"Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone.
The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg.
The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate.
Shut (fill).
Shut (fill).
Shut (fill).
Shut (fill).
Shut (fill).
Repeat every five times.
Simply, shatter once filled.
I announce.
Your self is under me, my fate(doom) is in your sword.
In accordance with the approach of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer.
Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead.
You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance!"
In the mansion that once belonged to the Edelfelts, a spacious room had been reworked into a basic workshop by Bazett Fraga McRemitz. She was sent by the Clock Tower to procure the Grail for them and their own purposes. Bazett had her own wish, but having it come to fruition wasn't her main goal. Her own desires were never her main goal.
The summoning circle had just finished its purpose in summoning the Sealing Designation Enforcer's Servant. She had wished to summon the hero Cú Chulainn even though she lacked a catalyst since he was the man she wished to save with her wish. She followed a lead on the Child of Light's earrings, but things went south and the relics got destroyed. She hoped her desire to summon him along with marking the walls of the room with runes to strengthen the ritual would make her dream a reality but that didn't happen.
"I have arrived from the Land of Shadows. My name is Scáthach, my class is Lancer. I guess I should call you, 'Master?'"
Bazett had summoned a darkly radiant woman in a form fitting purple bodysuit instead of Cú Chulainn. In her hands were a pair of crimson spears that matched her eyes which popped thanks to her long dark hair. Her presence was light yet strong like the subtle and ever present sky that hung above all mankind.
She said her name was Scáthach, the queen of the Land of Shadows and the mentor of Cú Chulainn who he never actually surpassed. It wasn't the Child of Light she admired and instead was someone related to him which still made Bazett feel strong emotion upon seeing her. The Enforcer felt a connection to the story of Cú Chulainn ever since she was young. She read every word over and over so she could memorize every event of the hero's life. Cú Chulainn was a larger than life man who completed amazing feats that enraptured Bazett when she was just a little girl. It was Cú Chulainn's wondrous adventures that inspired Bazett to join the Mage's Association. Her family had left the Association long ago to live peacefully in the shadows and Bazett abandoned that life to become a legend just like Cú Chulainn. It hadn't gone well since the Mage's Association determined her to be near useless and Bazett had lived a life that was less that of a hero and more akin to that of a gun that shoots whoever her owner points her at. Bazett still did her duty the best she could just like how Cú Chulainn did. It was all thanks to Cú Chulainn that Bazett was who she was and now the Master of that man she so admired was before her eyes.
"Are you alright?" Scáthach asked as she walked closer.
"Yes, I'm fine. I was just overtaken for a moment by your presence."
"I'll take that as a compliment since I'm in a good mood. It's nice to be in a normal Grail War." A small smile formed on the queen's face.
"You've been in Grail Wars before?"
"Not in this timeline. Normally, I wouldn't be able to be summoned since I'm still alive as an immortal alone in the Land of Shadows, but after an event that incinerated human history I technically died and was recorded into the Throne of Heroes."
"What do you mean the incineration of humanity? How is humanity here in that case?"
"It is a long story that I wasn't present for most of. It's not important."
"O-Okay." Bazett could not comprehend how humanity getting annihilated wasn't important, but it apparently didn't matter so she decided to let things lie for the moment. "Can I ask about you still being alive?"
"What about it?" Scáthach's words came out much more harshly than what Bazett expected.
"You said you're still alive but how? You only said how you got recorded into the Throne of Heroes and not how you could live for centuries."
"There's not much to say. I slaughtered many in battle including Divine Spirits and became so strong that I slowly transmuted into an immortal who's on the border of becoming a Divine Spirit herself. My kingdom separated from the World and I was left a queen of a silent land full of ghosts." Every word was spoken so bluntly that it was somehow more upsetting to hear than if Scáthach was screaming in anguish.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to open up old wounds." Bazett didn't know that Scáthach possessed such a sad and unusual history. Scáthach was only briefly spoken of in Cú Chulainn's legend so she's a bit of an enigma compared to many other heroes.
"Don't be sorry for you did nothing wrong."
"I see. A-Anyway, you said that you've been in Grail Wars before."
