EDIT: Less than 3
I'd like to take the very first line to express thanks towards my new beta: Talndir. It's my first time having someone read my work before it's posted to the public and the first time I've had a beta. I appreciate all the work they've put into this story and how much feedback they've given. I couldn't ask for someone better and I hope they know how much I appreciate all the effort they're putting it! Everyone should expect a leap in quality from here onwards! As another way to say thanks, I'd like to ask you, the reader, to go visit Talndir's fiction and give some love from one community to another!
Attention: There was a slight error. I had accidently left in a sentence that implied Kiritsugu had taken Avalon from Shirou however that is NOT THE CASE. It has since been corrected to indicate his wounds were healed by other means.
Since so much time has passed since the last chapter there will be a comparatively abundant amount of pre and post notes, if you aren't interested then just skip on to the dots and lines below!
I had a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year, I hope all of you readers did as well. As promised, I've come out of hiatus and the production of Fate: Unbalanced Scales is underway again. I've had ideas about the overall progression of the story and I think that from this point on it will slow down rather heavily compared to the other chapters. I'm also going to be using this delayed progression to work on my descriptions of battles and combat scenes. I'm going to try to get better at the overall flow and tone of fights. If anyone would like to comment on my style, add suggestions or maybe even correct my way of thinking and point out that how I write combat is fine - write a review or write me a message! Always happy to talk.
From what I gather looking around Fanfiction. The majorly successful recent stories are "gamer" or "game" related ones. (A genre I don't really care for tbh) The ones that aren't game related and are also extremely popular are OLD. Along the 3 to 7-year range old. One of the top rated ones has 984,258 words! That's amazing! I haven't read it yet, but I've put it on my list for sure. If I get lots of recommendations from you for it I'll push it up and give it a try. I wanted to read "Servant and Cook" But I've been tied up and wanted to get some of my own writing done. In time hopefully, we can start a friendly little competition for length! (I can only imagine how my beta feels reading that line heh-heh)
I stand in absolute AWE over fanfictions that have hundreds and sometimes thousands of reviews. Putting it into comparison with my measly 27, I'm a minnow in an ocean full of sharks! But I have to try my best not to be discouraged. My writing is still new in comparison so I only hope it will gain popularity as time goes on. Fate is also an older anime so its influx of popularity has died down significantly compared to when these big fictions were released. (Hopefully, the popularity comes back with the release of Heaven's Feel and Fate:GO) But enough ranting, it's time for Fate: Unbalanced Scales!
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Kiritsugu already knew where to go. He had been here twice before. This hell on earth, this inescapable nightmare. He knew nobody else could or would be saved. There was only one individual which would make it out of this alive, and it certainly wasn't the Magus Killer. He had died some time ago following the death of his wife. He was running purely on autopilot at this point, pursuing a destiny revealed to him by his dreams. He had to find the boy with red hair. Following the path he had watched himself walk once before, he came across a familiar pile of rubble - but he didn't see a hand sticking up into the air.
Had something changed?
Had he not followed the right path?
Had the boy decided to go somewhere else this time around?
Then he saw it, the hand right where he had expected it to be, rising up towards the sparse drops of rain. Kiritsugu had just been a little early was all. Breathing a sigh of relief, the Magus Killer moved to, and took hold of, the boy's hand. He hadn't noticed he was crying until his own tears fell onto the boy's face. Dull brown eyes that seemed entirely devoid of life, seemed to sparkle and burn brighter upon seeing the expression of his saviour. Kiritsugu pressed the boy's hand to his cheek, closing his eyes and smiling. He had saved one person. Even if he was destined to, even if it was fate, it was good enough for him. Just being able to hold onto the hand of someone he had truly rescued seemed to ease the burden of knowing he had indirectly caused the death of so many people - again.
Both the dream and Caster had made it abundantly clear that this boy was important. But now that he was here in person, the importance was as subtle as a fireworks display: this boy was the only person Kiritsugu would truly save in his life. Rescuing someone from death didn't always mean they were saved. Sometimes, a person sought death as their saviour. Twisted as it may be, extending one's life may sometimes be a punishment.
This boy had been injured by an attack from another and scarred mentally from the horror witnessed in its aftermath. Still, he could be saved. Given a new family and care to heal his injuries. Kiritsugu vowed to do whatever it took to save him. The boy's eyes closed weakly. Worriedly, Kiritsugu looked him over. His wounds would end his life soon, Kiritsugu had nothing to use that could heal the boy…unless…
Yes, it would keep him alive long enough to get him proper medical attention. Kiritsugu reached into his chest and withdrew the glimmering sheath of Avalon. Residual energy from Saber lingered within, just enough to repel curses and keep organs functioning. This would work, it had to work - he would save the boy who would become Caster.
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Kiritsugu had personally carried the boy all the way to Fuyuki's hospital - on foot. The doctors and nurses had examined him and marvelled at his endurance. They had all but told Kiritsugu directly that he would die, or that he should have died. Scrapes, scars and bruises littered his body. Even some of his bones had been bruised from the force of the blast. His recovery would take months - or so the doctors said anyway. Unknown to the doctors, cursed ash had invaded his lungs and debilitated his nervous system. Avalon had done well to prevent permanent respiratory problems, but there was no telling what side effects exposure like that might have had. Even after using the residual energy within Avalon, the boy's wounds would be all healed in a few days at the least, a week or two at most.
Kiritsugu had sat awake beside the boy's bed all night. With his mouth covered by clasped hands, the Magus Killer considered what he knew. Caster had lied, first and foremost, but perhaps that was for good reason. If he had been told Maiya would die, he would have done his best to keep her alive. She wouldn't have killed Kariya and the entire end of the war might have been changed. Perhaps Caster had known how the war would have ended had Maiya been saved, and had decided that this outcome was best. One thing was for certain. Through his visions, through Caster's words and actions: this boy would follow a path of hell.
"As a gift for betrayal and loneliness."
Caster's words echoed through Kiritsugu's mind and his eye twitched. The boy would face constant betrayal, he would have no one to rely on.
"Unaware of love."
He would have nobody to adore, and none would adore him. For what reasons he could only guess.
"Nor aware of regret."
But he would be free from regret at least. Regret was known to break men more than love, betrayal or even loneliness. Guilt was a close contender, but what would this boy have to feel guilt over? Kiritsugu thought at length over his actions and Caster's words. If Kiritsugu followed the guidance he had received, this boy would ultimately become Caster, or something similar at the very least. Even with all the faults found within the servant, was becoming Caster really the worst possible fate?
Another dream flickered into sight within Kiritsugu's eyes. The dream of a man wearing red ceremonial garb impaling Excalibur into a hill of swords while crying, apologizing for his deeds. That man was also Caster - but not. The difference between the two was that one was a Counter Guardian and the other was an Anti-Hero. Back when Kiritsugu had first gone through the dream, he'd misinterpreted the Counter Guardian as himself following the war, essentially what he would become. With all the new information, Kiritsugu determined that the Counter Guardian he had seen was a form of Caster. Not that they were one and the same, they were different entirely - separated by an event or…something as simple as an emotion. Apologizing for one's actions, wishing to turn back the clock and change an outcome - that was regret. Impaling Excalibur into their world of blades while lamenting about the outcome was regret in its most pure form. In one way or another, that variation of Caster had killed Saber and despised every minute thereafter.
This all lined up when Kiritsugu remembered Dream Caster. The one who had spoken to him at length in his most vivid and confusing dream. That servant had commented on how there were many versions of himself and if that were true, there was bound to be a variation full of regret and anger. One who couldn't see through the good they were doing, one who focused primarily on all the guilt and regret they stored deep within…
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At some point, Kiritsugu had fallen asleep with his head lying on the bed.
The nurses hadn't had him removed, surprisingly. They had probably thought he was the boy's father and had decided to let him stay close. When they found out the two weren't related the next morning, he had been promptly removed after visiting hours ended. While he didn't want to leave, he could bear with leaving the boy alone for now. He was comatose and Kiritsugu had other matters to attend to. Like the small one within the house directly ahead.
His fist rapped on the door several times. It was sundown, sometime around five in the afternoon. The Magus Killer waited at the doorway for a moment, until it was slowly opened by an older woman. Based on her facial features, she was from the west - a foreigner who spent much of her time out in the sun.
"Yes? How may I help you?" she asked with a warm smile and an equally inviting voice. She seemed incredibly kind if nothing else.
"I'm here to speak with Waver, he'll be expecting me," Kiritsugu replied curtly. She nodded solemnly and closed the door. He could hear her step back inside and shout something indiscernible up the stairs. Kiritsugu had never intended to leave Sakura with Waver for so long, but as the Brit likely knew, the explosion and what followed after had held him up.
The door opened a crack and Waver peeked out from around the corner. "You never said I'd have to watch over her for two days," he snapped out, squinting accusingly. For someone so young, he had a lot of spite and confidence. Something of a deadly combination that could lead to either boundless success or outright downfall.
Kiritsugu blinked. "I never said you wouldn't have to watch over her for that long either."
That logic was infallible, and the glare given by the younger man revealed his frustration with the solid defence. He sighed haughtily. "Fine, did you want to come in or were you in such a rush you'd rather I throw her out the window?" Waver opened the door wide, running a hand through his hair.
"I'd like to come in if you don't mind, I wouldn't want to rush Sakura." Kiritsugu bowed shallowly, ignoring the comment entirely. When Waver stepped back into the house, Kiritsugu followed behind the Brit, sliding his coat from his shoulders.
"Is that lovely little girl leaving, Waver?" the older woman asked.
"Yes, her guardian has come by to pick her up today - I hope you don't mind if he has some tea while she packs," Waver responded. It was odd hearing the shift in tone that took place when he spoke to his grandparents. Or, supposed grandparents anyway. Kiritsugu had looked into the history of this house in his spare time. It was owned by a senior Canadian immigrant couple, the Mackenzies. Waver must have convinced the two or hypnotized them into believing he was their grandson.
