Top of the morning to you guys and welcome back to Fate/Warring Frontier!
Alright, second chapter, or should I say, the completion of the prologue! For you people who's waiting for my other fics, please be patient. I am working on it, it'll be finished sooner or later :')
Happy reading!
Fate/Warring Frontier
Prologue: Part 2
Gombigobilla "The Godfather" Picerno is an experienced man.
Born from a commoner family and introduced to the magical world only by some unnatural occurrence, he wasn't anything special. He was an everyman, an average joe, an underdog. But if he excels in one thing, it was his skills to persuade others. To persuade, coerce, and manipulate. That's how he managed to survive and climb to success in the merciless world that would rip him apart if he's not careful.
He has tasted the bitter and sweet fruits of life. From both magical and mundane world, he has gained considerable respect and notoriety from various groups and people. People might think he has nothing to gain by joining the Great Holy Grail War, but that is wrong. He has everything to gain by winning it.
He knows some people from Clock Tower, and in extension, Mage's Association. And he was disillusioned by the fact that it runs by the same rule that applies in the mundane world: birthright and bloodline will always decide how high you will reach in the world. Those elitist Magi bastards.
And lowlifes and commoners will stay where they belong: under those who has the priviledge to rule the world. Thus, he wants to make a world where none of that matters. Hierarchy, bloodline, birthright. Screw that. Everyone will be equals, and only the hard workers will earn what they deserved.
That is his wish…
"I am Ruler. Now I ask of you, are you Masters of Red and Black?"
Now, in that Church, a woman with such an immense presence asked them. He and the young man from the Red Faction who's standing not too far from him. The woman looks young and beautiful, probably in her early 20's, but simply looking at her and feeling her stare bore at him makes him sweat. And not in a positive way. He knows too well what it means: the woman was attempting to assert dominance.
He did the same thing to his 'business partners' too, to make sure they keep their words and never stab him in the back. But not to this extent. This woman… she really wants to make sure she establish herself as someone who won't bend to his bullshit. An imperturbable and immovable force of authority.
"Yes, I am… The Master of Archer of Red."
To his surprise, the young man that he tried to gauge and talked to, answered her question first. Even though he is also sweating from the pressure like him, he looks mentally unperturbed, as cool as cucumber. Confidently striding towards the blonde woman and showing the Command Seals on the back of his hand.
And slowly manifesting beside him , a red haired woman in an ominous black armor who briefly looked at him. Archer. That woman's crimson eyes narrowed slightly at him, as if trying to get a good look at him. Sizing him up and searching for any weakness. Registering him as a future enemy. That can't be good. That's a sign of a great strategist. He has absolutely no idea who she is, but she must have been a commander for her men. A smart and cunning warlord, that's the kind of enemy he doesn't like the most, because they're so hard to fool!
But enough calculating and holding back now. The Master of Red Faction has demonstrated his authority. He will not cower like a spineless coward. He will return the gesture in kind. Steeling his facial expression, he issued a mental command to his Servant, who shortly manifested just a bit behind him.
An extremely beautiful woman with long purple hair and sharp red eyes, although the lower half of her face is now covered by a mask, just so the enemy cannot recognize her face easily. She wears a full-body outfit that highlights her curvaceous body, with metallic shoulder pads. She is his Servant…
"And I am the Master of Lancer of Black." He showed his own Command Seals.
He recalled that normally summoning a Servant inside the Church is a violation to the Church's Neutral Zone rules, but none stepped in to call them out. Sister Hortensia looks at both Servants with unabated fascination… it seems like she said the truth about her having been through a Holy Grail War. He sighed.
It is what it is, I guess.
"Excellent, you are both here as I requested. This will make things easier." Ruler spoke again, and his attention goes back to her. She looks quite familiar… but where did he see her before? "I won't take much of your time, as time is of essence. I will simply ask you to listen to what I have to say and I hope—"
"Excuse me, Lady Ruler." Archer's Master raised one hand politely. "Forgive my impudence for asking this… but aren't you Luviagelita Edelfelt?"
It was as if someone turned on a light switch in his brain. That's right! Now that he's not busy having cold sweat over her inhumanly immense presence, he actually remembered that face. Daughter of a distinguished lineage, the Edelfelt, Luviagelita is their young and talented family head. Although her parents still managed the family business, and she is supposed to still be a student in the Clock Tower.
What kind of coincidence that allows her to be a vessel of the Ruler of this Great Holy Grail War? And what kind of Heroic Spirit that resides within her? Is this simply a coincidence, a turn of fate, or this is an elaborate machinations of someone in the background, to take ahold of the Holy Grail and secure it for their own interests? It might be the Edelfelts, or even the Clock Tower itself. He'd never met the Director face to face, but even the Vice Director, Lorelei, makes his skin crawl. He must be cautious…
"You are quite correct, Master of Archer. This is the body of a young woman who willingly lends her body for me to oversee this Great Holy Grail War, and I simply am the guest here." Ruler nodded in affirmation. "You do not have to worry. I have no intentions to stay longer than my mission requires me to, and this body will be returned to young Luvia safely as soon as I fulfilled my objectives."
