Chapter 11: Catch Me If You Can
Saber ran as fast as she could down the streets of Fuyuki. Of course, given that it was still daylight and there were people out and about, "Fast as she could" fell far beneath her true maximum speed. However, in her anxiety, she found herself subconsciously pushing the limits of what ordinary humans were capable of. Several passerby's found themselves wondering how such a short, foreign girl was moving so quickly. Heedless of their confusion, Saber continued her run. All she could think about was her Master, who had made himself the most important target in the War. A bad feeling had been welling up in her heart ever since Shirou had reported his find. Although Sonic was on his way to help hide the Chaos Emerald, the King of Knights would not rest easy until she could see her Master's face with her own eyes.
Shirou, please, use the Command Seal and summon me! Saber begged desperately in her mind, There is no telling how many enemies may attack you while you hold that Emerald!
"Wow." Cubot remarked. If he had built with a nose, it have been buried in the ancient textbook he held.
"What is it?" Orbot asked, "Did you discover something?"
"Yeah," Cubot said, "Whoever this Justeace lady was, that Zolgen guy was nuts about her. This book is full of nothing but Russian poetry about her. Bad grammar, too."
"That's because you downloaded a cheap translator off of the internet," Orbot sighed, taking the grimore away. "Now could you please focus- Something's coming!"
The two robots went into their compact modes and tucked themselves behind a bookshelf. The buzz of a moth-like familiar came and went. It was through this method that the electronic pair had infiltrated the Matou Manor. Although Zouken's familiars and Boundary Field would have noticed living creatures, they completely ignored the robots. So long as Orbot and Cubot did nothing to draw their attention, the flying worms would not notice the robots.
Shinji also ignored the robots. He had smuggled them into the Manor by keeping his bedroom window open, and assumed they would hide under his bed while Shinji did his research . That they would sneak into the clan library undetected came as a mild surprise, though not unwelcome one. Orbot in particular was good when discarded books needed to be put back in their shelves.
Shinji hadn't done this sort of thing for a while. When he had first learned of his family's history, he had thrown himself into the library, eagerly preparing to master the spells when it was his turn to learn the craft. Then he found that Oh, Never Mind, We Don't Need You, Son. That had soured Shinji scholarly habits. The Holy War had given the Matou teen new reason to skim the tomes, but Shinji had put more focus on increasing Rider's powers than learning what he had to tell Eggman- namely, what happened once all but one of the Servants had been killed.
The answer was here, he was sure of it.
Shirou wasn't sure what he was doing. He had arrived at the deserted high school to wait for either Sonic or Saber to show up and take the Chaos Emerald off of his hands- but was that the right decision? He had chosen to go to Homurahara instead of his house, or even Tohsakah's, because of the fear that doing so would give a particularly dangerous Servant an excuse to invade their homes.
Now that he was at the empty campus, Shirou realized what a mistake he had made. Even with the antics of the Sonic's-worlders (as he had taken to call them), the rule of secrecy was still being upheld. If a Master wanted to attack a populated area, they would have to expend precious Prana to hide their activities from normal people. A location devoid of witnesses- like the school- would spare them the need to do anything of the sort. If a Servant was fast enough, they wouldn't even need to create a Boundary Field…
Shirou heard a rustling noise, and his entire body tensed. The smart thing to do would be to put the Emerald down, and run off before someone came….
Put it down? Why would he do that? And why was his spine tingling?
The Emerald was having a dangerous effect on him. He should let it go…
No, he couldn't. What if he lost it?
Shirou suddenly became aware that he was at war with himself. He also became aware of the Boundary Field suddenly covering the area. It wasn't much- just enough to make sure anyone on the outside stayed out.
"I must say, this is so frustrating," A woman's voice said, "But I suppose it's the Prana from an alternate universe that is to blame."
Shirou heard footsteps, and saw a figure step into his line of sight. She wore a cloak with a hood that covered the top of her head. Only that was lower than her eyes were visible. Shirou realized that his Command Seals were warm, which meant only one thing. And having seen or heard about the other Servants, he knew exactly who stood before him.
Caster's lips curved into an unpleasant smile. "Give me the Chaos Emerald, please."
Shirou tightened his grip on the jewel. "And if I don't?" He didn't bother questioning how Caster knew what it was.
Caster chuckled, and not in a good way. "Oh, do you really have to ask?" She held up her hand, which was already glowing with an unearthly light. "Machia Hecatia Graea"
Shirou was already in motion as dozens of beams, each the width of a telephone pole, shot towards him…
What am I doing? Archer thought. He was keeping a lookout as always, but now found his mind wandering. Ever since Sonic and his friends (and enemies) showed up, everything Archer had planned for spiraled out of control.
At first, the plan was simple; Wait until an opportunity rose, then use his Independent Action to kill his younger self in the hopes that the time paradox would erase his existence completely. Archer knew that if he didn't, he would grow up naively believing in the path of a hero. That path would lead him to making a contract with Gaia, the spirit of the world, and becoming a Counter Guardian, in order to save innocent lives from a disaster. At the time, it seemed like a good idea. After all, a Counter Guardian was someone who fought to protect the world.
Unfortunately, the greatest threats to humanity were humans themselves. Archer found himself being summoned to key points in time, with no purpose other than to massacre the people there. It only took a few of these genocides for Archer to realize that at the rate he was going, head be killing more people than he saved. It would all add up eventually. Archer couldn't take it anymore. And every time he saw Shirou, he would be reminded of the foolish idealism that led to his never-ending hell.
