Chapter 12: Treasonous Witch
At a secret location, Agent Stuart was having a headache. Developing the network to monitor and gauge the amount of Chaos Energy (The mysterious element traceable through Eggman's technology, believed to be connected to the Chaos Emerald he sought) was still in the early stages when they had gotten multiple alerts. Flares of Chaos Energy had been detected at three separate locations. One was at the Tohsaka property, another had been at a street somewhere in the city, and the third was at the high school. While Stuart wanted to have the new prototype remote-controlled drones sent out to investigate, getting permission to launch the robots with offensive components was akin to beating his head against the wall. Unless they had solid proof that it was Eggman, none of his superiors were willing to allow the usage of military hardware in civilian areas. And now the CE rate at Homurahara Academy was skyrocketing.
"Agent Stuart!" Another agent ran up. "We just got word from local police. An aircraft was spotted crossing Fuyuki airspace. It matches the description of the bi-plane used by Sonic and Tails."
"Any guesses as to their intended destination?" Stuart asked.
The agent shook his head. "We can't say for certain," He began to type on a computer. "However, this is the plane's estimated trajectory."
The screen showed a map of Fuyuki. A dotted line appeared, with a little ball riding along it. Apparently, if the plane's path was straight, then it would pass over the high school.
"Have any of the drones we sent to Homurahara Academy sent back a report?" Stuart asked.
The agent looked awkward. "From what we've ascertained, when the unit arrived at the school, it was destroyed by a…skeleton."
Stuart felt another headache coming on. First robots, now skeletons? What is happening to this city?
"Caster, what the heck is going on here?" Knuckles called out, "What's with that knife?"
As she rose higher into the air, Caster looked down at her little pawn. She held out her Noble Phantasm for all to see. She knew that by using it, she had exposed her true identified, but the sheer rush from holding the Chaos Emerald overpowered whatever unease she had. As far as she was concerned, victory was hers. Nothing wrong with a little gloating.
"This is Rule Breaker," Caster said, "It is a sword of betrayal and negation. It's power is such that it can nullify any Magecraft in the world," She smiled evilly. "Such as, the contract between Master and Servant," She directed her gaze at Shirou. "Your Servant is now mine, Emiya Shirou."
Shirou swallowed, but his throat had become so dry it was a meaningless effort. His Command Seals, the proof of his bond with Saber, were gone. And combined with the sight of the Chaos Emerald in her hand, Shirou began to feel a sense of hopelessness. And once more, he was at the Fire.
Knuckles didn't really understand exactly what was happening. But, while he might have been stubborn, hardheaded, and gullible, that didn't mean he was stupid. As he watched the Chaos Emerald's light surround the woman who sheltered him, he began to have that same feeling he had whenever one of Eggman's plots came to fruition. It was a little instinct called the "Darn it, I've been had!" feeling. He took a few steps forward and held out his hand.
"Okay, Caster, I don't know what's going on, but you better hand over that Chaos Emerald," Knuckles said warningly, "Its power is lot more than an ordinary person can take!"
But Caster simply chortled. The more she held the Emerald, the more she could feel its energy flowing into her. The sheer potency of it all made her giddy with confidence. There was no way she was going to let it go now!
"Oh, Knuckles, you're concern is unneeded. My skill is far greater than the low quality of mage in this era," Caster replied, "But if you really want to help me, why don't you collect more Chaos Emeralds for me? I believe you said there were…six more?"
"For you!?" Now Knuckles was getting angry. Caster's patronizing tone was working his nerves. "Now, listen here! Those Emeralds belong to me and my friends! We need them to get home!"
But Caster laughed again, making Knuckles angrier. With both Saber and the Chaos Emerald in her grasp, she had no more reason to keep up her act of a 'poor, endangered bride' around Knuckles. In fact, she felt confident enough to make another attempt at mind control. After all, now that she had a substantial piece of Knuckles' home in her possession, it was certainly worth a shot…
But before she could do anything, Caster saw the arrow coming. Holding up her hands, she released released a wave of power that blew the arrow away. Knuckles looked to where the arrow had come from and saw Shirou holding a bow.
"Oh, you're still here," Caster said dismissively, "I had almost forgotten."
Damn it… damn it! Shirou thought desperately. He had hoped that with Caster preoccupied by Knuckles, he could get a shot in and maybe kill the witch. No such luck, apparently.
Caster looked down at Saber. "Saber, as the first task for your new Master, kill that boy," She held up her hand and the stolen Command Seals began to glow. "I order you."
Saber cried out in pain as the same eerie glow began to surround her body. She began to take jerky steps towards Shirou, her sword raised.
"Ne-never…" She gasped, struggling to resist the order. Her form shook as the war between her will and Caster's waged.
the witch frowned. "You would disobey your Master? For this inept boy?"
"You may have stolen his Command Seals…" Saber panted, her eyes blazing. "But you will never be my Master!"
A red blur rammed into Saber, knocking her down. Knuckles looked back at Shirou and yelled, "Kid, take your girlfriend and run!"
"What?" Shirou asked, stunned at the Echidna's actions.
"You heard me! Beat it!" Knuckles shouted, turning to glare at Caster. "Me and Mizzzz Caster have a few things we need to work out."
The expression on Caster's face was now devoid of humor. She sighed, "I suppose if you want something done, you need to do it yourself…"
Caster's ascension increased, until she was at roughly the same height Eggman was during his attack on the school. Around her, giant circles appeared, each the size of a car, some bigger. And within these wheels were runes from a long-forgotten era.
"Machia Hecatia Graea"
"Uh oh." Were the words that left Knuckles' mouth. Fitting and understated they were, as beams of light began to rain down. Shirou knew in an instant that these attacks were of a much, much higher strength than the ones Caster was sending out earlier. Before, she was just wearing Shirou down as part of her plan to take Saber. Now, though, Shirou had become expendable. Even if he had the Prana, there was no way his recreated Atlas shield could withstand such an assault.