It was rather wise. Something Kiritsugu himself would have never thought of. Free housing in an inconspicuous location with simple people nobody would look twice at. Kiritsugu closed the door behind him and removed his boots. The room he stepped into held a table, four chairs and compact appliances stuffed into a neat and tidy space. It was a simple kitchen, obviously not designed for an expansive family visit. Further in was a living room with two armchairs, a TV and a fireplace.
The older couple was here, seated at the kitchen table while Waver poured himself a cup of coffee. The Mackenzies greeted him in Japanese, to which Kiritsugu responded in kind - complete with a half bow. The conversation then turned to English.
"I thank you for allowing me into your home, I won't be long - I've already intruded too much," Kiritsugu apologized. The older couple both shook their heads. Waver settled his cup of coffee on the counter. He left the kitchen up a set of stairs for a brief moment before returning.
"Not at all! It was nice to have Sakura here. That's quite a bright girl of yours!" the man commended, getting a dry chuckle from Kiritsugu.
"Unfortunately I can't take credit for that." The Magus Killer spoke nervously, scratching the back of his neck. "I'm sorry, I haven't even introduced myself." Waver gave him an annoyed glare in the background from behind his mug of coffee. Was he still upset about not knowing his name? "I'm Kiritsugu Emiya."
He shook hands with the elderly couple, who identified themselves as Glen and Martha. "We're surprised that you know both English and Japanese while Sakura only knows Japanese," the woman, Martha, marvelled while handing Kiritsugu a cup of steaming tea.
"Yes, it's true that Sakura doesn't know English, but Waver has been a good friend so I knew I could depend on him, even if he couldn't speak directly with her." Kiritsugu returned the glare he was receiving as he sipped his tea. It was simple jasmine and it scalded his mouth, but the pain was worth making the Brit flinch from a gaze alone.
Glen took a sip from his own cup. "Well, you seem like a fine young man -" Kiritsugu wanted to snort, young? "- I'm sure you'll make a good father." The two older people in the room seemed oblivious to the battle of eyes taking place between the two former masters.
Waver choked on his coffee, coughing heavily as he tried to clear his throat. Martha looked towards him with concern, asking if he was alright. "I'm fine," he paused to cough, "thank you." The Magus Killer sipped his tea again, hearing a noise from the stairs. Turning his head, he spotted the young girl in the same outfit he had left her with. Her eyes still looked empty, but her skin wasn't nearly as pale.
"Kiritsugu." There was more emotion in that single word than he had heard from her since they met. Most likely undetectable to the other people in the room; a hint of hope.
"How are you feeling today?" he asked with a slight smile.
The girl shrugged, moving towards the door. She methodically put on her shoes and sat patiently at the door for Kiritsugu. "I'll be getting out of your hair now, thank you once again for putting up with us," he announced as he stood and followed Sakura to the door.
Waver continued sipping his coffee as he watched the Magus Killer leave. The steely, composed glare from his eyes was being betrayed by beads of sweat running down his forehead.
After putting on his shoes and opening the door, he rested a hand on Sakura's head and expressed his farewells. Waver gave him one last glance as he shut the door to the house.
"He's weird," Sakura pointed out as they walked down the path back to the street.
Kiritsugu snorted. "He's young and unsure. Men his age are pretty weird, yes." Casually he stuffed both hands into his coat and turned to head north. "Can I ask you something?"
Sakura shrugged passively.
"I've looked into the Matou line and couldn't find any 'Sakura'. You're not from the Matou house are you?" he asked, glancing down to the violet-haired girl. Her normally cold eyes chilled several degrees further. She seemed to be totally empty inside. "You're Sakura Tohsaka, aren't you?" he asked, getting a very shallow nod in return. The Magus Killer hummed appreciatively. "I doubt they'll want you back if they gave you away," he began, talking to himself idly. "I'll see what I can do. It might be outside of Fuyu-"
"I don't want to leave Fuyuki." She spoke up, voice level and determined. The Magus Killer was visibly surprised. He hadn't been expecting that at all. Fuyuki was where she was disowned by her own family, given off to another and violated by worms on what he could only assume was a daily basis. What reason would she have to want to stay besides childish defiance?
"It would be safer if you were to leave, Zouken would be unable to reach you in another country," Kiritsugu pointed out. If he could just get Sakura to leave the country for a while he could focus on killing the old worm without worrying about her safety. After he had put him down, he could bring her back to Fuyuki.
Sakura shook her head, settling the debate and his thoughts with a single motion. She wasn't leaving and it was final in her mind. Resigning to the outcome, Kiritsugu limited his scope of relocation to Fuyuki.
He wasn't really familiar with Fuyuki, at least not well enough to know individual families. Taiga might know some families seeking to adopt, he'd have to check later.
His mind wandered to the little boy back in the hospital. He was dealing with two separate children who were both broken in their own ways. He had witnessed the true horrors which demolished one, while he could only fathom how deep the cracks went into the other's mind. Everyone you ever knew, your entire life stripped away in an instant. Having to walk through an indescribable hell-scape with the screams of the dying swirling around every corner, all while being unable to stop or help a single one of them.
Sakura's hand tugged at his coat sleeve, bringing his thoughts back to the present. She wasn't indicating to him to stop, she just wanted something to hold onto as they walked. Hardly audible, a soft voice mumbled two words. "Thank you."
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The government was terrible. Kiritsugu was never keen on working with the government, but certain things had to be done in certain ways to make life easier. Adoption was one of those things. Sure Kiritsugu could have forged birth certificates and legal papers, but he wanted everything to be by the book so the boy would have no troubles in the future. Earlier this morning, the child woke up from his coma. Kiritsugu had been there beside him, waiting so they were able to talk at length. The boy had forgotten his name, so Kiritsugu had given him choices for another. The red-haired boy had decided on Shirou, a pleasing-sounding name if nothing else.
After he had given the boy a name, the Magus Killer gave him another choice: become an orphan like so many of the other injured children at the hospital, or be adopted into the Emiya family and live with him. Shirou had paused and donned a look of deep thought. He even posed with his fist covering his mouth like this decision required extensive council. Kiritsugu thought he might decline and was teetering on the edge of shattering his last fragment of humanity. After a few seconds of thought, Shirou shook his head in agreement. Due to his recent recovery into consciousness, the doctors required the boy to stay another day.
Kiritsugu set his pen down, examining the papers in front of him to verify the information and signatures were all correct. He had said it once and would say it again: he hated the government. The black journal caught his attention in the dim light of the desk lamp. Sliding it along the desk's surface, Kiritsugu opened it to where he had left off. On the last documented page was a hospital admittance slip for the boy he had brought in. Retrieving the pen he had just set down, he began writing the last entry, which didn't take too long. Five minutes or so and he was done writing the events of the last day as well as a brief statement of conclusion. He decided to begin a new book, leaving this one behind as a recounting of the Fourth Grail War. A new journal would be dedicated to his life following the War, or he might scrap the whole diary idea entirely.
He wasn't sure. It would be ten years until the Fifth Grail War began if Caster were to be believed. There would be little need for writing before then. Standing from the desk, the Magus Killer exited his room with the journal in hand. He stopped by one of the rooms in his new permanent home and peeked in through the door. Sakura slept soundly in her futon, wrapped tight in a white blanket. Taiga had said tomorrow she would find out about families in the area that might be interested in adoption; everything in Fuyuki was going well. With all this running around, Kiritsugu had nearly forgotten about Acht.
Before he left, Jubstacheit had told him to return with the Grail - or not at all. There wasn't a chance in hell old man Acht would believe another servant had stolen Saber's command seals from him, then used all three to power up Excalibur and commit suicide while destroying the Grail in the same finishing blow. It had been two days since the end of the War. Kiritsugu was certain any family worth calling themselves magi would know of its conclusion. Acht would hold onto his daughter with an iron grip, if only to torture Kiritsugu for his failures.
... But he wasn't known as the Magus Killer for nothing. Acht had counted on his death should he be unable to retrieve the Grail. Kiritsugu surviving with almost no injury or disability would be unforeseen. He had already gotten in contact with a pilot under the table. He wasn't going to let Illya, his precious little girl, stay in the clutches of Jubstacheit.
The creaky door to the stone shed opened. Kiritsugu entered and walked to the back where his hidden safe lay waiting. The journal was set on top of bundles of currency before the door shut and the locks re-engaged. Kiritsugu wouldn't need the book anymore, he had all the memories burned into his mind. Even now, Smiles' last words could be recalled verbatim. While his involvement brought up more questions than answers, there was little that could be done now...
Kiritsugu turned and stopped. He thought he heard something…chittering.
Eyes snapping wide open, he sprinted towards Sakura's room like a man possessed. One arm reached into his coat for the familiar handle of his Contender.
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The plane touched down, wheels steaming as the moisture clinging to their surface was heated at an incredible rate. It was a private jet of a design Kiritsugu couldn't be bothered to remember. When the craft rolled to a stop, the door hydraulically opened and a male voice came through the speaker above the pilot's cabin.
"Take off is in twenty-four hours, with or without you."
That was more than enough time. Kiritsugu clambered down the stairs and adjusted his coat to better shield his body from the biting winter wind. Some distance away, a black car sat waiting for him with headlights on. While he walked, the door to the private jet sealed back up and it began rolling towards a hangar.
This wasn't an international airport, but it was quite big for being privately owned. Kiritsugu slid into the driver's seat of the vehicle and settled into position. He paused to check the glove compartment and center console for anything suspicious. No bugs, no explosives, no problem.
He began his drive to Einzbern Castle, running the plan over in his mind. Upon nearing, he would close in on foot. The bounded field would be difficult to crack - possibly the hardest of his career. Thankfully, his recently acquired skills in runecraft might offer a new edge into field-breaking. Once that was done, he would set up remote explosives on the main entrance while he scaled the side of the building. He would set the explosives off and enter through a window.
