FATE/CATBOX FICTION
Chapter 9: Holy Grail Terminal
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Many apologies for the late delay in updating. I got preoccupied with grinding Barbatos kills almost nonstop during the Lady Reines event, then wanted to take a couple days to rest. I'm super happy with what I was able to get done during the grind though – no Fruits or Lores left, some SSRs plus Izo's skills maxed out, and getting enough Evil Bones to finally boost Vladzerker's last skill. Now it's back to writing, and gradually leveling swimsuit Servants' skills in the meantime.
Rio de Madeira
Connla's eyes widened. "I'm… Lancer of Akakor?"
"None other," Earp said. "All seven classes were summoned in that war, an' y'were the Lancer-class Servant."
"Uh, well that's… not quite right…"
"I know, I know," he jokingly tousled her hair. "Ya can't be the Lancer I 'member. Yer just a copy o'her, is all."
"T-That's right. I'm from an organization called Chaldea."
"Sorry 'bout that. Just pangs o'nostalgia, is all. Of all us seven, I 'aven't seen ya in ages. 'Course it'd be impossible fer me t'see the original Lancer anymore."
Connla tilted her head. "Why can't you?"
"'Cause she was executed."
Everyone gasped in total shock. The child Lancer was especially distraught when she heard this. Cuchulainn immediately grabbed Earp's collar and scowled, "Hey, you. You better not be fucking with us."
"Whoa there, pardner! What's gotten yer knickers in a twist!? I'm just tellin' ya'll what 'appened t'her!"
"Are you sure she was executed? Did you see it with your own eyes?"
"'Course I did!" Earp exclaimed, then pushed himself off the irate Berserker. "She was put to the guillotine! Wasn't anythin' I could do but stand there and watch as 'er head was lopped off!"
Cuchulainn trembled and widened his eyes. He couldn't believe it. The Connla of this world had been beheaded? Fury coursed through his veins, and he had to muster every ounce of willpower to keep himself under control. Connla noticed how upset he was and held his hand, as if to silently assure him that she was still here.
Earp looked away and bit his lip. "Lancer, Saber an' I were all on the same side o'that conflict, an' neither Saber nor I knew just 'ow bad Lancer was sufferin'. I'll never ferget the dead look in 'er eyes – she 'ad obviously been drugged t'force 'er t'comply with that goddamn farce. Even the executioner 'ad a 'ard time doin' 'is job. The only one who enjoyed that grim spectacle was Rider. I'm sure of it. That's why I've been huntin' that sicko down fer this whole time – t'make 'im feel the same pain that Lancer 'perienced. I may not know the details b'hind what was goin' on at the time, but if it's Rider we're talkin' 'bout, then I dun wanna know. No ifs, ands, or buts 'bout it."
Da Vinci interrupted him by blurting, "I think you're getting a little too ahead of us here, Sheriff. There's a lot we don't understand about what you're saying, but I think there's a glaring inconsistency that we need to address here."
"What might that be?"
It was Connla who blurted, "My counterpart… That is, Cliste… is still alive."
"Eh?" Earp's jaw dropped and his eyes widened in horror. "What'd ya say?"
Kiritsugu said firmly, "This girl you call Lancer of Akakor is not dead, as you have been led to believe."
"Yer pullin' my chain, aren't ya!?"
"It's no lie. Our Lancer made contact with this world's Lancer through their dreams. I have likewise been contracted by this world's Lancer to kill her."
The lawman was utterly distraught by now. "That's impossible! 'Er 'ead was chopped off, clean as could be!"
"Maybe the person who was killed was a body double?"
"Absolutely not! That was Lancer, in the flesh! There's absolutely, positively NO way she can still be alive!"
The Chaldeans glanced at each other uneasily. Connla was about to tear up as she whimpered, "I'm not lying. I really did see Cliste. We spoke with each other so many times. She helped me so much with controlling my Imbas Forosnai."
"Well, uh…" Earp stammered, unsure of what to make of the girl's claims. Both of them were certain of what they saw and experienced. Neither of them wanted to deny each other, yet the thought of someone being both dead and alive was impossible for them to fathom.
