Blame Cyberpunk.
Had it not come out in the middle of this chapter I would have released it so much earlier but then I got absolutely sunk straight into it. Great game, would recommend it even with all the bugs assuming your computer will run it. (Also bought a 3080 so that's cool too!)
Also had to take some extra time doing some self-fic research. Don't you hate when your own work gets so long you have to go back to remember what you wrote?
This chapter is a little longer as repayment for taking so long, so enjoy that.
Also, Talndir is back! He edited the chapter and left me some great feedback I'm using to learn off of. Remember to thank both him AND Berix, as both worked on this chapter and helped iron it out!
Was pretty sad the last chapter because got nowhere near as many viewers as I did before but I guess that's my punishment for taking so long. Still, I hope those that remained are happy that it's moving forward however slowly.
I hope you enjoy... though after reading you might be cursing my name. :
It was as if everyone had simultaneously held their breath. Shirou didn't even feel like breathing and only Gray and Caster, the two who didn't understand how severe the news was, seemed unfazed. What sort of Grail War had three separate sets of doppelgangers and why of all people did Kiritsugu have to be one?
Saber was able to gather herself the fastest. "You're certain?"
"I looked into my own eyes, heard my own voice, was threatened with my own gun." The man narrowed his eyes challengingly at the servant. "I'm pretty damn sure."
"Might have to reconsider this alliance if we'll have to take on the servant Magus Killer," Bazett huffed.
Rin struggled for a moment to stand upright and subsequently gave up. "I don't know how it's possible but there's no reason for him to lie about something like this." The rest of the table agreed eventually in their own way. "All it means is that we're all still in danger. Even if we aren't masters, knowing you," she paused just long enough to look at Kiritsugu. "So long as we're helping a master there will be a target on our heads." Furrowing her brow, she thought her words over for a moment. "The only question is how there can be eight servants in a seven servant War."
Illya added her own question. "And who would be the master?"
The old man shrugged. "We didn't have much time to chat and those questions didn't seem like good things to ask. All I know is that he exists and he plans on killing each of the masters." He sent a look around the room before landing on Tohsaka. "Considering I found him near your estate, he likely planned on killing you first, Rin. Strangely enough, he didn't seem to know you as a person or by name."
The girl's eyes widened and her skin paled considerably. An immediate aching pain in his skull prompted Shirou to lift a hand and put pressure against the side of his head. "Alright but this still isn't that bad," he tried to be optimistic. "We still have three servants and you. You'll be able to predict his next moves and keep us alive."
The Magus Killer responded with a short shake of the head. "I might have been able to many years ago but not any longer. I barely managed to talk my way out of getting shot." Reaching into the pocket of his coat, the man withdrew a cheap cell phone. "He's already gathered detonators, so high-yield explosives are a possibility in the near future."
Shirou's eyes automatically traced the object but something stood out immediately. Reaching out and laying his fingers upon it, a more comprehensive overview came to mind. "It's not real," he murmured aloud. "What he gave you isn't a real device, it's just mana like my blades or a noble phantasm."
The old man examined the device again. "Can you go back and see its history? See what sort of power he has?"
Shirou shook his head. "When it comes to noble phantasms even a touch can give me their true names but not with this. Either it's not his noble phantasm at work or it's being hidden from me somehow."
The two thought for a second before both of them had the same realization simultaneously. Staring at one another they both said the same thing: "He's using it as a tracking device."
Cursing under his breath, Kiritsugu stuffed the phone back into his pocket. "Then I led me- him straight to you." He fumbled over his words, visibly frazzled. "Seeing as how you're alive, you've likely killed Assassin," he hesitated long enough for Shirou to nod. "So let's keep things simple and rename this copy of myself to Assassin."
Shirou sent a paranoid glance over his shoulder through the window over the kitchen sink. He didn't see anything, even after reinforcing his eyes, but that meant little against a servant, he had made that mistake with the previous Assassin already. Turning back, Shirou tried to think of their next move with such a monumental new roadblock. "If you think he might be hostile then you might as well stay here and help us."
The man's eyes narrowed further. "I came to warn you. You're going to be targeted — everyone you know will be. Before you enter a building, before you take a drink or eat food, before you go to the bathroom you need to be aware of potential traps and dangers." Despite the humour one might have found in such a comment, the sharp deadly-serious eyes of his father told Shirou it wasn't a laughing matter. In fact, it told him that his father had killed in those exact scenarios before. "But I won't be here to help. I'm going to take myself on alone."
Both of his children shouted "what!" in unison. Shirou continued, flabbergasted as to his potential reasons. "You're not a servant, you'll be killed!"
He was unflinching, unmoving. "Then I'll die, but every part of the Magus Killer, the life I left behind, will die with me."
What could he say? What could he possibly say to keep his father from throwing his life away? The man had no magical ability, his crest lay implanted within Shirou's own back. All he had were Origin Rounds and his own wits but how far could he really get using those alone against a servant?
The boy opened his mouth to speak, but Kiritsugu was already moving, turning to exit. Illya called out to him but the old man didn't hesitate once. Did Shirou try to stop him? Did he say nothing and go along? There were many things Shirou could have done, but what was the right decision?
The pounding in his head grew fervent as he deliberated over thoughts of losing his father and possibly losing the entire Grail War over a servant that shouldn't have even existed.
He said and did nothing as the door closed behind Kiritsugu. In a moment, Illya was beside him with glassy eyes asking if their father had really gone to take on a servant alone and why he didn't try harder to stop him. He spared a glance at her before returning his gaze to the door. "He's the only one who really has a chance. Nobody else could kill the Magus Killer but the Magus Killer himself."
Turning from the door, Shirou entered the dining room. There was still a lot to discuss and both Bazett and Illya needed to be fully caught up to speed.
He would just have to leave his faith with his father.
… … …
With his home at his back, the man twisted his neck to either side to elicit a soft crack and a sense of relief. It was still daylight, which meant he would have a few hours before dusk. But did that really mean anything?
If Assassin operated on the same mindset as he did, the day wasn't a hindering factor. Gathering, both supplies and information, was still a viable option, as was planning and even outright assassination given the right circumstances.
Killing in the day was arguably easier than at night. In the warmth of the sun, people relaxed and lowered their guard.
Stepping down toward the stone perimeter wall, he nearly reached the gate to exit when a chime and vibration in his pocket stopped him short.
It took an extra second to realize it wasn't the sound of his normal cell phone and it was that thought which sent him back-first against the main gate's stone pillar. In a place that was reasonably safe, Kiritsugu withdrew the phone, the one given to him by his imitation, and glanced at the "unknown number" ID it displayed before accepting the call.
The voice on the other end, as if he couldn't gather the identity on assumption alone, was unmistakable. "Do you always duck for cover when receiving a phone call or is this a special circumstance?"
Kiritsugu thought for a moment. He was being watched, but what was his imitation thinking? What did he believe was in that home? If Assassin wasn't familiar with Fuyuki, it was likely they never had the family Kiritsugu did. He needed extra time to weigh the options. "What difference does it make?"
"All the difference. It lets me know whether it was purely on reaction or if you're lying to me." His imitation's voice was cold and all too familiar. The man had used it against interrogation targets when he grew tired of being given the runaround. Already they were at the end of their patience.
Kiritsugu was already backed into a corner. The only option left was to dig a hole and hope it didn't cave in on top of himself. "It's an old habit. Oldest trick is to call someone so they stand still so you can get a decent shot off, after all."
There was an anxious pause before a single syllable chuckle crackled over the phone. "Never thought of that, pretty good idea. Anyway, what was in that building?"
If he told him it was his house, more questions would be asked. Assassin would know he was familiar with Fuyuki which would divide them further. It might also prompt the servant to try and enter inside with him and while a good idea, in theory, there was the risk of collateral damage in the resulting battle.
He wasn't bringing her into this, he wouldn't lose Illya again.
"I did some research into a Master's family. Their parents used to live there so I figured I would ask some questions to try dredging up leads."
"I assume when you say used to that you killed them both for their information?"
He thought about peeking around the corner of the stone pillar to try and locate his imitation but decided against it. There was still a chance he was beneath the crosshairs of a rifle scope and he valued his brain being right where it was. "Call it tying up loose ends," he passed off.
"Didn't spend very long in there. You're certain you gathered all the information possible?"
His response was immediate. "Entirely certain."
The problem was it had been too fast. "Uh-huh. Why don't I give it a once-over anyway?"
The hole he had dug caved in all at once. It was a landslide and there was no clawing his way out. A grim snarl forced its way onto his face. "You son of a bitch-"
"Now the true story comes out. I had a feeling there was something fishy about you, ever since you started asking questions in that alley." There was a scoffing laugh and the sound of smooth sliding metal. "Now I know you're nothing but a dirty traitor."
What could he do? He was at a disadvantage in every area against an enemy with more information than him. Why had he gone to warn Shirou? Was he so senile and out of the game that such a glaring error had gone right past him? How naive he was to think his copy wouldn't track him through the night and day despite any attempt to shake him off. "And how have I betrayed you?"
"You've betrayed yourself," Assassin shot back. "A big happy family gathered around a table eating food. It's quite a sight through a scope, a shame you can't see it." He paused, voice draining of even the slightest hint of emotion. "You're an abomination, a failed version of myself that needs to be purged." Kiritsugu couldn't find the words to speak. Assassin wasn't watching him, he was watching Shirou and Illya. "I understand it now, the difference between you and I." Audible through the receiver was the clatter of brass. "When I killed Natalia, I finally realized that nothing could be saved, that there was no point to sentiment. The only thing I needed in life was another target to kill, another evil to end." Metal was slid into place with a familiar click. "Obviously you took a different path."
Kiritsugu felt emotion burn through his entire body straight to the surface. Looking up to the house, he barked into the phone. "What difference does it make?" Hearing an empty silence, he continued. "What difference does it make in having a family?"
There was a long pause. Waiting, Kiritsugu could hear his heart and Assassin's beating in tune. "Would you kill them?"
The question came as a surprise. "What?"
"If the choice was between saving the entire world or killing your family, which would you choose?"
Kiritsugu blinked and images of himself standing over the bodies of his own children, bloodied gun in hand flashed behind his eyes. "I-"
"That's what I thought," Assassin murmured. "That hesitation is all I need as an answer. The fact you have sentimental values attached to people sets their lives at a greater value than another's. Even with the scales tipped six billion to three it isn't enough."
He was right.
Assassin was right.
Not even the world and all the people upon it could be as valuable to him as Illya and Shirou. The only thing missing that would make the deal perfect was Irisviel.
The servant in his ear carried on. "Now it's just a question of which one to choose. There are three masters and two visible servants in there, but I'm guessing the old Irish lady and her servant aren't related to you. Two of them have matching features and one of those two is a servant which leaves us at three. None of them look alike, but considering our age I'm guessing it's the two remaining masters."
Did he even speak? Even using nothing more than visual evidence Assassin had pinpointed exactly who he needed to kill.
"That silence is damning. Think I might kill that little girl first." There was no time to warn Shirou or Illya. There wasn't even time to dissuade Assassin from acting. The two were playing the same strategy and every move was mimicked. Directly telling Assassin to shoot might be called out as a bluff, reverse psychology would be realized. If it were a game of chess, all they were doing was moving knights back and forth trying to take the other's piece. All he could do was shut his eyes and hope, pray even, that something happened.