It might have seemed backwards or counter-intuitive, but if Acht realized Kiritsugu had killed all the homunculi in his path and was about to rescue Illya, he would kill her himself. If Kiritsugu was delayed by the lab-bred soldiers for even a moment, it would give Acht enough time to kill Illya. He was precisely the kind of vengeful degenerate one might expect him to be.
Kiritsugu had memorized the second floor's layout during his time there, he could easily find his way to Illya's room once he got into the castle. He would use his coat to protect Illya like he had done with Sakura and after that, he would kill everyone in his path to leave.
The difference between this mission and the others he had conducted, was that the equipment he was used to would be absent. The Calico and Contender were back at Fuyuki in his hidden armoury. It was safer that way. If he were to die, the Einzberns wouldn't be able to reverse engineer his mystic code. While he wouldn't have it on hand to use against his enemies, having his secrets preserved was more important. In the end, it was just a gun after all.
He couldn't have brought his own weapons even if he wanted to anyway. The pilot had stipulated that no weapons or contraband be brought onboard and Kiritsugu was forced to respect that. Having near unlimited access to undocumented flights in a private jet was something he couldn't afford to throw away. Kiritsugu would have to break out some of the heavy ordinance stored in a small town just south of Munich. Years ago he had stored a PTR 32 in a basic buried dead drop. It was an assault rifle made in Germany itself, chambered in 7.62 and fed by a drum mag of all things. Whatever madman had decided to put high capacity drum magazines onto fully automatic assault rifles should be given a Nobel Prize in Kiritsugu's opinion.
But he could plan his attack later, right now he only had to focus on the steadily moving dashed yellow line.
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The Magus Killer checked over his gun, verifying all the components were as he had left them. The charging handle chambered a round, producing a satisfying metal-on-metal mechanical noise. A movement of the thumb and the gun was set to full-auto.
With eyes closed, he focused on breathing. He couldn't let his emotions or fears take control of his body. If he did, Illya would die. He couldn't make a mistake, everything needed to be coordinated and precise. The man pushed himself off his lean against the car, plodding off towards a castle which loomed ominously in the distance. The area was so familiar to him. It had been where he and Illya had played games during the day, where he and Irisviel had walked in the nights, where he had been forced to rescue Iri after Acht tossed her out into the woods like garbage.
After five minutes of walking through freshly laden snow, he reached the edge of the Einzbern bounded field. A glance around him secured the area. He let his hands fall from the gun, weapon hanging comfortably in front from a sling. Kiritsugu reached into one pocket to withdraw his gloves. Slipping them on was accompanied by the pleasing squeak of leather. After that, he reached into more pockets to withdraw average-sized flat rocks. Engraved on their surfaces were runic letters.
They were quick-use runes. Rudimentary and incapable of precise application, they served as holdouts for dangerous situations or hasty use of magecraft…in theory.
Kiritsugu had never actually used them before, or even tested to see if mid-throw combinations of separate runes even worked. It should, or he hoped it would at least. This was a lot more guesswork than he had really intended, but cracking the bounded field in his traditional sense was both expected and lengthy.
Anti-Fehu, Anti-Uruz and a new rune he had yet to use - Dagaz. The first two signified failure and frailty respectively, Dagaz was needed for its "break through" definition. Besides the natural rune abilities, Kiritsugu elected to further boost the potential of these runes. Drawing a knife and peeling back the sleeve of his coat, he made a small cut on the top of his arm. Blood trickled freely from the wound, dripping onto the surface of the rune-stones and soaking into their pores. From what little knowledge in proper magecraft Kiritsugu held, this application should infuse his origin into the spell. Trying this on bullets would work, but it was far from subtle, was not self-actuated and could be detected easily as mana needed to be applied directly to the medium.
Three stones flew into the bounded field and made wild sparks of varying colour. Extending an open hand, Kiritsugu transferred mana into the rapidly heating runes. The stone turned from dull gray to glowing red and the engraved runes flashed a brilliant white. A shooting pain stabbed into his palm which steadily crawled up to his shoulder and spread outward even beyond. Kiritsugu grit his teeth, using his other hand to steady the one he had already raised. He understood now why magi made such a stereotypical pose when casting spells. Was this how magecraft was supposed to feel? The rocks continued rising in temperature, just like the magus' body. Liquefied stone began to drip from the surface due to sheer heat. The stones shook and rattled in place, slowly moving closer to one another while hovering in the air.
When the pain reached his face and his vision started to blur, the runes exploded and took the bounded field with them. Like snowflakes, sparkling blue shards fell from the sky to coat the soft snow on the ground. Bits of molten rock sizzled and snapped in the cold snow below.
The Magus Killer took gulps of breath, vision returning with the flow of oxygen. The pain and heat radiating through his body ebbed away with each lungful of cold air. He had pierced the defence of the bounded field by momentarily cutting off the creator's mana flow, shorted the entire construction and bound the "wiring" together improperly. When the original creator's mana resumed, Kiritsugu applied an additional burst to overload the already debilitated circuitry.
It had taken a considerable amount of mana in a very short amount of time, but the first trial had been completed. If he hadn't been well rested and in peak performance, Kiritsugu doubted he would have been able to pull it off. Steam billowed from his mouth and from underneath his coat. It was like he had run a mile straight, burning throat greedily sucking in air autonomously. Still, the man trudged up the path towards the castle with weapon raised. There was no interference to turn him back now.
Cold fire burned deep within black eyes. They stared ahead at the entrance to the castle. He half-expected homunculi to pour out of it, but not a single one came through. Reaching the large double doors, he quickly removed and applied strings of det-cord to the surface. While it wasn't as quick and easy as throwing a brick of C4, it produced a similarly-sized explosion which made sense when one considered what det-cord was made of in the first place. Why he hadn't decided to use C4? That was easy: he didn't have any. Trying to find contraband like that in such a short amount of time was impossible, even for a magus with extensive connections.
Once the cabling was applied, Kiritsugu fixed a pager to the whole setup. The device was almost becoming a staple of his craft at this point. With an underhanded throw, Kiritsugu launched a grappling hook skywards. He was to the west of the main entrance as it was the best point of access. There was a high tower he could attach his hook onto and the window on the second floor was large enough for him to enter easily. Besides these two things, if he spent any more time moving to another side of the castle the homunculi would move to guard Illya. Kiritsugu wasn't the only one with a vendetta against the Einzberns and almost every enemy the family had known about the homunculus girl. Her death would be a massive blow to the family's progress or at the very least she would fetch a decent ransom. Jubstacheit had plans for her and would pay anything to get her back.
A simple burst of his remaining mana activated the runes embedded in the hook. Unnaturally, the hook flew farther than it should have and seemed to move in mid-air. With a satisfying clang, it gripped into the crenellated parapet of the tower.
Tugging on the rope to check its stability, Kiritsugu began scaling the wall. If he was actually experienced in any proper sort of magecraft, there would be a spell of some type he could use to leap or ascend to the second floor. Sometimes he regretted forgoing formal magecraft. Then he met people like Kayneth El-Melloi and his resolve against magecraft was redoubled. Apart from all this, fighting a magus with magecraft was expected and could be countered. Being unconventional is what made Kiritsugu so effective in his career.
Close to the second-floor window, Kiritsugu fumbled around in his coat pockets while holding his entire weight aloft with one arm. He pushed a button - but nothing exploded beneath him.
"What the…" He began, sparing a glance at his hand. Oh, he had pushed the wrong button. Moving his thumb an inch to the left, he pressed the send key and a large explosion tore apart the doorway beneath him. A cry of pain came from within, most likely a homunculus that was caught by the blast or shrapnel.
A window to the second floor was beneath his feet. Reinforcing the muscles in his legs, the Magus Killer leapt from the surface with enough force to crack the glass. On the return swing, he slammed into the window and carried through to the inside. Shards spewed through the interior of the room. Chunks of glass crunched beneath his feet as he landed on them.
He was in a disused bedroom, packed with ancient furniture covered by white sheets. Every visible surface in the room was covered by a thick layer of dust - and now glass. The assault rifle found itself back in Kiritsugu's hands and immediately it was pointed towards the doorway. As if on cue, a homunculus who looked similar to Irisviel burst through wielding a sword of some type.
She opened her mouth to speak, and tensed her arms to ready her weapon but a bullet pierced straight through one of her eyes and she dropped before a syllable could even be formed. The echo of a gunshot carried through the cold stone halls; Kiritsugu could hear it return a couple seconds later. He closed one eye in pain, wishing he had brought earplugs to counter the noise. It would get worse before it got better.
This room was on the northern side of the castle, Kiritsugu should be able to make it to Illya's before he encountered any major resistance. Her room was three doors down from his and Iri's old room in the north-eastern corner. The Magus Killer moved to the doorway, securing his left and right while running towards the left. The main stairway - and by extension, the foyer - was just ahead. If there was any chance at being held up, it would be there.
As he had expected, homunculi stormed up the stairway to reach the second floor. None of them had a facial structure as angular or sharp as Irisviel and each of them had some sort of defect or difference that further set them apart. Hair in buns, shaved or curly. Eyes of various shapes and angles, mouths in differing states of fullness. Kiritsugu found no sorrow in killing each one with precisely placed bullets; they weren't his wife, they were different. The first handful fell due to surprise and slow reactions. The following swarm learned from the mistakes of their predecessors and began using their weapons to deflect or block incoming rounds.
Kiritsugu continued firing into the crowd while moving down the hall. The maintained suppressive fire and bodies of their sisters halted the homunculi's progress up the stairs at least. Kiritsugu had no grenades, so area-wide elimination was out. He would just have to move faster to compensate even if his ears were ringing and his body felt faint.
After moving out of sight of the stairs, Kiritsugu sprinted down the hall, rounding a corner to the right and counting the doors as he passed.
One… The sounds of footsteps echoed behind him.
Two… How was he going to get out of here if the front entrance was so secured?
