SentinalSlice: In fact, for the news talents of Shirou (like those of Rin) I just follow the rules of Rifts. To start Shirou, master three abilities: "Tracing", "Strengthening" and "Structural Grasping". The third is very interesting because it is a capacity that corresponds at the "psy-mechanic" talent in Rifts, and it is said in the rules of Rifts (Rifts Conversion Book page 59): that a psy-mechanic individual rifted on Rifts Earth "... develop the psionic powers of Telemecanic (power to manipulate a machine by thought), Total Recall (perfect memory) and Object Read( the ability to "read" a machine by touching it... a power similar to " Structural Grasping" but psionic in nature and not magic)." And these psionic powers perfectly match Shirou's needs. Together, they give him the ability to use any machine (including a vehicle) just by touching it.
Solstices and Equinoxes
Hiroshima, Republic of Japan, 110 P.A.
When Matou Shinji signed the documents allowing the Hiroshima Military Hospital to turn him into a "Light Bionic Soldier", he thought he would undergo a series of surgeries.
When he spoke to the doctors who were carrying out the first tests to prepare his admission to the bionics department of the hospital, they smiled... as little as if he had asked: "You're going to tie me to a torture pole and perform the scalp dance with a tribal mask on your face?"
The bionic department of the Hiroshima Military Hospital was a vast white plastic floor room. The walls were covered with machines with strange inscriptions: "RSU nano-machine production unit" or "RAU nano-machine production unit"... among dozens of others nano-production units with equally strange names.
Tubes of different sizes connected them to the pipes running up to the ceiling. These formed a kind of complex labyrinth with several centralizations and distribution units charged with dispatching the nano-machines between the care vessels that lined up in the middle of the room.
Each of these care vessels was identical transparent tubes, two meters wide and three meters fifty high. Its white-painted metal pedestal was occupied by complex machinery and a computer screen displaying an electroencephalogram, an electrocardiogram, and other similar medical information.
The inside of the transparent tube was filled with a greenish liquid. A sleeping patient was floating in the tube, connected to the machinery by numerous electrodes, a respirator mask glued to the face. Next to him floated a robot doctor in the shape of a ball, equipped with numerous appendices with various functions.
Matou Shinji slept deeply while the "surgical operation" transformed him. Because science had made enormous progress in the Republic of Japan, the method of intervention would have amazed a physician of the early twenty-first century. No scalpel and surgical knives... only tiny robots floating in the feeding fluid of the glass tube or injected to the patient through a hypo-spray integrated into one of the arms of the robot-doctor.
A medical technician in a white coat approached the tube containing Shinji. The man had his head shaved, exposing the numerous cybernetic implants that transformed his face into that of a baroque creature, half-man, and half-machine. In the Republic of Japan, we called "Cyberoids" these fanatics of body modification, wearing visible cybernetic implants as a kind of badge of honor, proud to push ever further the limit separating man from machine.
Holding a digital tablet in his hand, the military doctor raised his eyes - one natural, the other glowing and mechanical- to the tube to look at Shinji. Then he typed a few lines of code, subtly modifying the mixture of nano-machines to inject into the tube.
"How does your patient react?"
The doctor turned to look at the only person present not wearing a military uniform, or a white blouse. It was a civilian wearing a badge decorated with a B (for "bijitā" - visitor). He had an ordinary appearance for Japanese and did not seem to be forty years old... which was misleading in a society where one could easily reach two hundred years.
His name was Kojima Kazuo and he headed the Naicho (Naikaku jōhō chōsashitsu or Intelligence Research Bureau, the Republic of Japan's Intelligence).
The doctor smiles with the discomfort that every normal individual always experiences when confronted with such a powerful and influential character:
"Matou-san reacts very well to treatment, no rejection phenomenon."
As Kojima reached out without a word, the doctor gave him his tablet. With a mastery that showed a great habit, the director of the Naicho traveled through the various files. Kojima understood the medical terms perfectly, however, he turned to the doctor for clarification:
"Have you finally understood the origin of the deterioration of Matou-san's nervous system?"
