It's highly unusual to be summoned by the church, but they only do it when it's absolutely necessary. I had to respond, but not in person. That's just asking to get ambushed after the meeting. I'm watching it all from the safety of my home through my laptop.
I turn the camera of my drone to look around. Right now, it sits on one of the pews in the back of the church. It looks like the other Masters had the same idea. Six familiars sit on the other pews around my drone. I see a falcon with gems for eyes, a bird made of luminescent strings, a bat, a hawk, a small eagle, and a raven with red eyes.
"I wonder why they summoned all the Masters," Jeanne says beside me.
"We'll find out in a minute," I say. "Looks like everyone's here."
Risei Kotomine, the overseer of this war, walks out of the door next to the altar and positions himself in front of it.
"The Holy Grail War is in grave peril," Father Risei says, his arms folded behind his back. "We have confirmed that there are more than seven Servants present here in Fuyuki, all are actively interfering with the war. There are two, possibly three of them. As of now, we have not determined who they are working for."
Jeanne meets my gaze with a knowing look. One of them must be that Archer in red we encountered a while ago. I wonder what the others are like and what their objective in this war is.
"Thus, in accordance with the emergency provisions I am granted as the judge," Risei continues. "I shall temporarily alter the rules of the Grail War. All Masters are to cease any ongoing combat, and to seek and destroy these other Servants instead."
Yeah, right. As if everyone will listen to that and actually stop fighting other Masters.
"Finally, whoever defeats them will receive an additional Command Seal per kill as their reward," the priest says.
He holds out his right arm and pulls up his sleeve. Numerous Command Seals adorn all parts of his arm from his wrist up to his shoulder.
"These are the unused Command Seals left by the fallen Masters of past Grail Wars," he says. "They should prove to be an invaluable resource to you all. Once these outsiders have been dealt with, we shall resume the Holy Grail War."
This changes everything. These extra Command Seals could make the difference between winning and losing. I still don't trust the other Masters to uphold the truce though.
"If there are any questions, you may ask them now," he concludes. "Of course, since your familiars are incapable of speaking, I conclude this meeting."
The familiars, including my drone, fly out the door and leave the church grounds. I set my drone to automatically fly back home and close my laptop.
"We're heading out," I say, getting up. "We have to get at least one of those extra Command Seals."
I walk over to the clothes rack near the door.
"Do you have a plan in mind?" Jeanne asks, following me.
"I don't," I reply. "At least not yet."
I grab a light armor vest and put it on over my shirt. Preparation is part of the battle.
"We do not know those other outsiders other than the red Archer," she says. "Is it really okay for us to go in so brazenly?"
"I won't deny that it sounds reckless," I say. "But I guess that's what sets me apart from the other Masters in this Grail War. Usually, it works out for me in the end."
I grab my long, dark coat and put it on.
"It is not only reckless, but very dangerous," she says in a lecturing tone. "It would behoove us to wait a little more and form a cohesive plan. A single battle, a single mistake, can not only cost you the Grail, but also your life!"
I could feel her conviction in that last sentence and stop my preparation for a moment. She has a point, but it's also too risky to let a game changing factor like extra Command Seals go to the enemy.
"I'm well aware of that," I say. "I wouldn't be standing here now if I second guessed myself all the time."
"For better or worse…" I whisper to myself.
I put on my combat boots. The left one has a combat knife hidden in it, the same as my right sleeve. The inside of my coat is decked out with smoke bombs and flashbangs. My belt holds a few pouches of normal and special ammunitions for my revolver.
"I cannot help but protest to it," she says. "I ask you to consider a different approach."
"Listen, I can't form a plan with so many uncertainties," I reply. "We'll see what we can do when we run into someone. I'm sure there's going to be at least one Master who'll exploit the situation to get rid of another Master. If they target us and we happen to kill them instead, I'll argue with the church that it was self-defense."
I hand her a purple winter jacket since she prefers to walk beside me rather than accompany me in spirit form.
"Why are you so sure that someone will break the rules?" Jeanne says.
"Because I know what the mages of the modern age are like," I reply. "When you've spent as much time in the Clock Tower as me, you get a grasp of how things work in the world of magecraft."
"I see," she says. "I will just trust in your experience then, Master."
I run one more check on myself to see if I got everything I need. Once that's done, I look over to Jeanne.
"Ready?" I ask.
"Let us go," she answers.
"These mongrels better put on an entertaining show for me tonight," Gilgamesh says to himself.