Objectives? Gombigobilla thinks that sounds rather odd. It's plural, which makes it sound like she has more purposes to be here, aside of overseeing the Great Holy Grail War between the two Factions. Suspicious? Very. Also there is a possibility that it's actually Luviagelita talking and not the Ruler, it's entirely possible for a Demi-Servant to relinquish the control to the human vessel. Can't be too sure.
"I have no doubt of that, Lady Ruler." Archer's Master spoke again. His tone careful. "Now… what is that you require of us? Calling us both just as we summoned our Servants. Surely that's meant something?"
Oh yeah, that's definitely important. Just moments after he managed to summon Lancer and established the contract between them, a voice just spoke in his head, foreign and ethereal. It was kind of creepy actually. He dealt with Wraiths and Spirits before, but still, that effectively spooked him. Screw that…
"Yeah, what's the deal with that, Missy? Gathering the first two Masters here." He finally decided to speak, glancing at Archer's Master briefly before focusing to the Ruler. "You're not going to make us fight each other here, right?"
"Far from that, actually. I simply wished that this war would be conducted properly, as far as Holy Grail Wars go." Ruler waved her hand. "So to enforce that, I have three things that I would have you do."
"And that is?" He asked.
"First, you shall not initiate any battles before three days." She held up one finger. "If any of you try to violate this rule, I will personally come to you and put a stop to it."
So, a short-term truce, huh. That's not too bad. Actually that is quite beneficial since that gives us time to strategize and prepare. Although the same applies to the enemy side, especially with that Archer around it'll be trouble… he glances briefly to Archer's Master and his Servant.
"Second, in those three days, you are encouraged to interact freely with everyone. Allies and enemies. Masters and Servants." She held up another finger. "And any attempt to harm each other will not be condoned. I hope this is clear."
Is this lady for real? She asks us to socialize and form bonds with enemies? What even the purpose of that? That'll make it harder for us to kill each other later.
"And the third is… I would like for your respective Factions to have a Leader. It makes it easier for you to have a commanding figure in a war. And to rein in the unruly ones." Ruler held up yet another finger. "This is for your own good. Don't you agree?"
You expected a group of Masters of different background and motives to cooperate that easily? Not to mention most of us are Magi. Magi are too proud to beg. They don't take shit from others. To accept someone else in charge? That'd be mighty difficult to accomplish.
"Then why don't we decide who the leader is, right now?"
Archer's Master responded to those outrageous demands with relatively calm composure. Everyone else looked at the young man with mild surprise, except for his own Servant, who looks like she's gotten used to her Master's antics, rolling her eyes and all that.
"You, Lady Ruler. I don't mean to be presumptuous, but if there is someone who can appoint the leader of each group, that'd be you, the overseer of this war." He said, running over a hand over his swept back hair. "The others would not accept less. You see, I am a man with no prestige, no accomplishment. No one would be willing to follow me without any incentives. And I'd prefer my precious time to be spent on war preparations than attempt to prove my worthiness to them."
What he said makes total sense. The Magi are a bunch of arrogant and self-centered bastards. They held themselves highly and won't accept anyone in charge until they see, with their own eyes that the person is more powerful than them. Gombigobilla knows that all too well, having worked with that culture for years. The boy has a point that he'd honestly agree with.
"Your point has merit, Master of Archer. Very well, this I shall oblige. Both of you, you may step closer." Holding out her palms, she produced two round-shaped emblem out of thin air. Red and Black. "With this, I bestow you both the title of Faction Leader… and all the responsibilities that came with it. State your names."
"I, Kazuki Takeru, shall accept this role gratefully." The Master of Archer took his emblem, and despite his stoic and controlled behavior, Gombigobilla can tell that there's some sort of glee in his movements. He was excited… no, perhaps… motivated. The Servant beside him let out a chuckle, as if amused, just to prove him right.
He also took his emblem. "Name's Gombigobilla Picerno. I guess I'll take this role to make it easier for our side." He said, glancing at his emblem before looking back at the Ruler. "Also, Missy. If you don't mind me asking, what's with the rules you just said?"
"What about it?" The young woman simply raised her eyebrows.
"Why go this far and make everyone abide to this three order of yours?" He said. He was so curious, he has to know the answer. If not, he's gonna lose sleep over this. "As far as I know, a Ruler's role is simply to ensure the war stays a war. Nothing more, nothing less. I think what you're doing is beyond that."
Silence for a bit.
"That's right. It wasn't my duty to demand you of those three things. It's simply my personal preference." She put a hand on her chest. "If I have to put it simply, then… it's because I want this war to be fair and just. That's just how I always am. I prefer to keep everything… balanced."
"So, that's how it went."
The next day, Gombigobilla is casually sitting in a café, with someone else across the table looking at him. A man in his late twenties with short, straight black hair and dull black eyes. No, Gombi would say those are not dull, they are focused and the man's listening to every word he said… but those eyes look like they have no life in them. It's kinda creepy really. But who's to judge?
He's also wearing non-descript white shirt and pants, with a plain black cap. So bland it's painful. So bland it actually makes him stood out among the more colorful people. If Gombi doesn't know better, he'd think this person was an assassin trying to blend in with ordinary people. He's just an extremely plain person.