There was a soft hum from the phone. "Maybe it's not. There's a chance you know they're each capable of surviving a bullet and that you're goading me into taking the shot."
He didn't dare breathe a sigh of relief. Assassin had told him that he wouldn't move on a plan unless he had all the facts, was just a little bit of doubt enough to throw him off? Deadening his voice just as quickly as he had raised it, Kiritsugu fired back a cold response of his own. "Take the shot. You'll only be able to kill one and I'll get to know where you are. Once I have a location, I can meet you with the two servants you didn't get rid of."
There was an extended silence before an aggravated "tsk" scratched through the cheap phone. "Come to think of it, this isn't worth it. Even if I kill one master, taking on two servants without preparation carries too much risk. Whether you intended to or not, traitor, you might have just saved me."
The traitor in question finally let out a sigh of relief when the phone made a disconnecting chime. Both of his children were reasonably safe, at least for now. That still didn't mean he was though, so the man quickly darted through the door and ran straight across the street to use another building as cover, making his movements as irregular as possible to avoid being an easy shot.
Out of the perimeter walls of his home and onto the streets, his options to move broadened greatly. If he moved with some thought, there would be little to no risk of getting shot. Before doing anything beyond walking, the man reached into his coat and fished out the cellphone Assassin had given him. With a careless toss, he was no longer being tracked.
There wasn't any hope of his job being easy. In fact, killing himself would likely be the hardest undertaking in his career. Even the Fourth War paled in comparison. Back then, he had a servant, good intelligence and an effective plan.
Now he was alone, against the most cunning, unpredictable foe yet without any information or plan. As if that weren't bad enough, that exact foe would now be actively hunting him and his family.
He was behind, lagging far behind an enemy that would take advantage of the tiniest slip. He would need to play catch-up and fast. The first step among many was simple, at least at the surface:
Slip back into the mindset of the Magus Killer.
… … …
Shirou and the others had decided that the best option was to collect Caren and assemble and organize all of their forces. Ensuring that the new Assassin couldn't kidnap anyone and use them as leverage was also important.
It took a little over a half-hour to collect Caren and a third of that time had been spent traipsing over the rubble which was the whole face of the church.
She had given him her side of things as he walked. How Berserker was capable of killing or crippling her by drawing upon her mana reserves, how he kept her hostage like some sort of vestigial organ and how he planned on single-handedly killing every master and servant to win the War.
She also told him about Luvia and Bazett's assault on her church, which explained why the entire front had been blown out to the point of total collapse.
The pieces of the puzzle clicked one after another then. Lancer, who had lost their previous engagement against the mad servant, had been able to fight them back. Considering their attributes and Lancer's Arondight, the two would be an even match. On top of that, when Shirou was fighting Berserker, he had almost thought they had gotten slower and weaker. Of course, Berserker's strikes were still deadly but they weren't so much so.
Somehow Caster had been able to weaken Berserker, or he — along with Rider — had been able to injure them at the least. But if it were the latter, or it were noticeable, why would Berserker willingly go after what was undoubtedly the strongest group?
It didn't make sense, his condition and the actions he took were suicidal. Unless that was what he wanted? Berserker had seemed rational, but perhaps how he acted was something far removed from the true heroic spirit.
That distant fragment of what they truly were might have somehow swayed Berserker to indirectly kill themselves. It was a possibility, but even then it was the only reasonable explanation.
In the end, it wasn't worth questioning the choices which led to outcomes of the past. Such a thing was a waste of brainpower.
"I'm glad you're safe now," he offered to the girl upon his back. After all the years living with Illya, he was used to offering piggy-back rides. It helped that Caren was both the same height and weight as her too.
Soft as it might have been, he could still hear when she murmured back, "I'm glad too."
Seeing as how there wasn't really a better time, he explained what he knew, along with what they were attempting to do, to her during the return trip. He would have to do it eventually anyway.
After all the explaining, their walk back passed in silence though it was likely because Caren managed to fall asleep with both arms wrapped around his neck.
Reaching his home, the boy triple checked over his shoulder. Despite not feeling any eyes on him, a confirmation didn't hurt.
Stepping through the door, many voices from the dining room filled his ears and brought about a sense of nostalgia. In the end, Bazett had agreed to work alongside him to dismantle the Grail. Caster's first question was how such a thing was even accomplished and not even Rin had a definite answer. According to her, she would need to reach the leyline which the Grail decided to form at before she could even begin to conceive of a way to shut it down.
But there was a lot more that needed to be done before that point, which was why he went to collect Caren. She wouldn't be useful in combat or in shutting down the Grail, but she was an invaluable asset in stopping Zouken. She was the only priest and that demon needed exorcising.
Setting the priestess down on the floor of the hallway, she made a soft yawn as she was stirred awake from the weight upon her legs. The two removed their shoes and entered the loud dining room together.
Immediately, Caren and Illya locked eyes and a sparking tension filled the air. Shirou didn't know why or how to stop it, but Rin seemed to take control of the situation before the tension could grow into something more.
"You got Caren, good. That means we can proceed with the rest of your plan. The problem is I don't know whether we should retrieve Sakura or spend the rest of today recovering."
Bazett, who had since moved to lie down on the dining room floor, asked a question. "Knowing Shirou, we're going to have to make room for another girl."
Snickering, Caster joined in with her. "Jeez kid, I thought I had a lot of girls chasing me in my time but you've got a whole assortment to choose from. How do you keep them all from getting jealous?"
Out of the corner of his eye, Shirou saw Rin's head snap in the servant's direction as her cheeks grew red. "There's no assortment, Shirou can only pick one."
"Oh so you haven't fixed that problem," Caster concluded. "Well then you'll either learn how, quickly, or realize why having many ladies after you doesn't work all that well."
"Can we get back on track?" Shirou asked desperately. He wasn't ready to discuss women, especially after that night with Sakura. Reigning the conversation back, Caren sat upon a zabuton across from Illya before glaring daggers at her. "Getting Sakura might be a good move, but if we keep moving around today, Zouken might get wise on what we're up to, if he hasn't already."
"Wouldn't it be easier to kill this man if he is so dangerous and difficult to work around?" Saber asked.
Shirou shifted his head side to side in uncertainty. "We could, but I don't exactly know how to kill him, for good at least. You can destroy his body, sure, but he'll just come back. I don't even know how it works, so I can't think of any sort of work-around beyond a full exorcism."
Lancer's ephemeral voice filled the room. "I also wouldn't consider that thing a man. Killing him might just be a mercy at this point."
An itch began in Shirou's nose. He tried to push away the discomfort to keep the conversation on the right path. "Maybe if we got Sakura, we could purge the worms from her body and force him to try recapturing her like he did with my old man."
Lancer's disembodied voice reverberated through the walls. "If you say this man has eyes across the city, there's no guarantee he will attack so readily. It's possible he is familiar with the threat of a priest."
"You know," Caster began. "I've been wondering why you've just been hanging around in spirit form unlike the rest of us. Scared of showing my master your face?"
His response was unashamed. "I was severely wounded during the battle with Berserker. Unlike one of our comrades who died putting on a brave face, I prefer being transparent with my condition."
Caster made an annoyed grunt. "It's like I'm talking to poets with you two. Can'tcha just talk normally?"
Saber looked up and to the side seemingly at empty air before returning her sharpening gaze to Caster. "Speaking with intent and diction is a mark of wisdom. Something which you seem to be lacking."
The man didn't react to the insult. "Actually it makes you sound arrogant, pompous and like you've got a stick up your ass."
The itch in Shirou's nose grew unbearable. Squinting, he lifted his head to the light to try and force out the coming sneeze. For some reason, it teetered on the brink of releasing and fading, locking him on the edge and tormenting him. There was no chance of him playing the mediator in the rapidly-spiralling discussion. "We each have our own interpretations then."
Bazett rolled her eyes. "Can't you just get along? This is almost worse than when you and Rider started talking."
Caster snorted derisively. "Trust me this is still a hundred times better than listening to that harlot try and pass poor advances."
Lancer's haunting voice asked a simple question. "Did you know Rider in your life, Caster?"
The man nodded, then crossed both arms over his chest. "Unfortunately. She was also the cause of my death, so you could say I have a little grudge against her."
It was as if a bug with feathers for legs had crawled into his nose and decided to dance a jig. Struggling to somehow force the sneeze, Shirou could hardly contain his frustration.
Rin was far more practical than the others. "I can understand if you don't want to, seeing as how it will reveal your identity as well, but would you let us know Rider's true name?"
The man sat quietly for a moment, pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes before giving a look to his master who nodded once. "Rider's true name is Medb. Queen Medb, The Eternal Lady of Connacht." Based on the twisted look on his face, merely saying her name disgusted the man.
"Then that makes you the Child of Light, Cú Chulainn," Saber pointed out. "Though I thought legend told of you wielding the spear Gae Bolg."
Like a dam bursting, the full force of the sneeze exploded outwards, taking control of his entire body as he practically shouted at the top of his lungs. Blinking rapidly as the sensation passed, the boy realized every set of eyes was staring at him in concern. Excusing himself, he rubbed at his nose and finally settled into a seat. "That was actually something I wanted to ask," he admitted. "You mentioned it before and I just never had a chance."
One of Caster's arms uncoiled to scratch the back of his head. "Yeah, yeah rub it in more. Look, I'm supposed to be a lancer. It just so happened that when I was summoned there was another servant—" He paused to glare murderously at empty space beside Saber. "— who claimed that spot."
"Well then I'll have to thank my master for having the foresight to summon me early. You know what they say, you snooze you lose."
Bazett groaned. "I got more than enough shit when he was summoned, I don't need to hear it again."
Shirou had to bring the conversation around again. It was going to be a pain keeping all of these servants and masters coordinated and willing to work together, but they seemed compatible enough. Good relationships have a fair share of playful insults after all. "Are you capable of wielding your spear as a caster?"
The man gave an uncertain answer. "I suppose I could, though I wouldn't be as skilled with it. Don't really see how you expect me to get my hands on a long-lost weapon though."
Shirou made a dull "uh-huh" and panned through the list of noble phantasms in Archer's library. The man seemed to have it all, so it wasn't unreasonable to assume he had Gae Bolg. In fact, it only took a few seconds of searching to locate it and the blueprint immediately leapt to mind. "Does this seem familiar?"
Directly ahead of Caster, floating in the air, a bright crimson spear with a hilt embossed in ominous spiralling designs appeared. The servant was stunned and with obvious excitement, he grasped the weapon and brought it close. "What the hell sort of power do you have, kid? I knew you made weapons, but this is a genuine noble phantasm and one you've never even seen before."
Looking up, it seemed as if the rest of the table wanted an answer as well. Feeling nervous from all the prying eyes, he cast his gaze away and scratched the back of his neck. "Before he died, Archer and I were able to exchange memories somehow. That means I have access to every weapon he has ever seen and it looks like he saw your spear at some point." While the servant flustered over how such a thing was possible, Shirou caught a small note attached to the weapon's data. "Archer says that it's a very dangerous phantasm, so there's that."