Mash interrupted them by saying, "All right, let's calm down and go over what we know. Our Lancer has met this world's Lancer in her dreams, and Assassin was requested to come to this world and assassinate her. Both times, this world's Lancer told them to find her in Akakor. In addition, there's another Assassin-class Servant running around who claims he's on the same mission as Kiritsugu. At the same time though, Mr. Earp states that without any shadow of a doubt, he witnessed this world's Lancer be executed 50 years ago. If neither of them are lying, then that means there's something we're missing here."
Da Vinci then asked Earp, "Is there anything you know of that could potentially keep a dead Servant alive?"
The idea was so ludicrous to him that he needed a moment to understand the question before contemplating on any answers. He removed his hat and wiped his brow of the profuse amount of sweat rolling down his face. Soon though, his expression relaxed a little as he murmured, "Maybe the Grail Terminal could?"
"And what, pray tell, is this Grail Terminal? Is it something akin to a Holy Grail?"
"Sort of. It's a Grail connected to a supercomputer that's been 'stablished as a global network."
"So like our Internet, but it operates on a Holy Grail?"
"I guess that'd be the best 'nalogy. Instead of a buncha computers bein' 'ooked t'gether though, the Grail Terminal serves as the beatin' 'eart fer the Gates that the Mages use."
"Gates?"
Earp's eyes narrowed. "Portals that lead directly to alternate worlds."
Belgium, PW #00162B
An endless night sky shrouded all of Earth in perpetual darkness. No one knew why, but for some reason in this parallel world, some sort of black inky 'thing' surrounded the Sun and completely blocked out any light. Strangely though, the Sun's heat still managed to reach the planet's surface. The seasons were largely the same, but there was just no light present.
Regardless of what time zone it was, the sky was always the same midnight black hue. Sure, there were some differences like clouds in one region, rain in another, or clear starry skies in another, but no one ever knew what it was like to experience daytime. While many plants and animals that relied on light could not survive here, it also allowed for brand new, exotic species of nocturnal flora and fauna to flourish. In terms of the Magecraft world, it was a planet ripe for the picking with never-before-seen materials that could be used for research.
That was why the Mages of the Akakor dimension established a Gate in this world's version of Belgium. Over the span of a year, they sent Masters and Servants to 'negotiate' with the dark world's Belgian leaders, until the entire country was effectively sealed off from the other nations. From there, the Masters had their Servants round up the citizens and put them to work in the fields gathering these rare materials for shipment back to the Akakor world.
Naturally, tensions rapidly grew between the slaves and the Belgian nobility who sold them out to the Mages. The overworked citizens banded together in secret and attempted to dig a tunnel from Antwerp northbound for the Netherlands to escape. Unfortunately, their plot had been discovered. With the slaves branded as dissidents, the Servant in charge of managing this particular farm had to gather the responsible parties and execute them.
Of course, this was absolutely no problem for the Servant in question. He was a fairly tall, well-aged fellow with parted white bangs and an exaggerated beard that protruded from his chin like a horn. He wore the typical garments of a Spanish sailor – a black hat, dark jacket, belts and buckles, a scabbard for a curved saber, and a cross pattée necklace. He gazed at the angered slaves huddled around in a group, kept at bay by a battalion of armored robots brandishing flamethrowers.
The Servant callously munched on a peach until only the pit remained, then tossed it aside and bellowed, "All right! Time to get to work!"
"Wait a moment!" one of the men cried out. "We haven't even been given a trial! How can the Mages sentence us to death if we haven't even been given a chance to testify!?"
"Well, the thing is, it's a real pain in the ass to listen to the snivelings of protestors when it's clear they have no intention of doing what the boss says. Take it from me – I know all too well what it's like when my crew is on the verge of a mutiny. It's a real shame to reduce valuable manpower during a voyage, but when worst comes to worst, you gotta flex your captain's muscles and feed such useless drivel to the sharks. Fewer mouths to feed, you see."
"You… You can't really be the great Christopher Columbus, can you?"
"Of course I am," the Servant grinned. "What would make you doubt that otherwise?"
"But you're the explorer who discovered the Americas! How can you act like some villain towards everyone around you!?"
