I'm trying to-just…listen to me. You are strong, and you are skilled. But, those things won't matter if you don't fight intelligently. I know you can, but your pride gets in the way. You can get even stronger if you learn to temper your ego. This isn't some problem unique to you. I also struggle with my pride. It's something you inherited from me."
"It's not like we don't have good reasons to be prideful and stuff." Mordred's lips pursed. "But, you're right." He leaned back in his seat. "We should play it safe. You never know what traps and shit they've got or what the other Masters will do."
"I'm glad you're so understanding."
"You better let me let loose at some point."
"You'll get your chance, I'm sure."
Mordred was becoming more cooperative. He was still bullheaded and had his head so far up his own ass it came out of his mouth, but he was getting better.
Illya returned her focus to what her familiars were seeing. Lancer was staring right at Illya's familiar. Despite being hidden, she spotted it as if it were right in the open. Lancer shifted her head and looked at a few other spots. They must have been where the other familiars watching Lancer and her Master were hiding.
Lancer used her finger to draw in the air. Magical energy formed runes. A Lancer that knew rune magecraft. Perhaps they weren't a Lancer but a Caster that also used spears.
The runes flew off. One was heading for Illya's familiar. So fast. The familiar got hit. A pang hit Illya's mind. A connection just formed. Lancer just 'hacked into' Illya's familiar with rune magecraft. The Servant was using the connection between Illya and her familiar to track her location. Lancer knew where Illya's family was. She could head for the warehouse right now if she wanted.
"Lancer hijacked my familiar! She knows where I am!"
"What? Really? She's a Lancer, how could she do that?" Mordred said.
"I dunno, but we have to relocate right now!"
"Everyone, start packing!" Mom took charge. "Illya, use Avalon to break your connection to your familiar. That way Lancer won't be able to track us when we leave."
Avalon, the sheath for Excalibur that could cut off its user from the rest of the World. It resided inside Illya, being the thing that allowed her to take on a form befitting her age. As long as mom was on Earth, the sheath could function. Illya may not be its proper wielder, but mom had taught her how to activate it. She could only do so for a single second but that was more than enough in most cases.
"Avalon!" Illya poured her magical energy into the sheath inside her to act as a lit fuse to ignite the magical energy of King Arthur within it. The energy flared up but not in a burning detonation. As if a membrane around her body, a 'sheath' even, Illya was armored in a conceptual light that created the land of the fairies. Armored in Avalon, the thread that connected Illya and her familiar split. Lancer would no longer be able to sense Illya's presence.
Exhaling and releasing the tension across her body and soul, Illya deactivated Avalon. Her body lost its conceptual shield and she felt tired. Avalon was a Divine Construct and Illya was just a powerful homunculus of the modern age. Her using such a Mystic at all was impressive, but unless she dedicated herself almost solely to mastering Avalon, the sheath could never be used at full power.
"Did it work?" Mama was scrambling to pack things into suitcases.
"Yes, it-"
An esoteric hand latched onto Illya's magical energy. The connection between Illya and her familiar was recreated. It was Lancer's doing, it had to be. But, how? Recreating such a connection would normally require being near Illya or knowing her exact location. Lancer couldn't track her anymore when Avalon activated, so how did she remake the link?
Fuck! Wait, fuck! Illya's familiars were homunculi she created using her own hair. If Lancer was skilled enough in magecraft, she could use the hair as a catalyst of sorts to connect to Illya instantly. That meant that Lancer could recreate the link as many times as she wanted.
"She can remake the link and track me wherever I go!"
"Fuck! There's no point in running then!" Mordred dropped the folding chairs in his arms.
Mom grasped her face. "We'll have to confront Lancer head on and kill them. Otherwise, they'll be able to ambush us at any time."
"Lancer's probably done the same thing with the others who were watching her. They might decide to join the fight, too."
"Things will turn to chaos. We might all have to fight together."
"We don't have to do that." Mordred said. "My Mana Burst is so powerful that I can attack a bunch of enemies at once if I gotta. All of you might actually get in my way. Plus, Mom and Gray are supposed to be our secret weapon."
"That's a fair point. What do you suggest?"
"Me and Illya will go in first. Irisviel should come with so she can heal us. Mom, Gray, and Add can hang back and stay hidden. If you stay just barely far enough that you can't be sensed, then you can jump in if shit goes south and it won't take too long."