Caster nodded righteously. "You bet your ass it is. With this, even in my weak caster body, I'll be able to put that whore down just as I was supposed to."
"I'm glad you're happy with it," Shirou mused before looking toward Caren. "You've been awfully quiet, have nothing to say?"
He wasn't certain, but he thought there had been a sparkle in her pale golden eyes as he spoke to her before they seemed to deaden. "As mediator to this War, I am not supposed to be assisting any master. Either indirectly or otherwise." Her voice had returned to the emotionless state it had been when they first met. Considering how vibrant she had been when Berserker was about to kill him, he knew it was a farce. "It would go against the rules which bind me as a religious figurehead."
Illya seemed to get upset immediately. "Then why did you even come here?"
Caren shot her a sharp look before returning to deadpan. "However, considering that my place of worship has been destroyed along with the fact that I was a master in the War I was supposed to mediate, the rules do not apply. I was never a mediator to begin with."
Rin, the Second Owner, was rightfully upset. "Is that why you haven't been handling the public affairs? There's been a lot of damage and the Mage's Association is going to start looking at me if people don't get any answers."
"No, that's not the reason. The reason nothing was handled was because I was chained to the wall and placed within a cage, then fed nothing more than bread and water by my own servant." The bluntness was as effective as a baseball bat.
Recoiling, the Tohsaka shifted from anger to pity in a heartbeat. Bazett spoke before she could. "Why didn't you just use your command seals?"
Caren turned and tilted her head in confusion. "Didn't Luvia explain the situation to you? When you two destroyed my home and threatened to kill me, I told her and demonstrated that my command seals did nothing." Pulling up her arms, she drew back the sleeves to reveal dozens of command seals. "Even when I ordered him to kill himself with the power of three seals, he didn't so much as twitch in the middle of your fight, isn't that right, Caster?"
The man furrowed his brow as if in deep recollection or thought. "There was a moment where he seemed to twitch but he didn't really stop at any point in the battle."
Bazett made a thoughtful hum. "Explains why Luvia didn't kill you then. She realized that even without you, there wasn't an easy way of stopping Berserker."
"We came to the same conclusion at the time."
Shirou had only learned one thing from the exchange: Luvia was withholding information from Bazett despite the fact they were supposed to be working together. Did she simply not trust Bazett or was her ultimate plan to backstab the Enforcer through somehow getting her killed?
He didn't think Luvia had it in her, though at the end of the day she was a mercenary who operated solely for personal gain.
"You are going to help us though, right?" Illya asked.
Caren blinked rapidly. "I thought that was already clear." Looking toward Shirou, she tilted her head. "Are you certain you're related?"
Illya's blood pressure could almost be heard spiking and she began shouting curse words at the priest before Rin could wrap a hand around her mouth and hold her back from lunging across the table.
"Not in blood," Shirou admitted much to Illya's dismay. "If we have Rider's true name, we can research what she might have been capable of. I've seen her only once myself but I never got the chance to examine her attributes." Rolling a shoulder and wincing at the tight pain in his back from the lingering burn wounds, he made a decision. "We know where Sakura is and she had enough food to last a week if need be. As much as I would like to recover her before someone else does, we have to play our cards a little tighter to keep Zouken at bay. I think we should take tonight to rest and let Lancer recover fully."
Bazett seemed bored if nothing else. "Do you at least have a plan for killing this unkillable, all-knowing creepy worm guy beyond using the priestess?"
Shirou nodded. "I'm not clueless you know."
"Could've fooled me," Rin mumbled.
Ignoring it, he continued. "My first plan was to assault the Matou manor and take him head-on but I don't really think that would work anymore. My plan now is to use Lancer's noble phantasm to scout Fuyuki and determine where Zouken is, then somehow sneak up and exorcise him before he can understand what we're doing."
The table was silent for an awkwardly long time.
Bazett started. "That's the best you've got?"
"There's a few problems with that plan," Saber noted.
"What an awful plan," Caren protested.
Lancer tied up the commentary with a statement. "It might be a good idea, were I able to use that ability." Reviewing questioning looks, Illya mumbled something from beneath Rin's hand. Interpreting for everyone else, Lancer elaborated. "When I draw my true weapon, the other two abilities I have become locked away. They remain that way so long as there exist people who have witnessed me wielding the blade, more or less."
Shirou cursed mentally. There was still one route he had left, but using it was never intended. "Then I still have one more plan. We need both Sakura in our possession and Zouken's location. We'll need to kill Zouken and have surgery in the same instance."
Everyone still seemed at a loss. "Surgery?"
The boy nodded again. "From what I can tell, Zouken can only keep his mind in a select handful of worms at any time. If we want to kill him, we need to get rid of each and every worm that holds a piece of him."
Bazett looked particularly bored. "So where does the surgery come in?"
A tickle began in Shirou's nose again. "Zouken had a contingency because he knew something like this would happen at one point. So he attached one of the largest worms to Sakura's heart."
The table silently understood what he had been implying. While they silently contemplated, Shirou let loose another sneeze, though it wasn't as loud as the one before.
He wasn't prone to getting sick with Avalon and he had no allergies to speak of so what was up with all the sneezing recently?
… … …
Shirou Emiya.
Would that damned kid ever stop causing trouble? Maybe he was following a little too close in his father's footsteps.
A thin stream of smoke trailed up from the tip of his cigar. Watching the embers burn away at the tobacco, he couldn't help but breathe deep and shut his eyes.
Reines had only left a few days ago and she had already been killed. Gray had assured him that her death had been on account of a crossfire between a servant battle, which nullified the measures she had put in place before departing. That was good for a few reasons. For one, he wouldn't be sent back to Fuyuki in the middle of a Grail War. For second, he wouldn't even need to investigate her death any more than that.
After all, she had willingly travelled to a battleground of magecraft surpassing any human on Earth. She had known the risk, she had tried taking precautions but that obviously hadn't been enough.
Straining forward in his chair with his legs propped up upon his desk, the man tapped his cigar upon the edge of an ashtray and watched the ashes fall. He wasn't merely the de-facto head of the El-Melloi family any longer, he was the true head.
Such a thing came with its pros and cons. He would finally be recognized within the Clock Tower as a true Lord and gain access to all the perks and benefits such a status gave, including a recognized class of apprentices and students along with full access to the entire family's affairs.
The problems lied in the cons, a balancing factor in the potential benefits self-governance might have offered. Firstly, he had to involve himself in Clock Tower politics, something Reines typically took the brunt of. The two had a strange sort of synergy, with her handling the bureaucracy while he took on the fieldwork and operational side of things. In a sense, they operated like a restaurant with him as front-of-house and her in the kitchen or the office, handling unseen but necessary operations.
At the end of the day, he was going to get an extra dump of workload and headache to deal with, but his contract with the Archisortie family had concluded so he was a free man — mostly.
Leaning back in his chair, the man threw his head back and closed his eyes to rest. How was he expected to lunge into the most competitive political field in the magical world and expect to keep his head? Did he come on strong and try to make an image for himself as a strong-willed, unmoving player or try to focus on learning and possibly be stepped on by the others?
What would Iskandar do?
His voice spoke out from memory. "A king must be greedier than any other, he must laugh more loudly and rage for much longer and embody the very extreme of all things both good and evil."
Scowling, the man grumbled. "A little too early to try and proclaim myself as king, don't you think?"
For a moment, Waver thought he heard his servant sigh in exasperation. "Come now, boy and think deeper than the words at face value. If you display yourself as one worthy of following, one others can aspire to be, you will amass a loyal army."
Speaking to the invisible voice within his brain was more calming than concerning, strangely enough. "It could work, but I don't think I have the skill or the charisma to convince people to follow me like you do."
"It will come with experience. If you believe in yourself and put all you can into achieving a goal, others will believe in you, too."
Opening his eyes, Waver only met the ceiling. Huffing out a sharp breath through his nose, the man brought the cigar to his lips and inhaled deeply. "Believe in myself, lead by example." He parted his lips, exhaled a few rings of smoke and allowed the rest of his lungs to empty before smiling. "I'd expect nothing else from the King of Conquerors. As your retainer, it's my duty to follow in your example, so I hope I can make you proud."
Sitting upright, the man kicked both feet from his desk and shuffled his chair closer. Depositing the cigar between his lips, he fumbled across the desk's surface for a pen and paper.
He was Waver Velvet, Lord El-Melloi the Second, and retainer of Alexander the Great. He had joined the Fourth Grail War to avoid being stepped upon simply because of his weak magus bloodline and he wasn't about to be trampled by the other Lords at the Clock Tower. Whether they wanted him to or not, he'd make a name for himself and become a true political powerhouse no matter how much time it took.
Studying material assembled, he stood upright and strode from his office into the adjacent room to peruse the library. Grabbing what few books he had on politics, he returned to his office and opened one up to the first page, beginning to copy the book word-for-word.
Hand printing books was no quick task, but in terms of memorization, there was no better strategy. If he could learn alchemy and modern magecraft theory, he could memorize some simple political tactics and practices.
He could get Svin to gather more advanced books when he was done and speak to his newfound contacts within the El-Melloi family and its branches for some tutoring.
Even if it took him months or years, he would become a tactician in both battle and politics so that he could bring pride to his king as a retainer.
Hopefully, Blade or even the Magus Killer wouldn't be marks against him or problems in the future. From what Gray had told him, Shirou would live on as the victor of the Grail War.
Like father like son then.
… … …
… … ...
Holding her weapon at the ready, Saber concentrated on the image of Lancer ahead of her. As a servant, she was able to see other servants as if they were physical, even if they weren't. It allowed her to conduct a sparring match even though he couldn't hold a proper form.
For her, it had seemed as if it were only a few months ago since the last time they practiced. She wondered how long it had been for him. Did it seem as if it were hundreds of years or merely yesterday?
"Every time I stand before you like this, I'm reminded of how long ago it feels since we were back in Britain. Do you feel the same, my liege?"
Her question seemed to be answered for her then. Shaking her head, she offered a small smile. "For me, it seems much earlier, though you and I are quite different. It's obvious we share a sense of nostalgia, if nothing else."
Even without being physical, the edge of Arondight still brought a sense of terror and unease in her entire body. At its core, it was a dragon-slaying weapon and that part of her was naturally protective.
She wondered if Berserker had felt the same way. It had come as a realization that the two of them were dragons some time ago. The sensation she had felt outside of the Edelfelt manor against Caster, the blade he wielded and its abilities.
It had been Sigurd, the Norse King of Warriors.
Sigurd, or Berserker, had bested Lancelot twice. Once on even footing within the Einzbern Castle and once more while Lancer had his true noble phantasm within his grasp and the enhancement of a command seal.
To think that Berserker had enough power to defeat Lancelot even then was truly baffling. It made her question whether she was deserving of the title King of Knights. Yes, she was the king of the Knights of the Round, but with other sword-wielding servants able to best her handily in combat, was she truly the king of all knights?
"You seem distracted."
She blinked and before her stood the pale-faced visage of a desperate Lancelot. Wild hair spewed from the sides of his head and sharp teeth rasped out her name in a cry of vengeance and hatred.
He hated her. For letting him slip by without punishment for the most heinous crime he could commit, for being too perfect.
