Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor anything of the Fate series. The only thing I do own is the concept of the story and my OC Morimoto.
KingofBeasts Productions Present:
Clarent Blood Arthur: A Fate/Stay Night Fanfiction
Chapter 3: Showdown at Kotomine Church!
Midnight, The Eve of the Holy Grail War
To put it mildly, Shirou Emiya had no idea what he had just gotten himself into.
One night ago, he encountered a strange little girl one night on his way home from work one night. Her skin was as white as the winter snow, her eyes as rubies and hair that shimmered in the faint street light like liquid silver. On her face was a vague smile, the kind you that didn't give a clear indication of a person's intentions. As her small frame slowly walked past him, she whispered words in a cheery, singsong voice that gave one an uncomfortable chill down his or her spine.
"Summon quickly or you'll end up dying, Onii-chan."
In shock he turned to the mysterious girl, only to find that she disappeared into thin air. The red-head came home that evening and, after dinner, went to bed with heavy thoughts in his head.
Little did he know that this was only the beginning.
We fast forward from then to now.
Since that time, Shirou had been dead after getting stabbed through the heart by a strange man with a spear for witnessing something he shouldn't have, survived somehow, and got attacked by the same man once he got home. All in all, not a very good night for the red-head.
He tried to use his meager skills as a magus in reinforcement to defend himself, only to get smacked silly for his efforts. The battle eventually saw Shirou get smacked into the shed in the estate grounds He would have died for sure if not for the sudden emergence of a blonde warrior maiden who called herself Saber. She able to drive him away after a short battle, but not before she was wounded inches from her heart.
After a short conversation in which they introduced themselves, Saber immediately rushed out to meet an approaching Servant in battle. He had olive skin, white hair and was clad in black armor and a red coat that hung over his muscular frame and was followed by a brunette in a red sweater, her hair tied in pigtails, who was presumed to be his Master . She closed the gap quickly and raised her sword to strike the Servant known as Archer.
"Not this time!" he roared in his head, jumping back before the invisible weapon could find it's mark. Cursing at the fact that she missed, Saber would have continued her attack if she had not been stopped by her Master.
"Saber, that's enough!"
Astonished, the blonde knight turned to see Shirou with a serious look in his eye.
"But Master!" She reasoned "Archer and his Master are standing before us. They are enemies that need to be struck down."
"I don't understand any of what's going on, but I'll listen if you'll let me..." Shirou pleaded with his Servant "So please stop this!"
"What do you mean by 'this'?" Saber looked at her Master questioningly "I cannot obey such vague orders!"
"Women shouldn't be using weapons!" Shirou yelled back, causing his Servant to look at him with a stare that implied that he was mad "Besides, you're injured."
"Well, are you going to sheathe your sword?" The brunette inquired.
"Swords should not be sheathed in the presence of an enemy!" The blonde knight growled, clenching her weapon tightly in her hands like her life depended on it.
"My, my. So the Servant Saber is going to defy her Master?"
The brunette gave a wry smile from behind Archer to the Servant, causing her to hesitate slightly "Archer, stand down for now."
The red-clad Servant nodded and stood aside, allowing the pig-tailed brunette to be in full view as a sign that she was not hostile.
"I-it can't be..." The red head stared agape at the girl, who seemed to be giving him a mysterious smile "Tohsaka..."
"Good evening, Emiya-kun." The girl known as Rin Tohsaka greeted him, her Servant standing at ready just in case Saber turns hostile "I suppose you have the decency to invite a lady to the safety of your home at this time of night?"
Snapping out of his trance and remembering his manners, Shirou immediately ushered Rin and Archer into his home, much to Saber's chagrin.
"You will tell me what's going on, right?" He asked the brunette as they entered his house.
"Of course, Emiya-kun, of course." replied the Tohsaka Magus nonchalantly. Little did the four of the know that they were being watched by an old man in a coat who had picked up his cellphone to report to his superiors.
Meanwhile, at Einzbern Castle...
"COME ON! I ALMOST HAVE HIM!"