"That's actually a good plan." Mom wasn't expecting such a well thought out strategy from Mordred.
"You say that like I'm stupid."
"No, I'm sorry. I forget how smart you can be. I'm proud of you."
"Y-Yeah, thanks." Mordred blushed. "Let's get going already."
Illya changed into a black suit not unlike her mom's and a black trench coat that her daddy once owned. Hidden inside the coat were the many firearms Illya has mastered using.
Illya and her family set off to face Lancer. Just as Mordred suggested, he, Illya, and mama took point to face Lancer directly while mom, Gray, and Add stayed hidden a distance away in Shinto.
Illya and company reached Fuyuki Bridge and so far nothing had changed. Lancer was still standing with her Master. Nobody took her up on her offer to fight, until now.
The bridge was vacant of any vehicles. It was quiet except for the gentle undulations of the river below. No distractions. No possible interruptions. It was as if the World was actively trying to turn the location into a battlefield for Servants to cross weapons. Illya sensed a Bounded Field. It was a simple one that had a hypnotic effect. Normal people who got close were compelled to not drive onto the bridge or pay attention to what happened on it. Illya didn't know why Lancer and her Master didn't just choose a more secluded spot. Maybe they figured they could more easily escape into the city if they had to.
"Welcome. It's nice to know I won't just be standing here all night." Lancer said.
"I was getting pretty bored, too." Mordred was fully armored with Clarent in hand as he sauntered forward. "It's unfortunate you won't entertain me for long."
"Don't put yourself down like that. I was planning to go easy on you, so you'll last a few minutes."
"Fuck you." Mordred bared his teeth at having his insult reflected back at him by Lancer.
"Since almost every Master and Servant is probably listening to this, let's address this right now." mama said. "We were the ones who warned the overseer about the Grail's corruption."
"I see." Lancer's Master said. "The overseer explained your claims but do you have any further proof you could give? So far the only reason to believe the Grail is evil is because you said so."
"I was the vessel for the Grail in the last war. I survived but I saw the inside of the Greater Grail."
"But that's still just your word."
"Yes, it is. That's all I have."
"So you have no way of proving you aren't lying?"
"Yes."
"Then I'm sorry, but it's too suspicious a claim to believe." The enemy Master wasn't spiteful. She was business-like in her rejection.
"We understand. No hard feelings about what comes next then."
"No hard feelings."
"If the Grail is corrupted, then it may prove an enjoyable opponent in its own right." Lancer smiled.
"You're acting like you've already won." Mordred gripped the handle of his sword tighter. "You have no idea who you're messing with."
"That's true. Your armor is obscuring any attempts to gather info on you right now." Lancer had information gathering skills? All the more reason she had to be taken out ASAP. "Master, you can handle the other two, yes?"
"Yes." The red-head said.
"Good. I'll be watching you as we fight to see how you handle multiple opponents. Be careful of the girl on the left, she's the one I'm linked to and I can tell she's abnormally strong. Take advantage of your strengths and be ready for anything." Lancer talked like she was her Master's teacher.
The enemy Master raised her fists and got into a martial arts stance. Lancer readied both her spears, but her stance was somewhat casual, one knee cocked forward and the other straight. She wasn't planning on fighting at full power.
Illya was about to pull out some of her hairs to make more instant homunculi, but remembered that Lancer could hijack them. She couldn't use her familiars. Instead, Illya pulled out two guns. In her left hand hand, her Calico M950 submachine gun. In her right, the Thompson Contender Illya inherited from her daddy. If Illya used her square accel from the get go, she would likely take out the Master in one shot.
Mama was in a tough spot. Her main method of combat was through making familiars or constructs with alchemy, but Lancer could take them over with her runes. Illya would have to protect mama so she could focus on using healing magecraft. She was capable of using it from a distance, so she could end up being the group's lifeline.
Mordred walked forward. "You better not get scared and run away. I've been waiting to kick some ass for way too long."
"No worries. I enjoy a good fight." Lancer smiled.
"Good. Now watch this!"
