"Fuck!" The profane language rang through the office of a Lord, a most unusual expression to hear in such an environment. All the lords of the Clock Tower carried themselves with an air of pride and respect that would never allow themselves to espouse such foul obscenities. After all, they were the pinnacle of mages, and nothing was allowed to tarnish such an image. Well, except for one exception.
"First Snowfield, now Hillsdale?" Lord El Melloi the Second removed his reading glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose after finishing his report. "I should have gone myself, but this damn lord position is 'oh, of paramount importance to the clock tower'. Bullshit! Those damn aristocrats always just want to bury their own heads in their research, consequences be damned."
"Brother? Has another student tried to charm you again?" A young lady, peeked in the room through the open doorway, her long blonde hair hanging from the side of her head. "Do you need someone to comfort you?"
"Reines, what are you doing? I thought you were on your way to the Materials and Alchemical department."
"Well, I was on my way, but I just had to check on how my dear brother was doing after hearing such an outburst. What happened?" Reines plodded into the room, making herself comfortable in one of the cushioned chairs. Behind her stood a maid composed entirely of liquid mercury, a mystic coded molded as both a servant and combat system. It was a reminder of her previous brother, El Melloi, and built off his research in the field.
Lord El Melloi the Second sighed, before waving his hand at the computer screen, a piece of modern technology, rather rare within the Clock tower. No doubt most mages at the institutions would sooner smash it to bits than try to understand how to use it. "I just got a report back from John. Apparently, there really is a Holy Grail war occurring in Hillsdale."
"Oh? Who is this John? Is he some accomplished mage I've simply never heard of? Or a sacrificial pawn? This is a war after all, and surely some no-name mage has no chance at surviving. Oh my, I didn't think you had it in you, brother." Reines giggled, apparently bemused at the thought. "Then again, that kind of reminds me of you."
"First of all, be quiet. Secondly, John isn't a mage, so of course you haven't heard about him. It's the same with all you mages, so buried in your own work that you wouldn't even notice if the world ended tomorrow."
"What? But only mages can participate in the Holy Grail War!" Reines immediately straightened, caught off guard by the possibility of non-mage participating in the ritual. "This is a direct violation of the secrecy of mystics. Policies are going to be all over you."
"Again, how are you mages so oblivious to the world around you? Organizations of non-mages have long since discovered the existence of Mysteries. Through suppression efforts, they've remained mostly anonymous, but in this modern age of technology, where governments have satellites scanning every inch of the Earth overhead, do you really believe something as conspicuous as magecraft can remain truly hidden?" Lord El Melloi the Second clenched his fist, being reminded of how backwards conservatives in the clock tower could be.
"Well, of course I know that some people from the U.N. have recently been nosing around the world of mysteries. And this thing called a cellphone is truly peculiar and amazing. Touching the screen and directly interacting with the surface without using mana is something that directly rivals true magic! The problem is that a non-mage is participating in a mage ritual."
"Strictly speaking, he has magical circuits, and thus has the potential to be a mage. But, this can be said for many humans who never even discover the existence of mages. Furthermore, improper usage of magical circuits can cause more damage than harm, frying nerves and warping blood vessels. So while he has magical circuits to serve as an anchor for servants, he executes his will through more modern means. And you don't need to worry about secrecy. He has no intention of revealing the Mysteries to the world."
"I see. He must be quite the character if you trust him enough to hand over the responsibility of the grail. So this non-mage will be specializing in using the primitive weapons of science against the powers of magecraft. I do wonder how he would fare against my Volumen Hydragyrum. I would love to see his face when he wallows in despair, realizing the futility of his path.." Reines smiled at the prospect. "Then, what are you planning on doing, brother? Perhaps you would like to throw your life away again once more?"
"Even if I wanted to join the war, according to John, I would be far too late, and the other masters have likely already been selected. Still the wider implications this war has cannot be overlooked, yet the Clock Tower seems content to do just that. The Wandering Sea and Atlas Institute are busy playing around with their toys, and the Church is probably busy investigating one of the hundreds of other holy reliquaries. Do they all really always just expect the Counter Force to balance everything? Whenever that entity gets involved, people die! And in the event it messes up, what happens if someone uses that massive mana reservoir to do something incredibly destructive? Like reveal the existence of mysteries to the world or wake up the Spider?!" Lord El Melloi the Second grew more paranoid by the minute, reflecting on the catastrophic possibilities.