Three…the Magus Killer rammed into the door shoulder first. It was not locked, so he stumbled clumsily into the room. With a loud bang, the door rebounded off the wall and closed itself behind him. Illya was there, cowering on the bed from all the noise. With quick thinking, Kiritsugu reinforced himself and muscled a wardrobe to block the door.
Panting from the continual use of all his mana reserves, Kiritsugu turned to find his daughter.
"Daddy?" came a soft voice from a considerable sea of plush toys.
"Yes - sweetheart," he gasped, wiping sweat from his forehead. His circuits were scalding him from the inside out. Every inch of his body was screaming in defiance, telling him to stop for a moment of recovery.
"Daddy!" she shouted, becoming a white missile as she latched onto his legs tightly. He struggled to maintain his balance as she collided with him. "Old man Acht said you died and left me alone!" she cried, bawling into her father's legs. Kiritsugu suddenly felt much lighter than he had when he'd entered, the touch of his daughter and the sound of her voice blurring away the pain of his injuries.
"Never, I'd never leave you. Even if we were apart, I'd find a way to get to you," he assured, resting a hand on her head. "We need to go now Illya, but put this on first," Kiritsugu reasoned, slipping both arms out of his coat to give it to her.
"Where are we going?" she asked, wearing his coat with sparkling wide eyes.
"It's not safe here, I'll tell you when we're out," he explained, lifting her up with one arm. "Cover your ears," he suggested, and she did, nestling her head against his shoulder.
The Magus Killer moved from the door and lifted his rifle with one arm. He positioned the butt of the weapon against his hip for stability, pointing it towards the doorway where footsteps shuffled from the other side. After a brief pause, a thump sounded, then a much louder noise as whoever was on the other side applied more effort into opening the door.
He was cornered and would have to fight his way out, the least desirable scenario. With Illya, his combat ability would be severely limited. Hopefully there weren't too many homunculi on the other side, otherwise, escape would be impossible.
A loud chop echoed through the bedroom, then another, and another. Harder and with greater frequency as the wardrobe shook and shuddered. After a dozen chops, the wardrobe fell over into the room and Kiritsugu fired off two quick shots. A homunculus wielding an abnormally large axe fell into the room, dead. Her sisters poured into the room to meet haphazard automatic gunfire. Bullets struck their arms, legs, torso and sometimes heads. They had been expecting concentrated fire to kill-spots, not a wild spray from the hip. While their weapons blocked most of the initial shots, injuries dropped their guard and resulting rounds finished them off.
Fully-dead, half-dead and plain crippled homunculi covered the floor. Those who were alive still crawled towards him however they could - like autonomous machines programmed with a single directive. There had been a little more than a dozen but each had fallen to simple bullets.
Seeing this, one might have thought the Einzbern homunculi were over-exaggerated. They were supposedly incredible combatants that were superhuman in nature. In a duel, a human was sure to lose every time. Even renowned combat magi would have issues handling more than two at once.
But these weren't exactly the famed Einzbern homunculi. They were rejects of each batch. The Einzbern castle had six levels in total. Four of them were above ground, two were underground. Reject homunculi - expected to die and act as an alarm system in the event of an attack - occupied the above-surface floors. It was supposedly set up so that an intruder would underestimate the homunculi after moving through the ground floor and fall to the genuine homunculi shortly after entering the lower levels.
After living in this castle for so many years, Kiritsugu had memorized the passages and estimated times to move throughout the castle. It took twenty minutes to move from the secondary basement level to the main floor. That was Kiritsugu's own time unaided by magecraft or tools of any sort. A homunculus should be able to cut that time by a third. If Kiritsugu had to guess, they had two minutes or less.
He released his gun and pressed Illya's head down against his shoulder, hiding her eyes from the blood-soaked canvas he had painted with his own hands. Blood was splattered across every surface in the entranceway. Drops of the stuff even fell from the ceiling to make wet splats. Five bodies laid dead near the doorway while another group of eight had made it further inside. Of those eight, five had received crippling injuries while the other three had the appearance of swiss cheese. Multiple bullet holes oozed dark red blood to create puddles of blood on the wooden floor. The pain bearing on their minds halted their bodies in their desperate attempts to end his life. Some of the homunculi were still alive, slowly crawling along the ground or trying to stand and bear their weapons to kill him. He paid them no mind. The Magus Killer trod over and around the dead bodies and the splintered wardrobe. The sound of footsteps from the main foyer echoed from the hall he had just been in.
The Magus Killer sprinted in the opposite direction. Acht was likely unaware that he knew of other stairways and exits from the castle. There was one hidden exit that didn't require basement access and it was on the side opposite the main entrance - the south side. There was a secondary stairway there as well. It was smaller and more compact than the main stairway but it still served its purpose of linking the aboveground floors together. Theoretically, it would be clear.
Sparing a glance behind himself, he watched the first homunculus slide around the corner. This one was much more composed than those previous. Their posture was more professional, their weaponry more intimidating, they even wore basic armour to protect themselves. Based off just a cursory glance, his bullets wouldn't do much more than slow these advanced homunculi down. Awkwardly turning and running backwards, Kiritsugu tried to slow the homunculi down with suppressive fire. Pulling the trigger, a single bullet fired before a hollow click sounded.
Of course something like this would happen. Kiritsugu turned, released his rifle and slipped a knife from its holster. In one swift motion, he cut the neoprene sling to let the rifle fall to the ground. Stumbling over the weapon as it landed beneath his feet took a moment, but the reduced weight increased his overall speed.
Rounding the corner to the south side, Kiritsugu focused on breathing and making sure his feet hit the ground properly. The stairwell down to the first floor was near the far end of this hall on the south-west side. Unfortunately, the exit to the castle itself was on the south-east side so he would need to double back after descending to leave.
Hitting the stairwell, he was thankful to find it empty. Taking the way down three steps at a time, he began to feel a strong ache in his chest. He had been pushing himself to the limit since this trial began, sooner or later he would collapse. Descending to the ground floor, the Magus Killer sprinted back to the south-east.
From above, he heard a woman's voice inform her comrades of his location. They knew he was heading to the exit, the question was if they would be there in time to stop him or not. Halfway to the exit, he heard feet falling. They were gaining on him, slowly but surely.
He pushed his way through a door that looked like any other, running down a short hall into another door which burst out into the frigid air outside. The cold air gave him a chill without his coat, but it made him feel as if he could go just a little further.
Taking every inch offered to him, he turned and ran towards the east. It was nowhere near where he had parked his car, but he could loop back easily enough once his tail had left him. Just as he was closing in on the corner of the castle, a man walked into view from the other side.
"Quite a performance, Kiritsugu." He spoke calmly, stopping the Magus Killer in his tracks. Even panting from all the effort he had made, a harsh glare that could cut steel still appeared on Kiritsugu's face.
"Acht," Kiritsugu spat out, throat wheezing with each breath. His vision was closing in and he could hardly keep his legs standing from all the abuse, but he would persevere for his daughter.
"I had not expected such a forceful attack from a dead man. Imagine my surprise when I was informed that the very master I employed to claim the Grail was storming my castle. You did well in striking so fast, unfortunately, your knowledge of the castle's many exits was predictable to say the least. Now then, I'll be taking my property back while the homunculi escort you to the lab. That crest of yours has been of interest to me for some time now." He paused, extending a hand lazily while closing one eye. Homunculi appeared from around the corner behind Acht.
Not one came from behind Kiritsugu however, most likely because they were pre-programmed to never leave the castle unless directly ordered. Kiritsugu knelt, letting Illya down onto her feet. She was facing Acht, so it allowed Kiritsugu to reach both hands into two pockets of his coat, the coat she was wearing. "Run," he whisper-shouted into her ear. In one fluid motion, the Magus Killer withdrew his hands and threw something with considerable speed.
Unsure of what her father meant, Illya hesitated, but when a small explosion happened just meters away her body took over and carried her into the forest. Kiritsugu had thrown a quick-rune directly into the face of one of the homunculi. Acht had brought five servants to take him on. There were four remaining as one was missing the majority of their skull. Sometimes unstable combinations of runes could be used practically. He only had one quick-rune left, Sowulo.
The one nearest him readied a mace and shield, another hefted a large halberd to their shoulder. Two of the homunculi assisted their "master" in moving to safety. Not that he really needed it, as the golem was likely on par with the homunculi themselves. Kiritsugu took a step forward, trying to yank the shieldbearer's leg out from underneath her. Her reactions and anticipation made the attack miss. A metal kite shield familiarized itself with his chest, sending him backwards but not toppling him yet.
The brief moment Acht had spent talking with him regenerated enough stamina to put him into a decent fighting condition. He was unable to re-engage with the shieldbearer as the homunculus wielding a halberd attempted to slice him into halves. The vertical chop lodged the axe head into the ground, puffing up a bit of snow into the air. Kiritsugu moved back out of the attack, then strode forwards and stomped one foot on the halberd head. Using it to push himself off, he planted a side kick into the homunculus' sternum. With the reinforcement of his body and the runes etched into his boots - yes, he had learned from the night of the banquet - he was as strong and as fast as these homunculi, in bursts anyway.
With one of the women out of the way, but two more joining the fight, Kiritsugu would have to step it up.
Time Alter - he paused, searing pain shooting through his skull - Double Accel! Moving twice as fast offered twice as much pain although he didn't let this slow him down. Kiritsugu slipped to the side of the shieldbearer who was rapidly advancing on him. With one elbow, he broke her nose. The force coupled with the doubled speed blew her backwards onto the ground. Her mace had left the grip of her hand and Kiritsugu bent at an awkward angle to collect the weapon. The former halberd user collected her own weapon and thrust it in his direction. Already half-bent front retrieving the weapon, Kiritsugu was forced to contort himself into an even more uncomfortable position to narrowly dodge the axe head. The gleaming steel slid past his midsection by inches.
