The more I thought about it throughout the day, the more I was convinced. Rider had to have an alliance with Archer. Or some kind of agreement, at least. Otherwise… well, how else could Rider and the priest get to where we wanted to fight them before us? Rider had the assassins, yes, but Rider would have had to be close by from the start, if he was relying on them to relay directional information of our party's movements, and still get them all into position for the battle. But, if the priest and Archer's master we in contact, with Archer's view from above to keep them informed… perhaps it was more plausible.
Didn't exactly answer the question as to how they would have known our intended destination though… Granted, there weren't many other places outside of that park we could have used, but not many wasn't just the one, so… how did Archer know? Or rather…
How did Archer guess our intended battlefield so quickly…?
It couldn't have been anything but a guess. Perhaps an informed guess, but a guess none the less. Just who, exactly, was Archer?
"We're screwed. Number superiority, and what amounts to this war's version of air support… Do we really need to take this to the sewers?"
Even I grimaced at the thought I just muttered. Last thing I wanted to do was fight in a sewer system. Shit would be straight nasty.
"…If not the sewer, then we need to stop Archer before we fight Rider. Easier said than done though, I'd bet; likely need to take on both simultaneously, if anything…"
…Two on Archer, crush him quickly, while one holds Rider at bay…
Would work, if we had another servant. I'd be surprised if Caster could fight. I'd be even more surprised if he was willing to fight. Not when victory was already, in essence, his.
We could try to look for Assassin, see if we can get an alliance there…
But would either of the kids accept that? Hell, would either of them still accept me? Come this evening, there would be questions, of that I was certain. Especially from Sortiara, but even Johnathan didn't look exactly thrilled when I told him I really was in this to win it now. I doubted they would kill me, granted my weapon existed. But… would any future input from me be worth anything to them? Would they even let me tag along?
There was also Berserker, technically speaking, but I have no idea where his master stands on things… Besides wanting to kill the other kids, that is. I guess that alone rules that possibility out…
But supposing Caster would, and could, fight, could he stand up to Rider? After all, Archer's master was a proper magus; an illusionist, to be precise. I had no forms of defending myself against that, and while I also had no forms of really defending myself against the magecraft of the priest, I'm far better off dealing with physical afflictions than mental. My mind was all I had, after all. But that meant it would be Saber and Lancer going after Archer.
Could be for the best though; have those two crush Archer as fast as possible, then wheel around to help finish off Rider, provided Caster managed to hold long enough.
"…"
…If I had an army, I'd say it was possible…
"…"
If Caster just used his other noble phantasm for me, I could do it.
"…"
Caster wouldn't have to hold anything… I could hold against Rider…
"All I need is the numbers…"
I sighed as I reached out absentmindedly for a Pop Tart. No matter what train of thought I tried, it always just came back to this in the end. I needed Caster to do what he didn't want to do. Looking down at my two remaining command spells… I was tempted. I won't lie, the thought crossed my mind; just give the order, get Caster doing my bidding. His master's bidding…
It's what a real God would do, isn't it? Get everything working as he willed it to be?
Sadly, I wasn't quite God yet. If I tried this, I was a dead man walking. No doubt in my mind over the outcome: Caster would kill me. Besides… I'm a web spinner. Brute forcing things wasn't my strength; subtle manipulation was… I needed to get Caster to want to use his other noble phantasm, not force him into using it.
"Talk about the next step being a pain in the ass… A problem for another time, then."
Putting the thought aside, I began flipping through tabs on my computer. The local news was running wild. There was the park, of course; not like suddenly having a massive crater and multiple dirt spires sticking up from the ground would go unnoticed in a public park. The roads were a surprise for me though. Archer must have been given some… liberties… by his master, if he was allowed to tear up chunks of the city's roads like that. I assumed it was Archer, at any rate; looked a bit too… intentional, or focused, for it to be damage caused by Berserker. Reports and recordings by some people of strange, red lights shooting across the sky also lent credence to it being the work of Archer.
Police didn't even have a good cover story for it. The roads they could find some way to bullshit, but the state of the park? What, they going to say a meteorite came crashing down? When no scientist had predicted or warned of such a thing. After all, wasn't like some pebble could cause such a mess. That, and there was nothing at the crater, though any notion of the rock missing could be pinned on looters. …Maybe.
Needless to say, watching the police interview with the press gave me a good chuckle. The remark about there being a heavily increased police presence for the coming days though… that killed the jovial mood real quick. An expected course of action, I suppose, considering they had yet to find anything pertaining to the school incident either. Too many weird incidences in too short a timeframe for them to do otherwise. Push it a bit further and the feds would get involved, I bet.