For being a figurehead he couldn't possibly hope to follow to the end. Time and time again he had claimed he would but the reality was that he wouldn't.
Though was it wrong of him? Could she blame him for it?
She blinked again and the Lancelot she knew in life stood before her with concern in his eyes. "Is there something on your mind?" Behind him the sun hovered above the horizon, changing the clouds from gray to a dull orange.
Hesitating, her shoulders relaxed and Excalibur vanished into sparks. "Just a bad memory. I think we're done sparring, for now, Lancer."
His concern turned to confusion, but he reluctantly accepted regardless. "Perhaps when I have enough strength to maintain a physical form we can continue."
Turning, she spotted Shirou sitting on the edge of the engawa with his chin settled within one hand. For a moment she thought he had been watching their training, but he was far too deep in thought himself for such a thing to be possible.
It was fortuitous that he was present regardless, considering she had been interested in speaking with him for some time. Approaching, he didn't even lift his head up or react until she addressed him twice. Comprehension of his mental absence seemed to come quickly. "Sorry, guess I was thinking a lot harder than I thought." With an obviously forced smile, he asked, "Did you need something? Want something to eat?"
She shook her head and silently sat beside him, trying to determine how she would begin. "I'd like to offer some guidance if you were willing to listen." Flattening down her suit, she offered her best attempt at being compassionate.
"Sure, I can't see why not."
Nodding, she looked toward Lancer in his spirit form while he examined his weapon closely. "You already know that I was Kiritsugu's servant in the Fourth War, but there is something you might not have been aware of."
She could see the puzzlement on his face. There was no doubt he believed to know all but his interactions with Archer had shown her that he was missing a large part of the story.
"There was a servant in the War, Caster, who shared a lot of similarities with both you and Archer of this War."
The recognition washed across his face. "You can't mean it was another servant version of myself."
She nodded. "Caster was another variation, just like Archer. Unlike either you or Archer, Caster had a much colder heart." Recalling the scant few times they had met only brought back bad memories of her end in that War. "From what little we interacted, it was obvious that the man only cared about achieving whatever goal he happened to set his mind on. He manipulated both master and servant alike and took advantage of future knowledge. He was heartless and stubborn just like you and your father." She looked at him directly. "Which is exactly what's wrong. Within your eyes I see compassion and kindness but with each day that fades away."
"But—"
"It's been extinguishing faster recently. With each decision you have to make, each time you put yourself upon the front lines against servants and enemies far exceeding your abilities, you lose the part of yourself that separates you from Caster and your father."
The boy scrunched up his face. "Kiritsugu isn't a bad man, he just does what he has to."
"There is no excuse for killing innocent people indiscriminately. If such a thing is what he has to do, then can you honestly consider him a good person?" She could see he was finally registering her words. "As difficult as it might sound, I believe he would be willing to sacrifice his own children if it were the final step to achieving his ultimate goal."
Shirou's face split into raw anger in an instant. "Kiritsugu would never sacrifice Illya and I. It's unbelievable you would even think he would."
Saber was steadfast. She was accustomed to hearing the worst about people she wholeheartedly trusted, she could understand the denial and inner turmoil. "I've seen similar things in men before. I know the signs and I cannot stand by any longer as I watch you steadily grow to become a man without morals."
He was angry, stubborn and rightfully insulted. Maybe it had been enough to make him think about his decisions and the path he walked. In the end that was all she could hope for. Standing upright wordlessly, he walked into the house and disappeared from sight. Watching as he left, she wondered if she had been too easy.
Lancer's voice refocused her forward. "Perhaps you went too hard with such a speech? The boy has quite a lot on his mind right now, you know."
Standing upright, she shook her head. "If the thought haunts him and keeps him away from the future I've seen, he'll thank me later."
… … ...
Pressing his hand to his skull to force away the pain, Shirou walked through the house toward his room. He had been battling a headache all day and that conversation with Saber had only made it that much worse.
To think Kiritsugu would kill his own children. What would he stand to gain? They were his sole reason for living, weren't they? Shirou could easily say that the family he had was his driving force, his reason for living. Wouldn't the old man share the same sentiment?
Or had he missed something important looking up to the man who had saved him? Kiritsugu had trained him to put an end to the Grail, but had that decision been cruel? Teaching magecraft and tricks of an assassin had stripped away all sense of a normal childhood, though did that also confuse his morals? What really was right and wrong beyond arbitrary connotations attached to the victor and loser?
Blinking, he gave his head a shake that only worsened the headache.
What was he thinking? Just because someone won didn't make them right or good.
Did it?
"Yo kid!" A voice from the dining room stopped the boy in his tracks and a turn of the head revealed Caster lounging on the floor. The man quirked a brow and flashed some concern. "You look like shit, what's going on?"
Shirou could feel the blood flow back to his face. Had he been that stressed? "Just thinking about things."
A glimmer spawned in the Irish hero's eyes. "About women? Or is this about the Grail again?"
"The Grail!" he snapped back. "But also women too, I guess. I don't really know."
Sitting upright, excitement dripped from his voice. "We-heh-ell then why don't you come and have a seat? You can listen to the wisdom of a long-dead Irishman reincarnated into a body he hates." Pointing to a zabuton, the man leaned most of his weight on the table and waited.
Glancing down the hall and over his shoulder, Shirou contemplated taking the servant up on the offer. Deciding he had absolutely nothing to lose beyond a few minutes' sleep, he grumbled, entered the dining room and settled down. "Alright, so what sort of wisdom have you got for me?"
The servant held up one flat hand. "One step at a time now, kiddo. First, you should fill uncle Cú in on what it is you're up to, then I can try to help you out."
"That's a bit of a loaded request, don't you think?" Shirou scrunched up his face trying to think about what to even say. "How far back do I even go for something like that? Do I talk about how we were kids growing up or do I tell you about recent events?"
Caster released a thin breath. "Jeez kid, if that's what you're thinking about when asked a simple question like that then you must be really in the shits."
Sighing, the boy deflated. "It's been a rough week."
"Well, I'm here to help with your girl trouble. All the other stuff is up to you and the others." Crossing both arms and leaning forward on his elbows, the man actually seemed to look sincere. "Just start simple, tell me what you think is important and what's nagging on your mind."
Where did he begin? They hadn't even really spoken and he already felt awkward and stupid. Glancing over his shoulder to make sure he wasn't being eavesdropped upon, he found the door closed.
"Bounded field to keep out the ears on the other side," Caster explained. "Let me start for you. That dark-haired girl, Rin. It's obvious she's interested in you but you don't really seem to pay it all back."
Facing the man, Shirou found him staring with a look of genuine compassion. "I'm not?"
Caster rolled his eyes. "The lady is crazy about you but you barely even look in her direction when you're in the same room."
Shirou tried to think about it. How could he miss something so blatant? Could he really admit everything about his romantic life to a servant? "Alright fine," he acquiesced. "I know I haven't been, but it's because the situation is a little more complicated than you probably know."
Caster straightened somewhat and a smug, fang-flashing grin spread across his lips. "That's what I want to hear. Start from the top and I'll see how messed up things get from there."
What did he have to lose? "Well, you already know Rin. We've known each other since I first moved to Fuyuki. I think the old man was the one who made her teach me magecraft. We've spent a lot of time together over the years so we know each other more than anyone else." He felt stupid recounting his life. Did he sound as stupid as he thought he did?
Surprisingly, Caster held any remarks and appeared serious. "There's another girl, Sakura. Rin and Sakura are sisters and they've made some weird agreement that makes them both my girlfriends, I guess. They told me it was better that way because then neither would have to fight over me but it's pretty easy to see that even they aren't happy with that agreement."
"You like one more than the other then?"
Shirou was uncertain. "No- maybe- I don't know. I like them both, but they don't seem to want to share and I don't want to be the reason they go from sisters to enemies."
Caster hummed appreciatively. "I've heard of similar situations. Problem for you is, I've never heard any work out well for the guys who don't want to hurt one of the two. Going off those odds, I would say your best chance is to pick one and tell the other their bad luck."
Shirou thought it over for a moment. "But how do I know which I like more?"
Caster sighed and leaned further back. "I can't really help you answer that one, kiddo. As stupid as it sounds, you're just supposed to know..." Seeing the boy struggle mentally, he continued. "Try to think of the future. Think about which one you could see raising your kids, which one you might want to wake up beside. You might make a mistake the first couple times but you're young and it'll be a learning experience."
"But I don't want to make a mistake."
"Then you better think about it long and hard so you can make a choice you won't regret. If those girls have been after you all this time it's not very likely that they'll just up and stop trying so you can wait before making a decision." Caster stretched backwards and lifted both arms above his head. "Lugh knows I've made the wrong choice more than a few times and I've been regretting some of them ever since."
Shirou buried himself in thought, trying to determine which of the two girls he could see himself with in the future. Most of his brainpower was spent trying to determine what the future would even look like and that was hard enough. It was going to take some time for him to really settle on which would work better for him. Eventually, the boy stood and thanked the servant for their chat.
"Anytime, kiddo. If you ever want to chat about women again just find me." Shooting a one-eyed grin, the door to the room slid open on its own. On the other side, an extremely guilty-looking Rin paled and reddened in short succession while Caster merely laughed.
Shirou held back a laugh of his own, instead trying to appear serious. "Were you-"
"Yes I was trying to break the bounded field but it was only because I was worried Caster was trying to kill you," she defended. Holding his emotionless stare, he could see her face flush and her body begin to squirm in unease. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Breaking out into a smiling chuckle, the girl flinched and grew even more confused. "I was just thinking about something funny is all."
"Master," a voice interrupted. Letting Rin know Saber was speaking to him first, he asked what she needed. "I sensed a powerful energy outside of the house just a moment ago."
Shuffling past Rin, the boy moved quickly down the hall toward his room. If this was some sort of play by Assassin, Illya would need to be awake and he would need to know where she was at the least. "Is it still there?"
"That's why I'm concerned. It appeared for only an instant before vanishing."
Opening the door to his room, he found Illya already asleep in his futon despite it being only six. Powering two servants and regenerating one of them seemed to be taking everything she had. "It might be some sort of diversion or trap."
"My thoughts exactly. I will collect Caster and we will guard the perimeter to ensure nothing enters."
Shirou nodded, despite nobody being able to see him. "Good idea but if Caster tries to set up detection fields tell him not to bother. My father is a master at breaking them and I'm certain the servant version is just as good if not better."
"Lancer is still unable to fight, so we will do our best to protect him."
Shirou wanted to be upset but couldn't blame the servant for being a liability. He had taken on the strongest servant in the War and held his own long enough for the rest of them to prepare the final blow. "That's fine. We wanted to take this night to rest anyway. Tell Rin and Bazett to turn in. I'll be staying in my room as well."
With a brief acceptance of the orders, Shirou entered his room and shut the door quietly so as not to disturb Illya.
Years ago, Kiritsugu had put his life on the line to rescue her from the Einzberns. Years ago, Kiritsugu had told him to protect her, that he would be the one to keep her safe once he was gone. Many times had they both put their lives at risk to uphold that.
All in the name of family.
But what would happen when their family was broken apart by the very same people holding it together? If Kiritsugu died fighting himself, the responsibility of killing Assassin would fall to Shirou.
