"Magus" – Talking
'Master' – Thoughts
"Monster" – Duel Spirits and other beasts talking
'Spirit' – Duel Spirits and other beasts thinking
"Magecraft" – Spells
[Servant] – Bond/Mental speak
Disclaimer: I don't own the Fate series, the Yugioh series, or any of their characters. I only own the plot of this story and Desmond Blake.
Holy Grail War Saga
Fourth Holy Grail War Arc
Chapter 2 – An Outsider in the Holy Grail War
21:02 PM, October 3rd, 1994, Harbor, Shinto, Fuyuki City, Japan
As a successful gangster, Desmond wasn't foreign to combat. On the contrary, considering where he lived, he was well versed in combat, be it hand-to-hand or gunfighting. He couldn't say that he was a master or even an expert of the former, he was mainly a street brawler after all; though he was one good shooter. The point is that Desmond was more at home with modern ways of combat, not the sword fights of old that he used to watch only on the TV.
Seeing Artoria and Diarmuid fight it out with their weapons of choice made Desmond realize two things. One: that he was quite happy at being a Caster that could summon minions to fight for him. And two: that the anime has nothing on the real deal. From his position on top of a container some ten yards away from the fight, watching Saber and Lancer move at speeds that a normal human would be unable to see, let alone follow, was awesome and much more entertaining than watching it through a screen.
Also, he had to admit, Artoria is a real beauty in real life. 'For someone that stopped aging at fourteen or so, she has a regal and noble beauty that few women can match. Too bad that this version of her isn't the Lancer version, though.' Desmond liked his girls a bit more stacked upstairs. 'Then again, Lancer Artoria had that spear with the difficult-as-fuck-to-pronounce name, so I'm happy to have Diarmuid in that slot.'
Another beauty to catch his eye was Irisviel. 'Damn, that's one hot MILF and those winter clothes do nothing to hide her figure.' Desmond was really sad that he would have to kill her for the Lesser Grail and the success of his overall goal. 'Fortunately, I will still be able to get her once everything is done – should my scheme work, of course.'
The sound of thunder quickly brought Desmond out of his thoughts on the fun he will eventually have with Artoria and Irisviel. 'Seems Iskandar finally decided to butt in,' Desmond thought to himself as said Servant crashed down between Artoria and Diarmuid on his chariot with the force of a lightning bolt.
"I am Iskandar, King of Conquerors!" Rider announced proudly and without care, much to the displayed shock of Saber, Lancer, and Irisviel. "I am of the Rider class in this Grail War."
'Damn, that guy is massive!' Desmond thought upon seeing Iskandar in real life. Rider made Brock Lesnar look small by comparison.
"What the hell are you thinking, you idiot!?" Whined the clearly nervous and very much afraid Waver Velvet. Rider promptly smacked him on the forehead with his index finger, shutting him up.
"Fate has brought us together to fight for the Grail," the redhead giant started as he looked at Lancer and Saber. "But first, there's something I'd like to ask."
'Here it comes…' Desmond thought with a smirk.
"How about…yielding the Grail to me and joining my army?" He asked with a wide smile. "I will treat you both as my friends, and we shall share in the joy of world conquest together!"
At Rider's iconic request, Desmond couldn't help but mentally laugh to himself. 'This guy is awesome! I can see why so many followed him!'
[This is the man that conquered half of the known human world?] Yubel asked incredulously. [He acts too much like a brute to be a king.]
[Underestimate Alexander the Great at your own peril, Yubel.] Desmond warned. [He is much more perspective than he seems to be.]
"I'm afraid that I will have to decline," Diarmuid told Iskandar with a shake of his head. "I will give the Grail to only one man: my new avowed lord. Not to you, Rider!" He stated with a glare at the end.
"So you disturbed our battle merely to purpose that ridiculous plan?" Saber asked rhetorically before she too glared at Rider. "As a knight, this is an unforgivable insult!"
"Hm…" Rider didn't really seem to mind their glares. "I'd be willing to discuss terms."