"I've appeared in a few Grail Wars and none of them have been normal nor have they involved a chance for me to have a wish granted." Scáthach slowly stepped around the room while inspecting things. Her attention was mostly on the runes Bazett put on the walls.
"You must have a wish you really want granted." Bazett said.
"I just want to die. I plan to wish for someone capable of killing me to appear so we can duel to the death."
"You want to die?"
"I have lived a very long time in the Land of Shadows all alone and unable to pass. I'm tired I suppose. I wanted my stupid student to do it, but he ended up being unable to meet the task."
"By stupid student, do you mean Cú Chulainn?"
"Setanta, yes. I never truly considered that plausible, though. He lacked the strength or the personality necessary."
"That's unfortunate, that you want to die, I mean." It was tragic to hear that an individual Bazett had admired longed only for a permanent end. It made sense if she was stuck alone in another reality for hundreds of years. She just wanted release though Bazett didn't necessarily think it was the correct way of dealing with her loneliness so Bazett was hoping she could convince Scáthach to wish for something else.
"It's nothing. What is your wish?"
"Well, my wish is to save Cú Chulainn, Setanta."
"Save him?"
"His life ended so tragically that I felt he deserved a better ending. The whole story had so much sorrow that it didn't seem fair. He was so brave, strong, kind."
"Don't tell him that in person; you'll give him a swelled head. There's no need to save him from anything. If there was anything he was good at, it was rolling with the punches. He has already made peace with his life and trying to change it for him would just be unnecessary meddling."
"Oh, I see." The only personal motivator Bazett had to participate in the Fifth Holy Grail War was swiftly slain by the spear that was Scáthach's analysis.
"Do you have anything else you wish for?" The queen asked, though Bazett knew that she had already figured out the answer.
"No. Saving Cú Chulainn was the only thing I could think of and it wasn't something that came quickly. I've never really had any long term goals in life beyond some vague ideas that were more based on sudden emotion rather than anything clear and grounded. I usually just do whatever I've been tasked with. I'm not even sure what the point of my life is." Bazett crossed her arms as she felt upset at herself. Did she even deserve a spot in this Holy Grail War? Was there someone somewhere else with an actual wish who should be here?
"Don't feel sorry for yourself."
"Huh?"
"Not everyone needs some great goal in life. Not everyone's life needs to be an epic tale. You should find satisfaction in what you have achieved just by living day to day. Have you ever helped someone with something minor?"
"I guess."
"Give me an example."
"Ah…once I helped an old woman carry her shopping bags to her car."
"Be proud of that. You made that woman's day a whole lot easier."
"That's just a small thing, something anyone would have done."
"Does that old woman's happiness not matter? If making her day easier was pointless then you shouldn't have bothered and just left her to struggle."
"That's not true."
"It was a good thing that you helped that woman?"
"Yes."
"Then that is all that matters. Be proud of the little things, not everyone needs to save the world."
Bazett felt Scáthach's wisdom hit her hard because her point was simple but clear. She was the ideal teacher after all. Was it possible for Bazett to just be happy with her small accomplishments? Did she not need a goal? Was simply living enough? But, why did Scáthach want to die? If she could be satisfied with living itself then why did she yearn for death? The answer was obvious. Scáthach was alone. She didn't have anyone in her life, just ghosts. She lacked friends or family. She was a queen of the dead who could not die herself. She was like Hades who yearned for Persephone so he would have someone beside him.
Bazett understood that loneliness though she doubted her solitude could ever compare to Scáthach's. The Enforcer desired someone to be close to and be open with, but she never managed to form such a connection. She lacked the emotional strength to bridge the gap between herself and other people and there seemed to be very few who wanted to reach her.
The only one who ever had, if only a little, was the man she met on some of her missions named Kirei Kotomine. Bazett met the priest on a mission and though they never became friends, Kirei became the closest thing Bazett ever had to a pleasant acquaintance. The priest had a sullen countenance and a kind heart which showed with the kind remarks he would make. He was the only person that provided Bazett with validation and made her feel accepted. Bazett's family rejected her when she decided to join the Clock Tower and the Clock Tower had no interest in her. Kirei was the only source of direct positive reinforcement in her life. Well, Scáthach had been nice to Bazett just now so there were two people now.
Bazett stopped contemplating her life when she realized she was just standing quietly while Scáthach stared at her.
