A day off
The tent was a vast canvas pavilion composed of three rooms high enough to stand. The "bedroom" was distinguished by a large mattress in the middle of the room. For the hour, only one person was lying in this bed.
Her hair undone, without her usual twintails, Rin Tohsaka looked more adult. Leaning against the pillows, she wore a yellow nightshirt adorned with a red ribbon. Resting her cup of tea, she had a brief smile addressed to Shiro:
"The tea you served me is at the right temperature... you've made some progress."
Rin was greedy with compliments and the Amber Eyes Blacksmith seemed to radiate:
"Thank you, Rin."
The young Japanese girl immediately turned her eyes to sniff with a haughty air:
"Since you didn't even know the difference between industrial tea and good tea, you could hardly do worse than on Earth."
Tohsaka would certainly have seemed more honest if her cheeks were not colored red after Shiro's thank. The Magus seemed viscerally incapable of sincerity when it came to her own feelings.
Artoria bit the inside of her lips not to laugh. Most people did not realize how warm and kind Rin was... Normally, she hid it well. Except that the young Magus was very emotional and Shiro's frankness always pierced her armor.
Putting an end to the awkward silence that had settled, the King of Knights returned about their concern:
"Well anyway, how are you? Are you still in pain? Do you still have vertigo?"
Rin looked surprised and troubled before smiling at her friend:
"I'm fine, Saber. I'm miraculously fine, actually... Merlin told me I wouldn't have any damage. "
Artoria had a slight smile:
"Knowing him, he didn't just reassure you."
Rin pouted and crossed her arms:
"You can tell, my ears are still ringing... He told me thirty times that using such a powerful spell without incantation or preparation was stupid. It's not like I had time to prepare! But go explain it to that old goat!"
Artoria sighed; she had no trouble imagining Merlin preaching to Rin... having been several times in her place being younger.
"You are a nice person, Rin. I am sure all soldiers know that you saved their lives and are grateful to you."
Tohsaka turned her head aside to try to hide her embarrassment:
"Its... it's normal after all these soldiers are my allies... it's normal that I watch over my allies... no?"
Saber and Shiro exchanged a quick smile. How many times had they heard this excuse? Rin just had too good-hearted for not to try to save everyone she could save... even if it meant putting herself in danger.
At one point in her life, before the Holy Grail War, Rin would have been devastated to realize her undue sensitivity. She wanted to be a Magus worthy of the Tohsaka lineage, cold, intelligent, practical, and... hard. Oh yes, her father had been a perfect Magus willing to use the most "efficient" means to achieve his ends, regardless of the price others had to pay.
But what did Tokiomi Tohsaka really win?
Her father had been murdered by Kirei Kotomine... his own pupil and with the complicity or rather the blessing of Gilgamesh, his Servant. His wife Aoi suffered severe brain damage after an assassination attempt. Her short-term memory destroyed, Rin's mother had spent the last years of her life in a wheelchair. Tokiomi had also sold... no, worse... given up for nothing... his own daughter Sakura. Rin had grown up without her little sister. They couldn't even talk about it. When they met at school, they were forced to behave like strangers. And as her father's will have made Kirei her legal guardian, the false priest had finished ruining her life by squandering his family's fortune. In every way, Tokiomi Tohsaka's life had been a disaster and Rin felt immense anger when she thought of her father (1).
If her father was really, as he had often been told, a "perfect example of Magus" then she better understood the behavior of Kiritsugu Emiya. Shiro's foster father had not sought to pass on his knowledge to the son he had adopted. And when the child had finally extorted him a minimum of training, Kiritsugu had pushed Shiro to see himself not as a Magus but as a user of Magecraft.
All in all, none of the traditional Magi who had participated in the Grail Wars had ever won. It had to mean something... that and then the story of the Magecraft was one of a long decline. Lost knowledge... diminished Magi talent... In fact, there had never been so few people to use the Magecraft. Yet the Clocktower continued to teach a tradition that denied any progress, any change. Four centuries after heliocentrism was recognized and became the center of astronomy, astrology continued to use a manifestly false model, placing the Earth at the center of the cosmos.
Since the Magecraft (unlike True Magic) was based on science, how to expect progress if the Magi'steaching refused the very idea of progress?!
Rin was drawn from her dark thoughts by a question from Artoria. Looking up, she asked her to repeat.
The knight woman sighed in an exaggerated manner. A mimic that contrasted strangely with the impassive face she showed in the presence of strangers:
"I was saying, how come you don't have any damage? According to Merlin, you could have damaged your Magic Circuits."
—or worse yet, shivered Rin. She mechanically stroked her left arm carrying the legacy of the Tohsaka:
"My Magic Crest probably saved me by channeling the prana used by the runes."
Shiro looked at the Magus with a remnant of infantile astonishment:
"I am still amazed by your talent. I never imagined there were Magi with such extraordinary abilities."