"Hmm. I think you're missing something crucial here, my good mouth-breather. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella didn't just contract me to discover new lands – they wanted me to colonize them so that future sailors could land and explore safely. In my time, colonizing specifically meant pillaging and subduing the local natives, even bringing back the more attractive morsels as slaves to be sold at auction."
"So you're just a hired pirate."
"Isn't that what most pirates are?"
"Ungh…"
Columbus waved his arm forth, and a ship's helm materialized in his hand. A steering mechanism rose in front of him, and he planted the wheel upon it while bellowing, "I think that's enough of this conversation! If you wanted a trial, you just got one! Now die like the vermin you are!"
"W-Wait-!"
"Atthe end of beliefs and dreams, to the treasure of the new world!Santa Maria Drop Anchor!"
The ground flared bright blue around the captives. They looked around in confusion, unable to understand what was happening. Then the first man's head was dislodged clean from his body after making contact with a glowing chain that smashed his cranium from directly above. Faster than anyone could react, more and more chains were released from Columbus' Noble Phantasm and made their way for the victims like ravenous snakes. What followed was a total massacre, rife with screams of dying people as they were torn to bloody shreds.
As the seafarer enjoyed his latest execution with a hearty swig of beer, he felt a peculiar brush of wind rustle his clothing. He looked over and discovered an expressionless Enforcer wearing a face-covering white hood and wielding a kama-yari.
"Report," the girl murmured. "19-Y has issued a search warrant for Waver Velvet, his Servant Iskandar, and Enforcer 22-S. She believes they are headed for a Gate and will arrive in this particular world to seek asylum due to its low rate of disturbances."
"Interesting," Columbus said. "I just finished up here and was gonna have the Heroic Spirit Soldiers put these carcasses on display. Nothing lowers the slaves' morale than decorating the fields with the entrails of their former friends."
"What you do with the workers is your business, but do not forget that you are in service to the Family Tree. Failure to comply will result in termination of your Spirit Origin."
"Yeah, yeah, I know that already. I'll go deal with it straight away."
With that, the Enforcer silently leapt away like a miniature tornado, leaving behind a whirlwind of leaves that fluttered onto the grass. Columbus craned his neck and grumbled, "Good grief, it's just one thing after the other. Maybe it's about time I retire from this thankless line of work and recruit these vagabonds for my latest voyage."
Clervaux, Luxembourg
The elevator reached the lowest floor, and the doors slid open. 22-S stepped out first and calmly announced, "Here we are."
Waver and Iskandar followed her, and they gazed at the marvelous sight before them with awe and wonder. A supercomputer was attached to a ring-shaped device that was large enough to fit about five people. Random colors of the rainbow blotted the space within the ring like spilled paint, constantly shifting and changing with each passing second. There was no need for any other sources of light since the multicolored lightshow was bright enough to illuminate this small space.
"So this is a Gate Terminal?" Zhuge Liang asked.
"Correct," 22-S said. She approached the computer and typed in a complex series of values. "This is one of several portals that directly access the Kaleidoscope and generate pathways to established parallel dimensions. So long as the computations are correct, each Gate stationed across this world can access any alternate world at will."
"So it wouldn't have mattered if we fled to a different Gate – all of them will function the same."
"Yes."
"Amazing!" Iskandar bellowed. "It's like watching an aurora borealis shimmering over the waters of Okeanos! The Holy Grail Terminal really is an incredible invention, isn't it!?"
"Maybe. I'd like to remind you that auroras only happen in extreme northern or southern countries. Seeing one in Okeanos would be all but impossible," Waver told him.
"Have a little imagination, will ya? I'm practically quivering in my sandals just thinking about what we'll see on the other side!"
"How can I possibly be as carefree as you when I'm seeing something so incomprehensible for the first time!? This is the kind of thing that only Grand-rank Mages would be allowed to see!"
"Well, I can understand your trepidation, given how inexperienced you are with the way of the world. Just consider this an opportunity to broaden your horizons!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm just a naïve, sheltered brat who only understand the world through the books I read! Stop shoving that in my face already!"
"Eh heh heh heh!"
22-S finished her work and interrupted the bickering pair by announcing, "We're ready. I must warn you that you may experience a momentary bout of motion sickness. You should also wear these."