Then Sonic showed up, and Shirou latched onto him like a little kid who just met Santa Claus. And why not? Shirou 's dream of being a hero had never been taken seriously, not even by close friends. But now there were people who not applauded the Emiya Mages aspirations, but were willing to give real advice. During meetings between the two Master teams and friends, Sonic would constantly put in his own two cents, calling upon past experiences. And Shirou would always ask for more, like a good student hoping to learn from the teacher.
Archer couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. He had never met anyone like in his life.
The sound of helicopter blades spinning pulled Archers attention. He then heard Omochao's voice say, "Press A twice to do a Homing Shot!"
Confused, Archer went out to the front where Rin had insisted the little toy stay. After setting off its motion sensors for the fifth time, she decided that as master of the house the annoying machine would "stand guard" on the front porch.
Rin didn't tell me the Boundary Field had been triggered, so it must be another probe, Archer thought, From the sound of things, she didn't hear Omochao. Good, maybe I can Analyze it without her watching…
But when Archer arrived, he didn't see anything. Just Omochao bobbing in the air. No footprints, no treads, no sign that anything had been out front. Archer didn't like it. Something had set off the robot, but there was nothing there. Not even Archers finely tuned senses could detect…
Archer ran back into the mansion as fast as his legs could carry him. He didn't stop until he reached where Tails plugged in the Miles Electric. Turning the device on, Archer accessed the Energy Radar and began to punch in commands. It didn't take long for him to find what he was looking.
Outside, Rin had finally- After much protest- relented and agreed to let Tails outside. They had just gotten word that Sonic had been pinned down by Lancer. It was agreed that if the normally pragmatic Servant (by his Masters command) was being reckless, then they would have to be too. While Tails would go meet Shirou at the high school, she and Archer would back Sonic up. It was a risky approach, but, like before at Eggman's public assault, their options were limited.
"…And whatever you do, don't mess with the GPS settings," Tails was saying as he fiddled with Rin's wrist, "I've got them locked onto Sonic's location. Just go where the arrow's pointing."
Rin looked at the arrow that appeared on the communicator's screen. The Mage within her would have preferred a mystical solution, but the very desperate person with limited time was grateful for the shortcut. It was a conflict that started the minute she let Tails set up shop.
"…And if you need to call us for anything, don't," Tails instructed firmly, "No offense, but you kinda stink at electronics."
"No I don't." Rin denied falsely.
"It took you five minutes to figure out how to turn the Miles Electronic on." Tails deadpanned.
"That doesn't count. It's technology from another dimension." Rin defended.
"Right," Tails nodded with half-closed eyelids, "That's why you should let Archer push the buttons from now on-"
"Don't move!" Archer screamed from back door.
Rin and Tails jumped. Before their feet had even left the ground, Archer had Projected a bow and fired a sword directly at them. It connected with something no more than a foot away from his apparent targets, creating a small explosion. Within the smoke, a figure wielding a katana could be seen.
"Well, that was unexpected," Assassin said casually, lowering his blade. "I guess I should have been more mindful of those strange devices, hmm?"
"Assassin." Archer growled, half stunned. The samurai had never left the Temple Gate in his own timeline. This was one more change caused by Sonic and company appearing, he knew it. Without stopping to give an explanation, Archer charged at Assassin, Projecting his swords. He bore down on the invading Servant, only to have his blows effortlessly parried.
Archer didn't want to admit it, but he was worried. Part of the reason why he, a typically weak Servant, had been able to fight so strongly against heavy-hitters like Berserker and Lancer was that he had already seen them fight, from his younger self's perspective. Even if it had all been a blur at the time, Archer's recreation abilities allowed him to, in time, work out how they fought. And the knowledge empowered him.
Assassin, on the other hand, was a different story. During Archer's Grail War, the samurai had been forced to remain at the Ryuudou Temple Gate by his Master, away from most of the War. As far as Archer knew, Assassin had only fought once against Saber, and unfortunately, his younger self had only arrived in time to witness the end of their duel. But from what Saber had said at the time, in that time, was that Assassin was an uncommonly skilled swordsman. Had it not been for the stairs they fought on, the samurai may have triumphed over the knight.
"Assassin? The guy from the Temple?" Tails asked from the air. He was in "Copter-mode" and was airlifting Rin from the danger zone. "How'd he get here without triggering your force field? He's not a robot!"
"That's the Assassin-class' True Concealment skill," Rin explained. She began to dig through her pouch- not easy to do while being lifted by her shoulders. "Assassins can make themselves completely unnoticeable. That's their only advantage- Not even Masters can sense their presence when it's active."
Tails gulped. "A magic ghost that can make itself super-invisible? That's horrible!"
"Luckily, Assassins are meant to send against other Masters," Rin stated, "Compared to the other classes, they're not that powerful."
Tails looked at the battle taking place. "He's doing pretty well against Archer."
Archer heard that remark. He also heard Rin's exposition on the fortitude of the Assassin-class. Naturally, he felt a little embarrassed that he hadn't ended the battle sooner. But Assassin was very skilled at diverting and misdirecting Archer's swords. This was a fight that would not that he could win quickly. However, he had his own questions.
"I'm surprised your Master let you leave your post," Archer said during a brief separation, "I was under the impression that you chained to that gate."
Assassin smirked. "Don't mistake incompetence for malice, Archer. My Master normally wouldn't have the power to let me leave the Ryuudou Temple's leylines, but she's recently come into some…very useful charms to compensate," He held up a hand, showing a gold ring around his middle finger. "I'm sure you're already familiar with their beauty?"
Archer gritted his teeth. Power Rings! So that was it. Of course the other Masters would eventually figure out how the elements from Sonic's world could benefit them. Even if they didn't reach the end of the Special Zone, they would still have the Rings.