"Is that it?" The man comments, as he sips a cup of coffee. "How dull."
"Well what do you expect? It's a neutral zone." Gombi shrugged. "Also you don't seem really bothered."
"About what?" the man barely looked at him.
"Me being the one to lead our faction." Gombi, wanting to see his reaction, tested the waters.
"Hmm... I don't really care who's in charge. As long as they give reasonable commands, I see no reason to not follow." The man took another sip of coffee. "Besides… you're Gombigobilla Picerno, The Godfather. We've all know who you are. If there's anyone to be a leader, that would be you. You have the experience."
"Hmm, perhaps. But if I were you, I wouldn't count myself out, son… or should I say, Zan The Man."
It's subtle, but the so-called 'The Man' tensed for a brief moment… although his eyes and expression are still as lifeless as before. That man sighed. He was about to ask how did the man know that, but then realized who's the person he's talking to, and concluded that it was a stupid question.
"Anything else you want to tell me from that encounter?" Zan asked him. "What about that guy, the Red Master?"
"Ah, glad you asked that. I did a bit of digging and found out some trivial bits about him." Gombi put a hand on his chin. "Kazuki Takeru, from the Takeru Family. Twenty-four years old, and has been the family head since he was fifteen."
"Wait, wasn't the Takeru Family wiped out in an incident?" Zan asked again. "From what I heard… a Dead Apostle and its horde of undead attacked them for no reason, in the middle of the night?"
"Yes, that's the one." Gombi nodded, trying to remember what his sources told him. "The Family, was also a family of renowned demon hunters… but they all fell in one night, all murdered, except one."
"That Kazuki guy?"
"Yeah, even my sources don't know how he survived, but he did." Gombi pulls out a cigarette from his pocket and lights it up. "And from what I've seen in the Church that night, I think he's out for revenge."
"Huh, can't blame him for hating demons like that." Zan said, closing his eyes briefly in contemplation. "Do you think he's gonna be trouble for us?"
"Well, I asked my Servant to take a look…"
That night, after that meeting and a good distance away from that church, Gombi turned and asked his corporeal Servant a question. In a dark alleyway where no one can spot her materializing out of thin air.
"So what do you think of our future enemy, Lancer?" He asked, as the woman wearing full body outfit appeared before him. "I hope you actually did a little appraising?"
"Of course I did." The slightly muffled voice of a woman answered. "Even if you didn't order it, I will always keep an eye out for valorous and talented adversaries. Seeing the hidden potential in people, that's what I do best."
"That's good, so… what can you see from that boy and his Servant?"
"His Servant is someone who has gone through battlefields and wars. A keen eye with keen mind, a sign of a great strategist. Whoever she is, I do not know. Yet there's an imposing and malicious presence wherever she is around. I have a feeling that she will pose a great threat to us."
"Great." He rubbed his temples, assessing her observation in his mind. "And the boy?"
"…" His Servant kept her silence for a few seconds before speaking again. "Hmm, how should I put it. His eyes are pure, signifying one who inherited his destiny from his bloodline. His composure is that of a well-trained individual, and he has control of his emotions. And good manners too."
"Is that last one really necessary?" Gombi asked.
"Of course. People who has strength and authority are typically susceptible to arrogance. The power they wield gets to their head, and makes them forget that there's always a bigger fish."
Lancer folded her arms under her chest.
"Their weakness is their pride. It'd be very easy to exploit that for to advantage. So it stands to reason that the most dangerous one is the one who's aware of their limitations. He might be a human just like you, but he's a rare one. Power and Humility is a deadly combination. You should remember this."
"Hmmm, alright… tough enemy, huh…"
"All I'm saying is that you should be more cautious around that person." Lancer said.
Gombigobilla lets out a resigned sigh.
"Duly noted…"
"…she said she has some ability to discern talents or something." Gombi puffs out a bit of smoke. "She just told me to keep an eye on him, that means he's dangerous."
"That's kind of vague."
"I tried to press answers but she isn't willing to answer. She needs more observation, it seems."
"Alright. I guess that's good enough." Zan said, taking another sip of his coffee. "Mr. Picerno…"
"Just call me Gombi, son."
"…Actually I wanted to ask. Why would you recruit me, of all people, for the Grail War anyway?"
"Well… Average Magic Circuits. Mana reserves, not very exceptional. Bloodline, barely reaching two decades old. Magic Crest… nothing special." Gombi listed casually. "But with diligent and hard work, you managed to graduate with the highest grade among the students of Clock Tower. People are comparing you to Lord El-Melloi II… fellow Magus from unremarkable bloodline who covered their shortcomings with effort and persistence. Many tried to hinder you from the path of the pinnacle, but you managed to take your future by your own hands. If that's not an achievement I don't know what is."
"Heh, that sounds exaggerated. It's nothing special really…"
"No need to be humble. That should be your pride. The privileged and talented won't understand your struggle, the lazy and the complacent won't have what it takes to be in your place right now." Gombi nodded in genuine approval. He actually respect this young man for what he's gone through and what he achieved despite of that. "You are special in your own way. I need someone like you in my team."
"I hope your faith in me isn't misplaced, Mr. Picerno." He said, seemingly in resignation.