But then, it turned out he needn't have worried. Before any of the rays could reach their target, something spun through the air, hitting each one and canceling them out. The weapon boomeranged around and Shirou saw that it was a stone sword.
Berserker's sword.
The ground shook as the monstrous Servant thundered towards the battle. He caught the sword and soon stopped, taking a moment to glare at Shirou. Once the moment passed, he turned his glare up at Caster. Off to the side, Knuckles shivered at the sight of the immense being.
What IS he? Knuckles thought.
Caster found herself swallowing involuntarily. Even with Saber under her heel and the Chaos Emerald in hand, the sheer terror invoked by Berserker cut through the confidence she had built. As the son of Zeus, Herakles always had commanding presence. As a Servant summoned into the Berserker class, that aura had been twisted and magnified by the inherent rage of that class.
Even worse, during her observations, she had seen that Berserker's Master had a dark affection for Saber's Mast- her ex-Master. It was clear which side she would take in the ensuing battle.
Caster returned to the ground, landing by Saber's side. "It seems that our little gathering is becoming too crowded for my liking. I'll take my leave…and my servants!"
There was a flash, and Caster was gone. But so too was Saber!
"No!" Shirou cried. Ignoring Berserker, the Mage ran over to where the Servants had been, hoping to find some trace of them. But they were gone. And he had no idea as to where.
Remembering that Knuckles and Caster had known each other, Shirou turned to the Echidna, hoping he would shed a clue- and saw he too was gone. From what Sonic had told him, and he had personally seen, Knuckles was unlikely to have fled- Caster must have taken him as well. Shirou fell to his hands and knees as he realized that not only he had lost Saber, he had also lost one of Sonic's friends as well.
"Onii-chan."
Shirou looked behind. Illya, dressed for the outdoors, was walking up to him. She glanced around at the bones scattered around the courtyard.
"To think a Servant of the Caster-class would would rely on Dragon Tooth Warriors," The little girl commented.
"'Dragon Tooth'?"
Illya shrugged. "As far as familiars go, they're pretty cheap. They're name comes from the dragon fangs used to create and control them," she explained, "The only troublesome thing about them is how many there are."
"Oh," Shirou stood up. "There were a lot, so that explains it…"
Illya looked around again before focusing her red eyes on Shirou. "What happened to Saber? I don't sense her, but it doesn't feel like she died."
At first, Shirou was taken back by how blunt Illya was with her words. For a moment, he was about to berate the little Master for her apparent callousness. But Berserker's presence reminded him of what had happened the first time they were at odds.
Biting back an angry retort, Shirou said, "Caster took her."
"What do you mean?" Illya asked. She saw then saw that Shirou's Command Seals were gone from his hand. "Huh? Where'd your Seals go?"
"Like I said, Caster," Shirou said unhappily, "She used her Noble Phantasm, a crooked sword called Rule Breaker, to steal my Command Seals. When you showed up, she teleported away and took Saber with her."
"So, that's Caster's Noble Phantasm?" Illya asked, "A sword that can warp the contract between Master and Servant?"
"According to her, it can undo other Magecraft." Shirou went on. Talking about it made him feel a little better about what had happened.
"Then she undid the pact you and Saber made, and forged a new contract by force," Illya summarized, "Only a Mage from ancient times could do high-level Magecraft like that so quickly."
"I don't think she intended for to tell anyone else," Shirou said, "If you hadn't appeared with Berserker, I might have been killed," He smiled faintly. "Thank you."
Illya smiled broadly. "Of course! You're my Onii-chan! Only I can decide whether or not you live or die!"
Shirou's smile turned sheepish. "Uh, that's good to hear…I guess…"
Illya then said, "I sensed another presence here, besides yours. Was that the enemy Master?"
Shirou felt his uneasy grin drop. He sighed. He might as well admit it to someone just how badly he had failed. "No, that wasn't an enemy. It was one of…"
The loud roar of an engine cut Shirou off. He, Illya, and Berserker looked up. Approaching them, high in the sky, was a familiar red biplane. The Tornado! A blue dot leapt from it, quickly showing itself to be Sonic, who landed several meters away from those assembled. He looked around at the piles of bones. He then looked at Berserker.
"Please tell me this was just a game of fetch that got out of hand." The Hedgehog deadpanned. Berserker huffed.
"Sonic…" Shirou began, catching his friend's attention. "I really screwed up…"
After Tails landed the plane, Shirou told the off-worlders about what had happened. He imagined that both Sonic and Tails would be upset over his blunder. Not only had Shirou failed to protect the Emerald, but he had been unable to stop one of their friends from being taken away.
Strangely enough, while Sonic wasn't apparently happy about the turn of events, he did not seem overly upset. Just resigned.
"Okay, so, let me get this straight," Sonic said, scratching one of his quills. "Caster has Saber, Knux, and the Chaos Emerald," He smacked one his fist into his palm. "All right, let's do this!"
Tails nodded. "Yeah!"
Shirou blinked. "Do what?"
Sonic flashed Shirou that trademark smile. "Duh! We're gonna get our friends back, of course! What, you think I was gonna give up just like that?"
Shirou's mind stalled. "But… Aren't you upset at me? I mean, I couldn't keep Knuckles out of danger, and…"
Sonic waved a dismissive hand. "Psh! Relax, this isn't the first time Knuckles' got himself in hot water. And besides, it's not like him and Saber are dead, are they? All we gotta do is beat Caster and they'll be free!"