Before the battle could go any further, Assassin vanished. Archer was confused- but ceased to be when he had to block a Gandre shot. Rin was no longer being held up, and Tails was no longer in sight.
"He's circling behind you!" Tails' voice shouted from behind, "Four o'clock!"
Archer whirled about and felt steel meet steel. Assassin was there, looking a little annoyed. Out of the corner of his eye, Archer saw Tails, wearing a pair of goggles. He recognized them as the improvised infrared goggles Tails had made earlier.
"Tails, throw those to me!" Archer yelled, breaking away from Assassin. He caught the goggles in his hand and quickly put them on. He was immediately impressed. The computerized readout not only show much Prana Assassin's body contained (Tails had used one of Jin's familiars as a unit of measurement), but it also shown the Servant's body temperature (Higher than the average human, naturally), the outdoor temperature, what direction Archer was standing in, and the local time.
"So that's what those do…" Assassin noted with a voice full of comprehension. He didn't sound very upset that his one real advantage had been taken away. If anything, he was pleased to have figured it out.
Archer didn't like it. Then again, as far he could recall, the samurai Servant had always been rather chipper and affable. Still, the instincts for danger that he had spent years developing and honing were buzzing like a cell phone during a movie.
"What are you going to do now, Assassin?" Rin asked, preparing to fire another Gem. "Your class was never meant to fight other Servants head-on. How do you intend on completing your mission outnumbered?"
Of course, even the weakest Servant was still in a class beyond any human being, normally. Tails and Rin would be hard pressed to seriously back Archer up. But Rin believed her words would draw Assassin's attention, giving her Servant the opening he needed to end the fight.
But Assassin just laughed. Reaching into his robes, he pulled out what looked a keychain. It was glowing, and had transparent rune floating above it.
That looks like one of the charms the Temple sells during festivals. Rin and Archer thought simultaneously.
"Before sending me here, my Master had this prepared," Assassin explained, "She'll be a bit upset that I had to use it, however."
"What does it do?" Tails asked cautiously. He was dancing on his toes, clearly prepared to move when the situation called for it.
Assassin frowned. "You know, I'm not sure. Let's find out!"
Assassin threw the charm into the ground. The minute the trinket made contact with the earth, Rin and Archer felt a powerful burst of Magecraft being invoked. Barely a second passed when the ground began to shake. Out from the soil and grass came dozens of skeletons, clawing their way onto the surface like a horde of stop-motion characters. Before long the entire back yard was full of animated bones. The rattling was deafening.
Assassin raised an eyebrow. "Oh. That's disappointing," He looked at Tails, whose namesake appendages were stiff and sticking straight out in shock. "I was expecting something a bit more."
One skeleton lunged at Tails, who regained his wits in time to duck away. He briefly curled into a Spin Dash and plowed through several more skeletons. Bones flew into the air, only to reassemble themselves once they landed on the ground.
"Aww, man! They're pulling together like in video games!" Tails ground, stopping by Jin's side.
"In video games?" Rin asked, taking a fighting stance. She couldn't waist all of Gems on the skeletons. "Haven't you fought these sorts of things in real life?"
"No, Knuckles is the one who usually deals with spooky stuff."
There's something spooky going on in this town, Knuckles thought, punching some sort of mutant startfish into a gooey paste. I'd bet my left fist on it.
The day had been going relatively well for the Echidna. He had gotten up early, had a good breakfast (That Issei kid wasn't so bad in the kitchen) and gotten to work on his search for the Chaos Emeralds. While the repeated disruptive signals were annoying, Knuckles had learned to ignore them. For now, he already knew the location of one Emerald. His plan was to go into the Special Zone and retrieve it yesterday had hit a snag when someone else had snuck inside and used up the gate's power. Hopefully, they had not reached the end and gotten the Emerald. Knuckles would find out if the Special Zone entrance reappeared.
But on his way, he had gotten jumped by the aforementioned starfish monsters. They weren't particularly strong, but what they lacked in obvious threat they made up with sheer tenacity. Luckily, they were more focused on going after him than any of the screaming bystanders who happened to wander by.
What they heck are these things? Knuckles thought, wiping his fist on a wall. They're like Dark Gaia monsters, only uglier and full of juice. Eww.
As Knuckles pondered, he something out of the corner of his eye. It was young woman, with tied up blond hair in a blue dress and white hair. There was something about her dimenor that was was something unusual about her, he could tell...
And she seemed to be in a hurry.
Knuckles felt torn. Part of him, most of him, wanted to go check out the Special Zone and bring the Chaos Emerald back to the Temple. However, there was a small, nagging component of his grey matter that kept trying to say that the blond girl was important somehow.
Grrr, this is going to keep me up at night. Knuckles thought, chasing after the blonde. Where the heck is she running to?
Shirou panted, sweat running down his brow. So far, he had successfully either avoided or blocked Caster's attacks, mostly by Projecting the Atlas as Archer did. However, it would only be a matter of time before Caster decided to get serious. It was plainly obvious that she was just toying with Shirou, clearly enjoying his exhaustion. Or maybe she wasn't as powerful as that, but was a terrific actor. Whatever was going on, Shirou realized that his own life would run out before Caster's patience. This was a stalemate with a burning fuse.
Drawing energy from the Chaos Emerald was out, too. Shirou had the unnerving feeling that pulling Prana from the jewel would be like putting a hole in a dam; too much would come out at once and destroy where it led, which in Shirou's case would lead to another "Swords exploding from the body" scenario.
Yeah, Shirou did not want that happening again.
There was only one way to solve this problem. And he could only do it three times. He had to make it count.