Would he be able to kill them? Even if they were a different person merely wearing their father's image, it was still something he had to overcome mentally.
If push came to shove, could he really do it? Pull the trigger again as he had a handful of times and kill again, this time ending a part of his family?
Giving his head a soft shake, the boy washed the image out of his mind.
Hopefully, he wouldn't have to make that choice.
… … …
She couldn't help but giggle.
The cave was cold, but she felt oddly hot. One hand moved down and splayed across her stomach where the heat was at its peak.
Like a concentrated ball of fire, It burned within and had been growing hotter ever since Shirou left.
Had it been him?
When had it started? Had it begun the night Assassin first brought Shirou to her?
Maybe she was pregnant and now their child yearned for him just as she did.
She couldn't help but giggle.
Though he had gone. He had left with that pitiful excuse of a sister, Rin Tohsaka. The laughter stopped all at once, the merest thought bringing on a rush of anger.
Why did she always get to be the one he looked for? Why did she get to spend so much time alone with him? There was no reason Shirou had to leave. The only reason he would need to would be to chase after Rin.
The darkness whispered out to her. A thousand impish voices told her to act on her desires, convincing her with how easy it would be and which steps would need to be taken.
Shirou was hers. He didn't belong to Illya or Rin or anybody but her. She realized that now. Realized that letting him socialize and mingle with other girls was a foolish mistake. The only person who he needed to be with was her and she would make sure he wouldn't be able to leave.
A whisper through her ears reminded her that he wouldn't be able to move without his legs.
She continued walking up the cave toward the entrance. There was no need for her to stay there any longer, she had to go wherever Shirou was.
The whispers told her Saber was at Shirou's house which meant he would be there with her.
From deep within her throat, an empty laugh echoed out of her mouth against the cavern walls. It felt foreign, as if someone else was doing the laughing. She was frightened for a moment, but the whispers assured her it was alright.
Stumbling out of the cave entrance she walked into the last trails of sunlight from a fading dusk. Turning, she locked onto the direction of Shirou's home and began walking. Moving was much slower than she remembered, but it wasn't so bad. Every so often, when she blinked, she found herself further along than before somehow.
It seemed to be happening more frequently as the sun dipped deeper below the horizon.
Before she even realized it, she was on the street just before Shirou's. In a few short moments, she would get to see him again, but there was a chance she would have to deal with all of the others keeping her away from getting close to him. The whispers in the back of her mind told her it wouldn't be a problem though.
"Where do you think you're going?"
A voice from behind her asked a question. It was familiar, the voice of someone she knew.
Turning, she met an oddly familiar face looking man but he was different from how she remembered. She tried to speak, but nothing came out of her mouth. Distracted by her own inability to produce a sound, she couldn't see the gun pointed directly at her.
The sound of a gun cracked within her ears but there was nothing she could do. Flinching in fear she shut her eyes purely in reaction.
She expected a lot of things.
Pain, darkness, the sensation of death — whatever that really was — but she felt nothing.
She opened her eyes and she was still exactly where she had been. Looking down and examining herself, she couldn't find any injuries. She didn't feel hurt.
What had happened?
"Tsk," the man hissed through his teeth. "So not even a bullet like that will kill you, huh? No point in sticking around then." Before she could even comprehend what was fully happening, the man leapt straight from the street to the roof of a nearby building and vanished from sight.
Watching the spot he left as if he would return, she struggled to comprehend just what was going on. So much was happening that her mind could barely handle it all. All she wanted to do was to get to Shirou. Whether she was shot or not, that was all she wanted.
Trying to turn and resume her walk to Shirou's wasn't working. Try as she might to turn her body around, it simply wasn't responding. The whispers crawled their way from the back of her mind. As they did, the edges of her vision shrank away, gradually closing as both her vision and hearing were taken away from her.
She opened her mouth to scream but couldn't even hear that.
… … …
… … …
Stretching languidly and letting out a yawn, Lectra half walked half stumbled down the stairs. Opening her eyes and peering down into the living room, she only saw Luvia who was staring directly at her. Her gaze was expecting and the scowl on her face was anything but good.
"Have you seen Bazett?"
The question was anything but good. Stopping abruptly on the stairs and facing back up, Lectra felt a sudden pit of unease well within her stomach. She tried to think of when she had last seen Bazett and could only go back as far as last night. Turning back, Lectra couldn't even open her mouth to speak.
"She left last night then." Lectra wondered for a moment if her friend was somehow telepathic or if her thoughts were just being telegraphed that easily. "Because of her servant, Rider wasn't able to see them leave either."
In a shower of snowflakes, Rider appeared standing in the room. Her smile was much tighter and far more forced than it normally was. It didn't take an expert in psychology to tell that Rider was livid. "I didn't expect my little Cú to leave without saying goodbye at the least. I'm sorry I couldn't detect them."
Lectra felt the tension pouring off the servant from the staircase. Suddenly, she didn't feel like going downstairs anymore. "Why do you think she left?" Of course, Lectra had her own suspicions, but she was interested in hearing Luvia's side of things.
"I think I know exactly why, and what she plans on doing. She left because her servant hates mine and because she has no faith in my ability as a master." Producing a pompous huff, the girl crossed both arms over her chest. "She's gone to find another ally and there's only one option left for her."
Lectra's brain lagged for a moment as she considered who Luvia was talking about. Snapping into place, she could feel the blood drain from her face. "Blade? There's no way she would have gone to him!"
"Bazett is an Enforcer and a practical woman beyond that. I'm certain she realized her only options are to work with someone much stronger than her or die." As if she were some wise tactician long past their centenary, she closed both eyes and made a loose point. "If people are desperate enough they'll begin to see anything as a good idea."
Lectra raised an eyebrow. Was something like that supposed to be profound? Then again, Luvia was a good few years younger. To her, it might have been. "How are we supposed to win against three servants?"
The question seemed to pop the pompous bubble Luvia had placed herself within as she visibly flinched. The pointing hand slowly moved to her face so she could bite at her thumbnail. "I'm still working on that one."
Settling her back up against the wall, Lectra slid down it to sit upon the stairs. "You better think quickly. If she is working with him, they'll probably come after us at any moment."
"But why would they work together? Only one master is capable of making a wish," Luvia thought aloud.
Lectra furrowed her brow in confusion, tucking both hands into the pocket of her hoodie. "Weren't we working together to kill a servant we couldn't defeat alone?"
Luvia stood upright and began pacing softly. "Yes but we weren't a very threatening target to begin with. Even with our strength combined, Saber and Lancer still hold an advantage in sheer power. I have to be missing something crucial."
The two girls thought for a moment in silence. Lectra thought she could smell smoke pouring from Luvia's ears but it was just the passing scent of a campfire which had started very early in the morning. "Maybe she doesn't want to make a wish?"
Luvia laughed sarcastically. "A magus from the Clock Tower not desiring the Grail? Even if it did cost them their life, the mere chance would be worth the attempt."
Lectra leaned her head back far enough for it to touch the wall. Was it really though? Was all the risk they took, all of the life-threatening actions taken, really worth it? "Is that why we're here?"
"Of course," Luvia replied immediately. "I came here to claim my wish at the Grail just like all of the other masters fighting in this War."
That certainly wasn't the reason Lectra had followed Luvia. She only wanted help from a competent magus with some family matters and this was her payment. Unlike Luvia, she was already certain that the Grail was some sort of ploy to pit mages against one another. Why such a thing would exist or need to take place she wasn't certain but she was under the impression that all things too good to be true, weren't. "What wish is that?"
Luvia stiffened suddenly and sent an accusatory look at Lectra. "That's rather personal, don't you think?"
Pursing her lips, Lectra's brow furrowed further. "I'm sort of risking my life for you to get whatever this wish of yours is. Don't you think I have a bit of a right to know what my life is on the line for?" Speaking, she realized just how comfortable she was with the prospect of her own possible demise. To be a magus was to walk hand-in-hand with death, but since when had she been so comfortable holding that cold skeletal hand? Probably ever since she first met Blade.
He was a contradiction in her mind. On the one hand, he had broken her out of her night-owl shell. On the other, he had inadvertently thrown her headfirst into the world of mercenaries and powerful magus politicians on account of the unique people he seemed to attract.
"When you put it that way," Luvia began. "My wish is basic at its core. I seek as all mages do; to reach the Root of Akasha and claim one of the true magics for myself."
"That's basic? If that's your step one then what do you plan on doing after that?"
Luvia laughed through her nose. "Once I have true magic, I'll become the greatest mercenary on Earth and make Edelfelt a name worthy of respect! I'll start by putting an end to the Magus Killer lineage, cementing my spot as the apex mercenary."
Lectra could only watch as her friend got lost in delusions of grandeur. Reaching up to scratch her head through her hood, she added some of her own points. "Aren't you counting your chickens before you even have eggs? How do you know the true magic you get will even be useful in combat? How do you even know you'll get magic at all?"
"If the Grail is incapable of granting a single person with magic then it can hardly be called omnipotent, don't you think? Besides, something like that lies within my destiny as an Edelfelt."
Maybe she hadn't noticed or maybe it was just especially ripe but Lectra had never noticed Luvia's arrogance before. Deciding their difference in expectation wasn't something to fight over, Lectra merely responded with, "if you say so," and stood up. "What are we planning on doing about Bazett?"
Luvia hummed, all mirth draining from her features in an instance. "Personally I'd like to kill her for backstabbing us but I doubt that would be possible. At this moment, however, I believe we need to relocate to another base of operations."
Lectra groaned and threw her head back while climbing down the last few steps. "Moving so often makes me feel like I'm a kid again."
Rider made a noise of awe. "So you travelled a lot when you were young too? I remember going to so many places when I was a child."
Lectra shrugged. "Let's just say my childhood wasn't the smoothest experience. My dad and I moved from town to town every week it seemed."
"I've never really heard of a nomadic magus," Luvia noted.
"That'd be because my dad was never into magecraft. He told me to stay as far away as possible but that just made me want to get closer."
Rider narrowed her eyes in a strangely tempting way. "Rebellious, aren't you?"
Lectra blinked. "Can we worry about the War and not my personal life?"
Luvia waved her thoughts away with one hand and then settled into a seat. "I've already got the details in my head, there's no need to worry."
"Have another mansion we can sneak back to?"
Lectra's dry sarcasm went missed. "Unfortunately, no. I'll have to dip into my funds to secure a hotel for the next few days."
Lectra groaned miserably. "Great, hotels. Got lots of childhood memories in those too."
"That's good," Luvia began, missing Lectra's distaste for them. "I have plenty of memories of hotels in my childhood too. My family had to travel the world for work so it was expected, really."
"You still haven't told me what the actual plan is. Moving is one thing to keep us safe but how are we going to take on three servants?"
"You can leave that up to me," Rider spoke first. "I've been up against unbeatable odds before. All this means is I'll have to pull out everything I've got to even the odds." Flashing a sickly sweet smile that held way too much malice at her master, the servent tilted her head. "Hope you have the mana to support it."
Why did Lectra get the feeling that her involvement in this War had just barely started?
"I have more than eno-" The woman abruptly twitched in place before violently snapping her head toward the front of the manor. "My bounded field-"
"Master get down!" Lectra watched a blur of pink lunge at Luvia before both were engulfed in a bright flash.