He looks down on his garden, the world, from the Throne of the Heaven-soaring King. Humanity has changed much in over 4.500 years, but some have lost their purpose in the process. Is this really the world he envisioned? The world that he would observe from his throne in solitude until the end of time? The world that would see light for millions of years to come?
He gazes on a part of the city shrouded in fog. He could disperse that visual hindrance on a whim. There are certainly enough tools in his treasury to do so. However, Assassin is naught but a mere shadow, and thus is of no interest.
Not too far from the area, he sees a certain priest with a Servant in tow heading for the fog.
"Oh?" Gilgamesh says. "It is the mad dog again. Interesting."
Even brutes devoid of reason have some entertainment value. More than some coward who hides in the shadows at least.
Moving on, he eyes a pair of mongrels in another part of the city. Saber and that interesting Master of hers. Gilgamesh smirks. Someone's waiting for them nearby, watching them. This is bound to be amusing.
Just as he finishes that thought, he senses someone approaching him in the heavens. An ancient divine beast and its owner.
"So you come, Sun King," Gilgamesh says.
The sphinx comes to a halt in front of the king's flying ship, Vimana.
"Of course!" Ozymandias declares. "Though I have no interest in those Command Seals, I cannot pass up a fight worthy of my godly splendor!"
"Well said," Gilgamesh says. "Though this farce is merely to pass the time, it does not merit my true effort."
"Hmph, then allow me to propose something," Ozymandias says.
"Oh? And what would that be?" Gilgamesh replies.
Enkidu looks up at the sky. Specifically, the spot where the two kings converse. A small smile graces his lips. It's good to see that Gil can get along with someone else. He's sincere in keeping himself isolated from others, but it's sad nonetheless.
He knows that he won't break the vow he once made on that dark, rainy day, but Enkidu still blames himself. He left an eternal scar upon his integrity.
At the end of the day though, he's glad that he was summoned. It's worth it just to see him one more time.
"Lancer," Isasviel said, approaching her Servant from behind. "You know what to do. Are you ready?"
"Affirmative," Enkidu says.
"Then go," she concludes.
With that, Enkidu runs a few meters and jumps off the building. The Einzbern Master and her handmaidens have secured the upper floors as a forward base.
Enkidu descends slower and slower until he transitions into a glide. Other Servants are bound to be nearby and his Presence Detection Skill will find them. It's only a matter of time.
"What the hell is that up there?" I say out loud in utter disbelief as I look up at the sky.
"I am... not sure myself," Jeanne says.
I certainly recognize the sphinx flying next to it. That's Ozymandias without a doubt. And if I had to guess, the one controlling that golden, flying... ship or whatever, is Gilgamesh.
"Looks like this will be a busy night," I say. "The other Servants are probably somewhere nearby."
I keep an eye on the two kings in the sky. Shortly after, they separate and start chasing one another. Gilgamesh fires off Noble Phantasms and Ozymandias counters with sun rays. They vanish above the clouds not long after. I kind of feel sorry for Rider's Master. I wouldn't want to be stuck up there in the middle of that fight. None of my business for now.
And so, Jeanne and I trudge into a snowy Fuyuki city late in the evening. Eyes and ears peeled, we stay vigilant for anything that might come our way.
The evening air is cool and fresh. It's the kind of cold weather where you'd hole up at home in front of a fireplace and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate. Unfortunately, tonight's schedule consists of what can be called a wild hunt for Servants.
I occasionally sneak glances toward her. She has a determined look on her face. After all, danger could lurk behind every corner. It's fascinating how she can get serious when she has to be in these kinds of situations. Well, at least she doesn't notice my gaze.
"Is something wrong or why are you looking at me?" she says, looking at me. "Are you not feeling well?"
I thought too soon.
"Uhm, no," I reply. "It's nothing. I'm fine."
That was awkward. At any rate, we continue to walk in silence for a while. There's a gentle wind, accompanied by the crunching noise of our steps on the snow.
We walk past several stores that are closed by now. I see a few scattered cars parked near the street, but there is no activity there whatsoever. There is... absolutely no one in sight wherever I look.
"Saber, have you noticed it too?" I whisper.
"I was not sure if it is custom to not be out this late," she replies. "But if you ask me like this, then it must be the work of a Servant."
I grip my revolver underneath my coat, my eyes darting around us. I have this uneasy feeling that we're already caught in the enemy's trap.