"Well, even if the patient had a hard time talking about it, he would have been infected with a parasite that would have grafted onto his 'Magic Circuits"...of course, it is particularly difficult for us to judge... given the state of the patient's 'Magic Circuits'after the invasion of Matou-san's nervous system, our relative ignorance of all that concerns magic... and our complete ignorance of these famous 'Magic Circuits'.
Returning the tablet to its owner, Kojima pointed out from the nail a line from Shinji's health report, written before the intervention:
"What about the parasites found in his body?"
"Ah, that shouldn't worry you, we've totally eliminated them from the host's body."
"I was rather worried about how they got there, Dr Tsuno. These insects are far too similar to the parasites created by the Splugorths for me to be happy that a new citizen of our Republic, and member of its army, could be infected by such horror."
Doctor Tsuno scratched his head:
"I have given you all our findings concerning these... insects and..."
"And you did well," cut Kojima.
Doctor Tsuno smiled awkwardly... He didn't really have a choice, but he was still irritated that he had to contact the Naicho after the parasites were discovered. He would have done without the presence of this suspicious man, looking everywhere... without any respect for medical secrecy.
Kojima Kazuo thanked Doctor Tsuno for his cooperation. Before leaving the department of bionic care, he turned on the doorstep to look at Matou Shinji one last time.
The director of the Naicho was very concerned about this whole affair.
He had investigated the young man and particularly his grandfather, the mysterious Matou Zouken. The old man had signed the papers authorizing the integration of Shinji into the army of the Republic... a legal necessity, Shinji being under the age of majority. And at this one meeting between Zouken and the representatives of the Republic, the old man had been scanned without his knowledge by a Supernatural Sensor System... and according to the records, Zouken could not be human.
Kojima Kazuo's instinct told him that Matou Zouken was a major threat to the security of the Republic. But of course, he could not launch an elimination mission on a simple suspicion... especially since Matou Sakura, Shinji's sister, spent most of her time with Emiya Shirou and Saber. However, the members of the Cabinet wanted to avoid any confrontation with the so-called 'Servants'.
According to the SSS sensor readings, Saber and Archer have magical energy matching some of the most powerful supernatural threats encountered. No one would risk with a light heart a conflict with the supernatural equivalent of a weapon of mass destruction.
The director of the Naicho nodded his head mechanically. He was going to put his best agents on this case... before something bad happened.
Otomo Castle, Otomo Shogunate, 110 P.A.
Fei Fong Li struggled to hide his irritation.
The Geo-Immortal faced the Shogun Tientsin. Next to the fat man who fanned himself with a Gunsen (Japanese war fan) was the splendid Nadeshiko. She smoked while casually holding a kiseru (iron Japane smoking pipe). Kneeling at the feet of the command platform, cybersamurai Gonza was dressed in a kataginu (sleeveless outer kimono worn on a lighter kimono). He waited with the respectful look of a faithful dog, his hand on the handle of his katana.
And these three mortals dared to whine about his intervention to Fuyuki... criticize him? An Immortal Geomancer?
He deeply inspired and smiled:
"No, your reproaches are unjustified Tientsin-sama. Everything is going well!"
The fat pig in a precious kimono pointed his Gunsen at Fei in an accusatory gesture and began to croaking with what wanted to be a mocking look:
"Everything is going well," he repeated trying to sound like the Geomancer, "I am delighted to hear that the Horunes have suffered a major defeat and instead of launching a terrifying entity on the Republic, you have allowed them to expand their territory, offering them one more city and all these resources. Bravo Fei, if this is a plan that goes perfectly well, I wonder what a failure looks like!"
But the accusation only made Fei Fong Li smile:
"I am not responsible for the stupidity of the Horunes. As for the annexation of Fuyuki... Believe me, the Republic will soon realize that this city is a poisoned gift."
Happy, perfectly sure of himself, Fai began to explain himself, mechanically caressing the Command Marks -still grey- that Matou Zouken had given him.
After the Geo-Immortal withdrew, the shogun Tientsin turned to his two closest advisors.
"It changes everything... indeed, this 'Grail War' could plunge the Republic into a panicked state. Then we will be free to strike."