Shirou felt his spirit lift a little bit. Sonic was right. Neither Saber or Knuckles were killed. Caster wanted their abilities to help her plans. And it was plain that getting their cooperation would not be an easy feat. That gave the team plenty of time to plan a rescue mission. But that brought to mind another problem.
"But we don't know where Caster is," Shirou pointed out, "How can we track her down?"
"I think I can do that," Tails piped up, "Before it vanished, I was able to scan the Boundary Field with the Tornado's on-board computer. I'll need Rin's help, but if I compare the readings with the other Fields here in Fuyuki, we should be able to narrow down Caster's hideout."
"She's in the RyuudouTemple."
The trio looked at Illya. The tiny Master had been idly standing by, slowing absorbing everything they had been saying. Only now she had decided to speak up. Her face was without emotion.
"The Boundary Field that was here a minute ago had the same kind of Prana as the one surrounding the mountain," Illya explained, "It's only fitting that Caster would take up residence at a place where leylines converge."
Sonic blinked. "Hold the phone. Caster can't be hanging at the Temple. That's where Assassin is."
Shirou's eyes widened in realization. "If Caster can steal Servants, why would she stop at just one? She could have easily taken Assassin…"
He was cut off by a yelp of fear from Tails. The two-tailed fox was now shaking.
"Rin and Archer are going to the Temple right now!" Tails cried in alarm.
"What?!"
"Assassin attacked us with a bunch of skeletons!" Tails explained rapidly, looking around at all of the bones. "But he ran out of power and retreated. Rin decided that it was a good time to attack his Master while their Servant was weakened. Assassin and Caster must have been working together from the start! And now she's got a Chaos Emerald!" He began to yell into his communicator. "Rin, this is Tails! Do you copy? Stay away from the Temple! Do you copy!?"
Illya looked up at Shirou. "Is a Chaos Emerald really that powerful, Onii-chan?"
Shirou nodded. "Yes. Just touching it was dangerous to me. I had to be careful or the energy would have overwhelmed me…" But why did it feel so familiar…?
Nobody noticed Rider leaping away, save Berserker. The blindfolded Servant had arrived a little later than Saber did, investigating the powerful boundary field. She had 'seen' (Sort of) how Shirou had lost his Servant to Caster, along with the Chaos Emerald. While Sakura had commanded by Shirou be protected, Rider was spared the need to interfer by Berserker's attack. Once it seemed that the Einzbern girl wasn't going to kill Shirou, Rider had chosen to leave. No point in making herself a target for the monster.
And there's no point in counting on Shirou's help with the Shadow, Rider thought bitterly, A mage who loses his Servant that easily will be no use in dealing with that aberration. And now that he's not a Master, he won't be directly threatened by the War. He can just go to the Overseer and seek his protection.
But that Rule Breaker...has possibilities...
Precious minutes ago...
Rin fiddled with the goggles Tails told her to wear before they separated. She and Archer were getting closer to the Ryuudou Temple, and by definition, closer to Assassin and his Master. Judging from what the Samurai had said during his duel with Archer, it would seem that the Master was definitely Souchirou-sensei's mysterious bride. Thankfully, most of the monks had been dismissed from the Temple, so she would have less memories to manipulate when all was done. At her side was Archer, who had remained in astral form as they ran towards the Temple.
Rin, maybe we should wait for night to fall, Archer said through their telepathic link, The rules are against acting during the daytime.
Archer, we don't have the luxury to wait, Rin retorted, From what you've said, the only reason Assassin moved from the Temple gate was because his Master used Power Rings from Sonic's world. The longer we take to retaliate, the more time we give the enemy Master to regain her footing.
That said, you're still walking into the enemy's stronghold on your own. Archer pointed out, We have know idea what kind of defenses they might have waiting.
The pendent I made with Tails should give us the edge we need, Rin replied, Once we're in, try to locate the Master. If we can put it on her, we can stop her ability to use Magecraft.
Archer was about to voice his belief that Rin was being too optimistic, but before he could, he sensed a presence approaching. He motioned that Rin should put away the goggles. She did so, and slowed down her pace into a controlled, steady walk. As she did, her communicator began to beep. Hesitatingly, she slowly reached out and tried to find the 'Answer' button.
Archer was impressed. She got it right in one try.
"Rin, this is Tails! Do you copy? Stay away from the Temple! Do you copy!?" Tails' voice blurted out.
Rin flinched from the volume, but replied, "Stop yelling! What's going on? What happened with Emiya-kun?"
"Things have turned bad, Rin. Caster's kidnapped Saber and became her Master- Her Noble Phantasm lets her steal Command Seals! And we think she did the same thing to Assassin!"
Rin's eyes widened. "What?" Caster became a Master? That sounded impossible.
But...it would make sense, wouldn't it. Like why Assassin was stuck at Ryuudou Temple under normal circumstances. If Caster had command over her own Servant, the Mana requirements would put a huge strain on her own Master. The Temple had multiple Leylines that could support Assassin as long as he remained there. Power Rings allowed them to cheat the system, but only as long as they held out. And having Saber would only make it harder to properly distribute Prana.
"Okay...thanks for the update, Tails," Rin replied slowly, her mind weighing pros and cons to their situation. "Be sure to berate Emiya-kun for losing his Servant for me. I think Archer and I can resolve this if we move fast enough. Controlling Multiple Servants takes a huge source of Prana, so..."
"That's just it! She took Knuckles and the Chaos Emerald! She's got Prana!"
Hang up, Rin, Archer alerted, Here comes someone!
"We'll discuss this later," Rin whispered into the watch-like device, "Just take Emiya-kun back to my mansion."
Rin shut off the communicator, and just in time. She could see a person coming up. It was none other than Kuzuki-sensei, a briefcase in hand. Rin only relaxed just a tiny bit. While the teacher wasn't a direct threat as far as she knew, she an Archer were still near the enemy's base. If she let herself get distracted, she might end up being ambushed herself.