"I'm sorry for going quiet. I got lost in thought for a bit. We should go into the living room to discuss our plans for the war."
"Master, where are we right now?"
"We're in a forest outside the city the Grail War will take place in."
"Are we relatively secluded?"
"Yes." Bazett wasn't sure where Scáthach was going with this but she knew her Servant always acted with intention.
"Can you follow me outside for a moment?"
"Okay, but why?"
"Be patient."
Bazett led her Servant out the front door and her Scáthach suddenly took the lead as they went behind the mansion. The forest was quiet and a little ominous as many ghosts wandered the woods and weaved through the trees, but they weren't any more of an issue than your average animal for a magus like Bazett. The Lancer looked around and analyzed the environment.
"This should work."
Before Bazett could even ask for clarification, Scáthach had materialized both her spears and thrust one at her Master. "Ehwaz!" Bazett didn't have time to dodge so instead she grabbed the spear right below the blade as her hands and feet glowed green from being empowered by rune magecraft. It took her full strength to stop the strike but she succeeded even as her feet dug into the ground and her muscles flexed so hard they burned like molten metal.
Bazett didn't know why her Servant was attacking her, but there was no time to ponder that because she had to get away. Survival was the main priority and stopping that one thrust was enough for Bazett to realize that she could never defeat Lancer. Escape was the only way and thankfully Bazett could also tell that Scáthach was holding back tremendously for some reason so Bazett actually had a chance of getting away.
Jumping back while releasing the spear, Bazett began dashing backward while keeping her eyes on the Lancer. Bazett couldn't let the Servant out of her sight or she'd get taken off guard and killed before she could even realize what happened. Scáthach had a speed stat of A, so even if she was holding back she was still far faster than Bazett could perceive. Bazett needed to analyze every facet of what was occurring around her to predict what Lancer would do ahead of time because the Servant would be impossible to track in real time. Lancer was just that fast.
So fast that Lancer got in Bazett's face nigh-instantaneously and it took the Master a second to respond by sending a side kick towards the Servant's leg. The Servant jumped as her own kick came for Bazett who crossed her arms and blocked the strike. Her body skid backward across the grass as her shoes made long divots in the dirt. The bones in Bazett's arms ached but a healing rune was all that was necessary to restore them to top condition.
Lancer was right next to the Master again and it was evident that Bazett couldn't just run away unless she stunned the Servant in some way. The best way would be to get in a hit that could discombobulate Lancer like a blow to the head that would shake around her brain and give her vertigo. Since Lancer was getting in close, Bazett got closer too to the point that there was so little distance between the two that it would be awkward for the spearwoman to use her polearms while Bazett would easily be able to send flurry after flurry of strikes. And Bazett did send off an avalanche of punches and kicks which Lancer blocked and dodged so casually it was like she was smacking away the hands of a newborn. But, Bazett didn't let up and every time Lancer tried to step back, Bazett would step forward and keep on the pressure to make sure the Servant didn't have a chance to counterattack. There was no way for Bazett to hit Lancer this way but it gave the magus time to think of the next step of her plan. This sadly hinged on Lancer not deciding to use more of her strength.
Or more of her arsenal.
Half-a-dozen red spears that were perfect imitations of the ones Lancer held appeared all around Bazett with their tips pointed towards the enforcer's vitals. The lances all thrust at Bazett and she had to stop her barrage on Lancer to carefully and quickly step between the pikes. As she danced her way to apparent safety, Bazett made the mistake of letting her eyes off Lancer. The butt of one of the spears Lancer held was driven into Bazett's stomach which pushed the Master away and towards the trees around the mansion.
The wind was knocked out of the enforcer and she had to force her knees not to buckle as she endured the pain in her gut. Bazett's eyes landed back on Lancer and they weren't going to leave her this time even as the magus drew a rune in the air.
"Ansuz." A ball of flame the size of an adult human roared towards Lancer who only needed a single jab of her spear to dissipate the blaze. It had barely done anything beyond slow down Lancer a moment but that was all Bazett needed as she readied her next attack.