"Shut up!" Both Artoria and Diarmuid said at the same time, clearly not amused with the redhead.
"Besides…" Artoria added. "I myself am a king responsible for Britain's well-being. No matter how great a king you may be, I cannot lower myself to the rank of a subject."
"Oh, King of Britain, you say?" Rider asked with all of the innocence of a big kid. "What a surprise! I didn't expect the King of Knights to be a little girl!"
'Wrong thing to say, big guy.'
"Would you like a taste of this little girl's blade, King of Conquerors!?" Artoria asked angrily, clearly offended at his comment as she brandished the invisible Excalibur at the redhead.
With a sigh, Iskandar scratched the back of his head as Waver finally got up and looked at Saber with clear fear. "Looks like negotiations have failed. What a waste! What a shame!"
"RIDER!" The teen Master of said Servant shouted before he started to whine and admonish the redhead in front of everyone.
'You get what you deserve, Waver,' Desmond thought to himself. He had never been much of a fan of teenage characters that made stupid decisions. 'I get that most teenagers don't really think before doing something, but must all teenage characters be like that?' He complained to himself, recalling characters like Jaune Arc, Ruby Rose, Natsu Dragneel, Naruto Uzumaki, and others.
"So it was you, of all people," stated an arrogant voice that could only be that of Lord El-Melloi, Master of Lancer. The man wasn't as well hidden as he believed while projecting his voice. Desmond could clearly see him – along with Kiritsugu, Maiya, and Assassin – thanks to the night vision that his power over the Gentle Darkness grants him.
"I was wondering what madness compelled you to steal my relic." The noble continued, scaring Waver shitless. "I never imagined that you were planning on entering the Holy Grail War yourself… Waver Velvet. Perhaps I'll have to give you some extra lessons as a special case. The true meaning of Magi killing one another… I'll teach you all about the fear and pain involved. You should feel honored."
"Hey, Mage!" Rider interjected, putting a hand on Waver's back to show support. "It appears that you intended to be my Master instead of this boy. Don't make me laugh! Only a man brave enough to ride into battle at my side could ever be my Master. A coward lacking the courage to even show himself is nowhere close to being worthy!"
"And I'm sure there's more of you watching in the shadows!" Rider declared as he looked around, Desmond smiling to himself as he waited for his cue.
"What are you talking about, Rider?" Saber asked, surprise showing in her face. In response, Rider gave her a thumbs up.
"Saber and Lancer. The duel between you two was truly magnificent. I can't be the only Heroic Spirit who was drawn out here by the clear sound of your blades clashing."
[Perceptive. For such a brute, he does have some brains too, I see,] Yubel complimented.
[Told you so.] Desmond replied.
"Heroic Spirits summoned through the Holy Grail, gather here and now!" Rider practically commanded to everyone listening. "Those too cowardly to show themselves will earn the scorn of Iskandar, King of Conquerors!" He roared to the skies.
[Get ready, Yubel.] Desmond told his right hand as he, along with everyone else at the docks, noticed the one only Gilgamesh manifest himself atop the street light behind Iskandar.
[Yes, Master.] She replied.
"In a single night, two insolent knaves dare call themselves kings in my presence," Gilgamesh stated with a sneer on his lips as he gazed down on everyone below him – figuratively and literally.
"You are mistaken," Rider said to Archer's statement. "I'm Iskandar, the legendary King of Conquerors himself."
"Nonsense," Gilgamesh argued. "I'm the one and only Hero King in this Heaven and Earth." He declared with no little amount of confidence. "The rest of you are merely a bunch of mongrels."
"In that case, why don't you name yourself? No true king would be ashamed of his own name."
"Are you questioning me, mongrel? Me, the king!?" Archer asked in anger, breaking the lamp under his feet with a slight move of his foot.
"My, my," Desmond said as he finally showed himself, appearing on top of a container above Lancer. Said Servant quickly took some steps back to get a better view of him. "Quite the collection of legendary figures we have here."
"A boy?" Lancer murmured, for indeed Desmond had chosen to show himself in his casual clothes instead of his armor, so as to make his opponents doubt his strength.