He turned to the director of H-Brand, after the Shogun himself, she was the most powerful person in the Shogunate, his opinion was vital to Tientsin. Any opposition between her and him would be to divide his little kingdom. After all, the zaibatsu employed a million people, almost one in five inhabitants, and its wealth was immense... not to mention that Nadeshiko commanded hundreds of thousands of mercenaries and techno-ninjas.
"Lady Nadeshiko, what do you think?"
The beautiful young woman began to bow down deeply, succeeding in doing so with perfect grace:
"Tientsin-sama, as always, H-Brand supports you to the full extent of its means."
It was a diplomatic response, but the director's lack of enthusiasm was evident. Tientsin swept the air with his fan:
"I want your opinion, Lady Nadeshiko, I already know your loyalty and valor."
"Unfortunately... I don't think we can do anything other than follow Fei Fong Li's plan. We have already passed the point of no return. We are too involved to back down now. But... I've always been opposed to this plan and I still am. I also doubt that using 'Angra Mainyu' is realistic. This leaves us entirely at the mercy of Fei if he can really control it... and all his supposed talents, the only one I do not doubt is his arrogance. And even if Fei wins the Grail War, he has no loyalty to Otomo. For him, we are only a means to an end. If he has to sacrifice us, he will."
Upon hearing Nadeshiko's reply, the shogun seemed to shrivel.
"But we can't turn back."
His eyes flashed suddenly:
"What do you propose, Lady Nadeshiko?"
The latter did not answer directly, clapping in her hands:
"Shuu!"
At the call of his name, a ninja fell from the roof... where he had hidden until then, clad in the shadow of a beam. Despite the black outfit and the mask that masked his features, no one would have taken him for a human. From two holes in his hood came out his fox ears, he also had a foxtail, and his mask was deformed by an elongated snout. The kitsune struck his fist in his palm and knelt down:
"At your command, Lady Nadeshiko."
The beautiful Japanese woman readjusted the lacquer combs that were a part of her complicated hairstyle before turning to the shogun:
"Tientsin-sama, I can at least ensure that any betrayal of the Geo-Immortal receives its just reward."
The shogun nodded before turning to the leader of his army:
"Gonza-dono, what do you think?"
Gonza punched his fist in his palm while bowing:
"I share the opinion of Nadeshiko-sama, we are already too engaged to back down without losing face and reveal to all that we are behind the recent attacks on Takamatsu and Fuyuki. We have no choice but to strike... and win. Our army is combat-ready, and we have recruited new Horune auxiliaries from the Honshu clan. We are ready to attack Takamatsu as soon as you give us the order. Therefore, we must proceed with the plan..."
"Thank for your advice, Gonza-dono."
The shogun turned to Nadeshiko:
"Contact, Iriku Ō (King Iriku)!"
Iriku was the Oni's king with whom the Otomo Shogunate had made an alliance to attack the New Empire. Lady Nadeshiko did not hide her concern. The Onis had no honor... but...
"It will be done as you wish, Tientsin-sama, I live to serve you."
Slowly, but surely, Japan was transformed into swirling chaos of factions thrown against each other. The war threatened to wipe out everything that had been done in the last three centuries.
And the ambition of one man was the cause of everything.
Fuyuki, Republic of japan, 110 P.A.
It was an ordinary street, close to the center of Shinto, two blocks north of Fuyuki Central Park. As life gradually returned to normal in the city rifted on Rifts Earth, the employees of the big offices in the city center went home. Cars and buses crossed the streets; the animation of an ordinary evening while spring was mild.
And suddenly, things got weird... absurd... terrifying...
The ground had lifted. The asphalt and concrete began to wield like a wave before rising, resulting in the exposition of water-dripping pipes and plastic pipes uprooted from the basement of the street. As bricks and other concrete pieces tore off the nearby walls and clung together with the thing that was continually growing, the strange phenomenon began to change shape. From an irregular mass of materials, the pile metamorphosed into a roughly humanoid silhouette with a head, two arms, and two legs.
The earth elemental was the result of a random invocation... the Rifts' universe was so unstable and saturated with magical energy that demons, angels, elementals, and divine creatures appeared spontaneously near the leylines, probably attracted by the profusion of Mana.