As the halberd was over-extended, he was able to quickly swat the weapon back into the dirt with the shaft of the mace. The shieldbearer had managed to gather herself while her two sisters joined the fight. One was unarmed while the other wielded a two-handed blade. If Kiritsugu had to guess, the unarmed homunculi used magecraft to act in a supporting role. At least this wouldn't be four on one. In a burst of uncanny speed, the sword-wielding homunculus darted forward and slammed directly into him before he could even consider moving to attack. Using Time Alter again would destroy him in more ways than just frying his magic circuits. He was forced to rely on his natural ability until his body could recover a little bit more mana.
Trying to keep up with the homunculus was a losing battle. Barely deflecting the second strike, he was forced to drop the mace and leap backwards to catch a breath. He could hardly breathe in once before a shield slammed into his shoulder and sent him flying into the castle wall. A gristly crack sounded from his left arm - dislocated at best, broken at worst. His coat had made attacks like this so much easier to bear with.
The three armed homunculi converged on his location with disturbing coordination. Thankfully they were unable to flank him entirely, so he could backpedal further to keep all three women ahead. It was easier to manage them when they all attacked from one direction - which they did with the viciousness of rabid dogs. The halberd slashed to claim his head, jamming solidly into the castle wall. The sword came from above, nearly lodging itself in his shoulder but merely slicing a gash vertically down his chest.
The shield had oddly been missing, and the halberd had been left impaled in the castle wall. He had to focus primarily on the swordswoman while only having one arm to defend himself. The situation was beginning to look worse as the seconds carried on. If he died, would Illya be alright? He had left instructions for her in his coat if she were to look through them - hopefully she could make it out of Germany and find someone to help her.
He couldn't think like that, he would make it out of this no matter what. Gritting his teeth while digging his feet into the snow for more traction, Kiritsugu threw a glove-covered fist directly towards the incoming sword blade. A minor explosion of pressure resulted as the blade snapped backwards into the dirt behind the homunculus. She gasped in surprise, arms tensing while they tried to compensate such a force.
Deciding not to form a proper punch to save time, Kiritsugu stepped forward and swung his hand back, backhanding the swordswoman and stumbling her heavily.
The Magus Killer released a stored breath, sucking in another with care. His attacks were doing nothing, not even leaving bruises. A barely visible flash of green from behind explained everything. The supporting homunculus was healing their wounds as they were dealt. Nothing short of lethal attacks would put these girls down.
That was fine, he could do lethal strikes. A blow to the chest with enough force could theoretically pierce their torso and allow him access to their heart. If he used Time Alter, such a feat would be easy. At his current mana levels, he could use it once more with some minor permanent damage.
Time Alter- And then something collided with his head.
The projectile was part metal and part flesh, tossing him over like a ragdoll and filling his eyes with flashing stars. The world span around wildly, and he felt like vomiting. Such an impact, so much force from seemingly nowhere. He tried to stand, but the muscles in most of his body weren't responding to the signals he was sending.
He could move his head at least. He tried looking around to see the perpetrator, finding a homunculus behind him who was dusting herself off. The halberd user strode up from beside the swordswoman. There was only one thing that could have happened.
The halberd wielder had thrown the shieldbearer like a human missile, a bold move but one which obviously worked. The stars in his vision faded and the muscles in his body twitched as they handled a backlog of inputs. He tried to stand, but the swordswoman stood over him with a raised weapon.
His journey ended here, there was nothing left in his arsenal to save him. At best he could use rune magic on his own debilitated arm to create an intense explosion, but was that really worth it just to kill three simple homunculi? The sunlight glinted off the cold steel of the sword. The homunculus' arms tensed, preparing to strike downward. Kiritsugu closed his eyes, taking attacks while expecting them always instilled fear and made them hurt more. Letting it be unexpected was a small mercy.
"Daddy!" came a shout, and a shriek of metal pierced his ears. Kiritsugu's eyes snapped open. Radiant blue thread had wound itself around the blade of the sword and compressed hard enough to crumple the weapon in on itself. It was no longer a blade, but a long clumsy club. These threads were attached to a bird which flapped madly to hold back the swordswoman's arms.
Kiritsugu wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Pulling his foot up, he kicked the homunculus in the stomach and rolled backwards. Grimacing from the pain of rolling over his wounded shoulder, he popped up to stand.
Time Alter - Double Accel! he commanded in mid-turn. He faced the surprised shieldbearer, jamming his fist upwards into her sternum. With a wet noise, his hand carried into the woman to root around in her vital organs. Opening and closing on his target, the woman gasped and faltered.
In half a second, her heart had been demolished. No magecraft short of Avalon would be able to regenerate something like that. Withdrawing his hand, the time alteration ended. The homunculus with the halberd had moved to collect her weapon while the thread-bird had flown around the swordbearer several times. She was wound up in thin strands of blue mana and while straining, she couldn't seem to break the thread.
Illya hadn't really left, she had been watching the whole time. He had saved her, but now that she was the one saving him, she was in danger. Acht would gather more homunculi to kill them both now, time was running short.
"Illya!" he called out, gripping his shoulder. It was only dislocated; this he could work with. "Use Zelle on the unarmed one!" he commanded, and a nervous acknowledgement came as response. Before he had left for the Grail War, he had decided that it would be best to teach Illya combat-specific magecraft should the worst scenario come to be. Working alongside Irisviel, the two developed Illya's use of Engel Note to support multiple forms. Beyond Storch Ritter - the bird construct - she had access to Zelle and Degen. The former was a gun-type creation which fired compressed balls of pure Od at targets. The latter took the shape of a dagger and could be launched at high velocities or even used as a handheld weapon should the need arise. Due to the fact that Illya had no knowledge of how the spell operated, the efficiency was lacking. Compared to her mother, Illya expended several times more mana to maintain the constructs.
A vibrant blue bullet shot across his vision, striking the supporting homunculus and spewing red across the snow. The woman slumped to the ground with empty eyes. Without a healer, he could actually injure these homunculi. He gave his head a shake to clear the stars in his eyes. Two left, one was disabled for the time being. How long Storch Ritter would hold the swordswoman was up in the air. Kiritsugu moved to engage the halberd-user, who had choked up on their weapon to begin using it more as a spear than an axe. A thrust, near miss to his midsection. A short jab too high to be a proper attack, falling onto his already dead shoulder. The surprise at its ineffectiveness was written on the homunculus' face. Treating her to a similar injury, Kiritsugu struck at the elbow. A vicious blow snapped the joint and twisted the limb at a disgusting angle. She cried out in pain and dropped her weapon. Now they both only had one arm to use.
A cracking noise sounded from the right - a telltale sign of the dwindling power of Illya's magecraft. While she had been training with Engel Note for some time, her power was still limited due to the fact that she was far from fully grown. At such a young age, her magical capabilities were actually outstanding, but her mana reserves emptied extremely quickly. It was a matter of lacking efficiency.
Leaning back and lifting a leg, Kiritsugu planted his boot onto the chest of the halberd user. She landed on her back in the snow, coughing and wheezing as her lungs betrayed her desire to fight.
More crackles sounded from the swordswoman, her muscles tensing as one strand shattered from the exertion. He couldn't move his arm, and that last attack from the halberd had probably shattered his shoulder entirely. Moving to the retained homunculus, Kiritsugu held his hand flat, jamming it between the threads into the woman's midsection. The amount of threads surrounding her chest left true vital blows out of the picture. Still, a gaping hole in the stomach would delay even the most endurable of combatants.
The bird of thread began to fade away, losing its intense blue shine. In seconds the homunculus would be free. Withdrawing his hand from the created cavity, Kiritsugu prepared a heavy punch. With a loud crack, his fist collided with the homunculus' nose. Her head snapped back and her body fell limp as she slipped into unconsciousness.
One more to handle, just one. His vision was closing in around the edges and the bright midday sun seemed hazy and dim. If he even thought about activating Time Alter for a second, he would pass out, he was at his absolute limit. Just like him, his daughter had seemingly reached her limit as well. All of the blue thread surrounding and holding up the homunculus shattered into blue sparks. Stumbling backwards, Kiritsugu reached into a pocket to withdraw the last holdout he had. It would only need a minuscule amount of mana to activate, but the Sowulo quick-rune would fix his shoulder and stop him from bleeding out at least.
Pressing the cold stone to his wounded limb, a slight trickle of mana activated the stone and set the bone into place. The rock crumbled to dust within his hand as the spell traded mana and minerals to regenerate his body. All at once, pain shot through his core and distorted his vision heavily. Nerves aligned themselves and motion returned to him. The last homunculus strode towards him, confident that he would be an easy mark with only one arm.
Raising one arm as if his other one was still dislocated, Kiritsugu strode forward in time with the final homunculus. She elected to use kicks rather than punches, most likely because she had two legs and only one functioning arm. The Magus Killer raised his arms to block the first rotating kick. The force behind the attack was great enough to dig his boots into the ground. Kiritsugu even heard his forearms crack under the strain. Using the rebounding force, the homunculus planted the foot she used to kick with into the ground. Hopping up on her other foot, she thrust her heel towards Kiritsugu's gut. This was the worst mistake she could make.
With a turn and a half step backwards, her foot came in just in front of the Magus Killer. Moving in again, he caught her ankle with one hand and used his own leg to kick at her standing knee. With several brutal cracks, another limb was lost. Collapsing on her own broken leg, she cried in pain. To finish the job, Kiritsugu stepped forward. With one of her legs broken and another being held up in the air, she was forced onto her back. Rearing a bloodied fist back, the Magus Killer pistoned one fist into her nose. Her cry was cut short as her body collapsed into unconsciousness.
Kiritsugu huffed, breathing coming in ragged rasps. It had been a very long time since he had expended all his mana and continued abusing his reserves like this. He was likely to feel the effects weeks from now. Stumbling towards where he had heard Illya's voice, he spotted the girl behind a tree, trembling from the cold. Or maybe it was the fact her father was coated in blood. The wound in his chest had bled down his front, shards of bone had broken the skin on his shoulder to further coat his front, both hands were dripping with blood that wasn't his own.