"We have King Arthur – or Artoria, I guess – as Saber," Desmond started as he looked at Saber, who looked back at him with a stern glare.
"Diarmuid Ua Duibhne as Lancer," amused brown eyes locked with Lancer's own firm amber ones.
"Iskandar, otherwise known as Alexander the Great, as Rider." Said redhead's face looked uncharacteristically serious as he glanced up at Desmond. Finally, Desmond's eyes focused on Archer, whose red eyes glared at him with anger at being interrupted from delivering (un)justified punishment upon Rider.
"And Gilgamesh, the King of Uruk, as Archer," Desmond said, revealing the blonde's identity with a smirk. "Truly, only in an event like the Holy Grail War can distinguished people like you all ever meet."
"Gilgamesh!?" Irisviel and Waver gasped in surprise, looking away from Desmond and towards the blonde Archer in shock. Saber, Lancer, and Rider, though also surprised at the revelation, only gave the blonde a glance before focusing back on Desmond.
"Hmph, it seems at least one of you mongrels is capable of recognizing their king upon sight," Gilgamesh stated with a scoff before sneering at Desmond. "Though, to reveal my identity without saying yours is disrespectful, Caster. Not only that, but you did so without my say so and interrupted me, the king."
"Ah, my apologies, King Gilgamesh," Desmond apologized with a smile, ignoring the shocked looks that Waver and Irisviel were shooting him, the distrusting ones from Artoria and Diarmuid, and the stern one from Iskandar. "I meant no disrespect. Thing is, I doubt that you or anyone here would recognize my name."
"Surely you're jesting," Saber stated. "For one to be granted a place in the Throne of Heroes, their name must be known and famous."
Looking down at her, Desmond replied with a smile. "Correct you are, Artoria. However, like with all laws and rules, there are exceptions. I, Desmond Blake, Caster of the Fourth Holy Grail War, am one of them."
"Desmond…Blake?" Waver repeated the name. "N-No w-way. That can't be your true name."
Desmond gave Waver a shrug. "It's not like I can prove that it is or it isn't. Though, why don't you ask King Gilgamesh? He's got the best eyes around here, after all."
Said blonde was still glaring at Desmond, who mentally admitted that it was taking everything in his power to not bow down and ask for forgiveness. This was Gilgamesh, the most OP Servant in the Fourth and Fifth Grail Wars and one of Desmond's favorite characters.
"What are you, Caster?" Archer demanded more than asked.
"I'm an Outsider," Caster replied with a smile, confusing everyone present.
Before further inquiries could be made, though, Berserker chose that moment to join the party. Appearing in a tornado of darkness – which Desmond is totally copying for whenever he needs to make a badass entrance – the shrouded form of the Black Knight of Arthurian myth, Lancelot du Lac, made his presence known.
Everyone's attention shifted to Berserker, which Desmond was glad for. While he had anticipated some of the paths that his inclusion to this moment could create, he was mostly improvising as things went along.
"Berserker!?" Saber yelled after moving to stand in front of Irisviel, her 'Master'.
"Whew. Now that's a badass entrance," Desmond commended with a whistle.
"Hey, King of Conquerors! Aren't you going to invite him to join you?" Lancer asked mockingly.
"Invite him?" Rider started. "He doesn't seem terribly interested in negotiating to begin with." Speaking to Waver, he then asked. "Hey boy, how powerful of a Servant is he?"
Looking scared, Waver shook his head. "I can't tell. I can't tell at all."
"What? You may be a lousy Master, but shouldn't you still be able to see his strengths and weaknesses?"
"I can't tell," Waver repeated himself. "That black thing is definitely a Servant, but I can't read its status or anything else about it!"
[That is Lancelot?] Yubel questioned Desmond. [With how you spoke of him, Master Desmond, I was expecting something more horrifying.]
[Believe me, Yubel.] Desmond replied. [Once you see him in action, you will understand why Lancelot is the third most dangerous Servant in this war.]
Shifting to Gilgamesh, the golden king got quite offended by Berserker looking at him.