However...this was a good opportunity...
"Hello, Kuzuki-sensei!" Rin greeted, putting on her 'Honor student' mask. "What a pleasant surprise. I did not know you were out."
Kuzuki nodded at Rin. "Tohsaka-san. I was taking taking a walk to clear my head. Is there something you need at the Temple?"
He doesn't beat around bush, does he, Rin thought. Luckily, she already had an alibi. "I was hoping to talk with Ryuudou-san. It's about how to keep our grades up even with the school closed."
"Issei isn't home right now," Kuzuki explained, "However, I will be sure to tell him of your intentions. Good day."
Kuzuki walked off, but Rin wasn't going to be deterred so easily. "Also, I've been talking with my friends, Kuzuki-sensei. Is it true that you're getting married?"
"Yes." Kuzuki replied, not even bothering to turn around.
"What kind of woman is she?" Rin continued, following. "Your bride, I mean."
"Very nice." Was the curt response.
"What does she look like?"
"She's beautiful."
Rin felt her eye twitch. "What. Is. Her. Name?"
That time Kuzuki glanced back at Rin. "I'm sorry, I was not paying attention that time."
It's like talking to an assassin, Archer commented, He's answering your questions without giving away any information. When he wants to answer at all.
Rin frowned. There was a chance that Kuzuki had been hypnotized by the Master to avoid saying anything that could disclose their identity. Or, it was possible that he was doing of his own free will. But in order for that to be possible, he would have to be a Master himself. And the only way to check that was to see if he had…
"Kuzuki-sensei," Rin said, flowing her Prana. She sent out a hypnotic command. "Show me your Command Seal."
Kuzuki stopped. He turned around and glared at Rin. Granted, he seemed to have 'glare' as his default expression, but this time it looked like there was something behind it. The air behind began to shimmer and a form appeared, wrapping their arms around Kuzuki's shoulders.
"Hello, Master Rin," Caster purred, "Don't you think you were getting a bit too personal for a student?"
Rin tensed up. Besides her, Archer materialized into physical form.
Shirou walked down the city streets, Illya following close behind. Occasionally, she would reach out as if to take his hand, only to stop at the last moment. When they were alone at a crosswalk, waiting for the signal to change to "Walk", she spoke up.
"What are you going to do, Onii-chan?" Illya asked.
Shirou looked behind, somewhat surprised. He hadn't realized that the little girl was following him.
"Sonic said you should fight Caster to regain control of Saber, but do you really think you can do it?" Illya asked. "After all, Caster isn't just some Lord from Clock Tower- If what you've said about her abilities are true, then she's a witch from the Age of the Gods, where the True Magics were more commonplace. She's been siphoning Mana from the people of this city since the beginning of the War, and apparently now has an unlimited source of it," She sounded a bit miffed- either by the turn of events, or that Shirou hadn't told her about the Chaos Emerald sooner. "She'll be capable of Magecraft beyond anything done in the War before. Even if you kill her Master, that won't cause Caster to vanish before she can find a new one."
The signal changed, and the pair walked. Once they reached the other side of the street, Shirou stopped.
"Her Master," He said with realization, "That's it. We don't need to kill her Master."
"Huh?" Illya asked intelligently, "What do you mean?"
"No matter how powerful Caster becomes, she's still a Servant," Shirou reasoned, more to himself. "If we can find her Master, we can use her Command Seals to destroy her- either by having her Master do it for us, or taking those Seals from them."
Illya was about to point out that Caster was unlikely to let her Master go anywhere without her protection, when she spotted someone coming. From her occasional scrying on Shirou (For tactical purposes, of course), she recognized him as one of Shirou's friends, the boy named Ryuudou Issei.
"Ah, Emiya-kun," Issei greeted. He glanced down at Illya. "Hm? Who is this girl?"
"H-hello, Issei," Shirou said, "This is Illya. She's…a relative of Kiritsugu."
Shirou applauded himself for such a clever fib on the spur of the moment. However, he wasn't sure why he said Kiritsugu. He also didn't notice Illya raising her eyebrow.
Issei did, and asked. "How come she doesn't look Japanese?"
Shirou briefly panicked, but realized that he had the perfect answer already. "Kiritsugu was always traveling around, remember? I think I heard him going to Europe once or twice."
Issei nodded, apparently accepting Shirou's explanation. "Speaking of Europeans, where is Saber?"
Shirou felt a pain in his heart, but managed to keep his discomfort contained. "She's off doing errands. What about you? Do you have any business?"
Issei shook his head. "No, I was actually on my way home. You see…"
As Issei talked, a revelation hit Shirou. His friend lived at the Ryuudou Temple, where both Caster and Assassin were stationed. The only other person living there was Kuzuki Souchirou. If it was Caster who was posing as Kuzuki's fiancee, then the Master would have to be…
"Issei, could you follow me for a moment?" Shirou asked, beckoning towards a nearby alleyway.
Confused, Issei did so. Once the three of them were in, Issei asked, "What is this about, Emiya-kun?"
Shirou wasn't sure how to do this delicately. He couldn't just ask if Issei had Command Seals. For one, if he did, he would probably lie. And if he didn't, Shirou would risk exposing the Holy Grail War to a bystander. And he couldn't attack one of his friends. Which meant there was only one way to confirm anything.
With total seriousness, Shirou said, "Issei. Take off your clothes."
"WHAAAAT?!"
Illya groaned, palming her face. Onii-chan, were you dropped on your head as a child?
"Emiya, that's not something you say in a dark alley!" Issei half-shouted, his eyes darting every which way.
"Look, I know this sounds weird…" Shirou began.
"It certainly-!" Issei's eyes glazed over and his posture slumped.