Caster saw Shirou lift his hand. Underneath her hood, her eyes gleamed.
"Saber, by the power of the Command Seal…" Shirou shouted as the marks began to glow. "I order you to my side!"
There was a bright flash of light. There was another flash of light. A beam fired from Caster's hands flew across the courtyard, only to be knocked into the air. Standing before Shirou was Saber. She was clad in her armor, had her sword out, and stood resolutely against the attacking Servant.
"My, my, the Servant Saber," Caster purred, nonplussed by how easily her attack was stopped. "I was wondering when you would arrive."
Saber did not respond. However, her eyes burned with a message that was all too clear. As she glared daggers into the enchanting Servant, she said in hushed tones to Shirou, "Are you unhurt, Shirou?"
"Feeling better," Shirou said, once more feeling a small trace of vitality return to him. "I was able to block and dodge most of her attacks. I think she was trying prolong the battle, for some reason…"
That didn't make any sense. The fastest way to eliminate a rival Servant was to kill their Master. Why would Caster purposely delay herself of such a an easy victory? This had the stench of a plot. Saber narrowed her eyes, trying to determine Caster's scheme.
Caster shivered. "Ahhh, that fierce gaze on a such a cute face…it's to die for!"
Saber grimaced. Or, more likely, this Caster was certifiably nuts. The last one certainly was.
Caster unleashed another beam of light. Instead of dodging or even deflecting it, Saber just stood resolutely, acting as a wall to shield her Master. The ray of Mana just washed over her. Shirou's eyes widened in shock. While he had known from the outset that his Servant had something called a Dragon-Affinity which granted her a high magic resistance, seeing it in action was a sight to behold.
Saber charged through the onslaught undeterred, and slashed at Caster once she was close enough. Before Excalibur could connect, Caster teleported away. The pressure from Saber's slash created a wind that put a sizable crack in one of the school walls.
Caster reappeared several yards away. While she didn't appear harmed, her normal confidence-bordering-on-arrogance had clearly developed a crack. Her hood being flipped over to show her sweating face was a big indicator.
"I see that winning you over will not be such an easy feat," Caster murmured, "So good that I came prepared."
Both Shirou and Saber felt the ground crackle, infused with Prana. At first, Shirou thought it was the work of those strange marks he had found the day he met Rider. But that power had been terrible, evil, with a feeling of decay. This felt different…
Before Shirou could think more, dozens of twisted skeletons burst from the ground. It wasn't long before the entire school looked like the cover of a heavy metal album. However, while Shirou was unnerved by the event, Saber remained unmoved. This wasn't the first time a Caster had tried to prevail by means of a summons. And thankfully, compared to the vile familiars of Bluebeard, these skeletons were a much fainter presence. They lacked the unnatural malice and taint those demons bore. However, there was something about the battlefield that still made Saber uneasy.
Am I still worried about Shirou, Saber thought, Or is there something else to Caster's tactics that I'm missing?
The best course of action would be to take Shirou and retreat...but a shimmer in the air told Saber that doing so would be impossible. Caster had set up a Boundary Field, and the knight sensed that it did more than repel.
It was a kind that entraped.
So, she has no intention of letting us go, Saber realized, Which means the fastest way to save Shirou is to destroy the source of Prana!
With a burst of Prana, Saber threw herself once more at Caster...
"What the heck!? Where'd she go!?" Knuckles yelled, running out in the streets. His presence caused a stir as shocked people stared at the Echidna running in the street. While Knuckles had initially stayed out of sight while he trailed Saber, her vanishing act had caused him to lose his caution.
Grumbling, Knuckles stopped and looked around. His senses were now prickling, and he felt a strange disturbance in air.
And it was coming from the direction of the high school.
Kirie Kotomine did not walk. He did not run. He strode, with purpose, without acknowledging the world around him. Only the most analytical eye, with extension foreknowledge on his subject, would be able to tell that the priest was in a hurry.
Kirie was not used to losing control of a situation. It rarely happened. In his entire life, succeeding in whatever his chosen task had simply been a matter of course. The only time he had truly failed at anything was when Emiya Kiritsugu killed him during the Fourth War…and even that had been undone by the Holy Grails blessing.
Sonic, on the other hand, was an entirely different matter. Ever since he appeared, Kirie 's life had become a series of burdens. The blue blur's heroic tendencies, combined with a total lack of fear, meant that Kirie had to spend every waking moment trying to cover up everything Sonic or one of his friends did In public. While he had help from the Church and the Mages Association, coordinating two groups with different interests was a chore Kirie was not fond of. Just yesterday, he had to infiltrate a military base in order to arrange a tasteful editing of one pilot's report. Just getting in unnoticed had been a hassle. Even more troubling was the talk of sending agents- either Enforcers from the Association, or worse, Executioners from the Churches Burial Agency. In order for either group to operate in Fuyuki, they would need the cooperation of the Overseer. If that happened, someone might find the hidden room he had prepared for Gilgamesh. And even the most coldblooded, stonehearted Mage would be put off by a crypt full of living corpses that used to be survivors of the Fire that had their Mana drained every day.
(Well, Zouken's wouldn't, but that only made it worse.)
All in all, this had to stop. Kirie had put a lot of planning into this Grails War, and he wasn't going to have everything he spent ten years preparing for be upended by band of super-powered mascot characters. Luckily, he already knew where most of the so-called tanukis were hiding. According to air force reports and Lancer's observations, the kitsune called Tails was most likely being kept by Rin. It would be no problem retrieving the fluffy little ace pilot and handing him over to the Association. The red tanuki Lancer encountered would be a trifle more difficult to capture, if only because it may have fallen under Caster's control. Why she didn't turn that one in for a Command Seal eluded Kirie. The real trick was Sonic. He had long figured out that the Hedgehog was being given sanctuary by young Emiya. Unfortunately, Sonic tended to either vacate the premises and Fuyuki itself for hours on end, or stayed within its boundaries with Saber. Gilgamesh had made it clear that Lancer was not to attack the knight until he decided it was time. And one did not ignore the King of Heroes' commands lightly.
