Chapter XXIV
From inside her hotel room, Luvia Edelfelt was getting ready. Her familiars had relayed that her target would be in a prime position for elimination soon, having observed said target leaving their hotel mere moments ago. She didn't know why, but it seemed that her target got spooked by something. She had sent all this information to Lord El-Melloi for advisement on how to proceed further.
"Ah, well, I can't be blamed for taking advantage of the situation," she mused.
Her musings were interrupted by the sound of pen on parchment, the mundane equivalent of a fax machine for mages. Turning to the device, what she saw caused her to try to soothe her nerves.
Elimination of the target: Proceed.
Her target wasn't a run-of-the-mill magus whose magecraft was more suited to research and took up a Mystic Code to make up for the handicap. No, her target had been groomed for combat, and it had taken her half a day to prepare for the upcoming confrontation.
"I should've taken Sakura with me," Luvia sighed as she closed a small draw-string bag. The bag was one of three, each bag containing numerous jewels for magecraft. Though, she preferred the use of her first while using Reinforcement. Something of which caused some in the Clocktower to call her the Hunting Dog of the Ring, due to her use of Lancashire wrestling. This also caused others to also call her… the Forklift Lady, though none had the nerve to say it to her face. "A shame she was needed back in Finland."
Her sister was also a magus and unlike many other magus families, the Edelfelt magic crest allowed for two heirs. The other heir being Sakura, who had been adopted by Luvia's family from their distantly related relatives in Japan. Apparently, Sakura was born to a mage family who already had a designated heir. Sakura's original father reached out to Luvia's parents about having Sakura adopted and if she was remembering it correctly, her parents were rather ecstatic about the news.
Luvia was an only child and the Edelfelt magic crest performed better when it had two heirs. Of course, her parents could have tried for a second child, but it was years later that she found out that prior to her own birth, one of mother's experiments had damaged her reproductive organs. Bearing another child wasn't exactly impossible for her mother, but it did make it difficult. So of course, adopting Sakura into the Edelfelt family was a no-brainer for her parents. Unlike some mage families in the Aristocratic faction, she and her family had come to the understanding that sometimes blood wasn't essential in the continuation of family magecraft. But instead, it was a willing student who would learn the magecraft and pass it on to the next generation. An emphasis on some mage families, because she knew that not all in the Aristocratic faction were of the same mind. Faelan for example.
Shaking her head, Luvia turned her thoughts away from him and back to her minor complaints that her sister had to head home. "At least with Sakura's help, it would've made this a lot easier," the blonde sighed before she headed towards the door and turned off the hotel room lights behind her as she left.
After hailing a cab in front of the hotel, she gave instructions for the driver to take her to Griffith Park.
"Are you sure you want to go there at this time of night, miss?" the driver frowned. "It ain't exactly the best time to go sightseeing."
Sighing, Luvia drew a rune in the air, "Yes, please take me to Griffith Park. I am more than capable of taking care of myself." When she saw the look in the driver's eyes go distant due to the rune she had drawn, which made a target, usually one of the mundane, more susceptible to a mage's suggestions, she had to roll her eyes. Honestly, while she was somewhat amused by the driver's concern for a stranger, she didn't have the time to deal with it tonight.
"Yeah, I guess you can," said the driver tonelessly before he turned back in his seat and started driving towards the park in question.
Turning her gaze out the window, Luvia propped her elbow on the door handle beside her to hold her head up as she watched the scenery of the city go by. This wasn't the first time she had been to Los Angeles, but it was the first she was here on business. The first time was when her parents had taken her and Sakura out to go to Disney Land. A mundane diversion, one hardly seen in any established mage family, but her parents had thought it would ease Sakura better into the family, her new family.
With a fond smile, she remembered the day her mother had come back from Japan with a little girl her own age nervously and anxiously gripping mother's hand. Sakura was a shy thing back then and not because Sakura was normally a shy person, though, between the two of them, Sakura was definitely the more reserved one. No, it was due to the fact that Sakura, a young girl, had moved from what she had once known. And being the energetic girl that she was who was getting a new sister, Luvia wasn't vain enough to admit she could be cannonball sometimes, she eagerly showed Sakura around the Edelfelt mansion, finally ending the tour with her room. A shared room between the two of them.
And the mountain of toys that Luvia owned. Though, she also remembered when she insisted that all the toys were also Sakura's because that's what it meant to be an heir of the Edelfelt family. A bond between siblings, to share the family magecraft between the both of them. And distinctly remembered the bright smile that slowly edged on Sakura's face when she had told her that.
Since then, she and Sakura were nearly inseparable, with this assignment being one of the times they were separated. Initially, Sakura had intended to join her for this assignment, however, apparently there was trouble brewing back home and Sakura had gone off to investigate it when their parents' concern had grown.
"Ah well," Luvia sighed quietly for herself. Perhaps she'd get a souvenir for Sakura when her assignment was complete, Sakura had been growing fond of collecting keychains with a country's flag. Something about traveling the world and having proof she had indeed gone to those countries in person.
"Miss, we're here."
Paying the fare, Luvia stepped out of the cab and breathed in the air. Eyeing the forest, she was glad she had chosen to forego her usual dresses and had worn pants, boots, and a vest over a tank top and had tied her hair to one side. Connecting to one of her familiars, she had noted that her target wasn't that far off from her current position.
Taking a glance back over her shoulder, she had seen that the cab was almost gone and a look around informed her that none of the mundane were around either. Channeling Reinforcement in her legs, she swept into the forest as silently as she could. While remaining incognito from the more public world was something each Clocktower practiced, she was also an Edelfelt. And Edelfelts were touted as mercenaries, infamous for their joy on the battlefield.
And her blood was absolutely singing her rapture.