"Who gave you permission to gaze upon me, rabid dog?" He asked rhetorically, giving Lancelot a side glare as portals of golden light appeared to his right side. "May your scattered remains entertain me, mongrel."
Gilgamesh then fired his treasures from the Gate of Babylon, the weapons flying through the air at such high speeds that Desmond was surprised he could even follow them.
Just like in Fate/Zero, Lancelot proved why not even the Mad Enhancement skill could take away his skills. In a move so swift that shocked all Servants watching – even Desmond, even though he had already seen it before – and Yubel, Berserker caught the sword fired at him and swung it at the spear that accompanied it.
The clash of the weapons caused an explosion that a human would claim could only come from a bomb, destroying the ground where Berserker stood.
"Is that really Berserker!?" Diarmuid inquired, stunned at the skill shown by a Berserker of all Servants.
"He's very versatile for a madman who has lost his ability to think," Iskandar commented, keeping a calm demeanor despite his own surprise at the move.
"Shit! That was awesome!" Desmond stated with a grin. 'Seeing that move in real life is so much better than through a screen!'
[A-Astonishing!] Yubel stuttered, the surprise in her voice clear to Desmond. [I see why this Lancelot worries you, Master. To have such skill even when plagued by madness…]
"How dare you lay your filthy hands on my treasures," Gilgamesh sneered, his anger overpowering the fleeting surprise that he had at Berserker's skill.
"You must want to die really bad, dog!" Yelling the last word with anger in his voice, Archer opened his vault a bit more, surprising the others watching, with the exception of Desmond.
"That's impossible!" Waver shouted in denial at the amount of Noble Phantasms that Gilgamesh brought out.
"Just how long can your impudent thievery keep you alive?" Archer questioned. "Show me!" He stated before raining weapons down on Berserker.
In another show of incredible skill, Lancelot proved why he was considered the best knight of the Round Table. Catching weapons out of mid-air, he used them to block all of the projectiles that Archer fired at him. And though he wasn't able to block or dodge all of them, any that hit Berserker did seemingly no damage at all.
Seeing one last projectile coming towards him, the black knight shrouded in darkness swung the weapon in his hand – a spear from what Desmond could see – at it. The result of the clash was an explosion of lightning that crated the ground beneath Berserker as it shocked him.
Uncaring of the damage he was dealt, Berserker grabbed two swords that he deflected earlier from the ground and threw them through the cloud of dust that surrounded him. The swords flew through the air straight at the lamp post where Archer stood atop of, cutting through it.
With his perch destroyed, Gilgamesh was forced to come down to the ground, something that he was not alright with.
"How dare you…" Desmond could hear the distaste in Gilgamesh's voice, his shoulder's shaking with fury.
"You're making me stand on the same ground as you? I who belongs among the heavens!?" Gilgamesh demanded, opening the Gate of Babylon even further than before.
"Your impudence has sealed your eternal doom!" Archer declared. "Nothing will remain of your corpse, mongrel!"
Before he could rain death and destruction upon Berserker, however, Gilgamesh startled as – just like Desmond expected – he felt one of Tokiomi's Command Seals activate.
"You dare to order a king to withdraw!? You've got some nerve, Tokiomi." The golden king stated, looking to the side as if talking to an imaginary friend.
"You are fortunate, rabid dog," Archer told Berserker after closing his vault. He then looked at the others present.
"Mongrels! See that you've culled your numbers by our next meeting. Only a true hero is worthy of looking upon me."
With his decree stated, the king left in a shower of golden dust.
"Hm, it would appear the Master isn't as stubborn as Archer is," Rider pointed out once the former left.
[So that was Gilgamesh. The one that you respect the most, Master, and our most dangerous opponent in this war.] Yubel stated.
[Yes; that is Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes. As the first hero to have ever been recorded, Gilgamesh possesses all of the weapons that made the heroes that came after his death famous.] Desmond confirmed. [And, as you can see, the way he uses them is quite effective and devastating.]