She couldn't tell what hit her first, the heat or the sound. Had it been both simultaneously? The heat instantly made her feel nauseous and the wave of sound popped both ears and sucked the air from her lungs.
What little air remained in her lungs was forced out by her body as her back slammed into the staircase wall. Disoriented and reeling, Lectra tried to get her eyes to focus on the bright oranges and yellows ahead of her.
Grabbing onto her head and blinking several times, she refocused and found the living room to be covered in flames and the remains of one wall. She couldn't see Luvia but maybe Rider had been able to get to her in time?
Struggling to stand, the girl wrapped one hand around the bannister and hoisted herself upright. Whatever the case, she needed to get moving. Whatever had made that attack was bound to try and check for survivors.
Try as she might, her eyes still couldn't focus properly and the world seemed to be on a permanent tilt with a slight rotation as if the tilt wasn't bad enough.
Stumbling down the stairs, her foot missed the step and her whole body shifted forward, throwing her onto the floor below. Thankfully it had only been a fall of two steps, but it still hurt anyway.
Gritting her teeth in frustration and pushing her upper half off the floor, the image of a snapping string activated her circuits. In a short moment, bubbling black swirled on the floor and coiled up her legs. "Keep me steady," she commanded. Immediately, her legs stiffened and straightened her body upright.
It wasn't a technique she used often but after all she had experienced in the Mages Tournament and the Grail War, she realized that enhancing her body in some way was practically mandatory if she were expected to survive.
It was still in its infancy, really. But she was using her ether clumps to form a sort of shell around her body and force her body to work as she directed. It was a bit of a tedious process teaching the clumps commands so they wouldn't tear her limbs off their sockets, but something was better than nothing.
Turning and lifting her hand to shield her face from the heat, she tried to find Luvia in the flames, smoke and debris.
Stepping toward the doorway, she called out her friend's name before spotting a shifting pile of rubble that appeared to be the remains of a couch. Pushing it aside, Rider, followed by Luvia sat upright with the former sitting on the latter's lap. Uncoiling themselves, Rider stood and faced the hole in the wall while Luvia placed a hand over the blood-trickling wound on her head.
Despite current events, a bright smile was still stretched across Rider's face. "Looks like our plans have been pushed ahead. Hope you're all comfortable with the rescheduling." The smile and her face tightened as she stretched out one hand. "Both of you need to run."
Luvia looked at her servant's back in confusion for a moment before making a noise and lifting herself out of the debris. "Fine, but I expect you to return to me."
Rider remained prepared and motionless. "Just don't go out the back door or you'll be killed. Go upstairs and jump out of the window at the end of the hall."
Luvia seemed taken aback for once. "You're certain?"
Rider merely nodded. "I can't detect this servant for some reason and my clairvoyance is being overloaded. Still, I think the window is your only chance."
Luvia meekly accepted her judgement and started moving from the rubble. Just as she did a blur of noise and movement happened. The sound of gunfire and the high-pitched clang as it struck something solid. The blur of pink, white and red that almost seemed to envelop Luvia's entire body.
In a blink, it was over and Rider stood on the other side of Luvia with her whip at the ready.
A whizzing noise at her feet made Lectra look down to a rapidly spinning bullet boring a small hole in the wooden floor.
Were they up against a master or a servant? It couldn't be a master, could it? Then again, what sort of servant shot bullets?
… … …
… … …
The night had been uneventful, thankfully. Unfortunately, Shirou had spent it all staying wide awake waiting for a bullet — or several — to tear through the walls of the house.
Then again, the only risk was a brain injury as Avalon would be able to regenerate whatever damage was incurred in both himself and Illya otherwise.
His alarm clock made a solitary chime before his hand landed upon the button at the top. Illya made a noise and shifted in the bed beside him. Rolling over, she inadvertently slapped him directly on the chest and subsequently started snoring almost directly in his ear.
Rolling away and out from beneath the covers, the girl whimpered for a moment until she moved into the space he had been warming and returning to a deep sleep.
Standing up, he took a deep breath to prepare himself for the day. He had quite a lot planned but going through his morning routine was first.
Following his routine like a drone on autopilot, he stepped into the dining room where he found Saber and Caster seated at the table. Both offered him a morning greeting before Saber promptly asked, "What is your plan for today, Shirou?"
Stopping short before entering the kitchen, the boy scratched at his cheek. "Well, I'll need to pick up some groceries."
Saber's voice turned stern immediately. "You think it wise to enter the city with this new Assassin after us? Did you not understand your father's warning?"
He turned on the spot to look at the servant directly. "Of course I did, I'm not deaf. But we can't just stay in the house waiting for something to happen and the people here still need to get fed." In the Grail War, Shirou hadn't really expected food to be a commodity he would run short on. He had prepared enough for a couple of weeks but a lot of it had gone to the Einzbern Castle where they were supposed to live for the duration.
"Then what is your plan?"
He replied immediately with "I go alone." Seeing the argument appear within her features, he continued. "If I go alone our overall risk and potential losses are low."
Caster was much less agitated when he put in his two cents. "Losing you is like losing a servant, kid. Don't forget you took down the old Assassin on your own without any help."
"Disregarding your combat potential, if you die gathering supplies the rest of us will still need to take a risk gathering more." Even standing, Shirou could see Saber's hands balled into fists upon her knees. Even though it was in her voice, she was holding back most of her anger.
Sighing, Shirou pinched the bridge of his nose. How he could tell her he had Avalon without telling her he had Avalon? He carried the least risk because he was so hard to kill with Saber alive.
"Alright well then we need to look at other options." Immediately the servant's hands relaxed. "If we assume the house is being watched, leaving and entering is a risk and anybody seen nearby also becomes a target. That means someone will have to leave." The tension in Saber's body was like a lightswitch, moving instantly between off and on as he spoke. "Though I can likely call someone to buy groceries and drop them off much closer to the house. That will take up less overall time and be safer because it's just one short trip."
Caster leaned back and looked up toward the roof. "Have someone in mind to make this drop-off?"
Before the War he had told most people he knew that he would be staying home for a week or two, passing it off as a family affair and aiding its believability with Rin and hypnosis. Missing school meant little, especially when he had completed all the work for most of the year in preparation for the Grail War anyway.
"I did, actually." Reaching into his pocket, Shirou withdrew his cellphone and flipped it open. Typing in the numbers, the call was made.
Within a short moment, the other end picked up and offered a bright, "Hello Shirou!"
"Taiga, could you do me a big favour?" Explaining what he would need, he was actually surprised when she agreed without any argument or questions. It was very strange, especially because he asked her to drop groceries off in an alley a good block or two away from his house. Maybe she was just used to very peculiar requests from the Emiya family as a whole.
Hanging up the phone, he let the servants know what was happening. "With the supplies settled, we need to decide what we will do with the day."
"We get Sakura. It's something we should do right now while we still have lots of daylight."
Caster raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that just as dangerous as going to get food?"
"The risk is much lower. Urban areas are where my father liked to hold ambushes the most. People let down their guard around innocent people so it was easier to take advantage of that. Besides that, nobody would have a reason to trap the forests outside of the city." A spontaneous warmth spawned between his shoulder blades and rapidly spread across his back. "If we act unpredictably, he won't have an opportunity to react."
"Unpredictability can only get us so far." Abruptly, it felt as if Shirou had been punched in the stomach. The world around him slowed and Saber's words became an incoherent slowed blur.
Confused, the boy looked down at his hands and felt the pain of his muscles moving beyond human capabilities. It was familiar, but he hadn't activated it. "Double Accel? What's going on?"
Just as he questioned himself, the world returned to normal speed and Saber asked what was wrong. "I don't-" His body jerked abruptly as Time Alter took hold of him again. "-know?"
The last time something similar happened was in the Clock Tower years ago when he first got his father's magic crest. He was certain his body had acclimatized since then, especially after being fixed by that strange old man. There shouldn't have been any more random activations so what was going on?
Jarring back into normal time, he watched Saber stand upright and reach out to him. Taking a half step back, Time Alter activated a third time and doubled the speed of his movements in mid-motion. Trying to react only made things worse as his brain tried to move to where he thought the ground was only to find empty space as his body hadn't slipped that far due to gravity.
Time Alter deactivated just in time for him to fall fully backwards, bashing the back of his head against the wall. He made a small noise of pain which was barely audible over Caster's laughter. Comfortable with not moving for a moment, the boy remained on the floor while Saber continued her approach.
Not offering a hand, she merely watched in concern as he lay there. "What happened, is something wrong?"
Grimacing from the pain on the back of his head, the boy looked up to her to share her level of confusion. "My circuits and crest are activating without my control again."
"Are you going to be alright?" Asking the question, she reached out a hand.
Recalling what happened the last time he had an inadvertent burst of Time Alter while touching another person, Shirou declined the offer and helped himself up. "I don't know, we'll just have to see."
What was going on with his body? That old man had told him he wouldn't have this problem anymore. Had he lied or was this some new issue? Did it have to do with his link to Illya? Rin had told him a part of her crest was transplanted to his body, had that renewed his issues?
The boy tried to shut down his circuits and, surprisingly, they did turn off. "There, problem solved." Almost as soon as he finished speaking, his circuits flicked back on. "Nevermind then."
"Should I get Rin?"
Shirou shook his head. "Let her sleep a little longer. Besides, I don't think she'll be able to help." He had an idea for what the root cause might be and if he were right, Rin couldn't fix it.
Saber scowled. "But she might know what the cause is at the very least. From there we can try to solve it."
Passing it off with his hand, Shirou rolled one of his shoulders. "I'll be fine, I just might be clumsy if it happens again. I'm going to go wake everyone up so we can get ready to move."
Stepping out of the room, Shirou ran a hand through his hair. Something else had been off about that activation of Time Alter. The draw upon his mana had been considerably higher, a little more than double. He had noticed such a change before when he was training. Typically it came about when he wielded large weapons, which required an expanded bounded field. Though he hadn't been holding anything in the dining room, so what had caused the increase? And such a large increase at that?
He might have had an answer, but it wasn't very good.
Each time Archer had activated his circuits or recalled a noble phantasm, images of the exact same process flickered in the back of Shirou's own mind like a distant projector. Distant or nearby, each and every use of his magecraft was telegraphed subtly like an afterimage or an echo.
With that in mind, there was a chance that the original crest in Shirou's back and the crest within the servant Kiritsugu's back were linked. It explained the seemingly random activations and Time Alters as well as the increased mana usage.
As he muddled in his own thoughts, he gathered Illya, Rin, Gray, Bazett and Caren and sent them in the direction of the dining room.
Only after waking them all did he realize how many people had spent the night in his home. On top of that, they were all women. Of course, he didn't have a problem with that, but he felt a little outnumbered. Thankfully Caster was present to balance the ratio at least somewhat.
Returning to the dining room, he informed everyone of the plan made just moments prior. Nobody seemed particularly roused either positively or negatively. After going over it extensively, Taiga called his phone and told him she had finished gathering supplies. The boy made a short trip to the drop point, gathered the groceries and returned home without much worry.
Preparing a quick, light breakfast, everyone ate in silent haste. Rin was the only one who recapped the plans. "I still don't think it's a good idea for you to be with Sakura while the rest of us take on Zouken."