"I almost forgot that you were soft enough to care about others. You really don't change. Well, I think we all have the understanding that anything the Counter Force or Burial Agency couldn't handle is a lost cause anyways." Reines shrugged. "Well, I'm on my way to the Materials and Alchemical department. Let me know if you need to relieve any stress." With a final playful giggle, she left, her maid of flowing mercury trailing right behind her.
Lord El Melloi the Second sank in his chair, exhausted from having to both read the report and having to deal with his younger sister in law. Although he had initially agreed to enter the El Melloi family out of a strange sense of obligation, he was beginning to question the wisdom of his decision.
A knock at the door pulled him back to reality. A woman with purple hair and eyes, a side effect of her magecraft, peered into the room. "Excuse me? Lord el Melloi?"
"Come in, Bazett. And please remember to include the Second when addressing me."
"Oh, understood." Accepting the invitation, the woman, dressed in a dark suit that complimented her purple hair, wearing a pair of antique earrings, entered the room. Slung across her right shoulder was a long cylindrical canister that reminded the Lord of a designer's or artist's container, used to contain large rolled up sheets of paper. The figure that stood before him was neither of those, however, and was oriented for one occupation, the sealing of mages who the Tower had deemed an important specimen of magecraft that must be preserved above all costs. She moved with a sturdiness that belied her womanly figure. Her eyes carefully focused around her, constantly scanning for threats. In essence, she was the pinnacle of hand to hand fighting in the world of mages.
"Do you know why I asked for you, Bazett?"
"Not particularly, no sir. I have my assumptions that it has to do with my specialization in combat, but I have yet to be briefed on my target."
"You won't be sealing anyone this time. Instead I have a need for your experience. You have participated in a Holy Grail War before, yes?"
Bazett nodded "Yes, that is correct sir. Although, I must concede that I was not an exceptionally good master, and died before the war began in earnest. Why?"
Lord El Melloi the Second intertwined his hands, resting his elbows on his desk, looking closer at Bazett. "You died, yet here you sit, clearly alive. You then went on to prove yourself quite the capable fighting master, even threatening the master who had been considered the winner, Shirou Emiya, an interesting individual to say the least. Although it is mere speculation, it is believed that he was the one to defeat the 'King of Heroes'. Though this last bit, through personal experience, I find exceptionally difficult to believe."
"Yes, that would be an accurate assessment of my tenure in the war. But I must ask why this is relevant to my current mission?"
"There is another Grail War happening in America."
Immediately, Bazett's back stiffened, as a mix of emotions flooded her consciousness. Anxiety, apprehension, fear, but above all, curiosity. "What?!" She had heard rumors of the possibility in the halls of the Clock Tower, many dismissing the possibility of the ritual in the new land with such short history. Furthermore, many believed the reports to be greatly exaggerated. Something as powerful as the Holy Grail could not exist. Similarly, she had dismissed such rumors, believing the events six years ago to be of the past.
The Lord raised a hand, asking for a moment to continue."It's system is similar to the Fuyuki system, but I noticed something unusual about the ritual. Unlike the one in Fuyuki, this city artificially forced together the environment for a ritual by manipulating construction for the current city, like creating piping to redirect groundwater. I fear that, like all Grail Wars it would seem, there is more to this ritual than meets the eye, and I want someone with your experience on the frontlines."
A flame began to burn in Bazett, who yearned for another opportunity in the Holy Grail War. "What about you, Lord? From what I understand, you went through a similar experience."
The Lord's memories resurfaced, as he remembered the red cloak he had so desperately tried to chase after. His king, the one that he would give anything to see and talk to again. No, this is not what he would want. His last command was to live on as his vassal. Charging into my death will accomplish Gritting his teeth, he shook his head. "No, I'm needed here at the Tower. Even if I wanted to join I doubt anything would be different from last time. In the previous war I was simply lucky I had such an amazing King."
"King?"
"My Servant."
"Hm. When will I join this war?"
"As soon as possible. I should let you know, you won't be joining as a master. It would appear that the majority of the servants have already been summoned."
"Then I am to act as an overseer? Isn't that the job of the Church?"
"Yes, but I would feel greatly reassured if you would represent the Mage's Association in the War. After all, last time we let the Church handle oversight, and it didn't turn out too well. Just make sure that if they try summoning some otherworldly deity, or use it to resurrect something that should stay dead, to both report it and interfere with their actions."
"Understood. Then I shall only intervene if I see a need to restrict the activities of the war."