As the crowd went astray in all directions, screaming in terror, two SAMAS Samurais on patrol flew over the monster, firing on it with their powerful particle guns.
The colossus barely waved, the dazzling blue rays had formed two charred depressions in its chest, but the monster did not even seem to notice it. Moreover, the 'wounds' closed while the monster continued to feed on the concrete around it to grow in size.
The Sansō (Sergeant) Nagato, made a sign to his team to gain altitude while the monster tore a piece of asphalt from the street and threw it towards them.
They easily dodged the improvised projectile and fired again, without more effect than the first time. Sergeant Nagato connected to Einzbern Castle's Headquater:
"This is Striker 11! The opponent is an earth elemental, class: major. It is too powerful for us, I ask the intervention of the Glitter boys."
The Glitter Boys - or to give them their real name USA-G10 Chromium Guardsmen- were colossal power-armors. Their nickname came from their MDC alloy shielding similar to chromed steel, reflecting light. The bearers of these armors formed the best of the best of the Republican army. Proud of their armor and its brilliant aspect, they behaved like Knights in Shining Armor... and taking great pride in being so visible and thus attracting the shots of the enemy. Nevertheless, their intervention in the middle of the city was rather dangerous for the inhabitants. Indeed, most of the Glitter Boys were armed with an RG-14 rail-gun... The weapon was extremely powerful and capable of blow up a building in a single shot. But this weapon had been nicknamed 'boom-gun' because of the supersonic explosion that it produces at each shot ... the windows were shattering hundreds of yards away. The intervention of such war machines caused significant collateral damage and it was easy to understand that that the Glitter Boys were rarely engaged in urban battles.
"Negative" replied Einzbern HQ "stay under observation. Reinforcements are approaching."
He was about to request a surplus of information when his SSS sensor perceived the presence of a magical energy source... a source much more powerful than the elemental.
The next moment, his sight locked something running towards the earth elemental...
Fuyuki's protector had arrived.
Running like a rocket, Saber stopped just before the elemental. The Sword of the Wind King in hand, she judged the opponent at first glance... slow, powerful, and very resistant.
As the monster raised its arm, she jumped to dodge the attack and fall back behind the monster, turning around in the air gracefully. As she straightened up, a thin smile played on her lips.
The creature of concrete and asphalt remained motionless for a moment and then a line appeared, drawn from its left shoulder to the right hip... cutting the monster in half.
But as the elemental collapsed, the parts reconnected to each other, and... rather than turning around, the monster made its face appear in what had been the back of the head. Already the articulation of the arm was inverted and the fist of the elemental smashed the ground where Artoria had stood.
She has already jumped aside and cut the forearm of the monster... with as little difficulty as before. But also with little more result, because the severed limb immediately reattached itself to the body.
"I see" murmured Artoria.
King Arthur had two choices. She could harass the elemental and cut him into pieces... and exhaust its Mana's reserve until he could no longer reform. It would take time, the damage inflicted on Fuyuki would be significant and of course, the longer the fight lasted the more likely an innocent bystander would be injured.
Saber nodded... There was nothing to hesitate about, it was necessary to destroy the elemental in one blow.
"Mana Burst!"
As her Dragon Core poured a stream of energy into her body, strengthening her muscles and bones, the wind roared like a storm around Excalibur, as the blade air's sheath lowered the atmospheric pressure.
Then she disappeared... literally... Her figure becomes blurred and faded away... the next instant the elemental was pierced from part to part by the invisible sword.
Apparently, this was not enough to hurt the monster. It looked down at the small woman and raised its arm to crush her like a fly. But...
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Artoria uttered a long and deep shout, hands on the handle of Excalibur forcing the blade forward and causing the earth elemental to falter. Under the whirlwind of air that hid the Sacred Blade, a blue light began to spread and...
A ray of golden light shone toward the sky spraying half the colossus of concrete and asphalt. The next minute, when the burning beam had reached the sky, a column of blue fire fell back to Earth.
Saber's little figure was transformed into a shadow theatre puppet by the intense light while the bottom of her dress snapped in the wind.
When the Sansō (Sergeant) Nagato reopened his eyes, there was no trace of the elemental... just a vast smoking crater.