Slowing as she neared her target, Luvia stayed in the shadows of the trees, keeping her steps light and trying to make as little noise as possible. Her target was currently on the side of the nearby mountain, though what for, she had no idea. There wasn't a leyline on this side of the Santa Monica mountains, but then again, it wouldn't be out of the norm for a magus to set up a workshop in less attractive places so as to hide in plain sight.
She frowned, suppressing a wince from the feedback when she felt the connection to one of her familiars get cut. That particular familiar had been the closest to her target, but it had been far away enough to be outside most mages' range of awareness. Or at least, she had thought so. However, before that familiar's death, it had transmitted the target's location, as well as the direction he was going in, and oddly enough her target was being chased after. If she moved quickly and was lucky enough, she could cut her target off and fulfill her mission before his pursuers got to him first. Her pride as an Edelfelt wouldn't allow another to make her kill.
Dashing off, it wasn't long before she settled behind a tree, lying in wait for her target. After all, the best way to hunt wasn't to chase down prey but to lie in wait and at the ready to minimize the chances of the prey getting away. Digging her hand into one of the drawstring bags at her belt, she fished out four jewels, one held between her fingers and thumb, all primed with magical energy and waiting to be used like a rifle in the hands of a rifleman. One of her familiars, an oriole chirped above in the trees, alerting her that her target was close and inbound. Steadying her breath, her eyes narrowed as she awaited the moment she'd strike.
However, what she didn't expect was for her target to rush out sprinting as if the devil was at his heels, given the frightened look on his face as the man who was panting like a dog in a sauna, was also missing his right arm. She was about to unleash her jewelcraft, regardless of the state of her target, when she heard a familiar voice.
"Get back here you son of a bitch!"
"Faelan?" she frowned, completely surprised when one of the few people outside of her family she might consider a friend tore out from out of the trees, the edge of his sword glowing ominously in the night as it was encased in fire.
… A few hours earlier…
"So is there a reason you've been moody since the zoo, son?"
I looked up from the leisure book I was reading to see both of my parents looking at me with expectant gazes. A glance to the side revealed that Atalanta's face mirrored theirs, though within the privacy of the hotel room, the tip of Atalanta's tail was flicking back and forth in an agitated manner.
"Where's Lin?" I responded.
"Asleep," Mom replied, her arms crossed as she rather patiently waited. Great, she was in "Enforcer" mode. "Albine is keeping an eye on her while we all talk. Now, if you'll stop stalling…"
I sighed, setting my book aside. "I…" I frowned, trying to word my trepidations, "I think I saw a familiar face. One I haven't seen in years."
"Was it a prior target?" Dad frowned.
"Nope," I replied, popping the p. "It was… the face I saw," I turned to look back at my mother, "it belonged to a member of the Eye of Marduk."
The silence that settled in the room was stifling.
Mom's face hardened. "Impossible," she spoke, her tone harsh. Her tone wasn't aimed at me, but at the very thought that someone survived her onslaught all those years ago. "Every member of that cult was there for the summoning of a Heroic Spirit for the Lesser Grail War they wished to participate in, the intel came from Barthomeloi herself." I noted that the fingers on one of Mom's hands were digging into the opposite arm from their crossed position. "I went in and left a team to secure the mouth of the cave to prevent any from escaping. One of them was Sisigou, he told me only three members of the cult tried to run and they became materials for the necromancers research."
A shame we couldn't confirm the old man's words. Not that I didn't trust him, but it would've been nice to verify the situation. And as for the Vice-Director, well… I wasn't stupid to try to ask whether or not she was sure of her own intelligence reports.
"Maybe it was just a trick of the mind," I shrugged. Still hoping that it was.
"Faelan," This time Mom did speak harshly. "We raised you to be better than that."
I winced at her admonishment.
"Aella," Dad put a hand on her shoulder, speaking gently.
Mom placed a hand on her forehead, taking in a deep breath, "I'm sorry. You're right." She looked back at me, "I'm sorry, Faelan, but are you sure of what you saw?"
"I would never forget any of the faces I saw there…"
Unfortunately, I couldn't. I'd still get nightmares about what happened to me in New Mexico, of what the Eye of Marduk did to me. And their faces, the faces of the people that I saw in those caves were always the clearest in those dreams.
"Then there is a survivor of the Eye of Marduk…" Mom's eyes narrowed.
"So then what's the plan then?" I asked.
"Easy," Mom shrugged, "we hunt the son of a bitch down."
Well, there's nothing like a wholesome family bonding activity like hunting down a person with the intention of murdering said person. Because I knew that in my mother's mind, the guy wasn't going to live on the off chance that keeping him alive would bite us later in the ass.
"Right," I sighed. "So then when are we doing this? Tomorrow night? After our vacation?"
"No, we're doing this tonight."
I was glad that I wasn't the only one who looked at Mom in alarm, Dad and Atalanta looked just as concerned. "Wait, now? How? We have no intel on the guy, not even a name, and in a city, trying to find this guy would be like chasing down one needle in a dozen haystacks."
"Aella, Faelan's right," Dad tried to reason. "We should rest and look tomorrow if you insist on doing this now."
But Mom shook her head, "The chances of finding this bastard decreases every minute that passes. There's no telling when he'll leave the city and we lose him forever. No, we do this now, tonight. Atalanta, can you track a target?"
"In a city this large, I'd need to have his scent," Atalanta answered, a frown on her face.
"Excellent," Mom smirked.
I looked at her incredulously, "Why? I only know what this guy looks like, Mom. And it's been years since then, who knows what's similar back then to who he is now."
"I think being around Atalanta has made you forget about an important tool Enforcers use, sweetheart," Mom gave me a look.
I raised a brow. What?
Mom walked over to the window and opened it, allowing a great grey owl to fly in and find a perch on the backrest of one of the chairs, though it was only standing on one of its legs. And then it all came back to me, familiars, of course. Familiars, especially ones that were engineered to look exactly like the regular animals they were based from generally had lower magical energy outputs than typical familiars. Which is why they could also be so damned expensive. Gently grasped in the owl's talons was a near-empty water bottle. Clothes or something else worn would've been a better source for a scent, but then again the palms sweat more than most parts of the body, and the guy must've held the bottle at least once to drink it.