"That would be the ideal set of guidelines. Though I leave the majority of decision making to your discretion. If you deem a mage a threat, you are allowed to use your abilities to their fullest. You are an enforcer after all. But there is one other objective before then. I would like you to make contact with John. He is a mercenary I hired, and he should prove a useful ally, seeing as how you don't have a servant yourself. I believe the class he summoned is Lancer."
Hearing the word, Bazett visibly froze, as her mind began racing. Could it be? By some purely random chance, that I would be allowed to meet my servant once more? Ignoring these thoughts for now, she asked, "What do you wish to be done with the grail?"
"Well, just make sure that it doesn't fall into anyone with bad intentions that cause excessive deaths or danger to the secrecy of magecraft."
"Understood, are there any other individuals I should be aware of?"
"Well, there is a rumor that Centauri-Sol will be participating, though I can't imagine why a prodigy would be interested in the grail when they are already so successful. The overseer is an elderly Father Pastore, who has an interesting resume to say the least. I suggest you read up on him during the flight over. As for the other participants, well, there's not much to go off of. Quite a few other mages have set out to take part, far too many for the number of servants that will be summoned, so I can't give any more advice. Just be sure to keep in contact with me through cellphone. I can't stand the wooden tablet inscription device in this office."
Bazett nodded, getting up to leave, slinging the canister over her right shoulder. "Then I will be on my way."
"Good Luck, Bazett."
"Thank you," She approached the door, "though I hope I've grown strong enough to not need it anymore." Finished with the briefing she left the room, and began to make her way to the airport.
Sitting in the private jet, alone with her thoughts, Bazett opened up the mission report and began to read silently. Her eyes flickered over the known information about the war, the setting, and the known participants. With every bit of information she compared it with her own experience.
Most of the report was already material she knew from Fuyuki. The same classes, the same goal. In terms of combat, she decided it was best to avoid direct confrontation with the knight classes, though perhaps she could take out Caster or Assassin in close combat. Berserker was a wild card, but all things considered, it was probably safer to observe.
The major difference was that war was being held in the U.S. Given her Irish origins, she would not have much difficulty speaking the language, albeit with a noticeable accent. What was unusual was that a Holy Grail required specific cultivation of leylines to produce suitable conditions for it to manifest, which had required the three Mage families in Fuyuki many years to develop. Hillsdale was hardly half a century old, however.
Bazett thought momentarily about the unusual circumstances surrounding the war, and made a note to contact the Lord about it later, as well as to maintain vigilance.
Moving on, she reached a summary of John, the supposed mercenary she would be working alongside. The face picture showed the man, who appeared slightly younger than her, struggling to smile for the camera. Although just a picture, Bazett immediately noticed the minute scars across his face with her trained eye. They were all small and healed over, perhaps from glancing shrapnel or debris.
Looking over the rest of his profile, she began to question the true nature of this individual. Despite having poor quality magical circuits and no aptitude as a mage, he seemed to engage in many supernatural phenomena, particularly in suppressing its activities around the world. An occupation not dissimilar to herself. Instead of using magecraft, he used modern firearms and tools to neutralize his targets.
Bazett nodded, reading through his brief summary. If this was the person she was meant to work with, she would have no qualms. His special skills could come in handy. Although many mages looked down on the use of modern technology, she had no such prejudices. As long as it got the job done, she had no qualms. She also had no love for the mages who looked upon themselves with such airs while disregarding the efforts they deemed as inferior. There had also been a particularly famous mage killer who had made a name for himself eliminating some of the most dangerous mages with surprising efficiency, given his poor mage aptitude.
Bazett briefly considered the possibility of augmenting her combat abilities with firearms, before deciding against the notion, determining that an over reliance on such tools would do more harm than good. She was already well accustomed to her own fighting style, and a firearm might throw her entire system out of gear.
Reading on, she decided to look at the profile of the Church overseer. The last time she assumed she knew what the overseer was like she had paid dearly with her life. Not this time. Looking at the profile, she was surprised with the picture of an old man who wore a peaceful smile that seemed to radiate kindness. His name read Father Brunei Pastore.
As she read over his profile, however, the picture with his warm smile seemed to grow distant. How can someone like him exist? Having fought against many creatures others would deem monsters, she was well tempered to deal with the fears of combat. In spite of this, a shiver ran down her spine as her eyes scanned a line of text that caught her eye. That can't be right. As she continued reading she made another mental note. But if it is, avoid fighting him at all costs.