Without taking her eyes off Scáthach, Bazett reached back with one arm and grabbed onto a thick tree behind her before uprooting it entirely. The soil was sent everywhere when Bazett removed the tree from the dirt with a single tug before tossing it at Lancer. The Servant was about to swing one of her spears to destroy the incoming tree while Bazett leapt into the air as she did. Her body was hiding behind the arboreal projectile so she could have the element of surprise.
"Ansuz-Eihwaz." Bazett quietly chanted as her foot was strengthened further. She dive kicked through the tree, sending wood chips in the Lancer's face to blind her as the foot continued to fly towards the Servant. Hopefully, the kick would knock Lancer away and leave Bazett with enough time to make greater distance between them.
Unfortunately, Lancer easily grabbed Bazett's leg even without being able to rely on her sight and tossed her Master back towards the house. Bazett landed on her feet with her back against the wall of the building only to see the Servant create a rune in the air.
"Ansuz."
A massive fireball bigger than the mansion flew at the Master. It was too large for Bazett to dodge to the side or above to avoid. But, the grass below the fireball wasn't igniting. The fireball wasn't touching the ground and its heat was condensed enough that even things very close to it wouldn't immediately catch fire. If Bazett could get low enough to the ground and make a small pit with a strong enough strike then she could go under the fireball. It would still destroy the mansion but it was better than dying. The chances of pulling off such a maneuver were low without perfect precision. The fact that it would involve staying in place and making a divot in the ground over trying to dodge was a terrifying prospect. Bazett gathered together all the bravery she could muster as she stomped the ground which was destroyed. What was left was a small pit large enough that Bazett was able to dive down into it as the flames flew above her at the very last second. A moment later and she would have been vaporized.
Or maybe not, as the inferno dissipated completely right before hitting the mansion.
"You have great courage, a sharp mind, and fine instincts, but there is much potential within you that you have yet to access." Scáthach stood at the divot's edge and extended a hand towards Bazett. Bazett hesitantly took it and stood herself up.
"Was that some kind of test?"
"I wanted to see what you were capable of when under pressure. You didn't disappoint."
"I was no match for you even though you were holding back." Bazett didn't see what impressed Scáthach as her performance seemed quite underwhelming.
"You say that like it's common for modern mages to fight equally with Heroic Spirits. Trust me when I say that there are few in this world that could have lasted as long as you did against me just now. The fact that you had the analytical ability and instincts to understand that you couldn't have dodged my first thrust and had to grab it, as well as the courage to actually follow through speaks volumes about you."
"Really?" Bazett felt moved.
"You need to be more confident in yourself. I'm not one to flatter so when I say you have amazing potential, I mean it. By the way Master, what actually is your name? I forgot to ask before and you've impressed me enough that I feel compelled to know it." Scáthach spoke with a smile that made Bazett emotional though he tried to hide it. Very few had ever acknowledged her and for the mentor of her biggest hero to praise her was intense.
"My name is Bazett Fraga McRemitz."
"A fine name. I won't forget it."
Bazett was scared she was about to get teary eyed from such basic praise. "Thank you. By the way, are you sure you're a Lancer? One rune was all that you needed to create a massive fireball, it makes you seem more like a Caster."
"I can promise you I'm a Lancer, it's just that my skill in magecraft equals my skill in spearmanship. Your magecraft is also impressive for the standards of this era. It's where the majority of your untapped potential lies."
"How so?"
"You have a greater affinity for rune magecraft than you know because you're limited by using only modern runes. It's not your fault. The runes of my era have been forgotten and all you have left are pale imitations. I use the Primordial Runes, the original runes Odin himself forged separate from the rest of the World."
"So you're saying I'd be a lot stronger if I could use Primordial Runes?"
"Absolutely. When combined with your existing skills, you could fight on par with Servants."
"Is that really true?" Even if Scáthach's previous compliments were true, this one seemed outlandish.
"You still doubt my honesty?"
"I'm just struggling to imagine myself being that strong."
"Properly imagining your goal in a realistically attainable form is one of the first steps towards achieving anything. Many times people have unrealistic expectations, they think too arrogantly or optimistically but you're the opposite. You're too self-deprecating to accurately appraise yourself. I suggest you focus on fixing that first and foremost and then we'll move on to Primordial Runes."
"You're gonna teach me Primordial Runes?"