The entire bridge let out a loud creak as Mordred ran at Lancer. Clarent was swung with enough force that the air displaced by the swing became an invisible cutter that extended beyond the sword's blade and increased the attack's range. Lancer sidestepped the slash and the air pressure blade it created. With no wasted movements, Lancer charged her spear with red energy and slammed the butt of into the side of Mordred's head. If that had been the blade, Mordred's head would have been split in half. Instead, half of Mordred's helmet turned to shrapnel and the side of his head bled profusely. He was knocked off his feet. The shaft of Lancer's second spear struck Mordred in the gut and sent him flying.
Mordred stabbed his sword into the road to slow his flight down and land on his feet.
Lancer was already in Mordred's face as soon as he hit the ground. Could Lancer teleport? Mordred was pelted with blunt strikes from Lancer's spears. He attempted to block the hits but he was always a step behind. Lancer used feints and strikes from unexpected angles with a near euphoric smile on her face. Mordred entered a frenzy from frustration. He didn't care about defense anymore so he whipped his sword around. Lancer's body was snake-like as she maneuvered around the blows while keeping up her inexhaustible salvo of attacks. The way Lancer constantly evaded so perfectly made Illya feel like Lancer didn't actually need to think to dodge. She must have had a skill that allowed her to automatically dodge attacks so she could focus her thoughts on her offensive.
This wasn't right. Lancer's parameters were way too low for her to immediately outclass Mordred this much. Even if she was a more skilled fighter, Lancer shouldn't have been able to bridge the gap in power so vastly. Her parameters had to have been higher than what Illya could see. Lancer had some kind of skill that hid her true strength. Essentially a lesser version of Mordred's armor. She went into the open with lowered parameters and issued a challenge to the other Servants in order to make herself look foolish. Then she took over everyone's familiars and learned their locations to force them to fight.
The entire bridge and the surrounding city blocks began thrumming. Mordred's magical energy spiked and focused into Clarent. Crimson lightning danced across the blade and struck out at the asphalt, causing it to begin melting. As the power of Mordred's Mana Burst was about to be released, Lancer's smile grew even wider.
"Splendid." Lancer drew a rune on her spear that made it jump a rank in power. Then, flames lined the polearm that furiously lapped at the air. It was a fire element Mana Burst. Lightning joined the flames. Another Mana Burst but a different element. Could Servants have Mana Bursts in different elements? Next, Lancer's arm was getting amplified with magical energy. It wasn't a Mana Burst, but a skill dedicated to strength enhancement.
Both Servants unleashed their attacks. Mordred's sword powered by a tsunami of sanguine lightning was met by a spear thrust arrayed in fire and lightning that looked like a laser from its speed. The beam of plasma Lancer's stab unleashed bored through Mordred's wave of red and dispersed it. The ray knocked Clarent out of the way and went right through the armor on Mordred's chest. The spear that trailed behind the beam went through the hole that was just created in Mordred. The polearm kept Mordred in place as Lancer's second spear was enveloped in red energy and pierced clean through Mordred's gut.
A scream was ripped out of Mordred's throat from the pain which only intensified as both spears were torn back out of his body.
A rune magecraft skill. A teleportation-esk skill. A parameter obscuring skill. An automatic dodging skill. Two Mana Bursts that were in different elements. A strength boosting skill. How could Lancer have so many skills? Perhaps she had a skill that let her use any skill she wanted? Could a skill that overpowered exist?
Mama tried to use her healing magecraft to restore Mordred. It wasn't doing anything beyond getting rid of the burns the lightning and fire caused and making the stab wounds and bruises shrink a bit. Mama kept dumping more magical energy into Mordred, but he wasn't healing any further. Illya helped too, but the result wasn't changing. Did Lancer's spears have the ability to create wounds that couldn't completely heal. That sounded like the power of one of the spears the Lancer of the last war had, at least from what Illya had been told. As if Lancer wasn't overpowered already, she just had to keep pulling out more abilities.
This was a hopeless battle. Mordred had more raw power, durability, and mana than Lancer and he had the class advantage. But, Lancer's greater speed, technique, experience, runes, spears that created wounds that couldn't completely heal, and absurd number of skills gave her a distinct and strong edge overall. Mordred lacked the raw technique and strategic ability necessary to win this. Someone like mom could potentially overcome the odds but even she'd have a tough time.
The spearwoman pulled back her arm. The spear in that hand flared with red energy. With a mighty toss the javelin sped through the air with the speed of a laser. Mordred, mind still bleary, barely deflected the spear in time to avoid getting impaled again.