It took several seconds to catch his breath in spite of the radio operator who kept calling him. He shook his head to chase away vertigo he felt:
"Target eliminated, Einzbern HQ."
The radio operator asked him to confirm what annoyed Nagato:
"Target eliminated, nothing remains... the elemental was vaporized by Saber!"
Despite the Strengthening Magecraft that Shirou had used on his muscles and bones, the former Master was still unable to run as fast as Saber and his stamina was much lower. When he came near her, he immobilized his hands on his knees, panting and trying to catch his breath.
Saber had astralized her armor and sword. Again, she appeared as a frail young girl dressed in a blue skirt and a white blouse closed at the collar by a blue ribbon. She had a sweet smile:
"It's all over, Shirou. It's time to go home, Sakura will be here soon and it's your turn to cook."
Saber's composure still amazed Shirou. The redhead shook his head, still unable to speak. What kind of life had she lived, so that confronting such a monster would have the effect of a somewhat boring routine?
Saber sat in front of the coffee table and drank tea while watching television. The old TV obviously could not receive the holoTV of the Republic, and the local television had not yet resumed its usual programs. Fortunately, Fuyuki received broadcasts on the VHF 4 band in BTSC standard, a somewhat old system but perfectly acceptable by the antennas of the Emiya Residence.
It took a few days to understand that it was the official television of the Otomo Shogunate. How can I describe the programs? It was a mix of news flashes - presenting, of course, the point of view of the Shogunate- of musical programs (to the glory of the Shogun) and some rather pathetic films... bad actors, cardboard sets, special effects that would have made Ray Harryhausen cry...
But, when you took these programs with a grain of salt, it was rather fun... although the humor was unintentional.
On the other hand, the news was quite disturbing, at least if it really reflected what the Otomo Shogunate thought of the world outside its borders. Not a day went by without the presenter pushing a diatribe sometimes against the New Empire, sometimes against the Republic of Japan, and sometimes even against Ichto Robotic... All that went wrong inside the Shogunate was the fault of saboteurs at the service of either of these powers and of course, the Shogunate government promised that its revenge would not be delayed.
As Sakura finished setting the table and positioned herself with her back to the kitchen, with the rice pressure cooker at hand, the meal began.
As always, it was a kaiseki menu worthy of a great restaurant with a Sea Bream marinated with Kombu seaweed (sashimi), then sautéed Enoki mushrooms with ginger and carrot, Chawanmushi (salted flan) with shrimp, chicken, and shiitake, flavored with shiso (steamed dish), a Teriyaki of salmon (grilled dish), a Kabocha pumpkin with Azuki beans (simmered dish), all served with rice accompanied by tsukemono of daikon and miso soup with seaweed wakame.
But the meal was a little sad without Rin, gone with Archer to Kyoto, and especially without the animation that Fuji-nee - who was training in Hiroshima- brought everywhere with her.
While Sakura was filling her up with rice for the third time, Saber placed her bowl on the table and turned to Shirou:
"Something worries me, and I think I should speak with Rin."
Shirou frowned, the link between Master and Servant worked even hundreds of miles away, and of course, Saber could speak to Rin as she wished... an advantage he sometimes envied. He smiled:
"You don't need to ask my permission."
Saber nodded with seriousness:
"I may not have to ask your permission, but it would be rude not to warn you."
Shirou's smile grew, Saber was...perfect. No one could ever see her behave inappropriately. She protected him and respected him as if he were still her Master. It make him happy, but also made him a little uncomfortable. Indeed, the red teenager had quickly understood that Saber had stayed in Fuyuki for him... and he did not really know how to behave about it, or how to react. It must be said that Saber hardly spoke of her own feelings.
Shirou preferred to talk about something else, not feeling ready to deepen this subject with his former Servant... especially with Rin away.
"What are you worried about, Saber?"
"Incidents near the Nexus are becoming more frequent. I think it has something to do with the gathering of Mana in the caves under Fuyuki."
Shirou trembled. Thinking he had misunderstood, he repeated:
"Mana in the caves under Fuyuki?"