Scáthach possessed an expression of clear realization and disappointment like she noticed she was giving in to a bad habit and was internally reprimanding herself.
The queen of the Land of Shadows turned around and took a few steps away. "Of course not, we don't have time to waste on that. I'm your Servant not your teacher. We're here to get the Grail and then our partnership is over. This is all temporary."
"Oh." Scáthach's words stung. They seemed to be getting along so well, but now she was being cold. "Sorry, I was getting carried away."
"I'm not your teacher, mother, sister, or lover. This is just business." Scáthach continued facing away.
Bazett felt stupid for getting so worked up just because she received the smallest morsel of acknowledgement. She was like a child begging their parents for attention. It was pathetic.
"Sorry, I was being childish. We're here to fight, not for you to teach me how to do my job."
Scáthach peered back at Bazett before turning away again. "Master, would you describe yourself as a lonely person?"
"Well, if I'm being honest then yes. It's my own fault. I'm not appealing enough to make people want to be with me and I don't make the effort to attract others."
Scáthach did nothing for a moment before running a hand through her hair and turning ninety degrees and looking at Bazett from the corner of her eye. "I wish to go around the city so I know the layout for the war."
"It might be safer if we have you memorize a map of Fuyuki rather than go around the city. Even if it's during the day so there's no risk of getting attacked and you stay in Spirit Form, we could still be found and tracked by another Master or Servant."
"I don't plan on staying in Spirit Form. We are going to have some fun." What? That was unexpected considering Scáthach' turn to coldness mere moments prior. Why was Scáthach continually oscillating in mood? And what did she mean by having fun when they're about to begin a life or death battle where one slip up could mean the end.
"Why? Didn't you just say we need to keep things businesslike?"
"Yes, but we still need to build a bond of trust. We need to like each other to work well together and having fun is the easiest way to do that. As for danger, we are certainly one of if not the strongest pair in this war. Besides, do you fight using more stealthy methods or are you more comfortable with direct confrontation?"
"The latter."
"I also prefer it though I am fully capable of being more covert if I wish. If we're just going to have a direct confrontation in the end anyway, we might as well not waste time and just let our enemies try to ambush us and face them head on. I can also predict the future to a degree thanks to my Wisdom of Dún Scáith skill so it is unlikely we'll be taken by surprise even if they have things like high ranking Presence Concealment."
"Okay, I guess we can go out into the city then. You'll need to stay in Spirit Form until we can stop by a clothing store and buy you some normal outfits."
"Fair enough. Let's not waste time then." Scáthach went into Spirit Form.
Though she lacked perceptiveness on Scáthach's level, Bazett could tell that the queen was being weirdly moody. At first she implied she might want to mentor Bazett in magecraft, then she wanted to keep their partnership purely professional, and now she wanted them to bond. Sadly, Bazett lacked the intuition to figure out what Scáthach was thinking.
Bazett went inside, grabbed her wallet, locked the front door of the mansion, and left for the city.
This wasn't what Bazett was expecting.
While buying Scáthach some clothes, the Servant noticed the swimsuits and she asked if there was somewhere to swim in the city. Bazett told her that there was an indoor waterpark called Exciting Splash and the next thing she knew, Scáthach was buying swimsuits for herself and Bazett. She hadn't actually insisted on going swimming and they could do something else if Bazett was too uncomfortable, but Bazett said it was fine because she wanted to make Scáthach happy.
Now the pair was in the wave pool with Scáthach in a rather revealing pink bikini while Bazett was in a more conservative red one piece swimsuit.
"This kind of thing is nice every once in a while." Scáthach was leisurely swimming up the waves while Bazett just stood in place with her arms wrapped around herself. "Do you want to leave?"
"No, I'm fine, just a little awkward."
"Are you embarrassed?"
"A little."
"Why?"
"I just don't like being stared at and people are staring." Every time Bazett's eyes darted around they landed on another person looking at her and Scáthach.
"It comes with being a beautiful woman." Bazett blushed at the compliment. Scáthach was able to be so kind so casually to the point that it always took Bazett off guard. "Plus, we're two foreigners in a racially homogeneous country so we're bound to stand out wherever we go."
"I know but it was easier to tune out the stares when I was wearing my suit and coat."
"Are you sure you don't want to leave?"