"Your lack of faith is disturbing, Mr. Zan. I'm sure you'll do fine for us, son." Gombi let out a fatherly chuckle. "If you're still not so sure of yourself, then you can take this assignment as a proof."
"What assignment…?"
"See, we have other Masters to recruit to complete our team, we have three days. I'd do it myself, but I'm just one man. Don't you think it's better for us to split the work, to save some time and effort?"
"I do think that's a better idea. So who I'm fetching?"
"Hoho, eager aren't you? Well, I have their pictures here…" Gombi reached in his breastpocket and pulled out some pictures. "You should be fine with this person, right?" He slides one of the pictures to Zan.
Zan's eyes slowly widened. The picture that he held, is a familiar face that he hasn't seen since years ago.
"Wait, this person is…" he started.
"Yes. You knew him well. But don't mention his name around here, there might be some ears that works for… unsavory groups that might or might not be interested in him." Gombi lowers his voice to a whisper. "You ask him to join us, convince him the best way you can. And conceal him until you both are in my place. Better safe than sorry. That should be no problem for you, right?"
"That should be easy enough." Zan nodded. "And what about you?"
"Me? Oh, I'm visiting a kid who I used to know few years ago. He should still be around these days."
He didn't elaborate, and Zan didn't press for an answer. He can tell it's rather personal for the older man. And he isn't going to start prying into someone's personal business. So he simply nods, drinks what's left of his coffee and tried to pay for it (the older man didn't let him) before he finally sets on his journey…
Somewhere in Miami…
A young man was lazily lounging in his apartment, working on some of his weapons in a room that was supposed to be his 'storage' room. Doing maintenance of his equipment like this, like cleaning and sharpening his daggers, has become an unavoidable routine for him. Even though he doesn't use them anymore, it has been a while since he last suited up for an 'errand'… now he spends his all time relaxing, chilling while listening classical music.
He just doesn't feel like doing anything. He was so bored… he tried to think about something exciting, but the ones that came up in his head was his colleague's voice from the Mage Association, scolding him for being such a slacker that slept on his job. That has happened a lot… so much, he couldn't count how many times. All he knows is that was something that eventually snowballed to his unemployment…
Suddenly, his phone rang, breaking the silence. He frowned. He didn't order any fast food today, so that's probably not a delivery guy. And he doesn't share his numbers to just anyone, but everyone who has his numbers already knew that he's been fired from his job and kicked out of the Clock Tower for some time. So who is this? Somebody who wants to play a prank on him? Oh, he will be the one to give them a prank, alrig—
"Donatello Raimon. You have a package waiting at your door. Go outside and take it." An automated voice spoke to him, cold and mechanical. "Hurry. This is your chance. Now is the time."
He froze. Whoever is this person calling him, he knows his name. His former job. And judging from what it said, about a package at his door, knows where he lives as well. It could be a client that didn't get the memo about him quitting his job, but it could also be someone trying to end him. After all, his job wasn't exactly clean—somebody's must have held a grudge on him for something he did sometime ago.
Donatello moved very carefully and tried to peek from his window, which is almost covered by curtains and only have a small gap to look outside—
"Good afternoon, package for you!" a baritone voice called from the outside, making him jump in alarm. "Don't want anyone to steal it here, do you?"
That voice sounds familiar, Donatello thought. But who could it possibly be? He couldn't remember. He internally cursed his lazy brain and sighed in resignation. He hopes this isn't some prank, or worse, an assassination attempt. He just hopes it's just a normal package with normal contents from someone he knew in the past.
"Alright, I'm coming out!" he shouted at the door, where that person waited behind. He opens his door and… saw a familiar face.
"Hello, Donatello. It's been years. You're all grown up I see."
A forty-year something man with short brown hair and fairly shaved stubbles, giving him a rugged and unkempt masculine appearance. He's wearing a black furcoat and a neat black suit that has vertical red part around the buttons. A sharp-dressed man, very befitting of his position both in the magical and mundane world.
"Old man Gombi! You're still alive!?" He blurted out before thinking.
The older man shook his head in disapproval, like a disappointed parent.
"Now, now there. Watch your tone, young man. That's not how you greet a guest, especially someone who's older than you." He scolds, still with the same disapproving expression.
"Don't lecture me, old man. What the hell do you want? You knew I've been fired from…"
"I knew. As I said, you have a package... here." Gombigobilla shoves the package casually onto his hands.
"What's this?"
"Well, about that. Let's have a little chat, shall we?"
"Ah, so you're gonna go all mafioso on me and rope me into whatever vile scheme you're cooking up. Gotcha, you cunning old bastard."
"That's rather crude way of putting it. I'm simply—"
"Alright, alright, I got it, say no more. You can come in, I guess…" Donatello shrugged and backed down, gesturing to the older man to enter.
"Hmm, I see this place hasn't changed much." Gombigobilla commented. "As long as it's comfy for you, anything goes huh?"
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Donatello shrugged. "You should know how clean were Mom and Dad."
"Haha, yeah…"
Oh, there goes the unpleasant topic to the open. Both of them realized that this could get awkward very soon, so they tried to think of something else to talk about… Donatello got it first.