"I had the owl keep an eye out for anyone who looked suspicious when you got that look in your eye at the zoo," Mom explained. "There was only one man there who didn't belong and luckily he threw away a water bottle in the parking lot." She then looked at my girlfriend, "Would this suffice, Atalanta?"
Atalanta stood up and walked over to the owl, taking the plastic bottle from it and took a small sniff. "Hmm, yes, this should suffice. However, given that Faelan last saw this Eye of Marduk member back at the zoo, that location would be the optimal place to start looking."
"Agreed," Mom nodded before she turned to me. "I'll give you ten minutes to get ready, Faelan. After that, you and Atalanta meet me downstairs in the lobby. Tonight, we finish the events of that night twelve years ago." With that, she turned on her heel and left the room. Mom's tone had been unusually short and brusque, reminding me of the rare times when either Dad or I actually managed to piss her off.
When the door closed, I couldn't stop holding back the sigh that escaped my lips. Despite Mom's tone, you'd think that I'd be right behind my mother, desiring for the events conducted by the Eye of Marduk cult to finally come to an end. But if I was honest… I put that all behind me when I met Lobo and the Amaroq, or more specifically when the Amaroq taught me an important lesson. To flow in the "river" that was the world. Hundreds of tragedies had occurred before, will occur in the future, and to be frank, hundreds of tragedies are probably occurring right now. There was no stopping the man-made tragedies just as there was no way one could stop a hurricane. Mankind's cruelty had made its mark long ago and even in this digital world where one's actions can be public for all the world to see, it didn't stop those cruel acts from occurring. Another lesson the Amaroq taught me, with Lobo as an example, was to not be chained by the past.
Lobo was still chained by the loss of his mate, that much was quite clear given that his spirit remained and existed as a phantom spirit. Despite the fact that his despair, in turn, gave him a rage that strengthened his spiritual core to the point that Lobo's spirit to remain in the world that rage was also what was holding him back. Though I didn't blame the wolf for it, I never could, it'd be hypocritical of me given that I ran away from my traumas by locking them away. Someone else may have done it to me, but after my Clocktower education, I was more than capable of undoing the spells on those memories.
"You know your mother cares," Dad spoke up, being oddly quiet.
"Of course I know she cares, she's my mother," I shrugged, raising my hand to the side and opening a portal to the gate of Babylon, allowing a hard case crate to be placed on the floor. "But she can't let this eat at her, Dad. You know how… off-kilter Mom can get whenever someone mentions the Eye of Marduk."
I turned my attention to my things for a moment. The case that came out from the Gate of Babylon contained my emergency equipment; my 5.7 Custom, its ammunition, and Mugetsu, along with some clothes appropriate for combat; a red avant-garde style shirt, black pants, and a pair of boots. Though, I also had to start wearing a few compression clothes on my limbs given the new… gifts of the Amaroq and Lobo, because, despite said gifts, my body wasn't used to the inhuman strain, even with magecraft to reinforce it. As such, I had begun wearing gloved compression sleeves due to my extended use of iaido and using my enhanced speed to enhance my technique and I needed whatever edge I could take to prevent my arm from breaking due to the influx of power. Hell, I had even gone on Youtube looking up videos of the character Vergil from the Devil May Cry series because… well, why not. If it was possible for me, I should, right?
Plus, according to Lin, it looked cool.
Though the soreness that came after wasn't.
"I know, kiddo," Dad sighed, running a hand down his face.
"But this, I was hoping that the face I saw really wasn't there, Dad," I continued, "because I am done letting the past define me, to let what was done to me define me. I am more than what those… people did to me. But… I understand why Mom wants to finish this, to kill the guy that I saw back at the zoo. I also understand why you're letting Mom go do it."
Dad wasn't a soldier or a warrior, sure he could defend himself when necessary, but the Ashford family magecraft was based on researching Noble Phantasms, not using them. And Dad was an Ashford through and through, though he could be a terror when it came to business and management. Lorelei Barthomeloi may give me the occasional shiver watching her work in an office and tear nobles down without a sweat, but Dad legitimately scared me when he had that look in his eye while he sat at a desk, working.
And it was because of this, that I understood how useless he must've felt when I had been gone for over a month, being held by the Eye of Marduk. Even with all his political savvy, his connections, and resources, Dad wasn't able to find me. The way Barthomeloi told it, Dad had been the one to bite his cheek and take a blow to his ego and had been the one to ask her to find me. I don't really know what Mom and Dad had to pay back to Barthomeloi in return, but it must've been big given that Barthomeloi never asked for anything small.
"Yeah," was all he said glumly, his gaze downward with a conflicted look on his face. Breathing out a sigh, he stood up. "The homunculi and I will make sure Lin's safe, just watch out for your mother, will you?"
Without waiting for me to reply Dad too left.
Scratching the back of my head, I repressed the urge to sigh again. A part of me couldn't help but feel responsible for the pain my parents were feeling, but I also knew that it was unfounded. Taking the clothes with me to the hotel bathroom, for some privacy and some time alone with my thoughts, I quickly changed. Though it was when I was leaving the bathroom and pulling on one of the gloved compression sleeves over my right arm that I noticed a surprised look on Atalanta's face.
"Something wrong?" I asked, a brow raised.
"When did you get a tattoo?" she frowned, her gaze on my right arm.
I looked down at the arm in question for a moment, before looking back up at her. "Uh, when I was eighteen?" I said unsurely.
"Really?" her frown deepened, dubious.