"I'll be okay. It's just that I've never been the most secure in my femininity so having everyone stare at my…manish body is embarrassing."
"What do you mean by manish?"
"I mean I'm more muscular and broad bodied instead of being curvaceous and smooth bodied like you." Bazett pawed at her biceps and abdominals to feel their hardness and confirm to herself how unappealing she was.
"Don't be absurd. You're plenty feminine and don't let any preconceptions born from society color your view of what you must be. You decide what is feminine and be comfortable in embracing that femininity." Scáthach had surprisingly progressive views for someone who lived in an era so distant in the past. Bazett poked at one of her abs and wondered if she really could still be considered feminine despite not being shapely and petite. "Besides, being traditionally feminine isn't all it's cracked up to be."
"What do you mean?"
"The shape of my body may be visually appealing to many but it makes it difficult to do certain things. A big example is that my body is not suited to unarmed martial arts at all so I could never truly master them." Scáthach sighed.
"Really?"
"It's very disheartening for a warrior such as myself to know there's a style of combat that is out of my reach. It makes me wish I had your figure since it has helped you become an expert at hand-to-hand combat."
"You're not implying I'm better at martial arts than you, right?"
"You are superior to me. To be fair, I could use my Wisdom of Dún Scaith to use skills that can alter my body and begin training in unarmed martial arts, but those changes to my body would be temporary so I'd still be limited. My point is that you should appreciate what makes you unique rather than interpret them as shortcomings."
Things were put into a new perspective for Bazett upon learning that she was good at something Scáthach wasn't. It seemed like Scáthach could do anything but she was as imperfect as everyone else, apparently. Maybe Scáthach was just lying or being modest to make Bazett feel better but the Master decided to believe her Servant.
Bazett looked around again and she still felt embarrassed by people's gazes being on her. Her self-confidence may have gotten a brief boost but the attention still disconcerted her.
"Let's get your mind off of everybody else. How about we play a game? What's a game people play in the pool?"
Bazett thought for a moment. "We could play Marco Polo."
"I know who Marco Polo was thanks to the Grail giving me knowledge, but I didn't know there was a game named after him."
"One person who is 'it' closes their eyes and tries to tag the other players while saying the word Marco repeatedly. The others try to stay away from the person who's 'it' and every time Marco is said, the other players have to say Polo which acts as a hint to who's 'it' as to where everyone else is located."
"Seems a little easy for the person who's it."
"To be fair, most people don't have Clairvoyance and superhuman senses like you."
"I can't deny that. Alright, let's play. I'll be 'it' first and I'll limit myself to only trying to find you with sound. Is that okay?"
"That's fine with me."
"Then let's begin." Scáthach closed her eyes. "Marco."
"Polo." Bazett immediately moved from her starting spot after responding to try and proactively avoid Scáthach. This didn't work because the sounds of the water being displaced and splashing around from her moving gave away Bazett's location. Scáthach made a beeline towards Bazett's true position with the diligence and ferocity of a hungry predator.
Scáthach thrust her hand ahead and Bazett barely managed to avoid getting grazed as she dove down into the water. She was taking what she learned from their earlier spar and applying it. While under the water, Bazett swam between Scáthach's legs and got behind her.
Before Scáthach finished revolving to face Bazett, the Master pounded her fists into the pool's surface to create a big wave in all directions. Lancer wasn't moved by the splash but it was loud enough to drown out the sounds of Bazett stealthily relocating herself. Bazett held her breath and slowed the beating of her heart when the undulations of the water became less violent. Despite Bazett's efforts at hiding her presence, Scáthach's ears were so powerful they could hear the flowing of her Master's blood in her veins even with the splashing of the wave pool making the water loudly lap at itself. The queen was like a torpedo as she came at Bazett again and it was only through luck that the human avoided her Servant's touch and got behind her again.
Scáthach spun around and swung her arm to try and grab Bazett, but the motion was so powerful it caused the water around her to be blown away from her in a wave far larger and stronger than those the wave pool was already generating. The wave was so strong that Bazett took advantage of it by riding it to let herself be pushed out of range of Scáthach's arm. The mistake Bazett made was not keeping a foot on the pool's floor so she had the leverage to quickly redirect herself if necessary.