"… by the way, if you want some drinks, there's green tea on the counter. Sugar at the pantry like always." He pointed at his kitchen… a simple one, but enough to live.
"Hm?" Gombi folds his arms and stares at him questioningly. "… you're not going to make it for me yourself, Donatello? Whatever happened to the hospitality for guests?"
"I just don't feel like making anything right now, you know? Give me a break…" Donatello plopped himself down onto a couch and lies there lazily. "Besides, we've known each other for years, I don't really mind you raiding my fridge for some food and beverages. Go ahead and knock yourself out… not that there's much in there anyway, but still. I'm just not feeling it today."
"Oh dear, you just barely reached half my age and you're already this unmotivated?"
"Piss off old man… my life's already hard without you criticizing it." Donatello let out a tired sigh. "Don't judge me, please."
"Alright, I apologize."
Silence for a bit as Gombi made some beverages for both of them. He put two cups on the table, and as Donatello gets up from his couch to take one of them, he started talking again.
"So, how's life, Donatello?" he asked, testing the waters.
"It's quiet… sometimes I worked part-time so I don't run out of money… but effectively you can call me a shut-in." Donatello sipped his cup slowly. "They kicked out of Clock Tower recently, because they just couldn't tolerate me slacking anymore. I don't accept any jobs now, as you can see."
"Oh, dear… that's bad." Gombi shook his head.
"No shit, Sherlock. It's been like this for quite a while…"
"Are you okay?"
"Do you think I look okay, old man?" Donatello shot an unamused look. "I have nothing else to do here except polishing my weapons and listening to music."
Gombi glanced around briefly… apparently, he's not lying. There are some daggers and some other sharp instruments lying around, with their appropriate maintenance tools nearby. And he spotted a metallic black headphone on the desk not too far from them. He could see a picture on that desk too.
A family picture. He recognized them…
"Your parents wouldn't be happy to see you like this, Donatello." He said, sternly. "Back then, they would regale me of tales of a young man, happy and eager to learn everything in life—"
"What would you know about my life, old man?" Donatello snapped. "My parents died and left me with their research. I've to pick up where they left off on my own. No one would help me, even for a moment. I have to do everything alone. You're not here when it happened, are you? Don't you get it? That eagerness and happiness you said about me, it's nothing more than a past now." His hands shook, which Gombi didn't miss.
It was true. He wasn't there to comfort the boy when that happened, nor help him with anything. He felt pangs of guilt. But now is not the time to look defeated and lost. He can still help the boy, with his own way. To keep moving forward, until all the obstacles in your way are gone.
"But you're still living your life, aren't you? You're doing your best with the hands you've dealt with." Gombigobilla gestured, at everything around the apartment. "I know you still have some fight left in you, Donatello. That's why I'm here, because I have a job for you."
"What if I say no? I'd rather…" Donatello grunted.
"Hmm, you're going to miss out a lot of fun, I assure you. Also if you want to leave this plain old man among all these scary mages that will also be working with you… well, it's that's your choice."
They stared at each other. Donatello glared at Gombi's calm eyes, trying to intimidate him, to make him back off… but the older man didn't even waver in the slightest. Of course, considering who Gombigobilla is, Donatello knows that the older man have experienced worse things than his half-assed glare. He is not known as 'The Godfather' for no reason. It would take a lot more to pressure him. He sighed.
Alright, fuck it. I'll bite.
"Fine, old man. I guess I can listen to your proposal at least." He shrugged. "So what is this all about?"
"Good boy!" Gombi clapped once, to his annoyance. "Well, to start off… what do you know about Holy Grail War, Donatello?"
"It's a war between seven 'Masters' who command seven 'Servants', basically superpowered familiars, to kill each other until only a few remain. All for a wish to be granted by this 'Holy Grail', a supposedly omnipotent wish granter… right?" Donatello folded his arms. "There's been five or six wars like that…"
"Six, to be exact, yes." Gombigobilla nodded.
"… don't tell me you're enlisting me to join in the seventh?"
"Yes, actually that's the plan." Gombi grinned. "I need a man of your skills and expertise, in this war. Although, this war is actually different than your usual Holy Grail War… In this Great Holy Grail War, we will have fourteen Masters and Servants, in two factions!"
Silence for a few moments as Donatello digest this information as quickly as possible.
"I see how it is. So you want me to be a player in your Faction huh." Donatello said. "And fight in the war… sounds interesting enough. But I'm not sold yet. You gotta convince me more, old man."
"What can I do to persuade you, then?"
"Holy Grail War needs Servants to fight each other, right? Have you summoned yours?"
"Oh, I have actually. Mine is Lancer, the class of Servant that wield spears and lances."
"Ah, that's interesting… I wanna see how Servants look like..."
"Actually she's here with us. Lancer, if you don't mind…" Gombigobilla snapped his fingers.
A form materialized behind the older man, apparently has been sitting there the whole time. Donatello's eyes has never been so woke for quite some years until this moment. An extremely beautiful woman with long purple hair and sharp red eyes, wearing a full-body outfit that highlights her curvaceous body, with metallic shoulder pads.