[Quite so, but certainly–] Whatever Yubel was going to say was cut off by Lancelot's roar, which Desmond had been expecting.
Dashing forward, Berserker grabbed the remains of the streetlamp that Archer had been standing on top of earlier. With a weapon in hand, the one that only Desmond knew to be Lancelot lunged at Artoria. The King of Knights blocked Berserker's swing and, against what anyone besides Desmond expected, the streetlamp didn't break upon contact with the concealed Excalibur.
"What?" Saber questioned, shocked that something picked from the ground was holding up against her Holy Sword. Feeling the strain from their contest of strength, Artoria deflected Berserker's improvised weapon to the side and swung at his midsection, sending Berserker sliding a few feet backward.
[Quite the handy power that one has.] Yubel commended Lancelot.
[Indeed. Anything he grabs becomes his Noble Phantasm. We will need his power and skill for my plan to work.]
Desmond, Yubel, and the others watching witnessed Saber and Berserker clash for a minute or two until Lancer decided to intervene. Dashing forward, Diarmuid cut a portion of Lancelot's improvised staff with his red spear before he could hit Artoria.
"That's enough messing around, Berserker," Lancer admonished. "Saber already has business with me. I won't just ignore it if you insist on interfering further."
"What are you doing, Lancer?" El-Melloi questioned from where he was 'hiding'. From his tone of voice, he clearly didn't agree with his Servant's actions. "This is your chance to defeat Saber."
"I will slay Saber! I, Diarmuid O'Dyna, swear this on my honor!" Lancer promised to his Master. "But please watch as I take care of this rabid dog first. Please, my lord!"
'Your intentions are good, Diarmuid, and your loyalty without question,' Desmond thought to himself. 'Unfortunately, the Master you got is a self-centered, untrusting Magus. Honor is not part of their vocabulary.'
"With my Command Seal, I order you…" El-Melloi started.
"My lord!" Lancer pleaded. Unfortunately for him…
"Assist Berserker and kill Saber." His Master didn't care.
The Command Seal taking effect, Lancer, against his will, swung his red spear at Saber, who quickly jumped back and avoided the blow.
"Lancer." Saber said with sadness, seeing how Diarmuid was gnashing his teeth. Clearly, the Servant of the Spear was frustrated if not angry at how the situation was unraveling.
"Saber, I'm sorry." He apologized as Berserker calmly – for a Berserker – came to stand at his side, possessing enough sanity to understand that Lancer was his ally for the moment.
"Irisviel, I'll stop them. Take this chance to run," Saber advised. "As far away as you can." Her 'Master', however, shook her head, refusing to run away. "Irisviel, please!"
"I'll be fine, Saber," the homunculus assured her. "Believe in your Master!"
Resigned, Saber stood strong as Lancer and Berserker came at her. Before they got near and before Kiritsugu could shoot El-Melloi – like Desmond knew he was going to – however, Rider intervened.
With a battle cry and the sound of thunder, Iskandar had his bulls drive his chariot right at Lancer and Berserker. The former was quick enough to jump out of the way, but the latter wasn't so lucky and got trampled.
"Oh, that must have hurt," Desmond voiced out loud. "I wouldn't want to be you in the morning, Berserker."
"He's quite the tough one," Rider commended. Berserker looked in his direction, most likely glaring at him before he dematerialized in a shroud of darkness.
"As you can see, our black friend has retired for the evening," Rider spoke to El-Melloi. "Lancer's Master. I don't know where you're watching from, but don't use petty tricks to spoil a battle between knights!" Iskandar threatened. "Withdraw Lancer. If you insist on humiliating him any further, then I shall assist Saber." He promised. "The two of us will annihilate your Servant together. What will you do?"
"And don't expect me to join in on Lancer's side, blondie." Desmond added, looking straight at where El-Melloi was 'hiding' and surprising the Magus. "I don't feel like fighting tonight. Even if I was in the mood, I agree with King Alexander. Let Lancer and Saber fight it out first."
Grinding his teeth, El-Melloi sneered back at Desmond. "Withdraw, Lancer. That's enough for tonight."