Scáthach pursued her Master while she was still riding the wave. The distance shrank and left the Servant mere millimeters away from her Master.
"Marco." Scáthch smiled.
"Polo." Bazett whimpered.
A slender finger booped Bazett on the nose and Scáthach won the game.
Then Scáthach's momentum caused her to fall into her Master and make the pair crash under the water. Bazett accidentally opened her eyelids as she and her Servant were fully submerged. The chlorinated liquid burned the magus' eyes, but she forgot her pain when she saw Scáthach under the water. The queen's hair was floating and flowing as time seemed to slow which allowed Bazett to see Scáthach's beauty more clearly than before. Bazett noticed the little details of Scáthach's face, figure, slender fingers, entrancing lips, flawless skin, everything.
They were so close that they were practically hugging because they slammed together when they fell below the water's surface. Bazett could feel Scáthach's smooth skin that wrapped around her solid muscles. The Servant's lips were subtle but seeing them up close revealed just how soft they looked to the point that they had the hypnotic pull a bed had when one was exhausted. The rest of the queen's face matched her lips in their enchanting form. Even when Bazett tried to rip her eyes from Scáthach's lips, the Master would get stuck staring at her Servant's eyes or cheeks or nose. The queen's breasts were pressing into Bazett and that realization made the Master freeze up.
Thankfully, the woman who made Bazett feel so enraptured grabbed her Master and pulled them both up through the surface. Bazett didn't gulp down air despite being deprived of it for so long. She was too busy wondering if she had actually summoned Helen of Troy as her Servant.
"Sorry, I got a little overeager it seems." Scáthach said.
"It's fine." Bazett half slurred as her mind was still on Scáthach's body. The Master was watching as droplets traced down her Servant's figure.
"For someone who doesn't like people staring at her figure, you seem to be very okay with staring at mine."
"Sorry!" Bazett turned away, upset at herself for her lack of self-control.
"It's alright. I'm not upset by being looked at by lustful eyes. I wouldn't wear a bodysuit in combat if I was."
"It was still wrong of me." How disrespectful could Bazett possibly be towards not only a Servant but her queen and the mentor of her hero.
"How about we play something else?" Scáthach looked around. "Is that a volleyball court? How about that?"
"Alright."
The pair got out of the pool and dried off a bit before moving to the vacant volleyball area. Scáthach bent over and picked up a ball from the ground which made Bazett have to look away to avoid staring at her Servant's buttox. Bazett was worried because she was so aware of Scáthach's body now. If they started playing a game that involved her Servant jumping around in her bikini then Bazett wasn't sure she'd be able to focus.
But, she was wrong.
Scáthach wasn't playing around as she jumped up and spiked the ball so hard that Bazett had to put all her focus into the game in order to hit the ball in time. This wasn't just a game.
It was war.
The Master and Servant went all out, or as all out as they could without making the building crowd of spectators suspicious of their superhuman physicality. The ball was struck back and forth and each strike that hit the ball made a loud bang echo throughout the park. The duo danced around their sides of the field with precise footwork to always be able to reach the ball wherever it flew. Every time they jumped in the air they positioned their bodies in a way that allowed them to put their full body weight behind their spikes while being perfectly ready to begin moving again once they touched the ground. An uninformed viewer would assume Bazett and Scáthach were pro volleyball players due to their skill. It didn't take long for a large crowd to form around the women as they played. People picked sides as they cheered and it suddenly looked like this was an actual sporting event.
Zeal filled Bazett as she duked it out with her Servant. Every time she hit the ball Scáthach's way she felt pride and a cathartic feeling from knowing she hadn't yet fallen to her opponent. Each time Scáthach hit the ball back a pleasurable tension formed in Bazett like she was a compressed spring ready to push back and unload all her built up energy. Despite ostensibly being in opposition to each other, Bazett felt perfectly in sync with Scáthach. It was like they were dancing in perfect step with each other and the volleyball court was their dance floor. That thought caused Bazett to imagine herself and Scáthach actually dancing together in an ornately decorated ballroom. Bazett would be wearing a fancy suit and Scáthach would be in a gorgeous ball gown. It was a pleasant image but Bazett needed to focus on the fight or she'd lose.