Therefore, it was imperative that Kirie kill Sonic now, while Lancer had him contained. It would be difficult- Sonic was fast and skilled enough to fight Servants equally -but Kirie has once been an agent of the burial society.
He would be enough to turn the tide.
"Gae-"
POW!
Lancer blocked Sonic's Homing Shot with his Spears handle. The Hedgehog, once deflected, would circle around in a new attempt to take Lancer's back. And from there Lancer would try to skewer It was in that pattern that the battle had fallen into. They were at a stalemate, and both of them knew it. Sonic, however, wanted nothing more than to ditch the Servant hounding him and go help his friends. Unfortunately, whenever he saw an opening to break free of the duel, that would also be an opening for Lancer to use his Noble Phantasm- and Sonic would be forced to go back and keep Lancer from completing the spell.
I need to find a way out of this and get to Tails, Sonic thought, wiping his chin. I can't wait for him to start firing blanks…No idea how many of those 'Time Spears' he has left!
Before Sonic could think up or put a plan into motion, something sharp rimmed into his side. Yelling in pain, Sonic stumbled as his Rings scattered from his body. For one horrible moment, Sonic thought Lancer would be on him to finish the job- but the spear didn't come. As he scrambled to grab as many Rings as he could before they vanished, Sonic saw that Lancer looked upset.
"What the Hell are you doing?" The Spearman said in a controlled but clearly angry voice, " I didn't ask for your help!"
"I mean no disrespect, but the situation's resolution is far more pressing then your personal grudges." A deep voice said smoothly. It had come from the same direction as the knife.
Sonic looked and saw the unwanted reinforcement. He had seen that man before, on a photograph at Rings mansion. It was the so-called Overseer of the Holy Grails War. The guy who basically put a hit on Sonic and his friends just for helping those in need.
Kirie Kotomine.
He's here only a minute and I already wanna punch his face in. Sonic thought, When He realized something. "Wait a minute! You're Lancer's Master?!"
Kirie didn't bat an eye. "I am afraid you are mustaken," The priest said, "I am the Overseer of this War, as appointed by the Holy Church," He gave a bow that was entirely devoid of anything, save sarcasm. "My name is Kirie Kotomine."
I'll bet, Sonic thought, not believing it for a minute. Aloud, he asked, "If you and Lancer aren't a team, why help him? You're supposed to be impartial, right?"
"That is true,"Kirie conceded, "However, I have other duties to perform. Chief among those is maintaining the secrecy of Magecraft. Which requires, unfortunately for you, eliminating those whose actions risk exposure."
"Y'know, I've wondered what kinda church would help evil wizards or whatever hide," Sonic said, reaching into his left glove. "Shouldn't you be all 'Burn the witch' and stuff?"
Kirie chuckled mirthlessly. "It seems you underestimate the tenacious state of affairs that hold this world together."
Kirie launched into a lecture on the now delicate rivalry between the Holy Church and Mages Association. He spoke of how the Church became involved in the Holy War, as they could not allow the term Holy Grails be used so frivolously. And Sonic ignored every word. He had already heard this history lesson from Shirou and Rin. Kirie wasn't telling him anything new. What he needed right now was a way out this situation.
Instead, Sonic pulled out the cell phone and did a systems check. Looks like the Boundary Field Lancer set up didn't stop the service. Good. And all of the jumping and running around didn't damage the camera. And, oh, look at that, it even had email.
Now we're getting somewhere, Sonic thought as he hatched a plan. And it looks like motor mouth is starting to wind down. Good, this is already taking too long.
"…Do you understand our position?" Kirie finished rhetorically.
"Sure do," Sonic replied, spinning the phone in his hand like a baton. "You care more about covering your own butt than the people getting killed by this stupid war!"
Sonic was off like shot, and Kirie was ready. Or more specifically, Lancer was ready, and blocked Sonic's assault with husband spear, putting the handle between Hedgehog and priest. Kirie planned to follow up with his own martial arts, killing Sonic with a few well-timed strikes.
But Sonic suddenly jumped, and as he sailed over their heads, something went click-click-click. Landing on their other side, he examined the photos he took on the phones screen. The evil grin that sprouted gave Kirie a horrible premonition.
"Not bad! The camera loves you guys," Sonic chuckled, and held out the phone. It had a candidate image of Kirie and Lancer. "And I'll bet the cops'll love this too."
"What you saying?" Kirie asked tensely.
Sonic gave the priest a level glare. "I'm saying that if you don't have Lancer back off and let me help my friends, I'll hit the 'Send to all' and show the world what good friends you guys are."
"And you think that a single picture will expose anything?" Kirie asked, forcing himself to sound unimpressed. While a hierarchical Mage wouldn't have understood the full extent of what Sonic was threatening, the priest did. He sent out a mental command to Lancer to steal the phone, but to his shock the Servant did not react. He tried a bluff. "Please, don't insult me with such a baseless threat. But, if you truly feel the need to barter, perhaps you can accompany me to the church. We can hide you and your friends if need be." At least, hide their bodies…
But Sonic just laughed. "Sorry, but this offer is non-negotiable. And don't worry, this episode of Candid Camera won't expose magic- just the fact the local bishop is in cahoots with the 'Spear-weilding Murderer.'"