"… wow, that's, uh, ah, nice, um." Donatello is at loss for words, briefly losing the ability to form coherent sentence. And then he slapped himself sober. Goddamn hormones! I thought I'm old enough to not be affected by this shit! "… I'm sorry, but what?! This fair lady is a Servant?!"
To his chagrin, both Gombigobilla and the woman, Lancer, simply exchanged looks… amused looks.
"I told you, I should've worn my mask." Lancer said, chuckling a bit. "Though it is amusing to see young people react to my appearance."
"I think it's fine, it can be more incentive for young Donatello to join our war." Gombi also chuckled. "Right, Donatello? You can summon Servants like this Lancer if you join… are you interested now?"
"Um, yeah…" Donatello, still flustered, nodded absentmindedly. "It does sound nice…" he murmurs.
"What's that? I can't hear you, boy." Lancer spoke sternly. "Speak loud! And with clarity!"
"YES MA'AM! YOU HAVE MY WORD!" Donatello immediately straightened up. "I AM GOING TO JOIN THE WAR WITH OLD MAN GOMBI AND SUMMON A SERVANT TO FU—FIGHT BRAVELY IN THE WAR!"
"Very good. Don't get distracted just yet, boy." Lancer nodded, seemingly content with his answer. She then disappeared into thin air.
Donatello visibly relaxed, now not at the scrutiny of the extremely beautiful, yet scarily stern woman. Gombi lets out a hearty laugh at the young man's distress. For a moment, whatever is bothering him gone and forgotten, and he was the boy that he knew from a long time ago, the young Donnie...
"Alright, now that you agreed to join us… I can tell you what's in the package I brought with me." Gombi said, taking said package that was briefly forgotten during their conversation. "It's the catalyst for your Servant summoning. It was quite… painstaking to find, but it's worth it. Here, have a look."
He opened the package box, which allows Donatello to see what's inside. A very rusty dagger that looks like it's covered in dried blood of unknown origin, and has an equally rusty chain attached to the handle, although it's broken on the other side.
"I pulled some strings and managed to get this from one of my contacts in Thessaloniki, Greece." Gombi said, handing the box carefully to Donatello. "I can't guarantee if what they're saying is true or not, so take this with a grain of salt… but they believe this was a weapon of Medusa..."
Donatello immediately went from zero to one hundred.
"Wait, Medusa you said?!"
"Yes—" Gombi was cut off.
"Medusa of the Shapeless Island?!"
"Yes—" and again.
"Of the Gorgon Sisters?!"
"Yes—" aaaand again.
"Hell yeah!" Donatello pumped his fist in such a renewed vigor. "This is going to be awesome!"
"Donatello… why are you so worked up about this?" Gombi finally managed to get that question out. "I don't know the details, but I know that Medusa is some kind of monster lady in Greek Mythology…"
"Yeah, so?" Donatello raised his eyebrows, as if he was asked a strange question.
"You're not scared at all?"
"Nope! I like to live dangerously! The more dangerous the better for me!" Donatello was full-on grinning now. "So Medusa it is!"
"You fearless fool…" Gombi shook his head, chuckling in equal amusement and incredulity. Well at least old Donnie is back! "Alright. You sure you're gonna be okay with that?"
"Yeah, pretty sure. Now you just gotta tell me how to summon Servants in the first place."
"The instructions is right there in the package. There's also my address written there. Don't show that to anyone else." Gombi warned. "I'd watch you summon your Servant, but I have to prepare something as well. Can't stay too long here."
"Hmm… do you think we'll have some unwanted guests barging in your home?" Donatello asked.
"I think it would be even more than that. This war will be a huge deal." Gombi said, then noticing that Donatello is going to ask something, raises one hand to stop him. "I can't explain this in details here. Too risky. I'll give full disclosure when you've arrived there, okay?"
"Very suspicious, old man, but whatever." Donatello carefully puts the package on the table. "I'll take your word for it. So I'll be seeing you again very soon?"
"Yes, Donatello, we'll meet again."
He stood up and straightened his clothes, nodded one more time to the younger man, and left the apartment naturally, as if it was just an ordinary family visit and totally not a recruitment for war…
At roughly the same time
Davao City, Philippines
Zan walked relaxedly, casually strolling among the people who's minding their business. It is just as Gombigobilla said, his target is here. Well, calling it target sounds rather ominous, he's just there to recruit the person to their side of the Holy Grail War, the Black Faction. For some reason, the older man knew where exactly this person is hiding. The perks of being basically a mob boss, he suppose…
Gombi is clearly aware that he and his target knew each other. Perhaps he would ask him about that later… how did he get all these information anyway?
He made a turn into a dark alley. He already memorized the location in his head, so he doesn't have to check the map every now and then. He might not come from famous Noble Family and his magical capability might just barely cut above average, but he's thankful that he has a good, working brain.
Turn left. Turn right. Straight ahead… and turn left.
As he gets closer to his destination, an unnerving sensation creeps in his heart. He doesn't know what it is. Something tells him that it's a bad idea to keep going. It's not really too late to turn back and report to Gombi that 'he doesn't find the person they're looking for', and he is confident enough he can talk his way out of it… rather than facing whatever danger this path is leading him to.