Saber nodded:
"Indeed, The Greater Grail is a vast complex of caves where magic circles have been drawn. The most important group of pentacles is under Mount Enzou. I would like to know how the Grail will react in such Mana's rich environment... Let us not forget that it was designed to operate in the relatively poor environment of our homeworld."
Kyoto, New Empire, 110 P.A.
Tohsaka Rin hated technology.
So she had at least one thing in common with the New Empire's locals ... nevertheless, as a common ground, it was really little. And in the last few days, the list of things that annoyed Rin had swelled to the point that - if it had been necessary to put it on paper- it would have looked like some kind of big dictionary.
First, there were means of transport. Rin had left Fuyuki in a hydrofoil which had taken her to Kure. The trip lasted an hour and a half. Well, the Red Devil wouldn't go so far as to say that she had loved to travel in a kind of big metal box, but she had already taken the train or public transport (she even used the phone) and she had to admit that - sometimes- technology could be useful.
But, arrived at the border between the Republic and the New Empire, she had to continue the road in sedan-chair...
A sedan-flesh is a box shacked - pardon- carried by peasants certainly strong, but also thin to frighten and walking barefoot on the muddy or dusty roads of the New Empire. They made about twelve to fifteen miles... a day, enough to reconcile with the car the most technophobic person in the world.
Obviously, at this asthmatic caterpillar pace, it took six days to get to Kyoto. The only positive thing was that it had left Rin plenty of time to look around.
Let us quickly summarize the New Empire:
It's a medieval, phallocratic society, where samurais living in castles oppressing a starving peasant class, dressed in herds, of course, illiterate and literally anonymous (1).
Everywhere one could see the peasants in short kimonos, the hair was hidden by a turban of rags, painfully scraping the earth and transplanting the rice with wooden agricultural tools. They lived in muddy villages, made up of miserable huts where large, half-starved families mingled with livestock. Both were treated in an almost undifferentiated manner by their masters, probably because the peasants were only a variety of livestock in the eyes of the samurai. Rin remembered an anecdote she had been told as a child. In feudal Japan, when a blacksmith finished a katana, the samurai examined it... of course, and tested its edge by decapitating a peasant. This summed up the 'value' of a peasant's life in the eyes of a samurai.
And above 90% of the population, poor and mistreated, a small middle class of craftsmen, artists, and merchants living in the city. Their homes were not luxurious but at least they had a floor and rice paper dividers that gave a minimum of privacy.
At the top, of course, were the beautiful ladies with their beautiful silk kimonos, their fans... and the right to remain silent like a good obedient daughter and to be married to an ally of their father. And also, once married, the right to remain silent as a good obedient wife and to behave as a perfect reproducer who can lay heirs as an assembly line. With childhood diseases, epidemics, famine, and wars, it was necessary to make eight to nine heirs for two or three to reach adulthood. The survivors would then have the honor of being gloriously gutted by the Onis in the name of the Tennō (2). Of course, mothers did not see their children die... they had died long before, during a bad birth. If you ask a woman one day what humanity's greatest inventions are, she will speak about sterilization of the towels used during childbirth and the epidural. Thanks to these techniques, the majority of women can expect to live to the age of thirty (at least).
So yes there were the magnificent castles with their multiple slate roofs, the samurais in armor, the horses... but given the place of women in this society, Rin was not really convinced of the need to emigrate.
Fortunately, there were some positive points, first the Phantasmal Beasts... these legendary creatures: phoenix, Ki-lin, dragons could be observed everywhere. The most intelligent creatures often lived near human communities where they were literally worshipped as 'kami' (3). Others, on the contrary, as for example the Jorugumo (women-spiders), the Wanduyo (kind of wheels of fire with a human head), or the Jinkininki (kind of malformed ghosts) were monsters who terrorized the population and were fought by the samurais, the local priests, and Magi.
Everywhere, even in the smallest communities... where beside them, Rin saw those whom the inhabitants of the New Empire called 'Eta', that is to say, humanoids... there were fox-men (Kitsune) cat-men (Nekomata also said Bakeneko), aquatic monkeys (Sura-kappa), long-necked women (Rokurokubi), humanoids raccoons (Tanuki), and especially goblins, these green-skinned creatures, as big as twelve-year-olds. In the class system of the New Empire, they were at the bottom... lower than the peasants, lower even than the (non-Japanese) gaijins who were at least human... the Eta was hated outcasts, scorned, blamed for famine and epidemics.