Ilyasviel von Einzbern was a competent magus and formidable Master, but she was first and foremost an approximately eighteen year old girl who was physically and emotionally in her early teens, which meant she still enjoyed the things most girls her age would.
Like playing video games in her room.
So it was on this fine evening that Ilya was playing a rousing round of God of War III, where she was maneuvering Kratos against the mighty Heracles, a very human (and by default, inferior) depiction of the Servant she was supposed to summon while clad in cream-white pajamas.
As she leisured herself on her sleek black PS3, her Servant Berserker, who was Sir Mordred of the Round Table in life, stood to the side and watched with a look that was one part interest and another part annoyance. While she did love a good fighting game (after being forced to play one by her Master, anyway), she was restless and wanted to go on patrol to fight the other Servants, a manifestation of her class' battle hungry nature. Her brow twitched with impatience, stir-crazy from doing nothing.
"Ilya!" She finally spoke in an irritated voice "We should be patrolling the streets to fight the other Servants, not sit in front of a television and play video games all day!"
"No!" Ilya's cheeks puffed as he pouted, making Kratos dodge a charge from his opponent with her controller "Until the Servant Saber gets summoned, I'm not moving from this spot!"
Berserker sighed in exasperation; while she did admire her Master's fiery spirit, she did not agree with her inaction. Sure, she watched as Ilya warned Shirou the other night to summon his Servant soon, but that does not warrant an evening where they do nothing.
"Besides," The silver-haired homunculus said as she watched Kratos teeter over the edge while Heracles threatened to throw him off the arena "We have Morimoto acting as our eyes and ears, so we'll know the moment Saber gets summoned."
The Knight of Treachery nodded her head in agreement. She had to admit, sending out the old man as a scout was an ingenious plan. He was neither a Servant nor a Master, so other Servants would not be able to sense his presence. In the event that he does get into trouble...Mordred was not too worried, as she had discovered that he was no ordinary butler.
"When we do find the boy who took Papa from me," The fair-skinned Einzbern's scarlet orbs narrowed as she maneuvered Kratos through a series of quick time events, which led to his opponent being pinned by the arena floor "This is what I'll do to him."
With repeated presses of the circle button, she made Kratos batter his defeated opponent with the Nemean Cestus again and again. Mordred could only watch, slightly unnerved by her Master's brutality, as the steel gauntlet-like weapons collided with the bloodied demigod's skull until his face was completely pulverized. She was horrified by the display of savagery, but only a little. For deep down in her heart, she wished to do the same to her "father", the high-and-mighty King of Knights who refused to acknowledge her for the sake of her ideals.
She shuddered at the thought. No doubt these kinds of thoughts were a manifestation of her class skill.
"That was a bit of a letdown." Ilya sighed after dealing the final blow to her twice-dead opponent "He doesn't have God-Hand. Goes to show you how little humans understand a Heroic Spirit. I did like the Nemean Cestus,though. It was a nice touch and would have made a decent Noble Phantasm-"
It was then Ilya felt as if a pebble had hit her on the chest "She's here..." she murmured with a faint grin.
The tell-tale ringing of her cellphone cut whatever Berserker had to say short. As with all Servants, she materialized into this age with an innate understanding of modern technology, so she had little trouble with operating a cellphone and answered it without much problems.
"Yes, Morimoto?" She said as she answered her phone, eager for any updates on the war. She grinned at what she heard, for that meant that it was time to take action. "Very well. Thank you for the information. Don't lose sight of them and keep us informed. Are we clear?"
"Of course, Berserker-sama." The sagely voice of the butler answered from the other end "I wish you well in this war."
As soon as he hung up, she turned to her Master, who already knew what that call was about.
"Looks like you got your wish, milady." Berserker grinned with a fire twinkling in her eyes "Servant Saber has been summoned. Now the War can officially begin."
With a nod, she quickly stumbled into her closet to find something suitable to wear. A few minutes later, she came out in her signature purple blouse with a matching frilly white skirt and purple boots, all topped off by her purple hat.
"Let's move out Berserker!" She said, her enthusiasm pumping her up "It's time to show 'em who's boss!"