"My thanks, King of Conquerors, Caster." Lancer thanked them.
"It's nothing," Rider replied with a smile. "I enjoy watching the flowers of a battlefield in bloom."
"As I said, I'm not in the mood to fight tonight," Desmond reiterated.
With a nod to Saber, which she reciprocated, Lancer dematerialized.
"What exactly was your intent when you first arrived, King of Conquerors?" Saber asked after Lancer left.
"No idea. I don't really think about these things," he replied. Looking at her trembling hand, he then said. "Saber. Settle matters with Lancer first. I shall then face the victor, be that you or Lancer."
With his piece said, Rider prepared to leave. "Goodbye for now, King of Knights! I hope to enjoy our next meeting as much as I did this one." Looking up at Desmond, he said, "Same for you, Caster."
"I have a feeling that we will be meeting again soon, King Alexander," Desmond replied with a grin. "Can't wait for it."
Grinning back at him, Rider then looked down at his Master and asked, "Hey boy, don't you have anything nice to say?" Unfortunately for him, Wave was passed out, which Desmond snickered at.
"Man, I wish he'd man up a little," Rider sighed. Then, with a smile sent Saber's way, which she reciprocated, Iskandar rode away.
"Well," Desmond started after jumping down to Saber's level, making the blonde look back at him sternly. "I'll be taking my leave now too, Artoria." He grinned. "It was nice meeting you, Your Highness. I wish you good luck with Lancer."
"Thank you, Caster. For your words and for not interfering on my and Lancer's duel."
Desmond shrugged in response. "No need to thank me. Anyway, farewell!" He said as darkness started to spin around him like a tornado.
"Oh, almost forgot! Tell your 'Master' to wear some gloves, would you? Or at least tattoo some fake Command Seals if she wants to pass as a legit Master," Desmond advised. With a grin at Artoria's look of shock, Caster and Yubel left in a tornado of darkness.
One thousand words less than the minimum that I like to hold my chapters up to, but I feel like this is the best part to stop at.
Hello everyone! I hope you liked this chapter. Yes, I know; it was basically episode 5 of Fate/Zero retold from Desmond's perspective and with him added in. I understand that some might dislike this chapter for that, however, while I could have Desmond not participate in the confrontation at the docks and just skip it over, I have my reasons for not doing that.
First, Desmond needed to watch the confrontation so he could be sure that the other Servants in this war are the same. He has no way of spying on them from his base, so he needed to be nearby.
Second, he respects/fears Iskandar too much to not show himself when Rider orders/threatens everyone hiding to do so.
Third, Desmond only watching from afar would be boring.
Desmond also decided to reveal Archer's identity for two reasons. One, to get on Gilgamesh's good side. Two, to make sure that no one would ally themselves with Archer and Tokiomi after his short battle with Berserker. After watching that and knowing who Archer is, all other Servants and Masters will know that to beat Archer, they will have to work together.
Oh, and that thing about Desmond being an Outsider was just him pulling everyone's leg. The title means nothing, besides the fact that Desmond is literally an outsider in the Nasuverse and this war.
Also, a guest reviewer asked me how Desmond didn't dissipate after killing Ryuunosuke, his supposed Master. I don't know when this will come up in the story yet, so I'm going to answer it right now. Desmond is not a normal Servant, he is a Living Servant, much like Chloe von Einzbern from Fate/Kaleid. Like Kuro, Desmond is using the blueprint of a Servant to form a body of his own.
Now, I don't think a Living Servant needs as much mana as a Normal one since, from what I remember, Kuro didn't go around killing people for mana like Medusa. She did kiss a lot of girls to replenish her mana, but I think that was more to mess with Illya than her really needing to recharge. One could also argue that that was Archer's Independent Action at work, but this is my fic and this is the headcanon I'm going with. The amount of mana that Desmond does need to remain manifested though, he can easily get from the Ley Line cluster below Mt. Ryuudou, which is why he went there after killing Ryuunosuke.
Well, that's all for now. Please leave a review, favorite, and follow.
Ja ne.