Unless, of course, the Eta were Magi.
Because the Magi (as well priests and monks) had a place outside the caste system, they were certainly not considered as equals of samurai... but being necessary for the survival of the New Empire, they were treated with respect and all sought their favors, from peasants to daimyos (the great lords). The Magi were even protected by the Tennō himself.
The room was vast, entirely of wood. Not assembled from boards or trunks... it was a single room like a hole in a tree. In fact, it was a hole in a tree, but what a tree, the Kyoto Millenium Tree, dominating the capital of the New Empire from its 1000 feet.
The strange tree was a conscious creature that welcomed into it, typically Japanese magical creatures like belts or cups moving by themselves. Present everywhere, these strange and harmless creatures peacefully shared the places with a population of Magi installed in the magic guild but also with the monks of two Shinto monasteries.
Rin was standing in front of a training dummy. She was making mystical passes painfully learned in the afternoon. Raising one hand, she recited a short incantation before concluding:
"Honō no Tama!" (FireBall!)
A fiery ball-sized projectile formed in his hand and struck the training manikin. Which, protected by the spells 'Imperious to Energy' and 'Armor of Ithan', cashed the attack spell without receiving any damage.
However, Rin was far from satisfied with herself.
"All this for... this"
Sitting at a typical Japanese base table, Nekohime Mia rested her cup of tea and folded her two big feline eyes... it must be said that everything was feline in this professor of magic, her eyes, her ears, her two(!) tails, her crème colored coat ... it must be said that it was a Nekomata, a woman-cat.
"Nya? What do you mean, Tohsaka-san?"
Rin did not turn around, she looked at her hand, reflecting at the same time disgusted, perplexed, and angry...
"This spell has a simplistic, ridiculously direct effect... so why is it so difficult to cast?
"This spell is neither simplistic nor difficult, nya! It's a classical tier six attack spell. You should be happy that I taught to you, usually, we only teach the spells from tier one to four to non-members, nya!"
Theoretical magic classes included teaching the history of magic on Rifts Earth. The spells used by the Magi had very diverse origins. For example, the 'Levitation' spell had been created by an intelligent race with eight tentacles and using ultrasound to communicate, It took a lot of effort to adapt the incantation to humans.
Rin reached out to the training dummy:
"Gandr!"
The Finn shot, a projectile of darkness wrapped in a red aura was the materialization of a curse. It strike the mannequin and disappeared without a trace.
Tohsaka turned to Mia:
"I stand by what I say... This 'Fire Ball' is a waste of magical energy... the spell is too long to cast and awkward to use."
The Nekomata had forgotten her cup of tea and looked at Rin, completely amazed:
"How could you cast a spell in two words and a single gesture?"
Mia was so shocked that she had even forgotten to add her irritating "nya" which she put in every sentence. Rin had an evil smile...
"It's my secret!"
Rin turned to the training manikin:
"What if I forget all this nonsense and cast this spell like it was a Finn Shot?"
She had spoken aloud to herself, but Nekohime Mia had heard:
"It doesn't work like that, you have to structure the magic force by repeating a process that gives shape to the spell..."
But Rin was not listening. She had managed to cast 'Fire Ball' with the normal method... the ineffective method of the local Magi.
Rin reached out and...
"Feuerball!"
A flame came out of her fingers, wrapping around itself it forms a sphere of flame that struck the practice dummy.
While Mia asked for explanations, hysterical, Rin did not listen to her. She had a much bigger problem than explaining the basics of magic to idiots. The Red Devil shook her head... as expected from a spell created by individuals unable to have a new idea in three centuries, the result was weak and wasted a lot Prana for nothing. But she was a genius and she could improve the spell... first remove all redundant elements, alter the dynamics of the spell... yes...
Rin raised her arm:
"Feuerball!"
The flame that came out of her fingers rolled up to form a fireball the size... of a human head. Running towards the target, the Fire Ball struck it in a doomsday explosion that made the room tremble, throwing objects to the ground.