The look on her face was one Kiritsugu had seen many times before. Disgust and fear rolled into a single emotion he liked to call "first-time fright". The emotion held after witnessing a loved one murder for the first time, or after killing another themselves. This was the first time Illya had watched someone die. Not only had her father slain a dozen homunculi, but she had also killed one to help him.
She was scared, of him of course. As he neared her, she seemed to back away only to remind herself that he was her father - he had played with her and cared for her since she was born.
"You did a good job, Illya," he spoke, mustering a smile. "I… I don't know if I'll be able to carry you like this, so you might have to walk on your own, alright sweetheart?" he asked, stumbling on himself and falling onto one knee.
"Daddy!" she shouted, running towards him with tears in her eyes. "You're hurt!" she pointed out, hugging onto his wounded arm. "Where's Momma? She can fix you can't she?" she asked, looking around in vain.
"She's not here right now." Kiritsugu left it there, he could explain it better to her later. "We need to get going, we have to leave here," he grumbled, rising to his feet.
The Sowulo rune would prevent him from bleeding out at least. Maybe later he could carry his daughter to the car but right now he hardly had the stamina to jog. His daughter, now stained with his blood after hugging onto him, reached up for his hand to follow him while they walked.
Acht would take a moment to get back into the castle, by the time he alerted and sent out the homunculi, they should be home free. He just needed to make it to the car. Like a machine or a man possessed, he continued on through the snow, mind focusing on a single direction as he blurred in and out of consciousness. At one point, he forgot where and who he was. The only thing he knew was that he needed to keep moving forwards. Eventually, the car came into sight, parked where he had left it. Helping his daughter enter, he settled into the driver's seat and caught his breath.
He had made it. He had rescued his daughter from the Einzbern Castle. She was crying gently in the passenger seat while shivering from the cold, but she was safe with him.
Clumsily, Kiritsugu turned the car on and tried to focus forwards. Driving in this state would be difficult. Getting even a little distance from the castle would give him time to rest and drive without seeing double. He would take it slow, he still had twenty hours before his flight left without him.
… … …
… … …
… … …
Kiritsugu had been incredibly thankful for the ten-hour flight. He had used the time to rest and heal his battered body. The change of clothes he'd had the wisdom to bring also meant he wouldn't seem like a bad haunted house mannequin. Illya had slept beside him, content with just being beside her father once more. She'd woken him after having a nightmare but otherwise the flight had been bearable. It was nine in the morning when they eventually arrived in Fuyuki. No longer did he feel as if he might fall over at any moment, his vision had corrected itself and most of his wounds had healed. His magic circuits weren't functioning at all, his shoulder still hurt a tad and it was a little sore but otherwise he was feeling rather good.
He even carried his daughter on his shoulders. All the way from the airport to their new home, on foot. Oddly enough, even after all the wounds he had just experienced, he felt better than ever. He was going to be living a normal life with his kids. Yes, kids. Shirou had come home a few days ago and had been left in the care of Taiga while he conducted his business.
Kneeling, Kiritsugu bowed his head to let his daughter dismount from his shoulders. Turning back to look up at him with wide eyes, he offered a slight smile. "This will be our new home now," he began. Her eyes widened, sparkling with wonderment as her face split with joy. Being pent up in that distant castle would make the most simple things seem amazing.
Kiritsugu couldn't help but smile, pushing the front gate open to reveal the mansion within. Illya turned, exclaiming surprise as she admired the traditional, rustic design. "Here? This is really cool!" With pent-up enthusiasm, she ran down the path to the front door and tried to push it open. It didn't budge, and she looked around the edges with confusion.
"You have to slide it, sweetheart," Kiritsugu pointed out with a chuckle, watching her open the door and race inside. "And take off your shoes!" he called out, watching her abruptly stop to do as ordered. Racing from around the corner, Taija came into sight. Her eyes flashed with rage and bewilderment from the foreign girl, but upon seeing Kiritsugu shamble up the walk she seemed to soften and acknowledge what was going on.
"Kiritsugu! You weren't gone for very long, how did your business go?" she asked once he was in range, glancing between the new girl and him. "And who is this cutie?" she asked with a bright smile.
Illya seemed to shy away immediately, blushing from the compliment and overall confident air surrounding the older girl. Placing one hand on her hip, Taiga peered down and ruffled the snow-white hair of the albino.
"That would be my daughter." Kiritsugu peeled off his shoes, thankful to be out of them finally. It had taken him well over twenty minutes to wash the blood off in the plane.
"Oh!" The teen seemed to brighten further. Perhaps having two new children living nearby was the cause? "Well you can call me Fuji-nee!" She shouted like the title was something of knightly honour.
"My name is Illyasviel von Einzbern, it's so nice to meet you Fuji-nee!" Illya greeted with unbridled excitement.
"Fuji-nee, hm?" Kiritsugu mumbled to himself, stretching languidly and smirking as a teasing thought came to mind. "Was Taiga too formal?"
"N-No, I just -" Taiga began, rose appearing on her cheeks.
Kiritsugu chuckled, waving with his hand. "I'm just kidding. I appreciate you taking the time to watch over Shirou. Hopefully, he wasn't too much of a handful." As he spoke, red hair peeked out from around the corner. Golden eyes locked onto dull black and a glimmer of recognition flashed between the two.
"Kiritsugu!" came a shout and then the sound of bare feet. He stopped behind Taiga, marvelling at Illya who both shared similar expressions.
"Who are you?" the two children asked simultaneously, getting a laugh from the older members.
"Shirou, this is Illyasviel. Illya, this is Shirou," Kiritsugu explained. "Illya is my daughter, and you're my son." Kiritsugu scratched the back of his neck. "I hope you two can get along together." His eyes landed on Taiga, who was beaming with closed eyes. "I'm sure your father would like you back home, Taiga. I'd also like to rest after such a long journey."
Acknowledging the fact she was intruding, Taiga nodded and said her goodbyes. In a minute she was gone, leaving the Emiya family alone. All the while, the two children whispered to one another as their father sighed in exhaustion.
"How come he gets to call himself Emiya when I'm von Einzbern?" Illya whined, pouting.
"And how can she be older than I am!" Shirou chimed in with the same whiny tone.
Kiritsugu could only laugh at his unfortunate position.
… … …
So Illya was his older sister? But she called him big brother. That was confusing to begin with. When Kiritsugu started explaining it all - it just got worse! She was from Germany and was also a wizard like the old man. She wasn't going to go to school with him, but they were all going to live together regardless. Kiritsugu hadn't said anything, but Shirou made it his own personal mission to protect her at any cost. It was what a big brother should do, wasn't it?
He closed one eye as a finger poked his cheek. "Hey! Were you listening?" Illya asked. They were about the same height, so her bright red eyes were rather imposing.
"Uh, yeah! You were saying…" Shirou trailed on. He hadn't been listening at all. Illya pouted, making a noise of frustration.
"You idiot, you have to listen when a girl is talking to you or you'll just get her mad at you!" she chastised, placing both hands on her hips and leaning forward into his space.
Reflexively, Shirou leaned his head back. "Alright, I'll try to listen better from now on." He stepped back, scratching his neck with closed eyes. "I guess."
Illya smiled and leaned back into her own space. "You'll just have to make it up to me later." Her voice was sweet, but the tone behind it was pure malice.
"M-make it up to you?"
"Ah-huh. Maybe not now, but sometime later you'll have to do something for me to pay me back alright?" Kiritsugu had taken him aside and told him that Illya hadn't really had anyone her age to play with so she might have been shy. Shirou was prepared for that, he could easily see himself trying to drag someone reclusive into doing something fun. What he hadn't expected was for the girl to be more sociable even he was trying to be.
Shirou nodded. "Alright, I guess I owe you then."
The two of them were in the kitchen, talking as they waited for Kiritsugu. Shirou had noticed he was bleeding underneath his shirt but hadn't commented on the matter. He didn't really know what being a wizard meant or what it entailed, but it was obviously something best left private. All Shirou knew was that he had gone away for a brief time and now he was back with his sister - he didn't have to know any details.
There was a sneeze from the hallway before the door to the kitchen slid open. Holding his head high, Kiritsugu came into sight. He sneezed once more before shaking his head and looking at his two children.
"I was thinking we could go to the park nearby. It would give you two somewhere to play and a chance to get to know one another." He shrugged, leaning against the doorframe. There was a slight curve in his lips, almost like he was trying to repress the happiness he was feeling.
Illya spoke before Shirou could even think about his answer. "Daddy I'm still in my pyjamas!"
"Well, I wasn't thinking about going right this instant. We'll get cleaned up before we go out." He pushed off the door with his shoulder, sucking a breath through his teeth. "Now who's going to the bath first?"
"Huh? We have to take turns? Shirou can just bathe with me!" Illya shouted with innocent reasoning. The other two people in the room almost flinched at such a prospect. Shirou's throat closed up from embarrassment while Kiritsugu only chuckled nervously.
"Let's just bathe separately, ok?" Kiritsugu settled, holding his hands out passively as his daughter whined.
… … ….
Shirou enjoyed having a sister. She was even more interested in the world than he was. The sidewalk, the streets, the buildings, the playground and the other children all fascinated her. It was like she had never seen anything besides her own room for her entire life.
Shirou had to teach her how to play hide and seek and tag. He taught her how to use jump-rope which she was incredibly good at after learning!
The other kids came over to admire her snow-white hair and bright red eyes. All day Illya was incredibly sociable and made friends near instantly! With the new group of kids, they were able to play more games like freeze tag, fox hole and red rover.
Kiritsugu had pulled the two of them away so they could have a break and snack. Sitting on a bench, drinking from a juice box, Shirou thought about himself for a moment. He was enjoying himself, surprising when such a tragedy had happened only a week and a bit ago.