"Issei?" Shirou asked, concerned.
"It's all right, Onii-chan," Illya said, "It's just a little Magecraft I cast. We can check his body for Command Seals now. That's what you were going for, right?"
Shirou nodded dumbly. While he was glad that Illya caught on, the ease with which she ensourced his friend was not something he would be comfortable with. He was only glad that he and Illya had formed a truce before; If she wanted, Illya wouldn't need Berserker to kill him.
A bit stiffly, Shirou approached the prone Issei, praying to whatever God was listening that no one would intrude and make this weird moment even more awkward. As he reached to take Issei's coat off (Praying that there would be a Command Seal somewhere on the back so Shirou could avoid the pants), Shirou felt a sharp pain in his chest. Falling back, Shirou realized that Issei had tried to stab him with a pencil.
But it wasn't Issei, this time. Issei's eyes weren't pure black, with red dots in the center. Issei didn't have a smile better found on a snake about to bite. And Issei certainly didn't have an evil aura of Prana seeping out of his body like smoke!
Evil!Issei lunged again, weilding the the writing implement like a dagger. Thankfully, Shirou wasn't badly hurt by the first attack, and so could easily jump aside.
"Issei, stop!" Shirou cried, but not too loudly to avoid attention.
"He probably can't hear you, Onii-chan," Illya commented on the sidelines. "That's Caster's Prana. I guess putting him in stasis released some built-in failsafe Caster implanted in case someone tried to get too close."
Shirou would have had words to say about Illya cavalier tone of voice, but he was too busy trying to wrestle off Issei. Apparently, besides a total loss of independence and voice, the spell had increased the young monk's physical strength. Either that, or the battle against Caster had exhausted him that much.
Gritting his teeth, Shirou managed to throw Issei off. While he would have wanted to settle this without seriously hurting his friend, he couldn't let this go on. Not only was his friend being controlled, but every second they wasted here would mean less time to mount a counterattack against Caster. As Issei got to his feet, Shirou lunged, his hand tightened into a fist. One good punch in the solar plexus sent Issei into a crouch. Not wanting to give Issei a chance to recover and retaliate, Shirou dove and put Issei into a full-nelson.
"Illya! Break the spell!" Shirou shouted, "Please!"
Illya nodded, and and pointed at Issei. With his struggle to keep Issei restrained holding his focus, Shirou didn't exactly see what the little Master did, but whatever it was, it must have worked. Issei suddenly went limp. A bit cautiously, Shirou laid his friend on the ground. After a moment, he forced one eye open. Thankfully, the eyes had gone back to normal.
It's a bit strange looking at Issei's eyes without glasses being in the way, Shirou thought, But at least he's saved. This could've gotten ugly. Looking up, Shirou was about to thank Illya for her part when he noticed that the child had gone a little pale. "Are you all right, Illya?"
"A bit," Illya said, leaning against a wall. "But despelling the Magecraft of someone like Caster isn't easy, even for someone like me. A Mage from the Era of the Gods is capable of a higher level of spellcasting."
Shirou nodded, relieved that they had fixed the problem without any serious injury. I guess now I should check to see if Issei has a Command Seal...
"I don't think this guy is the Master." Illya piped up.
"What makes you say that?" Shirou asked, confused, but also relieved that he wasn't going to have to take Issei's clothes off.
"Because, a Servant's first duty should be insuring their Master's safety," Illya explained, "Caster had a safeguard to protect her Master's identity, but she didn't show up herself. It's more likely that Glasses-kun is close to her Master, but that's all."
Shirou considered Illya's words. But the only other real person staying at the Ryuudou Temple is Kuzuki-sensei. Does that mean he's the Master?
In the area before the Ryuudou Temple, the light fantastic was being flashed in multiple colors. Caster would attempt to blast Archer with her own Magecraft, and Archer would either deflect and cut through the rays with his Projected swords. To prevent outsiders from noticing the epic battle taking place, a Boundary Field had summoned to surround the area. With all of the excitement, no one noticed the robotic drones scouting the area.
This is bad, Archer thought as he Projected weapons to shoot against Caster, I'm starting to run low- not that I had much to begin with- and it doesn't seem like Caster's going to get tired anytime soon! Be nice if Gilgamesh were to show up and obliterate her for like he did the first time...
Meanwhile, Rin maintained her distance from the skirmish, but continued to approach Kuzuki. Normally, killing the Master was the fastest way to ensure a Servant's death. But Caster having the energy of a Chaos Emerald to prolong her existence rendered that meaningless. As such, there was only one surefire method to defeating Caster; having the Master Command Caster to die.
I'll target the non-vital areas first, Rin thought as she ran at her teacher, That should be enough to convince him we mean business...
As the gap between teacher and student lessened, the last thing Rin saw was Kuzuki taking off his glasses.
Then, everything changed.
The roundhouse kick Rin wanted to deliver into Kuzuki's side became blocked- no, caught. The joint between her foot and leg were pressed from above and below by Kuzuki's elbow and knee. Before a second and passed, Kuzuki pulled Rin towards him, and delivered a series of powerful blows into her body, before sending her flying with an open-palm strike. Rin crashed into a tree, sending bark flying off of the other side.
"Rin!" Archer cried in alarm.
"In a life and death battle, you don't even target the vitals, Tohsaka?" Kuzuki asked as he approached the fallen girl. "Isn't that a bit careless for someone normally so meticulous?"
As Rin struggled to get up, gritting her teeth in pain, she saw that Kuzuki's fists were glowing. Runes...but, Kuzuki isn't a Mage, how...? Then, she realized. Caster!
"Normally, the role of a Master is to provide support for their Servants," Kuzuki explained as he took a fighting stance, "However, there is always at least one exception to every rule."