"Saber, we should-" I say, turning toward her.
She's gone?
She was right next to me a moment ago. What the hell is happening?
I draw my revolver and frantically look around, my aim following my glare as I turn on the spot multiple times.
I take in a deep breath when I find no immediate danger coming at me. I shouldn't be freaking out. This isn't much different from other solo missions I had in the past. I just have to take this one step at a time.
First, I have to find out what I'm up against here. Second, I have to regroup with Jeanne. I hope she's alright...
When I'm about to take a step forward, a sudden chill ran up my spine as I heard very light steps behind me. I instantly turn on the spot, ready to shoot at whatever is sneaking up on me.
The thing on the other end of my barrel is... a dog. A black poodle, to be precise.
I raise an eyebrow. Is this some sort of trick?
The poodle looks up to me with its puppy eyes and woofs. It turns its back to me, walks a few steps, then turns back toward me and woofs again.
"Do you want me to follow you?" I ask.
The poodle woofs twice.
For some reason, I do want to follow the dog to see where it'll lead me. However, I've got this unsettling feeling. It's like there's an alarm siren going off inside me, telling me to not go along with this no matter what.
The dog tilts its head in confusion.
I look around one more time. Still no people anywhere in sight nor any sign of Jeanne. Thinking logically about it, how come this supposed poodle is even here?
I point my gun straight at the animal in front of me. It looks at me with its pleading eyes, but I'm not going to fall for it.
"You're not real," I say, pulling the trigger.
The noise of the shot ringing through the air echoes in my surroundings, but the bullet doesn't land. The black poodle just vanishes into thin air.
"My, my, you are a feisty one, aren't you?" a male voice in my head says.
The voice doesn't sound threatening, but I could sense malice behind those words.
All around me, the environment itself shatters like glass. It's as if the scenery of a theater stage is falling apart, revealing only pitch-black darkness behind it.
Wherever I look, there's absolutely nothing. As if the entire world around me has been swallowed by a black hole. The only thing I can be sure of is that I'm standing on solid ground for the moment.
"Who are you?" I shout into the darkness. "Show yourself!"
"Now why would I do that?" the voice responds. "My boy, you are in no position to make demands. Your suffering has just begun."
One moment he's there.
The next he's gone.
"Master?" she asks, scanning the area. "Master!"
Instinctively, she summons her banner into her hands and changes into her battle-dress.
This isn't good. Her Master could be in danger. No, he has to be in danger. But he's still alive. She would know if her Master is dead. That fact alone gives her hope.
Why isn't he using a Command Seal in a situation like this when his life is at risk? Why must he be so stubborn? Is he just that reckless or doesn't he value his own life?
Only one goal is in her mind at that moment: finding and saving her Master. She vowed to protect him and she will do everything to uphold that vow until her dying breath.
Amidst those thoughts, Jeanne notices an unusually high amount of ravens in her proximity. They're sitting everywhere. The street signs, cars, and buildings, all of them have their crimson eyes on her.
Jeanne doesn't move amidst those glaring, silent gazes. They all seem to be familiars. None of them could as much as scratch a Servant. So, what is the purpose of them being placed so blatantly all over the place?
Sensing someone behind her, Jeanne spins around on the spot and thrusts her banner forward. It comes to a halt mere centimeters in front of the face of an elderly man. He has silver hair that reaches down to his shoulders and has a black coat, matching the rest of his attire, draped over them.
He doesn't flinch or back off from her, but remains there and looks her in the eyes. Those are the eyes of a man who is determined to do whatever it takes.
Unyielding and unfazed by the tip of the flagpole in front of his face, the man replies, "Please, there is no need for violence. You wouldn't strike down an unarmed man, would you?"
"Who are you?" Jeanne asks, narrowing her eyes.
"My name is Nicolas Hawthorne," he answers, folding his arms behind his back.
Jeanne tightens her grip on her banner. Her instincts tell her that there is something sinister about this man, hiding behind a calm, composed face and a silver tongue.
This man is no Servant. Therefore, he must be a Master. Judging by the way she found herself in this situation, suddenly separated from her Master and the fact that they've met all but one of this war's Servants, there's only one possibility.
"You are Caster's Master," she says. "Why have you shown yourself and what have you done with my Master?"
"You misunderstand my intentions," he replies. "I seek your help, O' Holy Maiden of Orleans."
"My... help?" she repeats, raising an eyebrow.
"To bring salvation to humanity," he says. "To save the world."