It was then I realized that there wasn't much opportunity for Atalanta to see my tattoo. It was of a detailed howling wolf head and red eyes that simulated a glow that faded into my natural skin, with the bottom of the ink art drawn so that the "negative space" created a line of pine trees, resembling a forest. At the time, I had no idea why I had the urge to get a tattoo like this, but given Lobo and the Amaroq currently resting in my soul, it kinda made a little sense. However, back on Atalanta not seeing it, well, the time we were at the hot springs the place was quite foggy around the water and probably obscured any view of it. And things between her and I didn't go beyond much beyond long make-out sessions and maybe some heavy petting as Barthomeloi worked the both of us like horses in hunting Dead Apostles and Sealing Designates.
"Pretty much," I shrugged.
"Hmm," she hummed, maintaining her frown as her gaze had not deviated from the direction of my arm.
For a long moment, nothing else was said as a pregnant pause settled in the room.
"Do you not like it?" I asked unsurely, breaking the silence.
When I came back home after the first tattoo session, Mom wasn't really all that impressed. Though I think it had been the tattoo design she had a problem with rather than the actual tattoo itself, Mom liked dinosaurs a lot and she even had this really cool tattoo of a velociraptor on her forearm. And Dad had simply given my tattoo a passing compliment before he went back to his business. Lin was too young at the time to say anything about my first tattoo and had simply been normalized to it as she grew up. Though she did get curious about tattoos in general when I had gone out and gotten a few more tattoos.
"No," she shook her head with a reassuring smile, "I was merely surprised is all."
I smiled sheepishly in turn, "I guess telling you about them passed my mind."
For ten months.
"It's quite alright, like I said, I do not mind."
Feeling a little mischievous, I walked with purpose toward her, getting her attention as she frowned at me cautiously. Placing my hands on the armrests beside her as I loomed over her, I leaned towards Atalanta's ear, "Is that so? Then I can't help but wonder what you'll say about the tattoos I have in other places." Leaning back, I was treated to the sight of my girlfriend's cheeks blushing so brightly that it almost put a firetruck to shame.
"That's… you're not playing fair, Faelan," she glared up at me, though the 'angry' look had been ruined by her blushing cheeks.
"Whatever do you mean?" I grinned at her. "I'm just telling you that I have other tattoos."
She made a face, the closest I've ever seen her pouting before she stood up. "Come, we must go. Your mother said to meet her in ten minutes."
I shook my head in amusement, it was sometimes too easy to tease Atalanta. Though I was surprised at what happened next when she had passed by me, I jumped and had made a small yelp when I felt someone pinch my ass, or rather the only other someone in the room had pinched my ass. Looking at Atalanta in surprise, I had to blink when she looked nonchalant with her arms crossed, though I detected the smallest hint of a smirk at the corner of her lips.
Noticing the look on my face, she had the gall to look concerned, "Is something wrong?"
I couldn't help but laugh. "No, I'm fine. C'mon, you're right, Mom will be waiting."
Grabbing the carry case for my weapons and slinging it over my shoulder, I turned off the lights as the both of us left the room.
…
When we got to the zoo, after we used runes of suggestion to get past the zoo's night security, Mom had started busying herself by looking over one of the metal ingots she had taken with her, tungsten by the look of it. Like her brother, Mom could manipulate metal and turn them into weapons via programmed spells that were placed on the ingots, however, those weapons were restricted to less advanced weapons such as swords, spears, clubs, and the like. Which made her a prime candidate to become an Enforcer back in her time.
Meanwhile, Atalanta had been tracking the scent from the bottle as she didn't have to do much to prepare besides materializing her huntress' dress and her bow. She moved around the now empty zoo, which was now void of any human life. The animals that had remained in their exhibits didn't give us much besides a passing glance as we moved through the zoo. As for myself, I had pulled my equipment from my carry case, belting on the utility belt that had my 5.7 Custom in its holster along with some magazines and several throwing knives. As for Mugetsu, I merely held it in my left hand, ready to be used.
"Do you have the scent, Atalanta?" Mom asked, sliding the ingot in her hand into her belt before crossing her arms.
"I do," Atalanta replied with a nod, a frown on her face as she looked around, her ears twitching at the smallest of sounds. "However, whoever this man is, he was smart. His scent is quite diluted among the rest. It's as if he swam in the crowd rather than walk through them."
"But you can track him, right?" Mom frowned.
"Of course, I can," Atalanta scoffed as she moved deeper into the zoo. "His scent… oh."
"What is it?" I asked, raising a brow.
Atalanta stopped and turned to us, biting her lower lip. "He… he was following us."
Mom's eyes widened, "He what?!"
"Not all of us, his scent deviates every so often," Atalanta amended, though she was just as troubled as Mom was given the concern written over her face. "More specifically, he had been following Faelan and I."
My mind raced, Atalanta and I hardly left each other's company earlier today. Often, our group split up to see animal exhibits that we individually wanted to see for one reason or another before meeting up again later. It didn't take a genius to surmise that the Eye of Marduk cult survivor had been following Atalanta and I with myself as his target. And it made sense, when one was hunting, it was best to actually know the prey, to understand them, so that the hunt that followed was easier. But then again… doing reconnaissance from a distance was safer. Anonymity was kept, spooking the target was kept to a minimum, and one could set up a trap without them realizing it.
Well, unless…
"It's a-" was all I could get out before my hearing started ringing, everything was everywhere, and I found myself sprawled on the ground.
Searching around wildly, I saw that the concession area we were in was something out of a battlefield, debris everywhere, but I didn't see any hint of Atalanta or Mom. Wincing in pain due to the ringing still in my ears, I tried to call out for Atalanta and my mother. Or at least I think I did, I didn't even know if what I said was even a name.
Out of breath due to the spike in adrenaline, I looked down at my left hand to see that thankfully I hadn't lost my grip on Mugetsu. I took in deep, slow breaths to try to calm down. For a moment, I was back in the snowy forest with Amaroq and Lobo. And in that moment, their anger shared mine. Feeling their magical energy surge through my magical circuits, my hearing was back to normal.