I get it, Archer thought, looking back from Kuzuki to Caster. Caster must have used Magecraft to enhance Kuzuki-sensei's abilities. Combined with martial arts, he's become a force that can fight Servant's directly.
Rin, still leaning against the tree but now standing, fired off a series of Gems at Kuzuki. The former assassin easily dodged them as he charged at his target. Rin was already trying to get out of the way, but it was clear that she wouldn't be able to escape Kuzuki's strike. But before Kuzuki could reach, the ground between the two exploded. Kuzuki whirled around to glare at Archer, who had his bow ready. Before Archer could do anything, he had to dodge some spellfire from Caster.
I feel like I'm trying to swim in quicksand, Archer thought, I can't cover Rin and fight these two at the same time!
Caster must have cast a spell to read minds, for she said, "What are you going to do, Archer? Your Master can't support in such a state, and you can't defend her. It must be so difficult having such a unreliable Master."
"What's your point?" Archer asked, keeping his eyes on the witch, while had his senses on Kuzuki. Luckily, the ex-killer was paying more attention to Archer than Rin. The bowman Projected a new set of swords just in case.
"I'm saying, us being enemies seems so meaningless at this point," Caster went on, "It's plainly obvious that if this goes on, both you and that girl will be killed.
"So why not save yourself?"
Archer stopped. So did Rin.
Caster pulled out Rule Breaker. Archer's eyes absorbed every detail of its design.
"With the Chaos Emerald under my control, I have more Prana than I know what to do with," Caster explained, "Why frustrate yourself with the limited abilities your Master gives, when you could join hands with the winner of the War?"
"You think you've won, just because you found a shiny rock?" Archer asked sardonically.
Caster chuckled. "Oh, Archer, if only you knew the true point of this War."
To summon a horrific monster made of evil and destroy the world? I think I've got that part down.
"To a true Mage, there is more than one path to victory," Caster explained, "Merely killing the other Servants is just one course of action. And that will just leave one Servant to claim the wish. But, if we were to join hands..."
Caster trailed off, but her offer was clear. Whatever 'method' she had discovered, it was possibly one that could allow multiple people to achieve the Grail's power. It was hard to tell if this was just an exgerrated theory, or an outright lie. But the point was that if Archer came over to her side willingly, he could get a wish of his own. Normally, Archer would tell her to shove it, but with the odds being stacked against them so badly...
"Maybe it won't be so bad," Archer said aloud. He heard Rin gasp, but forced himself to ignore it. "After all, this may the only way to accomplish my goals..." He let his arms down and walked towards Caster, his swords disappating.
Caster's smile broadened. She looked more and more like the cat that had just finished eating the canary. She reached out with her dagger and pointed the tip at Archer. "Then we shall now forge a new contract."
The blade wasn't even sharp enough to prick Archer's skin, but he felt a huge rush afterwards. The Prana he received from his bond with Rin was instantly replaced by something stronger, more potent. If power had a flavor, then the kind filling him was a zesty martini compared to Rin's glass of water.
And she only has one Chaos Emerald, Archer thought, God help us all if she ever found the other six...
Caster examined the Command Seals that appeared on her arm. "Ahh, very good..." She turned back and looked over Archer's shoulder. "Now, as your first job as a Servant is to tie up a loose end."
"You invite into your ranks for some knotwork?" Archer asked sarcastically, "Gosh, I'm so honored."
Caster gave him a flat look. "Let's despense with the comedy. I want you to kill your former Master."
"What for?" Archer asked evasively. He could already sense Rin beating a hasty retreat. Thankfully, Kuzuki wasn't making chase. Apparently, he had no interest in the War beyond anything that affected him personally.
"Call it a precaution on our part," Caster said, her eyes glinting. "We can't have dear Miss Tohsaka spread news of our new partnership. The less people know, the better it will be for us," She held up her hand. "Now, are you going to do it, or should I order you to do it?"
Archer grimaced. He didn't like the idea of turning his bow on Rin, but he knew that if he resisted openly Caster would use a Command Seal- or worse, her own Emerald-enhanced Magecraft. As he Projected a bow, he decided to "accidentally" miss and blame it on an order from Rin not to attack him. It wouldn't be exactly a lie, as she had made it clear allies weren't to fight each other. (That lecture had been born from his insistence to just kill Shirou before he bungled it)
Before he could see his ploy through, Archer's ears pricked up at a faint noise. It was steadily and rapidly greating closer. Archer quickly realized what it was, just as something zipped by, followed by an "Eek!" With a grin, Archer let go of the bow, knowing full well that his arrow (It was just an arrow this time, not a sword) wouldn't be able to catch Sonic.
Well, that's one problem down. Now, what can I do from here...?
As he carried Rin as far from the Ryuudou Mountain as fast he can, Sonic said, "Just hold, Rin! Tell Archer to meet us at Shirou's place."
Rin didn't answer. Clinging to Sonic's arms, she just looked down at the ground.
"Uh, Rin?" Sonic asked, a bit worried. "What's wrong?"
"...Archer's not coming back." The Mage said sadly, and glanced at hand where her Command Seals used to be.
"I'm home!" Shirou called out. He and Illya entered the Emiya Estate and left their shoes by the door and went to the living room. Shirou felt bad about leaving Issei alone, but Illya assured him that the student council president would have no memories of what happened in the alley, or his encounter with Shirou. He would believe he had just fallen asleep on the bench where Shirou had left him.
"Onii-chan, who are you talking to?" Illya asked, "I thought you lived alone."
"Not all the time," Shirou replied, miffed. "My teacher likes to check up on me-" And bum free meals. "-and one of my classmates comes by most of the time to help out with dinner."