Like every time the boy she loved gave her a compliment, Rin became troubled and responded by turning her face aside and crossing her arms, wanting to show an indifference... that she was far from feeling:
"Who do you think you're talking to? I'm a genius, the heiress of a long line of Magi. I was properly trained, unlike you!"
She paused for a few moments, passing a finger on her lips with a dreamy pout:
"However, on Earth, I would not have been able to do anything like that."
Saber and Shiro approved, the King of Knights added:
"The environment is very rich in mana, so rich that the Magi of Tamriel do not need Magic Circuits to use spells and their od regenerates in only a few hours."
Tohsaka shrugged her shoulders and sighed with a disgusted air:
"Its pearl before swine, yes..."
"Rin?"
Artoria was surprised by the aggressiveness of her friend. Rin made an auspicious sign...
"It's just that the Magi here are making such poor use of this tremendous energy, available to anyone... On Earth, we must keep the Magecraft secret because the energy is so rare that the Magi of the Clocktower are ready to kill to keep their Mystery secret and not have to share their techniques so that they are not weakened. Mistrust and selfishness prevented Magecraft users from moving away from their stupid 'traditions'."
Rin fulminated and pointed to Shiro:
"And the idiot over there would have already received a Sealing Designation for upgrading Gradation Air. The Clocktower claims to be a progressive institution. However, this organization reacts more like a religion that classifies as heretic everything it has not strictly approved.
Tohsaka swallowed a sip of tea, before resuming:
"However, they worked to improve the Magic Circuits and their study of Magecraft made its use much more efficient, especially by streamlining the use of prana, thus reducing waste. The Magi of the Earth would see Nirn as a true paradise... abundant magic... no need to hide their Magecrafts... numerous disciples, easy to train. And yet the magic in Tamriel is a huge joke! Only the Dwemer seems to have continued research on the magic theory. Within the Guild, the Magi never ceased to engage in sterile disputes between their six schools (2), agreeing only to banish Necromancy. The other organizations are no better, with the Psijics hoarding magic as if it were as rare and precious as on Earth or the Telvanni house which is a nest of political plots."
She shook her head:
"The result? Tamriel's magic books are simply written by mentally retarded people! Learning methods are ineffective and teachers continue to use the same books from centuries after they were written, which means that knowledge is stagnant. When I joined the Mage Guild, it took me one afternoon to completely rewrite the spell "flare". While this spell is much less effective than Gandr, it uses more prana. The spell goes straight. There is no way to control it once launched and obviously no way to aim. The spell is cast by stretching out the arm... and since it is slow, it can be avoided by an ordinary person. It is as if the creator of "flare" did not care that it was an offensive spell and that it had to be made effective. No one has ever thought of using a segmented spell structure and assigning to each segment a different ability: damage, speed, range, control, aiming, etc... A Magus of the Earth would be horrified.
Shiro blinked, surprised by the vehemence of his friend:
"Well, I understand better that you are already Summoner of the Mage Guild."
She shrugged:
"In fact, I quickly stopped trying to correct their ineffective teaching; the other Magi looked at me with bug eyes and begin to compare me to the legendary Sage (3)."
Shiro smiled:
"I thought you loved being called a genius?"
"When mentally retarded people call you a genius, it's no longer a compliment."
Saber and Shiro exchanged an awkward glance before the Amber Eyed Blacksmith spoke again:
"I understand. Our Magic Circuits and the severity of our learning..."
Rin cut it off:
"The severity of my learning, you mean. You have received no proper training!"
"Yes, if you want. I..."
"Of course I do!"
Saber pretended to cough in her fist, but her shoulders trembled with a repressed urge to laugh. It would be really important for Rin to find an anti-stress method that does not include using Shiro as a punching bag...
The redheaded Magus chooses to ignore the last replica of his best enemy:
"However, there is one thing I do not understand. If mana is more abundant and regenerates faster if Gaia and Alaya no longer erode my Projections, why do they eventually disappear?"
Rin opened big incredulous eyes, staring at Shiro as asking him if he was joking. However, the redhead just seemed... uncomfortable. There was a reason because now Tohsaka looked at him as if she had just discovered a very strange specimen of a fool. She smiled and a shiver descended to the bottom of the neck of the young man. An instinct yelled at him to run away very quickly...
"Shiro, would you sit there?"
Rin's voice was dangerously sweet as the teenager tapped the bed next to her, in a gesture of invitation. Shiro sat down... He had no choice. Even if he ran away, Tohsaka would find him and it would be even worse. Suddenly, without warning, she struck him with a fist at the top of the head:
"Baka! Like every time he comes to me to think that you are a little less stupid, you come to show me the opposite in a brilliant way!"
One arm passed on her belly, she lifted a finger:
"What you just described is nothing more or less than the First True Magic..."