"Atalanta! Mom!" I called out.
"Faelan!"
I almost breathed out a sigh of relief when I heard Atalanta reply back.
"Faelan! It's your mother, she's hurt!"
And that sigh of relief turned into a sucker punch to the gut.
Scrambling to my feet, I stumbled my way around pieces of debris and avoided the pits made into the concrete from the explosion and that's when it finally hit me, the smell of blood. I found Atalanta crouched over the unconscious form of my Mom off to the side, finishing wrapping some cloth, one of the sleeves from my Mom's shirt, around a wound on her leg.
"How bad?" I immediately went to Atalanta's side and winced when I saw that the impromptu bandage was already starting to soak red.
"Bad," Atalanta replied, "some debris impaled itself into her leg and I am frightened to know whether or not it hit an artery, and she's still unconscious. Though I don't know if she lost consciousness because of the explosion or rapid blood loss. Can you heal her?"
I bit my lip, "I need to see the wound."
"Faelan, your mother might bleed out if an artery was severed!" Atalanta protested.
"But I can't do anything with that piece of debris still in her leg!" I snapped back. Taking in a deep breath, I placed Mugetsu on the ground before I raised my hand and opened the Gate of Babylon, allowing an Enforcer's first-aid kit and some towels to fall onto my hand. I looked at Atalanta again. "Please, Atalanta."
She stared right back for a moment. "Okay," she said as she took the first-aid kit and opened it up.
Slowly unfastening the cloth around my mother's leg I just as slowly began to unwrap it with one hand while keeping my other hand at the ready to draw whatever healing rune I needed, When the cloth was undone, I ignored the stream of blood that splattered my front, ruining my shirt before I started writing runes.
"Start cleaning up the blood around the edge of the wound," I said, my eyes trained on the shard of debris impaled in my mother's leg.
Wordlessly, Atalanta did as I said, dabbing at the edges with a towel. Drawing several more runes, I began to make a miniaturized and more precise version of a Bounded Field around the piece of debris, to separate it from my mother's flesh. But it was a concise operation, especially so given that I could not physically see the part of the debris that was in Mom's leg. Once that was done, I also began writing another line of healing runes that were delayed, designed to take effect due to the addition of a time rune added at the end.
"Okay, I'm going to pull the piece of debris out," I said, not taking my eyes off of it. "Atalanta, I need you to cover the wound once it's out."
"Right."
Gripping the piece of debris, now coated with the mini-Bounded Field, I took a deep breath. Activating my magic circuits, I used Reinforcement throughout my arm, ready to pull the debris out quickly. And just as fast as I would draw Mugetsu from its sheath, the piece of debris was out of my mother's leg and Atalanta used her own speed as Servant to quickly cover my mother's wound and put pressure on it to prevent as much blood loss as possible. But just as quickly, my runes activated, healing the damaged tissue in my mother's leg.
"She should be fine," I breathed out. "She'll be on the mend due to the blood loss, but we're probably going to have to cancel the rest of our vacation so that Mom can rest."
"That's a relief," Atalanta breathed out a sigh. "Though, I think Linnet will be a little disappointed that we'll have to."
"She'll be fine," I shrugged before a chuckle escaped me. "Though I think Mom's really in for it now, because I don't think Lin will leave Mom's side for a while because of this."
*And who says any of you will leave here alive?*
My eyes narrowed at the voice coming out of the loudspeaker. If he responded to Atalanta and I's conversation, he could hear me as well as see me. "Well, since you can hear us, let me tell you one thing; you're dead," I spoke aloud, feeling my voice turning into a growl. "Whoever you are, wherever you are, I will find you and drive my sword through your heart, shoot you in the head, and… I will personally rip out your magic crest and toss it to the Mage's Association for them to fight over!"
…
"Faelan…" I heard Atalanta utter my name in surprise.
*Well, that is certainly quite the threat, Ashford. And I would certainly be shaking in my shoes right now, if it wasn't for the fact that I have you dead to rights. I have just erected a Bounded Field, a bit crude I admit, however one must do sloppy work when pressed for time. But it'll get the job done.*
My eyes narrowed, a regular Bounded Field wouldn't be up to par with a Servant, though that wasn't the same for humans. However, a subpar one meant that my mother could pass through it with little issue. Atalanta could get Mom out of this zoo and it would be easier for Atalanta to do so if she had a distraction. Something of which I was more than willing to provide.
Atalanta, get my mother out of here.
Faelan, you can't fight whoever this is alone.
If I was a regular magus, I would agree with you. But I have the Gate of Babylon and two wolves sitting in my soul chomping at the bit to help take this son of a bitch down.
…
Fine. How will you find him? He could be piggybacking off the intercom system.
I felt proud. Ever since Romania, I had been teaching Atalanta a lot of the technological improvements that had been made since her time. And it had been amusing to see her overwhelmed with it all.
He's a magus, I doubt he managed to get the intercom system working within ten minutes.
Very well, can you give me distraction?
Gladly.
Spying several security cameras that were turned in our direction around the area, I opened the Gate of Babylon, causing several smoke grenades to land in my hand. Popping the pins off the grenades, I tossed them around us, allowing the smoke to billow out and conceal us.
Good luck…
With a burst of sound, Atalanta had gathered my mother before speeding off. Slowing my breathing rate down so that I didn't breathe in the smoke too much, I reached over to grab Mugetsu from the ground. Feeling the warmth throughout my body as I channeled magical energy through my magic circuits, I connected to the Amaroq and Lobo in the snowy forest, the mindscape, and burst forth. My sight began to blur as I got tunnel vision from moving so fast. But I stopped occasionally, not long, but enough so that I could get a grip of where I was.
Eventually, I found myself in front of the control room but before I could kick down the door, I felt my connection to the mindscape surge for a moment. I couldn't explain what happened next, but it was like my body moved according to someone else's will, and yet I was fully aware of what I was doing. However, I didn't see my body's actions as alien.