Neither Bazett nor Scáthach had acquired a point yet and it was time for that to change. Bazett knocked the ball into the air and she decided to gamble on one last spike. She leapt up and struck the ball with such force that multiple large ripples traveled across the sphere before it had even left the Enforcer's palm. The ball broke the sound barrier as it traveled towards the ground. Scáthach got in the way and put her fists together to bump the ball. The volleyball hit her wrists and she pushed against it to send it back into the air. The Lancer's feet dug into the sand from the force pushing into her, but her near godly might would not buckle.
Right as the ball was about to return to the air, it popped from being unable to withstand the stress of Bazett and Scáthach's strength.
The audience cried out in disappointment after getting so into the match only for it to suddenly stop. They hoped for the two women to continue their match, but the duo left the volleyball area satisfied with their bout.
Bazett was smiling and it took her a second to really think about the fact that there was an entire crowd around them. She knew they were there but she hadn't cared. She was just having so much fun facing her Servant in a volleyball match that had no real consequence. Scáthach had her own small smile and it was gentle in its form and was more beautiful than any jewel. Bazett still felt a little hot in the face looking at her Servant but it wasn't as bad as before.
"That was fun, right?"
"Yes, it was."
"Then how about we head somewhere else. The fun's only just started."
"Let's."
Bazett was having fun and she knew now that that was what Scáthach wanted. The queen saw how down Bazett was before and was trying to cheer her up despite saying their relationship was purely business. Bazett knew Scáthach was more empathetic than she portrayed herself to be. Bazett also figured Scáthach was sympathizing with her because of their shared loneliness. They could curb each others' loneliness for the brief time they were together as long as they ignored the inevitability of their parting.
The inevitability of that parting was only because of Scáthach's wish for death when she'd otherwise be able to live past the Grail War theoretically. That wish for death confused Bazett as she thought more about it considering its motivation.
"Can I ask you a question?" Bazett said.
"What is it?"
"You said you want to die because of your isolation but you're not alone anymore. You aren't trapped in the Land of Shadows and can go wherever you want so why don't you just keep on living on Earth instead of dying?"
"This isn't my Earth and I have no right to make it my Earth. I am from a bygone era and so I don't belong in this reality and I certainly have no right in interfering with it. If I may be honest, I actually find the whole idea of Heroic Spirits being summoned to this realm wrong. If you Masters are to battle for a wish, it is you yourselves that should fight for it so you can earn your prize and grow from the experience. We Servants are ghosts that should stay dead. I never tried to leave the Land of Shadows for that reason."
"You never actually tried to leave the Land of Shadows? You just stayed there and let yourself be imprisoned?"
"Beyond some tacit efforts at escape early on, yes."
"So you refuse to live on not only because of your loneliness but because of philosophical reasons."
"That's correct."
"But, I don't think you have to interfere with this era, I mean you obviously affect things by being here but that doesn't mean you have to do anything too influential. You could just live as a normal person after the Grail War is over. You could meet new people and curb your loneliness."
"I'd still be immortal and so I'd watch my loved ones perish as time passes."
"You could find new loved ones and you could even find someone else immortal to spend eternity with."
"And do you know such an immortal?"
"Well the Grail could provide such a person or even…" Bazett was going to say that she could wish to be immortal so they could be together forever. Bazett had only just met Scáthach and yet the Servant had made Bazett feel better about herself and about life itself than anyone else ever had. It wasn't as if there was anyone else in Bazett's life she was attached to beyond Kirei. Yet Bazett couldn't get the words out because of her fear of how Scáthach would react.
"I'm not changing my mind about my wish. I don't belong here and I'm only participating on a whim so please don't waste time trying in vain to change my mind." The queen had become cold again.
"Sorry. I shouldn't try to supersede your will but I can't help but want to stop you from ending your own life."
"I appreciate your kindness but your efforts are wasted."
Bazett's good mood had died away again as she remembered that there would always be this insurmountable distance between herself and Scáthach. It wasn't Bazett's job to get close to her Servant or to do anything beyond acquiring the Holy Grail for the Clock Tower. The issue was that Bazett was acting in her own interest instead of just doing as she was told like the gun she was. She just had to do as she was told like she always did and everything would be fine, even if she wasn't happy.