Shirou hummed, finishing the last bite of food on his plate. "I'm the only one who can get rid of the worms in her body."
Rin put the pieces together faster than he expected. "Don't tell me you're expecting to perform heart surgery."
Shirou put on a look of offence. He couldn't outright explain how, he'd just have to divert her. "Is there anyone else that's more qualified for the job here? We aren't exactly a team of experienced surgeons and doctors."
Rin looked stunned. "You don't even have healing magecraft, lets start there. By that alone the best person to be with Sakura is Caren."
Shirou shook his head. "Caren needs to attack Zouken. She's the only one who can lock him in place and exorcise his body."
"Then even I'm better going with Sakura. I'm not very good but I can keep someone alive at least."
Shirou shook his head again, staring at the girl with absolute sincerity. "I have a plan, just trust me."
The Tohsaka seemed placated by the look in his eye, but someone else seemed interested in butting heads. "Kid has a plan and nobody can know about it, everyone fear for your lives."
Bazett's comment, even as a joke, was still a little demoralizing. "I'm confident that Saber can protect everyone else but for your own safety you had better trust that Caster does his job."
The servant in question opened his mouth to bark back before being cut off by the monotone priestess. "Are we going to start moving soon?"
Shirou nodded and stood upright. "Yes, right now if there's no more questions. The earlier we leave the more time we have to attack Zouken. Moving in the day isn't totally safe but it's better than at night with Assassin out there."
With varied levels of engagement, all of the other people in the room began to mobilize. Without any more delay, the group left Shirou's home and set off toward Ryuudou temple, the best landmark in a similar direction.
The walk took three-quarters of an hour to make, average time. Nearing the cave, Shirou reassessed the damage Gray had done. In the light of midday, it was much easier to see just how destructive her attack had been.
A perfect cylindrical borehole running straight along the ground. For how bad it looked, the cut was unexpectedly clean. The dirt and clay were smooth as if heated and polished. Such a nice appearance didn't extend to the vegetation, which was burnt and still smouldering despite being a day old and rained upon.
Caster made a low whistle while also looking over the scenery. "Guessing whatever did that also took Berserker with it? Still hard to figure one of those little girls did that."
Shirou cast Caster and then Gray a glance. "Appearances are often misleading, nothing new." His eyes lingered on Caster for a moment before he faced forward and coughed to disguise his amusement.
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"
"He's saying you look like a two-bit hooker," Bazett chipped in from behind.
Without skipping a beat, Caster made a blatantly overdone noise of insult. "You really mean that, kid? Gotta say my pride is a little hurt. I put a lot of care into this outfit." Stretching both hands over his head, he twisted his upper torso as a stretch while walking. "You know the saying about druids: the more skin, the better connected they are with nature."
Shirou tried — and failed — to get the imagery out of his head. "Can we focus on keeping our eyes open for Assassin? I don't think anyone here wants an extra hole in their head."
Grumbling about how he "was no fun," Caster seemed to acknowledge him and the entire group entered the dark cave. In order to see where they were going, Shirou used far more mana than he should have to give non-servants flashlights.
Following the twisting tunnels, they all eventually reached the open cavern where Sakura had been held. In the pitch black, it was easy to see the makeshift room which held candles inside.
Still walking toward it, Shirou let Sakura know they were coming by calling out her name. His own voice echoed back to him three times, certifying to himself that she would hear.
That was why he grew concerned when she didn't open the door. They had been walking long enough for someone in such a small space to leave. Was she asleep or something?
Calling her name again, he started to get worried. What if she had decided to leave on her own? Had she gone to the Matou manor under Zouken's orders? Considering what their plan was, it wouldn't cause a major issue but it did add the risk of Zouken outright killing her in an act of suicide against overwhelming odds.
When she didn't respond to his third call, he started moving faster. Reaching the door, he threw it open and found an empty room. The bed was neatly made and everything seemed normal.
In the flickering candlelight, a twinkling light directed his eye to a small crystal statue sitting on the dresser.
It was a swan, or what remained of a swan. The head had been snapped off and crushed into shards and even the body had been split in two. The only reason he recognized it was a swan was because he had been the one to buy it for Sakura.
Clenching his jaw, he turned to face the rest of the group. "She's not here," was all he said.
"Do you think she left on her own?" Caren asked.
Rin made a short hum. "It's not like we ever told her to stay here so it's possible." Looking around, her flashlight was sent out into the distance only to be swallowed by seemingly endless darkness. "This cave feels strange. I didn't notice it the other day but there was a lot going on."
"I feel it too," Illya agreed. "The air is heavy with mana but I also feel like I'm being watched?"
Caster snorted. "For kids, you're pretty sensitive." Tapping his staff on the stone, ribbons of light spread across the floor then quickly disappeared as if running out of energy. "We're standing on a leyline. Pretty powerful one at that."
"The leyline is here?" Rin asked in disbelief. "It's supposed to be in Ryuudou Temple, that's what my family's maps say."
"Your maps didn't account for verticality," Caren stated bluntly.
The importance of such a thing was over Shirou's head. He knew of leylines but not what they were useful for. "So what does that mean?" He turned to Rin. "Didn't you say you need a leyline to determine how to shut down the Grail?"
She nodded. "Yes but I need the leyline the Grail is forming on. Since there's no cup around here, this isn't the right place. At the very least we've scratched off one possibility. From here I might be able to isolate where the Grail will actually form."
"How long will it take?"
The girl knelt down and ran her fingers along the stone. "An hour, two maybe."
"With my help, she'll cut that down to twenty minutes," Caster added.
Shirou was pleased to hear it. "Then let's do it. While you work there, the rest of us will try to figure out how we can find Sakura."
All at once, Rin straightened and turned to look at a particularly short girl. "Illya, how are you feeling?"
"What?" She responded dumbly.
Walking forward, Rin landed a hand upon her forehead. "I asked how you're feeling. Any nausea or headaches? Do you feel weak or like you can't find your balance?"
"No I feel fine," Illya stated plainly. "Why all of the questions?"
Turning directly to him, Shirou could see Rin's face grow serious. "I think we have a problem."
… … …
… … …
Taking the final drag on a stub of a cigarette, the man held the bitter smoke in his lungs while tossing the filter into the brush below.
They hadn't left their home for a day, but that was all it had taken. Early in the morning a boy had left and returned in a short time with grocery bags. Shortly after an entire group of people, six people and three servants, all left and headed off to the west.
The boy knew he was being watched. When he first left, he had collected a drop made from someone he contacted. It was a smart move, something he really should have expected.
If he were being honest, he didn't expect it because he had been distracted with himself. More and more it became increasingly apparent that Alaya was a twisted sadist that liked humiliating him.
To think it would put him in a world where he was some sort of family man.
The thought was enough to make him sick. How could he have been so foolish, how could he have given up on his own goals so easily? Was all it took to persuade him nothing more than the sad dream of a normal family?
It was disgusting. To think he would sit by idly playing father while the world erupted in constant conflict. Hundreds, thousands died daily to corruption and evil and this version of himself turned a blind eye.
Then again, it could always have been worse. A version of himself playing house was still twenty times better than a version that still believed in saving everyone on earth.
The absolute idealist, the one who believed that becoming a Hero of Justice was even in the realm of possibility. It was a joke, really. A joke far more sad than funny.
Hell, even someone who believed they could save anybody was fooling themselves.
It didn't matter how many people were saved by killing someone evil. There would always be someone else lurking in the shadows that was ready, prepared and willing to kill for their own personal goals. It was nothing more than human nature. The only reason he continued living was to be the person behind that evil in the shadows with a gun pressed against the back of their head and a finger on the trigger.
At the end of the day, he was only one man and no one man would ever save the world. He was just around to deal with the worst of the worst and prevent all of humanity from dying.
That was all he could do and all he would do.
Alaya had summoned him to this time, this place for that specific purpose. It had told him of his mission, it had given him direction. He would end the Grail War by slaughtering all of the masters and using the Grail's own energy to demolish the leylines of Fuyuki and permanently end all possibility of future Wars.
The resulting explosion would kill everyone in the city and virtually wipe the city from the map but such a small sacrifice to get rid of such a great danger was justifiable.
He wasn't given all the details of the situation, but he didn't need them all. The ability to grant any omnipotent wish was too good to be true. Beyond that, it was a danger just waiting to be abused. Someone determined could use the Grail's wish to instantly commit genocide on an entire race of people, or even all of humanity. He needed to put an end to it, if only to minimize the possible risk.
Sitting a little straighter, the man continued to watch the spot he had lost sight of the group. For one reason or another, they had decided to enter a cave out in the middle of nowhere. They seemed to be on guard yet still were naive and foolish. They didn't even seem to account for any possible tails. Considering the size of the group, however, it would have been difficult to lose anyone who decided to follow.
In the end, it didn't matter why. All that mattered was that it provided an opportunity.
Fumbling around in his jacket pocket, the man withdrew a cellphone and thumbed through to the contacts list. A single unnamed contact was highlighted.
The preparations were finished. He just needed to play the waiting game, something he was especially good at. Even if the blast wouldn't be enough to finish off the masters, the collapsing ceiling would clean up.
It was laughable, really. They had made things so easy by entering an area with a single exit.
A twitch in his right eye sent his head twisting in that direction. Even through what leaves remained on the trees, he could see the barest reflective glint. Without even questioning what it could have been, the man rolled to one side. Slipping off the tree branch, the telltale snap of gunfire confirmed his suspicions.
The sound on the other end of the barrel was unfamiliar, though that hardly meant much. The only thing he needed to note was the rain of splinters that had once been part of a tree.
Landing on the ground feet first, the man darted behind the tree just as another shot cracked through the air, whizzing past at ear level. Stuffing his hand beneath the folds of his cloak, the man withdrew the Calico from its holster.
So it seemed as if the family man had actually grown enough balls to make the first real attack. To think he had been critiquing that group of children about not noticing a tail when he himself hadn't even caught on.
How irritating.
… … …
"You can't be serious. Is that even possible?" He was angry, it was the only reaction he could have. What good would all their preparation be if this was to be the outcome?
"It's the only logical conclusion that I can make, Shirou. I'd never say it if I didn't mean it." Rin almost looked sick, though considering the implications it wasn't all that unusual.
Shirou turned, shut his eyes and squeezed his forehead with one hand. Why did all of his plans have to meet constant hiccups and hitches? Had he been cursed by the Grail in that damn fire to have miserable luck his entire life?
Did Caren even need to be there anymore? Problem was, if she left and Assassin had been watching them, he would target her. If Rin's assessment was true he had needlessly thrown her into danger.
Opening his eyes and blinking a few times, he came to the jarring revelation that he was acting just like his father. Feeling his heart skip once over the thought of other possible similarities, he refocused and turned to face Rin. "If you're certain then I have no choice but to believe you."
"Do you think it's any easier for me?"
The question caught him off guard. Through the dim light, he only barely caught the slight quiver in Rin's hands. Both were clenched into fists at her side and her whole body seemed to be electric. "Rin, you're-"
"It's just cold in here," she interrupted. Turning around, the girl rubbed her own forearms to try and generate heat. "Can we just- could we leave and go anywhere but here?"