Damn him! Ten years ago, Kirie had been a suspect for the murder of Tohsakah Tokiomi. The chaos caused by the Great Fire had put the investigation on the backburner. Some bribes and applied hypnosis had caused the matter to be dropped entirely. However, if Sonic made good on his threat, it would be the beginning of the end- With all of the mayhem caused by Eggman, if Kirie was fingered for anything, both the Church and Mages Association would have him removed, peacefully or not, in order to cover up what was happening in Fuyuki.
Kirie couldn't afford to let that happen to him. And Sonic knew it.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I've gotta catch up with my buds," Sonic said, turning on his heels. "Catch ya on the flip side!"
A cloud of dust was all that remained as Sonic ran off. Kirie just stood there, grinding his teeth. He hadn't expected someone who acted so happy-go-lucky to pull out such a cutthroat tactic. It was the kind of thing Emiya Kiritsugu would do, equal parts pragmatic and reckless. And it
"He got you good, Father," Lancer said, using Kirie ' s formal title in case another Master or Servant was watching. Better to uphold the illusion for now. "I guess we're backing off for now."
"Why didn't you take his phone?" Kirie hissed, infuriated by Lancer's gentle mocking.
Lancer shrugged. "He's faster than me. Yeah, I know I'm supposed to be the fastest Servant, but Sonic's in a class of his own. If I made a grab for it, he could have hit the send button..." He paused. "Where'd he get that, anyway? If he went into a store, you would have heard about it, right?"
Kirie didn't answer. He knew damn well where Sonic had gotten that phone. In fact, Kirie had bought it several months ago for Rin's birthday. It had been a joke at the time. He knew that Rin would never touch anything more complicated than a calculator. However, the expression his ward had made when she received it was well worth the expense. Never in his life had Kirie ever expected his little joke to backfire on him in such a way.
Rin, you and I are going to have words when we next meet. The priest thought darkly.
Rin yelled something. It was hard to understand over the constant din of clattering bones, clashing swords, and other violent noises, but as she roundhouse kicked one skeleton into another, it's meaning was clear. Perhaps.
Glad she's having fun, Archer thought as he parried Assassin's sword over and over, Too bad he is too.
And Assassin was clearly enjoying himself. Archer hated it, and for one important reason; the samurai was the better swordsman. Archer had the feeling that if Assassin really wanted to, he could have killed the bowman very early in their clash. Of course, Archer had no intention to continually fighting on Assassin's terms. Whenever possible, he would break free and try to snipe Assassin with an Overloaded sword. Unfortunately, Assassin was just as good as deflecting the projectiles as he was with regular blows.
"I must admit, you are a very peculiar Heroic Spirit," Assassin noted as they fought, "All of these swords, yet it feels as if none are truly your own. Could you be a false Servant, like myself?"
"False?" Archer repeated, a bit confused. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the propellor for the Tornado begin to turn.
Assassin broke away from Archer. "Sasaki Kojirou never existed. I myself have no true name, the only thing I ever possessed was a skill with the sword. For all of her power, my Master couldn't summon a proper Servant, and instead had to satisfy herself with a fake like me."
"A fake. Yeah, I guess we're similar in that regard, at least," Archer muttered, while thinking on Assassin's words. 'Her'. So, his Master really is a woman. Unless he's lying...
"In fact, until very recently, I was stuck at the temple because she couldn't be bothered to share her Mana with me," Assassin continued as he and Archer circled each other, "For a wandering swordsman like myself, being trapped in a single place was like a very cold Hell."
"Don't tell me," Archer interrupted, "You're Master found some of those Power Rings and used them to fuel your actions?"
Assassin smirked. "When life gives you lemons, you know."
They clashed again. After a minute of thrusts, parries, slices, and blocks, the two Servants broke apart.
"I truly am grateful to meet such a skilled opponent," Assassin complimented, "So, as a token of my thanks, I would like to show you something special. It's a technique that I've spent my whole life developing.
"Tsubame Gaeshi!"
Assassin's sword began to move, but something about it made Archer's eyes water. It seemed to bend in ways that his mind told him were impossible. It was if he was making strikes in multiple directions at the same time. But that was...impossible.
Before Assassin could finish his attack, he jumped aside and the ground he was on exploded. Archer looked up and saw that theTornado no longer where it had been before. While it hadn't taken off, the biplane had apparently wheeled its way around the yard until its nose was pointed at the duel. Archer could see a trail of smoke wafting out from beneath the aircraft, and a fluffy pilot in the cockpit.
"Test of weapons system complete!" Tails yelled, "Rin, hit the dirt and don't get up until the noise stops!"
Archer smirked. So that's where Tails had gotten to. In all of the confusion, he had lost track of the Fox. Pretty clever of him. And rather than waste time with another attempt to blast Assassin, Tails steered the Tornado around, mowing down the skeletons with its guns. Rin, seeing what was happening, wisely followed Tails' advice and put herself as low to the ground as bad Assassin was nimble enough to avoid the missile.
The Servant in question wasn't very pleased, if his expression was any indication. No doubt he didn't like having his fight with Archer interrupted.
Well, tough cookies, Archer thought bitterly, If wanted a proper duel he should have rented a stadium.
"I suppose this is your victory for now," Assassin sighed, sheathing his sword. "It would have been nice to see this battle to the end." And with that, he turned and ran off.
"Are you giving up?" Archer yelled, chasing after him. "That's hardly honorable, isn't it?"
"I'm simply at my limit," Assassin called back, "My Master instructed me to fight you, but I'm not going to die pointlessly, especially for such a duplicitous woman. But I think I've served her ends enough for today."