Rubbing the bump on his head, Shiro protested:
"Yes, I know, but... "
With her forehead wrinkled with anger, and her fist raised, Rin yelled:
"Don't interrupt me!"
For a moment, Shiro believed that the young woman's jaws had been covered with shark teeth and that she would bite him. He stopped without daring to move an eyelash. Cooled down a bit, Tohsaka spoke again:
"The First True Magic doesn't even have a name, although it is sometimes called "denial of nothingness". This is the oldest and least well understood True Magic. We don't know what long-missing Magus used it, nor what domain this Magic belongs to. It is speculated, however, that it is the manipulation of the Ether (4), the Fifth Imaginary Factor, or more likely the True Ether, that is, the divine element that gave birth to the planets. It is the matter of which the gods themselves are composed. On Earth, the True Ether does not exist, and its existence in the Age of the Gods is pure speculation. This is why the True Ether is cataloged by the Magi as the Fifth True Theoretical Factor. Do you understand? "
Shiro massaged his neck:
"Only that the First Magic would use an element called Ether."
"Well, that'll be enough for now. Your Tracing is not able to create something eternal because you Project your weapons by shaping them with the prana produced by your Magic Circuits. It is not an external element to the world as your prana comes from the od that flows through your body and from the mana that is drawn from the environment."
Shiro tried to follow but the expression on his face showed that he did not really understand. As Archer once said, Rin was a genius; she simply did not understand the intellectual limitations of ordinary people. The female Magus swore in a low voice:
"Do you know the Principles of Thermodynamics? Look at the cup of tea you served me. In a closed system, the cup can only cool down to the same temperature as the room. What is valid for a cup of tea is also valid for the weapons you Trace. The energy you provide to the weapons you Trace is taken from the environment, it will eventually go back. You can't stop the energy from turning into another form of energy, at least in an isolated system. Hence the fact that to practice the First True Magic, you need to use an external element: the Ether."
After leaving their tent, Saber and Shiro crossed the fortified bivouac which had been established not far from the fortress of the Orcs. Since the previous day, the two sides had been following a sort of ceasefire. A pause in the fighting was strange because it was impromptu.
Doubtless marred by their succession of defeats, the Orcs remained on the expectancy.
As for the small army of Verandia...
The meeting of the small staff of the expeditionary force took place in a large tent where a trestle table had been erected supporting a large map. While Gonderic de Bel-Amant pleaded for the resumption of the attack against the Orcs a deaf shock interrupted him.
They all turned to Saber, who had just struck the table with her hand:
"Impossible!"
The young knight turned to Estienne de Vignonne who shared his opinion:
"Lady Artoria, the longer we allow the Orcs to recover, the harder it will be to capture their fortress. As we speak, the Orcs are gathering reinforcements and strengthening their positions. We cannot afford to wait and miss the opportunity to attack them while they are still in disarray."
Shiro rose up, very angry:
"Rin is still suffering. Using her magic could kill her; we have to wait for her to recover."
Gonderic hesitated for a brief moment, then:
"Sire Shiro, while I greatly respect Mage Tohsaka, I maintain that we must not suspend our offensive until she recovers."
"Would you put her in danger?"
"I'm not saying that, just which we could leave her alone for..."
"And how do you want to leave her out of the conflict? You can't leave her behind and hope nothing happens to her!"
While Gonderic was about to retaliate, Saber raised her hand. She had the attitude of "King Arthur", royal and charismatic and the imperious gesture stopped him even before he uttered a word:
"Sir Gonderic, how do you know that the Orcs are strengthening and rowing reinforcements?"
The knight blinked:
"I don't know... It's just what I'd do if I were them."
Artoria agreed gravely:
"I see. It might as well be that they are setting a trap that would close on us if we attacked them. In your own words, ' It's just what I'd do if I were them. What do you think, Sir Gonderic?"
The Breton knight blinked, caught at his own game. He ended up shaking his head:
"I have no way of proving you wrong, Lady Artoria."
"And how can we prove which one of us is right, sir knight?"
Gonderic sighed:
"We need a reconnaissance of enemy positions."
"Sir Knight, who usually does these recons?"
"The Mage Tohsaka."
"Exactly, without her familiars, we can't recognize enemy positions. So we have to wait for Rin to recover."
Artoria's arguments were clear and without a reply.
Merlin smiled. He could also create familiars... like any Earth's Magus. However, the Wizard of Flowers knew his king well. She would never leave Rin behind, in danger.
A vast circle of soldiers had formed around the two duelists who were about to meet. Shiro Emiya had Traced Kanshou and Bakuya. In black leather armor, wrapped in a red coat, he slowly turned around the circle without letting go of his "opponent". But a smile betrayed his excitement; it had been a long time since he had trained with Saber.