She handed each of them a pair of heavy-duty blindfolds. Waver curiously inspected his and asked, "What do we need these for?"
"Prior studies have concluded that human brains are not capable of processing the Kaleidoscope. To reduce the potential of physical and/or mental trauma, these eye coverings will reduce your optical nervous system to a bare minimum."
The student gulped nervously and put his blindfold on without hesitation. Iskandar twirled his on his finger and languidly asked, "Are Servants as affected as living humans?"
"It depends on the Servant," 22-S explained. "Casters tend to have the easiest time navigating the Kaleidoscope. Those summoned in other class vessels like yourself may have varying degrees of severity, depending on how aligned you are to the concepts of Magecraft and Mystery. I'm particularly attuned to such traits, and this is not my first journey through a Gate, so I do not require a blindfold."
"I see. As much as I'd like to witness the Second Magic for myself, it'd probably be safer for me to shield myself. Wouldn't want to be incapacitated when the lad needs me for combat."
Iskandar put his blindfold on, and both men followed 22-S to the Gate's entrance. She announced, "Initiating transfer to PW #00162B, in three, two, one…"
A moment later, the teenaged Master and his Servant felt an intense rush that coursed even through their bodies. Their minds practically went numb, and they weren't sure if they were falling at terminal velocity or flying at Mach speed. Even though the blindfolds served to protect their eyes from the colorful phenomena surrounding them, they still managed to spot a stray flash of color flicker within their darkened vision. It happened so quickly that Waver thought he was going to be ill. The instant his feet touched ground, he collapsed onto his knees and gasped for air.
"Transfer complete," 22-S calmly reported, as if acting like a flight attendant. "You may take your blindfolds off now."
Waver tore his off in relief and remained kneeling there for a few minutes to regain his composure. Iskandar wasn't as perturbed due to his inherent nature as a Servant, so he didn't feel uneasy whatsoever. He took his eye coverings off and looked around at this new location they had landed in. It was an isolated room similar to the one they left behind in Clervaux, although this one was surrounded by musty-smelling stone and had a stairwell leading up to the surface.
"Where might we be, lass?" Iskandar asked the Enforcer.
"We're in PW #00162B's version of Antwerp, Belgium, in the year 1510. We're in a cellar deep beneath the Cathedral of Our Lady."
"And you only have to adjust the coordinates so that we return to the previous world's South America?"
"Yes, but I don't think we should depart immediately. Mr. Velvet is clearly under the weather, so I would like to have him recover first."
"That means we need to fortify this Gate, don't we?"
"That's going to be our biggest challenge right now. Word may have reached the Enforcers and Servants stationed here about our defection, so we have to expect some form of opposition. I made sure to lock the Gate behind us so no one can pursue us from behind, so it's just a matter of fending off attackers in this one."
"Good thinking. We wouldn't want to be caught in a pincer attack. How much resistance do you expect we will be facing?"
22-S raised an eyebrow as she recalled the latest information she had about this world. "Let me see… This world is under the Family Tree's jurisdiction, and the assigned Master has the Rider-class Servant Christopher Columbus acting as the chief slaveholder. There's also one Enforcer stationed here to monitor Columbus' activities, and they have a small battalion of Heroic Spirit Soldiers."
"What are those supposed to be?" Iskandar asked.
"They're artificial soldiers made from Spirit Origins that the Family Tree and Mage's Association collected from failed Servant summonings. You can basically call them golems that use unconscious Servants as batteries to power them. I think it was something that a Master who summoned Avicebron discovered a few years ago. They've been supplanting the lack of sufficient Masters and Servants to regulate the farms in other parallel worlds. They're not strong on their own, but work more effectively in higher numbers."
"So our biggest problem is Columbus, huh? The guy who pulled off the stuff of dreams… A modern-day King of Conquerors, if you would."
While Iskandar and 22-S were talking, Waver recovered enough that he could stand up. He approached them and said, "I guess there's nothing we can do but check things out. If we run into anyone, we'll just have to deal with it."