"Right mess we're creating" I smirked, pushing my chair back from my desk, spinning, and falling face first onto my bed. "Wonder if Archer's master is getting an earful from her boss back at this Mage's Association place? Considering all the attention this shit is starting to garner, I'd be pissed if I was her boss. Ain't doing all that great a job there, if you ask me…"
"Sit."
From the moment I had shown up at the door, Sortiara's harsh glare didn't leave her face. This… interrogation situation was starting to feel more and more familiar with each passing day. Joining us was Johnathan, of course, sitting beside her on the opposite side of the table, and both of their servants, standing along the edge of the room. What? Did they really think four people were enough to intimidate me? Come on, this was me we're talking about…
"Good to see you up and about" I sighed, taking my seat. "Same goes to you as well, Lancer."
A brief nod was all the acknowledgement I received from Lancer. Sheesh, tough crowd tonight…
"Tell me, what did I do this time" I smirked slightly, focusing on the two kids.
Johnathan turned to face Sortiara, who simply continued to glare at me. Or, wait… no, she was trying to say something. Struggling on how to phrase it, perhaps? Clearly, she had some issue with me.
"Just… where the fuck do I begin" Sortiara laughed slightly, a disturbing sounding laugh that was quite unlike her. "Seriously Nathan?! A god?! What the actual fuck is wrong with you?!"
"Eh? What's wrong with that? Is my wish unreasonable or something?"
"Yes! Oh my god, yes! On so many levels! Do you- ugh… You can't become a god off the back of the Holy Grail!"
"I can't? Why not" I raised an eyebrow, preparing myself to drop a potential grenade.
"Do you even understand what you're asking?! The Holy Grail is powerful, yes, but it isn't designed for such a thing!"
"Far as I'm aware, it isn't designed to grant wishes either" I smirked, dropping the grenade. "But you all seem convinced that it can get you whatever you can wish for, so why can't it do the same for me?"
"Hold on. What" Lancer sounded ready to interject, but I continued.
"I mean, that is why these things exist, isn't it" I shook my left hand in the air, a growing sense of panic emerging on the faces of the kids.
"Nathan, don't you-" Sortiara began to speak.
3…
"We're in agreement that reaching the root is the purpose of this whole… sthick."
"Nathan-"
2…
"But I gave you what I had of the Einzbern's work. Surely you know by now that it takes seven servants to die-"
"Nathan!"
1…
Sortiara lunged at me across the table. Fortunately, I was expecting it, diving off the side of the couch just in time to avoid her grasp. Even when expecting it, she nearly moved too quickly for me…
"It what these here command spells are really for" I spoke as I scurried away from the couch. "To kill the seventh servant. Our own servant."
Boom!
I didn't bother moving as Sortiara marched right up to me and grabbed the collar of my shirt, pulling me in.
"Nathan! You little-"
"What's the matter, girl" I asked innocently, massive shit-eating grin on my face, I'm sure.
"Master… is what he said" Lancer spoke up again, sounding completely dumbfounded. "Is what he said true?"
"…"
"…Oh wow, he actually doesn't know" I laughed, turning to face Lancer. "You know, I found it odd how all you Heroic Spirits just went along with all of this. After all, you stand to gain nothing from it all, unless you just really enjoy the thrill of combat, which, if you do, then I mean… great! But I think I get what's going on now. The Holy Grail, or whatever that thing really is, lies to you. Tells you suckers that the winning pair gets a wish; implies that only six servants die. That's why you answer the call. Then, because the masters don't contradict it, believing that to be the truth as well, and you all have no reason to believe the grail is lying to your face, you just accept it as fact! Wow… the original founding families actually implemented a system to ensure Heroic Spirits answer the call! Considering all their other fuck ups and blunders, I'm genuinely impressed they thought that far ahead! Credit where credit is due, I suppose."
I turned my attention back to Sortiara.
"I get not telling your servants right away. After all, I'm sure you also genuinely believed that the purpose of the Holy Grail War was to get a wish granted. How could you tell them otherwise, then? You couldn't! But then, thanks to me, you came to know better. Yet you still kept it hidden from your servant!"
I leaned in close and began to whisper into her ear.
"If you think I don't get what tonight is about, girl, you're mistaken. I welcome you to try and drag secrets and explanations out of me, but be careful while you still have secrets of your own you want to keep hidden."
Oh, the look of anger on her face… This was definitely not going as she planned it. Good; serves her right.
"Then, we're fighting for nothing."
It would be Saber who would break the growing silence. With a huff, Sortiara let go of me, but not before shoving me into the wall. The sound of my head cracking against the wall rang out, and I couldn't help but groan in pain.
"Sore loser, much" I grinned through gritted teeth, rubbing the back of my head.