With that, Assassin vanished from sight, once more using his True Concealment to hide from Archer's vision. The bowman scowled, knowing that it was pointless to search for the samurai. Turning around, he went back to help Tails and Rin finish clearing out the skeletons. Thankfully, whatever Magecraft Assassin used to summon them was starting to run out. Fewer and fewer were reconstructing themselves. And without Assassin to worry about, destroying them was less a fight for survival and more of a chore. The ease gave Archer time to think on Assassin's words.
Served her ends enough... it was clear that Assassin had no true loyalty to his Master, whoever they were (The odds of it being Kazuki-sensei's fiancee increased with the usage of "her"). That might have explained why Assassin had been invested in winning the battle. But how could just fightin serve any ends?
"Whoa! Looks like a heavy metal album exploded here!"
Sonic the Hedgehog had arrived. Fashionably late, apparently.
"Sonic! Are you okay?" Tails asked, flying out of the cockpit. "What happened with Lancer?"
"He and his Master tried to double-team me, but I managed to outsmart them," Sonic said, looking around. "Looks like you guys made out okay."
"No, we didn't," Rin growled, pulling a bone that had gotten tangled in one of her pigtails free. "Assassin attacked us and got away before we could finish him off."
"Assassin? You mean the guy at the temple?" Sonic asked, "I didn't know he had skeletons in his closet."
"Would you stop the bad jokes, this is serious!" Rin snarled, her patience at the brinking point. "I think this attack was a delaying tactic. Assassin's Master wanted to keep us from getting to Emiya-kun."
Sonic hummed, and turned on his communicator. "Yo, Shirou! You doin' all right?" No response. "Uh oh. Tails, keep that propellor spinning!"
Technically, Shirou wasn't in any immediate danger. He just didn't hear his communicator beep. Granted, it would have been hard to hear anything over the sounds of bones rattling and getting smashed to pieces, magically-invoked laser beams firing, and his own Servant yelling battle cries as she smashed skeletons to pieces. Meanwhile, Caster teleported around, trying to blast Saber or Shirou with her offensive Magecraft. It may have worked, except Saber's instincts allowed her to counter any assaults, and she never strayed far from her Master. While there were those felt 'immediate danger' should include being caught up in a ferocious battle between Heroic Spirits from bygone eras, in truth Shirou felt relatively at ease. He wasn't going to let his guard down any time soon, but nor was he going to panic. The fight had fallen into a steady rhythm.
But we can't do this forever, Shirou thought, dodging one skeleton before crushing it with a Projected Kansho. My and Saber's Prana are going to run out eventually. Is Caster's plan to try to exhaust us? But she runs the risk of draining herself as well that way. All of this Magecraft can't be easy to fuel.
And apparently it wasn't. Soon enough, the mob of skeletons began to thin out, until there was very little between Saber and Caster. Both ladies were clearly exhausted, but neither were willing to show the other any weakness.
"What is the meaning of this, Caster?" Saber asked, "Are you giving up?"
"Hardly," Caster sneered, "You were having so much trouble that I decided to be generous. If you want, I'll even continue this duel with my eyes closed."
Saber narrowed her eyes. It was clear that Caster was baiting her, but the knight's patience was ebbing. She needed to end this battle now. If Caster was going to be so careless as to leave herself open, then she could not wait to decipher the witch's intentions. Trusting in her natural immunity to Magecraft to protect her, Saber charged at her foe. Caster fired another beam, but when Saber batted it aside, she fell to the ground and her knees.
"Oh…oh, please! Don't!" Caster whimpered, holding up her hands in fright. "I'm sorry! Just don't hurt me!"
The witch's tone had gone from haughty to terrified so rapidly that it threw Saber off her game. The blond Servant halted her advance so quickly that her feet caused a screech as she pushed them against the ground. Sword still held over her head, Saber tried to determine where the trap was.
And then something red fell on her.
If there was one trick that Knuckles prided himself on, it was his gliding. Of course, calling it a mere trick insulted the skill he had developed during those years on Angel Island. By spreading out his quills just so, Knuckles could catch air currents soar through the sky like the world's toughest paper airplane with spiked fists. Although it lacked the means of elevation like Tails' 'copter-mode', (unless he hit and updraft) it was much faster, allowing Knuckles to cover more ground if he jumped from a high enough point. And when Saber vanished, he did just that. After sensing the mysterious forces building up at the school, Knuckles scaled the nearest building and once at the top, took off to ride the skies. He could have sworn that he heard some shouts about a UFO, but didn't see anything else in the air.
Nearing Homurahara Academy, Knuckles didn't so much as see the mystical field surrounding the campus as he sensed it. Defining how the sixth sense worked was tricky. However, once he got close enough, he could make out some kind of battlefield. A red-haired teenager was standing in the center of what looked like a giant collection of bones. A small distance away from the youth two more figures were together, a blond standing over-
Knuckles felt his heart leap into his throat. It was Ms. Caster! He would recognize that that purple hood anywhere. And it looked like she was being threatened!
Without another thought (As typically for him in these situations), Knuckles narrowed his quills and went into a nosedive- fist first. He was moving so quickly that Caster's attacker didn't have time to react when Knuckles made his presence known by means of a right hook.
Saber felt the blow and did her best to roll with the punch, the impact did send her back quite a few feet. She recovered quick enough, only to be stunned again when she saw who had blindsided her. "You!"
From his spot, Shirou's recognized Knuckles immediately from the pictures Tails had saved on his Miles Electric. He also figured out what was going on, and even if he hadn't, the first words out of Knuckles would have cleared up the matter.