"Well, there's no one here now," Illya pointed out, "So, what next? I followed you all the way back to your house, but there's nothing here to get, is there? Wouldn't it have made more sense to go to Tohsaka's?"
"Just because I'm fighting in the Holy Grail War doesn't mean I can ignore my normal life," Shirou explained, "I've been lucky so far, but Fuji-Nee and Sakura are going to wonder where I disappear to if he chores aren't done. Besides...I need this."
"Onii-chan, are you saying that mundane chores are more important than making War preparations?" Illya asked.
Shirou nodded. "They are. This kind of normal life may not be much, but it's still something I treasure. I want to preserve it for as long as I can." But is there really nothing to do here for the War? I feel like I came back for a reason...
"Anyway, Tohsaka's place was attacked, remember?" Shirou continued, "So, this might be the only safe place for us in Fuyuki."
"The home of an amateur Mage, surrounded by a basic Boundary Field, in the battle for the ultimate power, safe?" Illya raised an eyebrow. "Onii-chan, are you even thinking about what you're saying?"
"Well, it's not like I have a castle like yours." Shirou retorted. However, that sentence gave birth to an idea.
But ideas would have to wait, as the door swung open and a new challenger to Shirou's patience arrived.
"Shirou, I'm home!" Came the very loud announcement as Fujimura Taiga came in through the door.
Shirou gulped. Taiga had been working late when Illya invited herself for dinner that night, but now there was no avoiding it. He quickly began to formulate a series of plausible explanations as to why a high-school boy would bring an unrelated girl to his house. Given how excitable Taiga was, this would be an uphill battle.
Luckily, Taiga didn't seem to notice as she strode into the room. Her eyes brightened as she saw Shirou, then narrowed in thought. Behind her, Illya took out a bag of chips.
"Hmm?" Taiga raised an eyebrow and looked and inquisitively. "Where's Saber? I thought she'd be with you, Shirou."
Shirou felt his insides tighten. "She's…. Saber's just out on an errand. She'll be back soon."
Taiga hummed, crossing her arms in thought. "Just like Kiritsugu… That guy would always just wander off without telling anyone. And he was pretty tight-lipped on where he went. It used to drive grandfather nuts for some reason…"
"Maybe he didn't think your family needed to know what he was doing." Illya piped up. She popped a cracker in her mouth.
"But trust and communication are important to a relationship, even between neighbors," Taiga replied, "You're think that after all of the help Grandpa gave him when he and Shirou first settled here…"
Taiga trailed off. Slowly, she turned her head towards Illya. And Illya, seated at the dining table, munching on crackers, waved. Rather dumbly, Taiga waved back. She then turned to Shirou. Shirou inhaled. He could feel it coming.
"SHIROU! WHO IS THIS LITTLE GIRL AND WHAT IS SHE DOING HERE?!"
Taiga's shout shook the shutters. Birds that were resting on rooftops flew off. Small infants that were just put to sleep woke up bawling.
Critical hit. Shirou thought. If he thought Taiga had been angry when she first met Saber, he clearly hadn't seen anything yet.
Illya chose that moment to introduce herself. Nonplussed by the Tigers roar, she stood up and curtsied. "Hello to you. I am Illyasviel von Einzbern, and I have come from Germany to be with my Onii-chan."
"ONII-CHAN!? Shirou, who..." Taiga trailed off. She shut her eyes and crossed her arms, clearly deep in thought. "...Did you say Germany?"
Illya nodded. "That is correct. I am the daughter of the noble Einzbern family, so I expect to be treated nicely."
But Taiga wasn't really paying attention to Illya anymore. She kept muttering, mulling over something. It was actually a little disorienting to Shirou.
This is so spooky, Shirou thought, I don't think I've ever seen Fuji-nee think so hard. I wonder what's going on in there...
"Hrmm... Hey, Shirou," Taiga said quietly, "Did you know that Kiritsugu was married once?"
"R-really?!" Shirou gaped, losing his train of thought. Although it paled to the shock of losing Saber, this revelation was a bit jarring to say the least. But he didn't understand what this had to do with Illya."
"Yeah, I overheard grandpa and Kiritsugu talk about it once," Taiga continued, giving Illya sidelong glances. "It was after one of Kiritsugu's trips..."
Taiga trailed off. Her head bent down. Her arms, once crossed, went limp. Shirou didn't like the look of it.
"Fuji-nee?" Shirou asked, leaning in cautiously.
Illya stood up with a start. "Onii-chan, don't go near her!"
And then, disaster struck.
It was a dark room. No, it wasn't merely dark. It was if someone had taken shadows, gave them physical form, and used it to create walls to block out everything else. Even with Reinforced eyes, Archer could only see the other three occupants, taking refuge from the darkness in mystically summoned spotlights.
Knuckles the Echidna, bound in chains hanging from the ceiling. In fact, there were so many links surrounding his body that only his head and sneakers were visible, sticking out of the metal cocoon. His eyes were shut, trapped in an unnatural slumber.
Opposite of Knuckles was Saber. She too, was bound, but not nearly as much as the Echidna was. Only her wrists and feet were tied. Any more tethers would get in the way of the revealing white dress Caster had forced her into. And she too, was unconcious.
And Caster was dead in the center, all too full of life. She was surrounded by runes, carved into the floor and orbiting her person in the air. The witch had the Chaos Emerald floating in front of her. Sparks of purple lightning crackled around. Archer could feel the performance of high-level Magecraft. He actually had to tilt his head to avoid being struck by the lightning.
"Oh, this is much better than Issei," Caster hissed as she worked her Magecraft, "Oh yes…"
Shirou, rather pointlessly, stood protectively in front of Illya. This act was pointless for two reasons;
One, Illya was still much, much more powerful than him.
Two, the dangerous force Shirou hoped to protect his guest from…was Taiga.