It had been rather hard to feel anything after the Great Fire. Since he couldn't remember anything about what he had lost in the flames, he couldn't grieve. He didn't feel sadness for loved ones who may have died or regret for not being able to escape. Having no memories alleviated him of that burden at least.
Only…he had something else on his mind. Echoing screams, cursed flame that never stopped burning, molten corpses begging for a saviour, reaching out to him as he walked asking for his help. Sometimes they beckoned for death, relief from such indescribable pain. Shirou had strode by each one, doing his best to block out everything around him. His logic had been that if he continued walking, eventually he would find the way out of this hell. Since he'd had no idea which way was up, down or sideways after the explosion, he had decided on one path and walked onwards.
He had fallen when his mind refused to cooperate. It had given up and collapsed his body into the rubble. His spirit still screamed for him to fight, begged his body and mind to get back up and continue walking. But there were no screams or pain in the pile of rubble and the rain falling on his face was so cooling.
As a last-ditch effort on part of his indomitable spirit, he had reached up to the sky as if it held the answer to his problems - and that was when Kiritsugu had found him. He had been happy to be rescued, but a pang of sadness came alongside it. Was he the only one who had been rescued? The banshee-like screams had fallen silent and the bright orange glow of flames had ebbed away. Shirou couldn't focus on anything else besides Kiritsugu's face.
He seemed so… Like he was… It was the face of absolute elation. It was an emotion Shirou couldn't describe due to how convoluted and strong it was. Would it be wrong to say he envied his father for the look on his face that day? He desired to understand the emotion, to feel and experience it for himself.
Shirou caught Illya staring at him from one side. A smirk grew on her face. "Big brother, your eyes change colour when you think." Shirou felt a rush of heat flow to his cheeks.
"They do?" he asked, unsure.
"Ah-huh. They're normally goldish but when you think they turn cold and a little bit gray," Illya explained, sitting back and kicking her feet idly.
Kiritsugu turned to look at the two of them, listening in on the conversation. "Did you want to go play with the other kids again?" Shirou asked, diverting the subject in any direction he could.
Illya shook her head. She must be tired. From the side, Kiritsugu cleared his throat to get their attention. "Maybe I can make a suggestion." He faced forwards and pointed a finger out into the park. "Do you see that girl there?" Shirou tried to follow his finger but couldn't quite figure out who he was referring to. Leaning down, Kiritsugu tried to point with more precision on their level. "Right there, under the tree."
Shirou tried to get behind Kiritsugu's arm, following the tip of his finger to a girl with purple hair. "I see her!" Shirou shouted first, getting a smile from his father. Illya pouted and mumbled something in defeat.
"I'd like you to introduce yourselves to her. Talk to her, can you do that for me?" Kiritsugu asked, voice much more hollow than it had been. Peering upwards, Shirou noticed his eyes seemed distant, or maybe they were sad?
Shirou turned to look at Illya, who shared his expression of confusion. Suddenly, she giggled and leapt from the bench. "Last one there's a big loser!" she chanted while sprinting towards the girl. Trying not to be the big loser, Shirou ran after his sister. With all the commotion, the purple-haired girl lifted her head up. She seemed to gain a look of recognition and she briefly lifted one hand, hinting at a wave. Looking backwards, Shirou watched Kiritsugu return the same slight wave. Did they know each other?
Ilya's taunting broke him from the question. For a girl as short as she was, she was really fast! Shirou was starting to wonder if everything was a lie and nothing was as it seemed. Next thing he'd be told was that his father was some sort of assassin. Pfft!
… … …
Illya had fallen asleep after playing for so long. It was sundown when they left and even Shirou himself was tired. Kiritsugu was carrying Illya in his arms as the two boys walked back home. This park wasn't very far from their home, and it wasn't very far for Sakura either!
They had met the purple haired girl and played lots of games with her as well. It had taken some convincing from his sister but eventually, Sakura joined in. Illya had actually dragged her to the playground and thrown her into an ongoing game of tag. She had seemed reluctant to start, but after the first round she'd gotten interested and Shirou thought he saw her smile.
Today was great, he had a new sister and they had lots of fun. He got to know her a lot better and Shirou found himself admiring how smart she was. Some of the kids were telling stories and Illya gave some of her own. The stories were long but Illya made them interesting with her motions and enthusiasm. One was about a wizard and his apprentice who went around killing vampires across the whole world. The two worked together to overcome unbeatable odds using teamwork and their friendship. Shirou liked that one the best because the wizard always saved as many people as he could. He couldn't save the vampires, but he tried at least!
There was only one thing Shirou couldn't get out of his head. Several times when he had looked towards the old man on the bench, he looked sad. At the start of the day he seemed to be perpetually smiling while he watched Illya and him play, but after they brought Sakura into their games he looked upset. He was smiling partly only his eyes seemed…dark. Shirou didn't know why, but he figured it must have been because of Sakura.
Kiritsugu's eyes slid over, breaking him from thought. "Did you have fun today, Shirou?"
"Yeah! Illya is cool and she's really smart!" Shirou spoke with a bright smile. Kiritsugu seemed to soften, shoulders relaxing and face settling to look pleased.
"That's good to hear. She's never been to a school, so I hope she'll be able to do well with what I've taught her." Kiritsugu commented.
"You taught her all that?" Shirou's jaw dropped. The old man nodded softly. "Can you teach me stuff like that?"
The dark haired man went quiet for a moment, pursing his lips as if the answer to that question was something that brought up great internal debate. There were a whole ten seconds of silence before Kiritsugu answered. "I could. Before I do, I'll have to explain what I'll be teaching you as clearly as I can."
Shirou's mind exploded, something as ominous as that could only mean one thing. "Are you going to teach me to be a wizard?!" he shouted with more enthusiasm than he had meant to.
Kiritsugu hummed. "We're not wizards, we're mages. Magi if you'd like to be official."
"Is Illya a wi- magus?" Shirou asked, interest in the girl growing exponentially. Kiritsugu's response was a short nod as he looked down at her sleeping face. A smile spread across Shirou's face. His new sister was smart, pretty, friendly and to top it all off - she could teach him magic! With newfound energy, Shirou walked beside his father with pride.
… … …
… … …
… … …
Kiritsugu closed the door to Illya's bedroom. They had come back home from the park hours ago. Illya had woken up when they arrived and she went off with Shirou to explore the house. After that, Kiritsugu had tried to cook dinner for them all. He had a lot of trouble trying to make even scrambled eggs. They seemed to burn almost as soon as he dropped them into the pan. Shirou had come on account of the smell and taken interest in cooking.
He was able to scramble some eggs and make toast like he had done it a hundred times before. Shirou claimed he had never been in a kitchen before, to his knowledge anyway. They threw away the smouldering wreck that was Kiritsugu's attempt.
The Magus Killer fixed the collar of his coat with one hand, checking the time via the clock on the wall. Nine thirty. Far from his usual midnight owl style, darkness was darkness. He had jobs to do today, very important ones. First on his list was following up on one Byakuya Matou. He knew the address and it was north of the Grail explosion. A residential section of high-class housing. Kiritsugu didn't want to think about how many had died in their homes, unaware of any danger. It would be good to at least verify whether or not the Matou was alive. If he was, he wouldn't be for long.
Kiritsugu set up a decent bounded field, spending a few minutes to alter its signature. It would be entirely invisible to the average magus and would only make itself known if someone entered. It wasn't a deterrent, just a simple warning bell. Taking up his Contender and Calico once more, the Magus Killer took off without another delay.
… … …
Scanning through the wreckage of the home, Kiritsugu could certify one thing. Byakuya wasn't here. If he was dead or if he had made it out alive was up to debate. The entire block of buildings had burnt down and it seemed that a few of them had spontaneously exploded from the inside out.
Kiritsugu wouldn't claim to be an expert on omnipotent magic running rampant, but he would like to think it was caused by the Grail.
Until a body or some sort of hard evidence or a body was discovered, Byakuya couldn't be removed from the list of potential enemies. Kiritsugu stood from his crouched position. The charred rubble wasn't going to give him any answers. A shiver suddenly ran down his neck. Reflexively, the Magus Killer drew the Calico and turned to face whoever was watching him.
"I see your reactions haven't dulled. I'm surprised, I would have thought the cursed goo of the Grail would render you cripple." The sickly grating voice of the elder Matou rolled along the ground.
Kiritsugu set his jaw, trying to find his target. What did he mean, render him cripple? Just how familiar with the Grail was this man? "I was never affected by the Grail, Zouken," he decided on revealing. Perhaps if he offered some civility, answers would be returned.
"So that is how you managed to breach the Einzbern castle. Jubstacheit told me you were akin to a wild beast. Fast and sloppy but ravenous enough to forgo efficiency." The old worm chuckled, forming his "human" body from a swarming mass of worms which came from every crack and crevice.
"Get to the point, like me you're here for a reason." Kiritsugu hastened, finger squeezing a fraction tighter against the trigger. These bullets wouldn't do anything, but Zouken could feel pain at the very least.
That laugh, a wet, sharp noise that accentuated each syllable, came as response. "I'm here to speak with you of course. You've kept me waiting at this spot for several days. I had expected you to come much sooner although after hearing your exploits in Germany, I can understand the delay." He paused to allow a rotten smile to split his face. "How is Illyasviel-"
"You leave her out of this you son of a bitch!" Kiritsugu shouted with sudden rage.
"My my, hit a soft spot have I?" Zouken laughed again, purposely trying to irritate the Magus Killer. "A reminder that I never burnt down your house and destroyed your workshop, kidnapped your child."
"She's not your child, worm," Kiritsugu pointed out, squinting to keep his face from twitching.
"Oh but she is. Our agreement decided that much, now didn't It?" When the Magus Killer pursed his lips tighter, Zouken laughed.