"Back off, shorty!" Knuckles shouted, "There's no way I'm letting you hurt Ms. Caster!"
"Oh! My hero!" Caster said
Shirou groaned. Of course Knuckles would think Saber was the enemy and Caster was just an innocent victim. And that would explain why Caster had surrounded to Saber so readily. She must have sensed Knuckles coming and was putting on a show to manipulate him into attacking the knight.
I've got to call Sonic and have him clear this up! Shirou thought, and looked to his wrist. To his horror, he saw that the communicator was broken. It must have been damaged while Shirou was fending off Caster.
"Back away, you fool!" Saber shouted, trying to get around Knuckles. And while she was faster than an ordinary human, Knuckles was able to keep up and and put himself between knight and witch.
"You back off!" Knuckles yelled, following up with a left jab. Unbeknownst to him, Caster was unable to hide her smile. Nor did either fighter notice her reaching into her cloak…
"Knuckles, stop!" Shirou yelled, running towards the fight.
Thankfully, Knuckles did. "Huh?" He asked, looking away from Saber. "How'd you know my name?"
"We're friends with Sonic the Hedgehog," Shirou explained, panting. "Please listen to me. We're not your enemies."
"If you're not enemies, then why are you attacking an innocent woman?" Knuckles demanded.
"That's just...a misunderstanding," Shirou said awkwardly, "Look, just calm down. Sonic's been staying at my house and told me about your world. Look," He held out the Emerald. "I found this so you guys can get home. We want to help you."
Knuckles didn't look convinced. "Oh yeah?" He asked, "Well, if you and Sonic are friends, then prove it."
"Prove it?" Shirou repeated questioningly.
"Yeah, tell me something that only Sonic would know," Knuckles challenged, "If you can."
Shirou racked his brains, trying to recall one the anecdotes Sonic had given. "Er…wasn't there one time when you got your head stuck in a drain pipe and…"
"Stop!" Knuckles yelled, waving his hands. "I believe you. That blabbermouth! I told him not to tell anyone else about that!"
Shirou allowed himself a faint smile. Things were finally looking up. All they had to do now was explain their battle against Caster….
Wait. Where was Caster? Shirou felt a chill when he realized that the spot where he had last saw the witch was empty.
"Rulebreaker!"
Both Shirou and Knuckles looked to where Saber was. Crouched before the Knights side was Caster. In the witch 's hands was a dagger with a crooked blade. The tip of which was being jammed into Saber. And while it didn't seem like the knife was actually piercing the flesh, the blond Servant looked stunned for some reason. Was she just shocked that Caster had caught her off guard?
Before anyone could ponder more, things began to happen. One of the skeletons, lying limply on the ground, came to life. It sprang into the air, and snatched the Chaos Emerald out of Shirou's hands by its teeth.
Shirou paled. "No-!"
Knuckles' became a red blur. He plowed into the skeleton, smashing it to pieces. But as most of its bones cluttered onto the ground, the skull, with the Emerald still lodged firmly in its mouth, flew though the air-
-and into Caster's hand. Then the skull crumbled away, and the red glow of the Emerald seemed to flow out and cover Caster's body. The witch let out an almost sensual moan and held up her other hand. Shirou saw that unlike before, the back of that hand had marks on it. Familiar marks. With a feeling of dread, he glanced at his own hand, which was now missing his Command Seals...
And Caster said, in voice as sweet as poisoned honey, "Oh, I've got a really good feeling about this."
To be continued
Tiger Dojo:
Taiga: Hohhh! Welcome! You have arrived at the Tiger Dojo! I am your instructor, Fujimura Taiga! Gaoh!
Big: I'm a cat. My name's Big.
Taiga: Ehhhh!? Where's my Number One Student?
Big: She couldn't make it. Here's her note.
Taiga: (Reading) "My big return is in the next chapter, so I am taking this lesson off to make myself more presentable. The very cute and marketable Illya." Why, that lazy little brat! How dare she run away at such a critical moment! Well, fine! Who needs her! Substitute Number One Student! Begin the Q and A!
Big: The first question is from Thunder Dragon; "What is in the trunk that Rin is so afraid of?"
Taiga: Ah, the forbidden tool of the Tohsakah Clan... To explain, we must first talk about the Wizard Marshal,Kishur Zelretch Schweinorg. Hundreds of years ago, he took Rin's ancestor, Nagato, and trained him in the ways of magic. Since then, several of Zelretch's prized inventions have become heirlooms of the Tohsakah Clan. Among those heirlooms is a Mystic Code called the Kaleidostick, or Ruby. This Mystic Code allows its contracted weilder to access knowledge from alternate selves of paralell universes. In short, if you needed to know how to fix cars, you can use Ruby to gain the skills of a version of you that became a car mechanic!
Big: That sounds useful.
Taiga: However, Ruby is a total jerk who derives pleasures from the suffering of their user! Apparently, Rin used it once and Ruby put her in a really humilating situation. After that, Rin locked it up in a special chest with infinite space and swore to never use it again.
Big: Oh. That sounds mean.
Taiga: But fitting! If you don't earn your power and just take shortcuts, you'll never turn out well! Now, the second question! Hmm, this one doesn't have a signer: "Are you going to bring in the Mobians' Chaos Powers like Lightspeed Attack, Sonic Wind for Sonic, or the Wisps?" Student Big, this is your speciality! Answer the question!
Big: Hmm, Sonic might do the Lightspeed Attack if he feels like it. I dunno about the wisps, tho. They're from another planet, so they might not get here in time.
Taiga: Dang, and they're so cute, too! Oh well, we are running out of time, so we must end the session. We will see you at the next practice!
Big: G'bye everyone.