But that's not his way. If he's going to back down everytime anything tells him to, then he would have been a nobody. He came this far by ignoring those voices that tells him to bow out and give up on life. He will keep moving forward until something stops him. Even then, he would force his way forward.
Then a rather muffled sound reaches his ears. Sounds like someone yelling.
He starts walking faster. It comes from the direction of… his target. Could it be that he is in trouble?
There is another sound. This time it sounds like something just collided against the walls. Then a scream, not too far away. This is, no doubt… a fight.
He starts running now. A few turns here and there, and then he would enter an open space between the buildings. At least that's what he remember from the map. But just as he made the final turn—
"YOU ABOMINABLE FREA—GWAAAH?!"
He reflexively took a step back as a body flew towards the place where he was seconds ago. The body crashes against the wall and collapses, clearly unconscious. Zan quickly looked down and scanned that body—a man with black robes, not unlike what they wear in the Clock Tower… injuries are: Bleeding from his head, the corners of his mouth… and his stomach was caved in, as if struck by a great force.
Who could—?
"Oops! I think I got a bit carried away… I hope I didn't kill that guy…" a smooth and cheerful voice interrupted his thoughts. It froze him because he recognized that voice. "Hey… are you one of… oh!"
He turned to look at the source of that saccharine voice. The androgynous looking figure wrapped in white clothing, with an emblem of violet flower on his chest. A pair of bright blue eyes met his black. A hand covered with white gloves touched its own mouth, seemingly surprised to see him…
"… Zanny? Is that you?"
"Yes, Kurei, it's me." Zan let a smile grace his face. "It's been a while since—"
Whatever he would say, he didn't get to say it because that androgynous figure ran at him like a speeding bullet, and glomped him. He didn't offer too much resistance, because why would he? This Kurei person… was, and perhaps still is, the best friend he ever has.
Though he still made sure he planted himself to the ground firmly so they wouldn't fall from the impact. The guy packed more strength than what his slim and frail-looking body implied.
"I missed you so much, Zanny!" the slender-figured young man jumped and bounced around while still hugging him. "It's been what, three or four years? Never thought I'd meet you here! What are you…"
Zan cuts him off, looking genuinely apologetic while doing that.
"While I can say the same, I would rather talk in a more… secure place. And I know just the place." Zan pushed him away gently, briefly scans their surroundings. There are four… no, five more unconscious figures aside from the one he saw earlier. "Would you like to come with me, Kurei?"
He would love to ask about the unconscious bodies around them, but he has a feeling the sooner they get out of this dark place, the better. There could be more of those people. The questions can wait.
"But of course! I'll follow you wherever you go." After less than few seconds of consideration, the man named Kurei simply nodded.
"Good… but first, take this." He reaches into his coat and pulls out a white, slightly glowing cloak. "This cloak will blur out your features, making it harder for your pursuers to recognize you." And lastly, he takes out a glasses from his breastpocket and put it on.
"Cool… where did you get these fancy stuff? Also what's with the glasses?"
"It's specifically crafted to counter that cloak so I can recognize your features. I won't lose you in the crowds this way." Zan stated calmly. "Now, let's get moving. We have a lot to talk about."
"Yeah! Let's catch up for those years we missed each other!"
"That's… not what I meant, but sure. We'll do that too."
And so they departed from that place, leaving half a dozen men unconscious lying there without a care.
Sometime later
Tokyo, Japan
Gombigobilla almost made it back to his residence. His temporary home for this Holy Grail War, this is the place where he and the other Masters of Black would gather and discuss strategy. And speaking of which, he made an announcement to the Clock Tower to see if they are interested in participating in the war… and oddly, only one person responded. And if Zan manages to recruit his designed target…
They'd still need two more Masters. He doesn't feel like exploiting civilians for this, so drafting them is out of question. Don't get him wrong, he would play dirty, but he is a professional. He has standards. Perhaps he should discuss it with his fellow Masters, about how to handle this matter properly…
They have three days of grace before the actual war begins. It will be okay, right? Nothing is going to go wrong. He had made an appointment for that one person that responded, and that person would have been waiting inside. He would have apologize for his lateness, he hopes that person is a reasonable one—
"A Psalm of Asaph. O God, the nations have invaded your inheritance; they have defied Your holy temple; they have laid Jerusalem in ruins!"
Just as he approached his front door, he can hear someone speaking. So high in volume and so intense in tone. He doesn't know who that voice belongs to, and why they spoke that way. He's not an overtly religious man, but he can tell that was a verse of the—
"You shall be rid of this world, intruder." That voice now sounds normal. "May the Lord forgive your sins. Amen."
Silence for a few moment… he held his breath as he waited to find out what's going on, before a window of his temporary house shattered and someone was thrown out... rolling on the ground before they stopped themselves and got back up quickly. That person was a woman, approximately in her early 20's.
It was a woman with short dark violet hair, wearing a skintight suit of slightly lighter purple color. And she was gripping an ominous-looking combat knife with her right hand.
What the hell is going on in my house?
"Hey!" Gombi called out. "What are you—"
The young woman completely ignored him and starts charging towards the broken window, going back inside the house. The dagger on her hand crackling with purple magical energy, who knows what kind of spell she is preparing within its blades. Gombi lets out an exasperated sigh.