… … …
… … …
… … …
A week ago, Kiritsugu had made a desperate sprint to Sakura's room. Insects were crawling along the ground and the ceiling. Zouken was here, in his home. Kiritsugu knew exactly what he was looking for as well. Throwing open the door to Sakura's room, he discovered he was too late. The old man was standing behind a crying girl.
"You bastard, you touch her and I'll kill you!" Kiritsugu took one step forward and a wall of insects moved to meet him. Zouken laid a greasy hand on top of the girl's head.
"I don't think you understand the situation. You're surrounded and you have nothing to defend yourself with," Zouken pointed out casually. The chattering of thousands of insects became known as thousand of insects became a sea around the Magus Killer. As much as he hated to admit it, the worm was right. The Contender might work in this situation but he wouldn't have time to draw and fire the weapon.
Through gritted teeth, Kiritsugu spoke. "I'll come after you, I won't let you take her."
"You have no choice," Zouken snapped back, offering a slice into the reality of the situation.
"You know I won't stop-"
"Which is why I propose a deal," Zouken interrupted surprisingly. "An agreement. I know you will not stop until your goals are achieved. I also don't doubt you have ways to permanently injure me should I choose to attack right now. I don't wish to have myself or Sakura harmed so an equal trade is in order."
Kiritsugu thought for a moment. He actually had no idea if his Contender would work or not. "What are the terms?"
"I take Sakura and you leave us alone. That is my side of the bargain," Zouken established, leaving this agreement open for input.
Kiritsugu's mind raced. If Sakura going with the old man was inevitable, Kiritsugu would have to find other bargaining chips for the girl. Clenching his jaw as he considered what he should ask for, the Magus Killer decided on a couple things. "She'll be able to leave the house whenever she chooses," he began with, getting a slow nod from the old worm. "And you'll allow contact between her and I." Another nod. "And you will cause me no trouble in the future, this extends to my family members," he decided.
"Tsk. A man like you has family? So be it, they will be spared."
It was Kiritsugu's turn to nod now. "In retur,n I promise to never interfere with your business, as foul and rotten as it may be." The two shared a look of acceptance before Kiritsugu looked towards the crying girl. There was resentment in her eyes, but more than that there was just plain sadness. She had been enjoying her time away from Zouken and now she would be forced back into the torturous training.
He hoped she would find some comfort knowing there were people who cared for her, that would fight for her if they could. He did his best to give her opportunities to be a normal girl, although if that would hurt or help her was uncertain.
… … …
… … …
… … …
"I know you're looking for Byakuya," Zouken commented after he was finished laughing. "He died in the blast you caused unfortunately. I'll be taking his son into my home as well. Just like you, I'll have two children running around." Zouken squinted. "Let's see which one is the least mentally unstable in a few years - we can have a contest." The old worm laughed again, but it was cut short as 9mm rounds peppered his front.
The Magus Killer was done talking for now. He didn't move back as he fired, emptying the entire fifty-round magazine into the squirming mass of insects. When the gun clicked to a stop, Zouken had turned into a squirming pile of something which barely resembled a human. Replacing the smoking gun in his coat, Kiritsugu turned and stormed off as the distant chuckling of a decrepit old man followed his heels.
… … …
Tokiomi Tohsaka had seemingly dropped off the face of the War following the scene at the docks. Archer had only revealed his face at the banquet and no other servant had expressed seeing him elsewhere.
Kiritsugu thought it was time to discover what exactly had happened to the master. There was no easier way to discover the fate of someone than by looking through their home.
You could tell a lot about what happened to another just on the state of their house. If it was in disarray and things were thrown haphazardly about, it was likely murder and someone had been looking for something. If everything was unnaturally clean and ordered, a professional may have completed a contract and they were hiding their tracks - or the victim knew he would be killed and they were purposefully cleaning things so that even the most minute detail out of place would be noticed.
If the home was lived in, a decent mix of order and chaos, they were unexpectedly killed. It also meant one could find clues into how the murder was conducted which might eventually lead to finding the killer, or the victim if they weren't dead but only missing.
Kiritsugu's elbow broke the glass to the back door. Reaching in, he unlocked the door and pushed it open. Cautiously, the Magus Killer crept into what appeared to be a kitchen. It was fabulously done, with granite countertops and contemporary facings. It must have cost an absolute fortune to have such a complete renovation.
Obviously, the Tohsaka were much better off than the Matou. So why had they given off their daughter like cattle? Sneaking through the house as quiet as a mouse, he moved around corners and explored the home. It was dark but seemed lived in. Based off the very sparse layer of dust on the furniture, it had been untouched for days, possibly weeks.
Kiritsugu gently closed the door to one of the bedrooms behind him. This level of the house was checked - nothing out of the ordinary. He moved and repeated his careful investigation of the second floor, finding similar results: nothing.
Stumped, Kiritsugu decided to look around for a secret entrance like he had in the Matou house. The only difference here was that there wasn't a swarm of insects prepared to kill him at his next step. It took two hours to actually find the hidden way down. He had to go through a false panel in a bedroom to a hidden stairway underneath the original staircase of the house. Upon stepping onto the stairs, a disgusting smell reached his nose. It was almost worse than the Matou basement. It seemed that mage families in Fuyuki shared similar preferences in design.
Pressing onwards, Kiritsugu found he had to lift his sleeve to his nose to keep himself from gagging. This was definitely worse than the Matou crypt, no doubt about it. A light from below cast shadows on the wall. Stepping down into the room, Kiritsugu took notice of the abundant stacks of books and magecraft-related items. One of these items was a mana powered fax machine. It used crystals to store mana and connect to a "frequency" for sending information. The machine was clogged with paper that had been left unattended. Another one of these items was a phonograph - at least that was what it appeared to be. Kiritsugu knew that it operated much like a telephone, allowing one magus to speak with another on the same signal. In his mind, they were dated, useless devices.
Then Kiritsugu looked towards the back of the room. He had to stop himself from retching. Two pillars had been erected from seemingly nowhere. They pierced the floor and ceiling, acting as anchors for chains. These chains came from each corner to connect to…
And this was where the description of what he was looking at went into the assumptions. It was dim, but a light cast a sickly orange glow on something suspended from chains. It was a man, formerly a man at least. Their skin was peeled to reveal sensitive nerves and muscle tissue. All four limbs had been amputated at the first joint. Eye hooks had been screwed into each stump and these were attached to the chains. With the tension, the amputated limbs were stretched to the point of tearing.
The man's jaw had been removed surgically. A large tube, complete witha funnel, had been rammed down their throat. The tube was most likely there to feed the victim to keep them alive; Archer couldn't have his source of mana dying on him. Blades took the place of the victim's eyes, handles sticking out from the sockets. Even though the corpse was without skin, lacerations from whips or blades could be made out in the surface of their bloody figure.
Kiritsugu held back the urge to release his dinner right then, closing his eyes to offer some reprieve. This was what Archer had done to Tokiomi. When the servant and master had grown apart in terms of cooperation, Archer decided taking the reigns would be for the best.
Such an extreme measure had to be taken due to the simple fact that Command Seals existed. Command Seals were recognized to require a formal pronunciation for their activation, but that wasn't the case at all. If a master desired, they could use a Command Seal with nothing more than a thought. Since it wasn't required to actually speak the order, the mind had to be driven away from the order entirely.
A gruesome method, but effective.
Kiritsugu took a breath, gagging off the smell. This wasn't any good. Even if he got rid of the body, the evidence would remain. Caster had said Rin Tohsaka was important - so it would probably be a bad idea to destroy her father's workshop. The best he could do was burn the body and try to rid his bodily fluids from the area.
The smell would remain for years to come, but a bad smell was better than seeing this. Cautiously, Kiritsugu moved to the front of the torture victim. It had been a bit better than a week since the end of the War but how long Tokiomi actually managed to survive was appalling.
Kiritsugu reached up to unclasp the carabiner holding the tortured body in its rack. Suddenly, the body shook violently and a gurgle escaped from around the tube. Kiritsugu leapt back in fear, knocking books over onto the table behind him. Tokiomi was alive?
The Magus Killer blinked once, before understanding what he must do. In one quick motion, a knife was withdrawn and impaled into the former magus' heart. As the torture victim stopped twitching and jerking in their bindings, Kiritsugu made a tally in his mind. Kirei Kotomine, Kayneth El-Melloi, Kariya Matou, Smiles and now Tokiomi Tohsaka. Over the course of the War, he had personally killed five magi who were touted as being the best in their class.
Blood dripped from the handle of the blade, making a splat as it landed in a puddle along the ground. As the flow of mana ended, the light illuminating the room faded as well. Slowly the basement succumbed to pitch blackness. The only thing visible in the darkness were the cold eyes of the Magus Killer. Unfeeling, ruthless, efficient.
At least his moniker was fitting.
I dunno. I went on Christmas Holiday's all: "I won't work on Unbalanced Scales at all, I'll have a nice long break with nothing to do blah-blah…" Then my entire time spent on break was either writing or nothing - no in-between. After releasing this chapter though, we've reached the 100k word bracket! Which means we've moved into the big-boy realm where every search for length will have Fate: Unbalanced Scales in it! I'm so proud, this is the first milestone and I hope to have plenty more!
I've decided on keeping my writing westernized. So no Onii-chan or excessive Japanese terms. I'm much more familiar in writing with this style and I feel like I can provide a better experience if I just write in a way I'm comfortable with. (And writing from the perspective of children is hard enough as is). So no last names first and Taiga - or rather Fuji-nee - will be one of the only people with names out of my comfort zone since that's her nickname and even in the English dub it was included.
In this chapter, I wanted to get a lot of the story telling and wrap up finished in a single chapter. There's still some ends that need to be tied up but this chapter reveals a lot of unspoken issues like Sakura, Illya, Byakuya, and Tokiomi.
Anywho, rambling over. Started the next semester of my uni, so I'll let you guys know regarding the rate of chapters and such. Feel free to follow, favourite and if you could, leave a review! The more reviews, the more public this fiction gets!