Her excuse was flimsy at best. The air in the cave was cool but it was warmer than the air outside. He knew the real reason but he didn't want to even try approaching it. His mind raced for something to say to help but nothing came to mind.
Was it the expense for trying to save Illya? Of all the people why did it have to pick her?
Something in the back of his mind told her she wasn't worth worrying about anyway, that the situation was a blessing in disguise.
A woman's voice spoke from over his shoulder. "You only wanted one girlfriend anyway. Who knows, this might have been what you were secretly hoping for."
Whipping his head back, he opened his mouth to give a piece of his mind to whoever had said it but nobody stood behind him.
He paused staring at empty space. Whose voice had that been?
"Shirou," the call of his name within his own skull interrupted his own question. "We need to re-evaluate our plan."
Facing forward he took a sharp breath and blew it through his nose. "Just a minute, I have to think."
Where did he go from here?
A stabbing ache struck the front of his head and forced his eyes into a pained squint. A familiar male voice offered an answer as if it was as obvious as breathing. "Forward, and keep going until there's nothing left even if it costs you everything."
Shirou wondered if he had finally cracked and gone absolutely insane. What other explanation was there when he was starting to hear Archer offer life advice?
"Things have changed but our goal is the same. If we want to shut down the Grail then Zouken needs to die," Shirou stressed. "We just have to go as is."
He saw Rin flash him a look but the shifting emotions on her face told him she understood just as he did.
"If that's the call then we might as well head out," Caster surmised. "Caves aren't exactly my thing anyway."
Turning on his heels, the servant stretched both arms over his head and started walking in the direction they entered.
Shirou was the last to move and it was more on reaction than conscious decision. His mind was miles away trying to work out something, anything that could fix things. Deep in thought, he didn't know when or where he had started leading the group up through the caves but he only came back to reality when someone tugged on the back of his shirt.
Turning and shifting somewhat, he found Illya who sped up to walk beside him without even looking at his face. "You have the same look that dad did before the Fourth War." The comment was so blunt it might as well have been a hammer. "I didn't know it back then, but he had been fighting impossible odds and trying to force the best outcome even though it didn't line up."
Looking ahead, he couldn't help but feel slighted by yet another comparison to his father. Coming from Illya made it that much worse. "You think I'm trying to force an impossible outcome then?"
"I don't know what you're thinking about trying," she admitted. "But I know that look means trouble and I don't want you to get bitten by reality like he did."
Taking a breath, he could feel his own frustration. It wasn't with her but rather with the entire scenario. "So what do you think my options are then?"
She paused for a single beat. "I suppose you have two. You can either proceed with destroying the Grail or you can save Sakura."
"But not both?"
The girl shook her head. "You're forgetting she is the Grail now. You can't save and destroy something at the same time."
The boy sent a tracing pulse through his feet into the floor. The blueprint helped him locate the others to ensure they were out of earshot. "Then what if I win the Grail War and use my wish to bring her back?"
"Shirou!" the girl hissed. "You and dad have both said time and time again that a wish on the Grail will only bring death. Why would you ever try and use it for something like that?"
Shirou clenched his jaw. "How much death can one resurrection cause?"
That was what he wanted to say.
Instead, he merely responded with "you're right" and left the conversation there.
Ahead, Shirou could see the mouth of the tunnel. "Once we're out, we can head straight to the Matou manor. There's not much point in waiting to finish things, is there?"
"The Grail is slowly converting her body to become a vessel. I have no clue what that must feel like but it's probably painful." The conversation seemed to end as they walked toward the entrance in silence. After a short moment, Illya muttered, "killing her might almost be a mercy" under her breath.
A few meters from the entrance, Shirou momentarily wondered why he couldn't hear the morning chatter of birds or feel a colder breeze from outside until he walked through what felt like gel.
Feeling the strange shift in the air reflexively made him trace the area around him. They had just passed through a bounded field but who had placed it and why had they in the first place?
The trace pulse carried through the stone and instantly Shirou understood. Explosives, more than a dozen of them, lodged into the stone and hidden by bounded fields. The bounded fields, his father's own design, crafted specifically to be invisible to anyone not deliberately looking and hard to detect even to those who were.
His eyes, looking ahead, witnessed two people locked in blade combat. He recognized one but the other wore too long a cloak to get a good read. Guessing who it really was wasn't all that hard, especially with the explosives in mind.
His body twitched and the world around him slowed. Stabilizing himself with small shifts of his feet, he watched the cloaked figure back up out of range only to reach into a pocket and withdraw something.
A cell phone.
The explosives.
It was too late. He couldn't run forward when Illya was at his side and warning the others behind him wasn't possible in Time Alter.
He had to do something, anything. If he didn't, both of them would die.
It was a reaction. Snapping his arm out to the side, he gripped Illya's shoulder. There wasn't any time to worry about hurting her, though the speed definitely would. With all the strength he could muster, he threw the girl forward and moved himself between her and the mouth of the cave. As she was moving forward, he tried to run as far as he could to use his own body to shield her from the blast.
A single distorted tone rang out from behind him and his back was covered in a wave of heat. Time Alter faded away and the boy felt his feet leave the ground as something impacted his back and forced him forward.
He collided with Illya, but after that point, he had no idea what was going on. Everything happened all at once. Both ears were filled with a high-pitched whine and the ground they tumbled upon rumbled as if in the middle of an earthquake. His back was covered in searing heat and something sharp lodged itself in his spine.
His entire lower half went numb and as the tumbling slowed, he found himself laying on top of Illya with rocks striking him on the back through the cloud of dust. "Shirou," Saber called out. "Are you alright? We've been blocked off!" Through their mental link, her voice sounded muffled amidst the tinnitus.
Struggling to even organize his thoughts, he sent back a simple "I'm alright" merely to placate her.
In reality, he was far from the fact. He couldn't hear, he couldn't see and his legs weren't listening to anything he told them to do. Blinking rapidly to try and clear his vision, a coughing reached his ears through the whine. Pushing himself up and looking down, Illya spoke but the words were too muffled for him to understand.
… … …
The explosion sent a ringing through his right ear but he didn't dare take his eyes off his opponent. Gritting his teeth, he gripped the knife tighter and tried to think of a way he could get through his own guard.
Assassin seemed to be nonchalant, tossing the used cell phone to the ground without moving his eyes away.
His official training with a blade had been entirely defensive with the offensive edge of his technique born from sheer experience. He was able to block and attack in the same motion. He wasn't supposed to be attacking at close range, it was never something he was supposed to do, especially against a servant.
It had all been unexpected. The first shot was supposed to land but something had tipped Assassin off. He had taken every precaution, he knew his tailing had gone unnoticed but something had warned the servant.
After missing his initial shot and the follow-up rounds afterwards, he had been forced to advance through an onslaught of gunfire. Staying at a distance meant they were both in their prime element, that both of them would be locked into a gunfight when one side had the superior weaponry.
Fighting close-quarters was the only logical decision as then they could both be at a similar disadvantage. Except, Assassin was a servant. Their reactions, their strength both far exceeded that of a normal human.
Everything was frustrating but nothing was as frustrating as the fact Assassin was merely toying with him. They weren't outright attacking, they hadn't plunged their knife into his stomach despite being perfectly capable of such a feat.
The cherry on top was the fact Assassin was taunting him.
"I almost expected you to cry out their names like you would be able to save them. Might be some promise in you yet." The knife was thrown to his left hand. Was he switching styles to southpaw? "Maybe with those distractions out of the way you can come around."
Baring his teeth, Kiritsugu tried to come up with a back of the napkin plan. He had yet to use any origin rounds and his initial attack had been with a Springfield rifle he had since discarded.
The goal had been to mislead his target into believing he had used the Contender and by not using it since, that he had run out of ammunition. It seemed to be working though it was only his living status that made him believe such a thing.
But when was the right time to use it? He was unable to use Time Alter and the close range would spell death. He needed a distraction; one that gave enough time for him to draw and fire his weapon.
Dust from the collapsing cave mouth slowly rolled across the ground at knee level. The two were sizing one another up, though each was doing so in a different manner. Kiritsugu was trying to determine how to defeat an opponent. The servant was trying to see how malleable his opponent's mind was and if they could find common ground.
"I've always said that the only person I could work with is myself and here we are." Extending his right hand partly, the cold emotionless eyes of the servant bored through him. "You won't be distracted any longer, we can put an end to the Grail War, you and I."
Kiritsugu narrowed his eyes. He wanted to talk now? What could that possibly accomplish? "There are other ways-"
"None so permanent as what I have in mind. I've just killed three. Only one more remains and a second set of hands would help speed things along."
Was that his motive? He needed help dealing with a master?
Wait a moment. Three masters?
His head turned to look before he could stop himself.
His eyes couldn't even focus before something collided with his chest. The wind was forced out of his lungs and a full-body pain coursed through his body. Slamming into a tree, he gasped and slid to the ground gasping for oxygen.
Experience told him his ribs had shattered and one of his lungs had been punctured. In moments he'd experience a pneumothorax or a pulmonary edema and die. Barring his teeth as the taste of copper stung his tongue, he tried to push himself up but found his arms quivering uselessly as they tried.
Before him, his copy shifted his weight to recover from the kick he had just delivered. With nothing more than a sigh, he approached while shaking his head. "What a disappointment. Even after knowing full well they're dead you still look back with that idiotic glimmer of hope."
"Fuck- -you," Kiritsugu spat, still trying to drive his body to stand.
Assassin reared his left hand back. The blade's edge gleaming in the sun. "Ironic, considering who you're talking to."
A shrill voice cried out, "Daddy!"
"Illya, wait!"
Kiritsugu and his copy both looked to find a boy and girl with white hair outside of the collapsed cavern. Shirou and Illya had survived the explosion and managed to make it outside.
Shirou wasn't walking. He wasn't even trying to stand up, he was trying to crawl toward Illya, who had a mix of horror and panic on her face. Had he been injured?
"Illya- -don't" he managed to gasp between fits of his diaphragm.
"This might be for the best. You can watch as I put an end to what you foolishly dedicated your life to." Reaching one hand into his coat and fully turning to face the two, Kiritsugu saw the opening he had been looking for.
He might not have had the strength to lift his body up, but holding and firing a gun was within reason. All he needed was a single shot and it would be over, it was the only thing he could do.
His hand gripped the handle of the Contender as Assassin drew his own weapon in place of the knife.
Both levelled their weapons.
A cold chill shot up his entire body as Assassin locked eyes with him.
The servant's hand snapped out faster than he could even pull the trigger. Shutting his eyes as the sound of a gunshot rang out and the recoil travelled up his arm, he opened them to find his hand empty and his own smoking gun in Assassin's hands, pointed in Illya's direction.
A falling pebble precludes the avalanche behind it.
Don't hate me... Alright, hate me maybe a little. You all knew getting into this that it wasn't going to be a bed of roses!
I Will try to get some more out to you guys but I got a job so my time is a little split up. Stack that on top of my struggle to plan out scenes and you get slow chapters. Boy do I wish I could go back to putting out 15k chapters weekly. What a time that was, eh?
Always the plight of writers to have planned sections broken up by long stretches of unplanned ones.
As always, remember to favourite, follow and leave a review! (And thank the betas!)