"That's the spirit, Master!" Her Servant grinned as she shifted into battle mode, materializing her red battle-dress with the intricate steel armor that covered her shoulders, forearms and legs, capped of with her horned helm, her first Noble Phantasm Secret of Pedigree, which concealed her identity, parameters and her trump card, Clarent Blood Arthur.
With mutual nods of agreement exchanged between the two, Master and Servant made their way through the forests and into the city, where the epicenter of the Holy Grail War will be.
"Can you sense them, Berserker?"
"I can, but it's faint." the Servant replied once they reached the city "I sense at least three Servants within the area, but I cannot tell which is which."
"How troublesome." Ilya sighed as she patrolled the area with her Servant "It'll be hard to tell which one is Saber."
"Then it was a good thing you thought to send Morimoto out as a scout." Berserker put in her two cents, her voice muffled by her helmet "His last report stated that the Servants Archer and Saber are on the move together with their respective Masters. He last saw them enter Kotomine Church, which is considered a sanctuary. He'll inform us once they leave the area."
The silver-haired Einzbern nodded at this, the gears in her mind churning as her brow furrowed in thought. A possible alliance between the two Masters could prove to be a proverbial wrench in her plans; Saber's unparalleled swordplay combined with Archer's long distance attacks will be hard to overcome, even with Berserker's strength.
"I have to be careful." she thought while walking alongside her Servant in the barely-lit streets "Berserker can take anyone in one-on-one fights easily with her Saber-like parameters, but facing two Servants at once will be a challenge."
She was deep in her thoughts when her cellphone rang, snapping her out of her reverie. She fumbled with her phone for a few seconds before handing it over to Berserker, who dematerialized her helmet to answer.
"Report." The red knight said in a voice filled with authority.
"The targets have just left Kotomine Church and are headed for your direction now." Morimoto reported from the other end as he watched the priest usher the Masters out of the church.
"Excellent. Can I count on you to do your part?" Berserker inquired as excitement boiled inside her, causing a bloodthirsty grin to appear on her face.
"Of course, Berserker-sama." a small, confident smile formed on Morimoto's aged features "Yesterday's demonstration should have told you such."
"Good. Stay out of sight until Archer interferes. Leave Saber to me."
"Of course, Berserker-sama. It will be done." With that, the aged butler hung up and the red knight handed the phone back to Ilya.
"Well?" the young Master asked as she received the phone.
"The Masters of Saber and Archer are headed this way." Berserker answered her as she rematerialized Secret of Pedigree.
"I see..." Ilya spoke quietly, looking quite nervous.
"I can sense that you are worried, Master." Berserker said, noting her anxiety "Is it because of the possibility of an alliance between Saber and Archer?"
"Yes." The Einzbern Master nodded "If it were just Saber, we wouldn't have any problems. With two Servants involved, you might not be able to win and get hurt real bad..."
While her helmet hid her face, Berserker's features softened significantly. She could sense that her Master was concerned for the well-being of her Servant.
"Do not worry about me, milady. My parameters are of high quality, so I am confident that I can take on any Servant with ease." The knight reassured her Master "I'm already prepared for the moment Archer interferes. As I said before, as long as I am your sword, we will win this War."
Ilya could only stare agape at her Servant who seemed to have so much faith in her as a Master, her scarlet-tinted eyes wide in astonishment as she stared hard at Berserker until her expression softened and a small smile crept up on her face.
"All right." She looked up at Berserker with admiration on her features "I trust you, Berserker."
"That is the spirit." The red-clad Servant grinned under her helmet. "Now, shall we go meet our destinies?" She asked the pale-skinned girl who was absolutely beaming at her, her fears having fled to parts unknown.
"Yes!" With that one simple word, they set forth to meet up with their counterparts. Their first battle in the Grail War about to commence.
"Well, I've done my part." Rin Tohsaka shrugged once they got a good distance away from the church and that annoying priest.
"Thanks, Tohsaka." Shirou said to her gratefully "You're a good person."
"Eh?" The red-clad brunette asked, confused by the compliment "Sucking up won't make me go easy on you, you know! We're going to be enemies from here on in, so don't expect any more favors!"