"We're not fighting for nothing" Sortiara growled, returning to her seat. "Seven only need to die if reaching the root is the goal. For a wish, only six servants need to die."
"I like how you say that when there hasn't been a successful Holy Grail War to date."
"…Well, technically speaking, you'd be right" Johnathan looked hesitant as he answered. "Reaching the root through the ritual would be the requirement for a 'success'. But in terms of having a wish granted, the fifth Holy Grail War would qualify."
"Really? And the wish won then was… what, exactly?"
"I… no idea."
"So, three fails by god knows what reasons. A fourth fail by intentional destruction of the grail, resulting in a great fire. One supposed success, of which none of us know the result of. Great track record. Clearly, you two are people who have the right to speak about what is and is not possible by the grail, and its requirements…"
"Your point" Sortiara growled.
"My point being how is it wrong to believe, then, that achieving godhood is possible? You all have literally nothing to disprove the possibility."
"And if it takes seven servants dying" Johnathan asked.
"…I still have two command spells left" I deadpanned.
"And if we tell Caster everything" Sortiara scoffed.
"If you can tell Caster, then by all means, go for it" I grinned. "Caster would kill me for sure then, I have no doubt about that. However, I suspect you'd be dead long before you reach Caster, so… good luck."
I settled back into my seat. Risking a third bag of electronics was going to be costly if it blew up in my face. But being able to record this shit, and add it to the file… it was a risk I was willing to take. Glad I brought the bag with me, even if by having the camera running in the bag I only got the audio...
"In any case" I continued. "There are more pressing matters to attend to; my wish for the grail is irrelevant unless you two genuinely believe I can't be beaten."
Neither of the kids seemed content with that remark.
"For one, considering what we now know about Rider, I find it unlikely we can topple him on our own. The assassins at his disposal are simply too numerous, and too consistent. We weren't even able to discern if he's hiding any other abilities, though I suspect he is."
"What makes you say that" Saber asked.
"Have you seen him summon his army yet?"
"There's no guarantee-" Johnathan began to speak.
"Kid, what is a ruler without an army" I cut him off, returning a flat stare.
Johnathan's eyes darted to Saber, then back to me. It was quick, and he didn't move his head or anything, so I doubt anyone else noticed. But it was a very subtle tell. He was definitely aware of the likelihood that Rider had some sort of an army, waiting in the wings. Also, a confirmation that Saber doesn't have an army of his own? Would have to dig into that some more at some point…
"Or… here, let me put it this way: if Rider doesn't have an army he can call upon, we might still have a shot, provided we can get one more servant in this alliance."
"Then just get Caster to take to the field already" Sortiara grumbled.
"You say that like it's so simple…" I sighed. "Caster will do as Caster wishes; I can't change that. Unfortunately for us, Caster is quite content with the current situation."
"Then… what about Archer" Johnathan suggested. "I doubt the Mage's Association wants the Church to win any more than we do."
"Won't work" Sortiara muttered bitterly.
"Why not? I know the Association doesn't like us either, but-"
"Archer and Rider are already working together. That's why it won't work."
"…What?! The Association and the Church have an alliance?!"
"Ah, so you noticed it too" I couldn't help but laugh a bit at Johnathan's shock as Sortiara rolled her eyes.
"Hard not to notice when you become the sole focus of a hail of arrows… How did you know?"
"Found it odd just how prepared Rider and the priest were for us. Given Archer's vantage point over the city though, and assuming the masters communicated through something like a cell phone… it all becomes a lot more plausible, if you ask me."
"But then… if Caster won't help and Archer is out, all that's left is-"
"Assassin and Berserker, yes" I cut Johnathan off again. "Both of which seem… unlikely, granted. But that's the only choice. Well, unless one of your servants has access to an army. With an army, we could maybe match one to one against Archer and Rider."
"…And if Rider really does have an army?"
"Then we never win without an army of our own" I laughed. "I don't want to fuck with Saladin as is! …Ok, not true; I sorta wanna fuck with him, because, like, who else alive then will be able to say they fucked with the Saladin?! But if Saladin has a proper army he can summon via some noble phantasm or some shit, then fucking with him is suicide the moment he decides he's had enough shit and pulls it out!"
"So what do we do" Sortiara moaned. "If we can't fight Archer and Rider, Assassin stays out of everything and going after Berserker is dumb, what else is there for us to do besides sit around?!"
"Considering how poorly the last fight went, that doesn't sound like a bad idea" Johnathan muttered.
"Then we lose all momentum!"