Instead of moving closer to the door, I instead used Reinforcement on my legs and ran up the wall of the building to the roof. Applying a rune to the rooftop, causing the material to become brittle, before I slammed the tip of Mugetsu's scabbard against the roof, causing it to cave in. As I fell down into the room, I saw the shocked face of the lone man who was inside the room and for a moment, all I did was glare back. But then that moment passed and I drew Mugetsu before swinging it towards the man's neck.
What happened next caused me to be surprised this time as a swarm of beetles enveloped the man's body and the swarm was somehow able to deflect my blow. And I knew that it had been deflected because I saw sparks fly from the edge of my blade surface of the beetle swarm. Leaping back to create distance between myself and the beetle-encased man, I narrowed my eyes at him as the swarm lowered from the man's head, presenting the visage of him smirking. Bugs, why was it always bugs? I swear, if this guy can make a clone of himself like that asshole lamyros can…
"Going through the roof," the man chuckled, "an inspired idea. Tell me, did you see the traps that I placed on the doors and window? I can't imagine why you'd go through the roof otherwise."
I kept my silence, scanning for any chinks in the armor. Or rather, holes in the swarm.
"What? Nothing to say now?" the man grinned. "And it was mere moments ago you threatened to rip out my magic circuits after my bomb injured your mother. I really should've done my homework better. I didn't foresee your mother using the metal she carried to become a shield. What was it? Steel? Or perhaps tungsten? It does have the strength to withstand explosions."
Not saying a word, I quickly drew my 5.7 Custom and fired four rounds at him, but to my annoyance, the beetles once again rose to encase the man's head, protecting him. Though I did note that a few of the beetles did fall to the ground and a quick glance told me that those insects that had fallen had bullet holes in their bodies and that there were four in number. So while the guy wasn't invincible in there, I would have to waste a single bullet to kill one beetle. What was worse was that the bullets I was using were Gandr enhanced and I only had three more magazines on me and I only had about 300 more rounds in the Gate of Babylon, though they weren't in any magazines either. And I couldn't even formulate a guess as to how many bugs that swarm was composed of.
A shame that I lost my elemental affinity for fire-focused magecraft…
"Really? Guns?" the man's condescending voice was distorted through the swarm of beetles. "You should be ashamed, calling yourself a mage while using the weaponry of the mundane!" Rearing his arm back, the bug-encased man threw his arm forward, causing the swarm to come towards me like a battering ram.
Firing a few more rounds into the swarm to buy whatever time I could get, I used Reinforcement on my legs before leaping up out of the hole I had made in the roof. Twisting myself in the air, I continued to fire at the swarm as it had followed after me as I rolled onto the rooftop of the building. Trying not to lose as much momentum as possible, I used the roll to get to my feet and fired a few more shots into the swarm as it chased after me. I was certainly glad that since the Great Grail War in Romania I had started using thirty-round magazines for my 5.7 Custom. Channeling my magical energy through my magic circuits, I let it suffuse with the wolves sitting in my soul before I used my enhanced speed to get out of there.
"Where do you think you're going, huh?" his voice mocked behind me. "Some Enforcer you turned out to be! I heard you survived Romania's Holy Grail War. Tell me, did you survive by hiding like a coward?! Or were knocked out in the first battle and had your Servant killed?!"
Atalanta would've turned this guy into a living pincushion if she had ever heard that.
Still, what I needed to do was turn the tables, a battle of attrition would be suited in that guy's favor given the swarm of insects that could stop my blade. Although… this could be the perfect time to put one of my projects for a test run. Taking a glance down at my firearm, I saw that the slide had been locked back, indicating an empty magazine. Taking cover behind a pamphlet stand, I hooked Mugetsu to my belt before I ejected the empty magazine and popped in a fresh one into my 5.7 Custom. Holstering the weapon, I grabbed my sword from my belt and as I peeked around the corner, keeping a lookout as I drew a few runes onto Mugetsu's blade.
Spotting the insect magus in the distance, I kept calm as I continued to finish the runes while the bug-encased man walked in my direction. One rune to apply the previous rune I had written initially onto Mugetsu's straight-edged blade and another to put it on a time limit so it doesn't harm or weaken my sword in what I was attempting. Because as far as I knew, what I was trying to do was never attempted on a metal not known to even magi. As for what was the first rune I had drawn, well…
I smirked when the length of Mugetsu's blade lit up in a roaring fire just as the insect magus was near. And it was because of his proximity that just as my sword flashed in fire that I channeled my magic circuits and I was swirling in wolf-enhanced magical energy for good measure that I directed into Mugetsu's edge that I swung the sword at him. The man's scream as my sword cleaved right through his arm, causing it to fly off before plopping somewhere with a wet thud on the ground.
"Raaaaaarrghh! What did you do!?" the man yowled in pain as he fell onto his back, holding the stump of what was left of his right arm. The bugs that were on his body spread to cover the wound. "Your bullets couldn't hurt me. What is that sword!?"
I couldn't help but maintain my smirk, giving my fire-encased sword a glance, grateful that this even worked before looking at him in a rather condescending way. Odd. Don't think I've been this condescending before.
"You know, I honestly couldn't tell you," I confessed with a helpless shrug. And that was indeed the honest truth. Still, I'd rather not dawdle because this flame was still on a time limit. "But you hurt my mother… and there is no way in hell I'm letting that go," I snarled as I pointed Mugetsu at his head.
I should've kept an eye on the dude's cut-off arm because while I was expecting something, I reacted immediately and slashed through a smaller swarm that came at me. Six cuts were made straight through the swarm and from those six cuts, the bugs fell to the ground completely charred like barbeque. And when I turned back to face the insect magus, the little shit was gone. I would've been worried... if there wasn't a blood trail.