"Alright, alright-"
"Shirou!" Saber called out warningly, and they both turned to see two new figures approach them. One was the little girl Shirou saw yesterday evening; blood red eyes, silver hair, pale skin and with a petite figure clad in a purple coat, white skirt and boots. The second figure was a knight that was just as tall as Saber. She wore a red battle-dress, her shoulders, forearms and legs all covered in steel armor with intricate designs. She also wore a horned helm which completely covered her face, concealing her identity in the process.
"Good evening, Oniichan." The girl said in an eerily cheerful voice "This is the second time we've met like this."
"This is bad..." Rin said as her eyes widened in shock.
"What's bad?" Shirou asked the female Master.
"Normally, a Master would be able to see an opposing Servants parameters, such as strength, agility and the like. With this one...I can't see anything that we can use. It's as if something's blocking me."
Archer, who had been watching in spirit form, did not like this one bit. Not only did he have no idea who he was up against, he found that he was not facing the mighty Greek hero Heracles as he expected to.
"This Berserker is a wild card." He thought as he watched the entire scene "This could spell disaster for us since we don't know what this Servant is capable of. Also..." He looked at the corner of his eye to see another figure hidden up a tree, away from view. He had the look of an old English gentleman; his graying hair, hawk-like eyes and constantly stoic expression while clad in an expensive black suit with long coat-tails gave him an air of regality. "I do not recall that man ever being in this event. Then again, the Throne of Heroes did do a number on my memory somewhat, so it's hard to say. Still, I better keep an eye on him. Who knows what he can do?"
Meanwhile, Ilya smiled upon recognizing the Tohsaka Master. "Good evening, Rin." She addressed her as as she curtsied "My name is Ilya. Ilyasviel von Einzbern. You understand what that means, right?"
"Einzbern..." Rin said quietly, her brow furrowing in distress, while Saber's eyes could only widen in recognition.
"It can't be..." she murmured to herself, her hood hiding her shocked expression well.
"Since you're all about to die anyway, I don't think I need to myself any further right?" Ilya smiled pseudo-sweetly at them. At the same time, Berseker tensed as she clutched her sword tighter in her grasp, her Madness Enhancement slowly taking over.
"Time to kill you now!" Ilya then turned to her Servant, who was simply awaiting her orders "Go get them, Berserker!"
"Yes, Master!" The red knight wasted no time, stomping the ground using her prana as a booster to quickly close the distance between her and Saber, who had barely raised her sword just in time to block, causing a deadlock between the two.
"RRAH!" Berserker roared as she applied heavy pressure on her blade, causing her opponent's knees to buckled ever so slightly. Fortunately for Saber, she was able to push the red knight back, making her skid on her feet before she came to a stop.
"Just like how I remember her." Berserker grinned under her helmet, slowly walking towards the blonde King of Knights as she threw her hood away before charging once again, swinging her sword with multiple powerful strikes that forced the blue knight on the defensive.
Despite the relentless onslaught she faced, Saber's Instinct and keen swordplay had been enough to keep her in the game, countering Berserker's heavy swings and raw power with her own swift, precise blows with her concealed weapon. For a while, neither seemed to give away any opening as the two knights dueled skillfully.
"She is skilled." though Saber as she clenched her initial Noble Phantasm, Invisible Air, in hand as she tried a different tactic. She used the momentum of Berserker's blows against her as she left her opponent's sword slide along her own. The force used for the swing, plus the fact the she redirected said blow elsewhere, gave Saber a much needed opening. She spun around Berserker and swung Invisible Air down her opponent's unguarded back.
If it hadn't been for the armor, Berserker would have gotten a deep wound that would have become a major hindrance later on. Smirking under her helmet, she swung her sword with her left hand in a wide horizontal arc, forcing the blue knight to jump back lest her head would be walloped off.
"Not bad, Saber..." a bloodthirsty grin crept in under Berserker's helmet as she charged in again with both hands raising her sword over her head "Not bad at all!"
"This is strange..." Rin mused while watching the battle, telepathically communicating with her Servant.