With that settled, the trio headed up the numerous flights of steps for a good 20 minutes. The silence was so eerie yet mesmerizing that they didn't want to disrupt it with needless conversation. Eventually, they reached a door that 22-S slowly creaked open. She took a peek through the crack, making sure there were no enemies with pointy weapons waiting for them on the opposite side. They were in the basement of the cathedral, so they continued up another short series of stairs to the first floor.
It was a grand spectacle of Gothic architecture, with white ogival arches curving many meters above the main nave where sermons were delivered. Since it was 1510, construction of the cathedral's first stages would not finish for another 11 years. Signs of construction such as the occasional tool and ladder could be seen throughout the church. Stained glass windows depicting Christian figures shone over the rows of pews, although since it was always night in this world, they had to be lit up with sconces.
"Amazing," Waver murmured. "So this is what a cathedral looks like from the inside."
22-S' expression became unusually firm. She shifted her eyes about in obvious suspicion. Iskandar leaned in and murmured in her ear, "You noticed it too?"
She only nodded in reply.
Waver noticed their uneasiness and asked, "What's the matter?"
"Just how slow are you on the uptake, boy?" Zhuge's voice grumbled. "There's one crucial thing this cathedral is missing."
"What would that be?"
"People."
"Uh…"
"He's right," 22-S glowered. "The place is totally deserted. I guess everyone was evacuated ahead of time."
"Hmm hmm," Iskandar chuckled deeply and cracked his knuckles. "Looks like this is going to be an exciting battle."
Now fully on edge, the trio ventured to the cathedral's entrance and emerged outside. Numerous candles and braziers lit the way around them. Standing before them was the familiar bearded seafarer, who donned a massive, blunt-toothed grin as his disturbing way of welcoming them.
"Well, well, well! What do we have here!?" Columbus barked. "I spy with my little eye, three little piggies that need to learn their place!"
"Blech," Waver cringed in revulsion. "That's supposed to be Christopher Columbus?"
"Like it or not, that is indeed him," 22-S said.
Iskandar's grin was far more amicable as he replied, "Well met, my fellow explorer. I would gladly share a drink or two with you, but given the circumstances, it doesn't look like that's going to be possible. I take it you are familiar with my identity as well?"
"Damn straight," Columbus smirked. "Alexander the Great, the King of Conquerors who invaded Persia and India to expand his Macedonian empire. A shame your dream was ruined by petty civil wars and internal conflicts, unlike my dream that has pervaded well into modern times."
"Even so, I have no regrets. I marched forth proudly and expanded my territory. I will continue to do so, even as a Servant. No matter where I am summoned, so long as I keep my ambition alive, then my dream will never die."
"I guess so. I always say that as long as you don't give up, your dreams will come true."
While this phrase would normally be uplifting and optimistic, the hideous grin plastered all over Columbus' face destroyed any semblance of enthusiasm behind his speech. It was obvious to him that no one in Waver's group was going to be convinced by his paradoxical words, but he didn't care. He just kept glaring at them with the mirth of a tyrant. In fact, his eyes seemed most focused on 22-S, as if she was the only one who mattered to him.
"Then tell me, Conquistador," she murmured darkly. "What exactly is this dream of yours?"
"Oh my. Do I really have to explain myself to an Enforcer?" Columbus glowered with a sinister smile.
"Not necessarily. I just wanted to confirm for myself that your goals are more practical than what your eloquent soliloquies would imply."
"'Practical', huh? I suppose you have a point. Dreams may be nice, but they have to be rooted in reality as well. For me, it's nothing more than being above everyone else."
"And being the chief slaveholder for the Family Tree was a major step in that direction, I assume."
"You bet. Such a position can only be held by a man of my talents and prestigious history. My Master gave me carte blanche on how to handle the slaves employed within the various farms littered along this little plot of land."
"I'll bet killing off dissidents is one such task."
"Of course! The annoying thing about slaves is that they have such fragile emotions! They don't understand their own inferiority, so I constantly have to make examples out of them! I swear, it's been nothing but a chore for me to perform so many executions in such a short time! If any of the Mages asked my opinion, I'd suggest they find a way to brainwash the slaves so that their sense of independence is dulled, or even outright nullified!"
"You're the worst…" Waver seethed, and visibly trembled.