"Yes," I couldn't help but chuckle in macabre humor, grinning as I admired the fire encasing Mugetsu. "Run, little monster. Run as fast as you can, it will all be for naught as I hunt you down like a pathetic animal. As I've said, I am going to rip out your magic crest…" Taking a knee, I inspected the drops of blood on the ground for a short moment before looking off towards the direction where the blood trail led.
"And I plan on honoring my word."
…Present time…
"Get back here you son of a bitch!" I snarled as I chased after the insect magus.
He had gone into the forest, likely trying to get to a temporary sanctuary or workshop where he could better defend himself. But I wasn't going to afford him that luxury. No, I was pissed off and in my soul, Lobo was nearly salivating at the prospect of hearing human pain and anguish. And while seeing my mother hurt by the explosion did infuriate me nearly beyond rational thought, anger like this was something I had never felt before. It was inhuman, it was… bestial. Heh, maybe Lobo was influencing me more than he normally did or maybe the Calydonian Boar pelt wasn't as dormant as I thought, but in this moment, I was more than willing to give Lobo the bloodshed he desired.
"Faelan?"
Hearing a voice I recognized almost snapped my attention away from… my prey and it was enough for me to glance in the voice's direction to see Luvia there, peeking from behind a tree. I had a million questions run through my mind, the foremost being; what the hell was she doing here in the States? But no, I had a hunt to finish.
I was going to draw my 5.7 Custom to shoot the insect magus' knees out, but I was beaten to the punch when several jewels, which nearly shone like a star, flew out and tore through the insect magus, completely bypassing his 'bug armor," and shot through his brain twice and his chest three times. A bit overkill, but then again, Luvia loved to be extravagant when she did things. Reminds me of the time she went into contention to buy a mansion of some magus who had died. She had gone over there with a full company of employees/guards as if it were some kind of parade. She didn't get the house though, I remember her basically pouting the entire week after. Not that she would admit it.
Glancing down at my sword, I drew a rune to prematurely cancel the flames on Mugetsu before I sheathed the sword back in its scabbard. Hooking Mugetsu onto my belt, I crossed my arms and sighed as Luvia walked over to me, a brow raised.
"You know, Faelan, when I recommended that you go to California for your vacation, I never thought you'd actually do it," she spoke, amusement clear in her voice.
"Is that how we're going to say hello from now on, Luvia?" I raised a brow. Ignoring her amused giggle with a shake of my head in my own amusement, I gestured to the now-dead insect magus with my chin. I noted that the swarm of beetles was confused now that they didn't have Kyle's control to direct him and were slowly wandering away from his body, slowly revealing the corpse. "And what happened to common courtesy?"
"Excuse me, Faelan, but I was hunting him down first," Luvia scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest with her nose upturned almost imperiously. "I was initially assigned by the Clocktower to follow and observe Elijah Kyle before my orders changed and was told to eliminate him."
Well, at least I finally had a name for the asshole. "Elijah Kyle, I don't recognize the name," I frowned.
"His magecraft, as you no doubt have learned, is based on entomology. Particularly the iron beetle and enhancing the insects' already durable exoskeletons." Well, that explained why Mugetsu's edge couldn't cut through Kyle's impromptu armor made of the bugs. "His family is far newer compared to other North American mage families," she shrugged nonchalantly. "Not that's saying much."
She had a point, North America was viewed as a backwater land in terms of magecraft, even worse than Asian countries were. Sure, there were a few good high-quality ley lines that remained, perfect for magecraft practice, but this country as a whole wouldn't be called top tier by any means in terms of magecraft.
Well, besides being a testing ground.
However, the real reason that magecraft families that came from North America weren't viewed positively by other mage families was because the oldest mage family from North America was barely into its third generation. Back during England's colonization of North America, a few mage families did make the journey across the pond in order to capitalize on any unfound artifacts and resources. However, there were several witch trials that took place, the ones in Salem being the most infamous.
Of course, more often than not, the mundane were actually killing their own and not anyone who was guilty of practicing witch or magecraft. Though there was a small number of people that were dragged to the gallows who were indeed mages. As a result, all of the noble mage families pulled out of the colonies quickly thereafter when word got around that the more zealous members of the Church were going around killing mages, plummeting relations between the Church and the Mage Association for a good long while. Furthermore, the Clocktower deemed the North American venture a failure, which was reinforced when the Industrial Revolution bulldozed over anything of value. Several ley lines were destroyed when the mundane journeyed and spread out West to the other coast, building their railroads.
But something Luvia said earlier caught my attention. "Wait, you said this was a job right? Who exactly gave the job to you?" I raised a brow.
My confusion increased when Luvia suddenly cleared her throat and her eyes looked around, not meeting my eyes. "Oh, you know, one of the higher-ups," she said, her tone a bit evasive. "You know how it is, Faelan, mission confidentiality and all that."
I shrugged at that, accepting the answer. Barthomeloi also expected a certain level of confidentiality. While others knew I did missions and other such tasks for, since it was clear she had become my sponsor since my admittance into the Clocktower, that didn't mean they knew which ones I did. Well save for the people who were in the boss lady's employ.
"Fair enough," I sighed. "So, you want any help in bagging and tagging this asshole?"
"Well, since you're offering," she smiled at me.
Opening the Gate of Babylon, a body bag dropped into my hand as Luvia had started to clear away the rest of the beetles and begin prepping the body. It didn't take the both of us long to stow the corpse in the body and a pair of familiars, likely created from eagles, came down and grabbed the body bag and flew off with it in their talons. Given that Luvia had barely blinked at a pair of eagles flying off with an occupied body bag, it would be safe to assume the familiars were hers. Though a silence settled between the two of us and it seemed neither of us knew how to break it. And it was during this silence that I then realized that while I could probably consider the two of us friends, the level of friendship was passing at best due to how little time we spent with each other.
"I'm surprised Sakura didn't come with you," I spoke conversationally, not knowing what else to speak about. "Don't the two of you normally do your missions together?" Even during classes, the two of them were seldom not seen without the other.