"What is?" Archer responded, having heard his Master's thoughts.
"From what I've heard, Servants of the Berserker class tend to rush in with reckless abandon." The brunette began to explain while Shirou watched agape at this battle between two Heroic Spirits "Due to the Madness Enhancement skill, they tend to have a Devil-may-care fighting style, the raw power boost more than making up for the loss of sanity."
"And your point is?" Even though Archer was in spirit form, Rin could tell that he was raising his eyebrow quizzically at her.
"My point is that this Berserker is different, dummy." She answered him while rolling her eyes. "While her strikes do seem powerful, this one seems to be capable of thinking on her toes and fight with some measure of skill and grace. If anything, this one fights as if it was a Saber."
"I see..." the tan-skinned Servant nodded thoughtfully "The fact that you cannot read any of her parameters makes it even more bothersome."
"Great, another unknown Servant. Just like you!" the Tohsaka Magus grumbled in her head.
"Remember what I told you before, I'm the best Servant around." Archer reassured her. "Just give me the signal, and I'll take her out personally."
"Got it." Rin nodded, her eyes narrowing as she watched the duel with Shirou.
"I should warn you. We seem to have a spectator in our midst, and he doesn't seem like a normal human." The white-haired Servant warned her.
"Ignore him for now. He must be crazy if he thinks he can take on a Servant. We can deal with him after we're done with Berserker"
"Point taken." Archer nodded while he watched the duel with interest, seeking to observe this new Berserker in action and evaluate whether or not she could become a threat.
The duel raged on while Archer and Rin were discussing; neither of them held an advantage over the other as Berserker and Saber clashed with each other. The King of Knights was able to push her opponent back a few steps for some breathing space, only to find Ilyasviel right behind her.
Her eyes widened in shock at how much this girl resembled her dear friend Irisviel, who had died in the previous War.
"Do not turn your back to your opponent, Saber!" Berserker roared as she used Prana Burst to reinforce her sword for one mighty baseball swing. The blue knight was able to raise Invisible Air in time, but the force of the blow was so great that she was sent flying to the nearby cemetery.
"SABER!" Shirou, completely worried about his Servant, ran to where she crashed. Rin, at the meantime, saw this as the perfect opening.
"Now, Archer!"
The Servant materialized behind her Master and summoned a bow out of thin air. He did the same with a sword which, for some reason, he transformed into an arrow and began charging.
"Berserker, look out!" Ilya yelled in worry, causing her Servant to look where Archer materialized, charging his arrow while reciting some incantation.
"I am-"
He was not given the chance to finish when he saw what looked like knives fly at him at the corner of his eye. He instinctively grabbed Rin and jumped out of the way before the bladed projectiles could hit their mark.
"Where did those come from?!" Rin asked her Servant, who simply looked at the blur that jumped out of the tree and landed between them and Berserker.
"Ah, it seems that it was a good idea that I came along. Wouldn't you say, Berserker-sama?" the old gentleman spoke in a polite tone, causing the Servant to smirk under her helmet.
"Indeed it was, Morimoto." The Servant replied back, all while Ilya stared at the butler in awe.
"I had a feeling you were going stir up some trouble." Archer smirked towards the butler, who simply sighed in displeasure.
"So I was spotted then?" He said as he walked towards the enemy Servant "I suppose that is to be expected from a Servant of the Archer class." he gave a stiff bow " My name is Daigoro Morimoto, humble servant of the Einzbern household. Ojou-sama is busy at the moment, but I will be more than welcome to entertain you while she attends to important matters, Archer-san and Tohsaka-san."
"I shall leave this to you, Morimoto!" Berserker said before charging her legs with prana, using it give her a powerful burst of speed that propelled her to where Saber crashed.
"Hey! Wait for me, Berserker!" Ilya called as she ran after the Knight of Treachery as fast as her tiny little legs can carry her.
"Archer! Take care of this interloper!" Rin commanded him as she ran to the cemetery as well.