Rin smiles:
"This is a spell that deserves the name 'Fire Ball', it's better, isn't it? Finally, of course, I still need to find an effective method to guide the projectile. Because it's too easy to avoid it like this... maybe add a self-directed function... Mmm... Why not?"
But turning around, the Magus in red saw that Mia was staring at her without the slightest glimmer of intelligence appearing in her eyes.
"Nekohime Mia has crashed, do you want to restart Nekohime Mia?"
Rin was settling in her room, whistling a joyful jingle.
Archer appeared in a twitching of blue glows. Leaning against the wall, his arms folded. He opened an eye:
"You wanted to shock the local Magi community?"
Rin replied with a perfectly innocent smile:
"But no, just a little fun. And I'm right, no? Their magic is unnecessarily complicated and ill-conceived... that they have learned nothing in three centuries is just proof of their conformism and narrowness."
Archer lifted up his eyes to heaven:
"Rin... they have learned many things, and in particular they have adapted to their intelligence and their needs foreign magic. This is already an important achievement."
"An achievement? They have no understanding of magic, like this Baka Neko!"
"Bakeneko" corrected Archer (4). "You know, Rin, you should try to change your bad temper, the tom-boys, the tsundere might appeal to teenagers. But you might have trouble finding a man who wants to marry you."
Rin just shrugged her shoulders, she had already captured Shirou and he could fight as hard as he wanted the Red Devil would ever let him go.
EMIYA sighed, his Master was stubborn especially when she had decided that she was right. He was about to add something when she raised her hand to signal him to be silent:
"Saber calls me."
Fuyuki, Republic of Japan, 110 P.A.
Staring into space, Saber looked straight ahead without seeing Sakura and Shirou. Then she nodded:
"Rin says she didn't think about it. She says that you must imagine the Greater Grail like a water tank. Normally, it is supplied with water (the Mana) by a source almost exhausted. Now it fills up much faster because it is fed by a flooded river!"
Shirou wiggled on his pillow and glanced at Sakura. The purple-haired teenager twisted her hands and turned a worried look on his face. He asked a question:
"Rin, what do you mean faster? It's not going to cause a Grail War, we just finished the last one. Sixty years elapsed between two Grail War, normally."
Saber always concentrated, passing on the question. After a while, she straightened herself out:
"Rin says, you're going to answer to this mor..." She paused briefly, and corrected"... uh... to Shirou... "
The redhaired Magus smiled, understanding that Rin had actually said, "... to this moron." So Rin-like... he could even imagine her exasperated expression. But Saber continued to speak, and he concentrated on understanding what she said:
"... that if it were an inviolable rule, it would have been more than ten years between the Fourth and Fifth Grail Wars. Did you hear what I said? The Grail is now connected to a stream of Mana that fills its reserves much faster."
"So we have to expect another war? How much time do we have left?"
There was a silence and Saber replied:
"Rin says: Four times a year, during the equinoxes and solstices, all the Nexus are overloaded with Mana because of the stellar configuration. This moment is propitious for any magical ritual... including a Grail War. The summer solstice will take place on June 21... We have just less than three months to prepare."
Shirou widened his eyes, stunned and terrified... four Grail Wars a year? How were they going to survive?
(1) In traditional Japanese society, members of the lowest castes have no name. For example, a farmer working as a water carrier is called... "water carrier"!
(2) "Emperor" of Japan... but I never use this term. It is much more a religious figure (a "pope") than a sovereign. As some of my family have lived in Japan and have Japanese friends, they make me understand that 'the emperor' is their father and they are all their children. That's where the Tennō authority comes from.
(3) Kami is often translated as "gods" but the term meaning has a much broader sense, kami are the spirits, phenomena, or "holy powers" that are venerated in the religion of Shinto. They can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, as well as beings and the qualities that these beings express; they can also be the spirits of venerated dead people. Many kami are considered the ancient ancestors of entire clans (some ancestors became kami upon their death if they were able to embody the values and virtues of kami in life).
(4) Pun intended, the Bakeneko is typical cat-men of Japanese legends... and Baka Neko can be translated as "silly cat".