"No," 22-S stopped him. "This is not about being a 'good' or a 'bad' person. He is simply a man trapped in his own era, wholly incapable of adapting to the times. Besides, there are plenty of other Servants who employed slaves, and they don't think anything of it either. Not even Lord Iskandar is exempt."
"Well… That's…"
The Macedonian king said nothing in reply. He knew how right she was, so to retort otherwise would be flagrant hypocrisy.
Columbus nodded. "Well said, young lady. I bet a girl of your refinement and… lithe physical stature would score a hefty sum in the slave market. Then again, maybe I ought to keep you for myself. It's not often I get to meet a slave who is both beautiful and smart. I can't wait to see the jealous looks on my rivals' faces as I flaunt my latest trophy wife before them!"
"Sorry to interrupt while you're high on your antiquated fantasies," 22-S forcefully snapped, "but we've got business to attend to. We have no intention of interfering with your work, so we would appreciate it if you let us be as well."
"Are you kidding?" the seafarer balked. "I do have my orders to eliminate you, but now that I've garnered the attention of a wayward Enforcer, there's a little something I want to discuss with you before I drop Santa Maria's anchor on your heads."
"Whatever it is, it'll no doubt be thoroughly unpleasant. Fine, get it out of the way so I can decline as quickly as possible."
"Well, I'll admit that I'm having a real blast with my job, even if I'm being worked to the bone. Even so, there's still something vital missing for me. You see, I've been most curious about how you Enforcers manage to replenish yourselves after being killed. No matter how many of you go down, an equal number will replace you. Each of you might be slightly different, but all of you function the same – as worker bees at the Mages' behest. So then I got to thinking, 'What if I procured some Enforcers for myself? What if I was able to sell one at a high price, then have her assassinated so I can spawn a new one and start the process all over again?'"
22-S held back a pronounced chortle. "As if any of us would agree to such a thing."
"Obviously not. But after getting my Master drunk on some high-proof alcohol, he divulged everything I wanted to know about how you Enforcers respawn."
"Did he now?" the spear-wielding Servant's countenance quickly changed as she narrowed her eyes. Waver stared at her, and realized that he had never seen her look so placid and furious at the same time.
"What a simple trick you ladies employ. The key is the first Enforcer – the one holed up inside Akakor. Whenever one of you is killed, she is programmed to generate a duplicate of herself that contains the dead Enforcer's memories. In other words, if I obtain this Enforcer, I'd have my very own whore-cloning production! Ooh ho ho, I can hardly contain myself just thinking about it! If you're on your way to Akakor, then you're going to bring me along with you so I can-"
"Ansuz."
Without warning, a large fireball burst from 22-S' hand and shot for the ecstatic Columbus like a torpedo. The surprised seafarer barely had enough time to whip out his morning star and hurl the spiked ball at the inferno, causing both to collide in a sweltering gust of heat and flames.
"Good gracious! Don't go giving this old man a startle!" he bellowed mirthfully. He was speaking in jest though; he already knew that she would be greatly offended by his proposition, so he was ready to counter at a moment's notice.
22-S stepped forth and wielded her spear in a combat position. She then said to Waver, "Sorry about this, Mr. Velvet. Normally I wouldn't bother with wasting my energy on this senile rabble, but the fact that he knows about Enforcer 1-A means that he has to be silenced."
"Enforcer 1-A?" the teenager murmured.
"I may be on the run, but I'm still an Enforcer at heart. If my oldest sister is in danger of being procured for such a filthy ambition, then I am obligated to protect her."
He wasn't entirely sure what she was talking about. Even so, he felt he owed a lot to her, so he nodded and said, "I understand."
"Dispatching this fellow is definitely the wisest course of action," Zhuge Liang's voice echoed around them. "Aside from this whole Enforcer business, having him tag along with us will only cause chaos, especially considering that he's still bound to his Master."
When Columbus heard this, his eyes widened slightly. Then he unleashed such a prolonged bout of laughter that he had to cough due to his throat going dry. Once he recovered, he yelled, "My Master!? Please! I told you that my dream is to be superior to all others! What makes you think I would remain loyal to some bumpkin Mage forever!?"
"Oh my, the plot thickens. It's just as I suspected. After you got him drunk, you killed him, didn't you?"