Apparently, Artoria had nothing in her hands... but who still thought she was unarmed? Dressed in her blue robe under her strange armor as bright as silver, the King of Knights walked at the same rhythm as her lover, keeping constant the distance between them.
It started all at once...
Shiro began to run, crouched, with his arms stretched out behind him.
Saber turned in an almost nonchalant movement, clenching her invisible sword with both hands.
Before Shiro reached his friend he seemed to evaporate into the air. Artoria Pendragon's eyes folded as she lifted her head to look at something high.
The spectators did the same... discovering Shiro's black bow in his hand, notching arrows... that Saber dodged and paring with incredible speed.
As her lover dropped on her, having the married blades in hand again, Artoria blocked his first attack. Swiveling gracefully on herself, the King of Knights retaliated in the movement but the Amber Eyes Blacksmith block by crossing his blades.
The striking lifted a veil of snow around them as the ground fissured under Shiro's feet. The movements chained so quickly that the eye could not follow. Attacks... parades... feint... At each meeting of the blades, the magical energy they contained discharged into fantastic luminous phenomena and bursts of sparks.
Artoria changed tactics, holding Excalibur in her right hand, she plunged forward, her left gauntlet raised above her head.
The thick protection that covered it up to the elbow was, in fact, a shield formed of metal scales. The knight used it to secure herself against Kanchou while the Sword of the Promised Victory whistled up towards Shiro's face.
The Magus tensed, blocking on both sides. One moment the duelists faced each other, bandaging their muscles...
An aura of deep blue shook around Shiro, while Saber wrapped herself in gold. The air became heavy as crackles of static electricity spread the scent of ozone.
Saber put an end to the status quo by slipping away in a quick dance. Shiro failed to fall forward as his friend twirled; her spin kick touched him at the hip. Shiro accompanied the blow, rolled to the ground, and landed on his feet, on guard, attentive.
Artoria slowly lowered her invisible sword and smiled:
"On for me."
"Yes."
"You've come a long way, Shiro."
"Thank you; you're a very good teacher."
"Far from it... it's just that you were born for the sword."
Artoria instantly found herself on guard and rushed forward, disappearing to ordinary eyes. Shiro did the same...
Frightened, the soldiers looked to the right and left. The space seemed empty except the sound of metal striking metal. Here... there... briefly... in the air or on the ground... we could see bursts of energy and some blurry after-images.
No one could follow the fight.
Shiro was panting...
So that was a Hero!
Artoria was no longer a Servant, but her speed and strength remained superhuman. As he blocks with Bakuya, the sword broke brutally, numbing his whole arm. Releasing the stump, he opened his fingers:
"Trace On."
Immediately, an identical blade replaced the one he had just lost. He attacked, but his friend jumped back... He followed her, except that she jumped over him to attack him in the back... and withdraw immediately as he counters. The fight did not have a moment's respite. Pushed back, Saber kept coming back, forcing Shiro to remain on the defensive. She seemed to come from all sides... The brow covered with sweat, the red-haired Magus was beginning to despair to land a hit.
As he blocked a blow, Kanshou was torn from his hand and fell back behind him. Stuck in the ground, the Chinese falchion gets diluted into blue prana particles as he invoked a new copy of this weapon.
Saber was incredible, even after he had Strengthened his body to the maximum, he could barely follow her movements.
Artoria went from surprise to surprise. Her lover had become a first-class fighter, without the fighting instinct that allowed her to predict his movements and her Dragon Core that gave her the advantage in terms of power as well as endurance, the fight would have been very difficult.
In the first place, his sword technique was incredible... Shiro always seemed a little unguarded and slow... but it was a feint. Every time she tried to take advantage of one of his faults, he responded with astonishing speed.
The apparent flaws in his defense were there only to channel her attacks and make it predictable.
As Saber jump hight, Shiro did the same and their blades crossed into a loud "bang" which generated a powerful flash. They fell back to the ground and smiled.
The duel had already lasted for a good quarter of an hour. Now that they were warmed up, serious things could begin...
(1) And again, Sakura did not tell her sister what she suffered at the hands of the Matou...
(2) Alteration, Destruction, Illusion, Mysticism, Restoration and Thaumaturgy... at the time of the events of Daggerfall, because the number of schools continue to vary and the spells pass from one to the other.
(3) The Sage (his real name, Gyron Vardengroet) would be an immortal wizard who would help the other magi. He was still a child that his first Master sent him to the greatest magical authority of the country having nothing more to teach him. The Sage appears in legends, but it may not be a real character.
(4) The Ether is the Fifth Element added to fire, air, earth, and water. It is a subtle substance distinct from matter and capable of providing or transmitting effects between bodies. "It is absolutely necessary that there be a simple body whose nature is to move according to the circular translation, according to its own nature… Apart from the bodies that surround us here below, there is another body, separate from them, and possessing a nature all the nobler because it is farther away from those of our world." So says Aristotle.