But, the spear shifted its trajectory middair. It turned at sharp angles to redirect and target Mordred once more. Mordred knocked it away again, but it homed in on him in turn. Mordred just kept diverting the spear while making no progress.
Lancer made her next move while Mordred was preoccupied. A series of spears were summoned behind the spearwoman. They floated in the air and were all identical to the two she had already been wielding. They fired off towards Mordred all at once.
Right as Mordred finished deflecting the spear he was already dealing with again, the cascade of new ones came for him. He barely managed to block them, though some managed to get past his guard and impale him in his extremities. The force flung into a support beam of the bridge. Mordred's body plowed through the metal pillar and began falling towards the water below. Moving so fast Illya couldn't perceive it and could only intuit what happened, Lancer leapt off the bridge after Mordred.
"Saber, I command you to come here right now and save your son!" Mama declared. One of the three Command Spells she had preserved since the last war shined bright before fading away. Space warped and became like a windstorm. Bursting out of nothing at all, mom appeared fully mailed. Without a word she jumped off the bridge after Mordred and Lancer. If mom, who was empowered by a Command Spell, helped Mordred fight then even Lancer wouldn't be able to keep up.
Sounds of explosions and crashing waves came from below the bridge. The river went wild like a turbulent ocean as Mordred, mom, and Lancer fought below. Walls of water flooded the areas around the river. Mordred and Lancer's attacks made the river slowly evaporate and leave the bridge hidden by steam. Illya struggled to see anything ahead of her. There were moments where the area would be lit up with red and lighting would rise to the clouds from Mordred using his Mana Burst in the water. Illya's skin was scalded by the fog's heat so Avalon had to constantly heal her. Mama had to focus her magecraft on defending herself against the vapor, meaning she'd struggle to help with healing anyone else's wounds.
Illya regretted letting herself get distracted when her torso was subjected to a punch that knocked the wind out of her and made her spine nearly snap. Her organs were tearing. Images of a hole being made in her gut flashed in Illya's mind. Lancer's Master struck with force enough to leave Illya comatose.
"Time alter-square accel." Illya wheezed. Avalon went into overdrive as it both healed the damage from the suited woman's punch and the recoil caused by Illya's time magecraft. As a pseudo-Reality Marble formed around Illya, her personal time accelerated four-fold in comparison to the rest of the World.
Illya took a step back to get off of the enemy Master's fist. As everything moved so slowly it was like time had frozen, Illya put her Contender's barrel point blank to the suited woman's head. The image of the Master's skull breaking open and her brains splattering made Illya dizzier than she already was. Bile filled her mouth and she realized she wasn't ready to kill someone. She changed her target to the redhead's thigh. The shot would incapacitate the woman before she could react thanks to time alter. She might be able to heal, but Illya would knock her out before she had the chance.
The trigger was pulled and the bullet fired. It began digging into the redhead's leg. Suddenly the limb moved at absurd speed. It pulled out of the bullet's path before it had finished entering the limb. The enemy Master leapt back. How did she do that? Illya was so fast she was comparable to a Servant when using square accel. Even if the bullet moved at a normal velocity, the suited woman only had the smallest possible amount of time to avoid getting a hole in her thigh.
A healing rune appeared on the red divot that Illya gouged out of the redhead's leg. As the wound healed, Illya noticed the suited woman's body was infused with magical energy equivalent to a spell from the Age of Gods.
Runes. The Master used runes. So did her Servant. Lancer could have given her Master some runes from the Age of Gods ahead of time to use to boost her abilities. The Master didn't start the fight using the runes to enhance herself. Why? Lancer talked earlier about wanting to see how her Master would do against multiple opponents and talked like a mentor would. It's possible that this was a test of sorts for the redhead. She might have been trying to see how far she could go without needing Lancer's runes to power up. Illya could take pride in knowing she made the suited woman use the rune immediately, but it didn't change the situation. Illya and her mama would have to defeat a Servant level magus without Mordred or mom's help. It might have been time to call Gray for help. But, it would take a bit for her to get there. They could hold Lancer's Master off for a little bit, but even that might have been wishful thinking. Illya's time alter could let her keep up, but mama wouldn't be so lucky. Maybe Illya could bridle carry her mama as she dodged, but then Illya wouldn't have her hands free to defend with.
Stalling and running away weren't options.
It was time to bring out the Origin Bullets.