His normal hyperactive had taken an offensive stance. She gripped the dreaded Tora-Shinai, killing intent rolling of her as thick as the Magecraft that gripped her. His teacher's eyes had the same as Issei's when Caster's spell had taken control.
Taiga lunged. Even with his legs being Reinforced, Shirou just barely dodged the attack, grabbing Illya and diving outside. The Tora-Shinai struck the wall, creating a large crack. Taiga recovered quickly and lunged once more, bringing up the Tora-Shinai in preparation of her assault. Seeing this, Shirou dove out of the way, but this time did not bring Illya with him. As he guessed, Taiga ignored the young girl and focused her attack on Shirou.
Looks like Caster's only concerned with me... Shirou thought as he did his best to avoid Taiga, That's a relief. At least Illya won't be in danger...
Needing a weapon, but unwilling to risk hurting Taiga, Shirou instinctively Projected a copy of the Tora-Shinai to better defend himself. Strangely, though, he found himself weilding the weapon the way Taiga would. However, it wasn't enough. Even in her normal state of mind, Taiga was a relentless fighter. Now, what little restraint she had in combat was stripped away by Caster's manipulations. Although his own skills were increasing thanks to his sparring matches with Saber, Shirou quickly found himself overwhelmed.
As Shirou tried, in vain, to parry his controlled-teacher's strikes, he didn't pay much attention to Illya. But if he had, he would have seen the look of distress in her eyes.
"Onii-chan, something's wrong!" Illya shouted, "I can't even begin to break the spell!"
It's because of the Chaos Emerald, Shirou realized, Caster didn't have it when she put that spell on Issei, but now...!
Taiga continued to push Shirou back, knocking him towards the shed. As he crashed through the doors, Shirou dropped faux Tora-Shinai, causing it to dissolve. Taiga advanced on Shirou, the real Tora-Shinai raised in preparation. Shirou briefly considered using something amoung the many piles of odds and ends. But even if he could get lucky and knock Taiga out, there would not necessarily break Caster's hold on her.
I Just wish I had a way to undo Magecraft... Shirou thought, when Archer's words reappeared in his mind;
"...You should create something that can fulfill your needs."
Something he needs... Right now, Shirou needed a way to break Caster's control over Taiga. A tool that can sever the spell that bound her...
"This is Rule Breaker," Caster said, "It is a sword of betrayal and negation. It's power is such that it can nullify any Magecraft in the world."
An idea began to form. He could summon Archer's swords...could that be the same for other Servants? But Archer's Kansho and Bakuya had no extraordinary powers...would a fake Ruler Breaker have the same abilities the original did?
If Sonic were here, he'd probably say, "Let's do it! We've got nothing to lose!" Shirou thought, and began to concentrate.
Shirou didn't notice that the magic circle carved into the shed's floor was glowing again. Nor was he aware of the flickering light beneath the boards. Not even Taiga, pushed forward by her twisted puppeteer, drew his attention. Every percent of Shirou's focus was concentrated on the task at hand.
I Am The _ Of My Sword
Shirou felt the heat in his body spark up. That same sensation when he first Projected before Sonic. But this time, it was different. Before, the fire had no place to go. Shirou's false Mage Circuits twisted and distorted the power, mutating the spell. The lack of self he held at the time turned the Magecraft against him. But the instruction he received from Rin gave Shirou the skill he needed to better process the energy. The time he had spent with Sonic granted Shirou clarity to shape the tool. Light appeared in his hand, taking the form of Caster's Noble Phantasm.
That's when Taiga attacked. The possesed teacher lunged at Shirou bringing her shinai down. Shirou, in what little room the shed had, darted around Taiga. As the Tora-Shinai crashed into the floorboards, Shirou jammed the Rule Breaker into Taiga's side. For a moment, it didn't seem like it worked. Then, Shirou felt the Magecraft leave Taiga. His neighbor fell to the floor, going limp and hanging halfway over the hole. Shirou let out a sigh of relief. The battle was over.
"Onii-chan, are you all right?" Illya called from outside, worried.
"I'm fine, Illya," Shirou replied, "And so is Fuji-nee. I freed her with Ruler Breaker..."
Then it hit him. Shirou had just stabbed Taiga! Panicking, he ran over to Taiga's and pulled her up. Trembling, he saw a fresh, red stain when he had 'applied' the fake Noble Phantasm.
"Illya, call an ambulance, quick!" Shirou yelled in alarm. As he pulled Taiga up, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Despite the very pressing need to help Taiga, Shirou's curiosity bid him to take a closer. Laying Taiga down, Shirou peered over the side of the broken wood to look down the hole.
There, among the shards of timber, was a glowing, yellow, gem- a Chaos Emerald.
To be continued
Tiger Dojo
Taiga: There and back again, it's the TIGER DOJO! I am Fujimura Taiga, your instructor! Ugh...it hurts...
Illya: And I am Illya, the Number One Student!
Taiga: I'm not feeling my best, so let's just move on to the Q & A...Shirou, why couldn't you have saved me less painfully...?
Illya: Our first question comes from Perry; "Do you think the Eggman Fleet would make an appearance?"
Taiga: The wha-? Oh, those ships that appeared in Sonic Heroes. I'unno...
Illya: I don't think Eggman has enough room to bring an armada that big with him to Fuyuki. He might have a few more battleships, like his Flying Torpedo, but that's it.
Taiga: Our next question is from an anomynous reader; "Is the Master Emerald gonna play a part?" Hmm... No!
Illya: Knuckles left the Master Emerald back in his homeworld. I think that water monster is guarding it, now.
Taiga: Exactly! When leaving...you must... get a... (Faints)
Illya: Eee! She's fainted from bloodloss! That's all for now, I've gotta get some healing Magecraft ready!