"It seems we have a problem here. Lancer?"
His Servant promptly manifested beside him. She is already directing her attention to whatever happening inside the house. It seems she is quite amused by the situation.
"Whoever's fighting inside, I want you to neutralize them. Non-lethally, please."
"Hmm. As you wish. But I'll be taking my time."
"As long as they don't get to kill each other, that's fine."
Lancer moved with such speed, opening the door and closing it again with extreme care, leaving Gombi so quickly that he only had time to blink. He takes out his cigarette and lits it, taking his time following Lancer as he enters the building. He has a hunch that this will be a headache…
Meanwhile inside…
The woman in skintight suit twirls her dagger, glaring at her enemy who stands on the opposite side of the room. A fiery-haired woman in a nun outfit, who is holding some slender rapier-like swords with blades measuring over one meter and extremely short hilt, three in each hand… those are Black Keys.
"So you came back for more, huh." The fiery haired woman stated the obvious. "So you chose to ignore the Lord's mercy… then so be it…"
The woman in skintight suit didn't respond with words. Instead, she reaches out to her waist and pulled out another weapon. An asymmetrical dagger with distinctive wavy blade, called kris, is now ready on her left hand. If her enemy uses two handed weapons, then two can play at that game.
"Not a conversationalist, are you?" The fiery-haired woman asked, going into a battle stance and crossing her Black Keys in front of her face. "I was hoping to get more reaction out of you, you know?… I should've grabbed your mousy friend from under the table and—"
While her enemy is talking, that's when she strikes. People who loves to listen to their own voice are her favorite preys, because they are so easy to catch off-guard. Her tactics were justified as she sees her enemy tense for a brief moment, although she can tell that woman is still far from helpless. At least she can disrupt her composure.
She launches a series of consecutive slashes with her daggers, hoping to overpower the woman with the amount of her attacks. She was mildly impressed as the woman matches her attacks blow to blow, with those impractical-looking Black Keys. They are not meant for close range fighting, as far as she knows.
She would have to take a different approach. Crush the enemy with overwhelming force.
She abruptly broke the engagement and jumps back... once, twice, thrice. She was building some distance. She would activate her magecraft to enhance her own physical attributes. She utilizes her bestial nature with that craft, granting her strength that a normal human could never hope to achieve.
Meanwhile on the other side, the fiery-haired woman is also gathering her strength. From the brief exchange that they had earlier, she can tell that she cannot take her lightly. With barely a whisper, she summons a wall of glowing scripture pages, specifically designed for protection, blessing of the Lord.
She can use that to slow down her enemy and then neutralize her swiftly with a crippling attack.
With their preparation complete at roughly the same time, they moved to re-engage at the combat. The woman in skintight suit lunges ferociously like a tiger, while the fiery haired woman charged forward with a defensive stance, protecting her vital spots as she moved. This clash would decide the victor—
Before their attack can properly connect, the figure of a woman appeared between them, seemingly out of thin air. With one hand she swiftly disarms the woman in skintight suit and blows her away with an almost casual flick to her forehead, while dismantling the fiery haired woman's barrier with the other, a symbol of rune glowing on her palm… and give her a 'gentle' push to her torso, taking all the air out of her lungs and reduced her to a crumpled mess on the floor.
"That is enough of your bickering, young ladies." That woman spoke in such a commandeering tone. "I will not tolerate anymore of you two making a mess out of our homebase."
"Who… who are you?" the fiery haired woman coughed out, still clutching her chest.
The woman in skintight suit simply looked at the newcomers with blatant questions in her eyes.
"I am Lancer." The woman declared. "The Servant of…"
"Me."
All of them looked at the new voice, this one masculine. Gombigobilla just entered the scene, smoking his cigarettes casually as if he didn't see anything wrong with two people almost killing each other in a deathly battle. He plopped down on a chair, which was miraculously untouched by the chaos of battle.
"This is my home, and you won't kill each other in here without my permission." He said, casually. "Now, young ladies… what is your business coming to my humble abode?"
Before either of the young woman can answer, someone crawled out from the table not too far from Gombigobilla, to his mild surprise. He certainly wasn't expecting a third party in this room. It was another young woman…
"Ah, thank god you stopped them!"
She wears a blue dress and her black hair is wavy, she looks like a civilian that doesn't belong to this Grail War. And judging from her appearance, she doesn't seem to reach twenty, as she frantically tries to stand up. "I—I've been hiding from under this table since they started fighting! It was so intense!"
"And who are you, young lady?" Gombi helped her up, while also trying to digest what the hell is going on. "What could possibly be your business here?"
"That, I can tell you. She and I came here together."
They turned to the woman with skintight. She walked up to them slowly, while rubbing her sore forehead. The fiery haired woman seemed to be content just listening. Lancer looks at her calmly.
"My name is Aine Casec and I am here to inform you, Mr. Picerno." She said, turning to Gombi as she said so. Gombi, understanding that this is definitely a serious matter, gestured at her to take a seat nearby and she nodded.
"I have encountered a dangerous man named Kazuki Takeru and his equally dangerous accomplice, a mysterious man named 'R'…"
Thank you guys so much for reading, I'll see you in the next chapter. Buh-bye!