"What momentum? As I see it, we're just about evenly matched against Archer and Rider, on our best day, which we're far from at the moment. Assassin is in hiding and seems to have no desire to reveal themselves anytime soon. As is Berserker and Zach, and while I'm sure they won't be hard to fid if we tried, they're arguably more useful as a wild factor against the other masters and Heroic Spirits; we're doing our opponents a favor by taking Berserker out. We have no momentum against anyone Sortiara."
"Oh, come on! Lancer, back me up here!"
Lancer shifted uncomfortably on his feet.
"I mean… it's hard to argue against him on this, master."
"Oh, not you too!"
"I've expended quite a bit of magical energy, master. A bit of time to recharge, as they say nowadays, would be welcomed before another fight. That, and I can't say I'm thrilled about you keeping secrets from me…"
"…We going to have a problem going forward, Lancer?"
"No. I believe your desire for a wish, rather than a path to the root, is genuine. But the honesty would have been appreciated none the less."
"Beyond… this though" I commented, drawing a like between Sortiara and Lancer with my finger, "there is another factor to consider."
"The police" Johnathan asked.
"Ah, so you have been applying my lessons" I grinned, to which Johnathan looked slightly embarrassed and Sortiara frowned. "Yes, the police are set to have a massive presence out on the streets for the coming nights. Our… antics… have backed them into a bit of a corner. A portable or two being blown to bits is one thing. Turning a park into what appears to be the landing zone for a meteorite, without the meteorite or scientist warning about the supposed meteorite, is another thing entirely. Maybe if they had warning, they could have a story fabricated, but they aren't this good; aren't able to make something up for an event on this scale of damage. Laying low would be… wise, I'd argue."
"If anything, that makes this the perfect time to strike" Sortiara countered. "If the police are getting that involved, then our opponents will be forced to set up bonded fields for any fights; we may all care about the secrecy, but the pressure is on them as they're the ones with the bosses overseas. Notice how not a single arrow was fired by Archer during our fight with Rider? That bonded field locks us in, yes, but it also locks everything else out."
"Meaning that if Rider and Archer want to fight together, they have to either set up a different bonded field, which I'd assume only Archer's master could do, and put her life at risk, not put up a bonded field at all, which they simply can't afford to do, especially now, or Archer has to give up all his advantages and come fight us face to face" Johnathan finished.
"…" I stared wide eyed at the two kids.
"What" Sortiara sounded a bit indignant.
"Oh, um" I stammered a bit, before composing myself and smiled. "Nothing, really. Just… I hadn't considered any of that. I'm impressed; actually raised a good argument there. Maybe this really is the time to strike…"
"But realistically, even if we get Rider in isolation, we still need a third servant on our side" Johnathan sighed.
"Which, at this point, is looking like either Caster… or Berserker…" I nodded. "And, honestly speaking, it's not going to be Caster."
"Then why are we still keeping you alive" Sortiara protested. "Especially with such a reckless wish! If Caster isn't going to help, we should just kill you here and now!"
"Sortiara, please" Johnathan protested. "Now's not-"
"No, no" I waved a hand and smiled at Sortiara. "She's got a point kid."
"…Kid?"
"If you don't think I provide anything to this alliance, and think you can get away with it, then you really should" I continued, ignoring his question and wounded look. "Of course, I have my info nuke, which you know about. But if that doesn't matter to you, if you think your wish can protect you from any backlash from your magically inclined peers, then by all means, it really would be for the best."
"Are you looking to die?!"
"I'm looking for optimal play. This is a game after all; intentional suboptimal play should be shunned and eliminated, regardless of who benefits or suffers from the outcomes."
"…You…"
"Me. Her" I smirked. "Ah, that really never does get old… But if you really do think it's best top kill me, then by all means. Not like I have the power to stop you; came here tonight knowing it was a possibility, considering everything that was revealed at the last battle. However, if you do think my plans are of some benefit, and I have many plan in the works, depending on what you two decide to do from here, then I suggest we move on from this and get to work."
I spread my arms out wide as the two kids glared at each other in some kind of battle of wills.
"The choice, of course" I smirked, "is yours!"
A/N
SO, SO SORRY FOR THE DEAD WEEK!
Won't lie, many things hit me at once. First, school courses kicked me in the nads (and will prob do so again this coming week, sigh...). Then, I started playing AWBW (Advanced Wars By Web) and... forgot to write for a day or two... If you know, you know. If not... well, look it up; I'm not an ad! Finally, I got sick (not COVID, thankfully, but still...).
Even now, I'm still slightly sick, but I didn't want to push this off any longer. Hopefully, this won't happen again! I'll also try to get a Fragment up in the next day or two to make up for the lost time. Normally I wouldn't, but... well, I think this Fragment will be interesting, to say the least. Hopefully, you all will too xD
As always, thx for reading; see y'all next post xD