"Of course, Master." Archer sighed before turning back to Morimoto "You must be dreaming if you think you can defeat a Servant by yourself, old timer." He summoned his two Chinese falchions, the black Kanshou and the white Byakuya, and got ready for a fight.
"Oh, I do not intend to. My purpose is to simply keep you busy while Berserker-sama duels Saber." Morimoto summoned six more of the daggers he used, which were actually artifacts of the Church called Black Keys, and crossed his arms while holding three in each hand. Despite being up against a Servant, the old man could not help but smile.
"Then again, we live in strange times..."
"This is bad..."
Saber grunted as she staggered to her feet, using Invisible Air for support. While it did not prove to be a hindrance earlier, the wound she suffered at the hands of Lancer as well as her lack of a proper connection with Shirou was beginning to take it's toll on her. She did not know how long she can hold on.
"Saber, look out!"
She looked up to see Shirou run towards her from the side, then turned to see a red blur headed directly towards her. She squinted her eyes and recognized immediately who it was.
"SABER!" Berserker roared, using Prana Burst to close the gap and brought her blade down with both hands once she got close. Had it not been for rank A Luck, Saber would have been bisected then and there. Luckily, she was able to raise her sword in time to protect herself, though the sheer force of the blow caused her knees to buckle and the ground beneath her to crack.
What really surprised Saber was that her foe just used Prana Burst, a skill she believed only she had. "Just who is this knight?" she thought to herself as she reengaged Berserker once again, though she could barely keep up due to the fatigue she experienced.
Meanwhile, Berserker grinned as she kept up her relentless offense, swing her sword rapidly to keep the King of Knights off balance.
"Why do you hide your weapon, Saber?" She questioned as she continued to apply the pressure "It serves no use as I already know who you are...Arturia Pendragon, or should I say, 'King Arthur'?"
"Saber is King Arthur?" Shirou could not believe his ears, his jaw dropping at the revelation. "But she's just a girl!"
Meanwhile, Ilya watched from a safe distance with a smile on her face. She knew how much Berserker wanted to confront her 'father' and spectated contentedly as things began to unravel.
Saber's eyes grew as wide as the moon upon hearing her name, pushing Berserker back a few steps. Just like that, the fighting ceased...for now.
"Another one of my knights has become Berserker?" Saber thought bitterly as she recalled how she was forced to fight Sir Lancelot, the First of the Knights of the Round, back at the 4th Grail War.
"Tell me," She said as she gripped her sword in front of her "Who are you? You are definitely not Lancelot. Perhaps Gawain? Ector? Bedivere?"
"Not even close, 'my king'." Berserker shook her head while laughing mirthlessly "Perhaps it is better that I show you."
Upon a wordless command, Secret of Pedigree began to dissipate into particles of prana, revealing the girl under the helm.
Arturia's eyes widened and her skin paled as if she saw a ghost. She did not want to believe it, but what she saw was undeniable proof of Berserker's identity; Soft honey blonde hair tied into a combination of a braid and a ponytail, skin as fair as her own, and normally green eyes that were glowing with a crimson glow at the moment. She did not want to believe it; No, she refused to believe it, but Saber could not deny who was standing there before her.
"No..." She said quietly, her voice wavering "It can't be."
Mordred turned to Arturia with a feral grin that bared her teeth "It's been a while, 'father'."
End Chapter 3
A/N: Hello again, readers! Thank you for reading the latest chapter of Clarent Blood Arthur! It took me quite a while to finish this one, but I hope you guys enjoyed reading this new installment!
First things first: Looks like the cat's out of the bag! As predicted, the fact that another one of her knights became Berserker did not sit well with Saber at all, hence the Heroic BSOD she experiences at the chapter's end. What will happen next now that Morded's identity has been revealed, not even I can say. I just know that it will be so much fun to write!
Another thing to address would be Morimoto. Well, more like Morimoto vs Archer. Will their upcoming fight be GAR-worthy? We'll just have to wait and see!
Anyways, that will be all for now, as I really don't have much else to say at this point other than please leave a review if you have something to say about the newest chapter. Now, Ilya if you please...
Ilya: Hai! Next time on Clarent Blood Arthur: Blood and Water!