"Damn straight I did!" Columbus screamed. His expression turned most foul, donning a wide donkey-like grin that made the others think he was rolling around in feces and loving it. "The third greatest feeling after raping a girl and making big bucks is offing some fop who thinks he can boss me around!"
"All right, I think I've heard enough!" Waver shouted angrily. "Rider! I want you to help 22-S out!"
On cue, Iskandar extracted his long sword from its sheath and pointed it at Columbus, then bellowed, "You got it! Don't even have to spend a Command Spell for it either! I was fine with watching how things unfolded, but now I've got a thing or two I want to say to you as well, King of Slaves! Of course, I'll save that satisfaction for after I grind you beneath my heel!"
Columbus grinned. "Fascinating! This must be my lucky day, getting to square off against the King of Conquerors himself!"
Rio de Madeira
None of the Chaldeans could believe what Earp said just now. It was Ritsuka who finally exclaimed, "Alternate worlds!?"
"Damn straight," Earp scowled darkly. "Those damn sociopath Mages somehow figured out the secret to the Second Magic, an' are usin' the Grail Terminal t'wrench open pathways to other worlds. All fer exploitin' resources, humans, an' mana."
"So the reason this world has an unnatural amount of mana in the atmosphere is because of these Gates?"
"Precisely. The Gates connect parallel worlds t'this one an' bleed 'em dry, all t'satisfy the Mages an' their research into findin' the Swirl o' the Root or whatever. I swear, this whole damn Gate business has turned this world into a godfersaken cancer. Entire worlds that shoulda prospered 'ave been reduced t'nothin' 'cause of this world's Mages doin' as they please with the Gates."
Earp angrily kicked some dirt aside and clenched his teeth. It was clear to the others that he loathed this situation. Finding out that Lancer of Akakor was still alive would not have helped matters for him either.
Connla was likewise appearing agitated, albeit for different reasons. Even so, she murmured, "Mr. Earp, our mission is to look for my counterpart in Akakor. Am I to assume that this Grail Terminal is inside Akakor as well?"
"Yeah, it is. If we're puttin' two an' two t'gether properly, then maybe yer counterpart really is bein' kept alive inside the Terminal. Fer what reason, I couldn't tell ya though. This is the first I'm hearin' of any o'this in five whole decades, after all."
"I don't have a clue either. But if you say she was beheaded, then she would have been placed inside the Terminal as nothing but… but a…"
Cuchulainn immediately covered her mouth and snapped, "That's enough of this discussion. We don't have enough information to reach such a conclusion yet. I don't want you losing your focus over something that might not be true whatsoever."
"M-Mm…" she whimpered and nodded. His assurances were enough to help her settle down, though it was obvious to everyone that she was still deeply disturbed by what she imagined. Even though he was the one who silenced her, Cuchulainn was equally as frightened by the prospect, and he didn't want Connla to inadvertently make it any worse.
Kiritsugu said, "He's got a point. Whatever the facts may be, we still have a job to do. The question is what Archer of Akakor plans on doing from here."
"Ain't it obvious!?" Earp exclaimed. "I'm goin' with ya lot! If yer mission involves lookin' fer Lancer, then count me in! I thought 'er misery 'ad ended when she was executed, but if she's still sufferin' even to this day, then I gotta do what I can to give 'er even a modicum of peace!"
Ritsuka beamed, "That's great! We don't know anything about what's going on here, so you'll be a tremendous help!"
"No sweat. Anythin' fer a Master who 'as a sharp eye fer firearms. Let's make a contract so I can fight as one o'yer Servants."
"Are you sure? You've been running free for so long, and you didn't seem keen on being that Uruburu fellow's Servant."
"If yer treatin' yer Lancer well, then I'm sure I can trust ya. 'Sides, Servants fight better when they're under a Master - bonus points if the relationship is a mutual one."
"All right," the young Mage said, then raised her hand with the Command Spells etched on its back. "Archer, Wyatt Earp. Do you swear to be the sword that executes my will?"
"I do."
"Then by the law of the Guardian of the Heavens, you will now be temporarily bound to me, Fujimaru Ritsuka. In turn, I shall represent all the good in the world. For the course of this battle, our fates will be linked."