"Some family business popped up and our parents asked for her help," Luvia shrugged. "Sakura was certainly disappointed, she wanted to go back to Disney Land again."
"When was the last time you went?" I asked curiously.
Luvia smiled fondly, "When my family adopted her. Mother thought it was a good idea for all of us to bond together, to be a real family. So she arranged for a vacation to California and we all went to Disney Land. Sakura definitely enjoyed herself and-"
Before she could finish her sentence, she winced in pain and grasped her right hand. But she wasn't the only one in pain either, I was gripping the back of my left hand in pain as it felt like someone was carving into my skin with a hot knife. Hissing, I turned my hand over and I had to blink, the surprise stalled all thought and even the pain.
There, sitting on the back of my left hand was a new set of Command Seals, stylized in the form of a spear wrapped in a chain. The spear tip counted as one stroke of the Seals, the staff was another, and the chain-link being the last. But regardless, having a new seat of Command Seals that were independent of the ones that reflected my connection to Atalanta, could only mean one thing…
"You have got to be kidding me," I let out an annoyed growl. "I have to participate in another Grail War?! In the middle of another vacation?!"
Omake: Wedding Bells Pt. 3 - The True Enemy
I blinked, completely flabbergasted by the situation that was occurring in front of me.
Berserker was… attacking with extreme prejudice. A glint of mania appeared in her usually apathetic, but beautiful features.
And the reason for this cold rage one may ask?
Simple, bugs.
A few hours earlier, Lin had been kidnapped by a pair of lamyros while the three of us were in Baile Herculane and while Berserker was obviously more than a match for a pair of vampires, she didn't want to injure Lin in the process. So we hunted the lamyros down to Domogled National Park where they decided to face us. Now, usually, I wouldn't let the enemy decide the battlefield, but there was no way I was going to lose Lin and plus, I had a Berserker capable of using magecraft who was Morgan Le Fay, one of the most famous magecraft users not only in mage history but mundane human history as well.
But what I didn't expect was for Berserker to well… actually act like a Berserker when one of the lamyros, the male, pulled out a pair of knives that when thrown became insects to correct their trajectory when we dodged them. Of course, the other lamyros was in Berserker's sights as she wielded her bladed staff with gusto, but more often than not, she aimed for the bug-knife throwing one, making sure to destroy his bug-knives with various forms of magecraft, one at a time. Like she was enjoying watching the bugs turn into ash and mush.
"Uh, Berserker?" I called out to her.
"Yes, my husband?"
"Can you, uh, explain why you're… mostly focusing on the bugs?"
She looked over her shoulder at me, her face still relatively expressionless, but it was the most emotive I've seen her as the corner of her would twitch into a small smirk for a quick moment every so often. "I don't know what you mean, my dearest, I am simply targeting the enemy's weapons. After all, they wouldn't be a threat if they weren't armed, yes?"
"I mean, yeah, you got a point," I conceded with a hesitant nod. "But uh, if that's true, why don't you target the other lamyros' weapons? You know, the gun and sword? Wouldn't they be the bigger threat?"
"No, no, no!" Berserker immediately disagreed, shaking her head vehemently. "Those… knives were created using magecraft. Most likely not from the lamyros themselves, but whoever fashioned those knives was extremely skilled and because of that, I must destroy them as quickly and thoroughly as possible to ensure it will not become a danger to mysel- ahem, I mean, to you and young Linnet."
I blinked once, then twice, taking a chance to glance over at the exhausted-looking lamyros as they sluggishly tried to evade Berserker's attacks. Though the male one was looking like he was running on fumes given that Berserker was attacking him the most. When they noticed my gaze was on them, the lamyros gave me the most pathetic downtrodden puppy look as they were straight-up crying in pure exhaustion.
"Uh-huh…" I said dryly. "Are you sure it's not because of the whole bug thing? It's okay if you're scared of bugs, you know. It's a pretty common fear."
Berserker turned up her nose, "I am Morgan le Fay, daughter to Uther Pendragon, one of the greatest kings of England. I do fear anythin- EEEEEEEKKK!" Her squeal of complete fright almost burst my eardrums when one of the lamyros' bug knives got lucky and managed to get close to her face. Using her staff, she batted it away like she was a batter in a baseball game and was trying to make a home run. But she wasn't done, not by a long shot. When the poor bug-knife landed on the ground, twitching in pain, Berserker slammed the flat side of the blade on her staff on the thing multiple times.
It was like watching a kid play Whac-a-mole at an arcade but only hitting one target. And it was only after she hit the poor thing a dozen more times and set it on fire with a spell for good measure did she finally turn to me, a blush on her pale cheeks while she coughed embarrassedly into her fist. The embarrassment was a stark contrast to her usual stoic, yet fair face.
"Ahem," she coughed into her fist once more before speaking resolutely, "that said, there still remains one universal enemy, and that enemy is insects. Insects are the enemy, my husband."
Facepalming, I released a long, suffered sigh. Maybe it was the near Kaleidoscope levels of insanity that I bore witness to or maybe it was some odd form of Stockholm syndrome, but I was starting to get used to Berserker referring to me as her husband.
And to be honest, I don't really know which option scared me more.
AN:
Today's the day, the day I released this story on fanfic a year ago. It's been a long journey, starting from Faelan's beginnings in Romania and leading to where he is now to participate in another Holy Grail War. Kinda hard to believe that it's been an entire year since the beginning. I thank all my readers for reading this story and supporting me thus far. And I hope you'll enjoy the rest of Faelan's story that is yet to come.
In FGO news, if you didn't know we will be getting a lot come New Years, what with all the materials, QP, and Saint Quartz in total that DW will hand out. And good luck for the GSSR and the rate ups that will come after, I hope you get what you'll be rolling for!
See you all in 2022 and as always, stay safe, stay healthy, and you all have a good day!